The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), which represents more than 2,200 technology companies, announced yesterday that its new name is the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Replacing “electronics” with “technology” is meant to address an evolving consumer tech industry and more accurately reflect the diverse member companies. The change will take place immediately. The new name and logo were introduced in New York City at CES Unveiled, a “sneak peek” event that provides highlights of what’s to come at January’s CES 2016, which is produced by the CTA. Continue reading CEA Announces New Name: Consumer Technology Association

The New York Attorney General’s office announced yesterday that fantasy-sports games FanDuel and DraftKings constitute illegal gambling and are therefore subject to criminal penalties if they do not shut down in New York. While a few other states have said fantasy sports constitute gambling, the “cease-and-desist order from New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is the first time fantasy-sports operators have been formally accused of criminal activity,” reports The Wall Street Journal. The companies have five days to respond. According to Schneiderman, “it is clear that DraftKings and FanDuel are the leaders of a massive, multibillion-dollar scheme intended to evade the law and fleece sports fans across the country.”

“Singles Day” in China (November 11, or 11/11) was launched by Alibaba in 2009 with the intent that unmarried, single shoppers would go online and splurge on something nice for themselves. The event has since grown to become a major extravaganza. This year’s four-hour televised Singles Day’s Eve, for example, featured major Chinese celebs and movie stars. Daniel Craig even joined Alibaba executive chairman Jack Ma, and Kevin Spacey made a video appearance as President Frank Underwood. “In the first 90 minutes after the Singles Day kickoff, at midnight in Beijing, Alibaba said it surpassed $5 billion in total sales,” notes Wired. “Seventy-four percent of those were from mobile phones.”

Internet customers in New York City can now sign up for Time Warner Cable’s streaming TV trial. According to Engadget, “customers can get access to the TWC TV app on a variety of devices without adding a [cable] box or having a tech come out. During the trial, testers will get a free Roku 3 player, and the cheapest plan (with channels like ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and TBS among the 20+ included) starts at just $10 per month on a 12 month contract.” A second package including Showtime and Starz is available for $20, while a premium $50 package adds Disney, ESPN and others. For now, the trial is only available for TWC customers in NYC.

Google announced yesterday that it would offer its new TensorFlow machine-learning system to outside programmers as open-source code. According to Google, TensorFlow is up to five times faster at training machine-learning models and more flexible than the company’s earlier offering. “Its previous system, DistBelief, developed in 2011, was tailored for building neural networks, the building blocks of deep learning, and for use on Google’s own network of data centers,” explains The New York Times. Google claims that the new TensorFlow software, a more general tool, will have the ability to run on an individual smartphone or across an array of data center computers.

Facebook will soon incorporate its facial recognition tech, currently used to help users tag their friends in photos, into its popular messaging app, Messenger. The goal is to prompt users to increase sharing via Messenger, especially within groups. Messenger “will now look at your photos, identify who is in them, and encourage you to share those photos with those friends,” notes Re/code. “Facebook is building lots of artificial intelligence, and it’s starting to get more aggressive about integrating that technology into actual consumer products.” The facial recognition tech has already been folded into its photo storage app, Moments, and the company is also testing a virtual assistant.

University of Cambridge scientists have developed a new lithium-air (Li-air) battery design that could be the first practical alternative to the lithium-ion battery common in CE devices. The scientists discovered a workaround to the limitations of earlier iterations by engineering a lithium iodide and water-based electrolyte that is light and porous. The result is a design that “is 90 percent more efficient than conventional Li-ion batteries and capable of over 2,000 recharge cycles (compared to Li-ion’s several hundred),” reports Digital Trends. However, the new battery requires pure oxygen, and has a risk of exploding while charging. Still, the team remains confident, and consumer Li-air batteries could be a decade away (it took 20 years to triple the capacity of Lithium-ion batteries).

Facebook, Google and numerous startups are among those actively researching new possibilities with artificial intelligence technology. Japanese automaker Toyota is joining the crusade with a five-year, $1 billion R&D effort. The planned Silicon Valley facility will become one of the largest research labs in the area. Toyota Research Institute will initially open a lab next to Stanford and an additional facility near MIT in Cambridge. Toyota’s plans represent a shift in tech research — a return to a focus on science and engineering rather than a push for tech that would become a specific product or service. Continue reading Toyota Invests $1 Billion in Planned Return to Traditional R&D

The U.S. Attorney for Northern California has indicted James Craig, a 62-year-old Scottish trader, for using two fraudulent Twitter accounts to illegally manipulate the stock market. Craig reportedly created the accounts pretending to represent research firms, tweeted false information about publicly traded stocks, and then purchased shares when the prices dropped. While he may not have seen a big payoff (the SEC complaint notes that he waited too long to trade the stocks), “prosecutors allege that Craig’s false tweet-storms caused $1.6 million in losses to shareholders,” explains Ars Technica. Craig is not in custody, as his whereabouts are currently unknown.

Rufus Labs has developed an Android OS wearable tablet with a 3.2-inch touchscreen that wraps around the wrist like a smartwatch. The water-resistant Rufus Cuff, which connects to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and supports Android and iOS apps, launched on Indiegogo as a “revolutionary new take on wrist real estate.” It features a TI Cortex A9 processor and up to 64GB storage. According to Tech Times, “the Cuff is more of a wrist communicator than a smartwatch or smartband, and its highlighted voice and video call feature makes sure to differentiate its designation.” The Rufus Cuff is available for pre-order, $249 before December 1.

The easy-to-use Luma Wi-Fi router will be available in packages of three so that users can set up a “surround Wi-Fi” network to increase coverage around the house and eliminate connectivity dead spots. “Luma also has ‘enterprise-grade’ security and parental controls with device-level customization,” reports Engadget. “All of that is controlled by a smartphone app that helps you quickly block unwanted users, connect devices without a password or set website ratings for your children.” The product will ship in early 2016. The current price is $249 for a three-pack, expected to increase to $499 after the next 30 days.

Hardware startup Eero aims to combat unreliable Wi-Fi signals in the home by introducing devices to be used in packs that will blanket a house with a smooth signal. Consumers will have the option of purchasing a single Eero device or a three-pack. The company says the latter will cover the average home with its “mesh networking” approach. “But this purportedly flawless Wi-Fi won’t come cheap,” notes Business Insider. “The retail price (on Amazon) will be $199 for a single unit and $499 for three.” Eero is backed by $40 million in investment, and reportedly has more than $1 million in pre-orders. The mid-2015 release date has been delayed to February 2016.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the social platform now generates 8 billion average daily video views from its 500 million users, an increase from 4 billion daily views in April. “Some might contend that this stat isn’t totally accurate since Facebook counts just 3 seconds of watching as a ‘view,’” notes TechCrunch. “But the 100 percent growth in seven months shows that even when controlling for this limitation of the metric, users are still voraciously consuming videos.” Facebook is looking to leverage the shift in television advertising dollars — and its new Suggested Video interface, which recommends clips based on personal data, could give it an edge in discovery over YouTube.

Sony’s Internet TV service, PlayStation Vue — which now offers more channels than Sling TV — has announced a new content deal that will bring ABC, ABC Family, the Disney Channel and all ESPN-related channels to the service. In addition, ABC affiliates will be able to opt-in to the service with live linear programming. “Suddenly, Vue is looking like a real cable replacement,” suggests The Verge. “A wide selection of on-demand content from Disney and ESPN networks will be added to Vue, and subscribers will be able to ‘catch up’ by watching shows they’ve missed within the past three days — without having to rely on Vue’s cloud-based DVR.”

Pandora Media and Sony/ATV announced a multiyear licensing deal yesterday that brings the companies together to provide better rates for artists while allowing Pandora to “benefit from greater rate certainty” that could also help “add new flexibility to the company’s product offering over time.” The direct licensing deal arrives as the music industry prepares for potential changes regarding federal regulation of songwriting rights. Sony/ATV is the world’s biggest music publisher with songwriting rights to thousands of artists, including the Beatles and Taylor Swift. Continue reading Pandora and Sony/ATV No Longer Opponents in Streaming Wars