FBI Says "Nevermind, We Got It."

FBI Says "Nevermind, We Got It."
Number	2723
Broadcast Date	MARCH 29, 2016
Episode Length	42:28
Hosts	Tom Merritt
Guests	Patrick Beja

In-game purchases are made by almost nobody. So how do the games make $10 billion a year? Patrick Beja and Tom Merritt discuss whether the same thing that made spam a success works for mobile games.

Guest

• Patrick Beja
  • Patrick's Patreon

Headlines

• apple-order2.0.pdf
• John Paczkowski on Twitter: "Apple on today's #AppleVsFBI news: "This case should never have been brought. " https://t.co/z7Yw1C3OJk"

In a court filing the US Department of Justice said it had “successfully accessed the data” on an iPhone 5C it had previously asked Apple to unlock. It asked the court to vacate the order compelling Apple’s assistance. Ars Technica reports an anonymous law enforcement official said the government would not discuss whether the method used to access the phone would be shared with Apple. Cybersecurity Coordinator Michael Daniel announced the Vulnerabilities Equities Process in 2014 to to disclose vulnerabilities to an extent and in limited circumstances.

Submitted by sewell2

• Coming Soon: Longer Video on Instagram

Instagram announced in a blog post, it has increased video posts to be up to a minute. The feature will roll out to all users over the next few months. iOS users also got back the ability to make videos from clips on the camera roll starting with today's app update.

• Snapchat seamlessly combines video, audio, GIFs, stickers in “Chat 2.0”

Snapchat is rolling out a host of new features today. CEO Evan Spiegel calls them Chat 2.0. According to TechCrunch the updates include; Auto-advancing Snapchat Stories, more than 200 private chat stickers, the ability to record short audio or video clips in Chat, the ability to make Video and Audio calls anytime, ability to send your camera roll during Video and Audio calls, a way to mark-up and send multiple photos at once, and toggling between calls, stickers, video/audio notes and text during a conversation. TC also notes that Snapchat’s $100 million acquisition of personalized avatar sticker maker Bitstrips last week makes sense in light of today’s features update.

• Google Fiber just announced a home phone service inspired by Google Voice

Alphabet’s Google Fiber service is introducing a home phone service called Fiber Phone. The service will offer unlimited domestic calls for $10 a month and international calls at the same rates as Google Voice.

Submitted by habichuelacondulce

• Twitter now lets users add image descriptions to help the visually impaired

Starting today you can add descriptions to images you post on Twitter apps from iOS and Android. Up to 420 characters are allowed to describe the image for the visually impaired. The update applies to its REST API and Twitter Cards as well. It is not available on the Web.

Submitted by stevei0

• Nintendo's Miitomo app launches in the US on March 31

Nintendo’s first smartphone game, Miitomo will launch in Europe and the US on March 31st on iOS and Android. You can import your Mii from Wii U or 3DS using a QR code. Nintendo will also launch My Nintendo at the same time, a rewards program that rewards players for buying games and using apps.

• Samsung Pay just launched in China, but already faces fierce competition

Samsung Pay has launched in China. The payment service is partnered with bankcard association China UnionPay, which processes the vast majority of credit cards in China. Samsung Pay will launch with support for 9 banks with 6 more to follow. In China its supported on both Galaxy S7s, the S6 Edge+ and Note 5 the more models may be supported in the future.

• Soundcloud is launching a subscription music service

The Soundcloud Go music service has launched for free for 30 days in the US. After that it cost $12.99 on iOS and $9.99 on Web and Android. You get unlimited ad-free and offline access to an expanded catalog of music.

Submitted by Matzekult

• Yahoo sets April 11 deadline for preliminary bids: WSJ

The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Yahoo has set April 11th as its deadline for preliminary bids to buy its Web business and Asian assets. Verizon and Time Inc are among those expected to submit bids according to Reuters.

• India approves foreign investment in e-commerce sector

India’s commerce ministry issued a notification Tuesday allowing 100% foreign direct investment in e-commerce companies. Such companies cannot influence prices of goods and not more than 25% of goods sold can come from a single merchant. Foreign-owned companies that own the goods sold and the platform will still not be allowed.

• China’s Xiaomi unveils a $150 smartphone-controlled rice cooker

Xiaomi introduced a new smart rice cookers called the MIJIA Induction Heating Pressure Rice Cooker that allows you to adjust the softness of your rice from an app. You can scan the rice package to determine which of the 2450 different heating methods is right for you. The cooker joins Xiaomi’s air purifier, water purifier, blood pressure monitor and others is part of the Mi Ecosystem of home appliances. The rice cooker will be available in China April 6 for 999 RMB (US$154).

Discussion

• Mobile Games Still Dominated By VIPs: New Report Finds Over 48% Of All In-Game Revenues Are Generated By Only 0.19% of Players
• The Swrve Monetization Report 2016
• Less than 1% of users are keeping the entire mobile game industry afloat
• Free-to-play is preparing to swarm into the virtual reality market
• Behavioral economics of Free to Play games

Pick of the Day

• Babymetal

Submitted by Patrick

Messages

Both Tom and Patrick seem hesitant to embrace adblocking.

Do you feel the same way about skipping commercials using DVR technology? They seem similar to me but perhaps I'm missing something. Does Patrick think Tivo is morally bankrupt?

Love the show!

Cheers,

Sent by Debra

Links

• This episode on dailytechnewsshow.com
• Support DTNS on Patreon
• DTNS subreddit

Preceded by: "Always Bet on Bot"

FBI Says "Nevermind, We Got It."

Followed by: "Bash on Windows 10"