Author: Olivier Blanchard

How phone location data is being used by big tech to gauge the efficacy of social distancing policies. Let's take a look at this.
Just as in every other part of the world, the coronavirus COVID-19 presents a threat to Europe’s tech startup scene. While some countries, like France and Germany, have really stepped up, there is not yet a comprehensive plan in place by the European Commission to afford greater, and more equitable protection. I believe it’s important to not only consider the cost of providing much-needed aid in a balanced way, but also the opportunity cost of not doing so. Here’s why.
Qualcomm’s real-time translation during a phone call moves this functionality from science fiction to fact. Oh, I know cloud-based transcription functionality exists, but this is different. When the real-time translation function can happen on your phone, or on the device you’re using as your communication interface (i.e. laptop, tablet), it’s a game-changer. And that’s where Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 comes in.
Qualcomm is introducing two new Bluetooth audio SoCs that are small enough to fit into earbuds and designed to elevate what the company calls the “truly wireless” consumer experience. While this news is admittedly exciting, it is not Qualcomm’s first foray into earbud-sized Bluetooth audio System-on-Chip (SOCs). The San Diego chipmaker has been semi-quietly partnering with major consumer brands to bring high quality truly wireless audio to consumers for some time now, and this latest generation of Bluetooth audio SoCs is merely the natural evolution of the Qualcomm QCC5100 series and the Qualcomm QCC302x series. That aside, I see even more exciting things ahead for Qualcomm in the Bluetooth audio earbud market. Here’s why.
The potential move away from Qualcomm’s premium 5G Snapdragon 865 SOC as reported would signal that Google and LG might be leaving Apple and Samsung to fight for the top spot in the premium tier handset category. This move would allow Google and LG to focus instead on more budget-friendly high-end phones for consumers who enjoy premium features but don’t need all of the bells and whistles of a $1,200+ phone. The decision to select Qualcomm’s 765G mobile platform over the superior 865 mobile platform may initially seem like a setback for Qualcomm’s flagship 5G SOC, but I don’t think that’s the case at all. Here’s why.
As the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic forces populations around the world to adopt social distancing strategies, many of the technologies that we considered “complementary” to our traditional day-to-day productivity have now become our primary modes of presence, collaboration, and productivity.
Our team has more than a little experience when comes to digital transformation, so we thought it might be helpful to put together this outline of three simple digital transformation principles that will help executives, your leadership team, and your businesses adapt to the coronavirus crisis.
Uber’s coronavirus proposal is good PR, but is it achievable? There are so many reasons to regard this announcement with a very big grain of salt, not the least of which are that it’s completely unmanageable (today, anyway) as well as a massive invasion of privacy—for both Uber drivers and riders.
Zoom Q4 results showed a strong growth trajectory and guidance, for what is pretty much exactly the right product at exactly the right time.
The FCC crackdown on location data abuses by US wireless carriers sends dangerous message on customer privacy, but it's a pretty significant win for carriers and tech companies. Here's a look at all the things that are wrong with that.
For this week’s episode of the Futurum Tech Podcast, I was joined by my colleague and fellow analyst, Ron Westfall. We discussed what organizations need to know about the EU’s newly proposed guidelines for AI and Apple’s hit to the bottom line as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. We also covered the T-Mobile Sprint merger and what we think is ahead in the telecoms market and explored our thoughts about the role automation will play in 5G operations. Lastly, we covered news that Google is cracking down on Google Play apps that track location in the background, along with the FTC’s probe into high tech acquisitions over the course of the last decade and what that likely means (read: the headaches potentially ahead). Come on, have a listen. And if you’ve not yet subscribed, do — we cover all the tech news of the week in an easily digestible, definitely entertaining manner.

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