theverge--2020-01-29--Warehouse robots are sharing data to master human jobs

Right now , in a warehouse not far from Berlin , a bright yellow robot is leaning over a conveyor , picking items out of crates with the assurance of a chicken pecking grain .
The robot itself doesn ’ t look that unusual , but what makes it special are its eyes and brain .
With the help of a six-lens camera array and machine learning algorithms , it ’ s able to grab and pack items that would confound other bots .
And thanks to a neural network it will one day share with its fellows in warehouses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they ’ ll learn , too .
Show this bot a product it ’ s never seen before and it ’ ll not only work out how to grasp it , but then feed that information back to its peers .
“ We want a very high number of these machines out there.
” “ We tested this robot for three or four months , and it can handle nearly everything we throw at it , ” Peter Puchwein , vice president of innovation at Knapp , the logistics company that installed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We ’ re really going to push these onto the market .
We want a very high number of these machines out there.
” For the bot ’ s creators , Californian AI and robotics startup Covariant , the installation in Germany is a big step forward , and one that shows the firm has made great strides with a challenge that ’ s plagued engineers for decades : teaching robots to pick things up .
It sounds easy , but this is a task that ’ s stumped some of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Google has run a stable of robot arms in an attempt to learn how to reliably grasp things ( employees jokingly call it “ the arm pit ” ) , while Amazon holds an annual competition challenging startups to stock shelves with robots in the hope of finding a machine good enough for its warehouses ( it hasn ’ t yet ) .
But Covariant claims its bots can do what others can ’ t : work 24 hours a day , picking items without fuss .
This doesn ’ t mean that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it does unlock a lot of potential .
This is particularly true in the world of warehouses and logistics , where experts say it ’ s difficult to find human workers and they need all the robots they can get .
Speaking to The Verge , Pieter Abbeel , Covariant co-founder and the director of the Berkeley Robot Learning Lab , compares the current market in robot pickers to that of self-driving cars : there ’ s a lot of hype and flashy demos , but not enough real-world testing and ability .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ short demo videos anymore , ” says Abbeel .
“ They know very well most of the difficulty is in consistency and reliability.
” Puchwein of Knapp agrees , telling The Verge : “ The typical thing for startups to do is to show some short , well edited videos .
But as soon as you try to test the robots , they fail.
” A lot of this hype has been generated by the promise of machine learning .
Today ’ s industrial robots can pick with great speed and precision , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grabbing is equally consistent : regular shapes with easy-to-grasp surfaces .
That ’ s fine in manufacturing , where a machine has to grab the same item over and over again , but terrible in retail logistics , where the objects being packed for shipping vary hugely in size and shape .
Hardcoding a robot ’ s every move , as with traditional programming , works great in the first scenario but terribly in the second .
But if you use machine learning to feed a system data and let it generate its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it does much , much better .
Covariant uses a variety of AI methods to train its robots , including reinforcement learning : a trial and error process where the robot has a set goal ( “ move object x to location y ” ) and has to solve it itself .
Much of this training is done in simulations , where the machines can take their time , often racking up thousands of hours of work .
The result is what Abbeel calls “ the Covariant Brain ” — a nickname @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company ’ s robots .
AI allows robots to pick objects without direct instruction Covariant , which was founded in 2017 under the name Embodied Intelligence and comes out of stealth today , is certainly not the only firm applying these methods , though .
Numerous startups like Kindred and RightHand Robotics use similar fusions of machine learning and robotics .
But Covariant is bullish that its robots are better than anyone else ’ s .
“ Real world deployments are about extreme consistency and reliability , ” says Abbeel .
Puchwein agrees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s got 16 years of experience in the industry , including working for Knapp , one of the largest builders of automated warehouses worldwide .
It installed 2,000 systems last year with a turnover of more than €1 billion .
Puchwein says the company ’ s engineers traveled around the world to find the best picking robots and eventually settled on Covariant ’ s , which it installs as a nonexclusive partner .
“ Non-AI robots can pick around 10 percent of the products used by our customers , but the AI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percent , ” says Puchwein .
“ It ’ s a huge difference.
” Puchwein isn ’ t the only one on board , either .
As it comes out of stealth today , Covariant has announced a raft of private backers , including some of the most high-profile names in AI research .
They include Google ’ s head of AI , Jeff Dean ; Facebook ’ s head of AI research , Yann LeCun , and one of the “ godfathers of AI , ” Geoffrey Hinton .
As Abbeel says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as much about lending their “ reputation ” as anything else .
“ Investors aren ’ t just about the money they bring to the table , ” he says .
For all the confidence , investor and otherwise , Covariant ’ s operation is incredibly small right now .
It has just a handful of robots in operation full time , in America and abroad , in the apparel , pharmaceutical , and electronics industries .
In Germany , Covariant ’ s picking robot ( there ’ s just one for now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ firm named Obeta , but the company says it ’ s eager for more robots to compensate for a staff shortage — a situation common in logistics .
“ It ’ s very hard to find people to do this sort of work.
” For all the talk of robots taking human jobs , there just aren ’ t enough humans to do some jobs .
One recent industry report suggests 54 percent of logistics companies face staff shortages in the next five years , with warehouse workers among the most in-demand positions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and boring working conditions are cited as contributing factors , as is a falling unemployment rate ( in the US at least ) .
“ It ’ s very hard to find people to do this sort of work , ” Michael Pultke of Obeta tells The Verge through a translator .
He says Obeta relies on migrant workers to staff the company ’ s warehouses , and that the situation is the same across Europe .
“ The future is more robots.
” And what about the employees that Covariant ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mind the change ?
According to Pultke , they don ’ t see it as a threat , but an opportunity to learn how to maintain the robots and get a better type of job .
“ Machines should do the base work , which is stupid and simple , ” says Pultke .
“ People should look after the machines .
”

Right now, in a warehouse not far from Berlin, a bright yellow robot is leaning over a conveyor, picking items out of crates with the assurance of a chicken pecking grain.
The robot itself doesn’t look that unusual, but what makes it special are its eyes and brain. With the help of a six-lens camera array and machine learning algorithms, it’s able to grab and pack items that would confound other bots. And thanks to a neural network it will one day share with its fellows in warehouses around the world, anything it learns, they’ll learn, too. Show this bot a product it’s never seen before and it’ll not only work out how to grasp it, but then feed that information back to its peers.
“We want a very high number of these machines out there.”
“We tested this robot for three or four months, and it can handle nearly everything we throw at it,” Peter Puchwein, vice president of innovation at Knapp, the logistics company that installed the robot, tells The Verge. “We’re really going to push these onto the market. We want a very high number of these machines out there.”
For the bot’s creators, Californian AI and robotics startup Covariant, the installation in Germany is a big step forward, and one that shows the firm has made great strides with a challenge that’s plagued engineers for decades: teaching robots to pick things up.
It sounds easy, but this is a task that’s stumped some of the biggest research labs and tech companies. Google has run a stable of robot arms in an attempt to learn how to reliably grasp things (employees jokingly call it “the arm pit”), while Amazon holds an annual competition challenging startups to stock shelves with robots in the hope of finding a machine good enough for its warehouses (it hasn’t yet).
But Covariant claims its bots can do what others can’t: work 24 hours a day, picking items without fuss. This doesn’t mean that picking is a solved problem (Covariant’s robots uses suction cups not robotic fingers, making the task easier) but it does unlock a lot of potential. This is particularly true in the world of warehouses and logistics, where experts say it’s difficult to find human workers and they need all the robots they can get.
”Our customers don’t trust short demo videos anymore.”
Speaking to The Verge, Pieter Abbeel, Covariant co-founder and the director of the Berkeley Robot Learning Lab, compares the current market in robot pickers to that of self-driving cars: there’s a lot of hype and flashy demos, but not enough real-world testing and ability.
”Our customers don’t trust short demo videos anymore,” says Abbeel. “They know very well most of the difficulty is in consistency and reliability.”
Puchwein of Knapp agrees, telling The Verge: “The typical thing for startups to do is to show some short, well edited videos. But as soon as you try to test the robots, they fail.”
Covariant’s four co-founders, from left to right: Tianhao Zhang, Rocky Duan, Peter Chen, Pieter Abbeel Image: Covariant
A lot of this hype has been generated by the promise of machine learning. Today’s industrial robots can pick with great speed and precision, but only if what they’re grabbing is equally consistent: regular shapes with easy-to-grasp surfaces. That’s fine in manufacturing, where a machine has to grab the same item over and over again, but terrible in retail logistics, where the objects being packed for shipping vary hugely in size and shape.
Hardcoding a robot’s every move, as with traditional programming, works great in the first scenario but terribly in the second. But if you use machine learning to feed a system data and let it generate its own rules on how to pick instead, it does much, much better.
Covariant uses a variety of AI methods to train its robots, including reinforcement learning: a trial and error process where the robot has a set goal (“move object x to location y”) and has to solve it itself. Much of this training is done in simulations, where the machines can take their time, often racking up thousands of hours of work. The result is what Abbeel calls “the Covariant Brain” — a nickname for the neural network shared by the company’s robots.
AI allows robots to pick objects without direct instruction
Covariant, which was founded in 2017 under the name Embodied Intelligence and comes out of stealth today, is certainly not the only firm applying these methods, though. Numerous startups like Kindred and RightHand Robotics use similar fusions of machine learning and robotics. But Covariant is bullish that its robots are better than anyone else’s.
“Real world deployments are about extreme consistency and reliability,” says Abbeel. In the warehouse in Germany, Covariant claims its machines can pick and pack some 10,000 different items with accuracy greater than 99 percent — an impressive figure.
Puchwein agrees, and he would know. He’s got 16 years of experience in the industry, including working for Knapp, one of the largest builders of automated warehouses worldwide. It installed 2,000 systems last year with a turnover of more than €1 billion.
Puchwein says the company’s engineers traveled around the world to find the best picking robots and eventually settled on Covariant’s, which it installs as a nonexclusive partner. “Non-AI robots can pick around 10 percent of the products used by our customers, but the AI robot can pick around 95 to 99 percent,” says Puchwein. “It’s a huge difference.”
Puchwein isn’t the only one on board, either. As it comes out of stealth today, Covariant has announced a raft of private backers, including some of the most high-profile names in AI research. They include Google’s head of AI, Jeff Dean; Facebook’s head of AI research, Yann LeCun, and one of the “godfathers of AI,” Geoffrey Hinton. As Abbeel says, the involvement of these individuals is as much about lending their “reputation” as anything else. “Investors aren’t just about the money they bring to the table,” he says.
Covariant’s picking robot at work in an Obeta warehouse in Germany. Image: Covariant
For all the confidence, investor and otherwise, Covariant’s operation is incredibly small right now. It has just a handful of robots in operation full time, in America and abroad, in the apparel, pharmaceutical, and electronics industries.
In Germany, Covariant’s picking robot (there’s just one for now) is packing electronics components for a firm named Obeta, but the company says it’s eager for more robots to compensate for a staff shortage — a situation common in logistics.
“It’s very hard to find people to do this sort of work.”
For all the talk of robots taking human jobs, there just aren’t enough humans to do some jobs. One recent industry report suggests 54 percent of logistics companies face staff shortages in the next five years, with warehouse workers among the most in-demand positions. Low wages, long hours, and boring working conditions are cited as contributing factors, as is a falling unemployment rate (in the US at least).
“It’s very hard to find people to do this sort of work,” Michael Pultke of Obeta tells The Verge through a translator. He says Obeta relies on migrant workers to staff the company’s warehouses, and that the situation is the same across Europe. “The future is more robots.”


theverge--2020-01-29--British Airways suspends all China flights due to coronavirus outbreak

British Airways has suspended all its direct flights to mainland China in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak , Reuters reports .
“ We apologise to customers for the inconvenience , but the safety of our customers and crew is always our priority , ” the company said in an email .
BA.com currently shows no direct flights to mainland China , although flights to Hong Kong are unaffected .
The company said that flights will be suspended until it receives more information from British officials , according to Bloomberg .
The airline is not the first to have dropped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in the case of United Airlines , which announced it would be suspending some of its flights yesterday , the decision was taken due to a “ significant decline in demand , ” rather than specific safety concerns .
British Airways announced the cancellation of its flights in the wake of the British Foreign Office ’ s warning against all but essential travel to mainland China .
The UK is arranging to evacuate its citizens from Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province as a result of the virus , which has resulted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 6,000 people worldwide are currently thought to be infected , according to CNN .

British Airways has suspended all its direct flights to mainland China in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, Reuters reports. “We apologise to customers for the inconvenience, but the safety of our customers and crew is always our priority,” the company said in an email. BA.com currently shows no direct flights to mainland China, although flights to Hong Kong are unaffected. The company said that flights will be suspended until it receives more information from British officials, according to Bloomberg.
The airline is not the first to have dropped some of its China flights. However, in the case of United Airlines, which announced it would be suspending some of its flights yesterday, the decision was taken due to a “significant decline in demand,” rather than specific safety concerns.


theverge--2020-01-29--Tesla says China has ordered its Shanghai factory shut down over coronavirus fears

The Chinese government has ordered the shutdown of Tesla ’ s new factory in Shanghai over coronavirus fears , which will delay the company ’ s production of the Model 3 there , executives announced in a call with investors .
The ramp of the Model 3 production will be delayed by a week and a half and the shutdown may “ slightly ” impact the company ’ s profitability in the first quarter of 2020 , Tesla finance chief Zach Kirkhorn said .
“ At this point we ’ re expecting a one to one-and-a-half week delay in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a government required factory shutdown , ” he said on the call .
Tesla began delivering the first cars produced at its Shanghai factory at the end of 2019 .
The deliveries marked an important milestone for Tesla , which hopes to use its Shanghai factory to gain a foothold in China , the world ’ s largest market for electric vehicles .
Having a local factory speeds up deliveries and may insulate the company from the ongoing trade war between US and China .
The Shanghai Gigafactory is the first wholly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new coronavirus could throw a wrench in those plans But the new coronavirus could throw a wrench in those plans .
The new virus appeared in Wuhan at the start of December , and has already infected hundreds of people in nearly a dozen countries .
The World Health Organization said that it ’ s too early to declare a public health emergency globally , although the outbreak is a major emergency in China .
The government has said all companies in the city are not allowed to resume operations before February 9th @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too big of a financial hit , though , as the Shanghai-produced Model 3 only represents a tiny fraction of the company ’ s quarterly profits , Kirkhorn said .
Tesla isn ’ t the only company to be disrupted by the viral outbreak .
Google said today it was temporarily shutting down all of its China offices due to the coronavirus .
Apple and Facebook both restricted employee travel this week .

The Chinese government has ordered the shutdown of Tesla’s new factory in Shanghai over coronavirus fears, which will delay the company’s production of the Model 3 there, executives announced in a call with investors. The ramp of the Model 3 production will be delayed by a week and a half and the shutdown may “slightly” impact the company’s profitability in the first quarter of 2020, Tesla finance chief Zach Kirkhorn said.
“At this point we’re expecting a one to one-and-a-half week delay in the ramp of Shanghai-built Model 3s due to a government required factory shutdown,” he said on the call. Tesla is one of several companies affected by the Chinese government’s order, which requires facilities to remain shut down until February 9th.
Tesla began delivering the first cars produced at its Shanghai factory at the end of 2019. The deliveries marked an important milestone for Tesla, which hopes to use its Shanghai factory to gain a foothold in China, the world’s largest market for electric vehicles. Having a local factory speeds up deliveries and may insulate the company from the ongoing trade war between US and China. The Shanghai Gigafactory is the first wholly foreign-owned car plant in China.
the new coronavirus could throw a wrench in those plans
But the new coronavirus could throw a wrench in those plans. The new virus appeared in Wuhan at the start of December, and has already infected hundreds of people in nearly a dozen countries. The World Health Organization said that it’s too early to declare a public health emergency globally, although the outbreak is a major emergency in China. The government has said all companies in the city are not allowed to resume operations until next week.
The company doesn’t expect too big of a financial hit, though, as the Shanghai-produced Model 3 only represents a tiny fraction of the company’s quarterly profits, Kirkhorn said.


theverge--2020-01-29--Facebook to pay $550 million to settle privacy lawsuit over facial recognition tech

Facebook says it has agreed to pay $ 550 million to settle a class-action lawsuit regarding its use of facial recognition technology .
The news , reported first this evening by The New York Times , was part of a disclosure the company made as part of its fourth quarter earnings report today .
The case against Facebook has been going on since 2015 .
The lawsuit alleged that Facebook ’ s initial version of the its Tag Suggestions tool , which scans a user ’ s face in photos and offers suggestions about who that person might be , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violating the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act .
The $ 550 million settlement is a drop in the bucket for Facebook In 2018 , Facebook began more transparently explaining its facial recognition tech to users , pointing people to a settings page where they could disable it .
Last year , the company decided to make facial recognition on the platform opt-in only , after years of turning it on by default for all users .
A federal judge ruled in favor of making the facial recognition case a class action lawsuit in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but lost the appeal in a 3-0 court decision in August of last year .
Facebook ’ s $ 550 million settlement will be paid out to eligible Illinois users and to cover the plaintiffs ’ legal fees , according to The New York Times .
While $ 550 million may seem like a large settlement , it ’ s essentially pocket change for Facebook , which today reported revenues of $ 21 billion for the fourth quarter of 2019 .
This isn ’ t the first time the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A plaintiff sued Google in Chicago for allegedly uploading her photos to Google Photos and scanning her face without her permission , but the case was dismissed in 2018 after a judge found the plaintiff didn ’ t suffer “ concrete injuries.
” Snapchat has also been sued for allegedly violating the law .

Facebook says it has agreed to pay $550 million to settle a class-action lawsuit regarding its use of facial recognition technology. The news, reported first this evening by The New York Times, was part of a disclosure the company made as part of its fourth quarter earnings report today.
The case against Facebook has been going on since 2015. The lawsuit alleged that Facebook’s initial version of the its Tag Suggestions tool, which scans a user’s face in photos and offers suggestions about who that person might be, stored biometric data without user consent, violating the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.
The $550 million settlement is a drop in the bucket for Facebook
In 2018, Facebook began more transparently explaining its facial recognition tech to users, pointing people to a settings page where they could disable it. Last year, the company decided to make facial recognition on the platform opt-in only, after years of turning it on by default for all users.
A federal judge ruled in favor of making the facial recognition case a class action lawsuit in 2018. Facebook appealed that ruling, but lost the appeal in a 3-0 court decision in August of last year. Facebook’s $550 million settlement will be paid out to eligible Illinois users and to cover the plaintiffs’ legal fees, according to The New York Times. While $550 million may seem like a large settlement, it’s essentially pocket change for Facebook, which today reported revenues of $21 billion for the fourth quarter of 2019.


theverge--2020-01-29--Apple must pay $837 million for infringing Wi-Fi patents from Caltech, jury decides

Nearly four years after the California Institute of Technology sued Apple and Broadcom for allegedly infringing four of the university ’ s patents on Wi-Fi data transmission , a federal jury has agreed that the two companies infringed — and has awarded $ 1.1 billion in damages to Caltech for the infringement , Law360 reports .
Reporting from the courtroom today , Law360 writes that the jury ordered Apple to pay $ 837 million , with Broadcom owing $ 270 million .
That seems to be based on Caltech ’ s hypothetical estimate of what it might have been able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — if Broadcom and Apple had actually struck a deal with Caltech before they put Broadcom ’ s Wi-Fi chips into new Apple devices .
Caltech figured that Apple would owe about $ 1.40 per device , and Broadcom would owe 26 cents each , to license its patents for the 802.11n and 801.11ac Wi-Fi chips .
Apparently , Caltech ’ s inventor wasn ’ t originally thinking of using the data transmission patents for Wi-Fi specifically , according to this passage in the story : Apple and Broadcom ’ s lawyer Joseph @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the patents had only been licensed once , and that their co-inventor , Hui Jin , testified he had never considered using the patents for Wi-Fi until he heard Broadcom and Apple might be infringing them .
Earlier in the case , Apple also argued that it was merely using off-the-shelf Wi-Fi chips from Broadcom , instead of building any infringing tech itself , and shouldn ’ t be sued for that .
A juror who spoke to Law360 said that such arguments , among others , didn ’ t really play into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply agreed that Broadcom ’ s tech , as sold to Apple , seemed to infringe on the patents .
It ’ ll be interesting to see if Caltech tries to sue other gadget manufacturers that used the same tech .
Probably coincidentally , Apple and Broadcom just announced a $ 15 billion deal last week to supply Apple with more wireless chips for the next three and a half years .
Apple confirmed to The Verge that it plans to appeal , but declined to comment further .

Nearly four years after the California Institute of Technology sued Apple and Broadcom for allegedly infringing four of the university’s patents on Wi-Fi data transmission, a federal jury has agreed that the two companies infringed — and has awarded $1.1 billion in damages to Caltech for the infringement, Law360 reports.
Reporting from the courtroom today, Law360 writes that the jury ordered Apple to pay $837 million, with Broadcom owing $270 million. That seems to be based on Caltech’s hypothetical estimate of what it might have been able to negotiate in royalties back in 2010 — if Broadcom and Apple had actually struck a deal with Caltech before they put Broadcom’s Wi-Fi chips into new Apple devices.
Caltech figured that Apple would owe about $1.40 per device, and Broadcom would owe 26 cents each, to license its patents for the 802.11n and 801.11ac Wi-Fi chips.
Apparently, Caltech’s inventor wasn’t originally thinking of using the data transmission patents for Wi-Fi specifically, according to this passage in the story:
Apple and Broadcom’s lawyer Joseph J. Mueller of WilmerHale pointed out that the patents had only been licensed once, and that their co-inventor, Hui Jin, testified he had never considered using the patents for Wi-Fi until he heard Broadcom and Apple might be infringing them.
Earlier in the case, Apple also argued that it was merely using off-the-shelf Wi-Fi chips from Broadcom, instead of building any infringing tech itself, and shouldn’t be sued for that.
A juror who spoke to Law360 said that such arguments, among others, didn’t really play into the verdict, though — the jury simply agreed that Broadcom’s tech, as sold to Apple, seemed to infringe on the patents. It’ll be interesting to see if Caltech tries to sue other gadget manufacturers that used the same tech.
Probably coincidentally, Apple and Broadcom just announced a $15 billion deal last week to supply Apple with more wireless chips for the next three and a half years.


theverge--2020-01-29--LastPass is discontinuing its native Mac app and replacing it with a more universal web app

Password management app LastPass has announced it will be discontinuing its native macOS app on February 29th , directing users in an email to switch over to the new web-based version of the app that will replace it .
According to the email , LastPass is making the change to “ provide the best experience for our customers , ” citing changes made by Apple in Safari 12 in 2018 , which were designed to push developers toward offering browser extensions through native Mac App Store apps instead of the soon to be deprecated Safari Extension Gallery .
While other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ implement the new system with their native apps , LastPass has decided to just remove support for the old native app entirely .
To replace it , LastPass will be offering a new Mac app that will support the new extension system .
However , instead of being a fully native piece of Apple software , it ’ ll be more of a web app that ’ s “ built with technologies shared with our other LastPass apps , ” which the company says will make it easier to maintain its apps across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the new app is no longer built with native Mac technologies , which means that it looks worse ( especially compared to the old app , which fit in much better alongside other native Mac apps ) .
It also lacks deeper macOS features , like system-wide hot keys , which is also disappointing .
Customers who prefer the old Mac App Store version will theoretically be able to use it , but after February 29th , the app “ will no longer be supported or receive security updates .
”

Password management app LastPass has announced it will be discontinuing its native macOS app on February 29th, directing users in an email to switch over to the new web-based version of the app that will replace it.
According to the email, LastPass is making the change to “provide the best experience for our customers,” citing changes made by Apple in Safari 12 in 2018, which were designed to push developers toward offering browser extensions through native Mac App Store apps instead of the soon to be deprecated Safari Extension Gallery. While other apps, like 1Password, updated to implement the new system with their native apps, LastPass has decided to just remove support for the old native app entirely.
The new, web-based LastPass for Mac
To replace it, LastPass will be offering a new Mac app that will support the new extension system. However, instead of being a fully native piece of Apple software, it’ll be more of a web app that’s “built with technologies shared with our other LastPass apps,” which the company says will make it easier to maintain its apps across multiple platforms.
The downside is that the new app is no longer built with native Mac technologies, which means that it looks worse (especially compared to the old app, which fit in much better alongside other native Mac apps). It also lacks deeper macOS features, like system-wide hot keys, which is also disappointing.


theverge--2020-01-29--Nest thermostats can alert homeowners of potential heating or cooling problems

Google is testing a feature that can send Nest owners alerts about their furnaces when “ unusual or unexpected patterns ” are detected .
The HVAC alerts will be automatically sent to subscribers of the Nest Home Report email list , notifying homeowners of any small issue in their heating , cooling , or ventilation system before it potentially becomes a serious problem .
For example , based on the historical data your Nest thermostat has collected about your home , if it ’ s taking longer than usual to cool , that may trigger an HVAC alert .
You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about which system was affected ( heating or cooling ) , and in some areas , a link to make an appointment for a “ pro ” visit with home services platform Handy .
Google stresses in its blog post that the alerts are not meant to replace regular maintenance on furnaces and other equipment .
And as Android Police notes , they won ’ t warn you if a major component of your HVAC is about to fail .
In fact , the alerts are probably not going to pick up every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Google ’ s blog post .
But in any event , if you ’ re doing regular maintenance ( ahem ) , then you ’ re not likely to be caught off guard by any really big furnace or AC problems .

Google is testing a feature that can send Nest owners alerts about their furnaces when “unusual or unexpected patterns” are detected. The HVAC alerts will be automatically sent to subscribers of the Nest Home Report email list, notifying homeowners of any small issue in their heating, cooling, or ventilation system before it potentially becomes a serious problem.
For example, based on the historical data your Nest thermostat has collected about your home, if it’s taking longer than usual to cool, that may trigger an HVAC alert. You’ll get an email with details about which system was affected (heating or cooling), and in some areas, a link to make an appointment for a “pro” visit with home services platform Handy.


theverge--2020-01-29--Delta is limiting flights between the US and China due to coronavirus outbreak

Delta announced today that it will be temporarily reducing flights between the US and China due to “ significantly reduced customer demand ” that has resulted from concerns about the coronavirus .
This marks the third US airline to drastically change its operations in response to the outbreak , after United and American announced similar flight cancellations between the US and China earlier this week .
Delta says all of its US-China flights will still operate from the same locations , but it will reduce the number of weekly flights from those places from 42 to “ approximately ” 21 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and will go through April 30th , though Delta says it may adjust that timeline “ as the situation continues to evolve.
” Delta ’ s timeline is much longer than that of American Airlines , which has canceled flights between Los Angeles and mainland China from February 7th through March 26th , or United Airlines , which has only suspended flights between US hubs and some Chinese cities between February 1st and February 8th .
If you ’ re already booked for a flight that is affected by this change , Delta @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you to help you find an alternate flight .
British Airways has also suspended flights to China out of caution for coronavirus .

Delta announced today that it will be temporarily reducing flights between the US and China due to “significantly reduced customer demand” that has resulted from concerns about the coronavirus. This marks the third US airline to drastically change its operations in response to the outbreak, after United and American announced similar flight cancellations between the US and China earlier this week.
Delta says all of its US-China flights will still operate from the same locations, but it will reduce the number of weekly flights from those places from 42 to “approximately” 21. That reduced schedule starts February 6th and will go through April 30th, though Delta says it may adjust that timeline “as the situation continues to evolve.”
Delta’s timeline is much longer than that of American Airlines, which has canceled flights between Los Angeles and mainland China from February 7th through March 26th, or United Airlines, which has only suspended flights between US hubs and some Chinese cities between February 1st and February 8th.
If you’re already booked for a flight that is affected by this change, Delta says it will proactively reach out to you to help you find an alternate flight.


theverge--2020-01-29--A proposed House bill is threatening to rework NASA’s plans to return humans to the Moon

A proposed piece of legislation from the House threatens to change NASA ’ s efforts to return humans to the Moon , worrying NASA officials and space advocates .
The bill — a new authorization act for NASA — could significantly rework the space agency ’ s lunar plans by changing what kinds of vehicles and resources are used .
And it would place a much larger emphasis on getting humans to Mars .
The bill ’ s main focus is NASA ’ s Artemis program , the agency ’ s primary human spaceflight program that entails sending the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moon ’ s surface by 2024 .
NASA has been working toward this goal after the vice president challenged the agency last year to expedite its lunar return .
the bill would push the deadline to 2028 But rather than have NASA focus on getting to the Moon so soon , the bill would push the deadline to 2028 .
The legislation also adds another big milestone : get humans in orbit around Mars by 2033 .
In fact , the bill places more of a focus on that long-term goal , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order to meet the objective of getting to the Red Planet sooner rather than later .
Notably , it directs NASA to start working on a Mars transport vehicle ASAP , something the agency isn ’ t quite focused on at the moment .
“ If their efforts have then generated some controversy , it is because they have done the hard work of clarifying what needs to happen if NASA is to reach Mars in a reasonable time period and for a reasonable cost , ” Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson ( D-TX @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bill today , referring to her colleagues who wrote the bill .
The changes the bill is proposing have , indeed , rubbed a few officials the wrong way .
“ I am concerned that the bill imposes some significant constraints on our approach to lunar exploration , ” NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine wrote in a blog post after the bill was released .
Perhaps the biggest concern revolves around the construction of Artemis ’ lunar lander .
Right now , NASA hopes to obtain multiple landers from commercial companies through public-private partnerships @ @ @ @ @ @ @ invest in the development of the landers , but the companies would create , control , and own the final products themselves .
The new bill wants to instead make NASA the sole owner of this hardware , with full oversight on development .
This is the same way NASA has built its biggest spacecraft for decades , and it can often be a costly way of doing business .
For example , Boeing is currently building NASA ’ s next big rocket , the Space Launch System , this way , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several billions of dollars .
“ In particular , we are concerned that the bill ’ s approach to developing a human lander system as fully government-owned and directed would be ineffective , ” Bridenstine said .
“ The approach established by the bill would inhibit our ability to develop a flexible architecture that takes advantage of the full array of national capabilities – government and private sector – to accomplish national goals.
” Additionally , the bill dictates how the lander is supposed to reach the Moon .
The legislation says the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SLS and the massive upper stage of the vehicle that Boeing plans to build for it .
That means whoever is assigned to build the landers must be well-versed in Boeing ’ s hardware , potentially giving Boeing the leg up in the competition .
If all of this hardware does actually take people to the Moon , the astronauts might also be limited in what they can do there .
Right now , NASA plans to use the Moon ’ s resources to maintain a sustainable presence on or around the lunar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lunar dirt to create structures and tools , as well as potentially mining water ice on the Moon ’ s surface .
The bill argues that using the Moon ’ s resources doesn ’ t make it easier to get to Mars , so any lunar prospecting and mining has to be funded through other programs outside of Artemis .
In fact , the bill states that NASA shouldn ’ t focus on any activities on the Moon that don ’ t contribute to getting to Mars .
“ Let me be clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Numerous organizations have come out against the bill , including The Planetary Society and the Commercial Spaceflight Federation .
Others like the Aerospace Industries Association and the Coalition for Deep Space Exploration have expressed their desire to continue to review portions of the legislation .
During a markup of the bill today , members of the House subcommittee on space emphasized that the bill isn ’ t perfect and that they hope to eventually create an authorization act that everyone can agree on .
Some Republicans were clear that they weren ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Let me be clear , this is not an ideal bill , ” Rep. Brian Babin ( R-TX ) , said during today ’ s markup .
“ It is not the one that I would have even put forward had we been in the majority.
” Babin said that without the votes to defeat the bill , he decided to support the legislation and work with the Democratic majority to strengthen it , rather than not work with them at all .
Rep. Johnson also noted that the bill isn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that no one get too focused on the specific milestone dates proposed in the bill , ” she said .
“ If NASA is able to get to the Moon before 2028 or if it takes longer than 2033 for NASA to orbit Mars , that ’ s okay.
” This bill has quite a ways to go before it becomes a law of any kind .
It has to be reviewed by the full House and then it must be reconciled with a Senate NASA Authorization Act that was proposed in November @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enacted without any changes are quite low .
But clearly , NASA and others are worried about the potential impacts this legislation could have on the future of the Artemis program .
Up until now , NASA ’ s Artemis program has mostly been built internally , with a clear deadline established by the Trump administration .
Now , Congress wants to have a much more prescriptive say in the process , which means NASA may have to make a few changes even if it doesn ’ t want to .

A proposed piece of legislation from the House threatens to change NASA’s efforts to return humans to the Moon, worrying NASA officials and space advocates. The bill — a new authorization act for NASA — could significantly rework the space agency’s lunar plans by changing what kinds of vehicles and resources are used. And it would place a much larger emphasis on getting humans to Mars.
The bill’s main focus is NASA’s Artemis program, the agency’s primary human spaceflight program that entails sending the first woman and the next man to the Moon’s surface by 2024. NASA has been working toward this goal after the vice president challenged the agency last year to expedite its lunar return.
the bill would push the deadline to 2028
But rather than have NASA focus on getting to the Moon so soon, the bill would push the deadline to 2028. The legislation also adds another big milestone: get humans in orbit around Mars by 2033. In fact, the bill places more of a focus on that long-term goal, and rewrites NASA’s lunar plans in order to meet the objective of getting to the Red Planet sooner rather than later. Notably, it directs NASA to start working on a Mars transport vehicle ASAP, something the agency isn’t quite focused on at the moment.
“If their efforts have then generated some controversy, it is because they have done the hard work of clarifying what needs to happen if NASA is to reach Mars in a reasonable time period and for a reasonable cost,” Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) said during a markup of the bill today, referring to her colleagues who wrote the bill.
The changes the bill is proposing have, indeed, rubbed a few officials the wrong way. “I am concerned that the bill imposes some significant constraints on our approach to lunar exploration,” NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine wrote in a blog post after the bill was released.
Perhaps the biggest concern revolves around the construction of Artemis’ lunar lander. Right now, NASA hopes to obtain multiple landers from commercial companies through public-private partnerships. With these collaborations, NASA would invest in the development of the landers, but the companies would create, control, and own the final products themselves. The new bill wants to instead make NASA the sole owner of this hardware, with full oversight on development. This is the same way NASA has built its biggest spacecraft for decades, and it can often be a costly way of doing business. For example, Boeing is currently building NASA’s next big rocket, the Space Launch System, this way, and the vehicle’s development has ballooned several billions of dollars.
“In particular, we are concerned that the bill’s approach to developing a human lander system as fully government-owned and directed would be ineffective,” Bridenstine said. “The approach established by the bill would inhibit our ability to develop a flexible architecture that takes advantage of the full array of national capabilities – government and private sector – to accomplish national goals.”
Additionally, the bill dictates how the lander is supposed to reach the Moon. The legislation says the lander has to be integrated with the SLS and the massive upper stage of the vehicle that Boeing plans to build for it. That means whoever is assigned to build the landers must be well-versed in Boeing’s hardware, potentially giving Boeing the leg up in the competition.
If all of this hardware does actually take people to the Moon, the astronauts might also be limited in what they can do there. Right now, NASA plans to use the Moon’s resources to maintain a sustainable presence on or around the lunar surface. This could mean using the lunar dirt to create structures and tools, as well as potentially mining water ice on the Moon’s surface. The bill argues that using the Moon’s resources doesn’t make it easier to get to Mars, so any lunar prospecting and mining has to be funded through other programs outside of Artemis. In fact, the bill states that NASA shouldn’t focus on any activities on the Moon that don’t contribute to getting to Mars.
“Let me be clear, this is not an ideal bill.”
Numerous organizations have come out against the bill, including The Planetary Society and the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. Others like the Aerospace Industries Association and the Coalition for Deep Space Exploration have expressed their desire to continue to review portions of the legislation.
During a markup of the bill today, members of the House subcommittee on space emphasized that the bill isn’t perfect and that they hope to eventually create an authorization act that everyone can agree on. Some Republicans were clear that they weren’t fully supportive of the legislation. “Let me be clear, this is not an ideal bill,” Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX), said during today’s markup. “It is not the one that I would have even put forward had we been in the majority.” Babin said that without the votes to defeat the bill, he decided to support the legislation and work with the Democratic majority to strengthen it, rather than not work with them at all.
Rep. Johnson also noted that the bill isn’t inflexible. “I would suggest that no one get too focused on the specific milestone dates proposed in the bill,” she said. “If NASA is able to get to the Moon before 2028 or if it takes longer than 2033 for NASA to orbit Mars, that’s okay.”
This bill has quite a ways to go before it becomes a law of any kind. It has to be reviewed by the full House and then it must be reconciled with a Senate NASA Authorization Act that was proposed in November. The odds of this bill being enacted without any changes are quite low.


theverge--2020-01-29--FTC says the tech behind audio deepfakes is getting better

Rapid progress in voice cloning technology is making it harder to tell real voices from synthetic ones .
But while audio deepfakes — which can trick people into giving up sensitive information — are a growing problem , there are some good and legitimate uses for the technology as well , a group of experts told an FTC workshop this week .
“ People have been mimicking voices for years , but just in the last few years , the technology has advanced to the point where we can clone voices at scale using a very small audio sample , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the FTC ’ s division of litigation technology and analysis .
At its first public workshop on audio cloning technology , the FTC enlisted experts from academia , government , medicine , and entertainment to highlight the implications of the tech and the potential harms .
FTC spokesperson Juliana Gruenwald Henderson said after the workshop that impostor schemes are the number one type of complaint the agency receives .
“ We began organizing this workshop after learning that machine learning techniques are rapidly improving the quality of voice clones , ” she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both audio and visual , let criminals communicate anonymously , making it much easier to pull off scams , says Mona Sedky of the Department of Justice Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section .
Sedky , who said she was the “ voice of doom ” on the panel , says communication-focused crime has historically been less appealing to criminals because it ’ s hard and time-consuming to pull off .
“ It ’ s difficult to convincingly pose as someone else , ” she says .
“ But with deep fake audio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anonymously with people anywhere in the world.
” Sedky said audio cloning can be weaponized just like the internet can be weaponized .
“ That doesn ’ t mean we shouldn ’ t use the internet , but there may be things we can do , things on the front end , to bake into the technology to make it harder to weaponize voices.
” John Costello , director of the Augmentative Communication Program at Boston Children ’ s Hospital , said audio cloning technology has practical applications for patients who lose their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ bank ” audio samples that can then be used to create synthetic versions of their voices later on .
“ Many people want to make sure they have an authentic-sounding synthetic voice , so after they lose their voice , for things they never thought to bank , they want to be able to ‘ speak ’ those things and have it sound like themselves , ” he said .
For voice actors and performers , the concept of audio cloning presents a different set of problems , including consent and compensation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rebecca Damon of the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists .
A voice actor may have contractual obligations around where their voice is heard , or may not want their voice to be used in a way not compatible with their beliefs , she said .
And for broadcast journalists , she added , the misuse or replication of their voices without permission has the potential to affect their credibility .
“ A lot of times people get excited and rush in with the new technology and then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the applications , ” Damon said .
While people often talk about social media and its ability to spread audio and video deepfakes — think of the faked Joe Rogan voice , or the AI-assisted impersonation of President Obama by Jordan Peele — most of the panelists agreed that the most immediate audio deepfake concern for most consumers was via telephone .
“ Social media platforms are the front line , that is where messages are getting conveyed and latched on to and disseminated , ” said Neil Johnson , an advisor with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DARPA ) .
And text-to-speech applications that generate voices , like when a company calls to tell you a package has been delivered , have widespread and valuable applications .
But Johnson cited an example of a UK company that was extorted for about $ 220,000 because someone spoofed the CEO ’ s voice for a wire transfer scam .
Patrick Traynor of the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering at the University of Florida said the sophistication around phone scams and audio deepfakes was likely to continue to improve .
“ Ultimately , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that will get us there , ” to combat and detect synthetic or faked voices , he said .
The best way to determine if a caller is who they say they are , Traynor added , is a tried-and-true method : “ Hang up and call them back .
Unless it ’ s a state actor who can reroute phone calls or a very , very sophisticated hacking group , chances are that ’ s the best way to figure out if you were talking to who you thought you were .
@

Rapid progress in voice cloning technology is making it harder to tell real voices from synthetic ones. But while audio deepfakes — which can trick people into giving up sensitive information — are a growing problem, there are some good and legitimate uses for the technology as well, a group of experts told an FTC workshop this week.
“People have been mimicking voices for years, but just in the last few years, the technology has advanced to the point where we can clone voices at scale using a very small audio sample,” said Laura DeMartino, associate director in the FTC’s division of litigation technology and analysis.
At its first public workshop on audio cloning technology, the FTC enlisted experts from academia, government, medicine, and entertainment to highlight the implications of the tech and the potential harms.
FTC spokesperson Juliana Gruenwald Henderson said after the workshop that impostor schemes are the number one type of complaint the agency receives. “We began organizing this workshop after learning that machine learning techniques are rapidly improving the quality of voice clones,” she said in an email.
Deepfakes, both audio and visual, let criminals communicate anonymously, making it much easier to pull off scams, says Mona Sedky of the Department of Justice Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. Sedky, who said she was the “voice of doom” on the panel, says communication-focused crime has historically been less appealing to criminals because it’s hard and time-consuming to pull off. “It’s difficult to convincingly pose as someone else,” she says. “But with deep fake audio and anonymizing tools, you can communicate anonymously with people anywhere in the world.”
Sedky said audio cloning can be weaponized just like the internet can be weaponized. “That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use the internet, but there may be things we can do, things on the front end, to bake into the technology to make it harder to weaponize voices.”
John Costello, director of the Augmentative Communication Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, said audio cloning technology has practical applications for patients who lose their voice. They’re able to “bank” audio samples that can then be used to create synthetic versions of their voices later on. “Many people want to make sure they have an authentic-sounding synthetic voice, so after they lose their voice, for things they never thought to bank, they want to be able to ‘speak’ those things and have it sound like themselves,” he said.
For voice actors and performers, the concept of audio cloning presents a different set of problems, including consent and compensation for use of their voices, said Rebecca Damon of the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. A voice actor may have contractual obligations around where their voice is heard, or may not want their voice to be used in a way not compatible with their beliefs, she said.
And for broadcast journalists, she added, the misuse or replication of their voices without permission has the potential to affect their credibility. “A lot of times people get excited and rush in with the new technology and then don’t necessarily think through all the applications,” Damon said.
While people often talk about social media and its ability to spread audio and video deepfakes — think of the faked Joe Rogan voice, or the AI-assisted impersonation of President Obama by Jordan Peele — most of the panelists agreed that the most immediate audio deepfake concern for most consumers was via telephone.
“Social media platforms are the front line, that is where messages are getting conveyed and latched on to and disseminated,” said Neil Johnson, an advisor with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). And text-to-speech applications that generate voices, like when a company calls to tell you a package has been delivered, have widespread and valuable applications. But Johnson cited an example of a UK company that was extorted for about $220,000 because someone spoofed the CEO’s voice for a wire transfer scam.


theverge--2020-01-29--2020’s new emoji include the transgender flag and more gender-inclusive options

The Unicode Consortium has revealed 117 new emoji that will be rolled out later this year as part of Emoji 13.0 .
There are 62 new emoji and 55 new gender and skin tone variants of emoji , including more gender-inclusive options .
Some of them look really fun — I already can ’ t wait to troll my friends with the smiling face with a tear , the face with glasses and a mustache , the ninja , and the cockroach .
Here ’ s an image from Emojipedia that approximates what all the new emoji might look like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and services .
Exactly when the new emoji are released is up to each individual vendor , but in previous years , the new emoji have typically rolled out in the fall , and that seems like a reasonable expectation for this year as well .
There are new inclusive emoji options in this year ’ s lineup .
There ’ s a transgender flag emoji on the way ( the proposal for which was sponsored by Google and Microsoft ) , as well as an emoji for the transgender symbol .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in introducing more gender-inclusive emoji , also proposed the all-gender options for the “ person in veil ” emoji ( right now , that emoji only portrays a woman ) and “ person in tuxedo ” emoji ( which currently only portrays a man ) .
There ’ s also a new all-gender “ person feeding baby with a bottle ” emoji that was proposed by Google , which will give people of all genders a way to communicate that they are feeding a baby .
Proposing emoji isn ’ t just limited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anyone can submit a proposal .
If you want to learn a little bit about the process , you can read about my journey proposing the waffle and yawning face emoji right here .

The Unicode Consortium has revealed 117 new emoji that will be rolled out later this year as part of Emoji 13.0. There are 62 new emoji and 55 new gender and skin tone variants of emoji, including more gender-inclusive options. Some of them look really fun — I already can’t wait to troll my friends with the smiling face with a tear, the face with glasses and a mustache, the ninja, and the cockroach.
Here’s an image from Emojipedia that approximates what all the new emoji might look like when they’re released on devices and services. Exactly when the new emoji are released is up to each individual vendor, but in previous years, the new emoji have typically rolled out in the fall, and that seems like a reasonable expectation for this year as well.
Image: Emojipedia
There are new inclusive emoji options in this year’s lineup. There’s a transgender flag emoji on the way (the proposal for which was sponsored by Google and Microsoft), as well as an emoji for the transgender symbol. And Google, which has led the charge in introducing more gender-inclusive emoji, also proposed the all-gender options for the “person in veil” emoji (right now, that emoji only portrays a woman) and “person in tuxedo” emoji (which currently only portrays a man). There’s also a new all-gender “person feeding baby with a bottle” emoji that was proposed by Google, which will give people of all genders a way to communicate that they are feeding a baby.


theverge--2020-01-29--Facebook’s messaging apps are more important than ever as revenue growth stalls

Facebook ’ s global expansion continues unabated , as the company now reports that at least 2.26 billion people use at least one of the company ’ s family of mobile apps or its website at least once a day , while 2.89 billion do so at least once a month .
Those numbers are up 11 percent and 9 percent , respectively , from this time a year ago , and the daily figure represents the greatest growth among the the collection of stats the company typically touts every quarter , which also the number of people who use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every month .
Those figures only grew 9 and 8 percent , respectively .
More pressing , however , is that while Facebook ’ s user growth remains steady , the same can not be said for its revenue and profit .
Facebook still makes money hand over fist , of course , but the future of the business depends on finding ways to make more money from those new users , and that doesn ’ t appear to be happening even as Facebook can say more people use its products than ever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compared with the fourth quarter of 2018 was only 7 percent , compared to the whopping 61 percent jump Facebook experienced a year ago .
Facebook has only in recent quarters begun touting that more holistic DAP metric , for family “ daily active people , ” which the company has said is a more accurate measure of its growth .
That ’ s because a majority of new users don ’ t tend to use the Facebook website all that much anymore , or even the Facebook mobile app all that much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , at least on a daily basis , to log into Facebook Messenger , Instagram , or WhatsApp .
As a result , Facebook ’ s main platform has faded into background for many younger users , and it ’ s no longer the dynamic revenue-driver it used to be .
For Facebook ’ s business , the DAP metric and its high visibility in earnings reports is also indicative of how the social network sees its future : increasingly private and messaging-related , with less of a focus on public-facing and traditional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CEO Mark Zuckerberg ’ s big shift in vision for the company announced last year , in which he said Facebook would shift toward a privacy-focused , encrypted messaging platform with a unified back end spanning Instagram , Messenger , and WhatsApp .
Overall , Facebook recording sales of just over $ 21 billion for the fourth quarter of 2019 , which ended December 31st , and a profit of $ 7.35 billion .
Both those figures just narrowly beat analyst expectations , but the company ’ s shares are down more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s due in part to Facebook ’ s rate of growth , which is still impressive but slowing down considerably , with more and more of its profit potential now dependent on Instagram and its other messaging platforms .

Facebook’s global expansion continues unabated as the company now reports that about 2.26 billion people use at least one of the company’s family of mobile apps or its website at least once a day, while 2.89 billion do so at least once a month.
Those numbers are up 11 percent and 9 percent, respectively, from this time a year ago. The daily figure represents the greatest growth among the collection of stats the company typically touts every quarter, which also includes the number of people who use the main Facebook service every day and every month. Those figures only grew 9 and 8 percent, respectively.
More pressing, however, is that while Facebook’s user growth remains steady, the same cannot be said for its revenue and profit. Facebook still makes money hand over fist, of course, but the future of the business depends on finding ways to make more money from those new users, and that doesn’t appear to be happening even as Facebook can say more people use its products than ever before. Profit growth this past quarter compared with the fourth quarter of 2018 was only 7 percent, compared to the whopping 61 percent jump Facebook experienced a year ago.
Facebook’s future lies in its messaging apps
Only in recent quarters has Facebook begun touting that more holistic DAP metric, for family “daily active people,” which the company has said is a more accurate measure of its growth. That’s because a majority of new users don’t tend to use the Facebook website all that much anymore, or even the Facebook mobile app all that much.
Instead, users are more likely, at least on a daily basis, to log into Facebook Messenger, Instagram, or WhatsApp. As a result, Facebook’s main platform has faded into the background for many younger users, and it’s no longer the dynamic revenue driver it used to be.
For Facebook’s business, the DAP metric and its high visibility in earnings reports is also indicative of how the social network sees its future: increasingly private and messaging-related, with less of a focus on public-facing and traditional social network platforms. That tracks with CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s big shift in vision for the company announced last year, in which he said Facebook would shift toward a privacy-focused, encrypted messaging platform with a unified back end spanning Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp.


theverge--2020-01-30--Motorola’s stylus-equipped handset appears in leaked photos

The first photographs of Motorala ’ s stylus-equipped Moto have appeared online , just days after the first image of the device was leaked by Evan Blass .
The photograph , which comes to us from 91Mobiles , shows the rear of the phone for the first time .
91Mobiles also has some initial details on what the specs of the device are likely to be .
In this photo of the rear of the device we can see what appears to be a similar camera setup to last year ’ s Moto G8 Plus , which includes a 48-megapixel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what 91Mobile reports is a 117-degree wide-angle camera .
There ’ s also two more mystery sensors alongside a re-positioned camera flash .
Not pictured , crucially , is the device ’ s stylus , which means there ’ s a chance that this is a photo of either the Moto G8 or G8 Power that leaked earlier this week .
The Moto G Stylus , to use the name that 91Mobiles uses for the device , will reportedly have similar specs to last year ’ s G8 Plus .
Its screen should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the report claims it will be powered by a 6-series Snapdragon processor ( for reference , the G8 Plus used a Snapdragon 665 ) .
4GB RAM and 128GB of storage round out what sounds like a mid-range alternative to Samsung ’ s premium stylus-equipped Note devices .
There ’ s no word on when the phone may be announced or released , but with MWC fast approaching at the end of February , it would make sense for the phone to make its first appearance there .

The first photographs of Motorala’s stylus-equipped Moto have appeared online, just days after the first image of the device was leaked by Evan Blass. The photograph, which comes to us from 91Mobiles, shows the rear of the phone for the first time. 91Mobiles also has some initial details on what the specs of the device are likely to be.
In this photo of the rear of the device we can see what appears to be a similar camera setup to last year’s Moto G8 Plus, which includes a 48-megapixel main primary sensor, as well as what 91Mobile reports is a 117-degree wide-angle camera. There’s also two more mystery sensors alongside a re-positioned camera flash. Not pictured, crucially, is the device’s stylus, which means there’s a chance that this is a photo of either the Moto G8 or G8 Power that leaked earlier this week.
The photographs show an identical design to the press render that leaked earlier in the week. Image: 91Mobiles
The Moto G Stylus, to use the name that 91Mobiles uses for the device, will reportedly have similar specs to last year’s G8 Plus. Its screen should be around 6.3 or 6.4-inches big, and the report claims it will be powered by a 6-series Snapdragon processor (for reference, the G8 Plus used a Snapdragon 665). 4GB RAM and 128GB of storage round out what sounds like a mid-range alternative to Samsung’s premium stylus-equipped Note devices.


theverge--2020-01-30--Apple’s App Store still limits developers’ options for how to make money

It ’ s not every day we get to talk about a good old-fashioned utility app update .
I wouldn ’ t go so far as to say they ’ re a dying breed , but the Apple App Store platform dynamics of recent years have made their row much harder to hoe .
Which is one reason I ’ m happy to say that if you ’ re a Mac or iPhone user ( or , ideally , both ) , you should absolutely go check out the newly updated Fantastical apps .
There are a few new features @ @ @ @ @ @ @ am excited for a calendar app that integrates with several to-do apps .
The thing about this update that may grab some attention is that it is moving to a subscription model .
Historically , this kind of move has sparked consternation , but I ’ m not feeling any of that .
It ’ s $ 4.99 a month or — in my preferred way to talk about subscription pricing — $ 40 per year ( a $ 20 discount ) .
That subscription gets you access to the iPhone , Mac @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Non-Apple users should look elsewhere .
I think the subscription model is totally fair , especially given Flexibits ’ history of updates and quality .
That ’ s partially because , as I alluded to up top , there really aren ’ t better options for this category of apps given the rules laid down by Apple in the App Store .
If you ’ ve watched the App Store market dynamics over the past years , none of this will come as a surprise , but let ’ s recap : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the bottom when it came to pricing .
Many apps were priced at $ 0.99 , which set a consumer expectation that iPhone apps are cheap .
• Driven by that dynamic and by ranked lists on the App Store , the app market moved to a sort of hit-based system , where games and free apps dominated downloads .
• Over the years , Apple refused to offer more flexible pricing options to developers .
There never has been ( and may never be ) such a thing as “ upgrade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unlike on more open platforms like the Mac .
Developers either had to offer major new versions for free , charge current users the same amount as new users , or try to jerry-rig an in-app purchase system .
• Perhaps realizing that the rules it had put in place for the App Store were skewing the market dynamics for apps , Apple switched over to a new system that encouraged subscriptions by reducing its cut after a year .
There are pros and cons to the subscription model for both developers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ context-dependent .
So I ’ m not making a judgement on that one way or the other — only pointing out that the realm of possible business models has been heavily constrained by the App Store ’ s rules .
Those limitations have sometimes forced developers into weird decisions and I obviously wish Apple would open up to more pricing models .
I especially wish it weren ’ t engaging in such blatant rent-seeking when it comes to taking a cut of in-app fees .
Anyway , the point is that if you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ model , it ’ s not necessarily doing so because it ’ s the trendy thing to do — instead , there may not be any other real choice .
One thing strikes me about Fantastical ’ s switch to a subscription model is how elegantly it was handled .
I can ’ t imagine figuring out how to fork its versions to support this , but Flexibits is doing it : One quick note : A lot of my newsletters have had a little “ ▼ ” in the subject line .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Verge logo ( though that ’ s a nice side effect ) , but instead to indicate that the newsletter includes a longer essay .
I ’ ll aim to keep doing it , but you ’ ll notice this one doesn ’ t have one because it ’ s relatively short .
I bring it all up as a reminder and also a heads-up that as tech news picks up over the next few weeks there may be a few more ▼-less editions than usual .
└ Samsung hopes 5G will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tesla ’ s record 2019 has bought it some breathing room └ Tesla says it will start delivering the Model Y this spring , months ahead of schedule Is Elon Musk feeling okay , do you think ?
Delivering something ahead of schedule is very out of character for him so I ’ m a little worried .
Most divisions are up .
The Windows 7 transition helped Windows , Surface is making respectable but not outsized gains , and of course the real money driver is cloud services .
The following note @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s funny because it ’ s surely true : └ WarnerMedia takes $ 1.2 billion revenue hit in hopes that HBO Max pays off in the long run AT & T really , really seems to think there ’ s going to be a virtuous cycle between HBO Max , 5G , and hardware upgrades .
I am far from convinced that ’ s the case with any two of those three nodes , much less the entire flywheel .
And even if it turns out to be true , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting tied more tightly to other products .
More from The Verge └ Apple reportedly working on tracking tags , high-end headphones , a new wireless charger , and more └ 2020 ’ s new emoji include the transgender flag and more gender-inclusive options └ LastPass is discontinuing its native Mac app and replacing it with a more universal web app As should be blindingly obvious to readers of this newsletter , I use a ton of web apps every day , and in many cases I use them instead of native apps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Password managers are not one of those times when I prefer a web app .
They benefit so much from being integrated into the OS .
This one ’ s a bummer .
└ Grubhub lets customers order from restaurants that never agreed to be on its platform The increased competition in the food delivery space is leading to a lot of scummy practices .
Natt Garun looks at the latest .
└ Wireless carriers may soon boost speeds with a bunch of free spectrum The FCC has been trying to open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s taken years to put structure around how it ’ ll happen .
The trouble is , this spectrum is already being used by the US Navy , as well as a small number of companies .
Particularly when it comes to the Navy , the FCC doesn ’ t want any of these new deployments getting in the way .
...
So the commission spent the last several years setting up a scheme to make it all work .
Any company that wants to use the 3.5GHz spectrum will have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lincoln will build an electric vehicle using EV startup Rivian ’ s tech └ Google is temporarily shutting down all China offices due to coronavirus outbreak └ Apple is limiting China travel and has closed one retail store due to coronavirus outbreak └ LG now banning all employee travel to China to protect against coronavirus risk └ Tesla says China has ordered its Shanghai factory shut down over coronavirus fears └ Overwatch League cancels February and March games in China following coronavirus outbreak └ Delta is limiting flights between the US and China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cancels some flights to mainland China after coronavirus outbreak

It’s not every day we get to talk about a good old-fashioned utility app update. I wouldn’t go so far as to say they’re a dying breed, but the Apple App Store platform dynamics of recent years have made their row much harder to hoe.
Which is one reason I’m happy to say that if you’re a Mac or iPhone user (or, ideally, both), you should absolutely go check out the newly updated Fantastical apps. There are a few new features and parity across platforms — I personally am excited for a calendar app that integrates with several to-do apps.
The thing about this update that may grab some attention is that it is moving to a subscription model. Historically, this kind of move has sparked consternation, but I’m not feeling any of that. It’s $4.99 a month or — in my preferred way to talk about subscription pricing — $40 per year (a $20 discount). That subscription gets you access to the iPhone, Mac, iPad, and Apple Watch apps. Non-Apple users should look elsewhere.
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I think the subscription model is totally fair, especially given Flexibits’ history of updates and quality. That’s partially because, as I alluded to up top, there really aren’t better options for this category of apps given the rules laid down by Apple in the App Store.
If you’ve watched the App Store market dynamics over the past years, none of this will come as a surprise, but let’s recap:
First, there was a rush to the bottom when it came to pricing. Many apps were priced at $0.99, which set a consumer expectation that iPhone apps are cheap.
Driven by that dynamic and by ranked lists on the App Store, the app market moved to a sort of hit-based system, where games and free apps dominated downloads.
(Many of those games switched over to very skeezy in-app purchase schemes once Apple later allowed microtransactions in free apps, but that’s a story for another time.)
Over the years, Apple refused to offer more flexible pricing options to developers. There never has been (and may never be) such a thing as “upgrade pricing” in the App Store, unlike on more open platforms like the Mac. Developers either had to offer major new versions for free, charge current users the same amount as new users, or try to jerry-rig an in-app purchase system.
(Apple also obstinately refused to let any app so much as gesture to the whisper of an idea that it might be possible to pay the developer in any way other than through Apple’s 30-percent-cut payment system, and is now facing anti-trust complaints on this point, but again, story for another time.)
Perhaps realizing that the rules it had put in place for the App Store were skewing the market dynamics for apps, Apple switched over to a new system that encouraged subscriptions by reducing its cut after a year.
There are pros and cons to the subscription model for both developers and users and they’re all heavily context-dependent. So I’m not making a judgement on that one way or the other — only pointing out that the realm of possible business models has been heavily constrained by the App Store’s rules.
Those limitations have sometimes forced developers into weird decisions and I obviously wish Apple would open up to more pricing models. I especially wish it weren’t engaging in such blatant rent-seeking when it comes to taking a cut of in-app fees.
Anyway, the point is that if you see an app switch to a subscription model, it’s not necessarily doing so because it’s the trendy thing to do — instead, there may not be any other real choice.
One thing strikes me about Fantastical’s switch to a subscription model is how elegantly it was handled. I can’t imagine figuring out how to fork its versions to support this, but Flexibits is doing it:
If you already own Fantastical 2, though, Flexibits has a pretty cool offer to help mitigate that feeling, in part. If there’s any feature in Fantastical 2 that is now a Fantastical Premium feature, you will still be able to use that feature in the updated app on the platform you own it on, even without a Premium subscription.
One quick note: A lot of my newsletters have had a little “▼” in the subject line. It’s there not to evoke The Verge logo (though that’s a nice side effect), but instead to indicate that the newsletter includes a longer essay. I’ll aim to keep doing it, but you’ll notice this one doesn’t have one because it’s relatively short. I bring it all up as a reminder and also a heads-up that as tech news picks up over the next few weeks there may be a few more ▼-less editions than usual.
Earnings news
Verge Deal of the day Apple’s AirPods Pro are $30 off at Amazon Normally $250, the Apple AirPods Pro wireless earbuds are down to $220 at Amazon. Compared to the standard AirPods, these feature better sound quality and noise cancellation. We’ve seen these drop a bit lower in price before, but that’s a pretty rare occurrence. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. For more information, see our ethics policy . Prices displayed are based on the MSRP at time of posting.
Tesla has bought itself more breathing room than it’s had in years, maybe ever. The company spent the last few years — especially 2017 onward, as it started spinning up production of the Model 3 — moving at breakneck speed with little margin for error. Tesla CEO Elon Musk even said in late 2018 that his company was single-digit weeks away from death at one point. Its workforce suffered through what Musk dubbed “production hell” as he pushed to make the Model 3 — the company’s most affordable electric car — at mass-market scale.
Is Elon Musk feeling okay, do you think? Delivering something ahead of schedule is very out of character for him so I’m a little worried.
Most divisions are up. The Windows 7 transition helped Windows, Surface is making respectable but not outsized gains, and of course the real money driver is cloud services. The following note from Tom Warren made me laugh, it’s funny because it’s surely true:
Microsoft notes that Xbox content and services revenue also decreased by 11 percent, primarily due to a “third-party title” (likely Fortnite) performing better last year. Subscription growth has partially offset this decrease, but clearly the third-party game boosted Xbox content revenue last year.
AT&T really, really seems to think there’s going to be a virtuous cycle between HBO Max, 5G, and hardware upgrades. I am far from convinced that’s the case with any two of those three nodes, much less the entire flywheel. And even if it turns out to be true, it will mean that content services end up getting tied more tightly to other products.
More from The Verge
As should be blindingly obvious to readers of this newsletter, I use a ton of web apps every day, and in many cases I use them instead of native apps because I prefer their interfaces and functionality. Password managers are not one of those times when I prefer a web app. They benefit so much from being integrated into the OS. This one’s a bummer.
The increased competition in the food delivery space is leading to a lot of scummy practices. Natt Garun looks at the latest.
SpaceX has permission to launch nearly 12,000 satellites and has expressed interest in launching 30,000 more. To fulfill its licensing obligations, SpaceX has to launch nearly 6,000 within the next five to six years. The company plans to launch up to 24 Starlink missions this year. ... Each Starlink launch consists of 60 satellites, so today’s mission will bring SpaceX’s constellation to about 240 satellites in orbit
The FCC has been trying to open up 3.5GHz airwaves since 2015, but it’s taken years to put structure around how it’ll happen. The trouble is, this spectrum is already being used by the US Navy, as well as a small number of companies. Particularly when it comes to the Navy, the FCC doesn’t want any of these new deployments getting in the way. ... So the commission spent the last several years setting up a scheme to make it all work. Any company that wants to use the 3.5GHz spectrum will have to work with an approved company
Really nice profile from Nick Statt:
One commenter referred to Kim as the “Bob Ross of keyboard making,” and it’s an appropriate assessment. What makes the videos so appealing is Kim’s steady, soothing narration of the rather technical keyboard construction process. He walks through each step slowly and accentuates the precision involved in, say, soldering the key switches onto the printed circuit board. He also fields live questions from his Twitch chat about his work, the parts he finds, and why he enjoys doing what he does. All the while, light lounge music plays in the background.
Lincoln’s parent company, Ford, announced a $500 million investment in Rivian in April 2019, and said it would build an electric vehicle on the startup’s platform (basically the battery, electric motors, and all the other tech that makes an EV go). It was reported in the months following that the vehicle would be a Lincoln SUV, but Ford’s luxury marque had not confirmed any parts of those reports until today.


theverge--2020-01-30--Huawei overtakes Apple in annual race to Samsung’s smartphone crown

Huawei overtook Apple to become the world ’ s second best selling smartphone manufacturer in 2019 , according to reports from Strategy Analytics , Counterpoint Research , and Canalys .
Over the course of the year , the Chinese manufacturer reportedly shipped around 240 million phones , compared to just under 200 million for Apple .
Samsung retained its comfortable lead in first place , shipping just shy of 300 million devices .
Xiaomi and Oppo rounded out the list of the top five manufacturers .
The jump is especially surprising given Huawei ’ s continued presence on the USA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the company from installing Google ’ s apps and services on its new devices , limiting their appeal outside of China .
As a result , Huawei ’ s main strength was in its home country .
Counterpoint Research says China accounted for 60 percent of its sales , allowing its shipments worldwide to increase by 17 percent between 2018 and 2019 — though not in Q4 specifically .
However , tensions with the US still had an effect .
Canalys notes that 2019 could have been the year that Huawei challenged Samsung @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but ultimately this challenge never materialized .
It ’ s unclear when the situation could change in the future .
Huawei has been nipping at Apple ’ s heels for a while .
Back in 2017 Huawei initially overtook Apple to sell more smartphones in the months of June and July , and the following year IDC reported that it had sold more phones than Apple in the second quarter of the year .
But in 2019 , the company overtook Apple to sell more phones throughout the entire year .
Although it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for 2019 as a whole , Apple had a very strong fourth quarter as is typical for the company .
All three market analyst firms agreed that it managed to outsell Samsung in the last quarter , with sales being driven by the iPhone 11 ’ s lower pricing in particular .
Analysts said that Apple ’ s phone sales were up by between 7 and 11 percent in Q4 2019 compared to the same quarter in 2018 .
Samsung is expected to rebound this quarter with the launch of its flagship Galaxy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also likely to receive a boost from the launch of its long-rumored successor to the more affordable iPhone SE , which could be popular in price-sensitive markets like India .
Despite individual gains , all three reports agree that the industry sold fewer phones in 2019 than it did in 2018 .
Counterpoint Research notes that this is the first time the smartphone market has ever declined for two years in a row .
With the US ’ s trade wars still ongoing , and China ’ s coronavirus scare having potential implications @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another challenging year .

Huawei overtook Apple to become the world’s second best selling smartphone manufacturer in 2019, according to reports from Strategy Analytics, Counterpoint Research, and Canalys. Over the course of the year, the Chinese manufacturer reportedly shipped around 240 million phones, compared to just under 200 million for Apple. Samsung retained its comfortable lead in first place, shipping just shy of 300 million devices. Xiaomi and Oppo rounded out the list of the top five manufacturers.
The jump is especially surprising given Huawei’s continued presence on the USA’s entity list, which prevents the company from installing Google’s apps and services on its new devices, limiting their appeal outside of China. As a result, Huawei’s main strength was in its home country. Counterpoint Research says China accounted for 60 percent of its sales, allowing its shipments worldwide to increase by 17 percent between 2018 and 2019 — though not in Q4 specifically.
One report said that Huawei’s shipments grew by 17 percent between 2018 and 2019. Image: Canalys
However, tensions with the US still had an effect. Canalys notes that 2019 could have been the year that Huawei challenged Samsung for the number one smartphone spot, but ultimately this challenge never materialized. It’s unclear when the situation could change in the future.
Huawei has been nipping at Apple’s heels for a while. Back in 2017 Huawei initially overtook Apple to sell more smartphones in the months of June and July, and the following year IDC reported that it had sold more phones than Apple in the second quarter of the year. But in 2019, the company overtook Apple to sell more phones throughout the entire year.
Although it lost out on the number two spot for 2019 as a whole, Apple had a very strong fourth quarter as is typical for the company. All three market analyst firms agreed that it managed to outsell Samsung in the last quarter, with sales being driven by the iPhone 11’s lower pricing in particular. Analysts said that Apple’s phone sales were up by between 7 and 11 percent in Q4 2019 compared to the same quarter in 2018.
Samsung is expected to rebound this quarter with the launch of its flagship Galaxy S20 series next month. Apple is also likely to receive a boost from the launch of its long-rumored successor to the more affordable iPhone SE, which could be popular in price-sensitive markets like India.