Month: May 2019

Netflix closes the gap on audio quality

Netflix has implemented adaptive streaming technology, which determines the quality of your Internet connection and boosts audio quality as needed. This new technology, called “high-quality audio” will be available to those who have sound bars or speakers that support Dolby noise suppresion. Wired

dis-rup-shun: If you have a home theater and enjoy the full 5.1 or 7.1 experience and have long ago parted with your blu ray player and anything that looks like a disc, you know that watching movies (the very reason you got a home theater) from a streaming service (is there any other way) is a low fidelity audio experience. Netflix is fixing that deficiency and taking another step to erase any advantage that older means of movie watching once had.

Zuckerberg explains a more private Facebook

Facebook continues to face investigations from over a dozen agencies and the company’s past policies over data use continue to tarnish the giant’s reputation. The company announced, a few weeks ago, that the future of Facebook is about privacy. This week Mark Zuckerberg explained that this shift is about enabling people to share with common interest groups and described its Secret Crush program, that enables one to check with those they have romantic interest in to see if the feeling is mutual. Wired

dis-rup-shun: It appears that Facebook’s new privacy initiative of offering special interest groups is really not about privacy, but about segmentation. Finding groups to associate with is nothing novel, and something that LinkedIn has been doing for years. Regarding Secret Crush, this sounds like junior high school behavior going digital and a disaster for anyone older than junior high. Unfortunately, grown ups, and many married, will use the service to embarrass themselves in pursuit of a little something interesting. This won’t help Facebook’s image and consumer trust problems, Zuckerberg.

Weekly Space Race — Blue Origin launches Thursday

Blue Origin, the private rocket company owned by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, launches on Thursday to carry a payload of 38 science experiments into space. Like Elon Musk’s SpaceX, the rocket booster will (if all goes well) return to Earth and land upright while the capsule ventures into the edges of space for a few minutes before returning to the Earth. TechCrunch

dis-rup-shun: With private rocket launches occurring weekly from different sites, it looks increasingly like we are only a few years from being able to buy a seat on a rocket and experience space for ourselves. In the meantime, the demand for science, communications, construction, cargo and defense in space appears to be a hockey stick curve upwards. When will Toyota, Samsung, Huawei, Boeing and friends enter the space race?

When to choose a smart speaker over a smart display

ZDnet reviews the differences between a smart speaker and a smart display in advance of Google’s annual I/O conference for developers, where debut of a new Google smart screen is expected.

dis-rup-shun: The bottom line, smart screens can do everything a smart speaker can do plus serve as a video entertainment screen or control device for home systems (video doorbell). Why wouldn’t you choose a smart screen? Either you don’t wish to spend the money (twice as expensive) or you are having video device overload. Expect screens on dozens of places in your home in coming years, at half the price, and expect to need asylum somewhere in your home from too many screens.

Next target on the disruption list: investment banks

Slack, the defacto cloud-based work place messaging software that has enjoyed fast growth, is directly listing shares on the New York Stock Exchange. Like Spotify’s public offering last year, Slack will list shares without the use of an investment bank underwriter – an unusual move. The firm is relying on the usual banking suspects to advise the listing. Bloomberg

dis-rup-shun: While direct listings are rare, and are for companies that are well known, and not particulary in need of new funds, the concept is picking up momentum and will be increasingly common. In the Internet economy, pricing inefficiencies, like outsized fees paid to bankers, are being “re-sized” and it seems that this is the year for real estate agents and investment bankers to experience exposure.

Smart speaker shoot out

Wired provides a review of the best smart speakers with Alexa and Google capabilities. The review puts Sonos One as the best overall, and best in other categories include Riva Concert for best do-it-all, JBL Link 20 is best portable, Amazon Echo Show is best Alexa display device, Google Mini is best mini speaker.

dis-rup-shun: There are simply not many reasons to string speaker wire through a house and connect each room back to a receiver/amplifier, except that we most often still use a receiver for home theater systems. There is not much left for a receiver to receive except for Internet stream and TV inputs, if you still have cable. With voice being built into nearly every music player from here on, the days of knobs, dials, and lights on music players are about over.

Fewer screens is lifestyle of affluent

The proliferation of screens — reducing many formerly human functions to avatars or streamed videos, is an indication of income and lifestyle, according to The Times. The story suggests that affluent households are reducing screen time and increasing contact with humans — either family members or employees/assistants. The use of video-related assistants is compared with cigarettes and sugary sodas — habits more often displayed by those of more modest means. New York Times 

dis-rup-shun: More gadgets have long been considered a sign of affluence. Much of Apple’s success has derived from its position as a premium alternative to more mundane Windows or Android devices. If spending more time gadget-free is a sign of success, trouble could be ahead for electronics makers who must constantly struggle to not be commodotized by falling prices and cut-throat price competition.

South Korea rapidly implements 5G

South Korea, home of Samsung and its Galaxy smartphones, stated that it activated 260,000 5G users after one month of launching — beating Verizon’s debut.

dis-rup-shun: The race for 5G has many spoils, including an entire new generation of connected devices that will load videos much faster, will enable video screens to be a common interface in taxis, toilets, supermarket shelves and just about everywhere else. The stakes are high to be the dominant suppliers of both next generation devices as well as providers of the networks, and the cloud infrastructure to supply content. 5G will completely refresh the global technology industries and provide the next growth run — fending off or blunting the expected bear market.