Tech Brew Ride Home - Wed. 11/16 – The Tesla Of Home Appliances

Episode Date: November 16, 2022

Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon chip. DuckDuckGo’s App Tracking blocker but for Android, the latest headlines from the two stories you know we have to hit, and what if I told you there’s a new startup that wants to do for home appliances, what Tesla did for automobiles? Sponsors: Akamai.com/techmeme Kinsta.com Links: Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 gives us a glimpse of 2023’s Android flagships (The Verge) DuckDuckGo’s App Tracking Protection beta is now available to all Android users (The Verge) Netflix's new feature lets subscribers kick devices off their accounts (TechCrunch) Musk issues ultimatum to staff: Commit to ‘hardcore’ Twitter or take severance (Washington Post) Induction cooking heats up with a $20M cash injection for Impulse (TechCrunch) Protocol, the tech-news focused website, will shutter and lay off its entire staff (CNN Business) 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 right home for Wednesday, November 16th, 2020. I'm Brian McCullough today. Qualcomm's new Snapdragon chip. DuckDuck goes app tracking blocker, but for Android. The latest headlines from the two stories you know we have to hit. And what if I told you there's a new startup that wants

to do for home appliances what Tesla did for automobiles? Here's what you miss today in the world of tech. Qualcomm has announced details of its next generation flagship chip set, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which claims 35% faster CPU performance, 25% Adrino GPU performance improvements, Wi-Fi 7 support, and up to 4.35X faster AI performance. Quoting the verge. Compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, the Gen 2's cryo CPU includes one prime core based on Arm Cortex X3 at 3.2 gigahertz. There are also four performance cores, one more than last year, at 2.8,

gigahertz and three efficiency cores at 2.0 gigahertz, all reportedly faster than last year's hardware. Qualcomm says the CPU is 35% faster than the previous generation with 40% power savings. Likewise, the Adrino GPU is up to 25% faster with 45% better power efficiency. The whole chip is built on a 4-nanometer process like the Gen 1. Qualcomm says it has made improvements all throughout the hexagon processor for up to 4.35x faster. AI performance. Qualcomm also claims it's able to handle more complex tasks, like translating a language into multiple languages in real time. Just when we were starting to get on board with Wi-Fi 6, Qualcomm has leapfrogged ahead and added Wi-Fi 7. The 8 Gen 2 is the first system on a chip to support

it. The Snapdragon X70 modem announced at Mobile World Congress earlier this year is on board two, with its own AI processor to help boost 5G coverage and speed. The X70 also enables dual-active 5G Sims, meaning you can use two different 5G networks simultaneously. More bars and more places indeed. On the audio side, there's now support for dynamic spatial audio, so sound moves with you as you move your head with compatible earbuds. It's a new addition to Qualcomm's Snapdragon Sound platform, but something already offered by the likes of LG, Samsung, and Apple. You'll likely need compatible headphones to do the head tracking part. For gaming, the chipset now supports hardware-based real-time ray tracing for more realistic light and reflections.

Companies including APO and ASIS will support it in upcoming devices. The company's Spectra image signal processor now has a cognitive ISP label with the ability to use real-time semantic segmentation for photos and videos. This helps the imaging system identify different kinds of subjects in an image and apply appropriate image tuning. In theory, it helps the camera distinguish between things like faces, hair, and skies and make color adjustments to each individually as the image is captured. This could make it easier to predict what a final image will look like

in the viewfinder as you're taking it before software image processing does its thing. Snapdragon 8Gen 2 is also tuned to support new image sensors from Sony and Samsung, the two companies that make basically every smartphone camera sensor. Curiously, the 8GEN 2 supports 8K video capture and playback, but on-device and external display support tops out at 4K, so good luck watching your 8K footage. Qualcomm's list of partners for the Snapdragon 8Gen 2 includes the usual suspects like Motorola, Apollo, Apo, and Acesa,

Republic of Gamer's brand, though Samsung is conspicuously missing from the list. It's not clear whether the upcoming S-23 flagships will include the 8 Gen 2 globally, as early rumors indicate, or whether Samsung will keep using its own Exenos chip set in models sold outside of the U.S. In any case, we won't have to wait until the S-23 arrives to check out Qualcomm's latest. The company says its new chipset will start appearing in devices before the end of 2022, end quote. DuckDuckGo has launched app tracking protection into public beta on Android, helping block third-party trackers within apps. Quoting the verge, app tracking protection for Android is a free feature from the

privacy focus company that blocks third-party trackers within apps, even when said apps aren't actively being used. When enabled in DuckDuckGo's browser, it detects when apps are about to send data to a list of third-party tracking companies on DuckDuck-Go's publicly available block list, and then blocks most of those data requests. It all happens on the device without routing your data through DuckDuckGo's servers. In a blog announcing the public beta rollout, DuckDuckGo claims that the average Android user has 35 apps on their phone and can experience between 1,000 and 2,000 tracking attempts from over 70 different tracking companies every day. One example cited using just four apps, the Southwest Airlines, Zillow, Seat Geek, and Weather Network apps,

allowing over 45 tracking companies to collect user data such as location, email address, phone number, time zone, and device information, including screen resolution, device make and model, language, and local internet provider. This information can then be sold to companies like data brokers, advertisers, and even governments. Tracking data is also used by companies like Meta and Google to build creepily specific advertising profiles that target users and make them feel as if they're being listened to. Despite similarities to Apple's own app tracking transparency ATT feature, DuckDuckGo claims its app tracking protection for Android is superior. Camille Bazbas, the vice president of Communications at DuckDuck Go, previously told the verge that Apple's app tracking transparency tool, quote, only restricts direct access to a user's IDFA identifier for advertisers. The rest is essentially an honor system where Apple is asking developers to respect user choice not to track,

but isn't actually blocking any third-party trackers itself. App tracking protection blocks those third-party trackers directly, making the tool more powerful than what's available on iOS, end quote. To try the beta of app tracking protection yourself, download version 5.143.1 of Duck, Go for Android, and head into settings where app tracking protection can be enabled, end quote. Speaking of utility apps, but a utility helping someone else do something they want you to do,

Netflix has launched manage access and devices, which lets account owners identify and remotely log out of devices they do not recognize or no longer once signed into. In other words, help them, help you, help them crack down on Netflix account sharing, quoting TechCrunch. Want to kick your X off your Netflix account without having to change your password? A new Netflix feature will make that possible. Today, Netflix is launching manage access and devices, which allows account owners to remotely log out of devices they don't recognize. are no longer once signed in. The addition could help Netflix push more freeloaders to become subscribers as they're kicked off the service, where they may have been logging in without the account holder's knowledge. The new feature follows other recent launches, also aimed at limiting

account sharing, like profile transfer, which arrived amid a broader crackdown as Netflix faced subscriber losses. To remove devices from an account, Netflix subscribers can go to their account settings and find the manage access and devices option that displays the user's most recent devices as well as the type of device, Roku Smart TV, Android phone, etc., the IP address, and the exact time and date when the device last accessed the subscriber's Netflix account. After a subscriber selects sign out on an unfamiliar device, Netflix recommends a password change for extra security, but this is not required. Going forward, account owners will receive new login notifications via email. The feature is available starting today.

to all members worldwide on the web, iOS devices, and Android devices Netflix says, end quote. Now for your daily dose of the two stories that just won't die, Sam Bankman-Fried not only continues a commitment to tweeting through it, he seems to be serious about at least making a show of attempting to dig his way out of it. Multiple sources say he's continuing to attempt to raise between $7 and $8 billion to bail FTX out, hitting up the rumors are Sequoia once again, but also Apollo, TPG, the Saudis, others. I forgot to mention that in the midst of all of this, it looks like FTX was also hacked, and apparently a wallet linked to the suspected hacker swapped around $49 million worth of stable coins for ether, taking its haul to 228,523 ETH,

and becoming the 35th largest ETH holder in all the land. Also, apparently, a class action lawsuit has been filed against Tom Brady, Giselle Bunchen, Larry David, and other celebrities who endorse FtX recently. Then, despite repeated assurances from crypto.com's CEO Chris Marzilek, customers continue to worry over crypto.com's solvency. The exchange's CRO token has dropped around 40% in the past week alone. There also continue to be rumors that major crypto lending platform, BlackFi, is about to declare bankruptcy any day now, but every day passes and no official word yet. So cross your fingers that maybe they'll make it. Meanwhile, Genesis Capital, which had $2.8 billion in active loans in Q3, has temporarily suspended redemptions and new loan originations. Trading and custody services

are unaffected as of now. And pause to consider the situation of Alameda-backed Defy projects. Remember, SBF was investing, not just trading, doing actual venture investments in companies like Maps.Me, a Maps app with around 100 million users. And Prime Brokerage Protocol Oxygen, both of these companies say more than 95% of their native tokens, remain locked up at FTX. Over to the other story, Elon Musk says the new Twitter Blue will relaunch on November 29th, quote, to make sure that it is rock solid, end quote, after pausing signups due to many fake verified accounts being created.

Apparently last night or the night before, Twitter fired around 20 employees who criticized Elon Musk in Slack channels saying their, quote, recent behavior has violated company policy, end quote, which is something, something free speech, I thought. Although, to be fair, if you talk S about your boss at pretty much any company, you'll probably get fired from pretty much any job. And finally, in an email to Twitter staff, Elon Musk gave them an ultimatum, commit to a new, quote, hardcore Twitter by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, or leave Twitter. with three-month severance. Like literally, you have to tick a box by 5 p.m. tomorrow, quoting the Washington Post. Employees were told they had to sign a pledge to stay on with the company. If you are sure that you want to be

part of the new Twitter, please click yes on the link below, read the email to all staff, which linked to an online form. Anyone who did not sign the pledge by 5 p.m. Eastern Time Thursday was told they would receive three-month severance pay, the message said. In the midnight email, which was obtained by the Washington Post, Musk said Twitter, quote, will need to be extremely hardcore going forward. This will mean working long hours at high intensity, he said. Only exceptional performance will constitute a passing grade, end quote. Interesting raise time. What if I told you there was a company that wanted to be the Tesla of home appliances? Sound crazy? But you know how putting a battery in a car instead of an internal

combustion engine created cars that were more efficient and were faster. And, and also better for the environment? Well, quoting TechCrunch. All electric everywhere all of the time. That's one of the many climate mantras. Induction stovetops take a lot of power, however. They can pull 40 amps at 240 volts. That's the same as an at-home level 2 EV charger. Needless to say, a lot of older houses aren't wired to plug in a Tesla in your kitchen, which means it could get expensive to upgrade to an induction range. Impulse to the rescue. The company's stoves include a battery solution, which means that it doesn't pull the full 40 amps when it's operating, and so you could find yourself cooking with induction without having to upgrade your panel. Clever. Impulse today announced its official launch and a

$20 million series A funding round led by Lux Capital and joined by Fifth Wall, Lackey Groom, and Construct Capital. This brings their total funding to $25 million. Lux Capital, formerly, led the company's $5 million seed round in 2021. Originally, the company set out to use batteries to create the perfect electric pizza oven, but as the company explored the market, it realized there were additional opportunities. As the company puts it, what started as a cool idea to make pizza became a mission to reframe the home appliance industry. Impulse realized early on that there was an opportunity to leverage all the amazing tailwinds from the electric vehicle and renewable space, including the policy tailwinds of the Inflation Reduction Act,

to launch compelling products. The company identified induction cooking as something that already had a pretty compelling story and figured out some foundational ways to make cooking using induction tech significantly better. The big play from Impulse is that battery prices are declining, while the active installing batteries are continuing to be non-trivial in the built environment. A lot of kitchens do have 220-volt connections, and that's where Impulse is seeing an opportunity. A key realization is that the spots where we install home appliances are typically wired for electricity and often for 220-volt connections in newer homes. The company commented, at minimum, this means we can electrify that previously gas appliance and moving forward

towards newer properties. It also means that storage can be put to use for the home as well, end quote. So remember how I said that this has the potential of doing some of the magical things that Tesla cars do? Number one, one of the only reasons most homes, still have gas lines at all anymore is for stoves and ovens. If you eliminate those, you also eliminate the weird indoor air pollution of, you know, actually burning fossil fuels out in the open air of your house. Plus, the battery allows you to deliver way more power, which counterintuitively draws less power from your home. Thus, no need for expensive upgrades to have one of these in your kitchen. But even if you do have a 220-volt connection, guess what? You now, you now,

have energy storage with one of these ovens that is connected to the grid. So you could sell energy back at peak times or still be able to run your stove even when the power is out. And just like how Tesla cars are faster, guess what? This thing is 10 times faster at, say, boiling water than a natural gas stove. It can boil water in 40 seconds versus the 400 seconds on average needed on your existing stove. You know, where I grew up in southern Florida, we had no gas lines. Our stoves, our ovens, our dryers, even our home heating was all electric. When I moved up north and people swore to me up and down that gas stoves were better for cooking, I was like, are you sure about that? It always felt weirdly much slower to me. But also this makes me wonder,

what other home appliances could we just attach massive lithium ion batteries to, and sort of bespoke, make our houses into one giant energy storage ecosystem? I guess Impulse wants to find out. Finally, sad news that will affect this show directly. Tech News website protocol launched by former Politico owner Robert Alberton in February 2020 and quoted extensively, weekly, if not daily by me on this show, will close later this week and lay off its around 60 staff members. Quoting CNN, staffers were told at an all-hands meeting Tuesday that the news organization will cease publishing on its website Thursday. The Outlets Flagship Newsletter Source Code will continue publishing for several more weeks, but all other newsletters will stop after Tuesday.

Protocol never had much luck shortly after launching the global pandemic-unleashed brutal economic headwinds on the media industry, resulting in some cuts to staff. And this news comes as big tech firms have faced particularly challenging economic conditions, making it especially challenging for protocol to generate revenue from advertising sales to the sector, people familiar with the matter said. The reality is that the ad market tightened, particularly in the tech space, exacerbated some existing challenges that are typical of a new startup one person explained, end quote. I have been informed that the Web3 company that I referred to yesterday in that Nike NFT story as RTFKT is actually pronounced artifact.

Thanks for pointing that out. I do like to know when I get things wrong, especially when it comes to people's names. But a reminder, while I try to get every programming language, software platform, protocol, and crypto-projects, name right so that I don't sound too much like an idiot, I can't be expected to know every arcane pronunciation in the tech universe. Like, is it pronounced X-E or G or Chi? I don't know. There's something I always get wrong every time it comes up, even though I have it in my notes somewhere, how to pronounce it, and don't get me started with, you know, post-Greze, post-Gree, post-Greze, post-Greze, E-S-Q-E-S-Q-L. or post-GreSQL.

I do my best, y'all. Talk to you tomorrow.