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TikTok report says China didn’t request user info in the first half of 2019

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Following India, TikTok received the most user information requests from American authorities. In the US, it got 79 requests related to 255 accounts, and went on to share information in 86 percent of cases. In third was Japan, where authorities requested information 35 times.

“To foster candid dialogue essential to earning and maintaining trust, we are publishing our first transparency report this year, providing insight into how we responsibly respond to legal requests regarding user content,” TikTok said. “Through regular updates, we aim to give our community the opportunity to better understand the actions we take on their behalf and evaluate us based on up-to-date information.”

While it might be tempting to suggest ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns and operates TikTok, isn’t being fully transparent, there’s a more likely explanation for any missing Chinese stats. It’s that TikTok isn’t available in China. In its home country, ByteDance offers a separate but similar app called Douyin. According to a BuzzFeed News report published last year, all of ByteDance’s TikTok servers are located outside of China.

The report comes as ByteDance attempts to convince American lawmakers that the Chinese government isn’t using TikTok to spy on US citizens. Earlier this week, the US Army, following the Navy, banned the use of the app on government-issued phones out of cybersecurity concerns. ByteDance has reportedly considered selling its stake in TikTok as a way to address those concerns. In the meantime, TikTok says it will issue a transparency report for the second half of 2019 sometime in the next few months.

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Former Google exec says he was pushed out for defending human rights

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LaJeunesse joined Google in 2008. In 2017, around the time Google was considering returning to China with a censored search engine, dubbed Project Dragonfly, LaJeunesse began lobbying to formalize Google’s principles supporting free expression and privacy, The Washington Post reports.

People like Kent Walker, Google’s chief lawyer and head of policy, reportedly raised concerns that a formal commitment to human rights could increase Google’s liability. LaJeunesse continued the work anyway, but he says senior executives always came up with a way to say no and that he was sidelined from conversations about whether to launch Project Dragonfly, which Google officially closed last year. He also claims workplace culture did not support diversity internally.

In a statement provided to Engadget, Google spokeswoman Jenn Kaiser said:

“We have an unwavering commitment to supporting human rights organizations and efforts. That commitment is unrelated to and unaffected by the reorganization of our policy team, which was widely reported and which impacted many members of the team. As part of this reorganization, Ross was offered a new position at the exact same level and compensation, which he declined to accept. We wish Ross all the best with his political ambitions.”

While LaJeunesse’s claims could be an opportunistic play for attention as he prepares to run for Senate in Maine, where he is challenging Susan Collins, this is not the first time we’ve heard that Google does not support human rights or workplace diversity. The fact that such arguments have become political fodder for candidates suggests this isn’t a problem that’s going away anytime soon.

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Aston Martin’s rearview mirror shows three video feeds simultaneously

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At CES next week, the company plans to show off a hybrid rearview mirror that integrates three cameras. Called the Full Display Mirror (FDM), the company developed the unit with help from Gentex Corporation, an auto parts manufacturer based out of Michigan. The unit can three different video feeds simultaneously, allowing you to see what’s behind you and your blind spots at the same time.

Aston Martin side mirror

The two side cameras are built into the car’s exterior mirrors, while the rearview one is mounted on the roof. If they malfunction or you’re driving through inclement weather, you can instead use the display as an auto-dimming mirror. It’s also possible to tweak the unit to show a combination of mirror and camera views, if that’s what you prefer. Another nifty feature is that the unit will automatically alter the three video feeds from the external cameras anytime you adjust its position.

The two companies plan to show off a prototype of the Full Display Mirror inside an Aston Martin DBS Superleggera. While the automaker didn’t say when it plans to roll out the technology to its production vehicles, it integrated a single camera variant of the unit inside the 2020 DBS GT Zagato.

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Fiat Chrysler’s Airflow Vision concept car touts an all-digital cabin

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The Airflow Vision reportedly touts an interface that’s “safe, easy to use and understand,” with a clean, consistent and legible system that should keep distractions to a minimum. You can also personalize the interface down to grouping screens based on your particular needs. It’s also possible to share info with anyone else in the cabin — say, if you want to let your kids know your route. It’s far too soon to say if this will improve on the experiences of screen-heavy cars like the Porsche Taycan, but it’s good to know that FCA has at least thought about the consequences of moving controls to touchscreens.

Fiat Chrysler Airflow Vision concept car interior

You won’t get many answers about the performance at this stage. The concept is based on the dimensions and load floor of the Pacifica plug-in hybrid, but it’s not clear whether this would be a PHEV, a pure electric car or something else entirely. It’s pitched as a luxury machine with a “calming” interior that includes ambient lighting and slim profile seats that allow for more legroom and personal storage for each occupant.

CES guests will also get to see Fiat’s Centoventi concept EV make its North American debut, as well as plug-in hybrid versions of the Compass, Renegade and Wrangler.

There’s no mention of whether or not the Airflow Vision will translate to a production car, although we wouldn’t count on it without major changes. Those wrap-around wheel wells wouldn’t survive a minute on real streets. This might offer a peek at the future of FCA car interiors, though, and it’s easy to see some form of this interface finding its way into the automotive giant’s electrified lineup.

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Jeep is showing off its first three plug-in hybrids at CES this week

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The plug-in hybrid Jeeps are part of Fiat Chrysler’s larger plans to electrify more than 30 models by 2022. Jeep teased plug-in versions of the Compass and Renegade last year, promising 240 horsepower, speeds of up to 62 MPH in 7 seconds and the ability to drive up to 31 miles on electric power alone.

We don’t know as much about the Wrangler 4xe, and Jeep hasn’t talked about pricing or launch dates. We’ll likely have to wait for the Geneva, New York and Beijing auto shows to learn more.

If you’re brave enough to try the Jeep 4×4 Adventure VR Experience, you’ll ride in a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon retrofit with a hydraulic cylinder at each wheel. The Wrangler will react to data recorded from the trail and participants will see correlated scenery. Drivers can compete as teams to traverse the Hell’s Revenge trail, and as Fiat Chrysler brings the simulator to different events, it will add new off-road trails from around the world.

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Dell’s latest monitors include the 240Hz Alienware 25

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The Alienware 25 Gaming Monitor, released on March 11th, has a 240 Hz refresh rate, considerably faster than other high-refresh rate monitors which typically clock in at 120 Hz or 144 Hz. The 1 ms response time will be ideal for fast-paced games and the IPS panel should offer consistent colors at a wide range of angles. It has G-Sync or FreeSync compatibility, super thin bezels and an adjustable stand with slim legs that fit under a keyboard. It will retail for $500.

Another launch of note is the Dell UltraSharp 27 4K PremierColor Monitor (UP2720Q), a 27-inch 4K monitor which comes with a colorimeter built in. The monitor was unveiled at the Adobe Max event in November, aimed at creators for whom color accuracy is paramount. It’ll be available from January 30th for $710.

There’s also the beastly Dell Ultrasharp 43 4K USB-C Monitor (U4320Q), a massive 42.5″ display which can show content from four different devices in four quadrants for serious multitasking. The USB-C connections allow the connecting of devices with plenty of power, and the flicker-free screen allows the viewing of content in 4K comfortably. It’s also available on January 30th for $1050.

Other releases include the Dell Ultrasharp 25 USB-C Monitor (U2520D), a 25″ USB-C quad high definition monitor with wide color coverage, available from January 30th for $480, the Dell 86 4K Interactive Touch Monitor, a 4K touch-compatible monitor available from April 10th with pricing to be confirmed and the Dell 27 Monitor (E2720HS), a 27″ full high definition monitor available from January 8th for $290.

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GE’s wireless smart switch works without a hub

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There’s also a wire-free dimmer (powered by batteries) that can be placed anywhere using a removable adhesive strip, so you can easily add an additional control location to your home without messing around with electrical wiring. GE is also launching a motion sensor in the same wire-free vein.

GE is also opening up its C by GE mobile application to third party manufacturers. The program is designed to bring all your smart lighting controls and hardware together in to one manageable place, so expanding it to include other product makers means it’ll be a lot easier to see what’s stuff is going to work with other stuff with straightforward identification.

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Samsung adds a cheaper model to its Galaxy Book QLED laptop line

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As a refresher, the Galaxy Book Flex and Ion were the first laptop with Samsung’s QLED screens, promising greater power-savings while being able to hit a peak brightness of 600 nits in an “Outdoor Mode”. The Flex Alpha offers the same technology, meets the same brightness measurement and runs at full HD — just like the more-premium machines.

From press pictures that Samsung provided, the Alpha also looks a lot like its very attractive stablemates, which felt impressively light. The newest member of the family fits in nicely on this front, weighing 1.19kg (about 2.6 pounds). The Galaxy Book Flex comes in at 1.1kg (or 1.5kg for the 15-inch variant) while the Book Ion starts at 0.9 kg (1.1 kg for the 15-inch unit). The new notebook’s profile of 13.9mm is just a hair thicker than the other two (12.9mm) 13-inch models, which shouldn’t be very noticeable. But we’ll have to wait till we can get hands-on with the device to say for sure.

Like the Flex and Ion, the Flex Alpha also features a fingerprint sensor on the keyboard for convenient logins, and sports a decent array of ports. You’ll find two USB 3.0 jacks, one USB-C socket, an HDMI slot and a microSD card reader. And though it’s already 2020, the headphone jack hasn’t completely disappeared (yet) — the newest Galaxy Book offers one onboard.

Samsung Galaxy Book Flex Alpha

Of course, Samsung had to sacrifice a few features on the Flex Alpha to meet that lower cost. The biggest difference here is the smaller 54Whr battery compared to the 69.7Whr cells on the older laptops. The Flex Alpha’s graphics processor is also limited. It uses an Intel UHD option compared to the Iris Pro or NVIDIA MX250 processors you can upgrade to on the other two, depending on the screen size. While the Flex and Ion could support SSDs with up to 1TB of storage, the Flex Alpha maxes out at 512GB. RAM is a similar story, with the Alpha going up to 12GB compared to 16GB on the older pair.

The rest of the specs list is fairly straightforward. You’ll get WiFi 6 support, tenth-generation Intel Core processors and stereo speakers. Since Samsung hasn’t given a more specific availability window than “the first half of 2020,” there seems to be plenty of time before you have to decide which of the QLED Galaxy Books you want to get.

Don’t confuse these with the Galaxy Book S, by the way, which will finally be released in the US in the first quarter of 2020. The S is an “always connected PC,” with a focus on LTE support, fast wake times and long battery life. An Intel-powered variant is expected later in the year.

Update: This story was edited to correct the date that the Galaxy Book S will be available in the US. Instead of January 16th, Samsung told us it will now be shipped later in Q1, with an “exact date TBD.”

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Dell made an 86-inch touchscreen monitor for the workplace

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The touchscreen monitor is equipped with two 20W speakers and a smorgasbord of ports including multiple HDMI, USB Type-A, USB Type-B, a single USB Type-C port that can charge other devices, and a full-sized DisplayPort. It doesn’t have an internal ‘brain,’ though customers can choose to integrate a Dell OptiPlex Micro PC into the back panel. The complete package could be enough to tempt enterprise folks away from the Surface Hub 2S and other massive workplace screens when it launches on April 10th. The make-or-break, we suspect, will be the display’s price — something that Dell is keeping close to its corporate chest for now.

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The Morning After: Samsung’s ‘zero bezel’ TV looks like this

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LG Display will also bring Plastic OLED car displays and bendable in-flight screens to CES.
LG’s new rollable OLED TV concept unfurls from the ceiling

At CES 2020, LG Display will unveil the latest iteration of its rollable TV line, a 65-inch, UHD OLED display concept that rolls down from the ceiling. The company says the screen “can be pulled down when desired and rolled up when not in use,” maximizing space. Sadly, the company isn’t teasing the concept in any of its promotional images — we’ll just have to wait to see it in person once we’re in Las Vegas for CES.

Channeling that Galaxy magic.Samsung’s upcoming ‘zero bezel’ 8K TV leaked

Meanwhile, Samsung is bringing its smartphone aesthetic to its TVs, promising an 8K TV with next-to-no edges. And it’s even leaked early. German site 4KFilme has posted what it says are the first pictures of the 8K set, which might be called the Q900T or Q950T. If these are accurate, it’s not quite a zero-bezel TV, but it’s very close. The most you see is a tiny chin. It would also have a soundbar-friendly stand, but that’s about all we know for now. Again, we will all have to wait for Vegas…

It’s a reversal of an earlier policy.
US Army is the latest military branch to ban TikTok

The Navy isn’t the only American military branch clamping down on TikTok. The Army has banned the use of TikTok on government-issued phones, with Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Robin Ochoa telling Military.com that it’s “considered a cyber threat.” The Army started warning soldiers in mid-December, roughly at the same time the Defense Department was telling employees to delete TikTok to “circumvent any exposure of personal information.”

As with the Navy ban, the Army is likely concerned that TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance could pose problems — although there’s no evidence of suspicious activity taking place. The company has been eager to fend off such claims, to the point where reports have speculated that it might sell control of TikTok to reassure nervous US officials.

They’re meant to be more comfortable, too.
Klipsch’s next true wireless earbuds will include gesture controls and AI features

2019 might have been the year that wireless earbuds made it, so what’s next in 2020? For Klipsch, it’s the T10 True Wireless and T5 True Wireless ANC smart earphones, which both include AI, gesture controls and active noise cancellation. For now, the details about the AI are limited. All we know is that these have “a built-in operating system with embedded artificial intelligence.” The T10 are smaller than most true wireless earbuds, but that comes at a price. When they’re available in fall 2020, they’ll be listed at $649 — which is mid-range smartphone table stakes. The T5 True Wireless ANC will also be available in fall 2020, but they’ll cost significantly, thankfully, less: $299.

But wait, there’s more…

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