[SPEAKER_00]: a factual data creation facility production. [SPEAKER_02]: recorded live from the put hills of Tennessee. [SPEAKER_02]: It's the OSNT podcast. [SPEAKER_02]: Now here you're host, a man whose left knee is aching. [SPEAKER_01]: The old farted self, Jim Shaffer. [SPEAKER_01]: You have been going too deep with those squats lately. [SPEAKER_01]: Welcome to episode two, seventy six, which I'm calling. [SPEAKER_01]: Different place, quieter holiday.
[SPEAKER_01]: My independence day has come and gone and I've dusted off story time, which covers my experience of the holiday. [SPEAKER_01]: I've got a little bit of tech news, mostly Android related, and all the usual boviations you've come know and love. [SPEAKER_01]: Alright, why don't we get things started right about now? [SPEAKER_01]: Technoos. [SPEAKER_01]: The lack of interesting, no, at least to me, Technoos continues. [SPEAKER_01]: It'll start ramping up, come, lead August.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, you better hope so. [SPEAKER_00]: Or else you will have to change the name of this podcast. [SPEAKER_01]: You've got that right. [SPEAKER_01]: The good news for some is the continuation of shorter than usual episodes. [SPEAKER_01]: Yay! [SPEAKER_01]: Now, that's just hurtful. [SPEAKER_01]: Also, this week I have, but one apple story. [SPEAKER_01]: Wow! [SPEAKER_01]: Being that I mentioned it will just get the Apple News over with first. [SPEAKER_01]: Well, duh, you think?
[SPEAKER_01]: The article reporting from Bloomberg says that Foxconn, the Taiwanese company that manufactures iPhones, has asked hundreds of Chinese engineers and technicians to return home from its iPhone factories in India, dealing a blow to Apple's manufacturing push in the South Asian country. [SPEAKER_01]: So Apple themselves established the initial setup of iPhone assembly lines. [SPEAKER_01]: The company has spent many years training Chinese engineers and technicians.
[SPEAKER_01]: Hmm, maybe getting rid of those expensive engineers and technicians from other countries over the years and replacing them with a majority of Chinese base ones. [SPEAKER_01]: Wasn't such a great idea in the long run. [SPEAKER_01]: Hey, Tim Apple? [SPEAKER_01]: Sure, you saved a lot of cash in the short term. [SPEAKER_01]: But what are you going to do now? [SPEAKER_01]: Well, I hope that's not true.
[SPEAKER_01]: This Exodus of Chinese employees may create a situation where there's a shortage of iPhones and other Apple products. [SPEAKER_01]: Some consumers will eventually move on, and those that remain will find that this scarcity is driving the already high price of Apple products up. [SPEAKER_01]: Up to a point where they simply cannot justify buying them any longer, causing even the die-hard Apple users to eventually move on.
[SPEAKER_01]: I've been ranting about this almost total reliance on China by Apple for years now. [SPEAKER_04]: And we all know that. [SPEAKER_01]: Well, if you do know that, what do I always say? [SPEAKER_04]: Well, blah, blah, blah. [SPEAKER_04]: Don't put all your eggs in one basket. [SPEAKER_01]: Correct. [SPEAKER_01]: And now I'll counter that saying with yet another, the chickens have come home to roost. [SPEAKER_01]: I'm not nearly as educated as Mr. Cook is.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, that's an understatement. [SPEAKER_01]: Perhaps, but at least I was taught that it's better to diversify manufacturing versus depending on just one source. [SPEAKER_01]: I think Mr. Cooken, Apple in general, happened concentrating on the wrong kind of diversifying.
[SPEAKER_01]: If you're understanding my meaning, [SPEAKER_01]: And speaking of education, while we can blame our current higher education system here in the good old United States who seem to be churning out students with worthless degrees these days. [SPEAKER_01]: All from maximum profit. [SPEAKER_01]: So, what is Apple to do? [SPEAKER_04]: Start looking for other engineers and technicians outside the United States who are willing to work for cheap. [SPEAKER_01]: Well, I'm afraid you're right.
[SPEAKER_01]: I have an idea. [SPEAKER_01]: Apple and other tech companies could start sponsoring scholarships at major universities in the fields they need. [SPEAKER_01]: Just like the old days. [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, but then they'd have to pay a real living wage. [SPEAKER_04]: Where's the profit in doing that? [SPEAKER_01]: Oh yeah. [SPEAKER_01]: What was I thinking? [SPEAKER_01]: People have been asking for it and nothing delivered it.
[SPEAKER_01]: But nothing I'm referring to the smartphone manufacturer. [SPEAKER_01]: Nothing was founded by Carl Pay, co-founder of OnePlus, that has since been absorbed into Opo, who manufactured the original OnePlus phones. [SPEAKER_01]: I have fond memories of my OnePlus-III-T, and so does my eldest daughter Jessica, who inherited it from me when I went all in on iOS. [SPEAKER_01]: Though the three T wasn't considered a flagship phone, well, it did everything well.
[SPEAKER_01]: Especially with its software, Oxygen OS, which was a light skin running over Pure Android. [SPEAKER_01]: Oxygen OS even changed the big boys by releasing updates mirror weeks after Google itself. [SPEAKER_01]: Though I haven't yet used a nothing phone, I hear it continues at OnePlus Legacy. [SPEAKER_01]: Nothing has a dedicated fan base and has developed a whole viable ecosystem.
[SPEAKER_01]: The company never released a true flagship phone and that was something the nothings of hand-based have been clamoring for. [SPEAKER_01]: Nine to five Google.com reports that the flagship nothing phone three will be available on July fifteenth. [SPEAKER_01]: The phone is powered by a Snapdragon ADS Gen four should CPU, which is in the latest or greatest, but can still be considered high-end. [SPEAKER_01]: Translation.
[SPEAKER_01]: This chip will easily power all tasks a normal user would want to accomplish in more, and with ease. [SPEAKER_01]: Twelve or sixteen gigs of ram will be on board with either two hundred and fifty-six gigs or five hundred and twelve gigs of storage available.
[SPEAKER_01]: Did nothing phone three will rock a six point six seven inch amulet display with a one hundred twenty hertz refresh rate and peak brightness of forty five hundred nits girl a glass seven eyes use for the display well girl a glass victus is used around back [SPEAKER_01]: The battery is made of the advanced silicon carbide material and is fifty-one fifty MAH. [SPEAKER_01]: USB-C charging is but sixty-five watts and only fifteen watts via wireless charging.
[SPEAKER_01]: To be fair, most people charge their phones wirelessly overnight so that meager fifteen watts won't really be a hindrance. [SPEAKER_01]: Nothing promises five years of Android updates and seven years of security updates. [SPEAKER_01]: Yet a phone has AI. [SPEAKER_01]: Though I don't know what kind or how good it is, nor do I care. [SPEAKER_01]: Well, so far so good. [SPEAKER_01]: Only the most fanatic specheads won't think this is high-end enough.
[SPEAKER_01]: The retail price for this phone is a reasonable, seven hundred and ninety-nine dollars. [SPEAKER_01]: And this phone has a good balance between hardware sacrifices and the price point. [SPEAKER_01]: The looks of the nothing phone. [SPEAKER_01]: Well, how can I describe them? [SPEAKER_01]: Let's just say only a mother could love them, and as in my opinion. [SPEAKER_01]: I guess futuristic could also apply here.
[SPEAKER_01]: As with the Nothing Phone Threes predecessor, [SPEAKER_01]: It comes where they clear see-through back, interrupted by oddly placed cameras, and with the company is calling a glyph matrix, which replaces the lighting that equip previous nothing phones. [SPEAKER_01]: Glyph matrix is a small display that is able to show information in a dot matrix type, as well as run simple apps, like Magic A ball or a leveler app, for example.
[SPEAKER_01]: A good decision which will serve a user more than flashing lights, which I find to be a bit gutty. [SPEAKER_01]: The different design of the Nothing-Three won't be making teenagers give up their iPhones or Samsung phones anytime soon, but will be popular with the dare to be different crowd. [SPEAKER_01]: Along with tech heads and nerds. [SPEAKER_01]: And all, nothing delivers an unusually style phone with flagship specs and performance at a very affordable price.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'd be tempted, but if I do dip my toe back into Android, I think I'd go the Google Pixel route. [SPEAKER_01]: Along with the nothing phone three, the company now see nothing headphone one. [SPEAKER_01]: These are not in earbud type headphones. [SPEAKER_01]: Think of Apple Airbonds Max over the ear type headphones. [SPEAKER_01]: Like nothing phones, these headphones support a transparent design which displays the internal components.
[SPEAKER_01]: Not my cup of tea as far as headphones go, but I'm sure these headphones will appeal to some. [SPEAKER_01]: Probably users of nothing phones who are committed to nothing's ecosystem. [SPEAKER_01]: The earpieces are rectangular shape versus the usual rounded style supported by its competitors. [SPEAKER_01]: Unlike the nothing phone lineup, there are no lights or other gimmicks, which is a good thing.
[SPEAKER_01]: The nothing-head phone support spatial audio and dynamic head tracking, a la Apple AirPods, along with active noise cancellation. [SPEAKER_01]: Physical buttons are included, which can be adapted to various functions you deem the most useful, and are of the rocker style. [SPEAKER_01]: A roller for volume control is also provided. [SPEAKER_01]: Battery life is rated at thirty-five hours while using active noise cancellation and eighty hours with ANC shut off.
[SPEAKER_01]: A soft material carrying case is included and this is all for the price of just two hundred ninety nine dollars. [SPEAKER_01]: After watching a few reviews of the nothing headphones on YouTube, the consensus is that these headphones sound good but not great and not that far off than the more expensive models from Apple Bose and other makers. [SPEAKER_01]: But what can you expect from headphones which cost less than half of those from Apple and Bose?
[SPEAKER_01]: The knocks on these headphones are that the cups aren't as large as other brand's models, so if you have ears a size of a dumbbell of the elephant, either tuck them in or go for another brand. [SPEAKER_01]: Another complaint was that the nothing headphones have a very tight fit, causing them to become uncomfortable to longer you wear them. [SPEAKER_01]: So I guess you won't be able to fall asleep while wearing these headphones.
[SPEAKER_01]: If you are in the nothing ecosystem or just want a reasonably priced pair of headphones would sound approaching that of more expensive headphones, consider the nothing headphone one. [SPEAKER_01]: Myself, if I were in the market for a pair of over-to-ear headphones for listening to music, I'd go with a more comfortable design. [SPEAKER_01]: However, if I was within the nothing ecosystem-more fanboy of it, I'd probably give these headphones a shot.
[SPEAKER_01]: There's more trouble in Android TV Land. [SPEAKER_01]: I'm talking about Google's replacement for the Chromecast and the Android TV platform. [SPEAKER_01]: which replace Google TV as a whole. [SPEAKER_01]: When the big G release their new streaming box, I was impressed with his design both hardware and software and its low price.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I should have realized at the time that being Google makes most of its money from advertising, that the company would make up for that low price by inundating the Android TV streaming box with advertisements. [SPEAKER_01]: According to an article on androidpolice.com, [SPEAKER_01]: Google has just added a feature called Tabs, which seems to serve as nothing more than a way to cram more ads onto its user interface.
[SPEAKER_01]: All these ads affect device performance and clutter the already crowded user interface of Android TV. [SPEAKER_01]: The author of the article says this intentional overload of ads on the Android TV platform is pushing users to other platforms. [SPEAKER_01]: Notably the Apple TV streaming box, or they can't be good at Google. [SPEAKER_03]: If Android users like Apple TV better than Android TV, they might be tempted over to iOS and the entire Apple ecosystem. [SPEAKER_01]: Bingo!
[SPEAKER_01]: As the iPhone fours with my eventual entry point into the giant fruit companies of all garden ecosystem, the Apple TV's streaming box might be the entry point for many current Android users. [SPEAKER_01]: Time will tell. [SPEAKER_01]: Won't it? [SPEAKER_01]: tech I'm using. [SPEAKER_01]: Internet woes continue to plague the old fart residents. [SPEAKER_01]: The Internet was so bad. [SPEAKER_01]: How bad was it? [SPEAKER_01]: That my non-existent tea mobile cell service was faster.
[SPEAKER_01]: Doing speed tests. [SPEAKER_01]: I was getting the result of zero point sixty five down and one point three up. [SPEAKER_01]: I call to customer service which took over an hour of my retired time, had me creating a separate network for all my five gigahertz flight devices. [SPEAKER_01]: This got my speeds up to about sixty down and thirty up, but I'll remind you that I pay for one gig fiber service. [SPEAKER_01]: The next morning, a technician from the Internet provider showed up.
[SPEAKER_01]: He did his testing and said everything was hunky dory outside with the fiber and inside with my router. [SPEAKER_01]: I then showed him the results of my speed test in my living room in real time and he like myself was appalled. [SPEAKER_01]: He went back to his truck and came back with a brand new router and installed it. [SPEAKER_01]: After running more tests, he reported that everything looked great, so why don't I run to test my living room once again?
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I did, and got slightly better results. [SPEAKER_01]: The technician then recommended I purchase an internet extender, and that's what's probably the reason for my problems. [SPEAKER_01]: I'll have you know that my living room is right next to where my router is placed, and that's a little over thirty feet away.
[SPEAKER_01]: After the technician departed, I went down to my local Wallyworld, and it's Walmart to the rest of you, and picked up a neck-care internet range extender, actually two of them. [SPEAKER_01]: After a couple of metal attempts to get the thing working, third time's a charm, as they say, [SPEAKER_01]: I was finally able to get it hooked up to my network. [SPEAKER_01]: The results?
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, television is now watchable even for K content, but my speed only reach about two-fifty if I'm lucky. [SPEAKER_01]: Because of these lackluster performance of the extender, I returned the other one which I had planned to place upstairs. [SPEAKER_01]: Well, last night I did a speed test upstairs and I was getting three hundred or so down and a little over two hundred up.
[SPEAKER_01]: Now the upstairs room that I tested the speed in is the furthest from the router in the house. [SPEAKER_01]: So I was getting better speeds in my living room, which also had the extendering installed. [SPEAKER_01]: And it says got me to thinking that perhaps something else is going on. [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe it's a problem with my Apple TV streaming box Etsy issue here. [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe the Wi-Fi chip in it is failing somehow.
[SPEAKER_01]: I have another Apple TV box in another room. [SPEAKER_01]: And I find a time I'll swap it out with the one in my living room and see what happens. [SPEAKER_01]: Regardless of the outcome, I've decided to eventually install a mesh network. [SPEAKER_01]: Prime day is July eighth and I'll see what Amazon puts on sale and make a decision then, or not. [SPEAKER_01]: I don't want to invest in an expensive mesh system that might not give me any better results than I'm already getting.
[SPEAKER_01]: My broken LG sound bars still awaiting a return label from the company. [SPEAKER_01]: I'm just about to give up on it and just hook up the sound bar to my other large screen TV and subwoofer. [SPEAKER_01]: I'm really enjoying my cheap O and N sound bar so much. [SPEAKER_01]: I'm thinking of returning it and getting to top of the line version of it. [SPEAKER_01]: Something less actually is more in this case.
[SPEAKER_01]: Entertainment News. [SPEAKER_01]: Years ago now, everybody and their brother was launching an ad-supported streaming service called a fast service by the industry, fast standing for free advertisement-supported television. [SPEAKER_01]: Yep, this was spurred on by the success of Pluto TV, which still raises King of the fast services. [SPEAKER_01]: Others like to be have also been very successful. [SPEAKER_03]: Amazon had bought IMDB and INDB stands for Internet Movie Database.
[SPEAKER_01]: Right, some years back, and based an inemic-fast service on it. [SPEAKER_01]: Amazon was actually a pioneer in this regard, but hardly did anything with IMDB TV. [SPEAKER_01]: After Pluto TV exploded onto the market, [SPEAKER_01]: Amazon renamed IMDB to FreeVey, and stocked it with all the original programming from Prime Video, and even some new shows. [SPEAKER_01]: The Boss series spin off a Boss Legacy debut on FreeVey.
[SPEAKER_01]: Eventually it seemed Amazon also lost interest in their new service FreeVey, as it had IMDB TV before it. [SPEAKER_01]: Android Police.com is now reporting that Amazon will shutter FreeVey this coming August. [SPEAKER_01]: All of Freeve's content has been moved to Amazon Prime. [SPEAKER_00]: Along with its advertisements. [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah. [SPEAKER_01]: Someone over at Amazon got the great idea to bring ads to Prime Video, even though it's a paid service.
[SPEAKER_00]: Whoever it was, I'm sure that they received a promotion. [SPEAKER_01]: I'm sure that they did. [SPEAKER_01]: Freeve isn't really going away, though. [SPEAKER_01]: It will be available within the Prime Video app, though. [SPEAKER_01]: You'll have to do some digging around and order to find it on the Prime Video app. [SPEAKER_01]: You know, IMDB TV used to be within the Prime Video app? [SPEAKER_01]: It was sort of hard to access.
[SPEAKER_01]: It was spun off into Pre-V, separated from Prime, and now it returns. [SPEAKER_01]: Perhaps the Asian view of Time is correct? [SPEAKER_03]: While the Western World thinks of Time as a straight linear line, Asians view Time as a circle, and that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes this week's episode of Deep Thoughts from a shallow mind. [SPEAKER_03]: I hope you enjoyed it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Podcast News. [SPEAKER_01]: Podcast News.net is reporting that the total number of new podcast episodes published in the month of June was four percent fewer than May. [SPEAKER_01]: I'll keep an eye on this and see if a friend is developing. [SPEAKER_01]: Some are time might be the blame for this as casual podcasters and some independence take time off. [SPEAKER_01]: Even some podcasting incorporated shows take a brief hiatus during this time period.
[SPEAKER_01]: Not everyone has the spare time to crack out episodes. [SPEAKER_01]: Just take my case for example. [SPEAKER_01]: Though I'm retired from working life, you'd think I could spend a lot more time on the show than I could when I was gainfully employed. [SPEAKER_01]: Well, that's what I thought going into retirement.
[SPEAKER_01]: Between looking for a new place to live, actually moving to it and then settling in, combine with the one who must be obeyed, constantly trying to optimize my spare time from EVA tasks. [SPEAKER_01]: I'm actually spending less time working on this podcast and it shows. [SPEAKER_01]: Yes, it does. [SPEAKER_01]: Or maybe the reason for this falling new episode release percentage stems from the constant podcasting incorporated fuel to push to video could be.
[SPEAKER_01]: It also could be that the big moneyed podcast aren't making money for their backers because of the falling advertisement rates and some are going dark. [SPEAKER_01]: I'm sure podnews.net will also be keeping an eye on his trend if, in fact, it becomes one and will report on it. [SPEAKER_01]: Me? [SPEAKER_01]: I'll just keep cranking out episodes until I become unable to do so any longer. [SPEAKER_01]: Oh, what a happy day that will be.
[SPEAKER_01]: You do realize you'll be unemployed when that day arrives, don't you? [SPEAKER_01]: Hmm, I hadn't thought of that. [SPEAKER_01]: Again from podnews.net, Odyssey, a large part of the podcasting incorporated club, has also recently filed for bankruptcy, has reached an agreement with iHeartRadio for content sharing. [SPEAKER_01]: This mainly goes one way with Odyssey content appearing on iHeart without iHeart content appearing on Odyssey.
[SPEAKER_01]: Previously in order to gain full access to Odyssey content, you had to subscribe to the Odyssey app. [SPEAKER_01]: I subscribe to Odyssey back in. [SPEAKER_01]: What may in fact be referred to as, the day. [SPEAKER_01]: I forget how much exactly I was paying per month, but I remember thinking the price was too much for what I was getting, and canceled my subscription. [SPEAKER_01]: In last episode of this podcast, I reported that Odyssey was shuttering pineapple-searched studios.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's just the latest studio to be shut down by Odyssey. [SPEAKER_01]: This agreement with iHeart probably dooms its own app. [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, why bother with it when you can just use the iHeart app and get even more content? [SPEAKER_01]: I just signed up for a thirty-day trial of iHeart and I'll see where it goes from there. [SPEAKER_01]: Oh, the OF&T podcast is available on IR-II if you were wondering. [SPEAKER_01]: Also, does anybody remember Tune in radio?
[SPEAKER_01]: You should be one of my favorite audio listening apps, especially when I work the overnight shift. [SPEAKER_01]: I know the company has had major layoffs recently, so I guess the writing is on the wall for Tune in. [SPEAKER_01]: I enjoyed the Sonno FM series of Internet stations on it as well as some of the late night talk shows. [SPEAKER_01]: The late Great Art Bell made his last broadcast on his tune-in station, midnight in the desert, before passing away.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I think I'll just dust off the tune-in app on my iPhone and give it a spin later. [SPEAKER_01]: The world needs another great overnight radio host these days. [SPEAKER_01]: Larry King and Arpelle were the last two. [SPEAKER_01]: Perhaps I'll discover one on, tune in or I heart, who knows. [SPEAKER_01]: It's story time. [SPEAKER_01]: Last Friday was Independence Day, better known as the Fourth of July for some reason.
[SPEAKER_01]: People celebrate this holiday by either watching fireworks displays or lighting off their own. [SPEAKER_01]: Fireworks are legal here in Tennessee, and the locals warn me that things get crazier around here once the sun goes down. [SPEAKER_01]: My lovely wife and I attended a party at a neighbor's house. [SPEAKER_01]: The host had young children and was heavily invested into putting on his own fireworks display.
[SPEAKER_01]: Though invited to watch it, I decided not to attend his show. [SPEAKER_01]: Figuring I could just watch fireworks from my own abode, being that it was supposedly crazy after dark. [SPEAKER_01]: Well, I got to tell you, New York where the sailor purchase of fireworks are prohibited by law is a lot more crazy than around here. [SPEAKER_01]: Now, there were some fireworks here, but by midnight, all pyrotechnic activity, what little there was, had ceased.
[SPEAKER_01]: In New York, people start blowing up things days before the fourth and on the day itself. [SPEAKER_01]: It's nonstop until the wee hours of the fifths morning. [SPEAKER_01]: Heck, for days after the holiday, you can still see and hear fireworks going off in New York. [SPEAKER_01]: Not so in this area. [SPEAKER_01]: I'm not complaining, but people in these parts must have a different definition of crazy.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, the music is playing as this holiday weekend edition of the OF&T podcast accelerates towards this end. [SPEAKER_01]: Hope you enjoyed this episode. [SPEAKER_01]: I enjoyed making it for you. [SPEAKER_01]: Feel like what you heard. [SPEAKER_01]: Well, you can make a donation using the link in the show notes. [SPEAKER_01]: And in all donations, we'll be really appreciated. [SPEAKER_01]: You can always reach me at OF&T podcast at gmail.com.
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's if you're so inclined. [SPEAKER_01]: I'd enjoy hearing from you. [SPEAKER_01]: Remember, don't listen to what they say. [SPEAKER_01]: Watch what they do. [SPEAKER_01]: Hey, the fireworks are over and there's nothing left to see or hear here. [SPEAKER_01]: So get off my lawn. [SPEAKER_01]: Stay skeptical. [SPEAKER_01]: Ah, I'm out. [SPEAKER_03]: And that folks is the end of the show.