Zoom Picks Up Encryption Startup; Peloton Sports Big Revenue & Membership Bump; Volvo Eyes Lidar and ‘Eyes Off’ Driving; Tile Partners with Intel to Track PCs
Posted: May 7, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentZoom has been repeatedly pounded for its rather porous system and the ‘Zoombombing’ by hackers, and the like. Now, they have taken action…acquiring encryption startup Keybase. According to zdnet.com, it is the first ever acquisition by Zoom. The new tech will enable end to end encryption of video calls for all paid accounts, a big step in Zoom’s promised 90 day security push. Zoom says it will publish a draft cryptographic design May 22nd, and ask for feedback from crypto experts and customers before locking in the final design and rolling it out to Zoom users. They have assured users they won’t be building any back doors in, either.
You’d think with all the sheltering in place, Peloton would do well…and you’d be right. In fact, they even beat the Street, blowing past Wall Street’s lofty expectations. Techcrunch.com says quarterly revenues were up 66%! Peloton reported $524.6 million for the quarter, passing up the expected $488.5 million by a country mile. The connected bike runs $2245, with the treadmill coming in at $4295. As people head back to work, a lot will probably keep their subscription, but the big unknown is how many who tried the 90 day free trial will sign up for the paid sub.
In what could be a huge challenge to Tesla and others, Volvo will start building cars with powerful lidar sensors from Startup Luminar. Arstechnica.com reports that Volvo pumped money into Luminar in 2018. The lidar equipped Volvos will be out in 2023, and will likely be available on the XC-90 and maybe other models. Some higher end lidar units spin at 360 degrees, but the ones from Luminar are fixed with a 120 degree field of view. Volvo will build them into the car just above the windshield, giving a good, clear view of the road ahead. Top line lidar has run up to $75,000 as recently as a few years ago, but Volvo thinks this different tech will bring the price down to under $1000 per car!
Tile has announced it is partnering with Intel to get its tracking tech into laptops….to help track down stolen or lost PCs. According to theverge.com, we could start seeing PCs with the trackers by late this year or early 2021. Tile trackers connect over Bluetooth to aa Tile Mobile app. If the PC is in Bluetooth range, you’ll see the location on a map. If the computer is moved out of range, a loud alarm sounds. You can also ping Tile’s crowd-finding network, which will notify you with the device’s location if it gets in range of another Tile equipped device. The HP Elite Dragonfly is already out, and features the tech, if you are so inclined and in the market…but it’s no bargain basement laptop!
Microsoft Unveils New surface Book 3; VW Readying Sale of New EV- ID.3; Uber Laying off 3700; Disney + Posts Big Subscriber Number
Posted: May 6, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentMicrosoft has rolled out its latest hardware…but via blog post instead of the usual splashy presser in New York City. Zdnet.com reports that Redmond showed the new Surface Book 3, the Surface Go 2, Surface Dock 2, Surface Earbuds, and Surface Headphones 2. In addition to all that, Microsoft has added a new USB-C Travel Hub to the collection. Orders for all can be put in today, and most will ship next week. The Surface Go 2, Microsoft’s “more affordable and portable” 2-in-1 at 10.5 inches, is slightly larger than the original Surface Go and features smaller bezels. It starts at $399 tablet only…no keyboard, and is available May 12th. The Surface Book 3 is touted as MS’s most powerful laptop. They are claiming it is 50% faster than the Surface Book 2, and has up to 17.5 hours of battery life. The base model starts at $1599 and is available on May 21st. The new Surface Earbuds are $199 as expected, and have ‘all day battery life’ and…like other earbuds…a wireless charging case. The Surface Headphones 2 sport up to 20 hours battery life, ear cup rotation of 180 degrees, and will come in either black or platinum. They are out May 12th for $249.
Next month, Volkswagen will launch its ID.3 electric vehicle. According to techcrunch.com, customers who had preordered the Golf-sized hatchback can start putting in actual orders by June 17th. VW has banked 37,000 reservations for the first edition, which will be limited to 30,000 units. Orders for right hand drive models will open in July. VW is shooting for selling a million electrics per year by 2025. The ID.3 is a Europe only model, but VW says they will sell other models under the ID brand in North America. The ID.3 has an estimated range of 260 miles, and will sell for 30,000 euros in Germany.
We had previously reported that Uber was looking hard at layoffs with the drop in ride sharing. Earlier, Lyft sent 1,000 packing. Now, engadget.com says Uber is laying off 3700 full time employees, amounting to about 14% of its 26,900 person work force. Airbnb has announced it would lay off 1900. California is still moving forward with a lawsuit that alleges that Uber and Lyft misclassify drivers…who the state claims under a recent law qualify as employees. The companies, and others such as Doordash, are fighting the suit.
Although Disney is hurting from the closure of theme parks and cruise lines, etc due to the coronavirus, steaming is a bright spot. CNBC.com reported that they had 33.5 million Disney + subscribers as of the end of March, but as of Tuesday, has 54.5 million! Hulu jumped 27% from last year and now has 32.1 million, and ESPN is now up to 7.9 million subscribers. Disney had been predicting they would have between 60 million and 90 million Disney + subscribers by the end of 2024! The company did warn that viewership would drop off once shelter in place orders are lifted.
Facebook Prepping Smaller Oculus; Zillow House Market Projections; Apple-Virtual WWDC June 22; Self-Cleaning Transparent Mask
Posted: May 5, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentFacebook is reportedly prepping a new, smaller Oculus Quest VR headset. Cnet.com notes that the headset was due out this year, but is likely being pushed back to 2021 due to the coronavirus. There are apparently ‘multiple potential successors’ to the Quest, with some getting a better refresh rate for ‘more realistic content’. Facebook is also working on redesigned controllers. The newer models will still not be featherweight….according to Bloomberg, the test models weigh in at around a pound, while the original unit is 1.25 lbs. They will still run independently or be able to be connected to a computer.
allow is out with housing market projections. According to geekwire.com, the latest analysis points to real estate feeling the effects of COVID-19 until late 2021…maybe even beyond that. Interestingly, Zillow sees home sales dropping 60%, but prices only easing by 2-3%. They expect pricing to firm up by 3rd quarter 2021. They predict much more short term disruption than long term. Redfin reports that home listings are down 50% year over year, but say demand has firmed back up again after a dip in April.
Apple’s big show, the World Wide Developers Conference was cancelled, as other big tech shows, with the promise of a virtual one. Now, Cupertino has posted details on their website, The virtual WWDC will begin on June 22nd. the Apple Developer App on the Apple Developer website is free for all developers. There will be a student challenge using their Swift programming language, and of course, early access to Apple’s various operating systems. Apple says further details, including keynote, platform state of the union details, sessions and lab schedules will be shared in June on the developer website and by email.
Of late, Apple has been working on iOS to switch to password right away if Face ID detects a mask…the new normal. Now, though, Chinese tech company Huami, maker of Amazfit wearables, is working on an N95-like transparent mask! Cnet.com reports that the mask will not only allow use of facial recognition while wearing it, it’s self-cleaning! The mask features removable filters, and has a USB port for power. When you take it off, UV light built in cleans the filters! They say this allows the filters to be effective for a month to 6 weeks! It won’t be out until late this year or early next, and the company says it will be affordable…their Bip smartwatch is $80, so that gives an idea of what they mean.
Apple Updates 13” MacBook Pro; Uber Tech Tracks Masking; Amazon VP Quits-Criticizes Whistleblower Firings; Managers-Surveillance Software Tracking Slackers
Posted: May 4, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentApple freshened the 13 inch MacBook Pro with the Magic Keyboard today, and a bump in performance. The notorious butterfly keys are gone, and scissor switch ones are in (back…basically.) The new MacBook Pro is available to order today, starting at $1299. Apple has doubled the base SSD storage across all configurations. 9to5mac.com says the 13-inch MacBook Pro can now be upgraded to tenth-generation quad-core Intel CPUs, and offers 16 GB RAM as standard on certain models for the first time. Apple says the new processors are up to 2.8x faster than what was previously offered in the 13-inch MacBook Pro. However, the $1299 and $1499 models still use the older 8th-gen CPUs. Orders are live, with delivery later this week.
Uber is not only requiring masks for both drivers and passengers in the US and other countries, but it is developing some tech to ensure that all are complying. If this seems a little Big Brother-like, you won’t to read the last item on this blog today! Anyway, engadget.com reports that Uber had already been supplying masks and disinfectant to drivers, but the COVID-19 pandemic has really whacked ride share business. Uber is hoping that mask confirmation software might build trust and bring some rider business back. They are facing laying off about 20% of the company soon if not. Lyft already let go of over 1000 employees.
An Amazon VP of over 5 years has quit, calling the firing of whistleblowers Chickensh*t. According to arstechnica.com, Tim Bray had supported the 2019 ‘Amazon Employees for Climate Justice.’ Two prominent leaders of that movement, Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa were fired. Bray wrote that he snapped after that. “VPs shouldn’t go publicly rogue, so I escalated through the proper channels and by the book.” But after doing that, Bray said, keeping his job “would have meant, in effect, signing off on actions I despised. So I resigned.” Bray had previously worked as a software engineer for Sun Microsystems and Google, and is one of the co-authors of the XML standard. While he acknowledges that ‘you don’t turn a supertanker on a dime,’ Bray opined that whistleblower firings are ‘poison.’
If you thought things were getting Orwellian, hold my beer. With all the working from home due to sheltering in place over the coronavirus, some firms are turning to surveillance software, to make sure employees are ‘really’ working from home. The Washington Post notes that among the early adaptors is a paper…the High Plains Journal, headquartered in Salina, Ks. Software can check to make sure cams and microphones are on and ‘at the ready’ so employees can take part in chat rooms and ‘water cooler talk.’ with spontaneous communication only a click away. Thousands of companies have already been using monitoring software on computers and company owned phones, but this is a step beyond…including three times daily check ins, virtual happy hours, game nights, and virtual chats. How far employees will let this go…especially if using their own computers…remains to be seen, but it is getting close to the view screens in every room and ‘Thought Police’ of 1984. Remote work software maker Basecamp opines that ‘What people crave is human connection. These are the crumbs of human connection.’ He seems to be pretty aware of the spyware aspect of it all, continuing “You don’t end up extracting better, deeper, more creative work by subjecting people to ever harsher measures of surveillance.” In fact, there is a new name for this area of software….’tattleware!’ Keystroke loggers and web logs are old hat, but having the boss be able to flip on your cam and mic and check on you is a whole new invasion of privacy. One wag suggested that maybe working naked would put a stop to this type of intrusion…or else launch a whole new area of legal actions!
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