By Tian DuBelko
We round up the trending stories every week so you can catch up on the top tech news. This week, Google released its 4k touchscreen whiteboard, Unity Technologies landed $400 million in funding, Ikea unveiled smart light bulbs that are compatible with digital assistants, and Verizon announced its own TV streaming service. Get your weekly recap here, then head over to our blog for more stories.
For $5k, you can get Google’s 4k touchscreen whiteboard
Don’t let its name fool you. The Google Jamboard has nothing to do with food. Instead, it’s a 55-inch digital whiteboard, complete with touch input and pen, companion iOS and Android apps, and 4K resolution. The Jamboard is powered by a Nvidia Jetson TX1 processor and will function like the Google Home of the office.
Unity raises $400 million in funding
Unity Technologies, the San Franciso-based company specializing in development tools for video game creators, has raised $400 million in fresh funding from Silver Lake Partners, a private equity firm. Recently, Unity has expanded into augmented and virtual reality, one of the hottest fields in video games and technology at the moment.
Ikea’s smart light bulbs will work with Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, and Google Assistant
Starting this summer, you’ll be able to control the lights in your home via voice command. Ikea just announced that Trådfri, its smart lighting product, will be compatible with Apple Siri, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant. Right now, the Trådfri is controlled remotely or through an app, so integrating it into existing digital assistants is a big forward step.
Verizon CEO confirms company’s own TV streaming service
Verizon is the latest company to throw its hat into the ring of live TV streaming. Confirmed by CEO Lowell McAdam in a teleconference call, the cell carrier will launch its own over-the-top (OTT) TV streaming service in the near future. Verizon, which already owns AOL, is in the process of acquiring Yahoo as well, and it will likely test out its new service among the 1.3 billion combined users.
