Saturday 2 November 2019

Google bought Fitbit

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It's Saturday, November 02, 2019.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Welcome to your weekend! On Friday, Google made a major acquisition to boost its wearable hardware, and Apple TV+ debuted to a lukewarm reception. We’ll dig into those events, and review some news highlights from the last week like Fisker’s ‘Ocean’ EV and Netflix’s controversial variable speed feature.

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What can Fitbit do to help Wear OS?

Google buys Fitbit for $2.1 billion

The search and advertising giant will swallow up the wearable device company -- pending approval by shareholders and regulators -- making Fitbit a part of its hardware team. According to FitBit CEO James Park, “Fitbit will be able to accelerate innovation in the wearables category, scale faster and make health even more accessible.”

Google VP Sameer Samat called the deal “exciting opportunity for Wear OS,” suggesting that we’ll see Fitbit-style hardware running Google’s software in the future. What could that bring to the table for the platform formerly known as Android Wear? We have a few ideas.

It’s ‘fine.’

Apple TV+ review

Apple’s first star-laden TV shows have made their debut on streaming, and Devindra Hardawar can excitedly report that they are… “fine.” The Apple TV app works smoothly, everything looks great, but despite being perfectly watchable, the first batch of original content fails to have a true standout in the bunch. Still, at $5 per month and free for a year to anyone who has recently purchased new Apple hardware, it doesn’t have to be perfect -- at least not yet.

Bad Password.

How did Google get Pixel 4 face unlock this wrong?

With the Pixel 4, Google went all-in on facial recognition. However, it hasn’t yet added a trigger that requires the user to have their eyes open before it unlocks the phone. Having a device that will unlock while you’re asleep or uncooperative is a more significant security risk than you might think, and as Violet Blue explains, that’s just one of the problems worth considering.

This $300 Excel training is just $30 today.

Plus an ‘apology.’

Blizzcon 2019: ‘Overwatch 2,’ ‘WoW: Shadowlands’ and ‘Diablo IV’

Blizzard’s big event is taking place this weekend, and it opened the show with an attempt at an apology by president J. Allen Brack. Otherwise, new trailers confirmed sequels on the way for Overwatch and Diablo, with all-new modes and characters for players to check out. And for World of Warcraft players, its Shadowlands expansion will bring a revamp for the game’s leveling system.

And AirPods Pro support.

iOS 13.2 arrives with Deep Fusion photography

The latest update to iOS 13 is here, and it adds the “computational photography” feature, Deep Fusion, which is Apple’s answer to Google and Night Sight. It takes advantage of machine learning and image stacking to render each pixel of a photo optimally. You'll likely see the benefits of Apple's new approach most in less-than-ideal lighting conditions, but it should help to improve all your photos. The update also adds 70-or-so new emoji, and if you have a HomePod, it’s ready to recognize voices for multiple people in the home and handle audio Handoffs with iPhones.

But wait, there's more...

1. Motorola's foldable RAZR may have been spotted in the wild

2. Amazon Echo review (2019): Low-priced, but not low-end

3. Apple TV 4K is on sale for an all-time low of $90

4. DJI's palm-sized Mavic Mini can fly for up to 30 minutes

5. Fisker's affordable all-electric SUV is called 'Ocean'

6. PlayStation Vue is the canary in the cord-cutting coal mine

7. Netflix defends its controversial variable playback test

8. HBO Max will cost $14.99, and is a free upgrade to HBO Now subscribers

9. NVIDIA's new Shield TVs start at $149 with Dolby Vision and Atmos

10. BMW's Z4 M40i is a powerfully fun roadster

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Friday 1 November 2019

Tech News Flash

Tech News Flash: Friday -- November 1, 2019

TechNewsWorld -- All Tech - All The Time
https://www.TechNewsWorld.com
Part of the ECT News Network

Headline Scan
Evidence of War Crimes Vanishing From Social Media
Are You Suffering From Technophobia?
Active Noise Cancellation a Big Draw in New Apple AirPods
Linux Inside Azure Sphere on the Horizon
Nvidia's New Shield TV Models Add Dolby Vision, Atmos
Getting Sustainability Right
EA Rewards Battlefield V Fans With Expansive Pacific Chapter
Threat From Above: How to Stop Hostile Drones

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Today's Story Highlights

Evidence of War Crimes Vanishing From Social Media

A controversy has erupted over YouTube's practice of taking down videos
with graphically violent content, which also may be evidence of recent
war crimes. YouTube's policy -- similar to other social media platforms
-- has been to remove content that contains hate speech, disinformation
or disturbing images. In the past, social media services have been
called out for failing to do enough.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/86333.html

Are You Suffering From Technophobia?

The fear of technology has been around for as long as technology itself,
and like technology itself, it is always changing. There is evidence of
"technophobia" -- the technical name for this affliction -- in every age
and in every part of the world. However, it is perhaps reaching a peak
in modern society. Americans are more afraid of technology than death,
suggests research conducted in 2019.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/86330.html

Active Noise Cancellation a Big Draw in New Apple AirPods

Active Noise Cancellation is just one of the hot new features in the
latest generation of Apple's AirPods. The new AirPods Pro, which go on
sale Wednesday for $249, combine earbud microphones with software to
remove background noise and improve a user's listening experience. An
outward-facing mic on the bud collects environmental sound for analysis.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/86327.html

Linux Inside Azure Sphere on the Horizon

Azure Sphere will be generally available in Feb 2020, Microsoft has
announced. Its scheduled arrival highlights Microsoft's readiness to
fulfill its promise for better IoT device security at scale. Microsoft
first introduced Azure Sphere in 2018, opting to use its own version of
a Linux operating system instead of Windows 10 to drive its new Azure
Sphere OS to securely connect IoT devices.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/86329.html

Nvidia's New Shield TV Models Add Dolby Vision, Atmos

Nvidia has introduced two new versions of its Android TV-based Shield
streaming product. Shield TV and Shield TV Pro are replacements for the
last generation of Shield video streamers, which Nvidia introduced in
2017. The Shield TV Pro retains the form factor of its predecessors --
the box-like form favored by the industry generally -- while the lower
priced Shield TV is cylinder-shaped.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/86324.html

Getting Sustainability Right

It seems strange to me that our governments haven't been more aggressive
about protecting the environment, given that the cost of not doing so
poses an existential risk to the human race. It seems insane to me as we
watch parts of the country burn and other parts of the country drown
that we're still arguing about climate change rather than coming
together to do something about it.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/86320.html

EA Rewards Battlefield V Fans With Expansive Pacific Chapter

There's a new trailer for Battlefield V , the World War II first-person
shooter Electronic Arts released last year, highlighting the game's
Chapter 5: War in the Pacific . The trailer previews team-based gameplay
in settings ranging from Europe to the South Pacific. War in the Pacific
is a free download that will be available on Oct. 31.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/86319.html

Threat From Above: How to Stop Hostile Drones

Unmanned aerial vehicles -- or "drones" as these flying objects more
commonly are known -- pose a growing danger, cybersecurity expert Kevin
Townsend recently warned. The drone category is broad -- it includes
toys for hobbyists, tools for commerce, and devices used for a variety
of military purposes. They range in size from massive military drones to
small hobbyist devices.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/86316.html

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Apple's $5 TV+ service is here

Engadget Email Newsletter

Now available on your smart speaker and wherever you get your podcasts

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | iHeart Radio

It's Friday, November 01, 2019.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Halloween is over, and Apple TV+ is here. It’s November, and before we fall back this weekend -- yes, it’s that time of year in the US -- we have a name for Fisker’s fantastical new SUV and a chance to peek inside Apple’s professional AirPods.

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Deliveries are anticipated in 2022.

Fisker's affordable all-electric SUV is called Ocean

Now Fisker is back, it’s building a sub-$40,000 electric SUV, and that vehicle has a name: Ocean. Fisker will forego building a show car and debut what it says is "a fully running production-intent prototype sitting on the actual, completely engineered platform" on January 4th, 2020. That’s after the company releases a mobile app that people can use to manage its leases, which will not have a long-term contract. Oh, and the Ocean has a full-length solar roof to go along with its 80 kWh battery pack.

Someone needed another streaming service.

Apple TV+ shows and movies premiere today

Now it's November, we've reached the release date of Apple's streaming video service, Apple TV+. The Apple TV+ service will cost $4.99 per month, but there's a seven-day free trial available to everyone, and if you purchase new hardware -- iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV or Mac -- then there's a free year waiting. At launch, viewers can choose between new episodes of For All Mankind, The Morning Show, See, Helpsters, Dickinson, Ghostwriter, Snoopy in Space and Oprah's Book Club.

Creepy.

Instagram is trying to shut down Like Patrol

Like Patrol sends notifications to users whenever their target likes or comments on an Instagram post, and it provides analytics, such as gender and even attractiveness, about who they're interacting with. Originally, Like Patrol referenced data from Instagram's own creepy Following tab, which showed who a user interacted with, their conversations and more. When Instagram discontinued the Following tab, Like Patrol developed its own scraping algorithms to track interactions -- now the social network has sent out a cease-and-desist order.

These project management courses can help boost your salary.

They're no easier to repair than the originals.

AirPods Pro have replaceable components but aren't repairable

Early adopters are already testing out Apple’s newest wireless buds (review incoming), but don’t expect them to last a lifetime. While the AirPods Pro pack more conventional components -- especially the batteries -- iFixit found that they’re no more repairable than the OG AirPods, thanks to a lot of glue in their construction. Those new silicone tips? If you need more, you’ll have to get them from Apple. Existing third-party ones won’t fit.

With the chin you’d expect.

Motorola's foldable display RAZR leaks in first official-looking images

A more official-looking leaked image of the reinvented RAZR, a Motorola flip phone with a foldable display, has surfaced. It has a chunky lip at the base for the top half to fold into, flush. In general, it looks more like the RAZR of old than you might have expected, though other rumors suggest a more contemporary spec sheet, including a Snapdragon 710 processor and 256 gigs of storage. We’re expecting official confirmation of the new foldable on November 13th.

You’ll have to enable the feature and confirm your fingerprint first.

WhatsApp's fingerprint unlock feature finally arrives on Android

Earlier this year, WhatsApp added an extra layer of privacy for iOS users when it enabled support for Touch ID and Face ID on iPhones and iPads. Now Android has caught up. WhatsApp users can unlock the app with their fingerprint once it’s enabled in settings. The messaging company hasn’t said whether it would bring face unlock capabilities for Android phones with the feature.