Google Promises a Chicken in Every Phone
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| Google Promises a Chicken in Every Phone | |
| Number | 3214 |
| Broadcast Date | FEBRUARY 6, 2018 |
| Episode Length | 32:55 |
| Hosts | Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane |
| Guests | Brett Rounsaville |
In light of Apple’s decision to pull the Telegram app we talk with Brett Rounsaville about his experience developing for the App Store. Plus we examine all the Home Pod reviews and a French court has ruled that drivers are not allowed to touch their smartphones unless parked in designated spot with the engine off.
Guest
Quick Hits
- The European Commission will review Apple's acquisition of Shazam which was announced in December. Seven European countries requested the review based on competition concerns.
- Uber founder Travis Kalanick took the witness stand in the Uber Waymo trial and said under oath that he believed Waymo is in the lead in developing autonomous cars. Kalanick also admitted he met with former Waymo and Uber employee Anthony Levandowski in 2015 before Levandowski left Google. Levandowski is accused of taking proprietary information from the Google division that became Waymo and giving that information to Uber.
- New Jersey is the latest state to pass an executive order that requires ISPs to follow net neutrality rules if they sell Internet service to state agencies. The order says these agencies may only buy Internet service from ISPs that adhere to net neutrality principles, and the protections will cover ordinary residents as well as government officials. The order will apply to ISPs that accept state contracts on or after July 1st.
- Sources tell Variety that Viacom is acquiring web video conference VidCon. In 2017 Vidcon draw more than 30,000 attendees, many of them online video personalities. Last month Viacom acquired WhoSay, a marketing firm that targets a younger demographic online with branded content.
Top Stories
- The Apple HomePod review embargo has lifted, and the consensus seems to be - looks great, sounds great, but at a price of $349 with voice controls limited to Siri and only working with Apple Music with no third-party service support, Apple has its work cut out for it in this category. HomePod reviews published today shine light on upcoming features such as FullRoom, which will enable a pair of HomePods to automatically detect and balance each other to create stereo-like sound. The HomePod's multi-room audio support via AirPlay 2 will be available later this year as well.
- A letter from Apple to US lawmakers sent February 2 and made public Tuesday said Apple has seen strong demand for replacement iPhone batteries and that the company may offer rebates to those who paid full price for battery replacements, before Apple lowered the price in December. Apple also said it updated software in January to slow phones with weak batteries to prevent crashes. Apple said it did not update the consumer notes to highlight the change until February because it wanted to confirm that the update indeed reduced crashes. Apple also said “iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X models include hardware updates that allow a more advanced performance management system that more precisely allows iOS to anticipate and avoid an unexpected shutdown.”
- Google has added augmented reality stickers to its Motion Stills app. Android users can use it to stabilize shaky video, add motion text and of course put a virtual chicken in the middle of your video. You place the chicken or ginger bread man on a flat surface in the cameras field of view then shoot a video and the chicken, cookie man or T-Rex will stay in place as you move the camera. It doesn't use ARCore so it can't match objects to scale but it can work on any Android device with a gyroscope.
- Amazon announced that starting Wednesday, February 7th its removing the lock screen ads from phones sold through its Prime Exclusive Phone program at a discount. The removal will supposedly help fast unlocking tech like facial recognition and fingerprint sensors. Phones in the program include LG and Moto mid-range phones and the Nokia 6. The discount for the phones won't be as much and the phones will still come with preinstalled Amazon apps like Prime Video and Prime Music.
- Le Figaro reports France's high court has ruled that drivers are not allowed to touch a smartphone unless they're parked in a designated parking spot with the engine off. An exception is made for drivers who have been in an accident or had a vehicle breakdown. Violators can be fined 135 Euros.
Discussion
- Apple abruptly pulled Telegram last week when it learned app was serving child pornography
- Apple is sending some developers ad spend and install details for other people’s apps
Pick of the Day
- Time to check in with Chris Christensen on AirBnB's move into real estate.
- Submitted by Chris Christensen
Mailbag
- Hey DTNS crew,
Thought I'd share with you the voicemail I just got from a scammer purporting to be from Dell. I was particularly taken aback because on the voicemail he verified not only my full name but knew my computer model and service tag. A quick Google search told me that there was a Dell hack of some sort over a year ago, and Ars Technica wrote about it and at the time had no luck getting Dell to ever admit what really happened or exactly what customer info was taken and what Dell was doing about it. I found it odd they're calling now given how long ago this hack was, so maybe just a word to the wise that they're still trying to use this stolen info to contact customers. I wonder if the database was recently sold to another group of scammers or they're just now getting to some people on the list. - Sent by Adam in always sunny San Diego
- Hey DTNS crew,
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| Preceded by: "Tech Creator’s Remorse" |
Google Promises a Chicken in Every Phone |
Followed by: "You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yeti" |