BlackBerry is in the news! So is Meta, Nintendo, and Google. Here are a few of the technology stories I’ve found interesting over the last few days.
BlackBerry Sells “Legacy” Patents for $600 Million USD
Remember Blacberries? (Kids, ask your parents). The company that pioneered the smartphone has been out of the smartphone market for several years now. Those hoping for a revival of the BlackBerry mobile business shouldn’t hold their breath, as the company has sold its portfolio of moble and messaging focused patents for $600 Million.
Facebook Loses Daily Users For the First Time
In Meta’s quarterly earnings report, the company reports that Facebook now has fewer daily users year over year. The decrease is very small, from 1.93 billion daily users to 1.929 billion. But this could signify the ceiling of Facebook’s growth. Meta’s share price dropped 20% after the announcement, wiping out nearly $200 Billion of the company’s worth.
Side note: Facebook changed its corporate compnay name to Meta late last year. That name is dumb. But overall, changing the name so Facebook isn’t the sole focus of the company that also owns Instagram, WhatsApp, an ad business, and a VR division does make sense. The name is still dumb.
https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/2/22914970/facebook-app-loses-daily-users-first-time-earnings
LogMeIn Decides to GoTo a New Name
LogMeIn is the company behind several well known tools like GoTo Meeting, GoTo Webinar, and the like. Seeming to look to capitalize on the rise of remote meeting tools over the past two years, the company has announced it is rebranding from LogMeIn to GoTo. This completes a long term shift in the company that started as a remote connection solution to a more modern collaboration and meeting tool.
The company has also confirmed its plans to spin off the LastPass password manager business, with that expected to happen in 2022.
https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/2/22912367/logmein-rebranding-as-goto-like-gotomeeting
Nintendo Switch’s Lifetime Sales Surpass the Wii
The Nintendo Switch has now surpassed the Wii as Nintendo’s highest selling home console ever. That is a huge accomplishment for the company, though it should be noted that the Switch represents both a home console and a portable device, so comparing it to either a home console like the Wii or a portable system like the Nintendo DS is difficult.
Still, The Switch is a massive success for the company, and shows no signs of slowing down, despite the older hardware platform that, frankly, could use an update.
https://www.engadget.com/nintendo-switch-sales-have-surpassed-the-wii-090515380.html
Google Launches Free “Workspace Essentials” tier
A new, free, tier of Google Workspace is coming. Called Google Workspace Essentials, the free verson of Google’s workplace productivity suite includes al of the common Google tools except gmail. This gives people access to 15GB of Google Drive storage, the Google Docs/Sheets/Slides suite, Google Chat, and Google Meet.
As one would expect, the functionality here is cut down. Teams are limited to 25 people, there are significantly fewer administrator controls, Google Meet has limitations, and paid google Workspace users get much more Drive storage, among other things. There is also no support from Google.
This looks like the perfect gateway drug into Google Workspace, as well as giving small teams that already use email from another provider a way to use Google’s productivity tools without having to resort to personal accounts.
Telus Brings its Highest Speed Internet Plans to Edmonton
Telus is expanding its PureFibre X internet plan to Edmonton, Alberta. PureFibre X offers speeds of up to 2.5Gbps, which is significantly faster than most people need, especially since most networking equipment isn’t capable of speeds that fast. But for those who need it, that option is now available.
https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/02/02/telus-brings-purefibre-x-tier-internet-edmonton/