Week in Review: Should all our online eggs be in Amazon's basket?
Plus: your brain is like an idling car – just watch that the AirTags gang doesn't steal it | Google saves Roku, or Roku saves Google? | As goes AWS, so goes the internet
Created for techradar.com@quicklydone.com | Web Version
Now that the dust has settled from the organized chaos that was Black Friday, we’re once again able to give our full attention to ‘things happening in tech’ – and even though we’re now into December, with all the major launches out of the way, there’s still been plenty to talk about, not least a hugely popular story about a tiff between Google and Roku.
It’s also that time of year when streaming services think it’s a great idea to start bombarding you with your AI-curated ‘highlights’ from the past 12 months – whether that’s Google Photos year in review, Spotify Wrapped or YouTube Music just doing a generic YouTube rewind.
In other news, scientists think they now understand how our brains are like inefficient cars, which is encouraging…
This looked like it wasn’t going to end well: Google and Roku were deadlocked over whether the YouTube app would remain on Roku’s Channel Store. Yes, current users could still download and use the app, but it was set to be removed yesterday, December 9.
The issue didn't seem to be about money – according to Roku – but rather Google’s putting pressure on the smart streaming platform to promote YouTube up the rankings.
Roku made those demands public, and on Wednesday a ‘multi-year’ agreement was signed. As I said, this dispute wouldn’t have impacted current users, but come Christmas, prospective purchasers of Roku devices might have been put off by the prospect of not being able to access YouTube.
It’s nice that everyone has made up – but as we’ve yet to hear Google’s side of the story, here’s hoping Roku wasn’t forced into doing something it didn’t want to do.
It’s easy to never stop and think about how the internet works – as long as the magic box in your pocket, or the large screen in your living room, keeps working, everything is okay, right?
Well, remember that every byte of information you send and receive is routed through servers – there’s a gargantuan maelstrom of data carrying every crumb of entertainment or forced interaction with your boss into your life.
Amazon Web Services – or AWS – services millions of these requests every day… and this week part of it failed in the US – and oh boy, did it wreak havoc. Disney Plus and Facebook both went down, as well as (unsurprisingly) Amazon – and that meant Ring doorbells, Alexa services and even delivery drivers’ schedules and maps went down.
Apparently this was just a simple software deployment error, rather than some malicious hacking attack – but the effects were just as damaging, and a timely reminder that it’s worth having a backup plan if you rely on any internet-connected service too much.
A future Pixel Watch could be distinct from Fitbit devices such as the Fitbit Sense, above (Fitbit)
Here's a nice, simple little story, broken by TechRadar's former News Editor Hugh Langley over at Insider: Google's Pixel Watch, the device that's been rumored for years, and years, and years, is apparently finally appearing.
It's apparently dubbed Project Rohan internally (Rohan meaning 'Ascending' in Sanskrit, which we assume is some nod to the fact this project might finally appear), but aside from that that we don't know a huge amount about this watch, other than that it won't be designed to compete with Fitbit's (which Google now owns) devices, so is unlikely to be solely about fitness.
Instead, it's apparently going to cost more than your average fitness band, and be designed to compete directly with Apple.
We'll know more in 12 months, as it's set to launch some time next year – but I'll be fascinated to see what appears from the search giant if it finally enters the wearable space under its own steam.
I’ll tell you now: no matter what the story in question is, the answer to the above headline will always be "no". I have a new baby, so the idea of spending time PC gaming is so laughable that I’m almost cracking a rib.
But if you’re a PC gamer, then good news: there’s a solid rumor doing the rounds that Nvidia is planning to launch an RTX 3050 graphics card, which would pack 8GB of RAM and 3072 CUDA cores (Nvidia’s version of the CPU), meaning that basic, Full HD gaming should whip along nicely.
So if you’re thinking of getting into the heady world of PC gaming, this could be a good little gateway for you if it lands next year.
Okay, they’re not being used in the sense of ‘stick an AirTag in a window crack and drive away’, but some criminals are apparently sticking them on fancy cars, tracking them to the owner’s driveway, and then stealing them at their leisure.
The thieves are sticking the tags in places where they’re unlikely to be noticed, like under bumpers or inside petrol caps – which also means the driver might not hear the chirping sound that would alert them to the presence of an AirTag nearby.
Tom’s Guide spoke to Apple for comment, and was directed to an Apple support page that tells you what to do if you find someone else's AirTag in your belongings, or hear chirps from an AirTag that's been separated from its owner – that’s not much use if you’ve got an engine roaring and the radio blasting, though.
The PSVR 2's controllers promise to offer more features including advanced motion tracking (Sony)
A new patent from Sony has lifted the lid on the tech that could be included in the PSVR 2 controllers – a far cry from the ‘orb wands’ used by the brand for the first iteration of its virtual reality headset.
It doesn’t suggest massive changes, but it does show that the devices would be tracked by a camera, raising the possibility that the new version of PSVR would be able to follow you in space in a similar way to rivals’ systems – and that, combined with the titles and consistency of a console platform, could be all that’s needed to make the new PSVR a real winner in terms of enticing everyone into a new, virtual world.
Ever wondered why your brain uses so much energy? Well, if you’re like me, you might not have even known that it did – but apparently it’s chomping down 20% of all the fuel in your body, and scientists have got a new theory as to why.
The original theory was the sheer amount of electrical energy needed to fire our synapses, but, when researchers observed coma patients they found that the same power was being used.
Why is this? Well, I think it’s better that you read the story to understand the science behind it – I’m going to blame the baby for my inability to parse this information in a useful way – but essentially, the brain is constantly leaking out energy by being in a state of readiness at all times.
This understanding could go some way to help researchers figure out how to treat Parkinson’s disease, among other conditions – yet another reason why we love science.
This is from the editor
I’ll keep this brief… I just want to say thank you for all the brilliant emails I’ve been getting this week. Whether it’s Gary telling me about sound waves that work like light (as well as admitting that Apple products are staggeringly easy to set up… he and his wife essentially had a race with a new iPhone and Galaxy, and the iPhone won), or Lee and Nancy just telling me how much they enjoy this newsletter (honestly, that made my week, you two) – your kind and entertaining words are giving me the warm and fuzzies.
So, what else have you got for me? I want to hear about anything that happened in your tech world this week. Did you download the YouTube app on Roku and realize that you’ll never use it… but are glad you did it? Did you hurl your laptop through a window when Disney Plus went down? Or did a smart lamp make you happy for some reason?
So do email me, including NEWSLETTER in the subject line (you’d know how important that bit is if you could see the amount of emails I get each week) and don’t forget to subscribe – we’ve got some fantastic contributors coming up soon, as well as some nifty changes to the site that we think you might like.
Oh, and the reason I didn’t write this last week: I got engaged! I figured that if you’ve read this far, you might be interested. If not… well, I don’t mind. It was a lovely moment.
Have a great weekend!
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