Toughbook, Good Show

Toughbook, Good Show
Number	3612
Broadcast Date	SEPTEMBER 9, 2019
Episode Length	30:52
Hosts	Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang

Apple adjusts its app store algorithm in July to deprioritize Apple apps in search results, the Verge has a review of Fitbit’s Versa 2, and Bloomberg reports Apple and Foxconn confirmed that Foxconn exceeded Chinese labor limits on the number of temporary staff it is allowed to use.

Quick Hits

• Daimler brings driverless truck tests to public roads in Virginia

Daimler announced it's begun testing autonomous trucks on Virginia highways in partnership with startup Torc Robotics which Daimler recently acquired a majority stake in. Freightliner Cascadias equipped with lidar sensors, cameras, and radar and Torc’s self-driving software will have drivers and engineers onboard to pull trailers with added weight to simulate loads near Torc’s headquarters in Blacksburg, Virginia. The vehicles are said to be level 4 by the Society of Automotive Engineers.

• Texas says no to ransom demand as it recovers from a ‘coordinated ransomware attack’

The Texas Department of Information Resources noted that the 22 agencies in Texas hit by a ransomware attack on August 16 were able to restore service by August 23. Attackers had breached a third-party service provider to install the ransomware and had demanded a total of $2.5 million to unlock it. But the agencies had a incident response plan that was executed immediately with support from 10 government agencies. The Texas DIR recommends blocking inbound traffic from Tor Exit nodes and outbound network traffic to Pastebin along with the usual practices of multi factor authentication, limited administrator rights and such.

• Tesla battery researcher unveils new cell that could last 1 million miles in ‘robot taxis’

A source tells publication Electrek that a partner of Tesla working on a new battery cell is making a Li-Ion battery cell with a next-generation “single crystal” NMC cathode and a new advanced electrolyte. The technology reportedly could power an electric car “for over 1.6 million kilometers [1 million miles]," which is two to three times longer than Tesla’s current battery cells.

• 50 U.S. states and territories announce broad antitrust investigation of Google

Attorneys General from 48 US states, the territory of Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia announced an antitrust investigation into Google. Texas state attorney general Ken Paxton made the announcement on the steps of the US Supreme Court. The investigation will focus on advertising practices but other points of inquiry may also be included. Other Attorneys mentioned search ranking and protecting personal information as other areas of concern. Attorneys General from California and Alabama are not involved.

Top Stories

• How Apple’s Apps Topped Rivals in the App Store It Controls

Apple says it adjusted its app store algorithm in July to deprioritize Apple apps in search results, though it has not fully fixed the issue of Apple apps coming up above non-Apple apps in multiple search categories. Apple's Phil Schiller says it's not corrected but it is improved. Apple said it did not manipulate search results to increase ranking but that it happened as an unexpected result, attributed to coming up in search for common terms and being grouped by maker. Apple says the algorithm examines 42 different signals. The change came partly in response to reports by the Wall Street Journal and New York Times showing Apple apps seeming to have an edge in Apple app store search results.

• FITBIT VERSA 2 REVIEW: SMART FITNESS TRACKER, DUMB SMARTWATCH

The Verge's Fitbit Versa 2 review has some pros and cons. The pros: comfortable, lightweight design, week-long battery life, nice bright screen, great fitness and sleep-tracking features, and handy voice replies for Android users. But the cons include how changing the straps is still cumbersome, the always-on display lacks customizability, and Amzon's assistant integration isn't seamless. The Versa 2 goes on sale 9/15 for $199.99.

Armando weighed in on no built-in GPS, and says, if you want to track your run or bike ride or whatever it is you do outside, you’ll need to carry your phone so that the Fitbit app on your phone can track your location. Versa 2 (Fitbit as a whole) doesn’t play nice with Apple Health. This has been an issue for years. Fitbit won’t share its (your) data with the Apple Health app. So if you own an iPhone and want to see all your health data in one place, then any Fitbit device is a non-starter. If you get other info from another instrument or get data from something that does share with Apple Health, then you’ll have to pop back and for to see all your info. Obviously, this is only an issue if you’re in the Apple ecosystem but that does account for quite a few people. There are third-party paid options around this but it sometimes means jumping through unneeded hoops. Most other health trackers do work with Apple Health but Fitbit has remained staunch in its stance to “protect” your data.

Sent by Armando

• The feature-rich Vivaldi browser finally arrives on Android

A version of the Vivaldi browser for Android is out now in beta. Like not he desktop new tabs open to a grid of customized bookmarks called Speed Dials. You can use custom nicknames to search with multiple search engines beyond your default. You can also take notes in the browser. You'll be able to sync all that from your desktop install too with end-to-end encryption. Not everything from the desktop is there yet. The Verge points out the ability to stack tabs into one tab doesn't appear to be, but then it is a beta.

• Microsoft's redesigned To Do app ties into more of its services

Microsoft unveiled a redesigned To Do app for desktop and mobile meant to replace Wunderlist. You can flag messages from Microsoft-based email accounts to send to a task list, look at Assigned to Me lists from Microsoft Planner and integrate To Do with Microsoft Launcher on Android. You can also add tasks from Amazon Voice powered devices through Cortana. There are also customization or the interface, including the Berlin TV tower background from Wunderlist. Microsoft promises list syncing across Android, iOS, Mac, Windows and the web. And thank goodness, multi-factor authentication. Earlier this weekend, Wunderlist founder Christian Reber offered to buy Wunderlist back from Microsoft to avoid a planned shutdown.

• Panasonic's modular Toughbook 55 lets you swap out seemingly everything

Panasonic announced the Toughbook 55 with a modular design for replacing components. Add-on modules include more ports, dedicated graphics, a fingerprint reader and a second storage drive. RAM is replaceable, drives are quick release and the keyboard is also replaceable. Batteries can be hot-swapped for an estimated 40 hours battery life. It has 8th-gen core i5 and i7 chipsets available along with USB-C, HDMI 2.0 and Bluetooth 5. It also has a four mic array for voice recognition, 1,000-nit touchscreen, up to 64 GB of RAM and maxes out at 2 TB of storage. Wireless access includes worldwide P.180 data service and AT&T's FirstNet platform for emergency responders. Starting prices for the Panasonic Toughbook 55 is $2,099. No price on the add-on modules yet.

• Apple, Foxconn Broke a Chinese Labor Law to Build Latest iPhones

Bloomberg reports Apple and Foxconn confirmed that Foxconn exceeded Chinese labor limits on the number of temporary staff it is allowed to use. The confirmation came in response to claims from the group China Labor Watch. Chinese law says you can't have more than 10% of your staff be dispatch workers, a term for temps. China Labor Watch claimed temps made up between 30 and 50% of Foxconn workers at a plant in Zhengzhou. Apple said the percentage of temps exceeded its standards and it is working with Foxconn to resolve the issue. Foxconn said it discovered the violation after an operational review. China Labor Watch made other claims which Apple says are false. Apple says it has confirmed all overtime and compensation is appropriate.

Mailbag

Just following up on the mention of FancyZones from Window's Power Toys project. Allison mentioned she'd love to see better window management on Macs. I'd like to pass on 2 different options - "BetterSnapTool" and "Magnet".

BetterSnapTool is a smidge better for my MacBook Pro because of some quirky work issues, but I've used both and both are excellent.

Sent by Josiah

In my experience I find it much better to get bulbs with a dedicated hub over wifi based bulbs. The reason being the more wifi bulbs you add, the more devices on your network and consequently the more congested your wifi network will get (and potentially it might bog down your router). Would probably take a lot of bulbs for this to be a problem but I think it's a factor people need to consider.

Second, and more importantly, is smart bulbs versus smart switches. I started off with the Hue bulbs and quickly found an annoying limitation: if the switch is turned off, you lose any ability to remotely control the bulbs. For lamps not on a switch, this isn't as big an issue. But as someone wants to expand their smart lighting it becomes a concern when there's guests or house/pet sitters who may inadvertently turn off the switch and therefore you lose the ability to program/control the lights.

The other factor with smart bulbs v. switches is cost. A few smart bulbs here and there aren't that bad. However if you start replacing all the bulbs in a room that can get pricey quickly, even with just the basic on/off/dimmable bulbs. A smart switch usually costs about $20-40 depending on what model you can and you can then control all the lights at once AND the lights can be controlled normally if the internet/smart assistant is down. I personally went with Zwave switches for local control and they work great (specifically the GE switches).

Sent by Geoff in PA

Links

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Preceded by: "Is the Tank Half Empty or Half Full"

Toughbook, Good Show

Followed by: "Apple event: New iPhone, New iPad, New Watch"