Create with Alexa is a new feature your child can use on a supported Echo Show device to create immersive bedtime stories with the help of artificial intelligence. The new storytelling feature uses conversational and generative AI to create a story arc, images, and accompanying music for an animated bedtime story experience. To engage the Create with Alexa feature, you say, “Alexa, make a story,” and then you can choose the story’s setting, tone, characters, and score....

Clocking another record-breaking investment gains in 2021, Asia-Pacific brought in $193 billion in private investments across 12,119 transactions, according to a report released Monday by KPMG and HSBC. This accounted for more than a quarter of the global figure of $670 billion and an increase of 67% from the year before. The report assessed 6,472 technology startups with valuations of up to $500 million in 12 markets, including Mainland China, India, Australia; Singapore, South Korea; Hong Kong, and Indonesia....

The foundation has released version 2.4.52 of the Apache HTTP Server (web server) that addresses two flaws tracked as CVE-2021-44790 and CVE-2021-44224, which have respective CVSS severity scores of 9.8 (critical) and 8.2 (high) out of a possible 10. A score of 9.8 is very bad, and in recent weeks has only been topped by the Log4j vulnerability known as Log4Shell, which had a severity score of 10 out of 10....

But, after writing the review, wherein I couldn’t make up my mind about whether the HomePod was a good speaker, let alone a good “smart” speaker, I ultimately decided to keep it. With time, the HomePod grew on me. I found myself using it for more smart speaker-related tasks and found the audio quality got better over time. So, when Apple discontinued the HomePod, seemingly replacing it with the HomePod Mini – which sounded just okay, I was disappointed that it appeared Apple wasn’t going to continue to push its high-end smart speaker forward....

Bloomberg reports that a shell company, linked to law firms Apple has previously used, has filed trademark applications in multiple countries for the names “Reality One”, “Reality Pro” and “Reality Processor”. In December, a shell company connected to Apple filed trademark applications for “RealityOS” with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the likely name for the hardware’s operating system. Apple often uses shell companies and law firms to secure the names it wants for unannounced products....

Also: The 8 best iPhone models For those who are curious, the official changelog lists the ability for Apple Cash users to send or request money when viewing their Apple Cash card. Apple’s Podcasts app is now better at managing storage and keeping or getting rid of old podcast episodes. And finally, HomeKit users will see fewer issues with home automations that are triggered when people come home or leave....

Previously, an app would be removed from the App Store if it sidestepped Apple’s payment systems and in-app purchase commissions. The settlement will lift this restriction and be applicable to all apps. The settlement [PDF], currently pending approval by US courts, will see Apple create revised “anti-steering” guidelines that allow developers to use communications, such as email, to share information about payment methods outside of their iOS app. Developers will not have to pay Apple a commission on any purchases that take place outside of their app or the App Store....

The most eyebrow-raising sound bite: Completed or nearly completed AI implementations grew from 6% one year ago to 63% today. In addition, we’re currently seeing increased enthusiasm for full AI adoption, versus the narrower use cases that dominated last year’s survey. The percentage of IT leaders who say they’re looking to deploy fully enabled AI use cases with widespread adoption in the future jumped from 11% to 27%. The longstanding build-or-buy conundrum has surfaced with AI projects....

“We are spending a lot of money on ICT,” he said, presenting the 2021 Pearcey Oration. “Some of that is maybe more sustainment, but a lot of it is improving our systems. “I think we see ourselves really part of sustaining the career paths of a lot of people in the Australian ICT community. I think our approach to the tax system, which is to leave space for digital service providers, and indeed to really be supportive … hopefully creates this reward for innovation....

Aussie Broadband said buying the 300-employee company would boost its offerings in the cloud, enterprise, security, and government spaces. Over the Wire currently has over 16,000 business, government, and wholesale customers, owns five data centres, and leases 99% of its fibre network. By contrast, Aussie Broadband is connected to all NBN points of interconnect, and has 1,200kms of its fibre in the ground or under construction. Aussie Broadband said if the deal was completed, it would be able to move its third-party supplied voice services onto Over the Wire’s NetSIP voice network that has over 700,000 active numbers....

The Bill in question, if passed, would enable national intelligence agencies to undertake activities to produce intelligence where there is, or is likely to be, an imminent risk to the safety of an Australian person, such as from terrorist attacks or kidnappings. It would also allow these agencies to seek ministerial authorisation to produce intelligence on Australians involved with a listed terrorist organisation rather than having to obtain multiple, concurrent authorisations to produce intelligence on individual Australian persons who are suspected of being involved with a listed terrorist organisation....

The funding, delivered under the Medical Research Future Fund’s Medical Research Commercialisation initiative, will be equally shared among four organisations that will work with local small and medium-sized businesses to commercialise the application of their research. Each organisation will receive AU$19.75 million. “The initiative has already supported implementation of new products that are changing clinical practice and improving lives,” Minister for Health Greg Hunt said. “They include a novel device that improves the success rate of breast cancer surgery and an implant that promises to treat glaucoma for six months from a single injection, removing the need for daily drop therapy....

It all began at 20:11 PDT, when the AWS status page announced the platform was suffering from degraded performance in its main availability zone.“Existing EC2 instances within the affected availability zone that use EBS volumes may also experience impairment due to stuck IO to the attached EBS volume(s),” a notice said 30 minutes later. “Newly launched EC2 instances within the affected availability zone may fail to launch due to the degraded volume performance....

The problem? According to the AWS Service Health Dashboard: At that time, a little after 1 PM ET, it looked like we’d be back to business soon. It turns out we were wrong. At 5:04 PM ET, AWS reported that while they “have executed a mitigation which is showing significant recovery in the US-EAST-1 Region,” they “still do not have an ETA for full recovery at this time.” At 7:45 PM ET, AWS reported: “With the network device issues resolved, we are now working towards recovery of any impaired services....

We let price take priority, but we aren’t interested in cheap internet that doesn’t provide good service – high speed and reliability are also crucial. We looked at data caps, connection type, and other factors to review the best cheap internet providers of 2021. Compare the Best Cheap Internet Providers AT&T offers nearly nationwide coverage, affordable pricing, and solid download speeds – though navigating the company’s labyrinth of plans can feel unnecessarily complicated....

If you haven’t looked at inkjet printers in a few years, you may be surprised at the improvements. While the dreaded ink cartridges are still used by some printers, there’s been a big rise in cartridge-free ink tank printing that reduces the waste and overall cost. There’s also been a big rise in security, capacity, and quality. If you’re in the market for everything from a massive departmental printer to a battery-powered printer you can run from the car, we have you covered....

California’s fastest-growing industries include talent agents and business managers, information security analysts, and data scientists. You can prepare yourself for one of these positions by earning your degree in business management, computer engineering, or another tech-related field. With so many online colleges in California to choose from, we ranked our top picks to help you take the next step toward your new career. Top 5 online schools in California: Quick facts The 10 best online colleges in California Using ZDNet’s ranking methodology, we found our top picks for online colleges in California....

Many of these careers require a bachelor’s or master’s degree, which you can earn at the schools highlighted below. Whether you know what you’d like to study or want to explore the possibilities, check out our top 10 online schools in Georgia. Top 5 online schools in Georgia: Quick facts The 10 best online colleges in Georgia ZDNet’s ranking methodology encompasses several layers of fact-checking and independent review by industry experts....

This highly specialized online doctoral degree is available at accredited schools nationwide and can boost your computer and information systems-related career. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that computer and information systems managers can anticipate an 11% growth in employment from 2020-2030. A doctoral degree will equip you with the knowledge to evolve with these dynamic changes in computer and telecommunications systems. Read on for our ranking of the top information technology doctorates nationwide, along with what to expect from this degree....

In most of these cases, you can sell your old gear without having to visit a single location. You just need to drop it in the mail, and depending on which place you are working, you will be provided with return packaging or a shipping label to print out. Some will even pick up your equipment using a courier. Payment: Direct bank transferTurnaround: Varies Payment: Paypal. No seller fees, but buyers pay a small fee that is included in the sale price....