What Do You Do With A Rectangle?
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| What Do You Do With A Rectangle? | |
| Number | 3227 |
| Broadcast Date | FEBRUARY 26, 2018 |
| Episode Length | 29:30 |
| Hosts | Tom Merritt |
| Guests | Lamarr Wilson, Myriam Joire |
We examine the trends and announcements from this year’s Mobile World Congress; the phones, the technology and most importantly the prices. Plus, the US Supreme Court will hear arguments this week that will decide if US law enforcement can force US companies to divulge data stored on foreign soil and YouTube is launching automatic captions and replay chat from on demand live streams.
Guest
Quick Hits
- Bloomberg reports their sources say Apple will release three new iPhones this year, just like last year. The phones will be about the same size though with thinner bezels, meaning larger screens. Some of the iPhone X's unique features will make their way into other models too. None of this should sound surprising really.
- Qualcomm's Chairman Paul Jacobs sent a letter to Broadcom's CEO, Hock Tan saying Qualcomm is now willing to be acquired by Broadcom if the two companies can agree on price. Broadcom has offered $79 a share but Qualcomm says that undervalues the company. In a statement, Broadcom says it doesn't believe Qualcomm is sincere calling the letter “engagement theater.”
- The latest version of Apple's iOS Security Guide replaces a reference to relying on Microsoft Azure for remote data storage with a reference to Google Cloud. The reference to Amazon Web Services is still there.
Top Stories
- The US Supreme Court will hear arguments this week in a case between Microsoft and the US Department of Justice over emails wanted in relation to a drug-trafficking case, that are stored on a server in Ireland. The US believes a warrant requires Microsoft to hand over the emails because it is a US company. Microsoft argues that since the data is stored in Ireland, only an Irish government entity can order the handover. The court is expected to issue a ruling in the case by the end of June.
- Apple is making security updates to its iTunes service that will mean it won't work with older devices. Among the now obsolete devices are the 11-year-old original Apple TV, as well as devices running Windows XP and Windows Vista. The update will cut off the devices starting May 25th.
- YouTube announced the launch of live automatic captions on video, as well as the ability to replay chat from a live stream during on demand plays. YouTube says it is using Live Automatic Speech Recognition to serve captions on live streams that are not professionally captioned. The feature will roll out on YouTube live in the following weeks.
Mobile World Congress News
- Let's start by asking Myriam about her overall impressions with the announcements from MWC
- Sony announced the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact. The XZ2 uses the Snapdragon 845 chipset and Sony claims its implementation of the Qualcomm X20 modem can reach peak download speeds of 1.2 Gbps. The XZ2 has an 18:9 aspect ratio, 5.7-inch Full HD+ HDR screen and carries a 3180mAh battery. The camera has 19 MP and can now capture 4K HDR video. There's also a feature that vibrates the phone along with your music. The XZ2 goes on sale next month starting at £699 and The XZ2 Compact, which has a 5-inch screen, goes on sale next month for £549.
- Sony also announced the Xperia Ear Duo headphones that automatically adjust volume based on how loud the world is around you. The idea is to keep music loud enough to hear but low enough that you can carry on a conversation if you need to. It also has gesture support so you can accept or reject calls or skip songs with the nod of a head. Preorders are up now for $279 shipping in the US in late May.
- Samsung announced the 5.8-inch Galaxy S9 and 6.2-inch Galaxy S9+ with dual aperture, dual cameras. The phones feature a Snapdragon 845, stereo speakers and can now do AR Emojis. Preorders start March 2 for $720 to $915 depending on the carrier, for shipping March 16. Samsung's new DeX Pad lets you use the S9 as a full computer with the phone itself serving as the trackpad. DeX now supports resolutions up to 2560x1440.
- HMD announced several Android handsets under the Nokia brand, including the Nokia 1, the Nokia 6, Nokia 7 Plus and Nokia 8 Sirocco and a throwback Nokia 8110 banana phone as featured in the Matrix. The Nokia 8 Sirocco has a stainless steel frame and will sell for €749 in April with Dual-Sight, Zeiss optics and an edge-to-edge OLED 2K 5.5-inch display. The Nokia 7 Plus has 12MP Zeiss optics and will sell for €399 in April. The Nokia 6 goes on sale in May for €279 and the Nokia 1 in April for $85 running Android Go, optimized for low-spec phones. The Nokia 8110 will be available in May for €79.
- Vivo is showing off a concept phone called the APEX FullView with 1.8mm bezels on the top and 4.3mm on the bottom around a flexible OLED display. An exciter beneath the display turns the whole screen into the earpiece. For selfies, a 9-megapixel camera pod rises up out of the top. It also has the under-screen fingerprint sensor that works over a quarter of the phone's screen. This is an ultrasound sensor not the Synaptics sensor shown by Vivo at CES.
Mailbag
- Hi All,
Michael from plumb trees are starting to bloom Yokohama here.
You asked last Friday about experience with CEOs who have done their workers good.
Well, when the "Bubble Economy" popped in the mid-1990s here in Japan, the software company I worked for cut the bonuses of the top executives and management so that the lower paid employees, especially first years, could still get their bonuses. While "down-sizing" was a new concept to Japanese companies, we took the view of "right-sizing" and adjusted departments accordingly, shuffling people between sister companies rather than laying anyone off. Our CEO, one of the founders of the company, took a cut in pay and announced his retirement, doing so once everything was brought to an even keel again.
I had assumed that this was the norm for Japanese companies.
(I was one of 8 foreign employees scattered throughout Japan in a company of 400.) - Sent by Michael Westbay
- Hi All,
YouTube
Links
| Preceded by: "Roundtable: Big Data is Watching You" |
What Do You Do With A Rectangle? |
Followed by: "In Vero Veritas?" |