Tech CEOs hauled before Congress again, Theranos is no more, Google mulls big changes to URL’s and maybe the whole the-teens-are-abandoning-Facebook is a real thing after all? Links:Video of the Hearings (The US Senate)Facebook and Twitter testified before Congress. Conservative conspiracy theorists lurked behind them. (The Washington Post)Blood-Testing Firm Theranos to Dissolve (WSJ)HOW GOOGLE CHROME SPENT A DECADE MAKING THE WEB MORE SECURE (Wired)GOOGLE WANTS TO KILL THE URL (Wired)Americans ...
Sep 05, 2018•16 min
Amazon hits a trillion, the EU is giving Netflix quotas, gaming out various Apple rumors ahead of next week’s event and the robots are coming to the drive through window. LinksAmazon falls off $1 trillion market cap, leaving Apple the only public US company above the benchmark (Bloomberg)Local Product Quotas for Netflix, Amazon to Become Law, EU Official Says (EXCLUSIVE) (Variety)Ethereum in BigQuery: a Public Dataset for smart contract analytics (Google Cloud)Major cryptocurrency exchange delis...
Sep 04, 2018•17 min
How those iPhone leaks happened (maybe), the scooter permits happened and some big names got snubbed, Google’s secret deal with MasterCard, and the weekend long reads suggestions. Links:Exclusive: This is ‘iPhone XS’ — design, larger version, and gold colors confirmed (9to5Mac)Exclusive: Apple Watch Series 4 revealed — massive display, dense watch face, more (9to5Mac)Huawei’s AI Cube is a 4G router and Alexa speaker, not a cube (The Verge)Huawei's Google Home clone has Alexa inside (Engadget)Sco...
Aug 31, 2018•21 min
An Apple acquisition suggests they’re serious about AR, Uber is serious about escooters, Google lets Kubernetes leave the nest, your IP address is not enough to finger you for a crime, and a fully functional Bugatti made out of Legos. Links:Apple buys startup focused on lenses for AR glasses (Reuters)Apple’s AR lenses purchase also sees future mobile storage (ComputerWorld)Google takes a step back from running the Kubernetes development infrastructure (TechCrunch)Uber Is Building Its Own Scooter...
Aug 30, 2018•17 min
A bunch of new laptops from Dell, Amazon might jump into the free tv game, Google updates Wear OS, and why the world’s oldest blockchain has been hiding in plain site since 1995. Links:Dell tempts Pixelbook lovers with premium $599 Inspiron Chromebook 14 (ArsTechnica)Dell shows its fall lineup of Alexa-ready Inspiron, XPS, and Vostro laptops and 2-in-1s (VentureBeat)Amazon Plans New Video App, Latest Step Into TV Ad Market (The Information)Google is revamping the Wear OS smartwatch user interfac...
Aug 29, 2018•17 min
President Trump accuses Google of rigged search results, Instagram updates its identity systems, Yahoo scans your mail for marketing purposes, BuzzFeed tests memberships and the rarest Apple device in the world comes to auction. Links:You can now apply to be verified in Instagram (The Verge)Yahoo, Bucking Industry, Scans Emails for Data to Sell Advertisers (WSJ)Toyota Investing $500 Million in Uber in Driverless-Car Pact (WSJ)AutoX is using its self-driving vehicles to deliver groceries (TechCru...
Aug 28, 2018•18 min
The three new iPhones Mark Gurman says are coming our way, Warren Buffet invests in an Indian tech company, Palmer Luckey pans Magic Leap and why Uber thinks e-scooters are cool. Links:Apple to Embrace iPhone X Design With New Colors, Bigger Screens (Bloomberg)Berkshire Hathaway in talks for a stake in Paytm (Economic Times)Microsoft Announces Xbox All Access (Thurrott.com)Public Bravado, Private Doubts: Inside the Unraveling of Elon Musk’s Tesla Buyout (WSJ)Why Elon Musk Reversed Course on Taki...
Aug 27, 2018•17 min
Tech’s version of the five families met today to get on the same page over election security, 23andMe shuts down its API just to be safe, robot puppies, and the weekend longreads suggestions. Links:Google finds evidence of attack linked to Iran state media (Axios)Tech Companies Are Gathering For A Secret Meeting To Prepare A 2018 Election Strategy (Buzzfeed News)Microsoft Hit With U.S. Bribery Probe Over Deals in Hungary (WSJ)23andMe will no longer let app developers read your DNA data (CNBC)The...
Aug 24, 2018•19 min
Australia bans Chinese telecoms equipment, Microsoft might offer an Xbox subscription that includes the whole console, new DJI drones, Alex Stamos on hacking the 2018 election and the backlash against the “app store tax.” Links:Australia Bars China’s Huawei From Building 5G Wireless Network (NYTimes)'Xbox All Access' looks like a new subscription service with Xbox Live, Game Pass, and a console (Windows Central)DJI Mavic 2 Pro, Mavic 2 Zoom add Hasselblad quality and optical zoom to folding dron...
Aug 23, 2018•16 min
The fake Russians are back and they’ve brought some fake Iranians with them, Verizon throttles firefighters, Google wants to tell you something good, and day two of the Y Combinator demo days. Links:Sprawling Iranian influence operation globalizes tech’s war on disinformation (The Washington Post)Verizon throttled fire department’s “unlimited” data during Calif. wildfire (Ars Technica)Google Assistant's latest feature delivers just the 'good news' (TechCrunch)Walmart takes another jab at Amazon ...
Aug 22, 2018•15 min
Microsoft uncovers more Russian political hacking, a possible MacBook Air successor, Netflix “tests” bypassing the App Store, and are you paying for Amazon’s electricity bill? Links:New Russian Hacking Targeted Republican Groups, Microsoft Says (NYTimes)Apple Is Planning a New Low-Cost MacBook, Pro-Focused Mac Mini (Bloomberg)Netflix Tests Promotional Videos but Users See ‘Commercials’ (NYTimes)Netflix tests a bypass of iTunes billing in 33 markets (TechCrunch)Facebook is rating the trustworthin...
Aug 21, 2018•16 min
Fitbit doubles down on fitness trackers, new EU regulations might be coming for web platforms, Karma is a startup selling excess food, Trip Advisor has its own fake news problem, and are women the most valuable mobile gaming consumers? Links:With Charge 3, Fitbit blurs the smartwatch line (TechCrunch)EU Weighs Regulations For Terrorist Content (Financial Times)‘Minecraft: Education Edition’ comes to iPad, as education features expand to mainstream version of game (GeekWire)Karma raises $12 milli...
Aug 20, 2018•15 min
A Google smart speaker with a screen, the crypto mining fad is fading, Silicon Valley has lost a piece of its history, the secret Netflix categories and the weekend longreads suggestions. Links:Google to debut display-equipped AI speaker before holidays (Nikkei Asian Review)APNewsBreak: Google clarifies location-tracking policy (The Associated Press)Crypto crash: Despite a strong quarter, Nvidia shares fall on disappointing forecast (SiliconAngle)Wish, an Internet Dollar Store, Struggles to Keep...
Aug 17, 2018•20 min
Amazon might buy a chain of movie theaters, why the Saudis invest the way they do, Twitter pisses everyone off because… what else is new? And reviews of the Note 9 and Android Pie are in. Links:Amazon in Running to Acquire Landmark Movie Chain (Bloomberg)Saudi Arabia Goes High-Tech in Approach to Investing (WSJ)Twitter company email addresses why it’s #BreakingMyTwitter (TechCrunch)Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review: A better Note for most of us (Engadget)You Can Really Feel the Samsung Note 9's $1000...
Aug 16, 2018•15 min
Today, Twitter takes action on Alex Jones, a new Intel chip vulnerability, Alexa and Cortana play nice together, consolidation in podcasting and a “rest and vest” for the ages. Stories from: @AnneMarieSteele, @dseetharaman Tweets: @MattRosoff Links:SPECTRE-LIKE FLAW UNDERMINES INTEL PROCESSORS' MOST SECURE ELEMENT (Wired)After a year's wait, Amazon and Microsoft bring Alexa and Cortana to each other's devices (CNET)OneDrive can now automatically backup your PC’s documents, pictures, and desktop ...
Aug 15, 2018•15 min
NVIDIA announces its next generation GPUs, Apple wants developers to get SaaS-y, what if we just rebuilt the cable bundle with streaming channels, Tinder founders file suit and is Kevin Durant teaming up with Marc Andreessen? LinksNVIDIA Reveals Next-Gen Turing GPU Architecture (AnandTech)How an invite-only meeting at Apple's luxury loft in New York set the stage for one of the biggest subscription businesses in the world (Business Insider)Banks and Retailers Are Tracking How You Type, Swipe and...
Aug 14, 2018•16 min
Is Google tracking you even when you tell it not to? Big executive departure at Netflix, Elon expounds on taking Telsa private, and how machine learning can identify devs simply by the way they code. Links:Lenovo Launches Ultra-Thin ThinkPad P1: X1 Carbon Meets Workstation (AnAndTech)EVEN ANONYMOUS CODERS LEAVE FINGERPRINTS (Wired)Update on Taking Tesla Private (Tesla)China has outspent the US by $24 billion in 5G technology since 2015, study shows (CNBC)An 11-Year-Old Changed The Results Of Flo...
Aug 13, 2018•16 min
Is Apple’s secret car project back on? Is Elon Musk in trouble with the SEC? How many people use Apple Pay? Is Alexa coming to cars? And the weekend Longreads suggestions. Stories from: @gruber Tweets: @jbarro, @kairyssdal Links:Tesla is now worth less than it was before Elon Musk's $420 tweet (Business Insider)Doug Field Returns to Apple After Leaving Tesla (Daring Fireball)Apple Pay Increasingly Central to iPhone (Loop Ventures)Amazon launches Auto SDK to bring Alexa to more cars (VentureBeat)...
Aug 10, 2018•17 min
The new Galaxy Note 9 is unveiled, New York City caps ride hailing companies, Discord kneecaps Steam—as expected, the continuing saga of Alex Jones and what’s up with Elon Musk now? Links:Samsung Galaxy Note9: Design, specs, features, and pricing (VentureBeat)New York Plans to Cap Uber and Lyft (WSJ)Where’s the Money Coming From, Elon? (Bloomberg Businessweek) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 09, 2018•18 min
We can actually, finally find out what Magic Leap does, Snap reports earnings, Slack gets ready for war, Patreon is building a patronage empire and why you’re probably getting ripped off if you’re paying for DSL. Links:I TRIED MAGIC LEAP AND SAW A FLAWED GLIMPSE OF MIXED REALITY’S AMAZING POTENTIAL (The Verge)Magic Leap Headset Test Drive: Off Your Phone and Into Your World (WSJ)Magic Leap’s headset is real, but that may not be enough (MIT Technology Review)Patreon buys Memberful but keeps it in...
Aug 08, 2018•17 min
Voting via app will be tested during the midterms, Old Bitcoin Money and New Bitcoin money are in a power struggle, the truth about how we use Alexa, and a new combatant joins the fray in the Streaming Video Wars. Links:West Virginia to introduce mobile phone voting for midterm elections (CNN Tech)A Culture War Is Brewing Between Bitcoin’s Old and New Money (Bloomberg)Wall Street isn’t boosting bitcoin (Quartz)Twitter says Alex Jones and InfoWars accounts don't violate policy, will remain live f...
Aug 07, 2018•16 min
Nearly every major tech platform bans Alex Jones to one degree or another, does Facebook really want to know your bank balance, MoviePass comes with another subscription pivot, Apple’s plans for India and why $1,000 smartphones might only be the beginning. Links:Facebook, Apple, YouTube and Spotify ban Infowars' Alex Jones (The Guardian)Facebook to Banks: Give Us Your Data, We’ll Give You Our Users (WSJ)Facebook taps banks, but for chatbots not purchase data like Google (TechCrunch)MoviePass Aba...
Aug 06, 2018•17 min
Fortnite snubs Google, Amazon Prime Video is coming to Comcast, Peloton raises a ton, the top ten programming languages of 2018 and, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Links: Epic Games sidesteps the Play Store with Fortnite for Android launch (TechCrunch)Ready, Aim, Hire a ‘Fortnite’ Coach: Parents Enlist Videogame Tutors for Their Children (WSJ)Google Maps location sharing shows your contact's battery level (Android Police)The 2018 Top Programming Languages (IEEE Spectrum) The Bette...
Aug 03, 2018•17 min
Apple hits a trillion, a midwestern unicorn cashes in, the Surface Go reviews are in, there are no perfect tools for making memes, and Tesla is adding video games to its cars. Links:Cisco to acquire Ann Arbor-based Duo Security in $2.35 billion deal (Crain's Detroit Business)Surface Go review: The ideal cheap Windows tablet... almost (Engadget)The tiny Microsoft Surface Go is available now, and it’s an overachiever (The Verge)Microsoft Surface Go review: Barely better than a netbook (Mashable)Th...
Aug 02, 2018•16 min
Google has a secret plan to return to China, the Apple earnings analysis, Masayoshi Son goes “Brandless” and in praise of microfilm! Links:GOOGLE PLANS TO LAUNCH CENSORED SEARCH ENGINE IN CHINA, LEAKED DOCUMENTS REVEAL (The Intercept)Apple tops 300 million paid subscriptions as it reportedly preps new subscription services (Digiday)This No-Brand Startup Won $240 Million to Fight Amazon on Price and Quality (Bloomberg)Microfilm Lasts Half a Millennium (The Atlantic) Learn more about your ad choic...
Aug 01, 2018•17 min
Facebook reveals fresh election meddling, Galaxy 9s might not be selling well, but Nintendo Switches sure are, and Playstation 4s still are, Uber stops truckin’ and Google Maps will predict which restaurant you’ll like. Stories from: @kerby, @fredwilson Tweets: @LDrogen Links:Smartphone Slowdown Hits Profits at Samsung Electronics (Bloomberg)Sony can't stop making money from PlayStation (Engadget)Uber’s self-driving trucks division is dead, long live Uber self-driving cars (TechCrunch)Where Did ...
Jul 31, 2018•15 min
The king of the bitcoin miners mulls an IPO (not an ICO), the prediction market Augur gets dark, a “Netflix for gadgets” and a “Dallas Cowboys for e-sports” both raise money, advice for Twitter and Facebook, and why autonomous cars need to talk to us. Links:Scoop: Bitcoin Mining Company Bitmain Hit $1.1 Billion in Profits in Q1 2018 (Fortune)The First Augur Assassination Markets Have Arrived (CoinDesk)Grover raises €37M Series A to offer latest tech products as a subscription (TechCrunch)Twitter...
Jul 30, 2018•17 min
Slack takes out some competitors, Twitter get its own earnings shock, Amazon is just fine, thank you very much, Stripe issues credit cards, MoviePass… still alive at the time of this recording… and the weekend longreads suggestions. Stories from: @neilstrauss, @lmatsakis Tweets: @sparkycollier Links:Goodbye HipChat: Slack and Atlassian Team Up on Chat Software (Bloomberg)This is the Amazon everyone should have feared — and it has nothing to do with its retail business (Recode)Stripe Starts Issui...
Jul 27, 2018•18 min
The Facebook earnings disaster. What else? But also Qualcomm walks away from an acquisition, Amazon’s facial recognition tech seems pretty flawed, and Samsung might have invented unbreakable displays for smartphones! Links:Samsung announces new 'unbreakable' display that survives punishing UL certification (Android Central) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 26, 2018•19 min
Another internal Facebook memo leaks, China tells Facebook “not so fast,” Steam battles Discord, why the iPhone can’t compete in China, and a Y2K bug for the new millennium. Links:Departing Facebook Security Officer's Memo: "We Need To Be Willing To Pick Sides" (BuzzFeed News)China Said to Quickly Withdraw Approval for New Facebook Venture (NYTimes)Steam is rolling out its new Discord-like chat features to all users (The Verge)General Motors wants its customers to rent their cars to other people...
Jul 25, 2018•18 min
