Hardware

Vitag launches NFC-powered ‘sticky notes’ for visual instructions • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 18, 2022Posted in Apps, Battlefield 200, Disrupt, Hardware, NFC, Startups, TechCrunch Disrupt 2022, VitagNo Comments

While QR codes emerged as something of a technology poster-child during the pandemic, garnering a new lease of life in everything from restaurant menus to contactless payments, there remains a certain inelegance to the matrix barcode system. Usability remains a sticking point, both in terms of the effort it takes to create content and align it with a QR code, and also from the end-user’s standpoint who has to open their camera app to scan the QR code — something that might not even work in low-light situations. Throw into the mix aesthetics (who’s ever seen an attractive QR code?), and there’s a strong case to be made for an alternative that brings the QR code spirt to a more user friendly format. This is a problem that Vitag is setting out to address, with an NFC product designed for video instructions. Or, “video sticky notes,” as the company calls them. Founded in Dallas in March this year, Vitag is officially announcing its private beta today at TC Disrupt, where the company was selected as one of ZebethMedia’s Battlefield 200 startup cohorts. We caught up with cofounders Sean Jackson (CEO) and CTO Daniel Reiling to get a sneak peek into what exactly it’s looking to achieve. Vitag cofounders: Daniel Reiling (CTO) and Sean Jackson (CEO) Image Credits: ZebethMedia Videos on tap Vitag’s product consists of two core “things”: a mobile app for people to record instructional videos or upload existing material from their device, and a physical NFC-enabled tag that they can program the video to. All the end-user then has to do is tap their phone on the tag, and the video pops up on their screen, demonstrating to an AirBnb guest how to use the A/C system or where the recycling goes. Vitag in action Image Credits: Vitag Of course, it’s easy enough to achieve all this through QR codes — there are many online services for generating QR codes which someone can then tether to a YouTube video that they created. What Vitag does, though, is provide the tools for creating the video, managing tags, and hosting the actual video itself — it has built its own hosting service on top of Google Cloud, with the content viewable only to those with access to a unique URL, which is activated when users tap their phone to a tag. “We created our own service where you can capture a video on your phone, it goes to our servers, and it’s hosted there,” Reiling said. It may seem more intuitive to have just used an existing white-label video hosting service from a company like Vimeo, but the founders explained its reasoning for building its own hosting service: it’s about scalability, controllability, and customizability. While Vimeo might be great for a company to host its own videos, when it comes to potentially hundreds or thousands of Vitag’s own customers who need their own individual accounts for creating and storing hundreds or thousands of videos, this requires full control of the experience from creation through to hosting. The entire back-end and front-end packaged in a single platform. “Our goal is to remove complexity from the process of sharing instructions,” Jackson said. “We believe people are tired of cobbling together different technologies to complete a task — from QR code generators, to different hosting platforms, to desktop publishing tools, to printers, to adhesives — and everything else required.” However, it’s not purely about video. A customer can configure their tag so that it links to a static text page, a photo, URL, or whatever they want. The company offers $2 pre-printed tags specific to a certain type of business, for example restaurants or retail, while creators can also order personalized tags with their own individual text and a choice of different backgrounds. It’s also worth noting that companies can elect to have QR codes printed on the NFC tags for those who prefer to use QR codes, Vitag: Customization interface Image Credits: ZebethMedia Furthermore, Vitag also supports NFC tags from third-party providers, with an in-app function for users to format the tags to work with Vitag. The company said that it’s also planning additional tools in the future, including a desktop app with additional features for small businesses and enterprise customers. NFC surge NFC, or near-field communication as it’s more formally known, is hardly a new technology, but it has taken its time to properly hit the mainstream consciousness, where it still pretty much resides in the payments domain. But its recent growth has been aided somewhat by recent adoption from big tech companies such as Apple, which started to fully embrace NFC with iOS 13 back in 2019 — instead of only allowing iPhone apps to read NFC tags, Apple started to allow apps to write directly to blank tags, and interact through native protocols. The company also recently launched a new “tap to pay” feature that allows iPhones to accept contactless payments over NFC. Elsewhere, NFC is also being used as a replacement for business cards, allowing people to exchange information just by tapping phones. So while QR codes have seen a major resurgence in recent years and are unlikely to being going away any time soon, NFC is on something of an upwards trajectory too, which is where Vitag wants to make its mark. “We believe that consumers are becoming more comfortable with ‘tap to’ events, with payments being the most used today,” Jackson said. “And as more people become exposed to digital business cards the market adoption of ‘tap to’ will only increase.” For now, Vitag is looking to serve the short-term rental property market in the U.S., which Jackson identified as a particularly powerful use-case for video instructions. But plans are afoot to target all manner of verticals, from restaurants and retail stores to gyms. “As we shared our vision of what this technology could do, we found use-case after use-case from almost everyone we encountered,” Jackson explained. “People that stayed in rentals wanted to use them

Smartphone woes continue as global market dips 9% • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 18, 2022Posted in Apple, canalys, Gadgets, Hardware, Samsung, smartphone, smartphonesNo Comments

More doom and gloom for smartphone manufacturers, as global smartphone shipments experience the third consecutive decline this year. Per numbers from Canalys, shipments dropped a lowly 9% last quarter, marking the worst Q3 for the category since 2014. Apple is a rare bright spot among the numbers, with some positive growth as the rest of the top five posted declining numbers from the same time last year. Samsung remains in first place, with 22% if the overall market, while Apple, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo round out the top five. If you’ve followed the category with any regularity, none of this will come as any surprise, of course. Following years of explosive growth, numbers plateaued and began dropping off, due to aspects like pricing and market saturation. Things, naturally, were only accelerated by the pandemic, courtesy of lockdowns and economic struggles. Since then, supply chain shortages, inflation and the like have only served to exacerbate the situation. Image Credits: Canalys “The smartphone market is highly reactive to consumer demand and vendors are adjusting quickly to the harsh business conditions,” says Canalys Analyst Amber Liu. “For most vendors, the priority is to reduce the risk of inventory building up given deteriorating demand. Vendors had significant stockpiles going into July, but sell-through gradually improved from September owing to aggressive discounting and promotions.” For now, at least, the category shows no signs of future improvement.

Biden’s new restrictions on exporting semiconductor tools hit China where it hurts • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 18, 2022Posted in China, EC Hardware, export laws, Government & Policy, Hardware, semiconductorsNo Comments

Chinese semiconductor manufacturers and their U.S. suppliers should have seen the Biden administration’s latest export restrictions coming. It’s possible they did. The question is whether they’re prepared. Years ago, the Trump administration sent the first shot across the bow, first cutting off Huawei from advanced chips and later successfully pressing the Dutch government to bar the sale of EUV lithography machines made by Netherlands-based ASML to leading Chinese semiconductor firm SMIC. The EUV ban kept SMIC and, by association, China, from getting a chance at producing leading-edge chips with smaller transistors. Smaller transistors make for faster, more energy-efficient chips, and there were concerns that EUV-made Chinese chips would have facilitated myriad military and surveillance applications, including hypersonic missiles and AI-powered video and cyber monitoring tools. Though SMIC said it could produce chips that were similar to some of its competitors’ second-best designs, the yields were reportedly atrocious. Without EUV, the process was unlikely to be profitable anytime soon. China is likely trying to develop its own version, but it’ll be a long road. Even if Chinese companies could get their hands on EUV and related technologies, whether through espionage or some other means, they still would have to duplicate ASML’s global supply chain of more than 5,000 suppliers, some of which are the only ones that have the expertise to make those specific parts.

Sony’s $200 DualSense Edge wireless controller will release on January 26 • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 18, 2022Posted in Gaming, Hardware, playstation, SonyNo Comments

Sony’s DualSense Edge wireless controller for the PS5 is launching globally on January 26, the company announced on Tuesday. The new wireless controller will be priced at $199.99. Pre-orders for the controller will be available starting on October 25 at select retailers. You’ll also be able to purchase replaceable stick modules for $19.99. The new controller includes several personalization options, including button remapping, the ability to fine-tune stick sensitivity and triggers, options to swap between multiple control profiles and an on-controller user interface. The DualSense Edge also includes the signature features of the DualSense wireless controller, such as haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. “You can make the DualSense Edge wireless controller uniquely yours with the included three changeable sets of stick caps and two changeable sets of back buttons,” Sony said in a blog post. “Everything will come bundled in the included carrying case, and you can even charge the controller via USB connection while it’s stored in the case to make sure you’re always ready for your next play session.” The purchase will include a USB braided cable, two standard caps, two high dome caps, two low dome caps, two half dome back buttons, two lever back buttons, connector housing and a carrying case.

Belkin’s $30 Continuity Camera accessory is now available for MagSafe iPhones • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 18, 2022Posted in Belkin, Continuity Camera, Gadgets, Hardware, iPhone, macos, magsafeNo Comments

Continuity Camera was one of the odder additions that arrived in the last round of Apple operating system updates. It seemed like an awkward fix to a longstanding issue with Mac webcams, clipping your iPhone to the top of your laptop lid, but I’ve come to appreciate it in my recent travels. Today, Belkin announced the availability of the first official Continuity Camera solution, the memorably named Belkin iPhone Mount with MagSafe. This was the accessory Apple teased all the way back at WWDC this summer. It’s effectively a silicone circle with MagSafe magnets in the rear. Image Credits: Brian Heater That snaps onto the back of the iPhone, and the small retractable lip goes over the top of the screen. It’s intended to be used with the rear-facing cameras facing toward you — in fact, without that in place, you may have trouble firing up the feature at all. That big metal ring that looks like a soda can pop-top, on the other hand, isn’t actually connected to the feature. Instead, it’s intended for the rest of the time. The idea is you can keep it on the back of the phone and stick your finger through the loop for a better grip. The magnet certainly seems strong enough. There are two versions of the accessory, including a larger one designed specifically for desktops – that one is currently listed as “coming soon.” The difference owes to the thick of the larger displays. Unfortunately that means you won’t be able to use the models interchangeably. Image Credits: Brian Heater Belkin sent me a demo unit around the time of my first macOS Ventura writeup and the final model arrived just as I was leaving for Disrupt, so I plan to put it through its paces this week with all of the conference calls I’m going to have to jump on in the greenroom (sorry everyone else). The iPhone 14 Pro’s camera beats the latest Mac Air’s by a mile. Honestly, it isn’t even close. Obviously, best case scenario is just better webcams built into the systems themselves, but this certainly works in a pinch, especially when on the road. My biggest issue at the moment has less to do with accessory than the implementation of Continuity Camera. Specifically, the iPhone 14 Pro is heavy — and the Pro Plus even more so. The new MacBook Air’s hinge, meanwhile, doesn’t appear to have been specifically developed with this capability in mind. That means that, unless the lid is at or near a 90-degree angle, the screen has a tendency to start lowering under the weight. Something to keep in mind.

Apple will release iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura on October 24 • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 18, 2022Posted in Apple, Apps, Hardware, ipados 16, macos venturaNo Comments

Apple is releasing iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura on October 24, the company confirmed on Tuesday amidst a slew of other announcements. iPadOS 16 includes Stage Manager, which offers easier multitasking and switching between apps. The feature was previously only compatible with the M1-powered iPad Air and the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models released last year, but will also be coming to third and fourth-generation iPad Pro models. Stage Manager automatically organizes apps and windows, allowing users to drag and drop windows from the side or open apps from the Dock to create groups of apps. The window of the app users are working on is displayed in the center, and other open apps and windows are arranged on the left-hand side in order of recency. The feature also works with macOS Ventura to create a kind of sidebar where the rest of your open apps sit. The windows are organized by stacks, and your messy desktop files disappear into the ether. When windows are minimized, move over to that left side bar, rather than the tool bar. macOS Ventura also comes with a feature called Continuity Camera, which allows your to use your iPhone as a webcam when you download Ventura on your macOS and iOS 16 on a compatible device. Apple also announced today that its new M2 iPad Pro will launch on October 26. The iPas Pro is getting a spec refresh revolving around an upgrade for the M1 to an M2 chip. The new chip includes eight CPU cores, with a performance bump of around 15%. The GPU is 10 cores, with a stated 35% performance boost, according to Apple. The company also announced a new new version of its entry-level iPad that Apple simply calls “the iPad.” It’s a dramatic refresh as Apple is swapping the familiar design with rounded edges and a home button. Instead, the iPad now looks more like the iPad Air and iPad Pro. The device starts at $449, which is more expensive than the previous version, which was priced at $329. In addition, Apple announced the newest Apple TV 4K today, which features a lower price and more storage. The new Apple TV 4K will be available to purchase on November 4 and will come with an updated Siri remote with a USB-C port for charging. Apple also notes that the A15 Bionic chip delivers up to 50% more CPU performance. The new Apple TV 4K also has HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support for better video quality.

RED and Fuji are building Frame.io’s Camera to Cloud right into their cameras • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 18, 2022Posted in Adobe, frame.io, Hardware, red cameraNo Comments

It’s been eighteen months since Adobe acquired Frame.io, the video collaboration service that helps anyone from freelancers to large production houses streamline their review and editing workflows. One of the core features of Frame.io is its Camera to Cloud (C2C) technology, which greatly speeds up the process of uploading and sharing video in the middle of the production process. Until now, though, that still involved plugging memory cards or hard drives into another computer and uploading clips to the cloud. Now, as Adobe announced today, some camera manufacturers will build C2C right into their devices. The first partners here are RED and Fujifilm. RED, which has long enabled C2C for its cameras through a Teradec CUBE 655, will now bring the ability to upload Redcode RAW files from its V-Raptor and V-Raptor XL cameras right to Frame.io, without the need for any intermediary steps. Fujifilm’s X-H2S, too, will get support for C2C in the near future. Image Credits: Adobe Unlike the RED cameras, which retail for over $25,000 (without all of the necessary accessories) and are all about video, the $2,500 Fujifilm X-H2S — like all mirrorless cameras these days — handles both video and photo. Using Fujifilm’s FT-XH file transfer attachment, photographers will soon be able to use C2C right from their camera, starting in Spring 2023, when Fujifilm plans to launch an updated version of the camera’s firmware. “While shooting to the cloud certainly speeds up your workflow, there’s more to it than just that. It also increases the flexibility and control you have over the way you work. Imagine your raw camera footage being instantly backed up and accessible to anyone without downloading or shipping a drive. That’s what we’re doing, and the Camera to Cloud ecosystem we’re building is the key,” Frame.io’s Michael Cioni explained in today’s announcement.

Apple’s new Apple TV 4K gets a performance upgrade and lower price • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 18, 2022Posted in Apple, apple tv, HardwareNo Comments

Apple announced the newest Apple TV 4K today, featuring a lower price, better performance, and more storage. Plus, the A15 Bionic chip delivers up to 50% more CPU performance and 30% more GPU performance than the previous model. It also has HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support for better video quality. The new ‌Apple TV‌ 4K will become available to purchase on November 4 and consumers will get an updated ‌Siri‌ remote with a USB-C port for charging. There are two configurations that consumers can choose from– Apple TV 4K (Wi-Fi) and Apple TV 4K (Wi-Fi + Ethernet). The first option, Apple TV 4K (Wi-Fi), will be available at a new, lower price of $129 and will come with 64GB of storage. The more premium model will have 128GB of storage, Gigabit Ethernet, and Thread networking. The new starting price is a far better value than last year’s $179 model, which only had 32GB of storage. “Apple TV 4K is the ultimate way for Apple users to enjoy their favorite entertainment on the biggest screen in the home, and now it is more powerful than ever,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, in a statement. “The new Apple TV 4K is unlike anything else out there, given its seamless connection to other Apple devices, ease of use, and access to amazing Apple content.”

Apple’s new M2 iPad Pro arrives October 26 • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 18, 2022Posted in Apple, Gadgets, Hardware, iPad, iPad Pro, m2No Comments

Seems we may not be getting a surprise October Apple event, after all. The company just dropped what will, no doubt, be one of its last major hardware updates for the calendar year. The iPad Pro is getting a spec refresh revolving around an upgrade for the M1 to M2 chip. The new chip sports eight CPU cores, with a performance bump of around 15%, according to Apple. The GPU is 10 cores, with a stated 35% performance boost per the company. Apple is clearly pushing the latest version of the Pro as something more akin to a laptop aimed at creative professionals, pushing enhancements to the sorts of content creation that could be managed by tablets as recently as a few years ago. It notes, The performance of M2 turbocharges even the most demanding workflows, from photographers editing massive photo libraries and designers manipulating complex 3D objects, to healthcare professionals taking advanced imaging and analysis, to gamers enjoying graphics-intensive games. The power of M2 also extends to the new media engine and the image signal processor, which combined with the advanced cameras, enable users to capture ProRes video for the first time and transcode ProRes footage up to 3x faster. This means content creators can capture, edit, and publish cinema-grade video from a single device out in the field. The high-end tablet comes in both 11- and 12.9-inch versions, available with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB of storage, coupled with 16GB of RAM. Both versions will be available in WiFI and 5G options. Connectivity gets a refresh here, with support for WiFi 6E. In terms of the its sustainability push, Apple notes that the Pro features 100% recycled gold for the circuit board, along with recycled aluminum, tin and various rare earth elements. The new iPad Pro arrives alongside a new (2nd gen) Apple Pencil, which can be detected further from the display (12mm), offering up a preview of sketches before committing stylus to tablet. Developing…

Chinese chipmakers, U.S. suppliers caught in crosshairs of new export restrictions • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 17, 2022Posted in China, export laws, Government & Policy, Hardware, semiconductorsNo Comments

Over the last week and a half, the Chinese semiconductor industry’s circumstances have taken a sharp turn for the worse. The Biden administration announced on October 7 a sweeping set of export restrictions that prevent the export of certain chips and, more important, the sale of tools using certain technologies to Chinese chipmakers. The rules go well beyond those introduced during the Trump administration and are likely to keep Chinese companies several generations behind the leading edge. The goal of the new rules is to “protect our national security and prevent sensitive technologies with military applications from being acquired by the People’s Republic of China’s military, intelligence, and security services,” Alan Estevez, Undersecretary of Commerce for industry and security, said in a statement. Previously, semiconductor equipment manufacturers were prevented from supplying companies that sold to Huawei, which had the effect of cutting the device maker off from the most advanced chips. The Trump administration also barred the sale of EUV lithography tools that are required to make chips with features under 10 nanometers in size. Leading edge chips today are at least two generations more advanced than that. The new rules leverage the United States’ dominance of the semiconductor equipment market, using it as a choke point to prevent Chinese firms that supply the country’s military from advancing too rapidly. Specifically, the rules restrict companies using U.S. technology from selling to factories and R&D centers that focus on a handful of technologies, including so-called non-planar designs like FinFET and GAAFET at 14 to 16 nanometers, which have enabled increasingly denser transistor counts, DRAM memory made at the 18-nanometer node or smaller, and NAND flash memory with 128 layers or more. The export restrictions prevent sales to any Chinese facility by default. Foreign companies that operate factories in China, like Intel, TSMC, or SK Hynix, must apply to receive exemptions from the rules. Both Intel and SK Hynix have reportedly obtained exemptions, and other companies from the U.S. and its allies that have Chinese factories will probably receive waivers, too. Already, U.S. suppliers including KLA and Lam have halted deliveries and support for existing tools provided to Yangtze Memory Technologies Co., also known as YMTC, The Wall Street Journal reported. YMTC and 30 other companies were added to the “unverified list,” which doesn’t explicitly prevent U.S. companies from dealing with them, but it does heighten scrutiny of any deals and transactions. Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, also known as SMIC, is also thought to be a key target of the new rules. Already, Apple has reportedly pulled out of plans to use YMTC’s memory chips in upcoming iPhones, despite having completed a lengthy certification process, according to Nikkei Asia. American executives at Chinese chipmakers may also fall in the crosshairs. The Wall Street Journal said that at least 43 senior executives might be barred from working at 16 publicly listed Chinese companies. The financial ramifications could be far-reaching, and not just for Chinese companies. Applied Materials, for example, cut its fourth-quarter sales projections by $400 million as a result of the new rules. Semiconductor makers and suppliers have long said that revenues from sales to Chinese firms help bankroll R&D efforts that help keep American companies on the leading edge. But critics have said that those sales risk American competitiveness by helping Chinese firms more quickly climb the ladder. Exemptions may temper the blow somewhat, and while the breadth of the new restrictions caught the industry by surprise, they continue the trend of using U.S. chip prowess as lever to control the rate of progress at Chinese semiconductor companies.