Technology - Google News

Zoom calls are coming to Amazon, Google and Facebook smart displays - Engadget
Oculus making Facebook accounts mandatory for all new VR headset users in October - Eurogamer.net
Spotify went down for an hour after a certificate expired - The Verge

Zoom calls are coming to Amazon, Google and Facebook smart displays - Engadget

Posted: 19 Aug 2020 07:04 AM PDT

Zoom has just announced that its "Zoom for Home" video conferencing platform is coming to Amazon's Echo Show line, Google's smart displays plus Facebook's Portal devices. Zoom will arrive on Portal in September, while it's slated to be available on the Echo Show (beginning with the Echo Show 8) and Google-powered displays before the end of the year.

The company only launched its Zoom for Home initiative a month ago, when it announced a partnership with third-party manufacturers to create a line of "Zoom for Home" hardware. The first Zoom for Home product was the DTEN ME, and was designed for business professionals. By expanding to existing devices like the Echo Show, Google-powered displays (that includes the Nest Hub Max as well as other Assistant-powered displays like the Lenovo Smart Display) and the Portal however, Zoom is widening its footprint into the consumer space as well.

Zoom will take advantage of each platform's unique capabilities. With Facebook's Portal, Zoom users will be able to use the device's AI-powered face-tracking for more immersive video calls. If you use Zoom with the Echo Show, you can use Amazon's virtual assistant to join video calls with commands like "Alexa, join my Zoom meeting." If you've connected your calendar to Alexa, it'll even start your scheduled meeting automatically if you want. If you have Zoom integrated with a Google-powered smart display as well as your Google Calendar, you can say "Hey Google, join my next meeting" to initiate the video conference.

The interface on each platform will be familiar to anyone who's used Zoom before. When you log in, you'll see your profile picture on the upper left corner, which indicates it's your account, and it'll automatically sync with your calendar so you can see a list of upcoming meetings.

Zoom usage has increased substantially in the past few months as more people began working from home. According to a recent earnings report, Zoom had 10 million daily users in December 2019, but over 300 million in April 2020. People are frequently using Zoom not just for work, but also for parties and virtual get-togethers.

Both Facebook and Google have increased their video conferencing capabilities of late, in part due to competition with Zoom. Facebook, for example, recently introduced Messenger Rooms, which allows you to host group calls of up to 50 people. Meanwhile, Google finally added group video calls via Duo and Meet to all of its smart displays in June. Amazon, however, doesn't appear to have supported group video calls at all with the Echo Show, so adding Zoom to its platform is especially beneficial.

In this article: amazon, portal, workplace, Google, smart display, Facebook, echo show, zoom, nest hub max, news, gear

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Oculus making Facebook accounts mandatory for all new VR headset users in October - Eurogamer.net

Posted: 18 Aug 2020 03:15 PM PDT

New Oculus users will need a Facebook account in order to access their VR headsets, starting this October - and existing users will have until 2023 to make the mandatory switch if they require "full functionality" of their device.

According to a blog post shared by Oculus earlier today, anyone using an Oculus device for the first time from October this year will need to log in with a Facebook account. Things are a little different for existing users, however.

From October, those that currently use an Oculus account will have the option to merge it with a Facebook account. Those that remain determined to avoid Facebook and its dubious privacy practices as far as possible, though, will be able to continue using their device as they do now, without merging their accounts, for two years.

Come 1st January 2023, however, Oculus account support will end, limiting the device's functionality for non-migratory users in currently unspecified ways.

Oculus, which is owned by Facebook, claims this move to a single account log-in will - alongside numerous other supposed social benefits - "make it easier to find, connect, and play with friends in VR". However, the less-than-stellar immediate response to the announcement by Oculus users on social media suggests many view it as nothing more than a nefarious attempt by Facebook to hoover more individuals up into its data-siphoning ecosystem.

Facebook, for its part, says it will use the information it collects from users relating to the use of Oculus and Facebook for "providing and improving your experience across Facebook products", to promote "safety and integrity on our services", and to show "personalised content, including ads, across Facebook products."

As for the exact Oculus functionality users unwilling to merge their accounts will have access to in 2023, that's still a little unclear. Facebook says it will "take steps to allow you to keep using content you have purchased", but that some games and apps may no longer work if they require a Facebook account or if a developer no longer offers support.

UploadVR sought to shed some additional light on the matter, asking Facebook whether users will still be able to use their Oculus headsets with Steam VR from 2023, to which Facebook replied, "Sideloading apps will still be possible after January 1, 2023 - whether you are using a PC VR headset or Oculus Quest using Oculus Link - so long as it is done in accordance with our developer policies, including our Platform Abuse Policy".

The company says it will "have more to share about the steps we will be taking to allow people to keep using content they have purchased if they choose not to log in with a Facebook account" as 2023 draws nearer.

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Spotify went down for an hour after a certificate expired - The Verge

Posted: 19 Aug 2020 05:44 AM PDT

Spotify experienced a widespread outage affecting song playback today. The problems first started around 8AM ET and prevented a large number of Spotify users from playing songs properly for more than an hour. Songs only played only for a few seconds before they paused and the Spotify client displayed the error "can't play the current song." Spotify said it was "aware of some issues right now and are checking them out."

Spotify has not explained the outage, but it appears to be related to the company forgetting to renew its TLS certificate. A Cloudflare engineer noticed that an important Spotify certificate expired, and the service returned minutes after this certificate had been renewed again.

We're aware of some issues right now and are checking them out! We'll keep you posted.
— Spotify Status (@SpotifyStatus) August 19, 2020

It's unusual for Spotify to suffer from outages. The music streaming service last experienced issues during a broader Facebook iOS SDK problem in July that meant the app crashed upon startup. We've reached out to Spotify to comment further on today's outage, and we'll update you accordingly.

Update, August 19th 09:40AM ET: Updated with Spotify certificate information and the service's return.

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