Amazon last week held its Alexa Live 2021 developer conference, which would have been a lot more fun if during the event the Amazon Echo show in my office hadn't gone insane. Let's talk about the promise and some of the problems with the coming wave of ambient computing devices. Then we'll close with my product of the week, Amazon's 2nd Generation Echo Frames.

One of the fundamental choices that an e-commerce retailer must make is the platform they use to sell their goods and services, because it's not just a store -- it's a place to connect with customers and create a sense of the brand. We spoke with several e-commerce experts to get their take on how retailers can choose and customize platforms to get the right fit between product, culture, and customer.

Anyone with a stake in keeping ahead of cybersecurity assaults and enterprise network intrusions through API vulnerabilities can now tap into expert advisories and security reports. API security company Salt Security last week launched Salt Labs, a now-public forum for publishing research on API vulnerabilities.

One of the strains on the logistics industry is increased consumer demand for speedy delivery -- and this requirement is making it even more important to consider the environmental impacts of faster fulfillment. We spoke with experts in the field to find out what's happening to make logistics more sustainable, and how this sustainability can be good not just for the planet, but for business.

In addition to its condemnation of China, the White House announced that the U.S. Justice Department has filed charges against four Ministry of State Security hackers allegedly engaged in a multiyear campaign targeting foreign governments and entities in key sectors, including maritime, aviation, defense, education and healthcare in a least a dozen countries.

It's been a sweltering summer for those of us on the West Coast of the United States, and keeping power bills down when running air conditioning 24/7 is a challenge. This week, let's highlight technologies you can use to personally respond to the heat problem and deal with a world that is becoming too hot to handle. We'll close with the product of the week: Windows 365.

With resale appealing to a growing share of consumers, chief among them Gen Z, more brands are jumping on the bandwagon. Levi's, Lululemon, and Nike all launched in-house resale programs over the last year. However, the rise of resale comes with many challenges for e-commerce brands and marketplaces. Let's look at the most pressing obstacles for resellers and solutions for how to overcome them.

After a successful rollout in the U.S. earlier this year, Amazon is expanding support for end-to-end encryption for video captured on its Ring products. Part of what's motivating this is probably setting a higher global standard so wherever Amazon goes, they will be welcome by satisfying stringent local standards," said Brad Russell, vice president of Interpret.

Ransomware gangs are increasingly turning to specialists to complete their capers on corporations, according to a Dark Net intelligence provider. A report issued by Tel Aviv-based Kela noted that the days when lone wolves conducted cyberattacks from start to finish are nearly extinct, as the one-man show has given way to specialization.

Those of us who grew up with Star Trek might remember a device from the series called a replicator. This was a 3D printer of sorts that could create almost anything, ranging from food to weapons, at the touch of a button. Let's talk about our progression to the home-based replicator that could take us to that Star Trek future. Then we'll close with the product of the week from Strauss & Wagner.

This is the era of drones, and these unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, increasingly are becoming an integral part of everyday life. As drones evolve, industries and governments alike are finding new ways to make use of the emerging tech. TechNewsWorld spoke with several experts to find out how drones are being put into service, and what's on the horizon for their future use.

Amazon is on the brink of a possible breakup, and marketers should be ready to seize the opportunity. It's difficult to imagine life without Amazon -- as we know it. But with ongoing antitrust probes by Congress, there's a real possibility that Amazon's e-commerce dominance may soon end. Let's examine what a breakup of Amazon could look like -- and why it's likely a win for brand marketers.

Thousands of hacker attacks were launched on a network of smart home devices designed by researchers to assess the risk the gadgets pose to consumers. During the initial week the "honeypot" network was online, 1,017 unique scans or hacking attempts were directed at the devices on the net, which included smart TVs, printers, wireless security cameras and Wi-Fi kettles.

The Linux Foundation, Amazon, and more than 20 other gaming companies hope to make open-source game playing more of a win-win technology for both developers and players. LF on Tuesday announced an intent to form the Open 3D Foundation to accelerate developer collaboration on 3D games and simulation technology.

The advantage of using a VR rig without a tether is huge because in a complex movement-oriented game you tend to get tangled in the tether. Let's talk about the Oculus Quest 2 this week and the announcement that this class of products is about to embrace 5G for its next generation. We'll close with the product of the week, a new webcam from Dell that may be perfect for those of us still working from home.

The U.S. technology industry is guardedly supporting a massive legislative package designed to address a range of issues affecting the sector, including a federal commitment to add billions of dollars to government technology research and development programs. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., characterized the legislation as "a landmark bill to out-compete China in key emerging technology areas critical to our national security."

Cancel culture and politics aside, one of the more brutal threats lurking in the shadows of the internet is the slander industry. All too often, unsuspecting people become victims of websites that promote slanderous, often unverified information about individuals. This false and vilifying information lives on the internet forever and can sully an otherwise spotless reputation.

There may be two Salesforce seasons in a year -- the one we're finishing and one that happens just before Dreamforce. Roughly speaking, these seasons happen when the company disgorges a raft of new technologies both to update existing products and to bring forth new ones. This season covers a lot of ground; everything from sustainability to workforce management and vertical industry CRM solutions.

Windows 11 shows a massive change in focus from earlier significant releases, which pretty much assures that the Microsoft's mistakes of the past won't be repeated, at least not under the current leadership. It also suggests a path to the next version of Windows -- which for now we'll call Windows 12 -- that could be even more groundbreaking.

Microsoft has unveiled Windows 11 as a redesigned computing platform that feels familiar but has numerous changed components. It offers new ways for users to create, learn, play, and connect with others globally. Feeling familiar may take some adjusting, however. Windows 11 is built around a simplified user interface for productivity, creativity, and ease of use.

Organizations are beginning to develop, design, and manage their own voice assistant systems that are independent of today's general-purpose voice platforms. The desire to manage the entirety of the user experience is driving this transition. The Open Voice Network is dedicated to supporting this transformation with industry guidance on the voice-specific protection of user privacy and data security.

In six short years Amazon has risen from worst to first in the video streaming pack, according to a survey released by consumer market research firm Parks Associates. In its annual survey of the smart TV and streaming box market, Parks revealed that Amazon surged to a 36 percent share during the first quarter of this year.

Lately there has been a noticeable uptick in buzz around chemical recycling technology as a potential solution to the plastics crisis. Meanwhile, critics point to drawbacks which include environmental health risks, inefficiency in terms of the amount of waste plastic that becomes new plastic, and high costs.

The problem with Amazon Sidewalk isn't the technology. It's the lack of clever marketing which is pervasive in the technology market. Let's explore one of the sustained weaknesses in tech -- the lack of critical marketing acumen. We'll then close with the product of the week, an alternative to the Ring doorbell camera that also might make a quick and easy Father's Day present.

With Covid, increased numbers of people have been working remotely, and many will continue to do so post-pandemic. This has fundamentally altered how work is done; not only by company staff, but by HR professionals. This societal shift, combined with the continued emergence of new digital technologies, means that the field of human resources is in the midst of radical evolution.

Artificial intelligence may well be the Holy Grail solution for more effective shopping optimization for merchants. The list is almost endless when you tally the potential uses. It can be anywhere, from classification issues like recommendations to search and merchandising personalization. It also aids retailers in things like optimization and visual modeling.

Apple on Monday revealed dozens of new features in the latest versions of its mobile and desktop operating systems at the kickoff of its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. "The emphasis of the whole presentation seemed to be making Apple products more useful for consumers," observed Gartner Senior Principal Analyst Tuong Nguyen.

Remote work appears to be here to stay. More than 25 million work-from-home jobs could be created in non-technology industries in the coming years, according to a report from Upwork. Professional services are involved in essentially every part of the economy, which means that there is widespread potential for remote freelancing, even in companies where most people need to be in person every day.

A Russian-language dark web marketplace called Hydra that is known to facilitate the illegal sale of narcotics has seen cryptocurrency transactions soar over the last five years. According to a report by Flashpoint and Chainalysis, Hydra's crypto business began accelerating in 2017 after its chief competitor was shut down by Russian law enforcement authorities.

Researchers at the University College London are giving new meaning to the expression "all thumbs." They've taken an award-winning graduate project from the Royal College of Art in London and are using it to test the brain's reaction to coping with additional body parts. The idea behind the project was to reframe traditional views of prosthetics through the use of a robotic thumb that can be attached to a hand.