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| Hello and welcome to the Inside Tech newsletter! Here are today's top stories: - Sony announced a new handheld portable for PS5 gaming.
- Netflix continues to gain subscribers after its password-sharing crackdown.
- The iPhone 15's USB-C charging cable is expected to be 50% longer and come in different colors.
If you find value in this newsletter, please share it with your friends and colleagues. Thank you! Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | Sony announced an upcoming portable gaming device that streams PlayStation 5 games via Wi-Fi. Competing against the Nintendo Switch and Valve's Steam Deck, Sony's PlayStation Portal is priced at $199.99 in the U.S. and will go on sale later this year. More: - The remote handheld connects to the PS5 console for remote play.
- Specs include an eight-inch LCD screen with 1080p visuals at 60fps, along with DualSense features like adaptive triggers and haptic feedback.
- Users require a 5Mbps internet connection, with 15Mbps recommended for optimal performance.
- The PlayStation Portal will not work cloud streaming for PS5 via PlayStation Plus Premium, meaning users can only stream games already installed on the PS5.
Zoom out: - Sony also unveiled two gaming accessories: the Pulse Elite wireless headset and Pulse Explore wireless earbuds, both equipped with AI-powered noise cancellation.
- They connect with the PlayStation Portal and PS5 via a new wireless audio technology called PlayStation Link.
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| 2 | | Despite a drop from June's peak, new Netflix sign-ups in the U.S. remained elevated after the company began cracking down on shared passwords in May, per new figures from Antenna. The data was sourced from Antenna's transaction records, including online purchases and banking information. 
What the numbers say: Netflix gained 2.6 million U.S. subscribers in July, higher than normal but down 25.7% from the company's record-breaking June growth. The streamer once again dominated the category, accounting for nearly 1 in 5 premium subscription video-on-demand gross adds for a second straight month. Moreover, 23% of new Netflix users picked the ad-supported plan in July, up 4 points from June and the highest portion since the ad tier's launch in November. The takeaway: Initially, Wall Street feared password-sharing restrictions could slow subscriber growth, but Netflix's crackdown has reinvigorated user sign-ups. Netflix is seeking new revenue streams in a fiercely competitive market, with subscriber attraction and retention becoming tougher amid the numerous streaming options. Following Netflix's success, Disney is now actively exploring ways to address streaming subscribers who share accounts, with the changes expected in 2024. Analysts predict that other streaming services will likely follow suit. Q: Are password-sharing crackdowns making you consider saying goodbye to streaming services? Let us know here. | | | |
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| 3 | | Reports suggest that the new USB-C charging cables for the iPhone 15 lineup could be braided and 50% longer than the current Lightning cable. The new woven cables are expected to come in pink, blue, purple, yellow, and black, matching the corresponding iPhone color. More: - Apple device collector Kosutami claims the new USB-C cables will be 1.5 meters in length, up from about 1 meter for the iPhone 14's Lightning cable.
- A Macworld report claims the new cables "will be much more durable and should be able to withstand years of use and abuse."
Zoom out: - Apple is expected to unveil the new iPhone 15 at its event either on Tuesday, September 12, or Wednesday, September 13.
- One of the most notable changes is the replacement of the Lightning connector with USB-C, which is expected to result in faster charging speeds.
- Some iPhone 15 models will reportedly support up to 35W charging, higher than the iPhone 14's 25W and iPhone 14 Pro's max of 27W.
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| 4 | | TikTok announced it will integrate ads into its search results. The ads will be labeled as "sponsored" and appear beside organic posts, according to the company. More: - The new "Search Ads Toggle" will allow advertisers to target TikTok users of the platform who are seeking information about brands or products through search.
- The ads are pulled from other videos that an advertiser is hosting on the platform.
- In early testing, skincare brand Clinique experienced a 441% rise in conversion rates and a 51% boost in click-through rates.
- Videos with the "sponsored" label already show up as ads within TikTok users' For You feeds.
Zoom out: - According to TechCrunch, the new ad space could challenge Google's search ads business, as younger users now frequently begin their searches on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
- Insider Intelligence forecasts that nearly $6.2B, or 9% of all U.S. social media ad spend, will go to TikTok in 2023.
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| 5 | | The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is set to launch an in-depth investigation of Qualcomm's takeover of Autotalks, an Israeli chipmaker specializing in vehicle crash-prevention technology. Autotalks creates specialized chips for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication in both traditional and self-driving vehicles, which would help Qualcomm grow its presence in the automotive industry. More: - V2X enables vehicles to communicate with their surroundings. Qualcomm also provides the technology via its Snapdragon Digital Chassis for assisted and self-driving capabilities.
- The acquisition now faces scrutiny from the FTC and the European Commission, with concerns about potential monopolistic dominance by Qualcomm in the V2X semiconductor market.
- Following requests from 15 EU countries, EU regulators are requiring Qualcomm to seek antitrust approval for the takeover.
- The acquisition would "combine two of the main suppliers of V2X semiconductors in the [European Economic Area]," according to the commission.
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| 6 | | Meta unveiled an AI speech-to-text model that can translate and transcribe almost 100 languages. Meta said its Seamless M4T, or Massively Multilingual and Multimodal Machine Translation, is a step toward a universal language translator, like the Babel Fish in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." More: - The model does full translations without intermediary text conversion and can handle "code-switching" or language shifts mid-sentence
- According to Meta, the system was built to identify sensitive and "toxic words" that can incite hate or violence.
- It supports speech recognition, speech-to-text translation, and speech-to-speech translation.
- It also handles text-to-text translation and text-to-speech translation.
Zoom out: - Meta is releasing Seamless M4TT under a Creative Commons license.
- It's also publishing SeamlessAlign, a new translation dataset with over 270,000 hours of speech and text.
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- Google announced that NFL Sunday Ticket will have "full integration" on the Google TV home screen. Google previously secured the rights to the premium sports package for YouTube and YouTube TV.
- The first U.S. Republican debate for the 2024 presidential election will air starting at 9 p.m. ET tonight exclusively on Fox News, Fox Business Network, website, and Fox Nation. Rumble will livestream the event.
- Generative AI technology like ChatGPT is expected to automate portions of people's jobs without completely taking them over, predicts a new United Nations study. The report suggests that clerical roles might face the biggest impact from genAI.
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 | AI and technology writer | | Beth is the curator and writer of the AI and Tech newsletters at Inside. With a career in journalism and editing that began in 2007, she has written for publications including USA Today, The Arizona Republic, Arizona Business Gazette, and more. You can reach her at Beth.Duckett@yahoo.com. | | This newsletter was edited by NO ACCOUNT ASSOCIATED WITH THE EDITOR | |
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