Your Tech Story

Athulya

Being a cinephile with a love for all things outdoorsy, Athulya never misses a chance to chase inspiring stories or poke fun at things, even when the subject is herself. Currently pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering, she is someone innately interested in technical and scientific research. Music reviews and op-eds define her as they allow her to explore different perspectives. Though sometimes she thinks she makes more sense playing the guitar than she does while writing.

Coronavirs

Corona Prompts Israel to Use Anti-Terrorism Technology in the Fight Against It

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The Novel Coronavirus is on every major headline around the world as it continues to spread aggressively all across the world. With the epicenter, Wuhan, doing a lot better, Europe and Western Asia seem to be the areas reeling in the aftermath of this global pandemic. As countries rush to put in place reforms, rules and bans in order to protect their people from this deadly disease, almost all spheres of our lives have taken a hit. While most countries are implementing travel bans, closing schools and colleges and administering work from home initiatives to employees, Israel seems to be opting for a stricter course of action. Here’s a look at how recent reports from Israel state that they will be turning to their anti-terrorism technology to counter the Coronavirus, and how this affects people in the country.

Drastic Measures in Tough Times

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has released a public statement that the country plans to utilize its anti-terrorism tracking technology in its fight against the Coronavirus. Furthermore, the PM has also called for a partial shutdown of the Israeli economy as a means to minimize the spread of the coronavirus. This could mean that the people of Israel will now be under cyber monitoring.

This technology has been previously put to use to locate, identify and punish extremist groups and terrorist cells within the country. Netanyahu in his press conference held in Jerusalem on Saturday mentioned that this tracking and monitoring technology will now be used to identify and track people exposed to the virus. However, this still remains a plan, and to turn it into a viable strategy the PM still required approval from his cabinet. Also, Netanyahu has said that he has asked for clearance from the Justice Ministry approval as these measures could lead to the infringement of privacy of the nation’s people. The PM also drew flak for not mentioning how Israel would help fight the disease in the Palestinian territories under its control.

Further Steps to Prevent Spread

In a bid to escalate precautionary measures, the Israeli government has asked all malls, hotels, theaters, and restaurants to shut down from Sunday. They have also issued orders asking employees not to go to their workplaces unless it is absolutely necessary. However, the government has not placed any such bans on pharmacies, banks, and supermarkets as they provide vital services to its citizens. Health officials from Israel are also requesting people to maintain distance, not to attend social gatherings and to stay at home. Netanyahu mentioned that while using such technology might feel unfair to some, he had to make the hard choice as the invisible enemy was one that needs to be located.

The military had issued a statement on Saturday which said that it was ordering all troops to return by Sunday, with soldiers having to prepare for tough times. The military also specified that the soldiers would have to prepare for long periods of stay, with no leaves in question in the next one month. Furthermore, since last week, anyone entering Israel after a foreign visit will have to quarantine themselves for two weeks. Over ten thousand Israelis have put themselves in self-quarantine and all schools have been shut till the end of March.

Invasive Technology

Israeli domestic security outlet Shin Bet confirmed that they were working on ways to utilize technology to fight the virus, as per the request of the government. However, they did say that the government has not mentioned anything regarding the enforcement of quarantine. A member of the Association for Civil Rights, Avner Pinchuk, says that such technology could help with the real-time tracking of mobile phones to pinpoint the location of infected people.

This could also help them collect the data required to backtrack their steps and gain insight into where all they went and who all they had contact with. However, he feels that while the situation is bad, using such invasive technology might have serious repercussions on privacy and human rights. The government is, in fact, putting into motion the same steps followed in Taiwan. These actions have been made due to the Health Ministry confirming that over 193 people in Israel have tested positive to the coronavirus. As a result, over 40,000 people have been self-quarantined to prevent the further spread of the disease.

Microsoft

Microsoft’s Biggest Event Goes Virtual as Conferences Become Coronavirus Newest Hits

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The World Health Organization recently declared the Coronavirus, called COVID-19 as a global pandemic, due to its extremely aggressive transmission rate. The world is still reeling from the effects of this novel virus on public health, tourism and transportation, and the world economy. By now, the virus has found a place for itself in over 120 countries, with John Hopkins’ data showing that there are over 127,000 confirmed cases around the world, which has resulted in more than 4,700 deaths. In the US alone, there have been 32 deaths so far, with over 1000 reported cases. This has led to 15 states in the US declaring an emergency, including heavyweights such as New York, Washington, California, and Florida. However, the newest casualty of the Coronavirus has been conferences, as most major companies have decided to cancel their conferences in the wake of this crisis. Here’s a look at everything you need to know about Microsoft’s events and how this will impact the tech world.

Impact on Industry Events

Travel bans, laws against gatherings and overtly cautious people have resulted in some of the biggest tech conferences of the year being cancelled due to the COVID-19. Some of these conferences have gotten downright cancelled, whereas others have been indefinitely postponed. Moreover, some of the companies have turned their physical conferences virtual, with both attendees and organizers confident that the conference will have the same impact on a digital platform. For instance, both Google and Facebook have cancelled their developer events, whereas Microsoft announced that the Build conference would switch to a virtual platform. Earlier this week, it was announced that one of the biggest gaming events of the year, Electronic Entertainment Expo would not happen this year due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Microsoft Build

The annual event that introduces new developers, tools, gives updates regarding development on projects and defines future objectives is one of the largest events hosted by Microsoft. Recent Build conferences have shifted focus from the Windows OS to newer technologies such as IoT, Azure, cloud computing and holographic development. The 2020 Build conference was citied to center around dual-screen app development, the new Windows 10X-powered Surface Neo PC and recently updated SDKs and emulators.

The Microsoft Build conference was to take place between May 19 and 21 in Seattle, but the tech-giant decided against having the event after listening to government recommendations. Microsoft released a statement saying that their top priority remains the safety of their community, and that they expect the digital event to bring together as many people as their in-person event normally does. Furthermore, the company has also instructed its workers in Seattle and California to work from home up until March 25 as a precautionary measure.

Silent May

While the month of May traditionally boasts several large developer conferences, including the likes of Microsoft Build, Facebook F8 and Google I/O, all of which take place around the same two-week period, this year will be different. F8 and I/O had already switched to online events, and it seems like Microsoft is following suit, too, amid the coronavirus outbreak. This comes as no surprise as Washington counties recently banned the organizing of events comprising of over 250 people. However, though the ban would have expired before the Build conference was set to take place, Microsoft has opted to go for a safer alternative. But, Microsoft has not updated their official website regarding the same, and tickets for Build can still be bought online. However, it would be best to not do so, as the update should come up officially within a day or two since their spokesperson has already made an official statement.

Digital is the New Way Forward

Rather than relying on in-person events, major tech companies all around the world are looking forward to hosting digital events in the wake of the Coronavirus scare. Both Microsoft MVP and E3 will take place digitally in June, right after the Build conference. Also, the COVID-19 has affected the performance of the company, as most employees have been working from home for the past week, and will continue to do so till the end of March. Therefore, the release date for the Windows 10 OS update, has been pushed back by several weeks.

With a major portion of the American population restricted to their homes, going digital sure looks like the best way to handle large events right now. While the lack of engagement and one-to-one interaction may hamper the success of such events, the safety it provides is what the time calls for right now. Though Microsoft and other large tech companies may have to struggle with their new releases now, such steps will go a long way in ensuring that the Coronavirus does not spread any further.

COVID-19 Imapct on AT&T

AT&T Waives Data Cap Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

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The COVID-19 seems to be the most covered news item of the week, as it continues its rampant spread all over the world. With the aggressive transmission tendencies of the viral pandemic, forcing major countries to shut down their borders and operations, the world is witnessing a different kind of social shutdown. As most schools and colleges across North America and Europe stay shut, data providers have decided to do their part to help people get used to the situation they are in. This has inspired, AT&T, one of the major ISPs in North America to suspend its existing data usage caps. Here’s a look at everything you need to know regarding the situation, and why this news will delight consumer groups across America.

Bunkered Down Due to COVID-19

Millions of Americans have put themselves in self-quarantine and are refusing to step outside in a bid to avoid catching the dangerous COVID-19, which is spreading across the globe. This move by AT&T is a welcome scheme for consumer groups as they will now have the liberty to enjoy broadband services as they like. This move has also led Senators to call out other ISPs and ask them to follow suit. As per a report by Motherboard, broadband caps do not have a true technical purpose, but rather serve as a form of the market price hike. Hence, in the wake of the COVID-19, AT&T has decided to do away with their broadband usage caps. However, the company has not mentioned to what date this waiver will stay valid, and so users will have to watch the news closely in order to stay updated.

Waiving Broadband Usage Caps

The company’s spokesperson said that most American users rely on AT&T’s unlimited internet connection, and that to make things easier for the rest of their customers, they have decided to waive the caps. Their official website states that the caps used to stand anywhere between 150 GB to 1 TB of data per month. Also, the penalty for bypassing the limit stood at $10 for each extra 50 GB consumed. Since the COVID-19 has forced a majority of Americans to work from home, learn from home, and in a general stay at home, this will come as a huge blessing. With most Americans having to rely on online classes for their education and video conferencing for their work-related, the cap would have placed a severe financial burden on them. In the wake of an already shaken economy, such a burden would have been a nightmare for most users, and hence, this news comes as a sigh of relief for most internet users in the US.

Need for Caps

Several industry experts and executives, including leaked Comcast data show that such broadband usage caps do little to help manage ISP congestions. Therefore, in essence, they serve as a way for ISPs to gather more revenue from their user base, by hiking the prices of their services. Rather than serving as a technical method to overcome congestion, broadband caps exist to help ISPs to boost their service cost above advertised rates.

Such reports, when published in Motherboard, have prompted 18 American Senators, including Mark Warner, the sitting Senator of Virginia to issue a letter prompting other ISPs to waive off their caps as well. The letter states that almost every industry in the US is figuring out how to battle the dangers posed by COVID-19, and that during such a time, every company must try to accommodate the efforts of the masses. It then requests the ISPs to temporarily waive off their usual broadband caps and penalties to help people enjoy free broadband options during such hard times. Similarly, consumer groups such as Free Press also issued statements asking ISPs to suspend their broadband usage caps owing to the pandemic.

AT&T has however remained silent when asked about what they plan to do regarding caps on cellular data. The biggest internet provider for homes in the US, Comcast also refused to comment on the issue. This means that Comcast’s standing cap will be enforced, and hence, users will be charged extra if they exceed their existing plan’s cap.

However, they did release a statement saying that they were going to improve their upload speed from 15Mbps /2Mbps to 25Mbps/3Mbps. Furthermore, Comcast also plans on giving its new low-income group customers 60 days of free Internet service. Also, Mediacom is offering its customers an additional 50GB worth of data up till March 31. With so many Americans being forced to work from home, as a result of the mass shutting of schools, colleges, and offices, it comes as no surprise that the largest ISPs in the US are beginning to react to the situation.

Amazon’s Ring

Amazon Opens Pre-order for Its New Ring Video Doorbell-3

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Amazon is one of the largest e-commerce providers in the world, with the platform hosting millions of products. There are thousands of sellers online on Amazon, with the e-commerce giant selling millions of products every month. Furthermore, the giant also owns several subsidiaries and companies which create products for them to sell.

One such company that Amazon owns is Ring, the new-age doorbell-camera creators who took the world by a storm a few years back with their signature design. Well, the company is back again with a bang, as Amazon announced that Ring is coming out with two new doorbell models. Here’s everything you need to know about the announcement and what it means to buyers around the world.

Two New Models Out

Amazon’s Ring will shortly release two new designs which will feature battery-powered doorbell video cameras, and the models are called Ring Video Doorbell 3 and Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus. While the Doorbell 3 will cost you $199.99, the Doorbell 3 Plus will have a retail price of $229.99. Furthermore, the company released a press statement that announced that the models will be shipped starting on April 8th, with the company giving people the green signal to start pre-ordering their cameras.

Features of the New Models

The internet has been set ablaze by a new feature the Doorbell 3 Plus which will enable users to view video footage from four seconds before the detection of motion in the background. While this video is shot in black-and-white, this new feature, called Pre-roll has the world excited. Most of Ring’s doorbells share features with Arlo’s video doorbells, but this new addition has fans giving Ring the upper edge. Furthermore, representatives from Ring mentioned that the new feature will not have a significant impact on the battery life of the product, meaning that users can rest assured regarding the device’s performance on a long-term basis. Both models will also support dual-band 2.4Ghz /5Ghz Wi-Fi and will also feature adjustable motion zones, which will enable them to detect motion between five and fifteen feet from their place of installation.

The new Ring doorbell module will consist of three individual cameras, with all three sensors working together to provide ultimate security. Also, the sensors will record videos in 1080p clarity, making your video surveillance a lot sharper and clearer. Furthermore, the new system will try its level best to conserve power, meaning that users will not have to charge their Doorbell 3 Plus as often as they had to power up its predecessors. The major difference between the two models being the Pre-roll feed option, because otherwise, the Doorbell 3 has most of the functions the 3 Plus boasts of.

Impact on Older Models

Owing to the announcement of the new models, Ring is now offering the Doorbell 2 at a discounted price of $169.99, considerably reduced from the initial offering at $199.99. The Doorbell 2 has most of the features that the Doorbell 3 boasts, in case users want a Ring doorbell at a more affordable price. Along with the release of the new doorbell models, Ring will also come out with updated versions of the Ring Chime and Chime Pro. Both of these announce notifications from the doorbells by plugging into an appropriate outlet. The new version of the Chime Pro will feature a pre-built night light and will come with a Wi-Fi-extender, to help improve the network and connection capability of the device. In design, it will be very similar to the first-gen Chime Pro, but with a classier and refined look. The new Chime will cost users $29.99, while the updated Chime Pro will set buyers back by $49.99. Both new models, much like the new doorbells, can be pre-ordered with shipping expected to begin on April 8th.

Security Concerns

In the past, the biggest criticism that Ring has faced is the lack of good security features in their products. As a way to lay to rest these claims, Ring has announced that their new products will feature a compulsory two-step authentication process. Furthermore, in January, the company has announced that it would come out with an advanced privacy dashboard for its devices. This is the second biggest release for Amazon, who had revamped its Echo lineup last year. With these new releases, Amazon seems to be trying to gain more inroads into the home security market, and it looks like the company will diversify even further in the future.

google assistant

Google all Set to Lose Legend-ary Voiced Assistant

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Google is one of the world’s most recognized brands and is a tech-superstar due to its huge presence. We have all been helped by the search engine at some point in time in our lives. It answers everything from simple questions regarding words, to sports updates when we are stuck at work. Slowly, yet surely, the tech-giant has branched out into other ventures. With several highly successful applications like Google Maps, Google Keep and even their cloud-storage service Google Drive, the company has become an integral part of our lives. One major part of Google’s services is their voice assistant which helps us do tasks without actually touching the phone. We can use this assistant to run searches, open the camera or even call someone without lifting a finger. Since voice search is touted to be the next big thing in the years to come, Google has never spared any expense when it comes to developing its search interface.

Wonderful Marketing Strategy Behind Google Assistant

One seemingly brilliant way it has made the assistant more relatable and approachable is by replacing the usually robotic and monotonic voice, with the voice of someone we appreciate and love. Fans went crazy last year when Google announced that the new update would have the assistant upgrade to All of Me fame John Legend’s voice. However, the collaboration seems to have ended because the tech giant announced that the voice would be removed from March 23rd onwards. Here’s a look at how the unusual pairing came to be.

Unlikely Pairing

In case you got used to having John Legend pick up your chores and assist you in your everyday life, you might have to brace yourself for the news. The celebrity cameo will come to a stop on March 23rd, after almost a year of great service. News regarding John’s voice being added to the Assistant’s settings had come out last April, much to the delight of Google users around the world. Most people do not identify with or particularly like the robotic voice that is associated with voice assistants. John Legend, therefore, came as a whiff of fresh air to most users, but, unfortunately, the unlikely, yet successful pairing is coming to a close. But to be fair, Google had mentioned at the time of release that this would be a limited feature, though they had not specified the duration of the tenure.

The addition of Legend’s voice brought a lot of joy to the ears of users around the world, because it brought with it several Easter eggs, very specific to his personality. For instance, you could get a personalized Happy Birthday song, sung by Legend himself if you asked him to do so. Similarly, fans were greeted to a part of All of Me, anytime they mentioned or asked about Chrissy Teigen, who is his supermodel wife. However, it is not all bad news for users, since Google still offers comedian Issa Rae’s voice. But it would be best not to get used to her witty one-liners or sarcastic remarks because you never know when Google will take her off the list.

Special Surprises

While Google Assistant has featured celebrity voices for quite some time now, users might want to make the best of them while they still can. John Legend, however, will always be remembered for being the first celebrity to lend his voice virtually to a plethora of devices all around the world. The singer’s smooth voice, which is sinfully filled with emotion and grit was a huge hit with fans all across the United States.

Google announced the removal via a tweet that urged users to use Legend to the maximum in the time they have left and encouraged them to request more serenades from the crooner. However, though you might miss the Legend-ary voice, rest assured because the Assistant will continue to function the way it used to. The only problem being that you won’t be able to belt All of Me along with the singer himself without accessing YouTube. Also, let us hope that owing to the success of this new endeavor, Google keeps surprising us with new celebrity voices in the future.

Tradesy

How Tracy DiNunzio Helped People Build Wardrobes on a Tight Budget?

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Every business requires the entrepreneur to put in countless hours of hard work because it is no easy task. It takes countless hours of sweat, sleepless nights and long-drawn flights and travels to make your dream a reality. Most entrepreneurs work harder than most of their employees to ensure the success of their company. Tradesy CEO Tracy DiNunzio remembers her early years, wherein she worked over 18 hours a day and gave out her bedroom on rent to make ends meet. The founder got candid about how she slept on her couch for months to make sure she is able to pay her bills on time. Here’s a look at how this woman grew Tradesy into the stellar success it is now!

Foundation Behind Tradesy

Before starting out with this endeavor, Tracy was an artist who was looking for a career change. In 2009, once she finalized her idea, she launched a trial version named Recycled Bride. She then taught herself how to manage a website, maintain a blog and even SEO Optimisation. As Tracy herself lived on a shoestring budget while trying to set up her fashion empire, she realized how important it is to be able to create a good wardrobe while on a budget. It is exactly this need that Tracy tried to fulfill with her company Tradesy.

The company essentially acts as a bridging platform between buyers and sellers, making it easy for women to buy and sell their clothes. The company handles all the logistics involved in such a trade, such as online payment, return, exchange, and even shipping. Tradesy’s growth was a result of several years of hard work and commitment, and it wasn’t easy by any means. Tracy grew the company on her own, from a one-person venture to a successful business that employs over 100 people and serves more than a million people. The best thing about this being that Tracy did all this within a meager span of three years.

Story Behind the Success

The first step for Tracy was identifying her strengths, weaknesses, and passions. She then looked for how she could use her strengths to capture market share and solve a problem that exists, and in this case, it was building a good wardrobe at a low price. So, from the get-go, Tracy’s primary goal has been to help women like herself dress well at affordable prices, and this is one thing that hasn’t changed, even when the company grew. Once she knew which problem she wanted to help solve, she began researching the fashion industry to understand the market better. She began to identify key interest areas, market trends, and opportunities for her business, thanks to her qualitative research. She also went out and spoke to women from around the country to understand their needs better, and to figure out how she better the consignment industry.

Biggest Factors for Success

Tracy grew Tradesy from zero to a 10-million-dollar company within three years, and she believes this was solely because of the hard work of her staff. Tracy believes that luck favors the tenacious, as she recalls early days wherein she worked 18-hours a day, trying to figure out how to run a digital business, without knowing much about web design and development. In order to save money, she rented out her bedroom and slept on the couch for months! The biggest challenge she faced was self-doubt and secondly, fiscal deficit as she didn’t have much money on her.

To manage her self-doubt, she broke down big tasks into smaller, more manageable ones so that she could channel her energy more positively. Furthermore, to earn more money, she sold her car and some of her clothes and even took up data entry jobs. Founder of Daily Candy, Dany Levy was Tradesy’s first investor, and over the years, she has become an integral mentor for Tracy. Another important guide was the man who handled Tradesy’s first investment round, Jim Andelman, who is involved with Rincon Venture Partners.

What started as a small project in 2012, has grown into a multi-million-dollar business headquartered in Santa Monica. The company raised over $75 million through funding, with Richard Branson being a major investor. They recently acquired Fitz, which helps with closet organizing and has launched the service in New York. Tracy plans on expanding the model to other states and even wants to try her hand at men’s and children’s clothing soon enough. Furthermore, they are expanding their listing, in an effort to make the experience more customer-friendly. With global sales amounting to over $1 billion, it is quite safe to say that Tradesy is here to stay for some time now, thanks to the grit, hard work and commitment of its leading lady.