How do you like them Amazon Apples?
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| How do you like them Amazon Apples? | |
| Number | 3725 |
| Broadcast Date | FEBRUARY 25, 2020 |
| Episode Length | 29:59 |
| Hosts | Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane |
| Guests | Patrick Beja |
Tractor-hailing could help farmers not only get more crop yields but better bank loans too, and airponics could make your airplane food better than what you eat at home. Plus, Microsoft’s attempt to secure our Smart Home future.
Guest
Quick Hits
- Google updated Chrome to patch three security bugs, one of which was a zero-day vulnerability being exploited in the wild. The attacks were discovered on February 18 by Clement Lecigne, a member of Google's Threat Analysis Group. The zero-day vulnerability was identified as type confusion in Chrome's V8 component responsible for processing JavaScript. Type Confusion tricks software into initializing execution thinking the code is one type then changing the type to cause logical errors that can be exploited to run malicious code.
- Intuit confirmed that it plans to acquire Credit Karma for $7.1 billion, Intuit's biggest acquisition to date. Credit Karma lets people check credit scores, get credit cards and loans, and file taxes. It has more than 100 million registered users and 37 million monthly active users. Intuit also owns Mint, TurboTax, and QuickBooks.
- Samsung unveiled its first 16GB LPDDR5 mobile DRAM chips built on its ten-nanometer process. It's not only more memory but also faster at 5500 megabits per second. It also uses 20 percent less power than the last generation. Samsung's working on a version that's even faster too. The 16GB LPDDR5 chip is in the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and is now available for other manufacturers.
- Qualcomm announced a reference design mixed reality platform for the Snapdragon XR2 chipset meant for 5G-enabled VR and AR devices. In addition to 5G, the XR2 can support up to seven cameras, and up to 3K display panels per eye, though the reference design used 2K panels. XR2 also supports cameras that can track eyes, lips and external space. XR2 powered devices are expected by the end of the year.
Top Stories
- Amazon opened its first “Amazon Go Grocery” store in Seattle, a 7,700-square-foot space without cashiers. Amazon previously opened 25 smaller Amazon Go convenience stores in the US. The new grocery store in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood has 5,000 different products including meat and produce— and like the convenience stores, equipped with cameras, sensors, and computer vision to keep track of what a customer leaves the store with.
- Mozilla announced it will start switching Firebox browser users to Cloudflare's encrypted DNS over HTTPS, or DoH, today by default, and roll out the change across the US in the coming weeks. Any user worldwide can turn DoH on in Firefox's network settings under General. DoH helps prevent ISPs and third parties from seeing what DNS lookups a browser is making which could be used to deliver targeted ads. Firefox will offer a choice between Cloudflare and NextDNS for DoH but Cloudflare will be the default. ISPs have been lobbying against encrypted DNS, focusing on Google's plan to use DoH in the Chrome browser.
- Microsoft built an end-to-end secure IoT platform called Azure Sphere that is now in general availability and ready to scale for any size customer. Azure Sphere combines a secure system on a chip, a secure OS and a secure cloud service. The microcontroller design isolates each subsystem securely from each other. The hardware-based Microsoft Pluton security subsystem protects against tampering. An Azure Sphere microcontroller boots to a hardened Linux OS. The Azure Sphere Security Service in the cloud checks that the device is only booting with genuine approved software and provides a secure channel for OS updates. All of this minimizes the risk of infection and keeps devices patched and up to date. MediaTek is helping design and build the chips, Qualcomm is using it for 5G and NXP is building a certified crossover applications processor.
- Google announced three new Stadia Pro games instead of the expected two. Racing game GRID has a 40-player endurance mode exclusive to Stadia. There's also a roleplaying card game SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech and steampunk platform SteamWorld Dig 2. Two titles dropped out of Pro leaving a total of seven titles.
Discussion
- Deere and Company is partnering with Hello Tractor to make John Deere tractors available on demand for farmers in Ghana and Kenya. Hello Tractor lets farmers hail a tractor when they need it using an app that monitors usage and fuel levels. A black box is installed under the dashboard of the tractors. Agricultural services firms like Agrimech Africa in Nairobi manage the deployment of tractors. The first test of the partnership is using 400 tractors. If all goes well the companies plan to expand in the second half of the year to more countries in Africa. Deere also believes it could boost sales by letting farmers take usage information to banks to secure loans. Around 80% of cropland outside South Africa is cultivated by hand. Making tractors easier to get could increase yields substantially.
- Singapore Airlines is buying food from airponics company AeroFarms to provide fresh vegetables on flights. Quartz notes typically salad greens are harvested 3-5 weeks before they're served on a flight. AeroFarms makes it possible for the greens to be harvested hours before being served in the air. JetBlue uses a rooftop garden at JFK airport to achieve a similar result. AeroFarms operates the largest indoor vertical farm in a warehouse in Newark. Aeroponics grows vegetables and tubers in the air, using sensors, fans, sprayers and LEDs to control growing conditions. It offers 300% more efficient growth rates than standard crop yields though it does consume a lot of power. But AeroFarms not only delivers vegetables fast, it also can customize growing conditions to produce specific characteristics like firmer kale or more peppery arugula. It also lets Singapore Airlines have more data on where and how the vegetables were grown which saves time meeting food safety requirements. Singapore Airlines is serving AeroFarms-grown produce on flights out of JFK and Newark.
Mailbag
- Wanted to remind folks that our Threatwire cross-posts from Shannon Morse that come out each week focusing on security, privacy are second to none! This week we're focusing on car hacking. Good stuff, get all the deets at patreon.com/dtns
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| Preceded by: "Mobile World Announcements" |
How do you like them Amazon Apples? |
Followed by: "All Melodies Belong To Us!" |