Sep 13, 2021

Qualcomm Google bringing in-vehicle experiences to Renault Group’s Mégane E-TECH Monday, 13 September 2021 10:05 Qualcomm Google bringing in-vehicle experiences to Renault Group’s Mégane E-TECH 0 (0 votes) Qualcomm Technologies announced the company will work with Google and Renault Group to design an in-vehicle experience for Renault’s next-generation electric vehicle, the new Mégane E-TECH Electric, which was unveiled at IAA Mobility 2021 in Munich. Renault Group  will utilise the 3rd Generation Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit Platforms to power the vehicle’s technically advanced infotainment system, which is comprised of portrait-sized touchscreen infotainment displays for audio, visual and navigational functions, bringing ease of use and comfort to drivers and passengers, Qualcomm  said. To further enhance the experience for drivers and passengers, infotainment systems in the new Mégane E-TECH Electric will come equipped with built-in Google  apps and services to not only provide intelligent infotainment and in-vehicle customer applications (such as Google Assistant, Google Maps and Google Play), but to also keep the vehicle fresh and current with evolving digital trends with its upgradeable capabilities. Qualcomm says the new Mégane E-TECH Electric’s stylish infotainment system aims to meet the automotive industry’s requirements and consumers’ growing demand for premium in-vehicle experiences, as well as to underscore the Mégane E-TECH Electric’s position as a highly competitive electric vehicle in the market. The 3rd Generation Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit Platforms, a scalable AI based solution, are designed to transform in-vehicle experiences, supporting higher levels of compute and intelligence needed for advanced capabilities featured in next generation vehicles, including highly intuitive AI experiences for in-car virtual assistance, natural interactions between the vehicle and driver, and contextual safety use cases, Qualcomm says. Utilising 3rd Generation Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit Platforms, upcoming Mégane E-TECH Electric vehicles will be designed to deliver transformative experiences for drivers and passengers, the company continues. Renault alliance global vice president software factory Thierry Cammal  said, “Digital cockpits have quickly transformed how drivers and passengers interact with their vehicles, allowing for more personalisation and enhanced comfort. “We believe that our continued work with Google and Qualcomm Technologies is critical to redefining in-vehicle experiences, allowing us to provide advanced features and capabilities to elevate the experiences for drivers and passengers.” “We recognise consumers’ and automakers’ increasing demands for intelligent and safe in-vehicle experiences, and we are proud to have our 3rd Generation Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit Platforms play a role in helping meet these needs with the Mégane E-TECH Electric vehicles,” said Qualcomm Technologies senior vice president & GM automotive Nakul Duggal . “We look forward to extending our long-term relationships with industry leaders like Google and Renault Group to reimagine and redesign the overall experience for drivers and passengers within this new digital age.” Qualcomm Technologies said its integrated automotive platforms, including the Snapdragon Digital Chassis, continue to grow the company’s telematics, infotainment and in-car connectivity businesses, with an order pipeline of more than $10 billion. Qualcomm Technologies went on to say its automotive solutions combine a multitude of leading technologies, scale and experience to support the creation of advanced automotive infotainment systems. Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit Platforms from Qualcomm Technologies bring next generation technologies to automakers and Tier-1 suppliers around the globe to design and power their next-generation digital cockpit systems. This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 7 September 2021. GRAND OPENING OF THE ITWIRE SHOP The much awaited iTWire Shop is now open to our readers. Visit the iTWire Shop, a leading destination for stylish accessories, gear & gadgets, lifestyle products and everyday portable office essentials, drones, zoom lenses for smartphones, software and online training. PLUS Big Brands include: Apple, Lenovo, LG, Samsung, Sennheiser and many more. Products available for any country. We hope you enjoy and find value in the much anticipated iTWire Shop. 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See the latest in Tech News, Views, Interviews, Reviews, Product Promos and Events. Plus funny videos from our readers and customers. A judge in California has allowed Apple to continue charging developers a fee as it does, giving Android app makers little cheer that a similar case against Google would provide them any relief. The company that brought the case, Epic Games, maker of the popular game Fortnite, has appealed against the judgment. US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers told Epic to pay damages to Apple for violating rules around its in-app purchasing system. A Reuters report said Justice Gonzalez Rogers made it mandatory for Apple to allow developers to tell their customers about methods of paying for their apps outside the Apple store. {loadposition sam08}A similar case is in train against Google and is likely to be heard next year. Both Google and Apple charge developers of apps that are accepted into their respective online stores commissions of as much as 30%. Epic has taken action against both Google and Apple, claiming that the commissions are too high and can only be collected because both companies have monopolies over their respective app stores. Last year, Apple cut its fee to 15% for small developers who have less than US$1 million (A$1.35 million) in annual net sales, and Google followed suit. This happened less than a year after two developers sued Apple, claiming that it had for years maintained a monopoly over the sale and distribution of iOS apps. Epic chief executive Tim Sweeney tweeted after the case ended, saying the ruling "isn't a win for developers or for consumers". {loadposition kenn} “This is an exciting partnership for FinTech Australia, as we’ve always seen a key link between the property sector and the fintech industry,” FinTech Australia CEO Rebecca Schot Guppy says. “Property is crucial to wealth and investment, and there’s a substantial number of fintechs operating in the sector. Our partnership program will leverage network relationships and see exciting opportunities,” adds Guppy. “PropTrack will provide unparalleled access to property data and insights through the integration of proprietary REA Group demand data and industry-leading software, apps and tools. We will connect with new fintechs to help build their competitive advantage with trusted market intelligence,” PropTrack chief executive officer Melina Cruickshank concludes. PropTrack is a property data and valuations business servicing customers including Australia’s major banks with trusted property data analytics and insights, customised data platforms and an automated valuation model (AVM). COMPANY NEWS: Provider of digital adoption platforms WalkMe has appointed Wayne McCulloch as chief customer officer. McCulloch , author of The Seven Pillars of Customer Success, and who has over 25 years of experience in customer success roles, will drive WalkMe ’s adoption to transform the way enterprise chief information officers (CIOs) gain visibility and insights into digital assets and business processes. WalkMe’s digital adoption and data will be used by CIOs to learn how workers interact with technology and derive more value from better user experiences. “As we continue to evolve our platform to exceed the expectations of today’s data-first enterprises, it became clear that WalkMe had come to an important point on our growth trajectory and it was time to search for our first chief customer officer,” explains WalkMe CEO and co-founder Dan Adika . {loadposition kenn} “Wayne’s expertise in extracting more value from the technology investments and user experiences of global enterprises while leading the industry’s most customer-centric client success teams made him a top pick for this role.” McCulloch is a world-renowned customer success expert, having served as a start-up advisor, keynote speaker, investor, and author amid his distinguished career in customer-facing functions. He has worked in Google where he oversaw customer success for Google Cloud ’s entire SaaS portfolio of 7.1 million customers. Prior to Google, he held senior leadership roles within the customer success group Looker (acquired by Google) and Salesforce . He will lead all post-sales functions, including Customer Success, Service, and Support at WalkMe. Wayne’s scope also includes the management and growth of The Digital Adoption Institute , established by WalkMe, with the mandate of advancing the profession of digital adoption through vocational certifications, executive education, and scholarships. “WalkMe is poised to become the next enterprise software giant, simply by the way its technology significantly impacts a company's digital transformation success,” notes McCulloch. “But more importantly, WalkMe impacts people's lives not just at work, but by building new DAP careers around the world for people from all backgrounds. “The technology and the human impact WalkMe will soon be realised, and I am looking forward to accelerating this impact globally,” he says. McCulloch joins WalkMe amid accelerated demand for digital adoption solutions and strong momentum behind the company’s public debut this past summer in North America. Founded ten years ago to simplify the way employees and customers interact with technology, WalkMe is a no-code, platform-agnostic solution that runs across all underlying applications. Over the last decade, WalkMe has continued to deliver digital solutions at scale to help organisations worldwide achieve their digital transformation goals by creating frictionless and elegant digital experiences that reduce complexity in the enterprise technology stack. Tech giant Google has launched new advancements for Google Workplace to help employees collaborate equally regardless of location, device preference, role or language. Google Workplace  says the new advancements include rollout of spaces in chat, new meeting enhancements, and conferencing hardware to assist organisations bridge the gaps as they navigate new hybrid work environments. Google Workplace senior director of product management Sanaz Ahari  says teams need the ability to flexibly collaborate from anywhere, anytime. “We face the same challenges I’ve heard from our customers. How do we stay in sync, make decisions, and build team culture in a hybrid environment?” {loadposition kenn} “We help bridge the gaps of virtual and in-person collaboration. The spaces will serve as a dedicated place to share information, advance projects, and where organisations can build communities,” she says. Spaces are central for team collaboration in Google Workspace, and it is now live for all users. It is tightly integrated with tools like calendar, drive, docs, sheets, slides, meet, and tasks, providing a way for people to engage in topic-based discussions, share knowledge and ideas, move projects forward, and build communities and team culture. Google will add more features in spaces to help teams stay organised, connected and collaborative. Streamlined navigation: A flexible user interface helps users easily access their inbox, chats, spaces and meetings—all from a single location. Discoverable spaces: Spaces and their content can be accessed by employees so other people can find and join the conversation. Administrators can also set discoverability as the default for their organisation. Enhanced search: Allows users to easily find content from within and across spaces, or even discover new spaces to join. “Search everything” in spaces opens collaboration possibilities. In-line topic threading: The ability to reply to any message within a space fuels deeper discussions and collaboration. Robust security and admin features: Tools for content moderation, managing spaces, and establishing the right rules for healthy communication. As companies return to the office, either working virtually or adopting a hybrid model, it’s important that participants can connect, create, and collaborate equally from any location. With this shift in mind, Google is announcing new features: Working location in Google Calendar: In addition to indicating virtual or physical presence in meeting invites, team members can now set their working location in the calendar, on a regular basis or by segmentable working hours. Google Meet calling: Meet calling complements Meet’s more structured, scheduled video meetings and better supports the ebbs and flows of hybrid work by allowing for more connections. Google intends to bring Meet calling to all the natural endpoints in Workspace where employees initiate an ad-hoc call including chats, contact cards, and spaces. Companion mode in Google Meet: To be launched in November, companion mode will allow users to join meetings from their personal device while leveraging in-room audio and video. Live-translated captions in Google Meet: Later this year, live-translated captions will be available in English to French, German, Spanish and Portuguese, with many more languages coming in the future. As people start returning to the office, either on a full-time or part-time basis, meeting hardware in conference rooms and shared spaces will allow users to connect and participate in meetings. To help this transition, Google is announcing an expanded Google Meet hardware portfolio, equipped with two new all-in-one video conferencing devices, third-party Meet-certified devices, and interoperability with Webex by Cisco: New all-in-one all video conferencing devices: Google is announcing Series One Board 65 and Series One Desk 27, new all-in-one video conferencing devices to complement the Series One rooms kits. The Series One Desk 27 is configured for desktops and small shared spaces in the office or at home, whereas the Series One Board 65 is designed for team rooms and shared spaces and has an optional stand for configuration flexibility. Both devices feature collaboration capabilities with the Jamboard app and can be used as an external display via USB-C. This also allows users to use the conferencing service of their choice with connection from their laptops. Google Workplace says the devices were developed in partnership with Avocor , a leader in interactive displays. Pre-orders can be placed with Avocor. New third party devices: Google has certified the Logitech Rally Bar Mini and Rally Bar to work with Google Meet, providing an all-in-one video bar for small and mid-sized rooms. Additionally, Appcessori  is launching a new mobile device speaker dock, Rayz Rally Pro , that will automatically launch Google Meet for video meetings and provide an audio experience from mobile devices. Support for interop with devices from Webex by Cisco: Workspace customers may currently use Pexip for Google Meet to join Meet meetings from the range of third-party video conferencing solutions. Google will support bidirectional interoperability with devices from Webex by Cisco and Google Meet hardware (rolling out later this year). This enables customers to launch a Google Meet meeting on Webex hardware and a Webex meeting on Google Meet hardware. Google says calling interop between Meet and Webex is supported on the Series One Board 65, Series One Desk 27, and the rest of the Google Meet hardware portfolio, as well as Webex Room Series, Room Kit Series, Desk Series and Board Series. Navigating hybrid work Google Workplace says navigating hybrid work will continue to be a journey of learning and adaptation. To help better prepare an organisation or team, Google has released a Hybrid Handbook  that details the best practices navigating hybrid work. To join Google or a Webex meeting, watch the video below:   A non-profit group in the north Indian state of Rajasthan has filed an anti-trust case against Apple similar to that which the iPhone maker faces in the European Union, alleging that the US firm abuses its dominant market position by forcing developers to use its proprietary in-app purchase system. Reuters cited a source and documents its staff had seen, saying that the organisation, Together We Fight Society, had filed the case to protect consumers and start-ups. Apple does not have much market share in India, with just about 2% of the country's 520 million smartphone being iPhones. But even this small number represents a doubling in the last five years. News of the Indian action comes a few days after South Korea amended an existing law to force both Google and Apple to allow alternative payment systems to be used for their mobile app stores. {loadposition sam08}The case will be reviewed by the Competition Commission of India which could order a wider investigation or else dump it. In November last year, the CCI said it was investigating Google for anti-competitive practices, with the company being accused of using its control of the PlayStore and Android to favour Google Pay over competing apps. That investigation is said to be still continuing. The case also claims that Apple's rules about how developers communicate with users to offer payment solutions breach competition laws and affect other payment firms who charge much less for their services. Recently, Apple loosened rules for developers, allowing them to share information about other means of payment outside their iOS app. This week, the company permitted some apps to offer customers in-app links to get around its own purchase system. But within apps, users are not allowed to use any other payment system.