Tech News Roundup for February 16, 2021
After an accidental week off as I adjust to a new personal schedule, here are a few of the things I’ve found interesting recently
LastPass Announces New Significant Restrictions on Free Accounts
LastPass, one of the more well known password managers out in the world, has long offered a free tier that has been good enough for most users. That ends in March. Starting next month users who are on LastPass’s free tier will be restricted to choosing to use the service on either mobile devices like phones and tablets OR desktop/laptop computers. Free tier users will not be able to use the service on both types of platforms.
This is an attempt to get users to sign up for LastPass’s subscription service, which is $3 USD per month. But it could have the unintended consequence of pushing people away from using a password manager, as this ads a level of inconvenience that some users may decide is not worth it, and stop using the product altogether. The company obviously feels this step is necessary to remain viable, but I can’t see it ending well.
https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/16/22285531/lastpass-free-tier-mobile-computer-device-premium-family
Microsoft Brings Surface Duo to Canada
I haven’t written very much about the Surface Duo, because it was not avavailable in Canada and I try to stick to stories that have some impact here. Last week Microsoft announced that the two screen folding phone will be launched in Canada on February 18th.
The Surface Duo is an interesting but very flawed device. Unlike a device like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 with a folding screen, the Surface Duo features two separate displays connected by a hinge. In the center. I think that concept is interesting, but the Surface Duo has too many compromises to make is a viable product. The device has no external camera, with only the single, very mediocre, selfifie camera for use in taking photos. Considering that one of the primary uses of our phones nowadays is to be a camera, not having a good quality shooter makes this a non starter for most. The internal hardware is also dated by 2021 standards. It features a Snapdragion 855 chipset, which is now two years old. It is still a very capable performer, but there are open questions on just how long Microsoft will be able to keep updating the version of Android on it because of the age of the hardware. Most android OEM’s promise two or three years on phones with new chipsets. On a phone with a 2 year old chipset already, that is an open question. And Microsoft has yet to deliver Android 11 to the Surface Duo, despite the device hitting the market in the US 3 months after it’s release, shipping it with Android 10 instead.
And the price. The price is $1870. That is too much, especially considering the hardware limitations.
https://mobilesyrup.com/2021/02/11/microsoft-surface-duo-canada-february-18th/
Parler is Coming Back Online After a Month Without a Home
Far Right friendly social media platform Parler is coming back online this week. The company has said that it is opening up the platform to existing users this week, and next week will begin accepting signups for new users. This comes roughly a month after the platform was essentially kicked off the internet after Amazon refused to continue hosting it. Parler now appears to be hosted by two companies that independent security firms have said are a high risk of fraud.
Microsoft Launches Program to Help Increase Accessibility in Games
Microsoft has announced a program that the company hopes will help make games more accessible to a wider audience. Developers can work with Microsoft to put their games through a set of tests against accessibility guidelines defined by Microsoft, and the company will share the results of those tests with the developers. The aim of this program is for Microsoft to point out areas in a game where better accessibility settings could allow more people to play it.
This is the largest effort by Microsoft to make games more accessible, but not the first. In 2018 the company launched the Xbox Adaptive Controller which offered a highly customizable platform for gamers with all kinds of different needs and abilities to be able to play.
This is a good push by the industry. 2020’s The Last of Us Part 2 was a game that was designed to be played by virtually anyone, even gamers who were blind. That game was a tentpole example of what games can be if a developer does take accessibility into account during game design, and I hope programs like this mean we will see more games like that.
https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-accessibility-testing-program-220057370.html