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Elon Musk will answer questions from Twitter employees later this week
Elon Musk will attend a virtual Twitter meeting this Thursday (June 16th) to field employee questions about his potential purchase of the social network.
Google Meet will kick you out if you're the only person in the meeting
The feature will be available on desktop and iOS in the coming days.
Laid-off Peloton employees reportedly crash new CEO's introductory meeting
Peloton laid off around 20 percent of its corporate employees as part of its attempt to get past its growth struggles.
Google adds one-button group chats for Calendar meetings
Google Calendar now lets you quickly start a group chat with everyone attending a meeting — you don't have to spend time rounding everyone up.
Otter's transcription tech now supports Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and Webex
Otter's AI transcription tool has added support for Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and Cisco Webex.
Zoom's meeting room features help you safely return to the office
Zoom has unveiled Rooms updates that will help you return safely to the office, including a virtual receptionist and meeting room controls on your phone.
Microsoft envisions 'scoring' meetings based on body language
Microsoft has applied for a patent on technology that would score meetings based on body language and facial expressions.
Google scales back town hall meetings following leaks
Google's weekly all-hands meetings have quickly become a source of leaks, and the company is apparently taking an aggressive approach to curbing those leaks: it's limiting the meetings themselves. The Verge has learned that CEO Sundar Pichai sent company-wide email (appropriately leaked to the media) revealing plans to drop the bi-weekly, all-encompassing "TGIF" meetings in favor of monthly gatherings devoted solely to "product launches and business strategies." While there were multiple reasons for the change, Pichai wasn't shy about citing the frequent leaking as a factor.
Google Calendar will guess your working hours and warn colleagues
Google Calendar's Working Hours feature has been around for a while, letting you inform others when you'll be around for meetings and when you're unavailable. Previously, you'll have had to activate it through the app's settings, but now it'll be enabled by default, displaying an estimate of your work day availability based on previous appointments (which you can tweak if they're not quite right).
White House invites tech companies to discuss violent online extremism
The White House plans to host a meeting with tech companies to discuss the rise of violent online extremism. According to The Washington Post, this is the Trump administration's first major engagement on the issue after the recent mass shooting in Texas left 22 people dead. Trump is scheduled to be at fundraisers in the Hamptons, so he may not attend.
Zuckerberg's latest snub could land him in contempt of Canadian parliament
Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg have snubbed an official summons and risk being held in contempt of the Canadian Parliament. The pair were called to a hearing in Ottawa, due to be held later this week, but have confirmed that Facebooka's head of public policy Kevin Chan and director of public policy Neil Potts will instead go in their place.
Google Calendar makes it easier to reschedule a meeting
We've all been unable to make it to appointments for one reason or another, so Google Calendar has added an option which could make finding a new meeting time a cinch. When you're invited to an event, instead of responding with yes, no or maybe, you can propose a new time if the current one doesn't work for you.
Lenovo's UFO-like hub brings Dolby audio to conference calls
Business meetings can be dreary at the best of times, but that's made worse by the flakiness of modern technology. Between hard-to-hear remote callers and a lack of consistent file sharing, it could be hard to sustain what little interest you have. Give Lenovo some credit for trying to fix this sad state of affairs, though -- it's introducing the ThinkSmart Hub 700, a flying saucer-shaped mini PC that serves as the cornerstone of office chats. It promises a big boost in audio quality, for starters -- it revolves around a four-speaker Dolby Audio system that should help your Skype (or Zoom, or BlueJeans) conference calls.
Google's video conferencing kit gets an AI camera and display
Google has been trying to get a seat in your board room this year, courtesy of its tools and products for meetings. In March, it pivoted its Hangouts app to businesses, following it up with a $5,000 interactive display with collaborative cloud features. Not content with the two-punch software and hardware combo, the big G is now taking another stab at video conferencing. Remember the Chromebox for meetings bundle the company dropped in 2014? Well, it's back, courtesy of some rebranding and a bunch of upgraded products.
Microsoft's latest acquisition hints at AI scheduling in Office
Hate the song and dance involved in finding just the right time to hold a meeting? Microsoft does too. It's acquiring Genee, whose centerpiece is an AI-powered virtual assistant that helps you schedule events in sync with your itinerary. Email both a client and Genee while you're arranging a lunch meeting, for instance, and it'll let your contact know when you can make it. Just what Genee will do isn't clear, but it'll "accelerate intelligent experiences" in Office 365 -- as elsewhere, Microsoft wants to make AI a key part of your workday.
Sunrise calendar app tweaks your keyboard for easy scheduling
If you're as big a fan of the Sunrise calendar app as the folks at Microsoft, scheduling meetings just got a lot easier. There's a new feature called Meet that adds a tab to your device's keyboard offering quick and easy access to your availability. Not only can you immediately see what time slots you have free without navigating elsewhere, but you can select a handful of options to send to your colleagues, friends and family. Once they decide what works best, Sunrise automatically schedules the event for you. And it even works for folks who aren't using the app. All of that means that you'll save a significant amount of time inputting dates and swiping through multiple apps. Itchin' to give it a go? Both the Android and iOS versions have been updated with the new tool, so you can start thinking about what you'll do with all of that extra time.
This app helps you find strangers to hike with, which might be a bad idea
Walking into the wilderness with a complete stranger might sound like the beginning of a slasher movie, but that's exactly the point of hikewith.me, an upcoming app that lets outdoor enthusiasts connect and meet up for their own adventures. The app uses a questionnaire system similar to some dating apps, only instead of matching you with potential mates based on relationship metrics, it matches you with other nature lovers to schedule co-op hiking dates. What's particularly unique about hikewith.me is that it emphasizes all communication take place outside of the app itself. There's no way to carry on a conversation with your matches from within the app, which may or may not be a great idea. On one hand it's smart to push people to interact face-to-face and make plans for the outdoor activities the app revolves around, but on the other hand, if the first time you converse with a stranger comes just before walking into the woods or up an mountain with them, your chances of ending up on a forensic murder show might spike a bit. via Springwise
Nations gather to decide who gets the keys to the internet
Many countries are (understandably) unhappy with the influence the US wields over the internet, and in particular its control of ICANN, the web's "back end." The Department of Commerce has agreed to give up its oversight of the body, and is meeting various nations at Net Mundial in Brazil this week to discuss exactly how to do that. The gathering itself is controversial, as US political figures from the right and left, including ex-President Bill Clinton, oppose moves to give up ICANN control. Specifically, Clinton thinks it could lead to many states "protect(ing) their backsides instead of empowering people." Similar concerns over censorship have been expressed by the EU and others, especially given the recent goings-on in Turkey and elsewhere.
President Obama is meeting tech CEOs again to discuss privacy concerns
Despite a few reforms, many in the technology industry still aren't happy with the US government's aggressive approach to online surveillance. President Obama is clearly aware of that ongoing discontent, as he's meeting the CEOs of Facebook, Google and Yahoo on Friday to discuss "privacy, technology and intelligence." Leaders from other companies (including Engadget's parent company, AOL) turned down the invitation. While the exact agenda isn't available, the tech executives in attendance are likely to keep pressing for both limits on US intelligence activities as well as greater transparency. There's no way of knowing how receptive the President will be, but a similar December chat appears to have borne fruit -- we won't be surprised if there are more policy changes in the future. [Image credit: The White House, Flickr]
Gamestop Expo 2013 to take place in Vegas this August
GameStop's annual Expo event is set to return to Las Vegas on August 28. The event serves as a manager's meeting for the chain, and as of last year the company has also opened the show to the public. Expo 2013 will feature 250,000 square feet of exhibitions from 80 major game developers and publishers, and offer a look at Sony's upcoming PlayStation 4. Just like last year, general admission to the Sands Expo Center for the show costs $35. GameStop has knocked $10 off the VIP pass (which grants access to a special lounge, a swag bag, and panel discussions), which is now available for $90. GameStop is also giving away an all-expense-paid trip to one lucky PowerUp Rewards member who buys or trades something in the month of May. Just like 2012, the show's August 28 kickoff puts it right before PAX Prime in Seattle.
