AMD does indeed buy Xilinx for $35 billion dollars. The UK bans locked phones. Tinder rolls out video dating. Zoom finally rolls out encryption. A major breakthrough in OLED technology has major implications for VR and for porn. And why the no-code movement might actually usher in the true computing revolution we were promised all along. Sponsors: MailmanHQ.com Monday.com/ride Links: AMD Acquiring Xilinx In Bold, $35B Semiconductor Mega-Deal (Forbes) UK announces ban on sale of network-locked ph...
Oct 27, 2020•19 min
New AirPods and AirPods pro coming as soon as the spring? Facebook launches streaming gaming everywhere but guess where? Ant is the biggest IPO in history. SAP seems to be having Covid issues. And are you still working from home? Well, maybe keep an eye on your ISP’s data caps. Sponsors: MailmanHQ.com Metalab.co Links: Apple Developing Smaller AirPods Pro, Revamped Entry-Level Model (Bloomberg) Facebook launches cloud games but says Apple won’t allow it on iOS (CNBC) Ant Group to raise $34.5 bil...
Oct 26, 2020•17 min
Joshua Schachter is mostly known these days as a prominent angel investor, but his claim to fame is as the founder of del.icio.us, one of THE sites and startups that convinced me and a lot of other people that the internet space wasn’t dead, in the wake of the dotcom bubble. So, consider this in the spirt of the longreads. A profile of a key startup and entrepreneur, that got the web and the world to where we are today. Sponsors: BitTrustIRA.com/techmeme Monday.com/ride NewYorker.com/techmeme Le...
Oct 24, 2020•1 hr 3 min
Is PayPal making moves to become a major player in Crypto? A look at the two big ballot initiatives in California that Silicon Valley cares about and which the rest of the country might be affected by. Why YouTube is this election’s go-to place for campaigns to run ads, and of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Masterworks.io Promocode: ride Monday.com/ride Links: PayPal in Talks to Buy Crypto Firms Including BitGo (Bloomberg) Uber, Lyft likely violated California labor law, ap...
Oct 23, 2020•18 min
Quibi’s dead baby. Quibi’s dead. Jony Ive is going to design stuff for… Airbnb? The Mate 40 Pro is the best flagship smartphone you’ll probably never want to buy. What if Snapchat conquers India? The Bahamas launches the first official cryptocurrency for an entire country. And look out cause Tesla is turning on the self-driving beta starting now… Sponsors: Monday.com/ride NewYorker.com/techmeme Links: Quibi's Open Letter Quibi Is Shutting Down Barely Six Months After Going Live (WSJ) In defense ...
Oct 22, 2020•19 min
Big news for crypto as PayPal adopts it, both for users to buy, but also, crucially, for them to spend. Facebook is testing a Nextdoor killer. Update on the Quibi deathwatch. Tech earnings snuck up on me and Evan Spiegel had a good night. And let’s end today with another review roundup. This time of the new iPad Air. Sponsors: KiwiCo.com/ride Monday.com/ride Links: PayPal to allow cryptocurrency buying, selling and shopping on its network (Reuters) Dropbox's family plan offers a shared 2TB for $...
Oct 21, 2020•17 min
The Feds have finally thrown the book at Google. But the DOJ has also targeted the infamous Sandworm hackers. Intel sells its NAND memory unit as consolidation in chips continues. Microsoft partners with Elon Musk to take its battle with AWS to space. What product is Google abandoning today? And the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro reviews are here. Which one should you get? NewYorker.com/techmeme Monday.com/ride Links: The DOJ sues Google for monopoly practices – and says there’s more to come (Protocol) Ju...
Oct 20, 2020•20 min
Apple wants to you to want your A-MTV. iMTV? I dunno. Apple has launched a music videos channel. The new Samsung Galaxies might be coming sooner than ever. The company bringing AR to car windshields. And why Japan saying it’s getting on the regulate tech bandwagon might be the tipping point for the entire sector. Sponsors: ExtraHop.com/techmeme Monday.com/ride Links: Apple Launches ‘Apple Music TV,’ a 24-Hour Music Video Livestream (Variety) iPhone 12 mini has 2,227 mAh battery, new models will ...
Oct 19, 2020•18 min
I don’t think I’ve made any bones about the fact that I blow hot and cold on crypto. Sometimes I grow frustrated that it always seems to be a lot of sound and fury, ultimately signifying nothing. Or at least, not amounting to much that touches normal people’s lives. I dunno if that’s a fair way to look at crypto or not. But at the same time, there is no single corner of tech that has more activity, that has more passion and energy and, just pure, crazy creativity. Lots of people in crypto have a...
Oct 17, 2020•35 min
Google now lets you whistle or hum to search, which sounds crazy I know, or crazy cool. Are we due for one more Apple event this year? The FCC wants to kill section 230 but actually can’t. Could you do machine learning with practically no data to learn off of? And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: NewYorker.com/techmeme TinyCapital.com Links: Google’s new ‘hum to search’ feature can figure out the song that’s stuck in your head (The Verge) Apple might hold another event on ...
Oct 16, 2020•20 min
It’s hardware review Thursday! Reviews of the Xbox Series X, Google Pixel 5 AND 4a 5G. SOME of the new iPhones are getting extra RAM. Room-temperature superconductivity has been achieved for the first time and what that could mean. Landscape is an interesting raise. And Adam Neumann is back… and so is WeWork. Sponsors: NewYorker.com/techmeme TinyCapital.com Links: XBOX SERIES X PREVIEW: THE NEXT GEN FEELS LIKE A PC (The Verge) GOOGLE PIXEL 4A 5G REVIEW: MORE THAN JUST A BIGGER BUDGET PHONE (The ...
Oct 15, 2020•19 min
Picking up some odds and ends from yesterday’s iPhone event, including some eyebrow raising clarifications on price and availability. Zoom is indeed trying to be a platform by bringing apps to your calls. You know DeFi is hot when everyone is suddenly rebranding themselves as DeFi. And is Dropbox leading the way to a virtual work future? Sponsors: BlueNile.com , code RIDE for $50 off your purchase of over $750. ForHims.com/tech Links: The iPhone 12’s mysterious groove is a 5G mmWave antenna wind...
Oct 14, 2020•16 min
All the details from the iPhone 12 event. PC shipments go into the category of “doing well in covid times.” Disney announces a reorg to emphasize its streaming strategy. And following up on that whole Foxconn factory in Wisconsin promise. Hint: it looks like vaporware. Sponsors: BuyRaycon.com/tech ForHims.com/tech Links: Techmeme Headline Cluster About the iPhone 12 Pro Techmeme Headline Cluster About the iPhone 12 Techmeme Headline Cluster About the iPhone 12 mini PC shipments climb in Q3, Gart...
Oct 13, 2020•20 min
Google’s Nest thermostat is ditching the iconic dial design. Will regulators first ask Google to divest itself of Chrome? A big takedown of a botnet that could have influenced the election. Update on Quibi’s shopping itself around. And why Covid has made Caterpillar hit the gas on robo-construction machines. Sponsors: Masterworks.io , select PODCAST, then promocode: RIDE ForHims.com/tech Links: Google’s Nest announces new smart thermostat with simpler design, lower price (The Verge) Feds may tar...
Oct 12, 2020•17 min
Again, could Gaming, and Microsoft specifically, be the thing that cracks the App Store open? More hints of consolidation in the semiconductor industry that is massively in flux. A major milestone in self-driving cars has been passed. Could hybrid cable-fiber networks compete with 5G. And in the weekend longreads suggestions, what operating systems do NASA’s spacecraft actually run on? Sponsors: ForHims.com/tech Monday.com/ride Links: Microsoft told employees it plans to release a browser-based ...
Oct 09, 2020•21 min
Bunch of new chip announcements from AMD. Facebook is pausing all political ads… after the election. Square puts its money where its mouth is when it comes to bitcoin. Triller is an interesting TikTok competitor. And what is it with photo startups always wanting to go all nostalgic and analog? Sponsors: ForHims.com/tech Monday.com/ride Links: AMD reveals its new Zen 3 Ryzen 5000 processors, including the ‘world’s best gaming CPU’ (The Verge) Facebook to temporarily halt political ads in U.S. aft...
Oct 08, 2020•17 min
The House has released its big antitrust report on big tech. Facebook has banned Qanon everywhere it can. DDR5 chips are finally here. Shogun is an interesting raise. And could a VR infinity treadmill be the next home workout hit, AND the first step to Star Trek’s holodeck? Sponsors: Monday.com/ride Wipers123.com Promocode: RIDE Links: House Democrats say Facebook, Amazon, Alphabet, Apple enjoy ‘monopoly power’ and recommend big changes (CNBC) House Lawmakers Condemn Big Tech’s ‘Monopoly Power’ ...
Oct 07, 2020•17 min
G Suite is no more! But don’t worry. It’s just a name change. Apple is removing non-Apple headphones from its stores. And AT&T is killing DSL. Why that’s a problem for a lot of people. Putting interactive advertising on convenience store coolers is sort of obvious. But why it SHOULD be obvious that an internet connected chastity belt is a bad idea. Sponsors: Monday.com/ride Fundrise.com/techmeme Links: G Suite is now Google Workspace (TechCrunch) Apple Stops Selling Rival Earphones, Speakers...
Oct 06, 2020•17 min
Nvidia’s new platform to fix video calls. Surprisingly, Facebook says breaking up Facebook is impossible. Google slow rolls enforcement of the 30% take on the Play Store in India. A couple of direct Covid-related tech stories. And I catch you up on the whole DeFi phenomenon in crypto that has made transaction volume on the Ethereum blockchain skyrocket 1200% in just three months. Sponsors: WeWorkRemotely.com MintMobile.com/ride Links: Nvidia unveils Maxine, a managed cloud AI videoconferencing s...
Oct 05, 2020•18 min
For years, I quoted Josh Constine on this show because he was one of the breaking news-iest folks over at TechCrunch for years. Well, now he’s gone the well worn TC to VC route, and is a principal at SignalFire. I noticed Josh had his name on a SignalFire report looking at the creator ecosystem, not as some sort of weird outlier, but as an actual, mature economy. It’s the best breakdown I’ve seen of the creator economy overall… as we say extensively, currently the fastest growing category of sta...
Oct 03, 2020•34 min
Tesla continues to smash records. Facebook has announced big changes for Groups, and folks are concerned it will smash the platform further. A new startup claims to have smashed quantum computing records. And of course, we’ll smash the weekend longreads suggestions. Here’s what you missed today in the world of tech. Smash. Sponsors: Metalab.co Liftoff.to MarketingPlay.com ; email info@marketingplay.com Links: Tesla delivered 139,300 vehicles in the third quarter, smashing its previous record (Th...
Oct 02, 2020•17 min
New Surface Laptop Go and Surface Pro X from Microsoft. Google is going to pay $1 billion dollars to support journalism. Google has a Photos update, but why is Stadia already looking shaky? And a textbook example of a developer’s dream of overnight success that was actually years in the making. Sponsors: MasterWorks.io : Promocode RIDE to skip the waiting list! Metalab.co Links: Microsoft’s new $549 Surface Laptop Go aims to compete with Chromebooks (The Verge) Microsoft updates the Surface Pro ...
Oct 01, 2020•16 min
All the news from the Google Launch Night. Say hello to Google TV. Say hello to a new Chromecast and the new Nest Audio smartspeaker. Say hello to the Pixel 4a 5G and the new Pixel 5. But is this a new pivot to midmarket for the Pixel line, or is it the end of the road? The grand unification of Facebook apps continues. And Rally is an interesting raise that lets you invest in… baseball cards? Sponsors: Liftoff.to Calm.com/techmeme Metalab.co Links: Here’s what the new Chromecast’s Google TV soft...
Sep 30, 2020•15 min
With Amazon One, Amazon wants you to pay with your palm. Google is trying the carrot and the stick approach with its App Store controversies. What if Zoom was redesigned specifically for remote learning? The world’s first foldable PC is here. And why another Netflix price hike is likely coming soon. Sponsors: Metalab.co LinkedIn.com/ride Datatribe.com/challenge Links: Amazon will now let you pay with your palm in its stores (Recode) Google Demands 30% Cut From App Developers in Its Play Store (N...
Sep 29, 2020•19 min
Roku launches a Streambar and an Ultra with Dolby Vision. Dell updates the XPS 13 lineup. TikTok is still ticking, as of this moment. Will we see the return of the mini moniker, with an iPhone 12 Mini that might not actually be that small? Amazon Prime day lives again, but the days are numbered for the original Farmville. Sponsors: Metalab.co Liftoff.to Links: Roku’s Streambar is a compact soundbar with built-in streaming smarts (The Verge) Roku Unveils Redesigned $100 Ultra Streaming Box, Will ...
Sep 28, 2020•17 min
Eugene Wei and Sonal Chokshi explain plainly how and why TikTok is an evolutionary (and algorithmic) step beyond the social graph. Eugene's original essay, TikTok and the Sorting Hat Subscribe to 16 Minutes News by a16z (podcast) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Sep 26, 2020•41 min
All the headlines from Amazon’s hardware event. New Echo devices. Amazon is getting into cloud gaming with Luna. And ring has a literal drone that will fly around the inside of your house for the purposes of sentry duty. Interesting acquisition from Apple continues to point to them doing something big in podcasts. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: PayPal App Amazon.com/techmeme Links: A closer look at Luna, Amazon's cloud gaming service (Engadget) Amazon announces all-n...
Sep 25, 2020•21 min
The Rebel Alliance has a name: The Coalition for App Fairness. Microsoft will make office available without a subscription. Software as a purchase, if you will, instead of a subscription. Radical. Say hello to the Galaxy S20 FE. And does the gaming industry make pre-orders and console launches so messy on purpose? Sponsors: Amazon.com/techmeme PayPal App Links: Epic, Spotify and others ally against Apple and Google app policies (Engadget) New Microsoft Office on the way for people who don't want...
Sep 24, 2020•18 min
All the announcements and headlines from Microsoft’s Ignite 2020. Microsoft is exclusively licensing Open AI’s GPT-3. Google has debuted an Airtable rival called Tables. Ming-Chi Kuo thinks we’ll see an iPad with mini-LED by the end of the year. What happened during Tesla’s “battery day.” Pinterest has launched Story Pins and how Spotify is enabling SEO spam in audio form. Sponsors: Amazon.com/techmeme PayPal App JoinFightCamp.com/techmeme Links: Microsoft challenges Twilio with the launch of Az...
Sep 23, 2020•17 min
Quibi is exploring its options, as they say. The Google Antitrust suit could come next week. Why do you have to return the entire Apple Watch if your wristband doesn’t fit? The CIA has a new plan to compete with Silicon Valley for talent. The SEC and OCC sign off on stablecoins. And the strategy behind Microsoft’s big play for Bethesda. Sponsors: Amazon.com/techmeme PayPal App Links: Quibi Explores Strategic Options Including Possible Sale (WSJ) Justice Department expected to brief state attorne...
Sep 22, 2020•16 min
