Google Nest Speaker Leak; Possible Twitter Subscription Platform; Microsoft Teams Together Mode; Middle Plane Seats= Near Double COVID Risk
Posted: July 9, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentThanks to a regulatory filing in Japan, we know there is a new smart speaker from Google in the pipeline. According to theverge.com, it is the likely successor to the original Google Home, which was first released in 2016. In pictures, it is fully fabric covered, and looks a lot like a miniaturized, vertical Google Home Max. No LEDs are visible in the pictures, but a mute button and power jack can be seen on the back. It stands 8.5 inches tall. It could be rolled out for sale this fall.
Twitter has a team busy cooking up a new subscription platform which has the name Gryphon. Venturebeat.com reports that there is at least speculation that this platform could morph into a paid Twitter model that would eliminate ads in your feed, in addition to customization of the feed. Twitter had previously toyed with paid subscriptions for TweetDeck, but really never got beyond the survey point. A product that gets cash flow from subscriptions would be a huge move to free the platform from dependence on ad revenue…which can be impacted by boycotts, as Facebook is experiencing right now.
After a blizzard of Zoom, Teams, and Blue Jeans meetings, the eyeballs of many work from home employees are either rolling or burned to a crisp. Now, techcrunch.com says Microsoft has come up with a way to make Teams video meetings less tiring. One feature is called Together mode, and it essentially uses Microsoft’s AI tech to cut out the images of all the participants and put them in virtual auditorium seats. According to their research, this layout is much easier for the brain to process than the varied and often blurred backgrounds our cams pick up. Microsoft is also showing off Dynamic View. This one allows you to see content and specific participants side by side. The have also added filters, lighting tweaks, and are planning soon to add reaction emojis. Expect even more tweaks as the work from home and video meeting model becomes the norm!
For everyone who’s common sense told them that United and American Airlines going back to filling middle seats was crazy…now, there’ s some research to that effect. According to zdnet.com, a paper from MIT professor Arnold Barnett (George Eastman Prof. of Management Science) has results of a statistical model that indicates leaving middle seats empty cut the risk of death from COVID-19 in half…or, 20 lives saved over the next 90 days! The airlines, of course, are pushing back against this, claiming that social distancing is just impossible in an aircraft cabin. If you fly, keep in mind that Delta has promised NOT to fill their middle seats until after September 30th at the earliest.
Report- Facebook Shaky on Civil Rights; Samsung Unpacked Date; Apple-QR Code for Apple Pay; AC Building e-Cobra
Posted: July 8, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentCEO Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg met with boycott organizers earlier this week…and those organizers didn’t come away satisfied with actions promised by Facebook, and now a report has dropped that says the social net has made improvements to its platform, but also has made “painful decisions over the last nine months with real world consequences that are serious setbacks for civil rights.” The report team was ed by civil rights experts Laura Murphy and Megan Cacace. Cnet.com reports that the study gives Facebook credit for a number of positive and consequential steps, but that the report authors concluded that the social net isn’t doing near enough to combat hate speech. Sandberg replied in response to the study via a blog post “There are no quick fixes to these issues — nor should there be. What has become increasingly clear is that we have a long way to go.”
If you are one of those hardcore Galaxy Note fans (and I have a couple friends who would almost sell their dog rather than give theirs up), you will be happy to know that Samsung has announced an Unpacked event for August 5th, and it’s expected that they will roll out the new Note 20 then. According to 9to5google.com, as with other tech firms, it will stream the event online. The stream will go live at 10am Eastern, 7am Pacific. The teaser ad has a splash that alludes to the leaked new ‘Mystic Bronze’ color. Besides the Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra, there will probably be freshened versions of the Galaxy Z Fold 2, and Galaxy Tabs.
Apple has dropped a 2nd developer beta of iOS 14, with an interesting little nugget hiding within. 9to5mac.com says code indicates it will apparently allow for users to use QR Codes with Apple Pay. Users will be able to point the iPhone cam at a QR code or traditional barcode and pay for things with a card registered with Apple Pay. In a bit of a prestige hit, Apple has been passed up by Amazon as the world’s most valuable brand.
If you have always lusted for the amazing AC Cobras from the 60’s, but don’t have millions to drop on the rare supercar, you might be able to pick up an EV version that AC is building. According to electrek.co, such a ride will set you back less than $180 grand! Better hurry, though…AC will only make 58 of ‘em! The e-Cobra will be more like a regular AC, and not quite so muscular as Carroll Shelby’s version with the monster Ford engine. It will have the equivalent of 308 horses, and 369 ft-lb of torque…no slouch…enough to get you from zero to 60 in 6.7 seconds. Not exactly up there with a Tesla Model S using Ludicrous Speed, but plenty quick. The AC has a 54kWh battery pack, and that should be good for about 150 miles between charges.
TikTok Pulling Out of Hong Kong; Microsoft Eyes Warner Game Unit; Former MS Exec Takes Reins at Magic Leap; Seattle Passes Tax on Highest Salaries
Posted: July 7, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentThe US is looking at banning TikTok, allegedly over concerns the it is used by the Chinese government as a surveillance and propaganda tool…but certainly also due to the recent locking down of almost a million tickets to a Donald Trump rally which enraged him. Now, techcrunch.com reports that TikTok is pulling out of Hong Kong, which is under a massive wave of new controls and surveillance by the Chinese government after rolling out a national security law. While the US State Department is reviewing a ban here, it remains to be seen if TikTok maker ByteDance will relaunch a censored version of the app in Hong Kong. Since the new national security law, Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Telegram have all said they would stop or suspend data review requests from Hong Kong authorities. Apple is also reviewing whether to do likewise, but is in a somewhat different position, since the company produces much of its hardware in China.
Microsoft is apparently eyeing Warner’s Game unit. According to the Information, they are interested in the intellectual property behind game franchises based on Batman, Harry Potter, and other marquis characters. As yet, Warner games parent AT&T hasn’t decided to let go of the unit. It may instead just pay down the $154 billion in debt…which partially flows from the telecom giant’s 2018 acquisition of Time Warner, which is now branded WarnerMedia. If Microsoft were able to cut a deal, grabbing such major characters and their ‘universes’ would be a big plus to the Xbox group.
Former Microsoft exec Peggy Johnson takes over the Big Chair as CEO of Magic Leap. Cnet.com says she will take the reins beginning August 1st. Magic Leap was started in 2011, and built one of the first AR headsets, sucking up $2.3 billion in the process…much of which came from Google. They reportedly only sold about 6,000 sets of the Magic Leap One headsets…which ran $2295 each! Johnson had been EVP for Business Development…joining Microsoft in 2014. Prior to that, she had been in leadership roles at Qualcomm for 24 years.
It’s been in the works for years, but Seattle finally approved a tax on the wealth generated by tech and other cash rich industries. The City Council Monday voted to tax the highest salaries from companies with annual payroll expenses of $7 million or more. Geekwire.com reports that the new tax will initially fund coronavirus relief, and eventually help fund affordable housing and homeless services. This tax incorporates a tiered system ranging from .7% (on a $150,000 salary) up to 2.4% (the latter on salaries above $400,000.) Stock grants are included, but stock options are not. The city thinks the tax will generate more than $200 million a year.
Uber Snaps up Postmates; Microsoft Xbox Games Showcase July 23rd; Facebook Hits The Pause on Hong Kong Data Requests; EV Maker Byton Suspends Operations
Posted: July 6, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentWe reported last week that a deal was in the works. Now, Uber will buy Postmates for $2.65 billion. Reuters.com reports that its an all stock deal. Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty, head of Uber’s food delivery business, Uber Eats, is expected to continue to run the combined delivery business. Postmates has been around since 2011, and accounted for 8% of the US meal delivery market as of May. Previously, Uber had been eyeing Gubhub. Grubhub went to Just Eat Takeaway.com last month for $7.3 billion.
If you are lusting for more info on Halo: Infinite, you don’t have long to wait now. According to geekwire.com, Microsoft Xbox Games Showcase will be coming up July 23rd. They will livestream starting at 9AM. It’s expected that Redmond will also release more info about Forza, Gears of War, Everwild, and Fable. There should also be more on the new Xbox Series X console that is expected out for the holidays.
China has been tightening down Hong Kong more and more…there new national security law that has been imposed on Hong Kong is thought to give police agencies the power to order individuals and companies to remove content. Now, engadget.com says Facebook isn’t going to immediately comply. Facebook’s WhatsApp will pause any processing of requests for user data from Hong Kong police while it reviews the new regulation. It should be noted that they may cave eventually…Apple did when they removed the Hong Kong protest-tracking app, and Cupertino was roundly criticized for giving in to Chinese government pressure. It’s good that for now, Facebook is bucking China’s demand. In their case, Facebook doesn’t have to worry about losing device production…just users…which theoretically they can replace elsewhere more easily than Apple would be able to do if they had to move production.
Chinese EV startup Byton has suspended operations at least for the next 6 months. Bloomberg reports that the company had been launched by former BMW managers, and had about 1,000 employees in China and 500 elsewhere. Backers included Foxconn, Tencent Holdings, and battery giant Contemporary Amperex, which has a deal to supply batteries to Tesla. The China EV market had slowed in 2019, but really took a hit with the pandemic…EV sales there dropped 49% in March, 30% in April, and 26% in May.
Dish Wraps Boost Buy; Apple Card Site; Prime Day Further Delayed; Google-Fitbit Deal Scrutinized
Posted: July 3, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentDish Network has completed a $1.4 billion acquisition of Boost Mobile, a former Sprint subsidiary that resells prepaid mobile service. After years of buying up spectrum but never delivering service, Dish is finally a mobile provider—albeit as a reseller that doesn’t yet operate its own network. According to arstechnica.com, Dish was able to buy Boost as part of the merger agreement in which the Department of Justice allowed T-Mobile to buy Sprint. The DOJ required T-Mobile and Sprint to sell Dish the prepaid business as well as spectrum licenses and wholesale access to the combined T-Mobile/Sprint network. The prepaid sale and wholesale access are intended to let Dish operate a wireless business as a network reseller while it builds its own 5G network that could eventually make it the fourth major wireless provider.
Apple has introduced a new web portal for managing its Apple Card credit card (including paying bills, viewing the current balance, and seeing past bill statements), which makes the experience as a whole less reliant on an iPhone or iPad. AppleInsider reports that
up to now, you had to use the Wallet app, which made it far less easy to access than a traditional credit card. The new web portal (located, naturally, at card.apple.com) doesn’t completely eliminate the need for an iPhone or iPad, however: you’ll still need to own one of Apple’s devices to actually apply for the Apple Card, which means, despite the web portal, it’s still effectively locked to Apple customers only.
Amazon’s annual Prime Day sale is being delayed to October amid concerns over how coronavirus spikes may impact the supply chain, according to a report Thursday from Business Insider. Prime Day is typically held in July, but a later date this year was expected due to the the coronavirus pandemic. In May, The Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon was looking to hold the sales event in September. Now it appears Prime Day may get pushed back even further. A spokesperson for Amazon said the company hasn’t yet made any announcements regarding Prime Day.
Back in November, Google announced that it was acquiring Fitbit and that the deal would close sometime in 2020. The purchase was immediately scrutinized amid mounting criticism of Big Tech, and the European Union could now be “gearing up for an extended investigation and may block the transaction.” The Financial Times reports that Europe’s regulators are primarily concerned with Fitbit — and its data — advancing Google’s search and advertising dominance. Meanwhile, US officials have yet to signal whether or not they will approve the deal.
Tesla Tops US Car Maker Valuation; iPhone 12-2 Months Late?; Big Tech Anti-Trust Hearing; TuSimple Aims for Autonomous Freight Net
Posted: July 2, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentIt’s mainly bragging rights, but In 10 years, Tesla has gone from public market newbie to the most valuable automaker in the world by market value. Techcrunch.com reports that in January, Tesla became the most valuable U.S. automaker ever when its market cap hit $81.39 billion. The company’s market capitalization now stands at nearly $208 billion, surpassing Toyota to become the world most valuable automaker by market value. Toyota’s market cap is $203.21 billion.
A new report today suggests that iPhone 12 production is now 1-2 months behind schedule due to impact of the coronavirus crisis. According to 9to5mac.com, It says that the current position is ‘months of delay’ to mass production, but that Apple and its suppliers are working flat out to make up for lost time …Nikkei’s report says Apple is facing delays of between four weeks and two months for mass production of the four models in its 5G lineup after postponements caused by factory lockdowns and workplace absences during the pandemic But sources said Apple has aggressively tried to cut delays and was now less likely to face a worst-case scenario of postponing the launch until 2021. Another recent supply chain report indicated that iPhone 12 production was on track for a September launch. I’
The CEOs of Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon are slated to appear at an antitrust hearing late this month according to a report Wednesday. Recode says the news came from Rep. David Cicilline (Sis-sa-lean’-ee) and will see Apple’s Tim Cook, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Alphabet’s Sundar Pichai and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos testify for the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee. The report follows Cicilline saying in May he would subpoena Bezos to appear at the antitrust hearing after sending an open letter to Bezos calling for his testimony. Bezos agreed to appear in June.
Ahead of the commercial rollout of its driverless trucks by 2024, TuSimple has outlined the launch of what it’s calling the world’s first autonomous freight network. In partnership with UPS, Penske, U.S. Xpress, and McLane Company, TuSimple plans to establish an “ecosystem” of autonomous trucks, complemented by digitally mapped routes, strategically placed terminals, and a monitoring system dubbed TuSimple Connect. Venturebeat.com reports that the company believes the autonomous freight network is the “safest” and “most efficient” way to bring self-driving trucks to market.
Nests Get Tweak; Mustang Mach-E; Facebook Deletes Boogaloo Accounts; Waymo Hits Interstates
Posted: July 1, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentGoogle is now bringing Seasonal Savings to all Nest Thermostat owners this summer in the US and Canada. 9to5google.com says the feature makes small schedule tweaks to conserve energy and ultimately lower your bill. It was previously only available to utility customers that were Nest energy partners. By adjusting your schedule just a fraction of a degree each day, users save energy while staying comfortable. These little changes can really add up—the average customer sees 3 to 5 percent in energy savings on their home’s heating and cooling systems. The goal is to not “compromise your comfort.”
Ford’s upcoming 2021 Mustang Mach-E is one step closer to making its way to consumers. On Tuesday, the automaker said anyone who has already reserved the EV in the US can convert their reservation into an order starting today. According to engadget.com, Ford also confirmed the leaked specs that came out in April. All four versions of the EV will feature more power and torque than initially expected. The standard range RWD model will output the equivalent of 266 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque. Pricing for the Mach-E starts at $43,895.
Under mounting pressure and an ad boycott to clean up its act, Facebook has removed a network of anti-government accounts associated with the fringe “boogaloo” movement after designating the group as a dangerous organization, the company said. Theverge.com says the company removed: 220 Facebook accounts, 95 Instagram accounts, 28 Facebook pages, and 106 Facebook groups. In addition, Facebook removed more than 400 other groups and 100 other pages that were “hosting similar content as the violent network but were maintained by accounts outside of it.”
Waymo says it will soon expand testing of its self-driving vehicles including big rigs on roads in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas along the I-10 corridor between Phoenix and Tuscon. Venturebeat.com reports that this year Waymo mapped routes between Phoenix, El Paso, Dallas, and Houston and ramped up testing in Mountain View, but the focus in 2020 will be on the American Southwest. Tests will be primarily along Interstates 10, 20, and 45 and through metropolitan areas like El Paso, Dallas, and Houston.
Lululemon Looks to Ride Mirror; Uber Makes Play for Postmates; Amazon Bonuses; Spotify Real Time Lyrics
Posted: June 30, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentYahoo notes that shares of Lululemon rose in early trading after announcing it would be acquiring the home fitness startup Mirror for $500 million, putting it in competition with indoor cycling company Peloton. Shares of Peloton fell, though the stock had more than doubled for the year to date through Monday’s close as Wall Street bet on the resilience of the workout-from-home phenomenon in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Lululemon is shooting to close the deal by the end of its 2nd fiscal quarter this year.
Uber has made a takeover offer to buy Postmates, the upstart delivery service, according to three people familiar with the matter, as the on-demand food delivery market consolidates and Uber looks for new ways to make money. New York Times reports that a tie-up could bolster Uber’s delivery business, Uber Eats, and help it compensate for the cratering of its core ride-hailing business, which has collapsed in many cities because of the coronavirus pandemic. Food delivery is not profitable, but demand has soared while restaurants are closed and people are staying at home.
Amazon will pay $500 million in bonuses to frontline workers and delivery partners confronting risks and high demand during the pandemic. According to geekwire.com, The payout comes amid intense pressure on Amazon to mitigate risks its warehouse employees and other frontline workers are facing due to the coronavirus. The payments range from $150 to $3000, and will go to members of Amazon’s logistics network who worked with the company during the month of June. The bonuses come after Amazon ended hazard pay for warehouse and delivery workers confronting the coronavirus crisis in June.
Last November, Spotify confirmed it was testing real-time lyrics synced to music in select markets. Now, the company is announcing the launch of its new lyrics feature in 26 worldwide markets across Southeast Asia, India and Latin America. Techcrunch.com says the launch is being made possible by a new agreement with lyrics provider Musixmatch, which was also the source for the tests seen last year. The streamer had worked with Musixmatch in the past, but cut ties with the provider in 2016 before teaming up with lyrics provider Genius for its “Behind the Lyrics” feature.
Starbucks Pauses Social Media Ads; iPhone 12 Packaging; California e-Trucks; Google Upgrades Meet
Posted: June 29, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentStarbucks is the latest company to say it will pause advertising on “all social media platforms” and promises to have discussions internally and with media partners and civil rights organizations to stop the spread of hate speech. The company will continue to post on social media without paid promotion, it announced Sunday. CNBC notes the boycott that began with Facebook is now hitting other social media platforms. Coca Cola on Friday also said it would pause advertising on all social media platforms globally, while Unilever is halting advertising on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in the U.S. through Dec. 31. Last year, Facebook brought in $69.7 billion in ad revenue globally through its millions of advertisers.
Apple is set to be significantly slimming its packaging for its upcoming iPhone line. Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously said that Apple will no longer include wired earbuds with the iPhone 12, and today reports that he also expects the power adapter to now be sold separately too. Kuo says that Apple wants to keep selling the iPhone 12 at a similar price to the iPhone 11 and removing in-box accessories will offset the cost of the 5G networking components. This will presumably reduce the size of the iPhone packaging considerably, helping lower Apple’s freight costs and be better for the environment. It’s not clear if the Lightning cable is still included.
The California Air Resources Board adopted a new electric standard for cargo truck manufacturing at the end of June. Mashable.com says by 2035, the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) Rule will require zero-emissions trucks, meaning large pickups, delivery, and semi trucks, make up a majority of big-rig truck sales. Starting in 2024, truck makers have to start producing electric or other no-emission trucks in some capacity. This should boost interest in electric trucks and vans. There are over 70 in the works, from Tesla and Nikola and other makers.
Google Meet is working on several new features that will match its competitors, including allowing users to add images or a blur effect to backgrounds on video calls, 9to5 Google reported. Now, Meet features will match rival videoconferencing platforms Zoom and Microsoft Teams, and users will be able to either choose their own image or pick from several default options. Google confirmed that in addition to background blur and background replacement images, real-time captioning, low-light mode, hand-raising, and a tile view of up to 49 meeting participants will be rolled out to the consumer version of Meet.
iPhone 12 In Box Rumors; Google Will Pay SOME for News Content; AWS Launches Amazon Honeycode; Lyft Settles with DOJ over Accessibility
Posted: June 25, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentA new rumor from British bank Barclays picked up by macrumors.com has no EarPods in the box, and possibly no power adapter….only a USB to Lightening cable. The basic 5W Apple power adapter is $19, and while there will be some whining, most people probably have a drawer full of these by now who have prior iPhones. Also, there are multi-cord chargers such as those from Anker that charge much faster…in fact, faster than the 18W adapter that has shipped with the iPhone 11 Pro models (which run $29.) The Barclays report also says production is about 4 weeks behind, and they confirmed earlier rumors of a triple lens cam system AND a LiDAR Scanner on the Pro models, as the latest iPad Pro got. That would allow for AR on the iPhone Pro models.
Ever since news started popping up on web platforms like Google and Yahoo, most, or all of it was stolen from news sources that employ actual reporters, writers, and editors. Now, according to cnet.com, Google is starting a licensing program to pay publishers for some content. The search platform says it will pay publishers for ‘high quality content’ for a news eater it will launch later this year. The licensing program will also pay for free access to some paywalled articles on a punisher’s site. Google claims that will give publishers an opportunity to grow their audience. Publishers have railed against Google and Facebook and others for years, claiming the giant tech platforms have distributed their content, but undermined their advertising business model.
Amazon has rolled out the beta of Amazon Honeycode, a new, fully managed low-code/no code development tool that attempts to make it easy for anyone in a company to build their own apps. Techcrunch.com reports that Developers can build apps for up to 20 users for free. After that they pay per user and for the storage their apps take up. The system comes with a set of templates for common uses like to-do list applications, customer trackers, surveys, schedules and inventory management. Using Honeycode will eliminate the need to create these and share them via spreadsheets. Honeycode databases can easily scale up to 100,000 rows per workbook, so businesses can just produce them and go, without having to worry about scale.
Lyft has settled with the US Department of Justice over allegations that the ride sharing program discriminated against people who use foldable walkers and wheelchairs…a blatant violation of the ADA. According to theverge.com, as part of the settlement, Lyft will be required to update its policy to make it clear that drivers have to assist people with wheelchairs, walkers, and scooters and to include details about its accessibility policies as part of its onboarding for new drivers. Drivers who fail to comply with the policy could face possible termination from the platform.
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