| Nvidia unveils a new Shield streaming device, Ford plans to put Alexa in cars and Apple pulls the New York Times' apps from China. It's The Daily Crunch for January 5, 2017, and CES is in full swing — but there's other news too! 1. Nvidia's new streaming hardware comes with 4K support and Google Assistant peripherals The latest version of the Nvidia Shield comes with a bunch of new features, including support for 4K video. It also includes Google Assistant, making this the AI-driven voice assistant's first step onto Android TV. Most intriguingly, Nvidia will allow you to talk to Google Assistant from anywhere in your house, thanks to new peripherals called the Nvidia Spot — small devices that function as Assistant-connected microphones and can be plugged in directly to outlets around your house. The new Shield is currently available for $199, while the Spot will be available as an additional purchase later. 
2. Ford plans to put Alexa in its vehicles later this year Speaking of voice assistants, Ford says its customers will soon be able to use Alexa to control the in-vehicle SYNC 3 infotainment, while also using Echo devices at home to control their cars. This isn't the first time the car manufacturer has shown off Alexa integration at CES, but now it says it's in beta testing, with plans for a wider rollout later this year. Ford describes its Alexa integration as "the most comprehensive ever in a vehicle." 3. Misfit goes full smartwatch One more bit of CES news: Misfit, a maker of fitness wearables acquired by Fossil, has already been moving into the smartwatch market with the launch of the Phase, a hybrid combining the look of a traditional watch with smartwatch features. Now it's announced a full-on smartwatch, the Vapor, which includes a heart rate monitor, an accelerometer, altimeter, GPS, microphone and 4GB of storage for music. 4. NYT apps removed from Apple App Store in China American Internet companies sometimes have to do a complicated dance to accommodate China's censorship laws. The latest chapter involves Apple, which removed The New York Times' apps from its App Store in China on December 23. An Apple spokesperson told us, "For some time now the New York Times app has not been permitted to display content to most users in China and we have been informed that the app is in violation of local regulations." 5. The biggest App Store day ever Apple made happier headlines yesterday, announcing that iOS users spent $240 million on apps on New Year's Day 2014 — the App Store's biggest day ever. The company also said it paid out a total of $20 billion to developers in 2016, and has paid developers a total of $80 billion since the App Store's launch in 2008. 6. Medium lays off 50 employees Online publishing platform Medium announced yesterday that it's laying off 50 employees and shutting down its New York and Washington, D.C. offices. CEO Ev Williams described this as part of a broader shift in strategy, with an aim of encouraging publishers to focus on quality, rather than racking up pageviews and reaching a broad audience at any cost. | 
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