Rebecca Day

5G smartphone customers attending Sunday's Super Bowl at Verizon 5G Stadium in Miami will get access to a multi-camera live-view feature via the NFL OnePass app, said the carrier and the NFL Wednesday. Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband service is available in parts of the stadium, where demos are planned.

Veego Software, an Israeli artificial intelligence-based software-as-a-service for ISPs, is looking to expand its brand in the U.S., CEO Amir Kotler told us. Veego’s software provides “self-healing” for a home network, where possible, eliminating truck rolls. As subscribers add connected devices, service issues grow in complexity, he said. In many cases, problems aren’t the fault of the ISP, but are due to complications in the cloud, with other devices or external problems, he said. The Veego SaaS detects Wi-Fi anomalies that affect streaming, browsing, gaming and other services in a smart home, Kotler said. It analyzes the root cause, pinpoints the precise location and reason, and lets subscribers know whom to contact. In some cases, it can fix problems on the spot, he said. The software is compliant with the general data protection regulation, said the executive: It doesn’t store personal information; data sits on the subscriber’s route.

“We did not get this right from the start,” Sonos CEO Patrick Spence wrote customers Thursday. That's after two days of rebukes from customers who were told their systems would no longer receive software updates as of May (see 2001230058). Thanking customers for their loyalty, Spence said: "I hope that you’ll forgive our misstep, and let us earn back your trust." In the email apology, also on a blog, Spence sought to “personally assure” customers of the path forward for legacy products, including original Zone Players, Connect, Connect:Amp, first-generation Play:5, CR200 and Bridge products. When Sonos ends new software updates for legacy products in May, “they will continue to work just as they do today,” said the executive: “We are not bricking them, we are not forcing them into obsolescence, and we are not taking anything away.” It wasn’t clear Friday how legacy and modern Sonos products would work together after May. Addressing the customers whose Sonos systems include both, Spence said: “We are working on a way to split your system so that modern products work together and get the latest features, while legacy products work together and remain in their current state.”

Customers owning legacy Sonos products affected by the May deadline for software updates won’t see an immediate impact, a Sonos spokesperson emailed us. “Over time, technology will progress in ways these products are not able to accommodate.” Sonos will “work to maintain the existing experience and conduct bug fixes where the computing hardware will allow, but our efforts will ultimately be limited by the lack of memory and processing power of these legacy products.” The company advised registered owners of original Zone Players, Connect, Connect:Amp, first-generation Play:5, CR200 and Bridge products Tuesday (see 2001220064) the products will be “classified as legacy and no longer receive software updates and new features. This will affect your listening experience.” That sparked outrage on social media and Sonos' community forum where the company told customers if they want newer products to continue receiving updates and new features, they can separate them from legacy products and continue using both separately. Sonos community manager Ryan S. posted clarifications on the Sonos website after Tuesday’s announcement, which had 1,284 replies and 46,633 views by Thursday afternoon. A Wednesday thread was shut down, sparking more ire from customers.

Sonos upset customers with plans to no longer support older products. Users blasted the company. “Your system requires attention” messages went to customers Tuesday, alerting them to the end-of-software-update status of the original Zone Players, Connect, Connect:Amp, the first-generation Play:5, CR200 and Bridge, which launched at varying dates 2006-2009. Products will no longer be supported as of May. Boycottsonos.com appeared, spelling out the manufacturer’s plans. Many took to Twitter. One user emailed CEO Patrick Spence and encouraged others to do same. Its 2018 annual report acknowledged the risk it faces with hardware outliving its useful life in the digital age, saying in the “near to intermediate term” it could discontinue support for older versions of products, “resulting in customer dissatisfaction that could negatively affect our business and operating results.” The company didn't comment Wednesday.

Bose is closing its remaining 119 retail stores in North America, Japan and Australia over the next several months, a spokesperson emailed Thursday, citing the “dramatic shift to online shopping in specific markets.” It will continue to operate 130-plus stores elsewhere, she said. The audio industry shift to smartphones as source devices and headphones as personal speakers was a driving force behind the decision. “Originally, our retail stores gave people a way to experience, test, and talk to us about multi-component, CD and DVD-based home entertainment systems,” said Colette Burke, vice president-global sales. “At the time, it was a radical idea, but we focused on what our customers needed, and where they needed it -- and we’re doing the same thing now.” It said “as smartphones changed the industry, the company’s focus turned to mobile, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi solutions.” Its products are largely bought through e-commerce, including Bose.com.

As the next generation of wireless rolls out, "over-the-air," software updates using various standards will continue for automotive and other devices, Xperi executives told us at CES in Las Vegas last week. The company's connected radio operations will work with such 5G networks, said Jeff Jury, general manager-automotive. "You’re going to need every possible pipe you can to bring content to the car because you can’t rely on any one pipe,” he said. There will always be a need for OTA broadcasts because it’s inexpensive and “the most efficient one-to-many channel out there.” Depending on a car’s location, the cellular connection could be 5G or earlier standards, he said: “Over the air supplements that. It will always be an integral part of what they’re doing.” The company announced plans last month to combine with TiVo in a $3 billion deal (see report, Dec. 20). Xperi has been employing DBI die-to-wafer hybrid bonding for chips in image sensors for mobile phones, CEO Jon Kirchner told us. “We think it has relevance in RF, MEMS, logic," he said of DBI Ultra: "Anywhere people are looking to build more compute power into a smaller footprint, going vertical.” HD Radio, Xperi’s terrestrial radio technology, is at more than 50 percent penetration in new U.S. vehicles, Jury said. DTS’ cellular-based Connected Radio delivers local radio content, relevant metadata, a live guide for use with streaming channels and a return channel that could enable occupants to hit a button to like a song or buy an advertised product or content. Connected Radio from the DTS unit is expected to reach the market this year.

Google outlined a path to make third-party tracking cookies on its Chrome browser obsolete within two years. “After initial dialogue with the web community, we are confident that with continued iteration and feedback, privacy-preserving and open-standard mechanisms like the Privacy Sandbox can sustain a healthy, ad-supported web in a way that will render third-party cookies obsolete,” blogged Justin Schuh, director-Chrome engineering, Tuesday. In August, Google unveiled Privacy Sandbox on developing open standards to enhance web privacy. The company now encourages engagement from “the ecosystem” on the proposals. It said first trials are expected by year-end, beginning with conversion measurement, followed by personalization. Internet users are demanding more privacy -- including transparency, choice and control over how their data is used -- "and it’s clear the web ecosystem needs to evolve to meet these increasing demands,” Google said. Firefox and Safari reacted to user concerns by blocking third-party cookies, leading to “unintended consequences that can negatively impact both users and the web ecosystem,” Schuh said. “By undermining the business model of many ad-supported websites, blunt approaches to cookies encourage the use of opaque techniques such as fingerprinting (an invasive workaround to replace cookies), which can actually reduce user privacy and control.”

LAS VEGAS -- The next generation of Bluetooth, LE Audio, adds support for hearing aids and has broadcast audio for audio sharing, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group announced at CES. Specifications that define LE Audio are expected to be released throughout first half 2020, it said.

TCL made its first U.S. foray into smartphones before CES. The company is launching a trio of phones, with four cameras and NXTVision display technology, executives told reporters Monday in Las Vegas. The wireless phones will be priced under $500 -- including a 5G model -- said Stefan Streit, TCL Mobile general manager-global marketing. The company doesn’t believe 5G smartphones should be reserved only for wealthy consumers, he said. The first U.S. 8K TCL Roku TV will be ready for 8K content as next-generation game consoles and streaming services come to market, said Aaron Dew, TCL North America director-product development. TCL had voice-ready TVs previously but will up the game in 2020 with integrated mics that allow for direct far-field voice control via Roku, Amazon and Google without a smart speaker, he said.