Big tech Teams up for Easy Data Transfer
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| Big tech Teams up for Easy Data Transfer | |
| Number | 550 |
| Broadcast Date | JULY 20, 2018 |
| Episode Length | 5:02 |
| Hosts | Tom Merritt |
Big companies want to make it easier for you to switch services like photo or calendar, Apple, Fitbit, and Sonos may fall under new Tariffs, and WhatsApp limits forwarding.
Headlines
- Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Twitter have created a standards initiative called the Data Transfer Project, for transferring data directly between services without the need for you to download and re-upload. Data is encrypted in transit issuing forward-secret keys. The system supports transfer of photos, mail, contacts, calendars, and tasks, drawing from publicly available APIs from Google, Microsoft, Twitter, Flickr, Instagram, Remember the Milk, and SmugMug. Code for the project is available on GitHub.
- Apple Watch; Fitbit’s Charge, Charge HR and Surge models; and Sonos’s Play:3, Play:5 and SUB speakers would be subject to import duties if a new round of proposed tariffs on Chinese goods goes into effect. U.S. Customs and Border Protection considers the items data transmission machines which is among the 6,000 types of goods listed on the next round. The tariffs are in a public comment period, and device makers can use that to ask for their type to be dropped from the list, ask for their product to be reclassified, apply for an exclusion, or replace it with a newer model that is not subject to the tariff.
- Instagram launched a feature that shows a green dot on profile pictures when that person is actively using Instagram. Dots will appear in the Direct inbox and friends list for friends who follow an account or people who have communicated in Direct. You can turn off your green dot or the ability to see others in settings.
- As part of a continuing effort to combat the spread of rumors that have lead to instances of violence in India and Myanmar, WhatsApp will limit the number of people you can forward a message to. The limit will be 20 worldwide and 5 in India. The previous limit was more than 250. WhatsApp is also testing removal of the quick forward button in India.
- Attackers accessed 1.5 million patient profiles and 160,000 prescription details for Singapore's largest health care institution SingHealth. Singapore's Ministry of Health believes the target of the attack were records of Singapore’s ministers including prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, whose prescription details were among those accessed. The government says it was not the work of "causal hackers or criminal gangs," but a "deliberate, targeted, and well-planned cyberattack.” There is no evidence that records were altered or that diagnoses, test results, or doctors’ notes were accessed.
- Microsoft reported revenue increased 17% year over year with net income up 35%. Office and cloud led the way up 10% and Microsoft’s server products and cloud revenue grew 26 percent, driven by Azure revenue growth of 89 percent. Surface revenue jumped 25% to more than $1 billion and gaming revenue grew 39% including 36% growth for Xbox software and services revenue. Xbox Live active users grew to 57 million. LinkedIn revenue rose 37 percent and even Windows OEM Pro revenue rose 14% while non-pro declined 3%. Finally search advertising revenue rose 17% on higher revenue per search AND higher search volume.
- India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has asked WhatsApp and its partner banks for more details on how user data will be stored before allowing WhatsApp's payments service to operate nationwide. India's central bank recently required payment services to store customer data on local servers. India is Whatsapp's largest market with 230 million users, 1 million of whom are using the limited beta of the payments service.
- Amazon has rolled out a feature called Part Finder for its iOS app, based on the acquisition of Partpic in 2016. Part Finder uses the phone's camera to identify a part then get links to order replacement parts. Users have to place the part on a white surface next to a penny and add some identifying information like whether its Philips or flat head. Right now it can recognize screws, nuts, bolts washers and other fasteners.
- DARPA announced a new program called SHRIMP, for Short-Range Independent Microrobotic Platforms, “to develop and demonstrate multi-functional micro-to-milli robotic platforms for use in natural and critical disaster scenarios.” SHRIMP will consist of a series of competitions performing tasks “associated with maneuverability, dexterity, [and] manipulation. There will be one set of competitions for actuators and power sources and one for complete robots. DARPA will allocate $32 million of funding across multiple SHRIMP projects. Abstracts are due August 10, proposals September 26, with competitions as early as March.
Links
| Preceded by: "Google's Project Fuschia OS May Replace Android in 5 Years" |
Big tech Teams up for Easy Data Transfer |
Followed by: "Fast 5G Antennas" |