Does Apple have a secret team to do an end run around telecom carriers, Google buys a game studio, IAC buys Care.com, Ripple is an interesting raise, and of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Tiny Capital GetQuip.com/ride Booknotesapp.com (or on iPhone and Android) Links: Apple Has Secret Team Working on Satellites to Beam Data to Devices (Bloomberg) Google buys triple-A game dev Typhoon Studio to beef up Stadia (VentureBeat) Care.com shares surge after Barry Diller’s IAC agree...
Dec 20, 2019•17 min
That big NYTimes piece about location data, is Facebook taking another run at creating its own OS, is Apple considering buying James Bond, is Spotify building a social graph, and do e-athletes need gaming socks? Sponsors: TinyCapital.com Rhone.com/ridehome Links: Twelve Million Phones, One Dataset, Zero Privacy (NYTimes) Facebook will bar posts, ads that spread disinformation about the U.S. Census (Washington Post) To Control Its Destiny, Facebook Bets Big on Hardware (The Information) Apple Hel...
Dec 19, 2019•17 min
Everyone comes together to create a smart-home standard, did Google consider walking away from its cloud business, the last holdout comes to streaming, Gary Larson stops holding out on the web and the math behind that gift-wrapping video. Sponsors: Tiny Capital Aircall.io/ride Links: Apple, Google and Amazon are cooperating to make your home gadgets talk to each other (CNBC) We Tested Ring’s Security. It’s Awful (Motherboard) Google Brass Set 2023 as Deadline to Beat Amazon, Microsoft in Cloud (...
Dec 18, 2019•18 min
More reported casualties in the Google Civil War, more strife between Amazon and FedEx, can Amazon turn Alexa into a healthy ecosystem, developers: get busy on Edge extensions, and the top apps of the decade have one big thing in common. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com GiveWell.org/ridehome Links: Google accused of firing another worker in union-busting drive (Engadget) Amazon Blocks Sellers From Using FedEx Ground for Prime Shipments (WSJ) Amazon Learns a New Skill: Making Money From Alexa (The Infor...
Dec 17, 2019•17 min
Chrome 79 is wiping data from some apps, Amazon is about to deliver more than FedEx or UPS all by its lonesome, Argo plans to charge by the mile, smart TV’s make margin by watching you, does music lack pricing power and help me find a name for $100 million-dollar annual recurring revenue startups. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com DollarShaveClub.com/ride Links: Google pauses Chrome 79 rollout on Android after bug wipes data in some apps (Android Police) Watch out, UPS. Morgan Stanley estimates Amazon i...
Dec 16, 2019•21 min
For the final weekend bonus episode of the year, I wanted to check in with Crypto. What a year for the space! Seemingly dead at the beginning of the year. But then the Crypto Spring™ happened. And then Libra happened. And so… where are we? No one better than CoinDesk’s Brady Dale to catch us up… Sponsors: PixelUnion.net Mealime Sofi.com/ride Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Dec 14, 2019•28 min
Details about the next-gen Xbox, Apple makes an interesting acquisition around photography, Lyft will rent you a car, why I find Roku so interesting, and, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Today In Digital Marketing Podcast PixelUnion.net aircall.io/ride Links: Microsoft’s next Xbox is Xbox Series X, coming holiday 2020 (The Verge) Apple Buys U.K. Startup to Improve iPhone Picture Taking (Bloomberg) Lyft launches a car rental service with no mileage limit (The Verge) Google...
Dec 13, 2019•16 min
Google releases all the things at once, everyone is mulling over Jack’s decentralized Twitter idea, one last tech IPO of the year, should seed investors just say yes to every deal, why you should know the Canva story, and why Cousin Greg playing Adam Neumann is my Christmas dream come true. Sponsors: PixelUnion.net GiveWell.org/ridehome Links: FTC Weighs Seeking Injunction Against Facebook Over How Its Apps Interact (WSJ) Google is bringing spam detection and verified business messaging to Messa...
Dec 12, 2019•20 min
A bold new proposal to decentralize social media from Jack Dorsey, YouTube bans “malicious insults,” you can only clean your Pro Display XDR with a special cloth, Silicon Valley is no longer everyone’s favorite place to work and the big tech companies whistled past their troubles this year. Sponsors: aircall.io/ride Today In Digital Marketing Podcast Links: The Bluesky Thread (@jack) YouTube Will Ban Videos That “Maliciously Insult” People Based On Race, Gender, Or Sexual Orientation (Buzzfeed N...
Dec 11, 2019•16 min
Apple is suing its former chip architect, the Apple Card finally makes sense to me, wheels on the Mac Pro will run you $400, Softbank abandons Wag, Microsoft brings Office to Linux and I want the new tech bubble to be about exoskeletons. Sponsors: PixelUnion.net Today In Digital Marketing Podcast Links: Apple sues iPhone CPU design ace after he quits to run data-center chip upstart Nuvia (The Register) Apple’s Ad-Targeting Crackdown Shakes Up Ad Market (The Information) Apple Cards' interest-fre...
Dec 10, 2019•19 min
China orders its own crackdown on foreign tech, Google is bringing “feature drops” to Pixel Phones, the Mac Pro is here but Wunderlist is exiting stage left, Magic Leap seems to be having issues, and an interesting raise from, well… us. Sponsors: Ashford.edu/ride Netgear.com/bestwifi Links: Beijing orders state offices to replace foreign PCs and software (Asian Financial Review) Making Pixel more helpful with the first Pixel feature drop (The Keyword) New Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR orders start...
Dec 09, 2019•19 min
I’ve been trying to read books about AI lately to get a firmer grasp on this important topic, and the best book I’ve read for both a basic grounding of the history and the state of play of AI, but also looking at potential frameworks for the technology, both ethically and socially is A Human Algorithm: How Artificial Intelligence is Redefining Who We Are by Flynn Coleman . Sponsors: PixelUnion Mealime Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Dec 08, 2019•24 min
I had already reached out to Bloomberg’s Mark Bergen this week to talk about the Google Civil War, but then, of course, there was other big Google news this week. So, come for the assessment of Google’s culture at the moment but stay for an assessment of regime change and a lot more. Sponsors: Metalab Mealime Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Dec 07, 2019•29 min
The Uber safety report, more Galaxy S11 rumors, could Apple be about to kill the charging port on iPhones entirely and what would that mean, Samsung’s new chips to make AR mainstream and of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Metalab PaintYourLife . Text TECH to 64-000 Links: Uber Says 3,045 Sexual Assaults Were Reported in U.S. Rides Last Year (NYTimes) Samsung to Take on iPhone’s Popularity With Big Camera Overhaul (Bloomberg) Kuo: Apple to Launch 'Completely Wireless' iPhone ...
Dec 06, 2019•21 min
The FTC might be broadening its look into Amazon, the new flagship Snapdragon Chips, a disc-free Xbox, checkins with Slack, Imgur and Robinhood, and craigslist enters the 21st century. Sponsors: Metalab.co Vistaprint.com Promo Code: Ride50 (for up to 50% off) Links: Amazon Faces Widening U.S. Antitrust Scrutiny in Cloud Business (Bloomberg) Qualcomm Announces Snapdragon 865 and 765(G): 5G For All in 2020, All The Details (AnandTech) Sources: Microsoft Is Still Planning A Cheaper, Disc-Less Next-...
Dec 05, 2019•19 min
Larry and Sergey ride their Segway’s off into the sunset, a new entrant in the streaming wars, more news from the re:Invent conference, YouTube says it’s algorithm change is working and the year that was, in the world of Reddit. Sponsors: Metalab Capterra.com/ride GiveWell.org/ridehome Links: A letter from Larry and Sergey (The Keyword) GOOGLE’S THIRD ERA (The Verge) Plex launches a free, ad-supported streaming service in over 200 countries (TechCrunch) With Outposts, Local Zones, and Verizon, A...
Dec 04, 2019•19 min
Headlines from re:Invent, how tech is caught up in a tariff war with France, Facebook created a chatbot to help employees explain themselves during the holidays, and let me tell you about the new foldable phone from Pablo Escobar’s brother. Sponsors: Metalab Netgear.com/bestwifi Links: AWS Graviton2: What it means for Arm in the data center, cloud, enterprise, AWS (ZDNet) AWS launches its custom Inferentia inferencing chips (TechCrunch) Trump Administration Proposes Tariffs Against $2.4 Billion ...
Dec 03, 2019•18 min
Interesting Galaxy S11 leaks, T-Mobile flips the switch on its 5G network, might different models of next year’s iPhone have different versions of 5G, the rundown of Black Friday/Cyber Monday and why an e-sports team is IPO-ing. Sponsors: Legacybox.com/ride Sofi.com/ride Links: Samsung Suddenly Exposes Radical New Galaxy Smartphone [Updated] (Forbes) T-Mobile launches 600MHz 5G across the US, but no one can use it until December 6th (The Verge) 4 new iPhones could have 5G in 2020, but not the sa...
Dec 02, 2019•19 min
Since it’s a holiday week in the US, I’m going to do what I’ve done once before on Holiday weeks and give you an episode from the Internet History Podcast archives. This is a story about tech history that, if you’ve never heard it, will blow your mind. What if I told you there was a crazy entrepreneur who was the true founder of what would become America Online? He was the guy who hired Steve Case back before AOL was AOL. What if I told you that same entrepreneur invented true, networked, online...
Nov 29, 2019•47 min
Google fires four workers associated with labor organizing, Amazon's ruthless quotas lead to high rates of warehouse injuries, grass-roots opponents to Amazon's power form a coalition, a report cites the public cost of Amazon warehouses on Southern California, the California DMV is selling driver information, the Rev transcription service exposes contractors to horrific recordings, Facebook pays people to take surveys, Zuckerberg mostly listens to old white men, a TikTok teen spreads the news ab...
Nov 26, 2019•20 min
Uber loses its license in London, the web’s founder launches a “contract” to save it, eBay sells StubHub, the Threadrippers seem to be the real deal, Deadpool is buying a mobile carrier and Elon Musk knows why those windows cracked. Sponsors: Mealime DollarShaveClub.com/ride Links: Uber loses London licence after TfL finds drivers faked identity (The Guardian) Tim Berners-Lee unveils global plan to save the web (The Guardian) EBay to sell StubHub to Viagogo for about $4 billion in cash (CNBC) In...
Nov 25, 2019•18 min
We gotta talk about Cybertruck, Twitter continues its shipping products hot streak, AirPods are hotter than even Apple anticipated, some trouble in Russia for gadget makers and, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: SVB.com/next Netgear.com/bestwifi Links: Behold, the Tesla Cybertruck is here (TechCrunch) Tesla accidentally busted two windows on the Cybertruck while demonstrating how tough they are (TechCrunch) Wall Street analysts say Tesla’s pickup is ‘really weird’ and Ford ...
Nov 22, 2019•17 min
Google is changing its rules around political ads, PayPal is acquiring Honey for a ton of money, why have a Dash Button when you can have a Dash Shelf? Route puts all your orders in one place and I’m afraid Google’s original culture is definitively dead. Sponsors: Castro.fm SVB.com/next Links: An update on our political ads policy (The Keyword/Google) Google to Limit Targeting of Political Ads (NYTimes) Facebook Weighs Steps to Curb Narrowly Targeted Political Ads (WSJ) PayPal to acquire shoppin...
Nov 21, 2019•17 min
Hackers could take over your Android cameras, the police can do whatever they want with your Ring videos, if your Disney+ account is hacked, is it probably your fault? An amazing breakthrough in solar technology and why fishing by drone has become a thing. Sponsors: Castro Rhone.com/ridehome Links: Android Camera App Bug Lets Apps Record Video Without Permission (BleepingComputer) Police can keep Ring camera video forever and share with whomever they’d like, Amazon tells senator (Washington Post...
Nov 20, 2019•18 min
Apple’s planning an awards ceremony? Amazon has a new fire TV accessory, Spotify launches Your Daily Podcast, Google announces Your News Update, Ransomware comes for the vets, and the hidden cost hurdle for electric cars. Sponsors: Castro SVB.com/next Links: Apple announces press event on Dec. 2 (CNBC) Amazon’s latest Fire TV accessory is an IR blaster that lets your Echo control your TV (The Verge) AMAZON EXPANDS FREE MUSIC STREAMING SERVICE TO APPLE, ANDROID DEVICES (MusicBusinessWorldwide) Go...
Nov 19, 2019•18 min
The Mustang Mach-E wants to out Tesla Tesla, John Legere is stepping down from T-Mobile, .org domain names might be getting a lot more expensive, and the reviews on Google Stadia are decidedly mixed, but at least it works. Sponsors: Castro Mealime Links: FORD’S MUSTANG MACH-E IS AN ELECTRIC SUV WITH UP TO 300 MILES OF RANGE (The Verge) UP CLOSE WITH FORD’S ELECTRIC MUSTANG SUV, THE MACH-E (The Verge) Wayve raises $20 million to give autonomous cars better AI brains (VentureBeat) John Legere to s...
Nov 18, 2019•17 min
So, that Razr event, out in LA... obviously I didn’t get to cover it live… and if there was ever a recent hardware event crying out for “hands-on” reporting, this was one. So, I reached out to someone who was there: QZ.com’s Mike Murphy, and actually, his take was pretty different than some of the others I read to you on Thursday. Come for that, and stay for the reality check about what will really make the 5G revolution happen. Sponsors: Mealime GetQuip.com/ride Learn more about your ad choices...
Nov 16, 2019•24 min
Apple takes down vaping apps from the App Store, why is Google going ahead with the Stadia launch this month? Amazon protests the JEDI decision, the TikTok juggernaut rolls on—especially in India—and, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: PixelUnion.net Vistaprint.com promo code Ride50 Links: Exclusive: Apple to remove vaping apps from store (Axios) November 2019 Xbox One Update Brings Xbox Action for the Google Assistant, Gamertag Updates, Text Filters and More (XBox Wire) Mic...
Nov 15, 2019•16 min
There’s a new Razr phone with a foldable screen that might actually work? That Apple Prime bundle might be coming sooner rather than later. That Apple Research app is here right now. Why did 1Password raise a bunch of money for the first time ever? And can Netflix use Nickelodeon to fend off Disney? Sponsors: PixelUnion.net leap.FidelityCareers.com Links: Motorola's foldable Razr: Inside the remaking of a flip phone icon (CNET) MOTOROLA RESURRECTS THE RAZR AS A FOLDABLE ANDROID SMARTPHONE (The V...
Nov 14, 2019•17 min
The new 16-inch MacBook pro might actually have a keyboard that works! Google wants you to bank with them. The Brave browser comes out of beta. And there’s an AI that can predict if you’ll die in the next year… but doctors don’t know how it does it. Sponsors: PixelUnion.net Capterra.com/ride Links: APPLE’S 16-INCH MACBOOK PRO IS HERE AND IT HAS A GOOD KEYBOARD (The Verge) 16-Inch MacBook Pro First Impressions: Great Keyboard, Outstanding Speakers (Daring Fireball) Next in Google’s Quest for Cons...
Nov 13, 2019•17 min
