Kontena introduced a developer-friendly container and microservices platform today to tackle some of the challenges in software development distribution. Specifically, the Kontena platform will help those in this space install, use and maintain their containers.

The platform runs in the cloud, on-premises, or hybrid. The platform is scalable, so it will work for small container workloads or when containers need to be scaled up. Kontena is also open source and integrates with other open-source software, which eliminates vendor-lock in, the company said.

Kontena’s platform requires no additional maintenance, and it includes automatic updates, the company said. Kontena also received funding from Lifeline Ventures, which will be used to enter the market and scale up the business, according to the company.

Google to modernize OAuth requests
In an effort to improve the security and usability of native apps, Google announced plans to no longer accept OAuth requests in embedded browsers known as “web-views.” The company will begin the process in the next couple of months.

“Using the device browser for OAuth requests instead of an embedded web-view can improve the usability of your apps significantly: Users only need to sign in to Google once per device, improving conversion rates of sign-in and authorization flows in your app,” wrote William Denniss, product manager for identity and authentication at Google, in a blog post.

In order to help developers migrate, Google will be providing libraries, samples and best practices.

Blueprint releases Storyteller for JIRA
Blueprint is releasing a JIRA add-on to its agile solution Storyteller. Storyteller is designed to automatically generate user stories for agile teams. According to Blueprint, Storyteller for JIRA can help small and mid-sized businesses transition to agile.

The add-on aims to help organizations save time and money, improve user stories, and enhance collaboration.

“Transitioning from waterfall to agile can cause many issues for organizations. A critical issue here is that business stakeholders and analysts don’t know how to write good user stories,” said Ruth Zive, vice president of marketing for Blueprint. “Storyteller for JIRA solves this issue by creating a visual process that doesn’t rely on lengthy training or a wall full of sticky notes.”

NVIDIA reveals newest mobile processor
NVIDIA revealed its latest mobile processor that will be used in a new generation of autonomous vehicles. The processor was revealed at the Hot Chips conference in Cupertino, Calif.

The processor is called Parker, and it delivers performance features that will benefit the automotive market. Parker will deliver deep learning, hardware-level virtualization, a hardware-based safety engine, and other features for automotive integration.

Parker delivers 50% to 100% higher multicore CPU performance compared to other mobile processors, said NVIDIA. With this speed and performance boost, Parker can deliver what is needed to run advanced deep learning inference algorithms for self-driving capabilities, said the company. According to NVIDIA, more details will be available on Parker’s architecture and capabilities in the near future.