July 11-12:
iOS 9 beta, Apple Pay U.K. leaks, Star Wars fans get a surprise and more.
Microsoft HoloLens takes a turn towards academia
Virtual reality has had a lot of hype lately, while most of it has been targeted towards VR and video games, Microsoft decided to go a different direction. Academia. Partnering with Case Western Reserve University, Microsoft shows how the HoloLens can help doctors learn human autonomy in a whole new way.
With the HoloLens, doctors are now able to see and interact with parts of the human body that they have never even seen before. Hopefully, Microsoft will be able to make the HoloLens more available than Google ever could with their first version of Google Glass. Check out the video below to see what the future of education could look like.
Source: TechCrunch
OS X El Capitan and iOS 9 betas are now available
While developers have had access for a couple of weeks, OS X El Capitan and iOS 9 betas are now available to the public. I know some of you may want to make the change and test the betas for yourself, but you must remember, they are just betas. Both iOS 9 and El Capitan have been reported as to being buggy and may not yet be suitable for your main device.
Bugs and glitches aside, the reviews have actually been quite positive. Many people love the new suggestions that Siri gives when you swipe left on the homescreen. This makes home screen navigation faster and easier. The beta also includes updates such as Apple News, which has gotten decent feedback, and Apple Wallet, which we will definitely be seeing more of as Apple Pay becomes available in more locations. If you missed wwdc or simply need a refresher, check out the recap here. As regards to testing the beta, it may be a better decision to wait until the full release if you don’t have a backup device readily available.
Source: TechCrunch
Redditors show their power as CEO resigns
Reddit CEO Ellen Pao has resigned after heavy backlash from Reddit users and moderators over the firing of Victoria Taylor. Taylor, who is responsible for the popular subreddit- AMA, was let go by Pao for unknown reasons. After the announcement, Reddit exploded with backlash over the firing and proceeded to attack Pao for her performance as CEO. This eventually lead to her formal resignation over the weekend.
While Pao cites the cause of the resignation not on the incident and backlash of Redditors, but rather another reason entirely. Pao stated. “Ultimately, the board asked me to demonstrate higher user growth in the next six months than I believe I can deliver while maintaining reddit’s core principles.” Whether or not this is the true reason she resigned we will never know. What we do know is that Pao is simply the latest CEO to face “trial by internet” and lose their job because of it. Today’s CEOs have to be more careful than ever before as the internet and social media have lead to a whole new angle of public criticism. For now, Reddit co-founder and former CEO, Steve Huffman will serve as Reddit’s CEO. It appears that Huffman will stay on as the permanent CEO.
Source: Forbes
Star Wars steals the show at Comic Con- Literally
With a fully packed auditorium that consisted of 6,500 Star Wars fans, J.J. Abrams and the cast took the stage to discuss the upcoming Star Wars film, The Force Awakens. With appearances from the newest cast members all the way to oldest, (Harrison Ford) fans in attendance got more than they ever expected. At the end of the panel, Abrams invited all 6,500 people to a Star Wars concert complete with fireworks and lightsabers. Literally, emptying the auditorium. Fans also got nearly 4 minutes of behind the scenes footage from the upcoming film. Overall, it’s a good time to be a Star Wars fan. Check out the behind the scenes footage below.
Watch the panel in its entirety here
Source: Mashable
Techradar
HSBC unofficially confirms Apple Pay release
After numerous rumors and some pretty credible leaks, HSBC is now the latest to confirm that Apple Pay U.K. will be launching tomorrow. HSBC’s twitter account accidently leaked the news while responding to a tweet regarding Apple Pay. While it was quickly deleted, someone still managed to get a screenshot of the slip up. This news comes as no surprise as Apple Pay stickers have been popping up on merchants windows all over London the past couple of days. So has we have previously reported, we should expect Apple Pay U.K. to launch tomorrow.
Source: 9to5Mac
