Apple iOS 13 is Here! #1396

September 19, 2019PodcastKirk

Apple iOS 13 is here and many are recommending to wait until 13.1 is released due to it’s unstable nature and some bugs. So buyer beware. I am down in Columbus for this show and will be in and out of here a lot over the next month. So hopefully I will get the video studio up and running in short order as well.

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Roku Boosts UK Presence with New Models

September 19, 2019ROKU, Streaming, TVRoku, streaming, TVAndrew

UK-based Roku fans will be pleased to hear that the streaming company is launching two new models into the country; the Roku Express and the Roku Premiere. The Express is a refresh of the entry-level model but the Premiere is a brand-new mid-range device offering 4K streaming with HDR. The existing Roku Streaming Stick+ will remain in the product line-up.

This year’s Roku Express is a much softer version of its predecessor and I’d be tempted to say looks a bit like a fig roll – see right. I’m sure the PR people would prefer something like sleek and curvaceous. It’s perfect for your standard HD TV and comes with a simple remote control with popular streaming channel shortcut buttons, an HDMI cable and a power cord.

The mid-range Roku Premiere is a good way to start streaming in HD, 4K Ultra HD or 4K HDR. It actually looks very like the previous generation Express (see left) but nevertheless features a powerful quad-core processor. As before, in the box, there’s the remote control, HDMI cable and a power cord.

I much prefer the Roku interface over other competitive products and in the UK, all the terrestrial broadcasters offer their catch-up services – BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, My5 – and then you’ve also got Netflix, Spotify, Google Play Movies, NowTV and Amazon Prime Video. Roku’s are ideal if you don’t want to get trapped in a particular ecosystem.

“We are delivering more value and improved picture quality across the new 2019 streaming player line up for the United Kingdom. The Roku Premiere delivers 4K HDR for a more immersive TV experience,” said Lloyd Klarke, Director Product Management at Roku. “Whether you are new to streaming or demand more advanced features such as better Wi-Fi, 4K HDR and voice search, we have the right streaming player for everyone.”

The 2019 Roku streaming players will be available in the UK from early October from all the usual suspects – Argos, Currys, ASDA, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Amazon and other fine retailers. Pricing is below.

Roku Express GB£29.99
Roku Premiere: GB£39.99
Roku Streaming Stick+: GB£49.99

Don’t forget the UK will be seeing Roku TVs for the first time from Hisense shortly.

GitHub Acquires Semmle

September 19, 2019internetGitHub, SemmleJenThorpe

GitHub announced (in a blog post written by Nat Friedman) that is is “welcoming Semmle to GitHub”. The acquisition is seen by GitHub as a big step in securing the open source supply chain. Semmle sees it as “a fabulous milestone in a 13-year journey.”

Semmle’s revolutionary semantic code analysis engine allows developers to write queries that identify code patterns in large codebases and search for vulnerabilities and their variants. Semmle is trusted by security teams at Uber, NASA, Microsoft, Google, and has helped thousands of vulnerabilities in some of the largest codebases in the world, as well as over 100 CVEs in open source projects to date.

According to TechCrunch, GitHub did not disclose the price of the acquisition of Semmle. What is known is that Semmle launched yeast year with a $21 million Series B round led by Accel. In total, the company raised $31 million before this acquisition.

Oege de Moor from Semmle wrote: “By joining GitHub we are taking the next step in changing how software is developed, allowing every developer to benefit from the expertise of the top security researchers in the world. I can’t imagine a more fitting recognition of our team’s hard work, or a better opportunity to realize the full potential of the vision and technology.”

According to Semmle, there will be no disruption to existing users of Semmle products. GitHub and Semmle are deeply committed to securing the open source ecosystem, and as part of that commitment, LGTM.com will continue to be available for free for public repositories and open source. Semmle is also going to continue their open source security research. Existing Semmle products will integrate with GitHub’s existing product range.

It seems to me that this is one acquisition situation were nothing will be lost. Semmle’s products, and GitHubs products, are going to be integrated together.

broski lety Noise Canceling Headphones

September 17, 2019Special Mediageeknews

broski has introduced an Indiegogo for a new set of headphones. broski lety Noise Canceling Headphones are in a price class that blows the competition away. Nearly $150.00 cheaper than a comparable product. I have been testing these headphones for over a week and I am impressed. I have used a variety of noise-canceling headphone over the past few years and I can say the Broski noise-canceling headphones list of features is impressive.

Priced just at $149.00 you cannot go wrong.

20 Hours Play Time
Built-in Microphone
Foldable and Adjustable
Charging Cable
Audio Cable
Superb Noise Canceling

I am impressed with the fit, the sound and the quality of the onboard microphone. The team at broski have provided me with an extra pair and I will be giving these away to a random reader of this blog post or anyone that watches the video. Send an email to geeknews@gmail.com with broski in the subject line to enter to win. We will award the headphones a week from today.

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TikTok & Chinese Censorship #1395

September 16, 2019PodcastKirk

TikTok a Bejing based company appears to be censoring videos of Hong Kong protest. This should come as no surprise to anyone. This popular app is used by millions and I am sure the Chines Communist government has explicit instructions to the company that runs the app. Yet millions in America and Asia love the app. Yet the youth that uses the app likely could care less of what is happening in Hong Kong and the ramifications of it. Show back to normal length today. The studio performed like a rock star and now I head to Columbus for Thursday show. Get the details on the show today.

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OnePlus Announces Launch Events for 7T

September 16, 2019Android, smartphoneAndroid, OnePlus, smartphoneAndrew

OnePlus have announced the launch events for the upcoming OnePlus 7T smartphone. Starting in India and the US on 26 September, it will culminate with the European launch on 10 October in London at 16.00 BST.

As usual, OnePlus will be selling tickets to the event, which will be at the brand new Magazine London venue in North Greenwich. The tix go on-sale from 20^th September via OnePlus.com.

Pete Lau, CEO and founder of OnePlus said, “OnePlus has been built around the idea of fast and smooth, and we constantly challenge ourselves to be even better. Your smartphone’s display is the element you interact with the most, so it makes sense to invest in screen innovation. I’m really excited to hear what our users think of the OnePlus 7T Series.”

Going with OnePlus’ normal behaviour, the 7T is expected to be an incremental upgrade, rather than an entirely new model. The invite confirms that the 7T will come with a 90 Hz display but you never know what else might appear – the press release promises “more to come in London”. Apparently OnePlus are launching a magazine too, called “Addition”. Interesting.

If you can’t be there in person, the launch event will be streamed live via the OnePlus official website or on its YouTube and Twitter accounts.

CIMCON Receives $33M for Smart Cities Solution

September 15, 2019InformationCIMCON LightingJenThorpe

CIMCON Lighting, a leading global provider of smart cities technologies, announced the closing of a $33 million financing led by Digital Alpha, which includes $23 million in Series C funding and a $10 million revenue-sharing facility. Energy Impact Partners (EIP), who led the Series B also participated in the round. These funds will enable CIMCON to extend its technology lead in the smart city space and expand its sales and marketing efforts to meet the incredible demand in the market.

The $10 million revenue-sharing facility is an innovative structure provided by Digital Alpha, which will empower CIMCON and its city customers to deploy smart city initiatives with minimal upfront investment.

“We are very pleased to share the news of this recent round of funding from two valued partners,” said Anil Agrawal, CEO of CIMCON. “We have proven through our technology, our customers, and our results that the world is ready to embrace smart city technology as a critical component to urban planning and design. These funds will allow us to develop new applications and services and deepen our partnership with Cisco – and make it easier for cities to move their visions from the drawing board to the city streets.”

CIMCON Lighting’s Smart City Platform is called NearSky. It simplifies the deployment of sensors, cameras, and other devices, such as Wi-Fi access points, so cities can more easily build a digital, data-driven city. It turns any city’s existing streetlight infrastructure into a flexible, reliable, and secure digital canopy that spans the city and serves as an Internet of Municipal Things.

One of the things NearSky can is enable cities to provide mobile apps, public Wi-Fi, wayfinding, information, and EV charging stations to citizens. To me, these sound like useful things that many people would want to have in their city.

NearSky also provides cities with data storage capabilities, analysis tools, and APIs that allow the cities to process the data that is collected across the city’s network of sensors. This could be good, or bad, depending on how the people in charge of the city use that data. Some people may interpret a city’s Internet of Municipal Things as enabling surveillance of innocent people.