Weekly News Roundup #5
Monday
Samsung reminds rabble to scan smart TVs for viruses – then tries to make them forget
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/06/18/samsung_smart_tv_malware/
I find it odd that you would need to scan your TV for viruses under normal circumstances. As Samsung should be verifying all content on their TV’s “App” store. And it should be safe enough from browser attacks if they have the appropriate protections in their browser. However this release reveals that may not be the case as they are asking you to run a scan meaning Samsung may believe there is something out there that can take advantage of their TV’s. Another thing that surprises me is why does this virus scan not run automatically if you're going to build in this kind of functionality to protect something shouldn't it protect your TV all the time? Not just when you remember it exists.
Tuesday
Samsung to shoulder some 14nm production strain for Intel
https://hexus.net/business/news/components/131822-samsung-shoulder-14nm-production-strain-intel/
This should have happened sooner. Instead of using their reduced production capacity to raise prices (as we know demand increases price) they should have outsourced so they could get more of what they can't produce. However this won't be reducing the shortage any time soon as production still has not started and it will still be only 14nm, So Intel won't take advantage of the fact that these companies have got smaller processes working to get their new architectures out to market.
Wednesday
EA Calls Loot Boxes “Surprise Mechanics”, Blame Sony & Microsoft over Age Checks
To avoid more Samsung news, Here is something I feel fairly strongly about. Loot boxes! Now while I would be ok if these could only be purchased using currency earned in game, the moment you are able to pay real money for an item of unknown value to you it is GAMBLING! It doesn't matter if you call it a loot box or a surprise box it still fits the definition of gambling. If they want to make money from these items it would be less sketchy if they just allowed people to directly buy the items in the “loot boxes” for a slightly higher price, it's not even as if they can make a loss on the item as its purely virtual and they can make as much as they want for free after they have made it the first time.
Anyway rant over, i hope that regardless this practice gets made illegal.
Thursday
Tech jocks tell Trump: Tariff tiff with China will not achieve what you think it will achieve
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/06/20/trump_tariff_response/
I'm surprised this hasn't happened sooner if we have learned anything by now the current American administration is like its president and won't admit mistakes or that it won't work. Now while there was hope that the tariffs would bring jobs back to America (make America great again) and equalise the import versus export it will never achieve this, The only way this would work if you tariff every country that has cheaper labour than the US. This has been proven by companies shifting production to other Asian countries, However this can’t be done quickly in fact most companies will spend a long time paying tariffs while getting this infrastructure up and running. This will end up making products in the US cost more as there is only so many companies can absorb, Thus Americans will have to pay more for their goods and I'm sure that's not good for the economy it might even be a tax on the American people in the end.
Friday
Google has made its last tablet
https://www.engadget.com/2019/06/20/google-is-giving-up-on-tablets/
I have owned a Google tablet in the past, The Nexus 7. From my own experiences and from what I have read the physical quality of these tablets has always been good. In fact their last tablets were on par with surface products, However the software has always been a bit sub-par. My most recent memory being the mkbhd video showing its extreme UI lagginess. This was surprising considering most of Google's business in android is UI. I think with a bit more effort they could make a really good tablet, Especially if they put the effort they put into their pixel phones into this. Hopefully they will try again later, Their focus being on Chrome OS is actually a good thing for me as I will be getting an Acer Chromebook.