Chatbots are nothing new, but there have been some significant changes to make chatbots the hot new marketing platform like mobile messaging apps, artificial intelligence, and voice tech. Bot-enabled conversation will quickly become the new digital interface. Not the browser. Not smartphone apps. Bots. And voice will become the dominant input method.   Welcome to the conversation frontier.

Google Maps’ ride services design is a more mature version of its old one. Instead of returning a simple list of ride options in your area, the new design includes a map, which displays cars near you, just as if you were using the ride service’s native app. Using Uber through Google Maps comes with an added bonus that Uber doesn’t provide - while on the way to your destination, Maps will pull up pertinent information such as menus, hours, and anything else you may need to know. Your car is here.

All awkwardness aside, the Internet of Things is finally entering an age of adolescence. While much of the original consumer-grade hype has focused on turning lights on and off and tracking fitness, the next few years will see an inventive wave of maturity—and advertisers seem keen to play a part. Tinkering with the future.

What does it mean to have an emotion? It seems obvious that having one means feeling it. If you’re happy but don’t know it, in what sense could you actually be happy? Even if we do feel an emotion, there are parts associated with it that we aren’t usually aware of. Emotions are complicated things.

Services like Tinder and Hinge are no longer shiny new toys, and some users are starting to find them more frustrating than fun. Tired thumbs.

Nintendo's next major step in gaming is a mystery no more. Today, the hardware formerly known as "NX" — and now officially dubbed Switch — has debuted, and here it is. Switch is a transforming console/handheld hybrid that can be pulled apart into a portable gaming system. It's powerful enough to run The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and also features its own, detachable micro-controllers for more party-like settings. Totally nerding out.

The fact is, many game developers are guided by the commercial success of projects from GooglePlay and AppStore’s US top grossing lists. They direct their attention to the top 20 highest grossing games, spawning countless Clash of Clans or Candy Crush clones. However, games from the "deeper" top shouldn’t be written off: the profit they make is quite high. This article analyzes more than 300 games by mechanics and defines what it is that makes them successful. The moneymaker moves.

Gatorade is pushing the boundaries of Snapchat with a video game ad tied to the U.S. Open. The old-school tennis game features 22 levels with each representing one of Serena Williams’ Grand Slam wins. Level 23 will unlock on September 10, the day of the Women’s Finals, should Williams win. We're not waiters, but boy, can we serve.

Personal trainers are for Hollywood stars and Olympic athletes, not mere mortals like you and me. But thanks to technology, it's now possible to experience some of the benefits of personal training without making an Olympic-size dent in your budget. With the latest version of fitness app Nike+ Run Club, for example, personalized coaching for newbie runners is central to the experience.   Get it right get it tight.

The power of digital platforms to profitably disrupt industries continues to impress. Platform leaders like Amazon, Facebook, Airbnb, Uber and Google redefine user experience and expectations. What really makes them work? True platform innovators aren’t just market matchmakers using data-driven algorithms to drive better buyer-seller matches; they invest in value creation. Empowering me empowers you.