62# (TECH) “Google invests $1.5 billion in crypto” — Logitech gaming.Cali online protection. T-mobile and SpaceX.
- First up – Logitech’s New Handheld Gaming Device
- Our second story – California’s Bill Requiring Online Platforms To Add More Safety And Privacy Protections For Minors.
- Our third story – T-Mobile SpaceX Partnership With Starlink Satellites
- And for our fourth and final story… Google Invested $1.5 Billion In Crypto Startups
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What is going on everyone? I’m your host Kevin Muñoz. This is the LEO podcast tech episode, where we discuss all things tech.
For today’s tech episode. I have 4 juicy stories for you!
First up – Logitech’s New Handheld Gaming Device
Our second story – California’s Bill Requiring Online Platforms To Add More Safety And Privacy Protections For Minors.
Our third story – T-Mobile SpaceX Partnership With Starlink Satellites
And for our fourth and final story… Google Invested $1.5 Billion In Crypto Startups
All this, coming up on today’s free episode. Today is Monday, September fifth… if you want early access to episodes and bonus episodes you can find that right now on our patreon.com/latinamericaneo, and if not then enjoy this one!
Article 1: Logitech’s New Handheld Gaming Device
For our first story!… Images have leaked online of Logitech’s and Tencent’s new handheld gaming device the “G Gaming Handheld”, which resembles Valve’s Steam Deck and Nintendo’s Switch.
In early August Logitech announced that it was working on a handheld device with Tencent that would support multiple cloud gaming services including NVIDIA’s GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Now, thanks to a well-known leaker Evan Blass we got a sneak peek into what it will look like and that it’s going to be called the “G Gaming Handheld” thanks to a recently published landing page. And we know these images are authentic because since the leak on Twitter Logitech actually filed a Digital Millennium Copyright Act takedown request to have the images removed from Twitter.
In my opinion, I think they should probably work on that name. It doesn’t really roll off the tongue but also maybe it’ll stick after getting used to it. I don’t know but let me know your thoughts on the name I would be interested in what you all think!
Now first glance at this thing as I mentioned previously it looks just like many other gaming handhelds like the switch and the steam deck, with left and right joysticks, a direction pad, ABXY buttons, a home button, and shoulder pads, along with a custom “G” button.
Among the images there’s one that also shows what looks like the Home Screen, with icons for Google’s Play Store, Xbox, GeForce Now, Steam, Chrome, and Youtube as well as icons for user profile, messages, settings, and power.
For those of you into specs, there was also a screenshot leaked but people still aren’t too sure. Regardless this screenshot shows a RAM of 3.7 – 3.8gb an operating system of Android 11, the System on chip) being a Qualcomm SM7125, the CPU will be a 2x Qualcomm Kryo 465 @2300MHz and a 6x Qualcomm Kryo 465 @ 1800MHz the GPU a Qualcomm Adreno 618 @750MHz a Screen Resolution of 1080 X 1920, and the Pixel Density of 320.
One key thing to note is the cloud gaming aspect which means it’s likely to have similar capabilities to a smartphone but with a more gaming-centric user interface.
This means that not only will it be competing with other handhelds but also with the numerous controllers designed for smartphones like Razer’s Kishi V2, the 8bitDo Pro 2, and SteelSeries Stratus+ and also important to note that competitor Valve released its Steam Deck handheld gaming computer in February and it’s already confirmed a Steam Deck 2 as the portable gaming console market gains in popularity.
So with that in mind, the price will definitely play a big role in how successful this will be.
However, Logitech is usually pretty good at making affordable tech when compared to some other big brands so I’m sure the price point will definitely have to be under that of Nintendo’s Switch which means a price less than $300. I really can’t see people being happy with something higher than that price point.
Article 2: California’s Bill Requiring Online Platforms To Add More Safety And Privacy Protections For Minors.
For our second story – California’s Senate passed a first-of-it-kind bill requiring online platforms to add more safety and privacy protections for users under 18.
By now I’m sure we’re all aware that social media and gaming platforms use algorithms, find-a-friend tools, smartphone notices, and other techniques to keep people glued online. But these techniques pose potential risks to children who flock to online services that weren’t necessarily designed for them.
So now California lawmakers have passed the first statute in the nation that requires apps and sites to install guardrails for users under 18. The new rules would compel many online services to curb the risks that certain popular features like allowing strangers to message one another may pose to child users.
The bill known as the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act could be a catalyst for lawmakers to regulate the tech industry. It aims to hold online services to the same kinds of basic safety standards as the automobile industry — essentially requiring apps and sites to install the digital equivalent of seatbelts and airbags for younger users.
The State Senate passed this bill last Monday evening by a vote of 33 to 0. The State Assembly had already approved a version of the bill. Now it requires approval by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who hasn’t taken a public stance on it yet.
I’ve mentioned before in previous episodes and have shared posts on Instagram about the effects that social media has on young people and that’s essentially what these new rules tap into. It takes on the national debate over the effects social media platforms may have on the mental health and body images of some young people.
I’m looking at you Instagram, one of the biggest that has come under scrutiny. Last fast fall, members of congress examined how the social network’s automated recommendation engine had served graphic images of self-harm to teenage girls as well as content promoting eating disorders to younger users. Soon after, President Biden called for greater child safety on social media.
Other companies that have faced criticism for exploiting children’s data are Google in 2019 and the operators of Musical.ly which we all now know as TikTok. They each agreed to pay multimillion-dollar federal fines to settle charges that they had illegally collected personal information from children without parental permission.
Federal regulators said that Google had profited by using children’s data to target them with ads on YouTube. That Musical.ly which is now TikTok had made children’s profile photos and other sensitive details public by default, saying the practice could have enabled adult strangers to contact younger users.
People for the California bill say that the new rules should reduce risks while prompting children’s autonomy and well-being online.
Meanwhile, critics in the industry say that the legislation is overly broad and could subject many more online services than necessary to burdensome rules.
The new rules, which would take effect in 2024 could prompt some online services to introduce nationwide changes, rather than treat minors in California differently.
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Article 3: T-Mobile SpaceX Partnership With Starlink Satellites
For our third story… If you’re a T-Mobile customer I have some news for you!…T-Mobile has recently partnered to use SpaceX’s Starlink satellites to provide phone service to parts of the U.S.
Sometime before the end of 2023, T-Mobile aims to start augmenting its coverage using an unusual set of cell sites, all moving at about 17 thousand miles an hour.
The wireless carrier announced a “Coverage Above and Beyond” plan with SpaceX, which will use its constellation of low-Earth-orbit Starlink broadband satellites to provide messaging for T-mobile. Voice and data are expected to follow later on.
These 2 firms plan to open a beta test of Starlink-routed messaging in “in select areas” of the US and its territorial waters which include Hawaii, parts of Alaska, and Puerto Rico – by the end of 2023.
According to T-Mobile CEO and President Mike Sievert they “expect their most popular plans for this service to be included for free”. He also noted that T-Mobile would open this for roaming use by customers of other countries’ carriers if they would reciprocate their networks.
Now as far as what this messaging will support, according to a press release it looks like it will support SMS, MMS, and participating messaging apps, which may or may not mean Apples iMessage and Google-backed RCS as well as third-party options as the open-source Signal and Facebook’s Messenger and WhatsApp.
According to Sivert, this would all depend on cooperation from messaging providers to help it “separate messaging traffic from all other traffic”.
SpaceX now has 2,806 Starlink satellites working in orbit about 350 miles up and has been deploying another 60 every few weeks on launches of its Falcon 9 rocket.
But launching the coverage needed for Above and Beyond will require better Starlink Satellites than those already deployed. T-Mobile’s service will need the larger second-generation Starlinks that SpaceX plans to start launching on both Falcon 9 and the upcoming Starship.
So for now Musk warned that in the early stages of this service’s rollout, a customer might have to wait for a compatible Starlink to pass overhead before their message could get sent.
Elon Musk even wore his “Occupy Mars” T-shirt to this event and even stated that he’d love to have T-Mobile on Mars.
Article 4: Google Invested $1.5 Billion In Crypto Startups
For our fourth and final story for today…Google has invested 1.5 Billion dollars in crypto startups between September 2021 and June 2022, making it the biggest backer of cryptocurrency and blockchain companies.
Although Google does dispute the report’s format claiming that the statistics were misleading since they only indicated the total amount of each fundraising round and not Google’s participation in each round.
Google states that “while the small number of Blockchain-related companies they’ve invested in have raised 1.5 billion dollars in total, they only invested a small fraction of that themselves”.
During this period, Blackrock also invested 1.17 billion dollars followed by banking giant Morgan Stanley at 1.1 billion dollars. Also investing in blockchain is electronic giant Samsung with $979 million dollars and Goldman Sachs at $698 million dollars.
So even though it’s still uncertain if blockchain will pick up it’s pretty clear that projections indicate that blockchain development is bound to grow in the coming years. The firms investing now are establishing traction and a competitive advantage in the growing tech area.
Despite the crypto market correction that has plunged several firms into bankruptcy like crypto lending platforms Celsius and Voyager Digital, firms are still pumping more money into the space.
THE END
That’s all for today on the LEO podcast. I’m Kevin Muñoz and as always feel free to send me a message with your thoughts or with any interesting topic that you’d like to see covered.
and for those of you on Patreon, I’ll see you in the bonus episode.
Otherwise, I’ll see you all in next week’s episode!
