Week in Review for the Week of 6/3/19
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| Week in Review for the Week of 6/3/19 | |
| Number | 859 |
| Broadcast Date | JUNE 8, 2019 |
| Episode Length | 6:45 |
| Hosts | Rich Stroffolino |
Your week in tech news, including Google Stadia launch details, Apple’s WWDC announcements, and Uber Copter service.
Headlines
- Google Stadia will launch in November in 14 countries as a Founder's Edition. You'll pay a one-time fee of $129.99 and get a Stadia Controller in limited-edition night blue, a Chromecast Ultra, three months of the service at no extra cost and a three month buddy pass. And first crack at your Stadia Name. After the three months, the service will cost $9.99 a month. Streams for founders will be 4K/60fps with HDR and 5.1 surround sound. The service launched with at least 31 titles that must be purchased separately. Prices will be set by the publishers. However, Stadia Pro subscribers will get discounts on games and occasional free games starting with free Destiny 2. Devices supported at launch are Chromecast Ultra, The Chrome browser and the Pixel 3 and 3A. Sometime in 2020, subscribers will be allowed to sign up for Stadia Pro without purchasing the Founder's Edition. A free tier called Stadia Base will launch next year at 1080p/60fps, stereo. Google recommends 10Mbps for 720/60fps and 35Mbps for the full experience, all of which work on WiFi and Ethernet but not cellular.
- The US State Department has updated its applications forms for US visa applicants requiring nearly all to submit social media usernames, previous email addresses and phone numbers. That information was previously required only for applicants deemed to need extra scrutiny, about 65,000 per year. There are approximately 15 million visa applicants to the US per year.
- The South China Morning Post reports that Foxconn has stopped several Huawei smartphone production lines due to reduced orders for new phones, according to sources. At a media briefing on May 31, Huawei's Honor-brand president Zhao Ming stated the company is reassessing it's goal to become the top-selling smartphone vendor by 2020, due to the recent US trade ban.
- At its annual Worldwide Developers Conference Monday, Apple announced iOS 13, with a new Dark Mode, swipe typing support on the keyboard, improvements to Apple Maps, and faster Face ID recognition. iOS 13 Location sharing can be restricted to just once within an app. The public beta releases next month, will a full release in autumn. Meanwhile, iPadOS will be its own operating system, with a tighter grid of icons, and pinnable widgets on the home screen. Split view is now possible within a single app, external drives are now supported, and the Files app has a column view.
- Apple also announced 'Sign in with Apple,' a new authentication tool similar to sign-in tools from Facebook and Google, but one that uses Face ID and Apple says is focused on privacy and won't track you. If an app requests an email, Apple will offer the option to create a random email address and then forward the emails to the user's legitimate email address. Sign in with Apple will be mandatory for iOS apps that use 3rd party logins.
- On the hardware side, Apple unveiled the new Mac Pro, with sides that slide off for access to modules inside. It has an Intel Xeon processor, up to 28 cores, and up to 1.5 terabytes of system memory. The new Mac Pro has 8 internal PCI slots, can handle three streams of 8K or 12 streams of 4K, and has a 1.4kW power supply. The standard: 8 core Xeon, 32GB memory, Radeon 580x, 256GB SSD sells for $5999 this autumn. Apple also announced the new Pro Display XDR, with a 32-inch LCD 6K Retina Display. The XDR refers to Extreme Dynamic Range, and Thunderbolt 3 can support a 2-display setup, so the Mac Pro could power 6 displays at once. The Pro Display can tilt and adjust height and do portrait mode, but isn't cheap - $4999 or $5999 for the matte version. The companion Pro Stand sells for $999.
- Apple Watch will get its own app store and the ability to run independent apps that don't require a companion phone app. tvOS is getting support for multiple user accounts.
- Bloomberg reports the US Securities and Exchange Commission is suing messaging app Kik over the $100 million it raised through the Initial Coin Offering of a token called Kin. The SEC says Kik should have registered the Kin token as a security. Kin recently launched a crowdfunding site called DefendCrypto.org to defend against SEC crackdowns on ICOs.
- The Information reports that Facebook plans to create an independent foundation to govern its forthcoming cryptocurrency. According to sources, Facebook plans to license the right to run nodes on the network for $10 million a piece. Node operators would be allowed to send a representative to the independent foundation, and Facebook hopes to launch the network with 100 nodes. Facebook plans to use the license fees to back the cryptocurrency with a bundle of international currencies and low-risk securities.
- Uber Copter will begin service in New York City on July 9th, taking passengers on an 8-minute helicopter ride between Lower Manhattan and Kennedy International Airport, with private ground trasportation to and from the ride included. The service is available to Platinum and Diamond Uber Rewards members, and will run Monday through Friday during afternoon rush hour. Each helicopter can seat five passengers, and booked either on-demand or up to five days in advance. Uber estimates an average ride will cost between $200 and $225 per person. Two pilots will be on each flight, with passengers required to view a 90-second safety video.
- Maine governor Janet Mills signed the Act to Protect the Privacy of Online Consumer Information into law. Under the law, ISPs cannot refuse service, charge fees, or offer discounts to customers in order to pressure them to allow the ISP to sell their data. The law also requires explicit consent from customers to sell personal data. The law takes effect as of July 1st.
- The FCC voted unanimously Thursday to let carriers block robocalls by default. The FCC also voted to move forward on a proposed rule requiring carriers to adopt the SHAKEN / STIR caller ID authentication system if they don't voluntarily adopt it themselves by the end of the year. The rule doesn't require carriers to turn on robocall blocking by default, and also doesn’t require these services have to be free to consumers.
Links
| Preceded by: "Maine Governor Signs the Act to Protect the Privacy of Online Consumer Information" |
Week in Review for the Week of 6/3/19 |
Followed by: "Salesforce to Buy Tableau for $15.7 Billion" |