January Technology News

9 minute read

Updated:

Table of Contents

[January 3rd, 2021]

Los Angeles to offer vaccine record on iPhones

  • Who: People who get the coronavirus vaccine in LA
  • What: They will be able to keep proof of immunisation in their iPhone’s digital wallet, which is usually used for payment cards, boarding passes, or event tickets.
  • When: As soon as the vaccination starts in LA
  • Why:
    1. It will first be used to remind people to get their second required dose of the vaccine. (As it has to be done over 2 times)
    2. It could also be used as proof of vaccination in the Covid-19 hotspot of Los Angeles.
    3. Another potential advantage is privacy - the relatively simple pass system “can’t actively perform surveillance, unlike smartphone apps” as it does no transmit data.
  • How: The technology is enabled through the partnership with software firm Healthvana. Healthvana has a track record of handling sensitive patient data, having delivered millions of HIV test results to US patients in recent years.
  • So?:
    • But there also has been some resistance to the idea of “vaccine passport” as some fear that they will be denied an entry to venues if they are unwilling to share personal medical information.
    • But problematic as the digital vaccine record feature is not available on all phones, including Android users.
    • And there is no way to prove that the person holding the phone is the same person who received the vaccine, without some other identifier.
  • Link to the article

[January 7th, 2021]

UK competition watchdog to probe Nvidia’s Arm takeover

  • Who: Britain’s competition regulator (watchdog)
  • What: Announced that it would start an investigation into Nvidia Corp’s $40 billion deal to buy UK-based chip designer Arm Holdings.
  • When: 6th of January, 2021
  • Why:
    • This regards the deal of Nvidia, the biggest U.S. chip company and Japan’s SoftBank Group in September to buy Arm.
    • The deal has raised concerns about the potential impact on Arm’s long-standing position as a so-called neutral supplier, whose chip technology is used by a variety of customers (Apple, Qualcomm and a host of others).
  • How:
    • Nvidia has pledged to retain Arm’s open-licensing model and keep the customer neutrality.
    • It will install “firewalls” to ensure Nvidia does not access confidential information from Arm’s customers, some of which would be its competitors, or get early access to Arm’s products, said a top Arm executive.
    • The UK government also included that Nvidia should keep Arm’s head office and staff in Cambridge, eastern England.
  • So?: The approval process will take about 18 months from the day the deal was signed.
  • Link to the article

[January 11th, 2021]

Apple, Hyundai set to agree electric car tie-up, says Korea IT News

  • Who: Hyundai Motor and Apple Inc.
  • What: The two plan to sign a partnership deal on autonomous electric cars by March and start production around 2024 in the United States, aiming to launch a self-driving electric car in 2027.
  • When: The report said Hyundai and Apple planned to release a “beta version” of the Apple cars next year. However the production is planned to start around 2024.
  • Why: Apple was moving forward with autonomous car technology and aimed to produce a passenger vehicle that could include its own breakthrough battery technology as early as 2024.
  • How:
    • An IT news report, now removed, has included that the companies planned to build the cars at Kia Motors’ factory in Georgia, or invest jointly in a **new factory **in the United States to produce 100,000 vehicles around 2024.
    • The full annual capacity of the proposed plant would be 400,000 vehicles.
    • The report also said Hyundai and Apple planned to release a “beta version” of the Apple cars next year.
  • So?: It sent Hyundai shares up nearly 20%. Hyundai Motor rose 14.6%, Hyundai Mobis shares rose 12.7% and Kia shares rose 9.1%.
  • Link to the article

[January 13th, 2021]

Father of the Web Tim Berners-Lee prepares ‘do-over’

  • Who: Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the British computer scientist who invented the World Wide Web (WWW)
  • What: Wants to re-make cyberspace in order to fix some of the problems such as privacy and data control that web brings.
  • Why: Because people are “fed up with the lack of controls, the silos” - hence, enabling the personal control of private data will lead to a new way of collaboration.
  • How:
    • With a new startup called Inrupt - it builds on ideas developed by an open-source software project called Solid.
    • They plan to build a new web where people can use a single sign-on for any service, and have control over personal data as data is stored in “pods,” or personal online data stores.
  • So?:
    • The CEO of Inrupt has signed up Britain’s National Health Service (NHS), the BBC and the government of Flanders in Belgium as pilot customers.
    • It plans on addressing the long-standing problem of incompatible medical records of NHS.
    • At its core, “the new web” is mostly a set of protocols for how machines talk to each other. Hence, a key aim for Inrupt is to get software developers to write programs for the platform, to actualise the revolution.
  • Link to the article

[January 18th, 2021]

  • CES shows new trends and technologies that are conceptual, wildly expensive, a long way off in the future, or all of the above.
  • CES shows where the technology is going & what to watch out for.
  • This year they had a lot of Covid-19 related products.
  1. Concept devices
    • Concept devices: Some companies have produced something interesting that might turn into a product, or might just stay as an innovative concept.
    • Razer Project Hazel Smart mask
      • A mask that you could see through, built-in neon lights, a microphone to amplify muffled speech and a wireless charger that cleanses it with UV light between uses.

      1

    • GM’s Cadillac electric shuttle and an autonomous vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drone
      • GM used the platform to declare an inflection point for electric cars, offering specifics on its upcoming line-up of vehicles in a five-year $27bn plan to take on the likes of Tesla.

      2

  2. Concept cars and screens
    • LG’s semi-transparent screen - they bend and pull.
    • Bending screens: LG’s rollable phone; they are going to make and sell by the end of 2021.

    3

  3. Processors and Laptops
    • Companies are coming up with components that could make up gaming laptops that are very very good and interesting.
    • Intel: Trying to develop their Core chips further to fight with Apple’s m1 chips, etc.
    • AMD: Announced another generation of ryzen processors which is powerful without completely destroying the battery.
    • Nvidia: Bringing GPUs to gaming laptops that are more powerful (1440p in 90 frame resolution)
  4. TV shows - Mini LED and OLED
    • HDMI 2.1 - a little bit more future proof to connect different devices.
    • High-end TV: mini-led or OLED.
      • Mini-LED: Light that shines behind the pixels so that it could produce true black like OLED & is more sustainable
      • LG is the pioneer of this technology.
    • Smart TV software
      • Sony is switching to Google-TV
      • LG has taken the web-OS and made a pretty standard interface

[January 24th, 2021]

Marketing, sports data apps join fight against pandemic

  • Who: Various IT firms - Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Union Tool
  • What: Devices designed for customer marketing improvement and sports performance are now being used to fight against COVID-19 by deploying its technologies.
    • 3D LiDAR People Counter sensor that Hitachi-LG developed is now paired with the application with heat detection to take customers’ temperatures and facial detection system to check if customers are wearing a mask.
    • Union Tool, hopes that its wearable heart sensor (recording heart rate and temperature) could be marketed as a monitoring device for COVID-19 patients at quarantine hotels.
  • When: 20th of January, 2021 At the annual Wearables Expo in Tokyo.
  • Why:
    • Because retailers seek to create a safe environment and restore peace of mind to the in-store experience as fears of infection have driven customers away during the pandemic.
    • It is also being used in unmanned stores, where the number of it have been increasing due to the pandemic.
  • How:
    People Counter sensor monitors the number of people and their movements to minimize congestion and estimates the wait time. It also determines if a customer has stopped by a specific area - i.e. required hand sanitizer station.
  • So?: Emerging technology and products in the market, are expected to be used as a monitoring device to lower the chance of infection and to restore peace of mind during the pandemic.
  • Link to the article

[January 29th, 2021]

How do I look? SoftBank’s Zozo offers tech specs to help buyers get skin tone right

  • Who: Japanese online fashion retailer Zozo Inc
  • What: The company has launched skin tone measuring glasses for ordering cosmetics online, adopting latest fashion technology.
  • When: 29th of January, 2021
  • Why:
    • The company is trying to replicate the traditional experience of going to a large department store to try products on, through technology and give the consumer confidence to buy online.
    • E-commerce grew at an exceptional speed during the Covid-10 pandemic, and the invention of the Zozoglass allows consumers overcome some reservations about buying remotely.
  • How:
    • “Zozoglass”, a pair of spectacles covered with colour swatches and markers, scans the skin tone with a smartphone and provides tailored cosmetics recommendations.
    • Augmented reality functionality in the online retailer’s app will allow consumers to see how the make-up will look.
  • So?: It will be limited to foundation initially, but will be expanded to cover other product lines.
  • Link to the article

[January 31st, 2021]

Personal data stolen from Dutch coronavirus track-and-trace programme

  • Who: People who participated in Netherlands’ coronavirus track-and-trace programme
  • What: Their personal information such as names, addresses, social security numbers, telephone numbers, and test results have been leaked.
    • The number of people affected has not been identified, but is estimated to be thousands.
  • When: 29th of January, 2021
  • Why: The Data leaks were from its core track-and-trace system, and not related to a tracking smartphone app, which has been criticized for its own security issues.
  • How: In one instance, GGD employees targeted the personal information of a small number of prominent individuals, and in another case, an entire data set was leaked and offered for sale online.
  • So?: The public health officials of Netherlands are working closely with the police, justice and data and cybercrime specialists to track down the case and to reinstate country’s reputation.
  • Link to the article

Leave a comment