Tech trends for 2024

Here is collection of technology trends news for year 2024. This is a collection of links to articles followed by a short quote.

887 Comments

  1. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Andrew Cunningham / Ars Technica:
    Arm unveils Accuracy Super Resolution, an upscaler for mobile games based on AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution 2, available under the MIT open-source license — Arm “Accuracy Super Resolution” is optimized for power use and integrated GPUs. — Some of the best Arm processors come …

    Arm tweaks AMD’s FSR to bring battery-saving GPU upscaling to phones and tablets
    Arm “Accuracy Super Resolution” is optimized for power use and integrated GPUs.
    https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2024/07/arm-gets-into-graphics-upscaling-promises-up-to-1-5x-faster-gpu-performance/

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  2. Tomi Engdahl says:

    An absurd new phone is coming to crush the iPhone and Android
    https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/an-absurd-new-phone-up-mobile-coming-to-crush-iphone-and-android/

    Just when you thought Web3 — the name given to a decentralized version of the internet — had been consigned to the history books, along comes a new smartphone project to try to convince you otherwise, and, in an attempt to ensure it appears as up-to-date as possible, adds another buzzword to the list: AI.

    What I’m talking about is called the Up Mobile, and if mention of Web3 and AI together weren’t enough, it also has some blockchain technology inside for good measure. If this were Buzzword Bingo, someone would be shouting “House!” right about now.

    But I haven’t finished yet, as this isn’t just another Android phone either. According to the Roy Liu, co-founder of the Up Network, which is responsible for the Up Mobile, the App Store and Google Play Store aren’t the place to find Web3 apps due to “unfriendly terms,” so a Web3/AI/blockchain device needs a different ecosystem to survive.

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  3. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Game developer says Intel should recall its defective, crash-prone CPUs
    The latest high-end processors are costing the studio a lot of money
    https://www.techspot.com/news/103797-developer-alderon-games-intel-actually-selling-defective-crash.html

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  4. Tomi Engdahl says:

    13th and 14th Gen Intel CPU instability also hits servers — W680 boards with Core i9 K-series chips are crashing
    News
    By Aaron Klotz published 2 days ago
    These non-Z series motherboards don’t push 13th and 14th Gen chips nearly as hard, so what’s happening?
    https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/13th-and-14th-gen-intel-cpu-instability-also-hits-servers

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  5. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Google will update Android’s Linux kernel 4 years after its own long-term support
    https://www.androidpolice.com/google-support-linux-kernels-android/

    SUMMARY
    Google is stepping in to extend Android’s LTS kernel support to six years for enhanced security.
    Previously, LTS kernels were being maintained for six years by Linux contributors, but now only get two years of upstream support. Google says it will bridge that four-year gap.
    To help accommodate this, OEMs launching Android 15+ devices are now required to use the latest kernel versions for continued support.

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  6. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Don’t fall for the no-bloat ‘government’ version of Windows 11 going around
    Windows 11 without any of the bloatware? Sounds promising! But the alleged “Government Edition” is actually illegal.
    https://www.pcworld.com/article/2388665/illegal-windows-11-version-lures-with-bloatware-free-design-dont-fall-for-it.html

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  7. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Microsoft gives Windows 11 users a 3-month notice: upgrade to 23H2 now, or face the consequences
    News
    By Darren Allan published July 9, 2024
    It’s version 23H2 or no security updates for you
    https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/microsoft-gives-windows-11-users-a-3-month-notice-upgrade-to-23h2-now-or-face-the-consequences

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  8. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Researchers grow 1D sub-1nm transistor
    https://www.eenewseurope.com/en/researchers-grow-1d-sub-1nm-transistor/

    Researchers in Korea have grown two and one dimensional structures on silicon to build a transistor with a gate electrode of under 1nm.
    The team led by Director JO Moon-Ho of the Center for Van der Waals Quantum Solids within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) has implemented a novel method to achieve epitaxial growth of 1D metallic materials with a width of less than 1nm. The group applied this process to develop a new structure for 2D semiconductor logic circuits with the 1D metals as a gate electrode.

    The International Roadmap for Devices and Systems (IRDS) by the IEEE predicts semiconductor node technology to reach around 0.5 nm by 2037, with transistor gate lengths of 12 nm. The research team demonstrated that the channel width modulated by the electric field applied from the 1D MTB gate can be as small as 3.9 nm, significantly exceeding the futuristic prediction.

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  9. Tomi Engdahl says:

    You can buy Seagate’s largest hard disk drive right now but don’t think you can use it anywhere — 25TB Exos X26z HDD is affordable but requires special equipment to work
    News
    By Wayne Williams published June 30, 2024
    It’s reasonably priced though
    https://www.techradar.com/pro/you-can-buy-seagates-largest-hard-disk-drive-right-now-but-dont-think-you-can-use-it-anywhere-25tb-exos-x26z-hdd-is-affordable-but-requires-special-equipment-to-work

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  10. Tomi Engdahl says:

    New “SCALE” Software Allows Natively Compiling CUDA Apps For AMD GPUs
    https://www.phoronix.com/news/SCALE-CUDA-Apps-For-AMD-GPUs

    While there have been various efforts like HIPIFY to help in translating CUDA source code to portable C++ code for AMD GPUs and then the previously-AMD-funded ZLUDA to allow CUDA binaries to run on AMD GPUs via a drop-in replacement to CUDA libraries, there’s a new contender in town: SCALE. SCALE is now public as a GPGPU toolchain for allowing CUDA programs to be natively run on AMD graphics processors.

    SCALE has been seven years in the making by UK firm Spectral Compute. SCALE is a “clean room” implementation of CUDA that leverages some open-source LLVM components while forming a solution to natively compile CUDA sources for AMD GPUs without modification — a big benefit over alternative projects that only assist in code translation by transpiling to another “portable” language or other manual developer steps being involved.

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  11. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Warframe devs report 80% of game crashes happen on Intel’s overclockable Core i9 chips — Core i7 K-series CPUs also have high crash rates
    News
    By Christopher Harper published 3 days ago
    Warframe developers provide some crash statistics and describe diagnosing the issue
    https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/warframe-devs-report-80-percent-of-game-crashes-happen-on-intel-overclockable-core-i9-chips

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  12. Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/preliminary-hbm4-specs-point-to-major-performance-uplift-for-gpus
    Preliminary HBM4 specs point to major performance uplift for GPUs — transfer speeds up to 6.4 GT/s across a 2048-bit interface

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  13. Tomi Engdahl says:

    It’s 2024 and yet Intel is still churning out DUAL CORE CPUs for desktop PCs, and I’m a little in awe of the plucky trooper
    https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/processors/its-2024-and-yet-intel-is-still-churning-out-dual-core-cpus-for-desktop-pcs-and-im-a-little-in-awe-of-the-plucky-trooper/

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  14. Tomi Engdahl says:

    China’s telco companies are gradually shifting to Chinese CPUs — telecom giants switch hundreds of thousands of their servers to homegrown CPU platforms
    https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/china-telco-companies-are-gradually-shifting-to-chinese-cpus

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  15. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Dino survival game developer is switching all its servers to AMD ‘which experience 100 times fewer crashes compared to Intel’ because it’s ‘only a matter of time before affected CPUs fail’
    https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/processors/dino-survival-game-developer-is-switching-all-its-servers-to-amd-which-experience-100-times-fewer-crashes-compared-to-intel-because-its-only-a-matter-of-time-before-affected-cpus-fail/

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  16. Tomi Engdahl says:

    FEATURE
    Browser speed showdown: Chrome vs. Edge vs. Firefox and more
    The most popular browsers in a speed duel: Who will win the race?
    https://www.slashgear.com/1617303/does-raspberry-pi-need-fan/

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  17. Tomi Engdahl says:

    A Windows PC that looks like a smartphone? No, Microsoft is not resurrecting Windows Phone — but Chinese startup behind tiny mini PC may have missed a trick (again)
    News
    By Wayne Williams published July 14, 2024
    Meenhong JX5 will need regular charging
    https://www.techradar.com/pro/a-windows-pc-that-looks-like-a-smartphone-no-microsoft-is-not-resurrecting-windows-phone-but-chinese-startup-behind-tiny-mini-pc-may-have-missed-a-trick-again

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  18. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Benchmark maker comments on the scarcity of Qualcomm Copilot+ PC tests in the wild — only 56 Windows-on-Arm devices benchmarked in the last 30 days
    News
    By Mark Tyson published July 15, 2024
    22,000 x86 vs. 56 Arm CPU tests were run in the last 30 days.
    https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/benchmark-maker-comments-on-the-scarcity-of-qualcomm-copilot-pc-tests-in-the-wild

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  19. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Open AI julkaisi uuden tekoälymallin – halvempi ja tehokkaampi kuin edeltäjät
    Anna Helakallio19.7.202410:14|päivitetty19.7.202410:22TEKOÄLY
    Gpt-4o mini -mallin on tarkoitus olla edullisempi vaihtoehto gpt-4o -mallille
    https://www.tivi.fi/uutiset/open-ai-julkaisi-uuden-tekoalymallin-halvempi-ja-tehokkaampi-kuin-edeltajat/d6604acb-c7ea-4602-8328-c7d396293b09

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  20. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Windows 11 Update 23H2 is now in broad deployment after fixing critical bugs
    News
    By Christopher Harper published 2 days ago
    It’s about time this update was finalized
    https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/windows-11-update-23h2-is-now-in-broad-deployment-after-fixing-critical-bugs

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  21. Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.puhelinvertailu.com/uutiset/2024/07/15/android-15-tekee-puhelimesta-tietokoneen

    Tänä päivänä useimmimpien ihmisten laskentateholtaan ja graafisilta suorituskyvyiltään tehokkain tietokone löytyy taskusta, kännykän muodossa. Nykyaikainen, yli 500 euroa maksava kännykkä pyyhkii todennäköisesti lattiaa useimmilla markettien kannettavilla tietokoneilla – mennen tullen.

    Joten päättelyketju on selvä:

    Entä jos puhelimen kytkisi isoon näyttöön, näppäimistöön ja hiireen – ja käyttäisi sitä tietokoneena?

    Viimeisen 25 vuoden aikana temppua on koetettu monesti: Samsungilla on oma DeX-ratkaisunsa, Microsoftin suuri visio Windows Phonessa oli sekin samankaltainen. Ja jokainen Android itse asiassa osaa käyttää sopivan johdon avulla hiirtä, ulkoista näppäimistöä – ja ulkoista näyttöäkin.

    Mutta se iso ongelma on aina ollut siinä, että kaikki ratkaisut ovat lähinnä teknisiä demoja, eräänlaisia purkkavirityksiä, joilla laite saadaan tekemään sellaista, mihin sitä ei ole suunniteltu.

    Nyt asiaan näyttää tulevan muutos.

    Syksyllä julkaistava Android 15 on tuomassa Androidiin täyden työpöytätilan, joka kytkeytyy automaattisesti päälle, kun Android-kännykän liittää ulkoiseen, tarpeeksi isoon näyttöön.

    Itse asiassa alustava uudistus tupsahti jo käyttöön, joskin rajatusti: Googlen omille Pixel-puhelimille julkaistu Android 14:n päivitys, Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2.1, sisältää kyseisen tilan. Se vain pitää erikseen löytää asetuksista, jotta sen saa päälle.

    Mutta kun tila on leivottu jo Googlen jakelemaan Androidiin valmiiksi, on hyvin todennäköistä, että se tullaan ottamaan osaksi virallista Android 15 -julkaisua.

    Kenties länsimaissa tilalle on vähemmän käyttöä, mutta etenkin kehittyvillä markkinoilla kännykkä on useimmille ihmisille ainoa tietotekninen laite. Joten sen käyttäminen tietokoneena, ison näytön, hiiren ja näppäimistön kera, voisi olla valtava tuottavuusloikka.

    Kuten videolta näkee, Android-sovelluksia voi vapaasti suurentaa ja pienentää ja myös siirrellä näytöllä. Ongelma on tietysti se, että äärimmäisen harvaa Android-sovellusta on kunnolla optimoitu edes tablettikäyttöön.

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  22. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Intel says 13th and 14th Gen mobile CPUs are crashing but not due to the same bug as desktop chips — chipmaker blames common software and hardware issues
    https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/intel-says-13th-and-14th-gen-mobile-cpus-are-crashing-but-not-due-to-the-same-bug-as-desktop-chips-chipmaker-blames-common-software-and-hardware-issues?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_content=tomsguide&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0_ywYMjU1KhgatFr9_By-0Mb5RAJPM3nK0LixeLckVyQ8rcGNOFt_0bT4_aem_QT_smAan8ir8B_kJH1HLZQ

    Amidst reports of the 13th and 14th Generation processor instability extending to mobile chips, Intel has sent a statement to Tom’s Hardware to clarify the situation. While there has been instability feedback on some mobile SKUs, the cause of the instability differs from their desktop counterparts.

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  23. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Donald Trumpin pelätään vievän talouden uuteen inflaatioon, ja siksi kullan hinta lyö jatkuvasti ennätyksiä
    Maailmantalous on selvinnyt kriiseistä hyvin. Puhutaan jo ”kultakutritaloudesta”, mutta kullan ennätyshinta kertoo aivan toisenlaista viestiä.
    https://yle.fi/a/74-20100503

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  24. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Intel finally announces a solution for CPU crashing errors — claims elevated voltages are the root cause; fix coming by mid-August

    Intel finally announces a solution for CPU crashing and instability problems — claims elevated voltages are the root cause; patch coming by mid-August [Updated]
    News
    By Paul Alcorn published 15 hours ago
    Patch is on the way.
    https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/intel-finally-announces-a-solution-for-cpu-crashing-errors-claims-elevated-voltages-are-the-root-cause-fix-coming-by-mid-august?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_content=tomsguide&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2irEDpHADrSW1pqMaiatfIN5cAWkUrFex4n9UvLL0brspb6DRQfNqMpbY_aem_5cAKGuW-CU_SoDqma35hjw

    Intel has announced that it has found the root cause of the crashing issues plaguing its CPUs. The company will issue a microcode update to address the issues by mid-August, ostensibly ending the long-running saga that began when the first sporadic reports of CPU crashing errors surfaced in December 2022 and grew to a crescendo by the end of 2023. Intel’s response comes after complaints about the issue, which causes PCs to inexplicably crash/BSOD during gaming and other workloads, reached a fever pitch in recent weeks. However, the microcode update will not repair impacted processors. Intel also confirmed a rumored issue with via oxidation in its 7nm node, but said those issues were corrected in 2023 and didn’t contribute to the failures.

    Intel’s advisory says an erroneous CPU microcode is the root cause of the incessant instability issues. The microcode caused the CPU to request elevated voltage levels, resulting in the processor operating outside its safe boundaries. Intel is now validating a microcode patch to correct the issues, with its release slated for mid-August. This patch will be distributed through BIOS updates from motherboard OEMs and via Windows updates, so the timing for end-user availability could vary.

    The bug causes irreversible degradation of the impacted processors. We’re told that the microcode patch will not repair processors already experiencing crashes, but it is expected to prevent issues on processors that aren’t currently impacted by the issue. For now, it is unclear if CPUs exposed to excessive voltage have suffered from invisible degradation or damage that hasn’t resulted in crashes yet but could lead to errors or crashes in the future.

    Intel advises all customers having issues to seek help from its customer support. Because the microcode update will not repair impacted processors, the company will continue to replace them. Intel has pledged to grant RMAs to all impacted customers.

    The company had previously advised its customers to stick with the basic power guidelines for its processors, rather than running them at fully unlocked settings, as it worked through the issues.

    Intel isn’t sharing many deep-dive details about the bug yet but says it will continue its validation process to ensure the microcode fully addresses the issues. The company will release more details about the bug itself in the future.

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  25. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Nvidia GPU partners reportedly cheap out on thermal paste, causing 100C hotspot temperatures — cheap paste allegedly degrades in a few months
    News
    By Aaron Klotz published July 20, 2024
    Most (if not all) AIB partners allegedly use this dirt-cheap paste that looses performance in months.
    https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/nvidia-gpu-partners-reportedly-cheap-out-on-thermal-paste-cheap-paste-allegedly-degrades-in-a-few-months-causing-over-100oc-hotspot-temperatures?utm_medium=social&utm_content=tomsguide&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=facebook.com&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR05eGGgqUY5_vMXL1AWHb0gPsO0NyMP9QCSfzEh_i0tO5P_652ZF6E1EtM_aem_rN1Y-dzeqbMS3FrKSqwgig

    Nvidia’s AIB (Add-in Board) partners have allegedly been caught using dirt-cheap thermal paste in their latest GeForce RTX 40-series products, which are among the best graphics cards. Igor Wallossek from Igor’s Lab reports that thermal paste deterioration has escalated into a severe problem for many RTX 40 series customers, where faltering cards see hotspot temperatures reach over 100 degrees Celsius, causing fan speeds to spike to almost 100%. The thermal paste allegedly performs exceptionally well on day one but quickly deteriorates on a scale of months (not years).

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  26. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Googlen emo­yhtiön tulos ja liike­vaihto ylittivät odotukset
    Tulos alleviivaa hakupalveluiden jatkuvaa vahvuutta sekä pilvipalveluiden kysyntää, toimitusjohtaja uskoo.
    Googlen emoyhtiön tulos ja liikevaihto ylittivät odotukset
    https://www.is.fi/taloussanomat/art-2000010583418.html

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  27. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Unreal Engine supervisor at ModelFarm blasts 50% failure rate with Intel chips — company switching to AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X, praises single-threaded performance
    https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/unreal-engine-supervisor-blasts-50-failure-rate-with-intel-chips-praises-amds-chips-as-company-switches-to-ryzen-9-9950x#xenforo-comments-3850193

    Dylan Browne, an Unreal Engine Supervisor and Feature Film VFX at the ModelFarm visual effects studio, posted on X that his company is experiencing a 50% failure rate for systems powered by Intel’s Core i9-13900K and 14900K processors. As a result, the company is deploying AMD’s as-yet-unreleased Zen 5 Ryzen 9 9950X processors in place of Intel-powered solutions, with Browne praising AMD’s single-thread performance.

    Reply
  28. Tomi Engdahl says:

    It-alan ammattilaiset tekevät joukkopakoa Javasta – 53 % syyttää liian korkeaa hintaa
    Anna Helakallio26.7.202413:43|päivitetty26.7.202413:43JAVAOHJELMISTOKEHITYS
    Joukkopaon taustalla on Oraclen lisensointimuutokset.
    https://www.tivi.fi/uutiset/it-alan-ammattilaiset-tekevat-joukkopakoa-javasta-53-syyttaa-liian-korkeaa-hintaa/1ea4e73d-d334-499d-8091-af860f409f5d

    86 prosenttia Oraclen Java SE -tilauksen käyttäjistä aikoo vaihtaa alustaa, uutisoi Itpro. Luku käy ilmi Azul Systemsin selvityksestä.

    Reply
  29. Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/16412-pc-koneet-mullistava-muisti-pian-valmis

    Viime vuonna englantilaisen Quinasin kehittämä UltraRAM valittiin vuoden lupaavimmaks uudeksi muistitekniikaksi. Nyt tämä Lancasterin ja Cardiffin yliopistojen perustama startup on saanut 1,1 miljoonaa puntaa Innovate UK -kehitysrahastolta tekniikan viemiseksi eteenpäin massatuotantoon.

    UltraRAM yhdistää DRAM-muistin korkean suorituskyvyn ja flashin haihtumattomuuden, minkä uskottiin yleisesti olevan mahdotonta. Sillä on kyky sekä tallentaa tietoja yli 1000 vuoden ajan eli pidempään kuin flashissa, että myös lukea ja kirjoittaa erittäin nopeasti ja pienemmällä energialla kuin DRAM.

    Flashin tapaan UltraRAM hyödyntää resonanssitunneloinnin kvanttimekaanista vaikutusta ja korvaa flashin oksiditunnelin kolmoisesteisellä resonanssitunnelointirakenteella. Tämä eliminoi flashin puutteet ja mahdollistaa toiminnan erittäin alhaisella jännitteellä ja suurella nopeudella.

    Reply
  30. Tomi Engdahl says:

    It’s so good you would pay for it “forever”

    Logitech has revealed its working on a ‘forever mouse’ in its R&D labs, and that this mouse could be so good it warrants a monthly subscription.

    Read more: https://www.tweaktown.com/news/99658/logitech-is-working-on-forever-mouse-that-you-pay-per-month-for/index.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2KBOdw1IsM2o3niZzTiGMIeXpMipBGW4yr_kZgJtyuZis5H1Vkv5y41GI_aem_pXZjWjWJ4bWr1Ac06QTKlw

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  31. Tomi Engdahl says:

    My company is getting ready to ban all Logitech wireless everything considering Logitech refusal to fix their long running “Keyjacker” hack on their Unified wireless dongle. This exploit originally discovered in 2016 still evades Logitech ability to ensure suers of a secure computing foundation. Last week, several of our security team wondered around one of our company buildings with a specialy configured laptop and unified dongle communicator and proceeded to type bits of code on any Unified dongle that was within range. They opened PowerShell, ran powershell commands and basically had full mouse and keyboard control of the computer … Even those more than 150 feet away! Needless to say, this got senior execs worried. Now they are scanning all laptops for Logitech HIDs and informing users to refrain from using them… And in the next month or so, they will restrict Logitech Unified receivers from using USB ports. This means that even users working from home on BYOD and VM desktops will not be allowed to connect to the corporate VPN with a Logitech Unified Dongle plugged into their machines. If Logitech wants to supply a subscription based product, then they better be prepared for lawsuits as corporations wake up to this long running exploit!

    https://www.tweaktown.com/news/99658/logitech-is-working-on-forever-mouse-that-you-pay-per-month-for/index.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2KBOdw1IsM2o3niZzTiGMIeXpMipBGW4yr_kZgJtyuZis5H1Vkv5y41GI_aem_pXZjWjWJ4bWr1Ac06QTKlw

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  32. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Logitech’s CEO says this kind of mouse isn’t “necessarily super far away” and will rely on software updates, likely delivered through a subscription model.

    Logitech has an idea for a “forever mouse” that requires a subscription
    Exec says mouse that requires a regular fee for software updates is possible.
    https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/07/logitech-has-an-idea-for-a-forever-mouse-thatrequires-a-subscription/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dhfacebook&utm_content=null&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3uzW871TqPsuLfnRUHIxfA8i8Qxot33c5tGAQvgginEv1rSCPaVr1QA7c_aem_aiM-rA_4mwYbkbLFXItyVg

    Logitech CEO Hanneke Faber recently discussed the possibility of one day selling a mouse that customers can use “forever.” The executive said such a mouse isn’t “necessarily super far away” and will rely on software updates, likely delivered through a subscription model.

    Speaking on a July 29 episode of The Verge’s Decoder podcast, Faber, who Logitech appointed as CEO in October, said that members of a “Logitech innovation center” showed her “a forever mouse” and compared it to a nice but not “super expensive” watch.

    The concept mouse that Faber examined was “a little heavier” than the typical mouse. But what drives its longevity potential for Logitech is the idea of constantly updated software and services.

    To be clear, Logitech hasn’t announced concrete plans to release such a product. But Faber seemed optimistic about the idea of a mouse that people never need to replace. The challenge, she admitted, is finding a business model that supports that idea without requiring an exorbitant hardware price. “Our stuff will have to change, but does the hardware have to change?” she asked. “I’m not so sure. We’ll have to obviously fix it and figure out what that business model is. We’re not at the forever mouse today, but I’m intrigued by the thought.”

    The price of a “forever mouse”
    Speaking with Faber, Decoder host and Verge Editor-in-Chief Nilay Patel suggested that a “forever mouse” could cost $200. While that would be expensive compared to the typical mouse, such a product wouldn’t be the first software-heavy, three-figure-price computer mouse. Still, a price tag of around $200 would limit the audience to professionals or enthusiasts.

    Faber also said the average price of a mouse or keyboard is $26, though she didn’t cite her source. Logitech is seeking growth by appealing to the many people who don’t own both a mouse and keyboard and by selling more expensive devices.

    In any case, pushing out software updates would require Logitech to convince its customers to use an app to control their mouse. Such software can offer a lot of programmability and macro support, but the need to constantly run peripheral software could be a nuisance that eats up computer resources. Earlier this year, users complained when Logitech added a ChatGPT launcher to its peripherals.

    Mouse subscription
    Subscription models have been gaining popularity among business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) tech companies because they offer a more reliable, recurring revenue source than hardware sales. When Patel asked Faber if she could “envision a subscription mouse,” she responded, “possibly.”

    Faber said subscription software updates would mean that people wouldn’t need to worry about their mouse.

    Having to pay a regular fee for full use of a peripheral could deter customers, though. HP is trying a similar idea with rentable printers that require a monthly fee. The printers differ from the idea of the forever mouse in that the HP hardware belongs to HP, not the user. However, concerns around tracking and the addition of ongoing expenses are similar.

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