Technology

In a world dominated by Alexa and the Google Assistant, Cortana suffers the fate of a perfectly good alternative that nobody uses and everybody forgets about. But Microsoft wouldn&t be Microsoft if it just gave up on its investment in this space, so itnow launching the Cortana Skills Kit for Enterprise to see if thata niche where Cortana can succeed.

This new kit is an end-to-end solution for enterprises that want to build their own skills and agents. Of course, they could have done this before using the existing developer tools. This kit isn&t all that different from those, after all. Microsoft notes that it is designed for deployment inside an organization and represents a new platform for them to build these experiences.

The Skills Kit platform is based on the Microsoft Bot Framework and the Azure Cognitive Services Language Understanding feature.

Overall, this is probably not a bad bet on Microsoftpart. I can see how some enterprises would want to build their own skills for their employees and customers to access internal data, for example, or to complete routine tasks.

For now, this tool is only available in private preview. No word on when we can expect a wider launch.

The Surface Hub 2, the successor to Microsoftfirst set of giant Windows 10 touchscreen displays for collaboration, will launch in Q2 2019, the company announced today. Previously, the company had only said that it was targeting 2019 for the launch.

The company also today provided a roadmap beyond that, though. First, it will launch the Surface Hub 2S. The S is significantly lighter and slimmer than the original Surface Hub, yet offers the same kind of user experience. The display is a bit smaller, though, and there will only be a 50.5-inch display instead of the 55-inch and 84-inch version previously offered. It&ll also feature a 4K camera, improved microphones and support for Microsoft Teams.

Whatmaybe most interesting, though, is that in 2020, Microsoft plans to update the Surface Hub family with the Surface Hub 2X. Itthis update that brings a number of updates to the family that most users have been waiting for (and maybe hoped for from the 2S). The 2X will include the ability to rotate and tile the screen. It will also enable multiuser log in.

The good news here is that Surface Hub owners won&t have to throw away their old displays if they want to upgrade to the 2X. The Surface Hub 2 includes a replaceableprocessor cartridge, so 2S users will be able to upgrade to the 2X experience.

If you opt for the 2S for now (and if you had a few thousand dollars to spend on a collaborative digital whiteboard, why wouldn&t you), then you can also make use of the new whiteboard app, use Bing to search (no word on whether you can choose search providers) and get all of the other benefits of the existing Surface Hub experience.

&As with all our devices, Surface Hub 2 was designed to give people a product that will help them create more, do more, and achieve more,& Microsoft says in todayannouncement. &With Surface Hub 2 we believe we have created an experience that not only people, but teams will love. Surface Hub 2 breaks down barriers between teammates and will help organizations around the world to elevate themselves with a more modern and collaborative culture.&

Itworth noting that Microsoft got a bit of competition since it launched the first version of the Surface Hub. With its Jamboard, Google now offers a similar and somewhat more affordable experience, though if you are in the Microsoft and Office ecosystem, that won&t do you much good.

Roku is expanding its lineup of streaming media players in an attempt to bring down the cost of 4K-ready devices, and plug every hole in the market. The company announced this morning the launch of two new devices, the Roku Premiere and a Walmart exclusive version, the Roku Premiere+.

Previously, Rokulowest price 4K-ready device was the $70 Roku Streaming Stick+. Now, through the Premiere line, it offers 4K players that start at $40.

The Premiere ($39.99) sports a quad-core processor, and supports streaming content in HD, 4K, and 4K HDR. It also ships with an HDMI cable, IR remote, works over 802.11 (b/g/n) Wi-Fi, and offers Dolby and DTS Digital Surround pass through over HDMI.

The Premiere+ ($49.99) offers the same, except that it includes Rokuvoice remote with the TV power and volume up and down down buttons.

And both will have access to Roku4K Spotlight channel from the Roku home screen, where you&ll find a round-up of TV shows and movies filmed in 4K Ultra HD.

&We think that this fall is definitely going to be a 4K holiday,& says Mark Ely, RokuVice President of Product Management, in a call with TechCrunch. &[Analyst at IHS] are saying roughly 24 million 4K panels will ship in 2018 and that 97% of TVs 55 inches or the larger will be 4K. Also, the content is beginning to show up to go along with that & Netflix Originals, Amazon Prime Video, and certainly first-run Hollywood movies on Vudu,& he adds. &Therea lot of 4K content.&

In addition to the launch of the new players, Roku is also improving its high-end Roku Ultra ($99.99) device, which will now ship with JBL headphones included in the package for the same price.

The Roku Premiere is available for pre-order on Roku.com today, and will also be available at major retailers along with the Ultra in early October. The Roku Premiere+ will be exclusive to Walmart stores and Walmart.com.

Alongside the news of the new devices, Roku also today announced Roku OS software updates & Roku OS 8.2 for Roku TVs and Rokuwireless speakers, and Roku 9.0 for its other devices.

The 8.2 release adds supports for launching and controlling iHeartRadio, Pandora, and TuneIn using voice commands. It has also added other improvements, like boosting voice frequencies for better speech clarity and and automatic volume leveling feature to create uniform sound across content (no more blaring commercials or movies that go from quiet to loud, requiring constant fiddling with the remote control).

Spotify is also returning to Roku with 8.2 with an updated app users can launch with a remote, as well as via Spotify Connect & the feature that lets them control Spotify on a laptop, tablet, or mobile phone but stream through the Roku.

Meanwhile, Roku OS 9.0, which is arriving on Roku streaming players ahed of Roku TVs, also adds Spotify, automatic voice leveling, and a new way to search for free content by voice. (e.g. &show me free comedies& or &free dramas,& etc.)

Roku OS 8.2 is coming to Roku TVs now as a staged rollout that completes in November. Roku OS 9.0 will roll out to streaming players in early November, then hit Roku Tvs in Q1 2019.

In addition, Roku says it will soon add support for controlling its devices through Google Assistant.

Rokustrategy with its devices it to make sure therea model for everyone, whether itan entry-level streamer for those just testing the waters, or a premium device for those who want added bells and whistles & like Roku Ultra with its lost remote finder function and extra ports.

The company is now one of the top streaming media device makers on the market, as a result.

Roku says it now has 22 million active user accounts, which is up 43% year-over-year. Its users have streaming 5.5 billion hours of content, which is up 57% year-over-year. And one in four TVs sold in the U.S. is now a Roku TV.