Tech Brew Ride Home - Tues. 04/13 - New Surface Laptop 4

Episode Date: April 13, 2021

Everyone announced something today. A new Surface Laptop 4. New Nvidia things. New Roku things. Something new from Spotify literally called Car Thing. Oculus is going to hold a product event. Siri leaked the next Apple event. And Grab is going public via a SPAC. Sponsors: LinkedIn.com/ride Fundrise.com/techmeme Links: Microsoft announces Surface Laptop 4 with choice of Intel or AMD processors (The Verge) Siri Reveals Apple Event Planned for Tuesday, April 20 (Mac Rumors) Facebook Announces Oculus Gaming Showcase For April 21 (Upload) Nvidia unveils rental model for DGX Station A100 mini supercomputers (Venture Beat) Roku’s latest streaming device gives 4K, HDR, and a voice remote for $40 (Ars Technica) Spotify’s Car Thing debuts as a limited release for selected US users (The Verge) 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 TechMeme Ride Home for Tuesday, April 13th, 2021. I'm Brian McCullough today. Everyone announced something today, a new Surface laptop for, new invidia things, new Roku things, something new from Spotify literally called Car Thing. Oculus is going to hold a product event. Siri leaked the next Apple event, and Grab is going public via a spec. Here's what you miss today in the world of tech. Today was a lot. Things just kept coming and coming. So let's start with Microsoft unveiling

a new Surface laptop 4 with 3.5 inch and 15 inch displays. But here's the interesting bit. You can also choose either a model with an AMD chip inside or one with an Intel chip inside. And the AMD one is significantly cheaper, quoting the verge. Microsoft is shipping its Surface laptop four on April 15th in the U.S., Canada, and Japan starting at $999 for the AMD model, and $1,299 for the Intel version, a $300 price gap between the pair. The difference in pricing likely comes down to the fact that Microsoft isn't using AMD's latest 5,000 series CPUs here. Instead, Microsoft is using AMD's Zen2-based chips for its AMD Risen Surface Edition processors. Despite this, performance between the

Intel and AMD versions could be rather similar, but we'll have to wait for full reviews to judge how Microsoft choices have landed. These processor improvements allow Microsoft to promise up to 70% more performance over the Surface Laptop 3, and some, on paper at least, battery life gains. Microsoft is promising up to 19 hours of battery life on the 13.5 inch AMD model, and up to 17 and a half hours on the 15-inch version. The Intel powered 13 and a half inch Surface laptop four is rated up to 17 hours of battery life while the larger 15-inch model hits 16 and a half hours. Both of the Intel versions will also ship with Intel's latest Iris G graphics, which means games like Overwatch will be playable at 1080P Ultra. The Surface laptop four also maintains the same design

of the Surface laptop three that shipped in 2019. You'll be able to pick between, the classic platinum surface style and a new ice blue color on the 13 and a half inch models, both of which are Alcantara fabric. Matt Black and Sandstone are also available in metal options for the 13.5 inch models, while the 15-inch versions are strictly platinum and matte black in metal and no Alcantara fabric. Microsoft hasn't really updated the rest of the Surface laptop for, though. There's a single USBC port, one USBA port, a header, a header, phone jack and Microsoft Surface Connect port for charging. There's still no Thunderbolt support,

and the M2 NVM-E-S-S-D is still removable from a slot at the rear of the device, end quote. Meanwhile, Microsoft also tossed a whole bunch of other stuff up for grabs, including a $70 webcam and a $100 USBC speaker available in June, a new USB and wireless headset, and a new USB and wireless headset, and Surface headphones 2 plus. Quoting the Verge once more. Rumors of a new Microsoft webcam have been circulating for years, and the result is what Microsoft calls

the modern webcam. It's a fairly basic and affordable 1080p webcam that will start shipping for $69.99 in June. The Microsoft Modern webcam will support up to 1080p HDR output at 30 frames per second and connects via USBA,

not USBC. It's not the 4K webcam found on Microsoft's Surface Hub 2, and it doesn't include Windows Hello support either. It's really a simple webcam designed for students or workers to quickly add a better video calling option to an existing laptop or PC. Microsoft is also including a privacy shutter and LED indicator to let people easily see when the webcam is active, end quote. We now know that Apple will be holding an event next week, a week from today, Tuesday, April 20th, because Siri told us so. Basically, Siri leaked it, quoting Mac Rumors.

Upon being asked, when is the next Apple event? Siri is currently responding with, The special event is on Tuesday, April 20th at Apple Park in Cooper Tino, California. You can get all the details on Apple.com. The event will likely be a pre-recorded affair without media in attendance and should be live streamed on Apple's website and YouTube channel. Siri is not providing the information in all instances and will in some cases simply refer you to Apple's website for information on events,

but multiple Mac rumors editors and readers have seen the premature information across Apple devices including iPhone, iPad, Mac, and HomePod, end quote. So I guess we should expect the invites from Apple to hit our inboxes any minute now. What can we expect from the event? Probably those new iPad Pro models we've been talking about and maybe those air tags trackers. But as I said last week, who knows at this point? I feel like it's 50-50. next week is going to be busy because for the first time ever,

Facebook is going to hold an event that they're calling the Oculus Gaming Showcase, a virtual event focused exclusively on VR games. It's going to be the day after the Apple event, Wednesday of next week, and we'll all be able to watch it streamed on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch, quoting Upload VR. The event will stream at 3 p.m. Pacific time on April 21st. Facebook teased reveals from cloud. Houdhead Games, Ready at Dawn, and ILMXLab, with news related to Pistolwhip, Lone Echo 2,

and Star Wars Tales from the Galaxy's Edge. Facebook noted in a blog post it will feature, quote, never-before-seen footage from some unreleased games and a few surprises in store, end quote. Facebook has been building a lot of momentum for its Oculus Quest 2 standalone system, with Facebook executives calling it the first mainstream VR headset. One in four headsets in use on Valve's Steam platform is an Oculus Quest 2, while an untold number are in active use in standalone mode. Meanwhile, dozens of developers have crossed into earning millions in revenue solely from the Quest platform, and Facebook recently opened up the App Lab

distribution platform so people can distribute content to Quest owners without full store approval and without the need to use a PC for side-loaning. RiftS, meanwhile, is essentially at the end of its life as Facebook has stopped restocking the device of the announced games. We'll be curious to see what Facebook has to share about Lone Echo 2. That's the sequel to the excellent 2017 game that we've been waiting to hit Facebook's PC VR headset for some time now, end quote. And NVIDIA held an event today where it announced a bunch of things. The event was something they called the GPU Technology Conference. Among the interesting things, they unveiled Grace, a high-performance arm-based server CPU for large-scale neural network workloads,

expected to become available in Nvidia products in 2023, eight new RTX GPUs for laptops, desktops, and data center workstations with over two-times performance improvements touted for many workflows. Also, Omniverse Enterprise Suite for real-time remote, collaborative, photorealistic graphics design in a shared virtual space. and tau, an enterprise workflow for AI development incorporating Nvidia, TensorFlowRT, and Nvidia's Transfer Learning Toolkit now available in early access. But the most interesting thing, at least to me, was get this, what if I told you you could

rent your own supercomputer? Well, basically, this is what Nvidia is offering, rental of its DGXA100 SuperPod Mini via a subscription model, quoting Venture Beat. use the supercomputer for a short period of time when you need it and then return it after you're done, said Manavir Das, head of enterprise computing at Nvidia in a press briefing. The DGX station is a multi-tenant supercomputer that can be shared by as many as 28 data scientists. Also announced that GTC is a new Nvidia DGX SuperPod that will be available with NVIDIA's Bluefield 2 DPUs enabling a cloud-native supercomputer. A DGX superpod consists. A DGX superpod consists of of a bunch of individual DGX station computers.

You can think of us progressing in two directions. One, with constant innovation to raise the bar, but the other is to really democratize AI to put it in the hands of as many companies and scientists as we possibly can, DAS said. We are also announcing for the first time a rental model. Instead of procuring a DGX station, customers will be able to rent a station directly from NVIDIA

at a low monthly price point, and they can use it for as long as they choose, then return it to Invidia. So that's an important direction that we are taking with the station, end quote. This opens the world of AI to more enterprise customers as they investigate areas such as AI, drug discovery, autonomous vehicles, and more. Those DPUs can offload, accelerate, and isolate users' data, providing customers with secure connections to their AI infrastructure. NVIDIA DGX SuperPod will be available with NVIDIA's Bluefield 2 DPUs enabling a cloud-native supercomputer. It's a full bare metal supercomputer that's also shareable. In a keynote speech at GTC21,

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, said the company will focus on three kinds of chips, DPUs, central processing units like grace, and graphics processing units. It will alternate between arm-based and X-86-based products, he said, quote, we have to make AI easier to use, end quote. And I don't know if this was a full-fledged event or just an announce. But Roku unveiled a whole bunch of things. First up, their new OS. Roku OS10 is rolling out, adding Airplay 2 and HomeKit support for HD devices. They also revealed something called Instant Resume for faster reload times, but they also rolled out a trio of new devices. The $40 Express 4K Plus streaming device, a $30 rechargeable voice remote pro, and a $180 stream bar pro. Quoting Ars Technica. Starting with the new streamer, the Roku Express 4K will cost

$40 and replace the current Roku Premier Player when it starts shipping in mid-May. It has the similarly small and slightly curved design of the existing Roku Express, but now it can output 4K HDR video instead of basic 1080P. It won't support Dolby Vision HDR, that along with Dolby Atmos audio will remain limited to the high-end Roku Ultra, but it is a little bit. It will support HDR10 and HDR10 Plus. Beyond that, the company is rolling out the Roku Voice Remote Pro, a $30 remote control upgrade for existing Roku video players, TVs, and audio devices. It has the same general design language as most Roku voice remotes with similar TV control capabilities,

as well as the two programable shortcut buttons and built-in headphone jack found on the most recent Roku Ultras remote. The voice remote pro, however, comes with a rechargeable battery. instead of relying on separate AA or AAA units. Roku says it'll last about two months per charge. It recharges over a micro USB port instead of the faster and increasingly ubiquitous USBC, however, which might be a disappointment. And the company is repackaging its existing Roku smart soundbar, which doubles as a 4K HDR video streamer as the Roku streambar pro. Roku says it will have the same hardware and $180 price point as before, but its voice-refer, remote will now include the personal shortcut buttons and built-in headphone jack found on the

Roku Ultras clicker. It'll begin shipping in mid-May. Existing smart soundbar users will still be able to utilize the virtual surround software update, though owners of the smaller and more affordable Roku Streambar will not, end quote. And hey, why not? Everybody else was announcing something today, so Spotify matched my mood by announcing a thing for your car that they are literally calling Car Thing. It's a Spotify-only voice-controlled gadget, and it's free for select US users. That's right, they're giving away hardware, quoting the Verge. Car Thing is only being released as a limited product launch so you can't buy one outright. Instead, you can sign up for the waitlist and hope Spotify reaches out. It's only available for US customers, and you have to subscribe to Spotify

premium to qualify. Another thing to know, if you're choosing to try car thing, the device is free, but you have to pay for shipping. Spotify declined to comment on how many units it'd be giving away. The company is also billing the gadget as an exploration, so it's unclear how serious the team is about the product and its future. The device is shockingly small and lightweight. It has a thin profile and features two prominent buttons on the front, a small one that serves as a back button, and a larger knob that lets you interact with whatever's on screen. There's no speaker, so it's easiest to think of the device as essentially a Spotify remote. Yes, you could use your actual phone to play Spotify content,

but instead, Spotify is betting that you'll want voice controls and a dedicated interface to control your audio. I tested Car Thing for a couple days and found the voice controls to be easy to use and relatively intuitive. I drive a 2009 Honda Fit and already keep my phone mounted to the dash, for navigation, so I ended up mounting the car thing on my vent. This meant I had two bright screens facing me throughout my drive. I do have a screen built into my car, which you'll see in photos, but I don't use it for anything because I prefer Google Maps. The voice controls mostly worked, for some reason and only got tripped up by a Kid Cuddy request, but I grew frustrated with the

steps it took to control music. When a song that I didn't like played, it took longer to say, hey, Spotify skip, then it would have to just tap the skip button on my phone. I generally felt like I could more effectively navigate Spotify just by using my phone at stoplights. The device does shine, however, when you ask the voice assistant to start a playlist, and it registered those commands easily. As for the hardware itself, Carthing pairs with a phone over Bluetooth. It needs this phone for a data connection, so yes, users will require a decent amount of data to stream. In a press briefing, Spotify noted that right now there's no way,

for users to pool only from their downloaded content, although that functionality could come in the future. Depending on a car's connectivity, users can either rely on an auxiliary cable for sound or keep their phone paired to their car's Bluetooth to play audio content over the speakers. The car thing doesn't have a speaker itself, and it's basically controlling the Spotify app on your phone. It's a strange setup. The device comes with a 12-volt adapter into which you'll plug the provided USBA to USBC cable. Carthing does not include a rechargeable battery, but a rechargeable battery and needs to be plugged in at all times. The device also ships with three different mounts, a vent mount, a dashboard mount, and a CD player mount. You can clip a magnetic attachment to

these mounts, which then lets you take the car thing off easily. Also worth noting is that the dash mount doesn't come with a suction cup and instead requires that you stick it to your dash with 3M adhesive backing, end quote. So much got announced today that I really didn't have room to tell you about any non-product and non-event-related things. Like, for example, Grab is going public on the NASDAQ via a SPAC, raising more than $4 billion at around a $39.6 billion valuation, a deal which makes it the first Southeast Asian tech unicorn to go public via SPAC. And researchers have found new vulnerabilities called NameREC in the TCIP IP stack that impacts hundreds of millions of servers, smart devices, and industrial equipment.

And despite the fact that researchers reported the issues to their respective developers, only three of the four vulnerable stacks have released patches thus far. Super. Talk to you tomorrow.