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US limits AI exports over fears it will fall into Chinese hands
The US government's concerns about Chinese involvement in tech are leading to significant restrictions on AI. The Commerce Department is instituting a rule on January 6th that will require companies to obtain a license if they want to export certain AI-powered geospatial imagery software to other countries besides Canada. Not surprisingly, officials are worried that the technology (which helps drones and satellites identify objects) might fall into the hands of China and other political challengers.
TikTok will let you directly post videos made in other apps (updated)
One of the reasons that TikTok has enjoyed explosive growth is because the app makes it super easy to duet, share and save videos. Unlike other companies, ByteDance -- the owner of TikTok -- actively allows users to download popular creations and share them wider on messaging services and social media. In its bid to make it easier to get their content up on the platform in the first place, the company today announced new tools that lets creators upload videos directly from their favorite editing apps.
FedEx sues US over mandate to monitor Huawei shipments
FedEx has already been accused of diverting Huawei's shipments, and it's not keen on dealing with more complaints. The courier has sued the US Commerce Department (including Secretary Wilbur Ross and Assistant Secretary Nazak Nikakhtar) to absolve itself of the need to monitor packages for potential export violations by Huawei and other companies. It argued that the requirement not only violated the Constitution's protections for due process, but was technically unfeasible given the scale of FedEx's operations.
China's supercomputers are the latest target in US trade war
The US and China have been locked in a race for the world's most powerful supercomputer. China was in the lead with its Sunway TaihuLight, which has a 93 petaflop capacity. But the US surpassed that last year, when it released the Summit, which can run at 200 petaflops -- or 200 quadrillion calculations per second. Now, the US is using export restrictions in an attempt to thwart China's supercomputing efforts.
ZTE clears last major hurdle to lifting US export ban
ZTE is almost done meeting the US' conditions for lifting an export ban... almost. The Chinese mobile and telecom gianthas signed an escrow agreement with the Commerce Department that represents the last major hurdle before it can get back to business as usual. As soon as ZTE deposits $400 million into the escrow, the US will let ZTE use American exports under a 10-year suspended denial order. The company's temporary waiver ends on August 1st, so you can expect the money to arrive within a couple of weeks.
ZTE replaces leadership to meet US demands
ZTE is fulfilling one of the US' key demands in its attempt to avoid a renewed export ban. Days before a 30-day deadline, the Chinese tech giant has replaced a whole suite of executives, including its CEO. All of the new leaders are company veterans, including new chief exec Xu Ziyang (who has been with ZTE since 1998). The move comes a few days after the company took on a new board of directors to meet American requirements, which also include paying a $1 billion fine, putting $400 million in escrow and accepting a US-chosen corporate monitor.
Trump administration tells Congress it has deal to save ZTE
The US government should soon act on its promise to give ZTE another chance following its revived export ban. The New York Times has learned that the Trump administration has informed Congress of a Commerce Department deal that would let ZTE take American exports as long as it accepted new penalties. It would have to pay a "substantial" fine, shake up its management team and hire American compliance officers to keep it on the straight and narrow.
ZTE faces bleak future after US ban prevents it from making phones
ZTE's future is increasingly murky after the company's main business ground to a halt. The Chinese firm is unable to make its smartphones after the US blocked it from working with American suppliers, most notably Qualcomm. ZTE has appealed the seven-year export ban, which the US government revived last month.
ZTE faces revived US export ban over false statements
When the US Commerce Department slapped ZTE with $1.19 billion in penalties for illegally shipping telecom gear to Iran and North Korea (and making false claims about it), it offered a reprieve: it would suspend a seven-year export ban as long as the Chinese company honored an agreement and didn't break the rules again. Apparently, ZTE might have blown its chance at a break. Department officials have revived an order banning ZTE from exporting US products after accusing the company of lying about punishing those involved in the scandal.
Google is making it easier to download all your Chrome passwords
Chrome users will soon be able to export their saved passwords in a text file in just a couple of easy steps. It's never been an impossible task to do this, but it's been a more convoluted exercise than the long-awaited solution Google is planning. The news, revealed by Chrome evangelist Francois Beaufort on Google+, doesn't stipulate a timeframe for the feature, which is currently being tested by developers. But if you want to try it out now, switch to dev mode, search for "passwords" in Chrome settings, look for the three dot menu named "saved passwords" and click "export passwords". Everything saved in Chrome will be exported into a text (.csv) file which can then be imported easily into other password managers.
Teenage Engineering's new pocket synth is its most versatile yet (updated)
Teenage Engineering debuted its first trio of pocket-sized $59 synthesizers almost exactly two years ago. In 2016, the company followed those with a second set of three Pocket Operators featuring the sounds of the '80s. Now the company is back with a third installment: the PO-32. Like the half-dozen different options that are already available, the PO-32 remains a compact drum and percussion synth that runs on a pair of AAA batteries. However, there are two new key features that set this new model apart from the rest.
US allows widespread exports of armed drones to its allies
The US has unsurprisingly kept a tight lid on sales of armed drones to prevent the technology from getting into the wrong hands, but it's about to loosen up... to a degree. The Department of State has introduced an export policy that clears the way for selling weaponized drones to allied countries. These partners must agree to use robotic warplanes according to certain principles; the machines are for national defense, not crushing internal political dissent. Nations also have to make a strong argument for why they truly need armed drones, and the US reserves the right to monitor usage, train crews or both.
Sony eases PS4 indie development with new publishing tools
As if Sony's support of independent developers hasn't been apparent enough, the console manufacturer will make it easier for indies to bring their games to Sony's platforms. The company announced partnerships today to offer PS4 exporting tools for game development software GameMaker: Studio and MonoGame for free to licensed Sony Computer Entertainment developers. Sony also made "fully-integrated solutions" for PS3 and Vita available for Unity users, with an early access PS4 version arriving on Unity in April. Lastly, the company opted to offer its Authoring Tools Framework as a free, open source download available on GitHub. SCE uses the framework to help craft games like The Last of Us and Beyond: Two Souls. Created by Yo Yo Games, GameMaker was used to create games such as Hyper Light Drifter, Risk of Rain and Nuclear Throne. Conversely, MonoGame is the backbone of games like TowerFall: Ascension, Mercenary Kings and Transistor. One GameMaker-developed game is Savant Ascent, which Yo Yo Games named as its favorite game of 2013 for the development platform. The stylistic shooter was announced for PS4 this morning following its debut on PC, Mac, iOS and Android in December. [Image: Matt Makes Games]
Google now lets you download your Gmail and Calendar data
Sure, if you delve far back enough into your Gmail history, you'll likely find some conversations you've been happy to forget, but remembering that job offer/email from grandpa/successful eBay bid is sure to brighten your day. Starting today, Google's rolling out the ability to export copies of your Gmail data in the MBOX format for backing up or moving to another service. And this new feature isn't just for nostalgia's sake; if you're transitioning to a new mail platform, you'll also appreciate that you can export Google Calendar info, in addition to preserving relevant Gmail correspondence. You can choose to download your entire inbox or narrow it down to particular labels -- the same goes for calendars; pick which ones you'd like or select them all. And if you want a thorough documentation of your history across Google products, you can also download an archive file that includes your data across Calendar, Drive, Gmail, Google+ and YouTube. Several of Mountain View's products are already downloadable via Takeout, but today's announcement adds much more functionality to that service. Hit up the source link below for more info.
Chinese online retail giant 360buy spreads worldwide, may keep Amazon on its toes
Many of us who live in North America and Europe consider Amazon synonymous with online retail -- yet we forget that the company barely even registers in some parts of the world. That misconception is about to be cleared up now that one of China's largest online retailers, 360buy, is going global. A just-launched English version of the store is initially shipping China-made goods for free to 36 countries that include obvious candidates like Australia, Canada, the UK and the US as well as France, Germany and southeast Asia. You're unlikely to find a Kindle Fire HD equivalent in the selection, but the mix could still make Amazon nervous when the brand-agnostic can already find real bargains. Combined with long-term plans to set up local distribution points, 360buy's international expansion could get more of us comfortable with buying from China and heat up a retail race that some thought had already been won.
Slide and Photovine to officially bite the dust on March 6th
The final day for you to save all of your precious data from Slide and Photovine is quickly approaching. We knew that Slide and its various properties would eventually be shut down when founder Max Levchin left for greener pastures back in August of last year. Now the day is upon us -- on March 6th the services will be shuttered and any info you didn't export will be gone for good. So hit up the source to save your data before it's too late.
Japan to reduce rare earth consumption in response to China's export controls
Japan took another step toward lessening its rare earths dependence today, announcing plans to drastically reduce consumption levels in response to China's continued market dominance. Of particular concern to the Japanese government is dysprosium -- a rare earth used in the production of high-powered magnets. China, which accounts for about 95 percent of the world's rare earth supply, has been tightening export controls on the metal in recent months, sending global prices skyward. With its domestic supplies dwindling, Japan has now committed to reducing its dysprosium consumption by 30 percent over the next few years, as part of a $65 million initiative. Much of that money will presumably go toward helping manufacturers develop alternative production and recycling methods, as some already have. Toyota, for instance, has found a way to produce hybrid and electric vehicles without using dysprosium, while Mitsubishi, Panasonic and TDK are currently looking at ways to extract the metal from old air conditioners. If effective, the government's program would reduce domestic consumption by between 200 and 400 tonnes per year.
Major Chinese supplier halts rare earths production in attempt to boost prices
With prices sliding and uncertainty rising, China's biggest producer of rare earth minerals has suddenly decided to suspend all operations, in a move that could strain already tense relations with the West. Baotou Steel, a miner, refiner and vendor located in Inner Mongolia, announced the decision in a statement today, explaining that it's simply looking to "balance supply and demand" in response to a prolonged price slump within China. Since June, in fact, prices of neodymium oxide and europium oxide have declined by 34 and 35 percent, respectively, with many analysts attributing the drop to mounting economic uncertainty in the US and Europe. Earlier this year, the Chinese government announced plans to merge or close some 35 rare earths producers within the mineral-rich northern region of Inner Mongolia, effectively crowning Baotou Steel as the industry's epicenter. Now, of course, that's all changed, though the shutdown will only last for one month. It's also worth noting that China still exerts rather considerable influence upon the market, accounting for roughly 97 percent of all production of rare earths -- a group of 17 minerals used to manufacture gadgets like cellphones, flat-screen TVs and EV batteries, among others. And while new deposits and market projections may point to a transforming landscape, it's unlikely that Chinese influence will wane anytime soon -- much to the chagrin of Western free trade advocates.
WTO says China's rare earths export controls violate international rules, US applauds
China's monopolistic approach to the rare earths market is in violation of international trade regulations, according to a new ruling from the WTO. The verdict, issued yesterday, covers exports of nine minerals -- including zinc, manganese and magnesium -- that are used to produce a wide variety of smartphones, tablets and other gadgets. China, which controls about 95-percent of the world's rare earth supply, had previously argued that its export restrictions were needed to prevent overproduction and to conserve natural resources, but the WTO determined that the country was "unable to demonstrate" these environmental benefits. The investigation was originally spurred 18 months ago, after the US and other countries complained that China's quotas and tariffs unfairly favored domestic manufacturers, while distorting global prices. Experts expect Beijing to appeal the ruling, but this extra international pressure, combined with shifting supply chains and newfound deposits, may bring about the changes many have been calling for. If it doesn't, we'll all be stuck with corn phones.
OfficeTime for Mac update, new iOS version coming soon
OfficeTime for Mac has updated to version 1.6, adding over 100 new features and improvements. As we've posted before, this app is an excellent way to track time and billing for a freelance worker or a small business, and now it's even better. The biggest new feature is probably the addition of automatic backups, but there's a lot of new stuff, including decimal time entry (typing "1.5" automatically converts to "1 hour 30 minutes"), better support for exporting data out to Excel and Numbers, and plenty of other updates. This new version also includes support for sync to the iPhone and iPad versions, and developers OfficeTime.net say that those versions are due out very soon. OfficeTime for Mac is available as a free trial download, and the full version of the app is available for both Mac and Windows for US$47.
