U.S. Commerce Department Reportedly Delaying Huawei Trade Ban for 90 Days
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| U.S. Commerce Department Reportedly Delaying Huawei Trade Ban for 90 Days | |
| Number | 920 |
| Broadcast Date | AUGUST 19, 2019 |
| Episode Length | 5:41 |
| Hosts | Rich Stroffolino |
U.S. Commerce Department will reportedly delay the Huawei trade ban for 90 days, Segway-Ninebot unveils a scooter that can drive itself back to its charging station, and Xiaomi works with Vivo and Oppo on a peer-to-peer file transfer protocol for Android devices.
Headlines
- Reuters reports that, according to sources, the U.S. Commerce Department is expected to extend the delay on the US trade embargo against Huawei, granting the company a “temporary general license” to buy from US suppliers for 90 days. The license would enable Huawei to buy supplies to maintain existing telecommunications networks and providing software updates to Huawei handsets. However, Huawei would still be barred from buying components for new devices.
- Scooter maker Segway-Ninebot unveiled the semi-autonomous three-wheeled KickScooter T60, which can return itself to a charging station without a driver. Early customers for the new scooter include Lyft and Uber. Segway-Ninebot will start road testing in September, with hopes for a Q1 2020 launch. The price is estimated to be close to 10,000 yuan ($1,420).
- Variety reports that Google's Area 120 development lab has been testing an events-centric crowdfunding service called Fundo. Fundo is aimed at YouTuber creators and allows them to invite fans to paid online events like meet & greet sessions. It's unclear how many YouTube creators are involved in the beta test, and whether Google plans a wider rollout.
- Xiaomi announced it is working with fellow Chinese OEMs Oppo and Vivo to develop an interoperable peer-to-peer file transfer system for their Android-based devices. The protocol will use Bluetooth to pair devices with a goal of 20MB/s transfer speeds. A beta will be available by the end of August, and Xiaomi stated other smartphone makers can apply to join.
- A federal judge issued a 153-page ruling ordering Georgia officials to stop using the state's current electronic voting machines by the end of the year, after municipal elections being held in November. Currently Georgia uses Diebold Accuvote TSX touchscreen machines that security researchers found to have numerous security vulnerabilities dating back to 2006. Georgia hopes to have new ballot-marking machines in place in time for the presidential primary election in March 2020. If it can't meet that deadline, the state will be required to use paper ballots.
- Amazon's recommended items label it calls “Amazon’s Choice” has drawn many questions about how products get awarded such a distinction. A pitch deck reviewed by Digiday details a 2017 bidding program for the Amazon’s Choice badge, essentially offering vendors the ability to “bid” for an Amazon’s Choice badge by lowering prices and spending more money on advertising. This would give the vendor better placement in search results. In response, Amazon tells Digiday this program was never offered. A source says this bidding program did run briefly in 2017, Amazon rolled it back and Amazon’s Choice badges are now driven by algorithms. Amazon’s Choice claims it rewards product listings that have high in-stock and conversion rates, high customer ratings, competitive prices and Prime shipping.
- In a press release announcing a new Disney and Charter Communications distribution deal for Hulu, ESPN+, and Disney+; the two companies have ”agreed to work together on piracy mitigation,” including implementing “business rules and techniques to address such issues as unauthorized access and password sharing." No details on how those measures will be implemented were mentioned. Ars Technica notes that Charter CEO Tom Rutledge has complained about account sharing before, criticizing TV networks for not locking down content and that password sharing leads to lower numbers of cable TV subscribers.
- Officials in Texas say a coordinated ransomware attack hit 23 local Texas governments on the morning of August 16th. Governments reported having issues accessing the Texas Department of Information Resources. The ransomware encrypts files and adds the .JSE extension to affected files, although no ransom note was left directing payment. Texas DIR, Texas Division of Emergency Management, the FBI, DHS, and the Texas Department of Public Safety coordinated on recovery efforts.
- The cryptocurrency exchange Binance announced plans to launch an “independent regional version of Libra,” called Venus. Venus would be based on the Binance Chain blockchain and develop “localized” stablecoins and digital assets pegged to fiat currencies. Binance will provide technical support and compliance control, while offering its existing technical infrastructure and regulatory establishments for venus. CEO Changpeng Zhao said he hopes Venus helps push overall cryptocurrency adoption and is happy to co-exist with Libra.
- Ikea announced it formed the “Ikea Home smart” business unit that will have end-to-end responsibility for its growing smart home portfolio. The unit will be led by Björn Block, who previously headed smart home efforts while housed under Ikea's lighting division. Ikea first entered the smart home market with the introduction of tables and lamps with integrated Qi chargers in 2015.
- Startup Cerebras Systems unveiled its “Wafer-Scale Engine,” the world's largest semiconductor chip. The chip has 1.2 trillion transistors, with 400,000 cores and 18GB of SRAM memory, taking up roughly an entire silicon wafer. The chip was made in partnership with TSMC and includes numerous redundant circuits to improve yields. The chip will be sold as part of an overall computer appliance made be Cerebras for machine learning and AI workloads, which will include watercooling for its 15 kilowatts of power. The first production systems are expected to ship to customers in September.
Links
| Preceded by: "Week In Review For The Week Of 8/12/2019" |
U.S. Commerce Department Reportedly Delaying Huawei Trade Ban for 90 Days |
Followed by: "Apple TV+ May Launch In November for $9.99/Month" |