Apple, Google, and Microsoft have committed to the FIDO sign-in standard, Moog apps are on sale.

A future without passwords is closer than you think

Last Thursday was World Password Day, and on that day, three of the world’s biggest tech companies committed to supporting a “passwordless sign-in standard”.

Apple, Google, and Microsoft, all of which have been working on systems that can authenticate people without requiring passwords, announced in a release to support a common standard created by FIDO, which stands for “fast identity online” and the World Wide Web Consortium.

Passwords will be replaced by passkeys which will be generated by your smartphone based on public-key cryptography.

This approach is more secure than two- or multi-factor authentication and is easier for people to use.

And it means that people using the internet don’t have to remember a whole bunch of passwords.

The three big players will be incorporating the FIDO standard into their platforms this year. Other organizations and even governments will follow.

Notable features and products announced at Google I/O keynote

Today was the first day of Google’s annual developer conference, Google I/O. Here’s some of the news and announcements that came during the keynote that interested me:

• Google Docs gets TL;DR feature and similar automated summaries are coming to Spaces chats
• You’ll have some control over the ads that you see when using Google
• You’ll be able to request that information about yourself (like a phone number) be removed from Google Search
• Google Wallet is being reintroduced after being incorporated into Google Pay back in 2018

Google also revealed the Pixel 6A handset, which has the same chip and features as the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, but in a smaller form factor and priced starting at $599 CDN.

There’s also the Pixel Buds Pro, priced at $259, which add multipoint connectivity so you can use the same earbuds with all of your devices.

Both of these will be available for preorder on July 21and will be released the following week.

Google also teased the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro handsets and a Google Pixel Watch, all of which are coming this fall.

You can watch the entire keynote address here.

Music creators can get a deal on Moog synthesizer apps

Moog is a manufacturer of electronic music instruments and built a reputation in the 1970s with its line of commercial synthesizers that were popularized by the likes of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, and were key to the sounds of prog rock bands like Tangerine Dream and Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

The company has since expanded to create and sell components and theremins as well as software versions of its classic instruments. And those apps are on sale for half price at the moment.

Included are:

• Minimoog Model D for iPad and iPhone
• Model 15
• Animoog Z