Author: azeeadmin

When Alibaba reported its earnings yesterday, the cloud data got a bit buried in other stories, but it’s worth pointing out that its cloud business grew 93 percent in the most recent quarter to $710 million. That’s down a smidgen from the gaudy triple digit growth of last report, but their market share has doubled in just two years, and they are growing fast.

As John Dinsdale, principal analyst at Synergy Research, a firm that keeps a close eye on the cloud market points out, the dip in growth is all about the law of large numbers. Alibaba couldn’t sustain triple digit growth for long.

“Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform have recently seen similar reductions in growth rates, and if you go back far enough in time, AWS did too. The key thing is that the market for cloud infrastructure services is now very big, yet is still growing by 50% per year — and the leading players are either maintaining or growing their market share,” he said.

Back in 2015, when the Chinese eCommerce giant launched a big cloud push as part of an effort to expand beyond its eCommerce roots, Alibaba Cloud’s president Simon Hu bragged to Reuters, “Our goal is to overtake Amazon in four years, whether that’s in customers, technology, or worldwide scale.”

That is obviously not happening, but the company has managed to move the market share needle, doubling from just 2 percent of worldwide cloud infrastructure market share in 2016 to 4 percent today. That’s nothing to sneeze at, according to Dinsdale, but it’s also worth pointing out that most that business is in Asia, and of that, most of it is in its native China.

Like all its cloud competitors, the company is concentrating on some key technologies to drive that growth including big data analytics, artificial intelligence, security and Internet-of-Things, all of which are resource intensive and help grow revenue quickly.

To sustain its growth, however, Alibaba needs to begin to develop markets outside of China  and Asia. Dinsdale thinks that could happen as Chinese customers expanded internationally. He also recognizes the political realities that the company faces as it tries to move into western markets. “Alibaba has what it takes to seriously challenge the top four cloud providers — despite some inevitable political headwinds that it will face,” he said.

While Alibaba might not reach the lofty heights of catching AWS any time soon, or probably ever, it has a good shot at IBM and Google Cloud Platform and for a company that just started taking the cloud market seriously in 2015, that’s amazing progress.

The World Bank has launched the first bond on a blockchain with the Commowealth Bank of Australia.

The A$110 million ($87 million) bond-i (blockchain operated new debt instrument) — so named, I’m assuming, because of Australia’s famed Bondi Beach (bankers have the funnies!) — is the first bond to be created, allocated, transferred and managed using distributed ledger technology.

The investment is one small step for Australian finance and one giant leap for blockchains in the world (or not).

Investors in the blockchain bond include CBA, First State Super, NSW Treasury Corporation, Northern Trust, QBE, SAFA, and Treasury Corporation of Victoria. It’s a smorgasbord of Australian state financial institutions and makes a ton of sense, because the Australian fintech community is one that’s strong, and blockchain is something that these institutions are definitely interested in exploring.

According to a statement from the World Bank this will be one of many experiments that the global financial organization will make into blockchain research. Last June, the World Bank launched a Blockchain Innovation Lab to play around with the technology. .

“We are particularly impressed with the breath [sic] of interest from official institutions, fund managers, government institutions and banks. We were no doubt successful in moving from concept to reality because these high-quality investors understood the value of leveraging technology for innovation in capital markets,” said World Bank Treasurer Arunma Oteh.

It’s not just parents who are worrying about their children’s device usage. According to a new study released by Pew Research Center this week, U.S. teens are now taking steps to limit themselves from overuse of their phone and its addictive apps, like social media. A majority, 54% of teens, said they spend too much time on their phone, and nearly that many – 52% – said they are trying to limit their phone use in various ways.

In addition, 57% say they’re trying to limit social media usage and 58% are trying to limit video games.

The fact that older children haven’t gotten a good handle on balanced smartphone usage points to a failure on both parents’ parts and the responsibilities of technology companies to address the addictive nature of our devices.

For years, instead of encouraging more moderate use of smartphones, as the tools they’re meant to be, app makers took full advantage of smartphones’ always-on nature to continually send streams of interruptive notifications that pushed users to constantly check in. Tech companies even leveraged psychological tricks to reward us each time we launched their app, with dopamine hits that keep users engaged.

Device makers loved this addiction because they financially benefited from app sales and in-app purchases, in addition to device sales. So they built ever more tools to give apps access to users’ attention, instead of lessening it.

For addicted teens, parents were of little help as they themselves were often victims of this system, too.

Today, tech companies are finally waking up to the problem. Google and Apple have now both built in screen time monitoring and control tools into their mobile operating systems, and even dopamine drug dealers like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube have begun to add screen time reminders and other “time well spent” features.

But these tools have come too late to prevent U.S. children from developing bad habits with potentially harmful side effects.

Pew says that 72% of teens are reaching for their phones as soon as they wake up; four-in-ten feel anxious without their phone; 56% report that not have their phone with them can make them feel lonely, upset or anxious; 51% feel their parents are distracted by phones during conversations (72% of parents say this is true, too, when trying to talk to teens); and 31% say phones distract them in class.

The problems are compounded by the fact that smartphones aren’t a luxury any longer – they’re in the hands of nearly all U.S. teens, 45% of whom are almost constantly online.

The only good news is that today’s teens seem to be more aware of the problem, even if their parents failed to teach balanced use of devices in their own home.

Nine-in-ten teens believe that spending too much time online is a problem, and 60% say it’s a major problem. 41% say they spend too much time on social media.

In addition, some parents are starting to take aim at the problem, as well, with 57% reporting they’ve set some screen time restrictions for their teens.

Today’s internet can be a toxic place, and not one where people should spend large amounts of time.

Social networking one the top activities taking place on smartphones, reports show.

But many of these networks were built by young men who couldn’t conceive of all the ways things could go wrong. They failed to build in robust controls from day one to prevent things like bullying, harassment, threats, misinformation, and other issues.

Instead, these protections have been added on after the fact – after the problems became severe. And, some could argue, that was too late. Social media is something that’s now associated with online abuse and disinformation, with comment thread fights and trolling, and with consequences that range from teen suicides to genocide.

If we are unable to give up our smartphones and social media for the benefits they do offer, at the very least we should be monitoring and moderating our use of them at this point.

Thankfully, as this study shows, there’s growing awareness of this among younger users, and maybe, some of them will even do something about it in the future – when they’re the bosses, the parents, and the engineers, they can craft new work/life policies, make new house rules, and write better code.

Cyber security has never gone away as a hot topic in the technology sphere and in 2018 it remains an enormous issue. As the next 3 billion or so of the planet’s people come online, it’s never been more important to secure their safety, their privacy and the security of their personal data. As the same time we are already in the process of building the infrastructure of the future. The smart cities and the autonomous cars-to-come will all have to be secure from cyber attack, from private or state actors.

It’s therefore salient that TechCrunch Disrupt feature the work of two of the key players in this space.

Machine learning can help companies better protect their networks, but it also provides attackers with new tools. DiDi Labs Security VP Fengmin Gong and Mike Hanley of Duo are both are the forefront of this sector. On stage at Disrupt they will discuss how their companies use these new technologies to keep hackers at bay and how others can do the same to keep their systems secure.

Hanley leads all security research, development and operations functions at Duo. Prior to Duo, he was a senior member of the technical staff at CERT/CC, working on applied R&D programs for the US Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community.

Hanley recently pointed out that it’s a a myth that most hackers are using sophisticated tactics to access data.

It’s his view that the vast majority of cyber security attacks start with phishing – where people respond to fraudulent emails and reveal their own personal information.

The problem is, he thinks, is that the security industry has been slow to offer simple, efficient solutions to protect companies’ and individuals’ digital information. He thinks the industry is too focused “on complexity and not necessarily effectiveness” and that “complexity really does breed insecurity.”

He’ll be joined on stage by Fengmin Gong of DiDi Labs, part of the Chinese ride-hailing startup.

Gong is a well-respected cybersecurity technologist with more than 30 years of industry experience. As head of DiDi Labs, Dr. Gong currently drives R&D innovation and strategy for safety, security and user experience on DiDi platforms, and works on developing the next generation of security tools

Gong has held chief scientist and R&D VP roles in a variety of large security corporations, including McAfee and Symantec JV, and served as chief security content strategy officer for FireEye, where he led the development and management of the company’s security initiatives. He is also a serial entrepreneur, having founded several leading security companies, including Palo Alto Networks and Cyphort Inc., and is an angel investor in more than half a dozen startups.

Didi was recently given the go-ahead to start testing self-driving cars in California, as it looks to catch up with its Silicon Valley rivals’ earlier start in autonomous systems.

Check out the full agenda here. Tickets are still available even though the show is less than two weeks away. Grab one here.

Need something to put on that new Wireless Charging Duo? Good news — the Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy Watch are available now. Here’s the my full 3,000 word review of the Note 9. The TLDR version is, essentially:

• Good screen
• Very good camera
• Decently long battery
• Interesting new S-Pen tricks
• Way, way too pricey

As for the Galaxy Watch, well, I’m wearing that one as I type this. Expect a review in the near future. But in the meantime, I’m enjoying the experience and am glad the company finally opted for a smaller size — even if that one might still be too larger for many wrists.

Both devices are available in a bunch of places, but it’s different SKUs for different vendors, so here’s the info straight from Samsung:

The 128GB Galaxy Note 9 can be purchased through carriers including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Verizon Wireless and Xfinity, along with Best Buy, Costco, Sam’s Club, Straight Talk Wireless, Target, Walmart, Samsung.com and the ShopSamsung app. The 512GB version is available at select retail locations and online at AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, U.S. Cellular and Samsung.com.

And here’s the same for the Galaxy Watch

Starting at $329.99 for the 42mm and $349.99 for the 46mm, is now available at Amazon, Best Buy and Samsung.com in the U.S. The Galaxy Watch LTE version is also available today, at Samsung.com and T-Mobile starting at $379.99 for the 42mm, and $399.99 for the 46mm.

As for the Galaxy Home smart speaker, your guess is as good as ours.

Waymo, the former Google self-driving project that spun out to become a business under Alphabet, has opened a subsidiary in China.

The unit, called Huimo Business Consulting Co., opened in Shanghai on May 22, according to a filing with China’s National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System. China Money Network was the first to report on the new entity. The unit, which was set up with 3.5 million yuan ($511,000), lists Waymo as an investor.

A Waymo spokesperson confirmed Thursday to TechCrunch that the unit had been formed in Shanghai and that people are working there. The company declined to comment further on its plans in China.

Don’t expect Waymo to launch an autonomous ride-hailing service in China, or even to test there.The filing says the subsidiary will be focused on logistics consulting, supply chain, and autonomous driving parts and product design.

An unnamed source familiar with the company’s plans backed up the description in the filing and told TechCrunch that the subsidiary will be working on building out a supplier network not launching a service there.

After a delay, the phone phone was scheduled to arrive this month. And then it got delayed again until October/November. If and when RED’s Hydrogen One actually does arrive, however, odds are pretty good you’re not going actually buy the thing. After all, $1,295 is nearly half an Aibo. For most of us, these first official full pictures are the closest we’ll get to RED’s first smartphone, so enjoy them, I guess.

Say what you will about the excessiveness of it all (and there’s plenty to say on that front), but the high-end camera maker is certainly shaking things up here. In addition to the 5.7 inch “holographic display” and the fact that it can double as a viewfinder for one of the company’s upcoming cameras, the design definitely sets the handset apart. 

RED’s bucking the nearly industry-wide trend toward minimalistic design language with all sorts of chrome. The sides, as CNET notes, are serrated like a knife — ostensibly to make the thing easier to hold, but mostly just to make it look cool. It’s the kind of phone design that screams, “please ask me what kind of phone I’m using, strange person on the street.” Then prepare yourself for a five minute explanation of what “holographic display” means.

RED will start to seed a developers model of the phone in a small batch of users at the end of the month. Preorder customers will start receiving the phone on October 9, and it will arriving in carrier stores (AT&T, Telcel, Verizon) on November 2.

PayPal is revamping its mobile app. Again. In an effort to keep pace with newcomers like the bank-owned Zelle, PayPal says its new app will focus on making it easier to use its core features – that is, sending and requesting money. That means many of the app’s homescreen buttons – like Offers, Donate, Order Ahead and others are being tucked away underneath a new “More” menu to eliminate some of the clutter.

The PayPal homescreen had gotten a little too busy with all the extra features it has been promoting, which aren’t central to the PayPal experience. For example, it threw in a button suggesting “Invest with Acorns,” after taking a stake in the mobile investing app that rounds up purchases and automatically invests the extra change on your behalf. It has been pushing its Order Ahead functionality for years, even though no one thinks to launch a payments app when they’re hungry. Now these buttons no longer get top billing and valuable homescreen space.

Above: PayPal’s app today, before the update

However, even though PayPal is removing a lot of these extras from the homescreen, it’s not actually giving its “Send” and “Request” buttons more room. In fact, they’re getting a little less.

Today, those buttons are in the center of the homescreen, hosted in a big, greenish-blue banner. The updated app relocates them to a bottom bar.

However, it reverts the app’s color scheme to PayPals’ more familiar dark blue-and-white branding, so the relocated buttons are actually easier to see.

The homescreen instead dedicates most of its room to a new personalized notifications section.

Here, users will see alerts about money they’ve received or payment requests from others in big, blue cards you can swipe through horizontally. Below this, is a strip of profile icons and names of those you’ve recently paid – the theory being that PayPal is often used among the same set of family, friends or businesses. This makes it easier to make your next payment to one of your “regulars.”

Beneath this strip, your PayPal balance is displayed, while other notifications and settings are accessed through small buttons at the top of the screen, as before.

The overall design feels more in tune with PayPal’s brand than the last update. Though the prior big revamp, which was over two years ago, modernized things up a bit, it did so with too-light icons, small fonts and odd, off-brand color choices.

PayPal says the new app is rolling out now on Android to select markets, including Australia and Italy. It will then roll out to the U.S. and other markets worldwide, followed by a release on iOS.

T-Mobile has confirmed hackers breached its systems.

The cell giant, currently merging with Sprint, said in a statement that hackers customer stole names, billing zip codes, phone numbers, email addresses, account numbers, and account type — such as if an account was prepaid or postpaid — in what the company described as an “unauthorized capture of data.”

No customer financial or billing data was compromised, the company said.

It’s not known when the breach occurred but the unauthorized access was detected and shut down on Monday.

T-Mobile did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Motherboard reported that a spokesperson said about 3 percent of the company’s 77 million users were affected — some 2 million accounts.

T-Mobile began notifying customers of the breach Friday morning with a text message sent to affected accounts. But that drew ire from some, who said the shortlink in the text message looked like phishing.

So @TMobile have been sending out a breach alert (a legit one) using a short URL and a number of people think it’s #phishing.

Why? BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE PHISHING! https://t.co/5fZJxaKszd

— ?????? ????? (@olihough86) August 24, 2018

This is the latest in a string of security incidents at T-Mobile in the past year.

In May, a security researcher found a security weakness in a T-Mobile subdomain used by staff, which returned customer data without requiring a password. It was similar to a vulnerability found in another T-Mobile system reported by Motherboard some months prior, which exposed customers’ email addresses, their billing account numbers, and the phone’s IMSI numbers.

T-Mobile and other carriers earlier this year were also forced to stop sharing customer location data with third-parties, after Democratic senator Ron Wyden criticized the cell giants for the practice.

T-Mobile has confirmed hackers breached its systems.

The cell giant, currently merging with Sprint, said in a statement that hackers customer stole names, billing zip codes, phone numbers, email addresses, account numbers, and account type — such as if an account was prepaid or postpaid — in what the company described as an “unauthorized capture of data.”

No customer financial or billing data was compromised, the company said.

It’s not known when the breach occurred but the unauthorized access was detected and shut down on Monday.

T-Mobile did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Motherboard reported that a spokesperson said about 3 percent of the company’s 77 million users were affected — some 2 million accounts.

T-Mobile began notifying customers of the breach Friday morning with a text message sent to affected accounts. But that drew ire from some, who said the shortlink in the text message looked like phishing.

So @TMobile have been sending out a breach alert (a legit one) using a short URL and a number of people think it’s #phishing.

Why? BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE PHISHING! https://t.co/5fZJxaKszd

— ?????? ????? (@olihough86) August 24, 2018

This is the latest in a string of security incidents at T-Mobile in the past year.

In May, a security researcher found a security weakness in a T-Mobile subdomain used by staff, which returned customer data without requiring a password. It was similar to a vulnerability found in another T-Mobile system reported by Motherboard some months prior, which exposed customers’ email addresses, their billing account numbers, and the phone’s IMSI numbers.

T-Mobile and other carriers earlier this year were also forced to stop sharing customer location data with third-parties, after Democratic senator Ron Wyden criticized the cell giants for the practice.