Microsoft President Brad Smith will join G42’s board of directors. The investment expands the existing partnership between the two companies, and with this investment Microsoft will acquire a minority stake.

G42 will leverage its artificial intelligence applications and services in Microsoft Azure as well as deploy Microsoft’s cloud offerings.

G42 operates data centers and sells artificial intelligence applications. The company has developed an Arabic model for large languages called Jais, which will be available through Azure.

According to sources, the deal Microsoft is making with G42 is unusual. However, the company says the commercial partnership is “backed by assurances to the US and UAE governments through a first-of-its-kind binding agreement to implement world-class best practices to ensure secure, reliable and responsible AI development and deployment”.

G42 Chairman Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahya is also the UAE’s national security adviser.

The government’s involvement comes after months of scrutiny of G42 for its links to China. A few months ago, Mike Gallagher, chairman of the U.S. Special Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, urged the Commerce Department to “scrutinize” G42 to see if it should be blacklisted for commercial exports.

Gallagher alleged that G42 maintains ties to blacklisted Chinese firms, such as Huawei, and that it works with Chinese military and intelligence services.

Yet when these accusations came out, however, G42 flatly denied them and even reportedly invested in Chinese firms itself, including TikTok owner ByteDance.

The company had released a beta version of the platform some time ago, but now it is officially available to everyone.

When creating apps in App Studio, users can change colors, logos, and fonts, as well as add charts, buttons, and icons using the drag-and-drop feature.

App Studio also includes automation features, such as the ability to map and automate business processes, trigger actions in other systems, and save data to other systems.

The company announced more than 20 new features that will be added to App Studio, such as the ability to adjust navigation and Domo Everywhere, which allows users to embed their Domo apps in company portals or on external websites.

In addition to announcing the general availability of App Studio, Domo also announced updates to its low-code Workflows automation tool. New features include third-party integrations, more options to customize Workflows for specific tasks, and more.

The startup serves over 50 clients in 17 countries across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Its current client base primarily includes government and law enforcement national security agencies and enterprise cybersecurity teams that manage incidents, analyze threats, and provide cybersecurity guidance and support.

The organization claims to track criminals using 255 billion analyzed data points from the dark web and various hidden sources, including leaked databases, cybercriminal blogs and Telegram.

Korea Investment Partners led the Series A round with participation from Hibiscus Fund (a joint venture between RHL Ventures, Penjana Kapital and KB Investment) and Smilegate Investment.

DBOS (Database Oriented Operating System) reports that the initial amount invested in the product is $8.5 million, with the financing process led by the following companies: Engine Ventures, Construct Capital, Sinewave and GutBrain Ventures.

The activity of DBOS is expressed in the implementation of operating system services on high-performance databases. The company creates a fault-tolerant and secure cyber foundation for cloud-based applications. In addition, the organization provides the ability to save information in SQL tables.

The first product the company offers is DBOS Cloud. This is a FaaS platform. Its appearance marks an extraordinary advance for developers who are determined to explore the capabilities of the DBOS operating system.

What is DBOS Cloud for?

The purpose of DBOS Cloud is to make it easier to create applications and work on serverless functions. Developing the DBOS-based platform enables developers to reach a framework designed to streamline processes while improving operational efficiency.

Linking the platform to DBOS makes the user experience different by simplifying traditional development operations. The benefits of using DBOS Cloud for developers is that they have the ability to work in an environment that aims to make the platform easier to use. In addition, developers are making progress in the field of cybersecurity.

“The cybersecurity implications of DBOS are truly transformative,” said DBOS co-founder and former Head of Cybersecurity Practice at BCG Platinion, Michael Coden.

These advantages lead to the conclusion that applications that are built on DBOS Cloud have protection against cyber-attacks. Also, they are adapting to the rapidly evolving digital environment.

“Today’s launch of code-native integrations is part of our deep commitment to provide the most versatile and developer-friendly embedded iPaaS on the market,” wrote Marcus Edgington, vice president of products at Prismatic, in a blog post.

With this update, developers will be able to write code from their preferred development environment, and many options can now be configured directly in the code, such as triggers, bindings, integration logic, and client configuration experience.

“At Prismatic, we believe that any integration solution for B2B SaaS needs to be extremely flexible to keep pace with the huge variety of integrations, all the teams involved in delivering them, and the ways in which the integration strategy can evolve,” Marcus Edgington further wrote in a blog post.

According to Prismatic, one of the benefits of this update is that developers can now define their own integration logic, rather than just choosing from predefined logic steps. Another benefit is the ability to quickly add integrations to CI/CD platforms and code repositories.

Google has made various updates to Android, Auto, Google Docs and apps. The company is stаrting a new way to chat with its Gemini chatbot on Google Messages, announced The Verge.

Google has also developed smart features that make it easier to access apps for people with visual impairments.

Gemini will be released as an update to the Messages app this week. To access it, users will need to sign up for Google’s beta testing program.

Google One subscription will not be required for now.

The feature of the Gemini chatbot is that when you use it, you feel like you are talking to a friend. For now, it’s only available in English and available in “certаin markets.”

Android Auto will also be enhanced by the introduction of AI features. They will present summaries of long texts so that you can look and focus on the road while taking quick glances at the text. They will also offer to send you automatic replies or share the time you are supposed to arrive.

The latest updates made by Google have nothing to do with AI. They are intended simply for convenience. Google is adding a feature that makes it easier to connect devices when using Spotify.

Also, the company is adding a new feature related to the ability to make handwritten annotations on documents when using Google Docs. This new update allows Android devices to choose a pen color or marker to make marks on a document simply by typing with their fingers.

Kong Gateway 3.6 aims to increase developer productivity by easing the process of integrating LLMs into various products. The enhanced version provides a consistent and controllable environment for AI requests across organizations.

“Today marks a significant milestone in our journey towards democratizing AI for developers and enterprises worldwide. By open-sourcing this suite of innovative AI capabilities, including no-code AI plugins, we’re removing the barriers to AI adoption and making it possible for developers to leverage multiple LLMs effortlessly and ship AI-powered applications faster. At the same time, we’re providing governance and visibility to all the AI traffic that is being generated by an organization,“ said Marco Palladino, CTO and co-founder of Kong Inc.

The “ai-proxy” plugin enables the inclusion of multiple LLMs, such as those offered by OpenAI, Azure AI and others, providing a unified interface that allows developers to switch between models without changing their application code.

The “ai-proxy” plugin also enables the collection of detailed Layer 7 AI metrics, such as tracking the number of request and response tokens, as well as usage data across different providers and LLM models.

In addition, with the introduction of codeless AI integration plugins, most notably the “ai-request-transformer” and “ai-response-transformer”, users can embed AI capabilities directly into API requests and responses.

The “ai-prompt-template” plugin allows for centralized management of prompt templates, enabling quick updates and conformance to approved templates without the need to modify application code.

The “ai-prompt-decorator” and “ai-prompt-guard” plugins, in turn, provide mechanisms to ensure that AI prompts are both compliant with organizational policies and protected from unauthorized or sensitive content.

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“Android 15 continues our work to build a platform that helps improve your productivity while giving you new capabilities to produce superior media experiences, minimize battery impact, maximize smooth app performance, and protect user privacy and security all on the most diverse lineup of devices out there,” Dave Burke, VP of engineering for Android, wrote in a blog post.

In Android 15, partial screen sharing support has been added, allowing users to share or save a specific app window instead of using the entire screen.

Also, the fitness and health tracking service Health Connect by Android is being updated with new data types.

The camera has also been updated with improvements for photos taken in low light and with improved flash intensity settings.

Enhancements in the Android Dynamic Performance Framework (ADPF) encompass a power-efficient mode tailored for hint sessions, dynamic adjustments of GPU and CPU frequencies to align with workload demands, and implementation of thermal headroom thresholds.

Developers have the option to test Android 15 on Pixel 6, 7, or 8 devices, as well as Pixel Fold or Pixel Tablet. Alternatively, developers can utilize the Android Emulator within Android Studio for testing on other devices.

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The tech giant also announced that the first preview of .NET 9 and the third preview of .NET Aspire are now available.

Microsoft has indicated that the main areas where improvements will be made are cloud application development and artificial intelligence applications.

“We’ve spent the last several years building out strong cloud native fundamentals, like runtime performance and application monitoring. We will continue that effort. We’re also turning our focus to delivering paved paths to popular production infrastructure and services, for example running in Kubernetes and using managed database and caching services like Redis,” the .NET team at Microsoft wrote in a blog post.

To improve application performance in the cloud, the company is working on Native AOT. Despite its advantages, Native AOT requires the use of many tools that developers don’t normally work with, making it inaccessible.

Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code will include .NET Aspire, a cloud application development suite. New enhancements will be related to component configuration, debugging, integration with the developer dashboard.

The company is also working with its Azure Container Apps partners to ensure that .NET 9 applications can easily scale into their Kubernetes environments.

.NET 9 will also include features that allow developers to incorporate artificial intelligence into their applications.

In addition, Microsoft will continue to improve the libraries and documentation for the OpenAI and OSS models, as well as the workflow for Semantic Kernel, OpenAI and Azure SDK.

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Updates cover more than 600 new APIs, advanced app analytics, support for alternative browsers, and more options for processing app payments and distributing iOS apps.

According to an Apple blog post, the goal of these changes is to maintain the quality and security that EU consumers have come to expect from Apple while adapting to the new regulatory environment.

However, the introduction of new payment and app download methods in iOS raises concerns about increased risks of malware, fraud and other security and privacy threats.

For this reason, Apple is introducing new protections that include notarizing iOS apps, requiring authorization for marketplace developers, and disclosing information about alternative payment methods.

Apple warns that despite these protections, some risks will still remain for EU users.

Developers interested in these changes can access detailed information and support on the Apple Developer Support page. Additionally, they have the opportunity to start experimenting with these new capabilities through the iOS 17.4 beta version, which is already available. The roll-out of these new features and capabilities is scheduled to begin in March 2024 and will be accessible to users in all 27 EU countries.

“The changes we’re announcing today comply with the Digital Markets Act’s requirements in the European Union, while helping to protect EU users from the unavoidable increased privacy and security threats this regulation brings. Our priority remains creating the best, most secure possible experience for our users in the EU and around the world. Developers can now learn about the new tools and terms available for alternative app distribution and alternative payment processing, new capabilities for alternative browser engines and contactless payments, and more. Importantly, developers can choose to remain on the same business terms in place today if they prefer”, said Phil Schiller, Apple Fellow.

Apple is introducing frameworks and APIs that enable the creation of these alternative marketplaces, allowing marketplace developers to manage app installations and updates.

Apple is also expanding its capabilities for browser app development by introducing frameworks and APIs for alternative browser engines. This move permits developers to use different browser engines, rather than being restricted to WebKit, for browser apps and in-app browsing experiences. To enhance interoperability, Apple is also establishing an interoperability request form. This platform will enable developers to request additional compatibility with iPhone and iOS hardware and software features, promoting a more versatile and developer-friendly environment in the EU.

You can see the rest of the updates and improvements on Apple’s blog here.