Tech Brew Ride Home - Thu. 05/21 – The Galaxy S20 Tactical Edition

Episode Date: May 21, 2020

Twitter is testing another new feature to limit trolls and give users greater control of their threads, the Google and Apple contact tracing API is here, what is the Tactical Edition of a Galaxy phone and why might you need one, and some interesting raises this Thursday. Sponsors: Tovala.com/ride Metalab.co Links: Twitter is testing a feature that limits who can reply to your tweets (TechCrunch) Three US states have signed on to Apple and Google’s exposure notification system (The Verge) Apple releases final iOS 13.5 with coronavirus exposure alert support (VentureBeat) Coinbase to Make Working From Home Permanent (The Information) Samsung launches Galaxy S20 Tactical Edition for Department of Defense (ZDNet) How a 20-year-old convinced Facebook’s former security chief to invest in his data privacy start-up (CNBC) Autonomous aviation startup Xwing raises $10M to scale its software for pilotless flights (TechCrunch) How a 20-year-old convinced Facebook’s former security chief to invest in his data privacy start-up (CNBC) YouTube Link! Subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj7NVTTsi0_04LjqMfOhp5Q  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 Tech meme right home for Thursday, May 21st, 2020. I'm Brian McCullough today. Twitter is testing another new feature to limit trolls and give users greater control over their threads. The Google and Apple contact tracing API is here.

What is the tactical edition of a Galaxy phone and why might you need one? And some interesting raises this Thursday. Here's what you missed today in the world of tech. Twitter is testing a feature that would let the author of a tweet limit who can reply to it. by offering up the options of everyone can reply, only people you follow, or only people you mention can reply. If you try to reply to a thread and aren't allowed to, Twitter will let you know. Again, this is giving users more control over the very basic tweet product at a level of granularity that Twitter could have provided at any time over the last decade, and it would have been

more than welcome, but, you know, better late than never. Quoting TechCrunch. Only a limited group can use the test feature right now, though anyone with a Twitter account can view the conversations because it's in testing mode. There's no guarantee that this will become a universal feature, but Twitter says the rollout is designed to, quote, give people more opportunities to weigh in while still giving people control over the conversations they start, end quote. Director of Product Management Suzanne G. mentions the phenomenon of reply. in a post announcing the feature. One of Twitter's greatest benefits and downsides is its openness relative to platforms like Facebook.

Anyone and everyone can reply directly to a tweet, and that's not always ideal for the sender. Replies can often devolve into a sea of abusive responses, regardless of subject matter. Until now, the only way to limit them was to lock an account, end quote. Hunter Walk was apparently one of those to get early access to test this feature. and he tweeted, quote, Okay, this is a test of a new tweet feature. Only people who I follow can reply, and I want to see how it works. All you other dirty peasants stay on the other side of my velvet rope, please, end quote,

which was followed by everyone who could reply, replying, which made me have a sad because I realized that Hunter apparently doesn't follow me, but here's what Jack Dorsey also had to say on Twitter, quote. Starting to test reply controls today may enable some new, use cases like panel discussions or more focused live Q&As, or just a don't at me that actually works. We'll be watching for the negative impacts too, end quote. Apple and Google's COVID-19 exposure notification API is finally here.

You might have noticed that there were updates to iOS and Android that came in over the last 24 hours, and if you did notice that, this new API is in that, quoting the verge. First announced on April 10th, the system uses a complex BLE beacon protocol to allow users to track recent exposures to other users who have tested positive for COVID-19. The companies have pledged not to collect data from the framework or otherwise monetize it and they intend to shut the system down once the public health crisis has passed. The company's plan to eventually build the system directly into Android and iOS, but that's still months away. Today's update simply opens the door for public health apps to use the framework and the enhanced Bluetooth access that it enables. So far, there are no available apps making use of the framework, but three U.S. states have come forward to announce projects that are in development.

Alabama is developing an app in connection with a team from the University of Alabama, while the Medical University of South Carolina is heading up a similar project in collaboration with the state's health agency. The two companies say 22 countries have separately received access to the API, although they declined to name specific nations. The protocol is designed to allow signals to interoperate between apps, although details on the specific apps are still scant. Most collaborations are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Project leaders have made a number of new tweaks as a result of ongoing conversations with project heads. Based on the recent changes, the API now will allow participating apps to factor transmission risk into their definition of an exposure of

and privately communicate information about how many exposure events a given user has had, end quote. So we've discussed some of the qualms that some folks have raised about this Apple and Google approach, but TechDirt says that all things considered, this is the most privacy-respecting approach to contact tracing ever attempted before, quote, privacy advocates are dreaming up ways this system could be abused. Anti-tech campaigners are decrying tech solutionism. None of these critiques stands up to scrutiny. If completely free of privacy and security concerns is the standard, then any form of contact tracing is impossible. Traditional physical contact tracing involves public health officials interviewing infected patients and their recent contacts,

collecting that information in centralized government databases, and connecting real identities to contacts. The Google Apple exposure notification system clearly outperforms traditional approaches on private. privacy grounds. The exposure notification API developed by Google and Apple is a genuine achievement. It will enable the most privacy-respecting approach to contact tracing in history. It was developed astonishingly quickly at a time when the world is in desperate need of additional tools to address a rapidly spreading disease. The engineers at Google and Apple who developed this API deserve our applause, not armchair second-guessing from unpleasible privacy activists. Under ordinary circumstances, we may have the luxury of interminable debates as developers and engineers tweak the system

to respond to every objection. However, in a pandemic, the trade-off between speed and perfection shifts radically. In a viral video in March, Dr. Michael J. Ryan, the executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program, was asked what he's learned from previous epidemics, and he left no doubt with his answer, quote, be fast, have no regrets. You must be the first mover. The virus will always get you if you don't move quickly. If you need to be right before you move, you will never win. Perfection is the enemy of good when it comes to emergency management. Speed trumps perfection. And the problem in society we have at the moment is that everyone is afraid of making a mistake. Everyone is afraid of the consequences of error. But the greatest error is not to move.

The greatest error is to be paralyzed by the fear of failure, end quote. We must move forward. We should not be paralyzed by the fear that someone, somewhere someone might lose some iota of privacy, end quote. P.S. along with that contact tracing API, it's worth noting that iOS 13.5 also comes with improved face ID recognition for users wearing face masks, quoting Venture Beat. Two smaller iOS 13.5 updates are shared with iPadOS 13.5, also releasing today. One enables the biometric authentication system face ID to recognize a face mask and quick allow passcode entry as an alternative. The other enables users of the group FaceTime video

calling service to disable automatic prominence of the video title for the current speaker, enabling work-from-home calls with less distracting animation when different people speak. iPadOS notably emits the exposure notification system found in iOS. Another tweak to iOS 13.5 adds support for new pride faces and rainbow effects included in watchOS 6.2.2. for Apple watches. New 2020 versions of the Pride analog and Pride digital faces have been added to match just-released rainbow-colored sport and Nike Plus watch bands, each with six slightly muted colors and a number of other watch faces such as California, numerals duo and numerals mono, which have been given rainbow gradient color options with the same new tones. Apple has also publicly

released TVOS 13.4.5 for Apple TVs with bug fixes rather than new marquee features. and MacOS 10.15.5 for Mac computers is expected to follow shortly, end quote. Staying on the coronavirus tip for just one minute longer, Coinbase says that whenever this whole COVID-19 mess settles down, it is going to become a remote first company, basically offering the option indefinitely to work either in an office or remotely, depending on the role you're in and your choice. This comes after reports. that Facebook says it'll be limiting its offices to 25% occupancy and work people under a shift system as well as requiring temperature checks and masks when Facebook reopens its workplaces in July.

So, again, lots of moving parts, lots of news about the possible changing workplace in a post-coronavirus world might remote work really be the new normal going forward? I, of course, remain skeptical. But first on that coronavirus news, quoting the information, CEO Brian Armstrong said in a blog post that the transition to working from home as the pandemic took hold was, quote, less complicated than expected. While any employee who wants to work from an office after the pandemic subsides will be able to do so, Armstrong said the shift toward remote work would broaden the company's access to talent and give Coinbase an edge in recruiting. Coinbase is following similar decisions by Twitter and square to adopt a permanent work-from-home plan. While they are still in the minority among

big tech businesses, the changes could have big implications for real estate markets in places like downtown San Francisco. Meanwhile, the pressure on other companies to bring more flexibility into their workplace arrangements is only likely to grow, end quote. By the way, I am in no way suggesting that there won't be a trend, even a fad to offer more flexible and remote work options. I'm just saying that I remain really, really skeptical that all of this will lead to longer lasting changes to work environments. Because in short, I think most people in tech will still be reporting the offices, let's say, in five years' time. And actually, I think most people will still want to, honestly. I've often wondered why there haven't been more things exactly like this.

Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy S20 Tactical Edition with customer features for things like terrain navigation, data encryption, all sorts of bells and whistles that would be more useful for specific Shaw, we call them rugged use cases like law enforcement first responders and people working in industrial settings. Quoting ZDNet. Teherba Bandi, head of Samsung's mobile B2B division said the company worked with the Department of Defense to design the device which aims to satisfy the military as well as IT teams. In addition to many of the features in Samsung's Premium S20 line, the Galaxy S20 Tactical Edition includes connectivity to tactical radios and mission systems out of the box with multi-ethernet support for private sim 5G, Wi-Fi 6, and CBRS.

A night vision mode, allowing the operator to turn the display on or off when wearing night vision eyewear as well as a stealth mode that allows them to disable LTE and mute all RF broadcasting for complete off-grid communications. The ability to unlock the device in landscape mode when the device is mounted to the operator's chest, a 64-bit octacore processor to support multiple applications, DECS software and Knox security, and compliance with various regulations such as NSA's commercial solutions for classified components list and mobile device fundamental protection profile, as laid out by the National Information Assurance Partnership, end quote.

Finally today, let's do an interesting raise Thursday, shall we? San Francisco-based X-Wing is developing software to enable pilotless flight of smaller passenger aircraft, by which you should understand I'm talking about small drones that you can actually ride in. X-Wing has raised a $10 million series A round, quoting TechCrunch. X-Wing is different from some of the other autonomous aviation startups that have propped up in recent years. The startup isn't building autonomous helicopters and planes.

Instead, it's focused on the software stack that will enable pilotless flight of smaller passenger aircraft. X-Wing is also aircraft agnostic. The company's engineers are focused on the key functions of autonomous flight, such as sensing, reasoning, and control. The software stack, which is designed to work across different kinds of aircraft, is integrated into existing aerospace systems. That strategy of retrofitting existing aircraft will speed up deployment while maintaining safety and keeping costs in check, according to founder and CEO Mark Pieté. It also is a straighter path towards regulatory

approval. Quote, it's more effective for us not to constrain ourselves to a given vehicle and to develop technology that is considered more of an enabler from a marketing perspective than going full stack, Piette said, when asked if X-Wing would ever try to build an autonomous aircraft from the ground up. Since X-Wing's last funding round, $4 million in the summer of 2018, the company has been developing its tech and working with the FAA to receive flight certification for pilotless aircraft. Once approved, the company will seek to commercialize pilotless flights, end quote. Also, Ever Vault is a startup developing an API to help ensure privacy is baked into apps from the very start. And it has raised a $16 million round led by Index Ventures with participation from former Facebook security chief Alex Stamos, quoting CNBC.

At 19 years of age, Irish entrepreneur Shane Kuran grabbed the attention of some of the world's top venture. capital firms. He managed to raise over $3 million in seed funding last year from the likes of Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins household names in Silicon Valley. Less than a year later, Karan has already gotten more investors on board, and even one name in particular sticks out. Evervault, his data privacy startup now counts Facebook's former chief security officer Alex Stamos as a backer. Stamos participated in a $16 million investment round announced by the company on Thursday. Evervault is still in the development phase, Karan said, and it's soft. software isn't yet publicly available. It's developing what is known as an application programming

interface or API, a system that will be integrated into companies' apps to ensure privacy is baked in from the start. Quote, it's this idea of a privacy cage, where basically we let you process your most sensitive data in an encrypted way so that individuals never sacrifice your privacy, but companies still get full utility over your data, Evervolt's CEO said. The aim will be for Evervault to initially sell its technology to companies in the financial services and healthcare sectors because they handle what Quran calls scary data, personally identifiable information where if it were to go missing, it would be a major issue, end quote. Longer term, Karan wants everyone to use Evervault's technology, quote, if you look at the

magnitude of the problem, there's four and a half billion people on the internet now, and the reality is very few of them, if any, have full privacy. So that's a pretty large market opportunity regardless of the companies we integrate with, end quote. Can I ask you all for another favor? In the show notes, there's a link to a YouTube channel for this podcast. We've actually had a YouTube channel for this show for a long time. We've just never actually done anything with it. Here's the thing. We want to start doing something with it. And before we can, before we can get things like our own vanity URL so we can have a channel under our own name and other bells and whistles like that.

We need to get more subscribers to the channel than the 45 or so that we have now. So could all of you hit the link at the very bottom of the show notes and subscribe to the YouTube channel? It's the exact same content as what you get here, at least for now. But hey, if you want to consume this podcast on YouTube, you know, knock yourself out. But even if you don't intend to listen on YouTube, please hit the subscribe button on YouTube anyway. we can get our numbers up to start doing the fun things with YouTube that we have planned this summer. Thanks in advance to anyone who helps us out. Hopefully in a couple of days, we'll have

something like YouTube.com slash ride home or whatever. Talk to you tomorrow.