Tech Brew Ride Home - Thu. 01/04 – A New Keyboard Button Just For AI

Episode Date: January 4, 2024

Your Windows keyboard is getting its first new key in 30 years. Elon might offer you a cellular plan someday. Is 23andMe blaming the victims of that big data breach? Roku is going high end. XPS laptops are getting bigger. And yes, 2023 was a bad year for all sides of the Venture Capital game. Sponsors: Kolide.com/ride Links: Microsoft’s new Copilot key is the first big change to Windows keyboards in 30 years (The Verge) SpaceX Launches First Cell Service Satellites With T-Mobile (Bloomberg) LastPass now requires 12-character master passwords for better security (BleepingComputer) 23andMe tells victims it’s their fault that their data was breached (TechCrunch) Roku Launches First High-End TVs in Search of Revenue Growth (Bloomberg) Dell’s XPS laptop lineup is about to look very different (The Verge) Silicon Valley Startups Had Their Worst Funding Year Since 2019 (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On April 4th, 2023, around 2 in the morning, a man was found stabbed multiple times on a sidewalk in downtown San Francisco. Hey, who did this to you? What happened next turned the story into a political firestorm. Reports have identified the victim as Bob Lee, the founder of Cash App. From Bloomberg Podcasts, this is Foundering, the Killing of Bob Lee, beginning April 16. Welcome to the TechMame Right Home for Thursday, January 4th, 2024. I'm Brian McCullough today. Your Windows keyboard is getting its first new key in 30 years. Elon might offer you a cellular plan someday. Is 23 and me blaming the victims of that big data breach?

Roku is going high-end, XPS laptops are getting bigger, and yes, 2020 was a bad year for all sides of the venture capital game. Here's what you miss today in the world of tech. For the first time in 30 years, the keyboard you use every day is about to get a new key. And would you believe that AI is the reason? Microsoft is going all in on AI with its new co-pilot branding. Supposedly, the next version of Windows coming out this year will be chock full of AI bells and whistles. More on that again in a second. To complement that, though, there will now be a new co-pilot key shipping on new PCs and laptops this year. It will sit next to the right-hand alt key. It will replace the menu key. When you press it, it will launch the Windows co-pilot that gives you a chat GPT-like chatbot, quoting Tom Warren in The Verge.

Nearly 30 years ago, we introduced the Windows key to the PC keyboard that enabled people all over the world to interact with Windows, says Yusuf Medi, Executive Vice President and Consumer Chief Marketing Officer at Microsoft. We see this as another transformative moment in our journey with Windows where copilot will be the entry point into the world of AI on the PC, end quote. This new copilot key will replace the menu key, the application key that was introduced alongside the Windows key decades ago. It will be placed next to the right-hand alt-key on most keyboards with the placement varying by OEM and across different markets, end quote. Indeed, Microsoft is not

revealing which manufacturers will incorporate the copilot key. Saving those details for next week at CES, I guess. Medi says that new Windows 11 PCs from partner companies featuring the copilot key will start rolling out later this month and continuing into the spring, including on future surface devices. There were whispers of Microsoft introducing new Surface Pro 10 and Surface laptop 6 models this spring with a dedicated copilot key, so there you go. Confirmed. Microsoft continues to integrate copilot into everything it does, and it continues to be obvious that Microsoft wants AI to be a key part of Windows.

As we said, a significant update to Windows is in the works with a focus on novel AI functionalities. Just a few weeks ago, Microsoft rebranded its Edge browser as the AI browser. Medi further said, quote, In this new year, we will be ushering in a significant shift toward a more personal and intelligent computing future, where AI will be seamlessly woven into Windows from the system to the silicon to the hardware. This will not only simplify people's computing experience, but also amplify it, making 2024 the year of the AIPC, end quote.

Did you know that SpaceX is getting into the mobile phone services game? Elon may one day be hawking a cell plan to you, but for right now, only in a specific way. SpaceX has launched its first six Starlink satellites capable of offering mobile phone service, as part of its direct-to-cell service tie-up with T-Mobile USA. Quoting Bloomberg. Operating like a cell tower in space, the Starlink satellites will work with users' existing phones rather than using specialized equipment

to enable text messaging in areas where traditional cell signals are weak or non-existent. SpaceX will later be able to offer voice and data, said Kate Tice, Senior Quality Systems Engineer Manager, manager on a webcast for the launch Tuesday. The service quote will allow for mobile phone connectivity anywhere on Earth, founder Elon Musk said in a post on the social media site X, though he added that technical limitations mean, quote, it is not meaningfully competitive with existing terrestrial cellular networks, end quote. SpaceX, in its quest to expand globally, has partnered with various international carriers. These include Singapore Telecommunications Optus in Australia, Salt Mobile in Switzerland, Rogers Communications in Canada, one New Zealand group in New Zealand, Impressa Nacional de Telecommunications, SA operating in

Chile and Peru and Japan's KDDI Corp. These tie-ups aim to bring satellite communication services to a wider audience. T-Mobile here in the U.S. has announced that the initial phase of this service will predominantly focus on text messaging with plans to incorporate voice and data capabilities sometime in the future. Despite the initial data connection speed being relatively modest at around 2 to 4 megabits per second, as initially stated by SpaceX, later updated to 7 per cell zone, the service is poised to be a significant competitor to Apple's emergency satellite connectivity, which relies on a partnership with Global Star. Apple's service, which has already proven life-saving in a lot of cases, they like to tend to share all the time, operates on a unique

communication protocol and requires specific hardware integration in iPhones. Compared to that, SpaceX aims to utilize standard 5G signals for its services. Elon, during the announcement of this partnership in August of 2022, projected that the earliest activation of this connectivity would be towards the end of 2023. So, kind of right on time. Last Pass users listen up. LastPass now requires users to set a complex master password with a minimum of 12 characters. Until now, users have been able to set a weaker password, or at least master password

since 2018, I believe, quoting bleeping computer. Historically, while a 12-character master password has been LastPass's default setting since 2018, customers still had the ability to forego the recommended default settings and choose to create a master password with fewer characters if they wish to do so. LastPass said in a new announcement today, LastPass has begun enforcing a 12-character master password requirement since April 23 for new accounts or password resets, but older accounts could still use passwords with fewer than 12 characters. Starting this month, LastPass is now enforcing the 12-character master password requirements for all accounts. Furthermore, LastPass added that it will also start checking new

or updated master passwords against a database of credentials previously leaked on the dark web to that they don't match already compromised accounts, end quote. Back in May, LastPass also started forcing multifactor authentication on its users, which led to a lot of issues where users couldn't log in or worse, got locked out of their accounts. This was because of those two big security breaches. LastPass had to disclose in late 2022. That led to LastPass databases floating around the dark web, which led to a ton of breaches and crypto theft when people used those stolen credentials. you can see why Last Pass is so eager for people to set new passwords. Speaking of breaches, in a letter to a group of victims of its October 2020 breach,

23 and me is basically blaming them, saying that, quote, users negligently recycled and failed to update their passwords. The information that was potentially accessed cannot be used for any harm, as explained in the October 6, 2023 blog post, the profile information that may have been access related to the DNA relatives feature, which a customer creates and chooses to share with other users on 23 and Me's platform. Such information would only be available if plaintiffs affirmatively elected to share this information with other users via the DNA Relatives feature. Additionally, the information that the

unauthorized actor potentially obtained about plaintiffs could not have been used to cause pecuniary harm, it did not include their social security number, driver's license number, or any payment or financial information, the letter to the user's read, quoting TechCrunch. Rather than acknowledge its role in this data security disaster, 23Mee has apparently decided to leave its customers out to dry while downplaying the seriousness of these events. Hassan Zavari, one of the lawyers representing the victims who received the letter from 23&Me told TechCrunch in an email. In December 23Mee admitted that hackers had stolen the genetic and ancestry data of 6.9 million users, nearly half of all its customers. Zavari said that 23M is shamelessly blaming the victims of the data breach. quote, this finger pointing is nonsensical.

23 and Me knew or should have known that many consumers use recycled passwords, and thus that 23&Me should have implemented some of the many safeguards available to protect against credential stuffing, especially considering that 23ME stores personal identifying information, health information, and genetic information on its platform, Zvari said in an email, the breach impacted millions of consumers whose data was exposed through the DNA-relatives feature on 23M's platform,

not because they used recycled passwords. Of those millions, only a few thousand, accounts were compromised due to credential stuffing. 23 and Me's attempt to shirk responsibility by blaming its customers does nothing for these millions of consumers whose data was compromised through no fault of their own whatsoever, said Zavari, end quote. Can you hear those footsteps? CES is creeping up on us next week.

It's going to be wall-to-wall gadget announces. Roku has already been known as a cheap manufacturer of pretty decent for their price TVs, but expect to see something more at CES next week as Roku plans. to launch its first high-end TVs this spring, including the 55-inch, 65-inch, and 75-inch Pro-Series for up to $1,500, according Bloomberg. Pro-Series TVs will cost consumers as much as $1,500. The new televisions put Roku in competition with Samsung and LG, which offers several models at that price range. It's a step up from the company's current TVs, the Select and Plus, which top out at $999. The new TVs include a thinner design.

with a flatback for mounting on walls, improved picture quality, and better audio for cinematic sound. The company said in a statement, Roku also said it would expand retail availability of its less expensive TVs, which are already sold at some stores such as Best Buy, and introduce a new AI-based system to automatically adjust picture quality, end quote. The launch of this new high-end range marks a pivotal moment for Roku. Higher prices mean higher revenue, of course. In the last year, the company's stock value has doubled. The resurgence in Roku's hardware division was flagged by analysts who estimated 16% increase in equipment sales in 2023, thus a rebound from a decline following the peak of selling $510 million worth of hardware back in 2020.

Still, over 80% of Roku's yearly revenue is derived from its streaming platform services. And Dell has announced the $1,29-and-up XPS13, a $6,000. $1,190 and up XPS 14, replacing the old XPS 13 plus, and an $1,890.8190. Exp.O. 4x6 and 9, and up to 4 terabytes of storage. Is this in response to Apple's new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro sizes, which came out a few years ago, XPS laptops had remained in the traditional 13- and 15-inch varieties until now, quoting the verge? Dell representatives, demurred when I asked them if this new size of XPS laptops is meant as a counter to Apple's own, but it would make sense. Dell's XPS laptops are a primary competitor to Apple's MacBook Pro,

and the two lines of laptops have repeatedly aped one another's design, barring little flourishes when it makes sense. There's a reason the Dell XPS looked like a MacBook Pro for years, and also why Apple finally shrunk its enormous laptop bezels. Instead, I was pointed to another benefit of the new and slightly larger laptop's additional internal space. In some cases, that means bigger batteries as the 14-inch XPS packs in a 69.5 watt-hour battery versus the 55-watt-hour battery in the XPS 13 and last year's XPS Plus. That should help with how long it will last on a charge, one of our biggest issues with the XPS Plus. More space in these laptops also means more space for fans and discrete graphics, which is why the XPS 14 will have an Nvidia-G-Force R-TX-40-50 option.

It will also include up to 64 gigabytes of RAM, up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU, and a 4-terabyte SSD. Those who go with discrete graphics will also see a spec bunk for the power adapter, going from the standard 60-watt charger to 100 watts. While the XPS 14 is the one I'm most eager to get my hands on, I suspect more people will want to talk about the XPS 16, which replaces both the XPS-15 and the XPS 17. The idea, as I understand it, is for this device to give you enough of the screen real estate of the 17 that you don't miss it, but with the benefits of less bulk, end quote. Although on the bulk side, these devices are slightly bulkier and heavier than their predecessors. For example, the old XPS Plus had a maximum weight of 2.77 pounds when equipped with an optional OLED screen.

With the same OLED option, the XPS 14's weight will reach 3.8 pounds. In contrast, the latest XPS. 13 remains unaffected by this size increase, maintaining its appeal as the go-to-XPS for those seeking a reliable high-end business laptop. This model does not include separate graphics hardware, though. Instead, it relies on Intel's new meteor-lake processors, featuring a specialized neural processing unit for enhanced AI workflow management. But also, what did we say at the beginning of the show, this baby has that new dedicated co-pilot key for triggering copilot in Windows 11. Finally today, another one of those year-end numbers wrap-ups to confirm what we sort of knew about 2003.

VC investment in the U.S. fell 30% year-over-year last year to the lowest level since 2019, and it fell globally 35% to the lowest level since 2017. Quoting Bloomberg, over the last 12 months, investors poured money into artificial intelligent startups, but the rest of the industry founded, according to early data released by research firm Pitchbook on Thursday, venture capitalists invested $17.6 billion in the U.S. in 2023 over an estimated roughly 15,000 deals. The VC industry also declined globally last year. Around the world. Investors put $345.7 billion into startups. Everything is trying to find a balance, said Kyle Stanford Venture Capital Analyst at Pitchbook. Stanford said that the industry

is still coming off recent years' highs. Though VC dollars are typically only spent on companies that have a strong chance of becoming very large. There are currently about 54,000 venture-backed companies in the U.S., he said, a number he called, quote, too many, end quote. But if that was bad news for startups, it was also a bad year for the VCs themselves. In the United States, venture firms raised almost two-thirds less capital to deploy compared to the previous year, 2022 and nearly half as much on a global scale. American venture funds accumulated $66.9 billion in 2023, while worldwide the total reached $160.9 billion. The downturn in the fourth quarter was less severe than the annual trend reflecting issues that began in late 2022 and carried over into

this year. In the fourth quarter venture deals in the U.S. amounted to $37.5 billion, a slight decrease from the $39.8 billion recorded in the previous year. Worldwide, the quarter saw $76.6 billion in venture deals down from $94 billion the year before. Latin America is a notable bright spot, despite deal values in the region dropping to $4 billion over a 50% decrease from the previous year. VC firms specializing in that region saw their fundraising increase by more than 40% reaching $2 billion. Nothing for you today. Talk to you tomorrow.