Slack debuts as a publicly traded company, there will be Congressional hearings about Libra, a Florida city pays ransom money to hackers, getting your internet from your lightbulbs and are we on the cusp of a fast-charging-battery revolution Sponsors: SVB.com/next Castro Links: Horns are growing on young people’s skulls. Phone use is to blame, research suggests. (The Washington Post) Facebook called before Senate panel over digital currency project (Reuters) YouTube under federal investigation o...
Jun 20, 2019•17 min
More revelations about the horrible job that is Facebook Moderation, Best Buy now doubles as a Genius Bar—sorta, YouTube has some new AR tricks and is mulling some changes for kids, and the reaction to Facebook’s crypto play has me fascinated. Sponsors: SVB.com/next Castro Links: BODIES IN SEATS (The Verge) Apple expands authorized repairs to ~1,000 Best Buy Stores (TechCrunch) The new Kindle Oasis lets you adjust color temperature for night reading (The Verge) YouTube's new AR Beauty Try-On let...
Jun 19, 2019•16 min
Facebook announces Libra, Twitch acquires Bebo, are unmanned convenience stores something people even want, Facebook wants more houses in Silicon Valley, and LA real estate is starting to look like Silicon Valley. Sponsors: SVB.com/next Castro Links: Facebook announces Libra cryptocurrency: All you need to know (TechCrunch) FACEBOOK’S CALIBRA IS A SECRET WEAPON FOR MONETIZING ITS NEW CRYPTOCURRENCY (The Verge) Libra White Paper Shows How Facebook Borrowed From Bitcoin and Ethereum (CoinDesk) The...
Jun 18, 2019•18 min
The 5G iPhones might be both bigger and smaller, both Huawei and the chip industry prepare for tough times, Genius says it caught Google red-handed, is the US making a big 5G mistake and what exactly is farming-as-a-service? Sponsors: Castro Linkedin Links: Huawei Braces for Phone Sales Drop of Up to 60 Million Overseas (Bloomberg) Broadcom's $2 billion warning rattles global chip sector (Reuters) Kuo on 2020 iPhones: 5.4-Inch and 6.7-Inch Models With 5G, 6.1-Inch Model With LTE, All With OLED D...
Jun 17, 2019•18 min
Simon Owens is a journalist who, in his writing, podcasting and newsletters, covers the whole gamut of digital media, from the creator side to the publisher side… from the journalist side to the business side. So, we’ve got a great, wide-ranging conversation today about everything from newsletters, to YouTube, to paywalls to podcasts. And check out Simon’s great podcast, The Business of Content. Sponsors: Instacart. Promocode RIDE at checkout. Wix.com/podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...
Jun 16, 2019•26 min
That Wired longread that I suggested yesterday, about Amazon’s warehouse robots really stuck with me for personal reasons you’ll hear in a second. I talked to the author of the piece, Matt Simon, not only cause I wanted more flavor on what it was like to work with these things, but because he also raises interesting ideas about human/robot symbiosis. In short, the robot apocalypse might still be coming, but not today. And for the foreseeable future, that might be the growth industry for humans: ...
Jun 15, 2019•23 min
Are foldable phones cursed—and will we ever see one? Facebook coin might be coming as early as next week, the hottest crypto is up 330% YTD but you’ve probably never heard of it, some IPOs to report on and, of course, the weekend longread suggestions. Sponsors: PixelUnion.net Tech.FidelityCareers.com Links: Huawei delays foldable phone launch until September to do extra tests after Samsung’s troubles (CNBC) Huawei delays launch of foldable Mate X following Galaxy Fold failure (The Verge) AT&...
Jun 14, 2019•19 min
Telegram is getting DDoS’d, Google pulls a Radiohead on Pixel phone leakers, Bird buys Scoot, my dream TV is a wall, and the most interesting startup I’ve heard about in a while. Sponsors: SVB.com/next PixelUnion.net Links: Telegram faces DDoS attack in China... again (TechCrunch) NFC gets a lot more powerful in iOS 13 (TechCrunch) This is Google’s Pixel 4 (The Verge) Scooter Startup Bird Buys Struggling Competitor Scoot (WSJ) Ford will test new third-generation self-driving cars in Detroit (The...
Jun 13, 2019•17 min
The state of the Internet according to Mary Meeker, Houseparty joins the Fortnite party, Uber Elevate is planning some important firsts, the DOJ is telegraphing its possible punches to Silicon Valley, and someone find Have I Been Pwned a good home. Sponsors: PixelUnion.net PaintYourLife.com: Text the word TECH to 48-48-48 Links: Mary Meeker’s most important trends on the internet (ReCode) Fortnite maker Epic acquires social video app Houseparty (TechCrunch) Apple Discusses Acquisition of Intel’s...
Jun 12, 2019•16 min
An abject example of the maxim, “any data that is collected, will be breached,” Foxconn isn’t worried about a trade war so maybe Apple doesn’t have to be, electric car charging is about to get easier, and why it’s weird that Spotify can advertise against your moods. Sponsors: Inside the Five-Sided Box: Lessons from a Lifetime of Leadership in the Pentagon by Ash Carter PixelUnion.net Links: Don’t smile for surveillance: Why airport face scans are a privacy trap (Washington Post) The CBP Data Bre...
Jun 11, 2019•16 min
The next generation Xbox sounds like a beast, Salesforce buys Tableau, Apple might buy a self-driving car startup, we finally get some details on Quibi and does Broadway want to jump on the streaming video bandwagon? Sponsors: Pantheon.io/ride PixelUnion.net Links: Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox: 8K graphics, SSD storage, and ray-tracing for 2020 (The Verge) Microsoft’s new Xbox streaming mode is arriving in October for consoles (TheVerge) I tried Project xCloud at Xbox's E3 2019 show. It is r...
Jun 10, 2019•18 min
Does what is says on the tin. John Voorhees helps us sum up WWDC, get act dev reaction from the floor of the conference, and pick up some of the stray threads we missed from Apple's biggest week of the year. Sponsors: Capterra.com/ride Molekule.com checkout code: ride for $75 off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 08, 2019•22 min
Now you can’t get Facebook on new Huawei phones, Barnes and Noble waives the white flag, WarnerMedia abandons that tiered streaming plan idea, Walmart wants to deliver directly to your refrigerator and the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Tiny.website Pantheon.io/ride Vistaprint.com/RIDE Links: Exclusive: Facebook suspends app pre-installs on Huawei phones (Reuters) Elliott Management to acquire Barnes & Noble for $683 million (CNBC) Amazon’s Home Surveillance Company Is Putting Susp...
Jun 07, 2019•20 min
Google Stadia details are revealed, Amazon shows off its delivery drone and Uber debuts Uber Copter, Facebook is going to do an official white paper for its cryptocurrency, and our mobile gadgets have finally dethroned the television. Sponsors: Tiny.website Pantheon.io/ride Links: GOOGLE’S STADIA GAME SERVICE IS OFFICIALLY COMING NOVEMBER: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW (The Verge) Google cloud boss Thomas Kurian makes his first big move — buys Looker for $2.6 billion (CNBC) Facebook plans June 18t...
Jun 06, 2019•16 min
YouTube actually DOES make some changes, Peloton is going public, could Prime open Amazon up to anticompetitive scrutiny, more on that Sign in with Apple controversy, and why your local police department might want to buy you Ring doorbell. Sponsors: Eero.com/ride promo code RIDE Tiny.website Links: YouTube just banned supremacist content, and thousands of channels are about to be removed (TheVerge) Peloton, the connected fitness company, has filed to go public (TheVerge) Amazon may soon face an...
Jun 05, 2019•18 min
It looks like Washington is serious about going after Big Tech in a big way, Firefox blocks cookies, why are developers trepidatious about that Sign In with Apple scheme, and why it’s time we really need to talk about the YouTube recommendation algorithm. Sponsors: Legacybox.com/ride Tiny.website Links: Facebook, Google and other tech giants to face antitrust investigation by House lawmakers (Washington Post) ITUNES IS DEAD. LET'S PAY OUR RESPECTS (Wired) Apple’s top spec Mac Pro will likely cos...
Jun 04, 2019•21 min
All the news and headlines from WWDC, the anti-trust brigade might be coming for Google in the US, a big chip acquisition, big news on the payments front, and a dispatch from the frontlines of the streaming wars… but, c’mon, we know what you’re here to hear about. Tiny.website Tech.FidelityCareers.com Links: Mac Pro (The Verge) Pro Display XDR (The Verge) iPadOS and Files app (The Verge) Sign in with Apple (9To5Mac) Dark Mode (The Verge) The Justice Department is preparing a potential antitrust ...
Jun 03, 2019•23 min
Y’all know Dan Frommer. Veteran tech journalist. We’re gonna do a WWDC preview here today, but before that, Dan has his own, excellent newsletter, the new consumer! Sign up for it in the show notes! Link to the free and paid editions. Because this is the beat Dan covers so well, before we get into the WWDC and Apple stuff, a lengthy discussion of the whole consumer unicorn startup space, that I don’t think we cover enough. https://newconsumer.com/ Sponsors: Rhone.com/ride promocode RIDE at check...
Jun 01, 2019•33 min
Might Amazon get into the cellular carrier game and thus make a Sprint/T-Mobile merger more palatable? Uber’s first quarterly report as a public company, what to expect from WWDC next week, and of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: HappyCog.com/ride Mealime.com Links: Exclusive: Amazon interested in buying Boost from T-Mobile, Sprint - sources (Reuters) Uber stock rises as net losses match expectations (CNBC) APPLE WWDC 2019: MAC PRO, IOS 13, MARZIPAN, AND WHAT ELSE TO EXPECT (...
May 31, 2019•17 min
Microsoft brings the Xbox Game Pass to PCs, Google gives the finger to adblockers (and all of us), the DOJ will only approve the Sprint/T-Mobile merger if there’s no actual market consolidation, GoGo wants to bring 5G to airplanes and when will an e-sports stadium come to your town? Sponsors: Mealime Sonic.com/ride Sponsors: Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass is coming to PC (Engadget) Google to restrict modern ad blocking Chrome extensions to enterprise users (9to5Google) Apple, Google and WhatsApp con...
May 30, 2019•17 min
Amazon has a new Echo Show to go after the Google Nest Home Hub, the NYC subway is entering the mobile era, Uber says it will now ban RIDERS who get bad Uber ratings, and Microsoft outlines its vision for a modern operating system. Sponsors: Lightstream.com/ride Mealime Links: The Amazon Echo Show 5 puts Alexa on a smaller screen, shipping in June for $89.99 (The Verge) NYC subway riders will be able to swipe in with Apple Pay starting Friday (TechCrunch) Uber is now kicking low-rated passengers...
May 29, 2019•15 min
The iPod touch lives (and got an update), Dell’s whole laptop lineup got an update, the apocalypse is coming for small vendors on Amazon, MacKenzie Bezos signs the Giving Pledge, and why a laptop infested with malware sold for $1.3 million dollars. Sponsors: Sonic.com/ride Mealime Links: Apple refreshes the iPod touch with the iPhone 7’s processor (The Verge) Dell reveals new laptops aimed at gamers and business users (Android Authority) Amazon Is Poised to Unleash a Long-Feared Purge of Small S...
May 28, 2019•16 min
Nerds and tech folk have always had a special fascination with typeface and font design, and especially with the venerable Helvetica. Today we're going to talk to Charles Nix, who's foundry Monotype had the challenge of updating Helvetica for the 21st century with Helvetica Now. A lot of these bonus episodes are you learning along with me as we take deeper dives into certain tech topics, well no more so than this episode because I knew absolutely nothing about this area of design and so was fasc...
May 27, 2019•26 min
The Facebook cryptocurrency could be here in about six months, SpaceX launches its first batch of internet satellites, iFixit tears down the MacBook keyboard tweaks, the robots are coming for MLB umpires, and a supersized weekend longreads segment. Sponsors: AirTable.com/techmeme Linkedin.com/ride Castro App Links: Facebook plans to launch 'GlobalCoin' currency in 2020 (BBC News) SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket deals out a deck of 60 Starlink internet satellites (GeekWire) Apple’s keyboard ‘material’ c...
May 24, 2019•18 min
The Playdate is a Game Boy for the 21st Century, GitHub launches a Patreon for open source developers, Amazon is working on a health app that can monitor emotions, Door Dash is emerging at the leader in the food delivery wars, and Rotten Tomatoes brings the hammer down on review stuffing. Sponsors: AirTable.com/techmeme Castro Podcast App Sonic.com/ride Links: Playdate is an adorable handheld with games from the creators of Qwop, Katamari, and more (The Verge) GitHub launches Sponsors, lets you ...
May 23, 2019•17 min
The Huawei mess metastasizes, the EU goes after Google again, Qualcomm loses to the FTC, and Comcast—of all people—is getting into health tech. Sponsors: AirTable.com/techmeme Tech.FidelityCareers.com The Castro Podcast App Links: Huawei: ARM memo tells staff to stop working with China’s tech giant (BBC News) Huawei Considers Rivals to Google's Android After U.S. Ban (Bloomberg) EU regulator launches probe into Google over data privacy (CNBC) Google says some G Suite user passwords were stored i...
May 22, 2019•16 min
Has Apple fixed the MacBook keyboard problem? Huawei gets a 90 day reprieve, Instagram wants to copy Snapchat AND TikTok, the first self-driving mail trucks, and why would your smart car want to tell people if you’ve gained weight? Sponsors: AirTable.com/techmeme Castro Podcast App Sonic.com/ride Links: Apple tweaks its troubled MacBook keyboard design yet again, expands repair program (The Verge) U.S. eases curbs on Huawei; founder says clampdown underestimates Chinese firm (Reuters) Google wil...
May 21, 2019•19 min
Why Google ghosting Huawei might lead to a chain reaction for all of tech, the Sprint/T-Mobile merger gets a shot in the arm, GM sort of gets the point of software, I guess, and why 5G might be horrible for weather forecasting. Sponsors: AirTable.com/techmeme Tech.FidelityCareers.com The Castro Podcast App Links: Exclusive: Google suspends some business with Huawei after Trump blacklist - source (Reuters) Huawei responds to Android ban with service and security guarantees, but its future is uncl...
May 20, 2019•18 min
Eric Jackson is an investor at EMJ Capital Ltd. He’s deep in the media space, he’s deep in the streaming wars, as I think I say in this episode, he’s shaped a ton of my thinking about the streaming wars. So… where are we? Who’s up? Who’s down? Is it time to get bullish on Disney+ for a ton of reasons? Eric has a great podcast: The Eric Jackson Podcast. Sponsors: Audible.com/techmeme Instacart. Promocode RIDE at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 19, 2019•29 min
You know them, you love them, Jay Yarrow of CNBC, Farhad Manjoo of the New York Times. It’s another Jay and Farhad Show Reunion! Today’s topics: Uber’s IPO, the Streaming Wars, and Game of Thrones! These are my favorite episodes. I just hit record, and we thumb wrestle each other to get in a hot take. :) Sponsors: Capterra.com/ride Sonic.com/ride Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 18, 2019•43 min
