Anatomy of Failure: Why It's Problematic That Zuckerberg Is the Least Trusted Big Tech CEO
Last week we ran a survey asking people which of the CEOs that were questioned by Congress last month is the most trustworthy. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg took the dubious prize for last place.
Once upon a time, it seemed no organization had its finger on the pulse of technology more than research consulting firm Gartner. Global corporations, tech companies, and the investment community have trusted Gartner for insights and analysis across a range of market sectors. But today, that leading position has eroded.
Latest Shopping Trends Emphasize Need for Retail Marketing Foresight
Several recently-published reports and surveys tracking changes in consumer buying habits reveal a growing competition between old versus new shopping habits. The E-Commerce Times discussed the implications of these new consumer buying trends with marketing experts. The results show that while e-commerce is overwhelmingly becoming the first choice for many consumers, many are beginning to show renewed interest in returning to their previous shopping norms.
Amazon has cleared a major regulatory hurdle in its quest to deliver Internet service to unserved and underserved areas of the earth. The FCC has approved, with some conditions, Amazon's Kuiper Project, a $10 billion low-orbit constellation made up of more than 3,000 satellites.
The coronavirus pandemic has spawned a whole new world of digital parties and get-togethers. People stuck at home are finding innovative ways to socialize, participating in everything from virtual beer tastings to online book club meetings. While the event landscape has been permanently altered by this shift, people and businesses continue to develop new ways of having fun.
The true lasting impact of the technological advances of the Second World War are seen in the ability to take commercial jets around the world, the ever-bigger cruise ships, and the massive skyscrapers seen in cities all over the globe.
New Open Source Initiative Consolidates Security Goals
The Linux Foundation has announced the formation of the Open Source Security Foundation as the latest initiative to improve software security. This cross-industry collaboration brings together industry leaders to improve the security of open-source software by building a broader community with targeted initiatives and best practices.
Digital Sales Boom Puts Spotlight on Fraud Control Systems
The move by retailers to online and mobile selling to survive the pandemic has resulted in a significant increase in digital fraud activity. The "2020 True Cost of Fraud Study: E-commerce/Retail Edition" by LexisNexis Risk Solutions found this to be partly because some fraud control systems are outdated, and partly because of increased transaction volume.
Garmin Confirms Services Upended by Ransomware Attack
Garmin has confirmed that many of its online services have been disrupted by a cyberattack on its systems that occurred on July 23, 2020. Services disrupted by the attack, which encrypted data on the systems, included website functions,...
During the pandemic, increasing numbers of people have pulled out their sewing machines and knitting needles and gotten to work. A massive resurgence in sewing and crafts has taken place, as makers around the world have been sewing masks and...
Salesforce continues to offer new products in an expanding demonstration of its platform's relevance to business and society at large. Sustainability Cloud is best understood as a carbon accounting solution that enables organizations to more...
Like with any industry, the information security industry, more commonly referred to as "cybersecurity," for all its raging debates, has rallied around a small corpus of best practices. One of the highest on this list is full-disk encryption.
Verifying Global Identities at Scale: August 25 Webinar
With so much identity data flying around online these days, fraudsters can easily impersonate your customers or create fake identities to exploit your business. Learn how Ekata helps organizations with their fraud risk assessments.
Women in Tech: 20 Trailblazers Share Their Journeys
Successful women in the tech trenches share their insights and tackle subjects ranging from how to search out a strong mentor to how to be one -- from how to advance in a large company to how to start your own firm.
This book is an excellent guide for students considering STEM courses, graduates pondering job choices, and career changers at any stage in life. It's also a useful tool for school and career counselors, recruiters, and HR pros eager to diversify their workplaces.
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It sounds like a sci-fi movie: pitting an artificial intelligence against human pilots. (In fact, it's definitely been done already.)
Sadly, DARPA will no longer hold an in-person event for its third and final AlphaDogfight Trial. It'll happen virtually, instead, with participants and viewers watching online as AI algorithms control simulated F-16 fighter planes in aerial combat. By the end of the three-day event, viewers will witness a matchup between the top AI and an experienced Air Force fighter pilot, who'll also be controlling a virtual F-16.
If you're interested, you need to register beforehand to tune in. If you're in the US, you have until August 17th to sign up, while everyone else has until August 11th. As long as the human race doesn't fall, it should be pretty cool.
— Mat
Amazon may turn JCPenney and Sears stores into warehouses
Reclaimed by one of the things that killed them?
Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Wall Street Journal sources claim Amazon is in talks with mall owner Simon Property Group to convert some of its department store spaces into fulfillment centers. The retailer is reportedly looking at either stepping into empty JCPenney and Sears stores or else buying locations still in use. At the same time, Amazon is also in discussions with multiple mall owners about putting its future low-cost grocery stores in former JCPenney spaces. Continue reading.
WarnerMedia shakes itself up to focus on HBO Max
And focuses its global ambitions.
HBO
WarnerMedia has gone through a management shakeup under new CEO Jason Kilar, and it's part of his efforts to make HBO Max the company's main priority. Kilar announced the restructuring in an email to employees. He stressed how important it was to act with urgency due to the "economic pressures and acceleration of direct-to-consumer streaming adoption" caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In short, people's behaviors are changing, and now is the time for change.
The new structure consolidates all of WarnerMedia's production operations — Warner Bros., HBO, HBO Max, TNT, TBS and TruTV — under (thankfully) a single studios and networks group led by Warner Bros. Continue reading.
Sharp owns what's left of Toshiba's computer lineup.
Engadget
Toshiba has quietly sold its remaining 19.9 percent stake in its Dynabook laptop brand to Sharp, officially exiting the laptop business and the PC business at large. The company hadn't been a major name in PCs for a while (it sold the majority of the business to Sharp in 2018), but this is still notable — the end to a 35-year run. Toshiba was a pioneer in the early days of portable computers but struggled in the modern era of ultraportables and slick designs. Continue reading.
'Xbox Series S' console revealed by controller packaging
This could be "Lockhart," a cheaper version of the Xbox Series X.
Rumors of a second next-gen, cheaper — possibly disc-less — Microsoft console code-named "Lockhart" have been around for a while. Now it looks like that device will be called the Xbox Series S, according to a controller packaging leak and report from Ars Technica. A source named Zak S managed to purchase one of the next-gen controllers, and the packaging indicates it's designed for the "Xbox Series X|S."
It will join the Xbox Series X, announced on December 12th, but it still doesn't have a price or exact release date — just like its PlayStation rival, which also comes in a disc-less option. Continue reading.
As usual, this Saturday email includes highlights from Friday and the rest of the week, but one of my favorites came in late last night. To celebrate its socially-distanced QuakeCon event this weekend -- and encourage donations to several charities -- Bethesda is making the original Quake free.
Bethesda
It's usually only a few bucks anyway, but if you're like me then it's a nice opportunity to roam the halls of The Netherworld while giving the Fall Guys servers a much-needed break. It's just like 1996, except with better 3D acceleration and a better excuse to spend the summer indoors.
-- Richard
The Engadget Podcast
Diving into everything Samsung (and the Pixel 4a).
Engadget
Cherlynn and Devindra chat about the Galaxy Note (and Ultra!), the Z Fold 2, Tab S7 and S7+, Watch 3 and Buds Live. Whew. And they still find time to go into Cherlynn's glowing Pixel 4a review, plus the Microsoft/Tiktok deal and Trump's latest attempt to block Chinese companies.
The best deals we found this week: Nest WiFi, Sony wireless earbuds and more
Plus Echo Dot bundles for as low as $21.
Engadget
A two-pack of Google's Nest WiFi system remains on sale for $199 at a bunch of retailers, and two Sony wireless earbuds that we reviewed and rated highly dropped to their lowest prices ever. You can also snag a handy 15-port Thunderbolt 3 docking station for $40 off, and save hundreds on a few TCL 8-series Roku smart TVs.
Here are all the best deals from the week that you can still snag today, and follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for more updates. Continue reading.
Reels is a worthy TikTok rival lost in Instagram bloat
The copy-paste strategy worked well for Stories, but not IGTV.
Instagram
So what is it like to use Facebook's latest clone? Nicole Lee gave Reels a try and found that the biggest problem is just finding it inside Instagram's increasingly-crowded app. Continue reading.
Our readers get real about their issues with the AirPods Pro
A product that readers liked in concept, but at times found it severely lacking in execution.
Engadget
Now that our readers have had time to try Apple's latest earbuds, they told us what they think of them -- and it wasn't always good. The user score ultimately averaged out to 70, a big drop from Billy Steele's review score of 87. If you're still on the fence about grabbing the AirPods Pro, check out some of these snippets first. Continue reading.
