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Google and Wal-Mart Partner Up for Voice-Activated Shopping

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Google and Wal-Mart are joining forces in a partnership that includes enabling voice-ordered purchases from the retail giant on Google’s virtual assistant. This is to challenge rival Amazon.com’s grip on the next wave of e-commerce.

Wal-Mart said on Wednesday that next month it will join Google’s online-shopping marketplace, Google Express. While the deal will add hundreds of thousands of Wal-Mart items to Google Express, it will also give Wal-Mart access to voice ordering. The deal won’t alter how consumers receive their orders, because Wal-Mart will fulfill purchases made through Google Express.

Consumers will be able to order Wal-Mart goods from the retailer’s stores by speaking to Google’s virtual assistant, which sits in phones, Google’s voice-controlled speakers and soon other devices. Wal-Mart said it will share consumers’ purchase history with Google to enable users to quickly reorder items, a primary function of voice-controlled orders for commodity shopping.

“How do you help people who are going to be interacting more and more with devices get their weekly shopping tasks taken care of?” asked Google Express chief Brian Elliott. The increasing importance of voice shopping suggests Wal-Mart and Google, part of Alphabet Inc., need each other to compete against Amazon. Voice-controlled ordering is a small but rapidly growing share of online sales, analysts say, and one of the top uses of Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa and its Echo speakers.

Google has “made significant investments in natural language processing and artificial intelligence to deliver a powerful voice shopping experience,” Marc Lore, Wal-Mart’s head of e-commerce. Amazon effectively invented voice shopping, which allows users to easily order goods, like toilet paper and diapers, thanks to Amazon’s vast data set on customers’ past purchases. A significant portion of online shopping is made up of consumers reordering the same staples. That is well-adapted to voice ordering because a device can recall the preferred brand, size and type, without requiring shoppers to scan through different product listings.

“When I buy a product that I don’t care about, it is actually a pain for me to go to a website and find an item and check out,” said Forrester analyst Brendan Witcher, a former retail executive. “If I can simply say, send me dishwashing soap…and you send it, that’s much easier on me as a consumer.” To make voice shopping easier, Wal-Mart said it will allow users to link their Wal-Mart accounts to Google Express, so a Wal-Mart shopper who asks the Google Home for more toothpaste will get the same brand she bought last time.

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The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Comes to PUBG MOBILE

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PUBG MOBILE has announced a partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures to celebrate the highly anticipated theatrical release of New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Animation and Wingnut Films’ The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. This epic collaboration combines the battlegrounds of Middle-earth with lore-inspired events and skins, available for a limited time.

Starting today through January 7, players will be able to join the Allies of the Realm, standing in steadfast defence of the famed Hornburg. Through daily tasks, players will prove their mettle by selecting Normal or Elite challenges, each victory advancing the glory of the realm. As they progress in their noble endeavours, players earn points toward generous rewards, with Elite challenges offering the most coveted treasures. The Allies of the Realm event is a true test of courage and honour, celebrating the unwavering spirit of those who rise to the challenge!

PUBG MOBILE players can also claim items inspired by legendary myths, such as the formidable Skadiwynn Sentinel character set, the powerful Gungnir M24 sniper rifle skin, and the iconic Gjallarhorn Double Barreled Shotgun skin. For thrill-seeking players, an epic adventure awaits those bold enough to explore.

“We strive to bring immersive content that complements the excitement PUBG MOBILE players have come to expect,” said Anthony Crouts, Senior Director of Marketing for PUBG MOBILE. “By blending the lore of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim with the winner-takes-all action of PUBG MOBILE, we’re giving fans the best of both worlds. We can’t wait to transport players back to Middle-earth with our lore-inspired in-game challenges and skins.”

“Our partnership with PUBG MOBILE brings an exciting new dimension to our theatrical campaign for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, merging the worlds of immersive gameplay and movie storytelling to bring richer experiences to key audiences,” said Cameron Curtis, Executive Vice President of Global Digital Marketing, Warner Bros. Pictures.

Set 183 years before the events chronicled in the original trilogy of films, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim movie tells the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary King of Rohan. A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg— a mighty fortress that will later come to be known as Helm’s Deep. Finding herself in an increasingly desperate situation, Héra, the daughter of Helm, must summon the will to lead the resistance against a deadly enemy intent on their destruction.

The PUBG MOBILE x The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim collaboration is available until January 7, 2025.

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Google Maps Integrates Waze Incident Reports for Enhanced Navigation

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Google Maps has started to display Waze incident reports during navigation, allowing users to contribute by confirming road conditions via prompts. This integration follows Google’s July announcement that both apps would share more data, including Waze-sourced road closures, construction updates, speed cameras, and police presence information.

Over the holiday weekend, a Reddit user shared a screenshot of a prompt indicating “Police reported ahead” based on Waze driver reports, as reported by 9to5Google and Android Authority. Users can update these reports to reflect current conditions, similar to other incident notifications in Google Maps.

This is the first confirmed sighting of the feature in action, but more reports are expected. Despite merging the teams behind Maps and Waze, Group Project Manager Can Comertoglu told The Verge that the apps will continue to operate separately. Waze’s 500,000-plus contributors prefer some features of Waze over Google Maps, and vice versa.

This new feature enhances Google Maps’ functionality by leveraging Waze’s real-time incident reporting, providing users with more comprehensive and up-to-date information on their routes.

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Yango Maps Launches Live Public Bus and Marine Transport Tracking in Dubai

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Yango Maps, the popular navigation app, has introduced a significant upgrade for Dubai users. The app now offers real-time tracking of public buses and marine transport, providing a more efficient and convenient commuting experience.

Thanks to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA)’s open data policy, Yango Maps can now display accurate and up-to-date locations of public transportation vehicles. By switching to the “Transport” tab, users can easily view the real-time movement of buses and ferries on the map.

The app also allows users to search for specific bus numbers and view their routes, stops, and estimated arrival times. This feature is particularly useful during peak hours or in extreme weather conditions, as it helps users plan their journeys efficiently and avoid unnecessary waiting.

Yango Maps continues to evolve with innovative features that aim to simplify urban navigation. By incorporating real-time public transport data, the app empowers users to make informed decisions and optimize their daily commutes.

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