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| Watch Movies, We’ll watch YOU | |
| Number | 3233 |
| Broadcast Date | MARCH 6, 2018 |
| Episode Length | 29:26 |
| Hosts | Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane |
| Guests | Roger Chang |
Popular dating app Bumble says No to firearms in profile pictures, the EU is worried about clocks losing time, and the author of a controversial MIT paper estimating the low wages of ride hailing drivers fires back at critics.
Guest
Quick Hits
- BlackBerry is suing Facebook for patent infringement over its messaging features in WhatsApp and Instagram. BlackBerry claims it tried for years to reach an out of court agreement. BlackBerry is also suing Nokia over wireless communication tech and has settled suits with Qualcomm and Blu Products.
- Google unveiled a 72-Qubit quantum computer called Bristlecone. Google research scientist Julian Kelly says that they believe Bristlecone can achieve quantum supremacy, which is the ability for a quantum computer to solve a problem that a classical computer would take too long to solve.
- Washington state passed a net neutrality law requiring Internet providers to treat all lawful content the same despite the FCC's objections to states passing their own net neutrality regulations. Several tech companies that make up the Coalition for Internet Openness, filed a petition Monday with the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit against the FCC’s decision to end previous net neutrality regulations.
- The general public can now pre-order Microsoft's Surface Pro with LTE Advanced built in. It has an embedded eSIM as well as an external SIM tray, and can support up to a 450 Mbps connection. Otherwise, it's mostly the same as the Surface Pro (2017). It starts at $1,149 and generally the models cost about $150 more than the non-LTE versions. Shipping begins May 1st.
Top Stories
- MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe said at the Entertainment Finance Forum in Los Angeles, that the company watches how its users drive from home to the movie theater and where they go afterwards. MoviePass’s privacy policy only mentions location tracking discloses as a “single request” when selecting a theater, which will “only be used as a means to develop, improve, and personalize the service.” In a statement to TechCrunch, a MoviePass rep says the company won’t sell the data that they gather, and will use it for potential customer benefits like discounts on transportation and coupons for nearby restaurants.
- Uber Freight, Uber's cargo shipping app, is using autonomous trucks to do some of the work in Arizona. The autonomous trucks are being used on the long haul segment of a delivery. James Tatcher from Tech In Trade explains how this isn't so different from what happens now.
- Dating app Bumble will ban images of firearms on user profiles, in response to a string of mass shootings and gun control debates in the US. Around 5,000 moderators around the world will sift through new and existing profiles and remove gun-related content, said Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd. Bumble won’t censor images that appear in users’ Instagram feeds, which can be integrated into Bumble profiles.
- The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity has put out a statement explaining why digital clocks in Europe may be lagging and losing up to five minutes since January. Digital clocks rely on a steady 50Hz from the power grid to count the cycles and keep good time. However, a shortage in supply from a Southeastern Europe distributor has led to power deviations across Europe and a subsequent slight drop in frequency which means electric clocks lose some accuracy. The statement promised a “compensation program to correct the time in the future.”
- Google is officially rolling out Lens to Android phones that also have Google Photos installed. Lens allows you to scan things through the app and get information about the image, like a breed of dog, type of plant, or a landmark. Certain phone models from Samsung, Huawei, LG, Motorola and others will eventually be able to access Lens through the Google Assistant too. Google first announced the Lens expansion at Mobile World Congress last week, but no timeline on when iOS devices will receive Lens.
- Stephen Zoepf the lead author of a paper out of MIT that estimated the hourly earnings of ride-hailing drivers, has responded to criticism by Uber's chief economist Jonathan Hall. Zoepf acknowledges that the survey questions should have been worded more clearly. The paper estimated the median profit for driver's at $3.37 an hour. Hall also criticized the method for arriving at earnings. Basically, it appears like the survey asks how much you make from driving. Then asks what percentage of your income comes from driving. Then takes that percentage out of the reported earnings from driving. Zoepf is revising his research, but his initial assessment is that not making the adjustment raises the median to $8.55 an hour, meaning 54% would be under minimum wage not 74%. Using just self-reported hourly income from different questions would put the rate at about $10 an hour with 41% under minimum wage. Zoepf in return asked Hall provide better access to data for independent analysis.
Mailbag
- I bought a pair of Beats over-the-ear headphones this week and picked the W1 chip more than the brand. I can give you three ideas of what Apple could want to change on the headphones after a few days use.
1) To use USB-C or lightning instead of micro-usb.
2) Competitors have apps that let you adjust settings in the headphones, like Bose Connect. AirPods can be configured on the phone as part of iOS. Beats only have an app for the Pill.
3) Having touch interface like Airpods instead of the current physical buttons.
Regards, - Sent by Vince
- I bought a pair of Beats over-the-ear headphones this week and picked the W1 chip more than the brand. I can give you three ideas of what Apple could want to change on the headphones after a few days use.
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Watch Movies, We’ll watch YOU |
Followed by: "Random Laughing Isn’t Funny" |