Daily Tech Headlines – May 29, 2018
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| Daily Tech Headlines – May 29, 2018 | |
| Number | 512 |
| Broadcast Date | MAY 29, 2018 |
| Episode Length | 3:51 |
| Hosts | Sarah Lane |
iOS 11.4 now supports HomePod syncing via Airplay 2, Yandex Plus models Amazon Prime in Russia, Xiaomi’s Mi MIX 2S will support ARCore apps.
Headlines
- Uber's new panic button is now live in the US, so riders can get immediate help in the case of an emergency during their ride. It's part of a new safety center within the app that includes info on the driving screening process, insurance protections, and community guidelines. Uber previously tested the panic button in India. Uber says a similar panic button for drivers will be added soon.
- Apple's HomePod smart speaker can now play in multiple rooms simultaneously and in stereo mode via Airplay 2 in iOS 11.4. HomePods can also sync with other AirPlay 2-enabled speakers. Apple also announced that HomePod will be available in Canada, France, and Germany on June 18. iOS 11.4 also adds Messages in iCloud support.
- Snapchat added its first Lens that reacts to audio. The lens is an animal mask overlay for your face with eyes and ears that move along with your voice or other sounds. The company says it plans to launch more Lenses that react to sounds over the coming weeks.
- YouTube started testing a new algorithm that changed the order of how videos appeared in users' subscription feeds, which some creators argue hurts visibility for smaller channels. YouTube's subscription feed has been a chronological list of videos from all the channels that a person had chosen to "subscribe" to, but the new feed, which YouTube calls an experiment only shown to a small number of people, replaced the chronologial feed with "videos people want to watch."
- Russian search giant Yandex announced Yandex.Plus, similar to Amazon Prime and gives customers extra perks for a monthly 169 roubles/month fee... or $2.75 USD. Yandex also announced a $160 smart speaker, Yandex.Station that will go on sale this summer, and a new skills platform, called Yandex.Dialogues, for its assistant Alice. Amazon, Google, and Apple have yet to enter the Russian market, and Yandex says the Station “is the first smart speaker to incorporate a full video streaming experience” with an HDMI output to connect to a screen for video playback.
- Pandora has a new family plan called 'Premium Family" that allows up to six different Pandora accounts to get Premium features for $14.99 per month. Those features include choosing your own music, creating radio stations, customizing playlists, downloading music for offline listening, skipping and replaying songs, higher-quality audio, and no ads. Spotify Premium and Apple Music also have $14.99/month 6-person family models.
- Xiaomi's Mi MIX 2S, which was announced in late March has a 5.99" 1080p IPS LCD panel, and that panel can now be used for ARCore apps. ARCore is Google’s platform for building augmented reality apps. The Mi Mix 2S phone is only being sold in China but through a partnership between Xiaomi and Google, ARCore apps will be available in Xiaomi's app store. Google says more partners are coming soon.
- The Papua New Guinean government is banning Facebook for a month in order to crack down on “fake users” and see how the service affects its population. Communication minister, Sam Basil, said his department will conduct research and analysis on who was using the platform, and how, amidst concerns Facebook negativeoy affects society. Papua New Guinea has around 7 million people, but recent stats on internet use have put internet penetration at just 12%.
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| Preceded by: "Daily Tech Headlines – May 28, 2018" |
Daily Tech Headlines – May 29, 2018 |
Followed by: "Daily Tech Headlines – May 30, 2018" |