Android Things Brings TensorFlow-Based Machine Learning and Computer Vision to IoT Devices
Recently released Developer Preview 2 (DP2) for Android Things makes it easier to use TensorFlow for machine learning and computer vision on IoT devices. Additionally, it extends USB audio for several IoT platforms, adds Intel Joule support, and enables direct use of native drivers through a new Native PIO API.
Swift 4 Enters Final Stage, Defers ABI Stability
Apple has detailed the release process for Swift 4, which should become available in the Fall of 2017. The main focus of this release is to provide significant enhancements to the core language and standard library, while delivering source compatibility. ABI compatibility, which was originally in the roadmap, will be deferred, explains Apples’ new Swift team lead Ted Kremenek.
Swift Memory Ownership Manifesto
According to Chris Lattner, Swift creator and Swift team lead before moving to Tesla, defining a Rust/Cyclone-inspired memory ownership model is one of the main goals for Swift development. Now that Swift 4 has entered its phase 2, the Swift team has published a manifesto detailing how Swift memory ownership could work.
Android Studio 2.3 Brings Build Cache, Improved Constraint Layout, and More
Google has released version 2.3 of Android Studio, its official IDE for Android development, which adds a number of new features across the whole development phases.
Hosting Alexa Skills on AWS is Almost Free Now
Amazon has announced a program to subsidize the hosting of Alexa skills that use AWS Lambda and incur use charges beyond what is provided by the AWS free tier. Only developers having at least one skill live are eligible to apply.