Tech Brew Ride Home - Wed. 09/09 – Clarifications And Follow-Ups

Starting point is 00:00:00 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 Wednesday, September 9th, 2020. I'm Brian McCullough today. Clarifying the news on the new Xbox consoles as well as next week's Apple event.

Starting point is 00:00:44 Apple sues epic games for breach of contract. Android 11 is here if you can get it. A new Yubiki is here that now has USBC goodness and more indications that 5G is just going to continue to be super, super annoyingly disappointing this year. Here's what you miss today in the world of tech. Weird day of follow-on and clarifying news and announcement segments today, so let's dig right in. It was leaked yesterday, but official confirmation came this morning. The Xbox Series X console is coming November 10th for $499 U.S.

Starting point is 00:01:21 with pre-orders starting on September 22nd, so mark your calendars for that. More deets on the console from the verge, quote, The Xbox Series X will be available through Xbox All Access for $34.99 per. month, including Xbox GamePass Ultimate. Microsoft is rapidly expanding its Xbox All-access program in time for the holiday season, and even bundling EA Play into Xbox GamePass Ultimate and Xbox All-access. EA Play includes more than 60 of EA's titles, including games like FIFA 20 and Titanfall 2. More on that in a second. Xbox All Access will now be available in 12 countries in time for both the Xbox Series X and S launches on November 10th, Australia, Canada,

Starting point is 00:02:05 Denmark, Finland, France, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Korea, Sweden, the UK and the US will all have Xbox all-access options this holiday with more markets to follow in 2021, end quote. So to clarify a bit about that EA play news, quoting and gadget, starting this holiday, anyone with the PC version of GamePass, which currently costs $4.99 per month, or GamePass Ultimate, which is $14.99 per month, will also be able to log into the service that was formerly called EA Access and Origin Access. EA Play currently costs $4.99 per month on console, and depending on how many games you want to access to either $4.99 or $14.99 per month on PC, end quote.

Starting point is 00:02:49 And finally, Microsoft released the full specs and details about the Xbox Series S budget console. that again is coming in at $299.99. They say it will deliver four times the processing power of an Xbox 1 and supports 120 frames per second, and that it's using the same CPU as the Big Boy Series X. Quoting the Verge. Xbox Series S delivers four times the processing power of an Xbox 1 console and supports experiences up to 120 frames per second, says Liz Hamron, head of platform engineering and hardware at Xbox. Quote, the primary difference between Xbox Series X and Xbox and Xbox Series S is in resolution. Through talking to our customers, we found that many of our fans

Starting point is 00:03:31 prioritize frame rate over resolution, so we wanted to build a console that didn't require a 4K TV, end quote. That led Microsoft to use a different GPU inside the Xbox Series S to bring the price down, one that the company promises is around three times more powerful than the Xbox one. While Microsoft doesn't go into detailed specifics on the GPU specs, we understand the Xbox Series S has 20 CUs at 1.550 gigahertz. This calculates to around four terraflops of performance compared to the 12 taraflops, 52CUs at 1.825 gigahertz found on the larger Xbox Series X. There's an obvious power gap here, but Microsoft is targeting the Xbox Series S at 1080P or 1440P monitors and TVs, so you don't need the same GPU power required for things like 4K

Starting point is 00:04:20 gaming, end quote. Y'all should probably get used to a bunch more gaming news these next few months because the console wars are upon us. Major console generation turnover only happens what, every five to eight years, and we just so happen to be in the midst of a big cycle right now. Sony's going to announce the details of the PlayStation 5 like any minute. And then there will be the big holiday season where all the interests will be around who's selling more units, who's winning this cycle, etc. but in the background, don't forget Nintendo, whose switch platform doesn't quite line up with the bigger console cycles, but has been quietly killing it recently in terms of sales. In fact, according to Bloomberg, Nintendo is increasing production of the Switch by another 20%, raising its goal to as much as 30 million units shipped this fiscal year.

Starting point is 00:05:16 The Japanese Games Maker has been struggling to keep up with Switch demand for most of this year, boosted by the runaway success of Animal Crossing New Horizons and the coronavirus pandemic lifting gaming demand. It had raised production orders to 25 million units in early August, but that has proven insufficient, and assemblers are now operating factories at 120 percent, the people said, asking to remain anonymous because the targets are private. The introduction of a more affordable switch light variant in late 2019 helped broaden the machine's potential audience, and Nintendo is making preparations for an upgraded switch model and a beefed-up games lineup for 2021, Bloomberg News has reported. Several outside game developers speaking anonymously as the issue is private said that Nintendo has asked them to make their games 4K ready, suggesting a resolution upgrade is on the way, end quote. And Lord knows that announcement yesterday of a Breath of the Wild prequel was certainly big news in our house.

Starting point is 00:06:13 And clarity about that Apple event for next week, September 15th, when I did finally get my invitation in the mail, I noticed that there was in fact a tagline on there. time flies it read. This is even though the announcement on Apple's website didn't have any tagline, as I said yesterday. So lots of folks are now thinking that this event will be exclusively to unveil the Apple Watch Series 6 and a couple other small things. From what I was reading overnight, the consensus seems to be that there will be a separate October event for the iPhone launch. Why the two events? Well, remember, production of the new iPhones is running late, but also Apple is expected to announce the first Macs running their own Apple processor sometime this year. So maybe it would make sense for a second event to be devoted to those two Blockbuster reveals.

Starting point is 00:07:02 Well, remember, the latest version of iOS is expected this month, so maybe for this September event, Apple can focus on that, the new watches, the new rumored iPad Air with an edge-to-edge screen, those new smaller home pods and the first pair of Apple-branded over-ear headphones that are rumored. In other words, get all the bits and pieces announced now, then the Blockbuster announces come later in October, since the iPhones won't be ready till then anyway. Follow up to the Apple Epic Games war.

Starting point is 00:07:37 Apple continues to show zero willingness to give even an inch. Apple yesterday essentially doubled down, in fact, by suing Epic Games for breach of contract and actually seeking damages from them. Quoting Bloomberg. Epic's lawsuit is nothing more than a basic disagreement over money, Apple said in a filing with the district court for the Northern District of California. Although Epic portrays itself as a modern corporate Robin Hood, in reality it is a multi-billion dollar enterprise that simply wants to pay nothing for the tremendous value it derives from the App Store, end quote. Apple said in the filing that Epic Games has earned over $600 million from the app store, and it is seeking restitution of all money Fortnite collected through its payment system, and seeking a permanent injunction banning its external payment mechanism in all apps, including

Starting point is 00:08:25 Fortnite, end quote. Meanwhile, though, Epic seems to be gleefully continuing its pursuit of that whole building out the Metaverse strategy, announcing a three-week concert series that will run inside of Fortnite beginning September 12th, which will be broadcast from a new LA studio, specifically outfitted for live performances. First on tap to perform, Dominic Fighton. Quoting The Verge. This is a tour stop, explains Nate Nanzer, Fortnite's head of global partnerships. If you're on tour, you want to stop on the Fortnite stage.

Starting point is 00:09:03 It's a unique way to get in front of an audience that maybe you're not reaching through other means, end quote. Epic has been building up to this for a while. The developer first launched Party Royale, a separate violence-free island within Fortnite back in April, and it features both a concert stage and a theater space among other attractions. Epic built what it describes as a state-of-the-art studio space

Starting point is 00:09:23 in LA. It has a massive LED wall and floor and robocams that can be operated remotely. Nanzer says that much of the space was designed around COVID protocols. We've thought through all of that, he says. While past events were successful, they were also limited primarily to DJs performing in their own homes. The studio is meant to make performances bigger and more impressive, starting with Fikey. This will be a full live concert broadcast into the game, says Nanzer. He's going to be playing with his band, and he's going to be playing his new music live for the first time, end quote. By the by, Android 11 has rolled out, but as ever, it's a rollout. It's complicated. Maybe you already have the new version. Maybe you can get it. Maybe you're going to have to wait.

Starting point is 00:10:11 It all depends on the phone you got. If you're running one of Google's pixel phones, the pixel 2, 3, 3A, 4 or 4A, you can download the stable release right now. A beta version of Android 11 is also available for the 1 Plus 8 and 1 Plus 8 Pro as well as the Opo X2. Reno 3. Everyone else, well, maybe. What can I tell you? Try to get it. Maybe side load it. It's catch-as-catch can, I guess. But maybe you'd want to try just to try this new feature. It's called verified calls, and it's for the Google Phone app. It rolled out with the latest version of Android. It lets businesses display a reason for their call if they call you with that reason showing up under their logo and name. All the better for you to screen the call, I guess.

Starting point is 00:10:58 quoting TechCrunch. The feature known as verified calls will display the caller's name, their logo, a reason why they're calling, and a verification symbol that will indicate the call has been verified by Google. Once set up, a business will send Google's verified calls server, its number, the customer's phone number, and the call reason, like scheduling your internet installation or your food delivery, for example. Google then sends this information to the Android device's Google phone app. The device compares the incoming call information with the information Google received from the business, and if there's a match, the phone app displays the call as verified. Google says the customer phone number and call

Starting point is 00:11:34 reason is deleted within minutes of verification to protect consumer privacy, end quote. And this is a follow-up to a story that you might have forgotten about. I know I had. Remember how garbage advertising platforms Tabula and Outbrain were supposed to merge? Well, you won't believe what happened next. Sorry, no one can resist making that joke, even me. But a source is telling CNBC that the merger is off after the two sides failed to agree on revised deal terms, quoting CNBC. The companies place content boxes with headlines such as eight celebs who have severe illnesses, or I gave Hello Fresh a Taste, here's why I'm never going back, and also deliver traditional web ads,

Starting point is 00:12:18 pulling in revenue for the publisher websites that they sit on. The companies announced the merger in October 2019, saying that together they would reach two billion people a month and give advertisers more meaningful choice outside of the, quote, walled gardens of Facebook and Google, which dominate the digital advertising ecosystem. In the terms of the original deal, outbrained shareholders would have received shares representing 30% of the combined company plus $250 million in cash, the company said at the time. Though the U.S. Department of Justice decided not to challenge the deal after investigating it, the merger was also delayed by antitrust scrutiny in the UK and Israel. And with so much time having passed waiting for the

Starting point is 00:12:53 resolution of that scrutiny, a bump in business on the Tabula side this year caused Tabula to seek to change the terms of the deal and pay less than half the 2019 terms, the companies couldn't reach an agreement, the sources said, and now it's off, end quote. Let's end today with some good news and then some continued bad news. First, the good news. Ubiko today launched the Ubikki 5C NFC security key. For $55, you can get a USBC security key with NFC built right in, support for iOS, Android, Windows, MacOS, and Linux. Quoting the Verde, Previously, Ubiki offered the Ubikee 5 series in your choice of USBA, USBA and NFC, USBC, and USBC and Lightning. But with the new Ubiki 5C NFC that's being announced today, you no longer have to pick

Starting point is 00:13:48 between being able to plug your key into a USBC port or the convenience of NFC authentication, which lets you just tap your key on your device. You can now buy a key that offers both. Hardware-based keys offer an extra layer of account security by requiring that you either plug in the key or tap it to your device when you're trying to log in. That makes them a good alternative to text messaging-based two-factor authentication, which can be intercepted by hackers more easily than things like security keys or codes from an authenticator app like Authie, end quote.

Starting point is 00:14:22 As for the bad news, there are more signs that, at least for the next year or so, the 5G hype is just that. Hype. And hype that is increasingly fizzling a bit. PC magazine released their annual fastest mobile. networks list for 2020. And after testing carrier networks in 26 U.S. cities, they found that while 4G speeds are up overall nationwide, 5G is continuing not to live up to the hype. In fact, get this, they say that AT&T's 5G network is largely slower than its 4G network. Quote, there's some precedent for these results. Looking back at fastest mobile networks 2012, we found

Starting point is 00:15:01 the 4G installed by then-carrier Metro PCS was slower than AT&T's 3G network in many places for the same reason that AT&T's 5G network is now slow. Gs aren't magic. A new generation just lets carriers use more spectrum than they could before, but if they don't have that spectrum available, they won't get that performance. AT&T's low-band 5G is currently on channels that are too narrow to matter like Metro PCS's 4GLTE was. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon take very different approaches to 5G as well. To make a long story short, AT&T's 5G right now appears to be essentially worthless. T-Mobile 5G can be a big boost over 4G, but its speeds are only what we'd expect from a good 4G network. It isn't quite a new experience. Verizon's 5G is often mind-blowing, but very difficult

Starting point is 00:15:50 to find. AT&T's 5G slices off a narrow bit of the old 850 megahertz cellular band and assigns it to 5G, giving phones a valid 5G icon without increasing performance. And because of the way current 5G phones work, it often reduces performance. At locations with both 4G and 5G, our 5G phone was slower than our 4G phone in 21 out of 22 cities, end quote. As ever, PCMag tries to tell you what is the fastest network in your area, so maybe check out the piece linked in the show notes to confirm if shelling out for 5G or any upgraded phone really is worth it for you right now, wherever you're at. For instance, here in New York City, Verizon was named the winner, the fastest network in the five boroughs, which makes sense, as the northeast is Verizon's home turf,

Starting point is 00:16:40 but also PCMag's testers only found Verizon 5G signals in 3.6% of locations in the city. Only 3.6%. Check your city to see if things were similarly abysmal wherever you are. Football is back this weekend, which, of course, I mean. Premier League football, not the NFL. As with the last two years, there is a fantasy league that you can join if you want to square off against other tech meme ride home listeners all throughout the Premier League season. The classic league that I've set up is called Ride Home Mutants. You can find it at the Premier League website where they have their fantasy page. The code to join the Classic League is E5M0 ZL. The code to join the head-to-head league, which I've also set up,

Starting point is 00:17:35 is 8HWQ78. That league is called Ride Home Head to Head. I'll have those codes in the show notes, as well as links to auto-join either league you want. Please join, although I tend to get so pissed at how poorly I perform halfway through the season that I quit. But let's give it another go. Talk to you tomorrow.

Tech Brew Ride Home - Wed. 09/09 – Clarifications And Follow-Ups

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