Leaving AOL in a HuffPo?

Leaving AOL in a HuffPo?
Number	2491
Broadcast Date	MAY 12, 2015
Episode Length	43:21
Hosts	Tom Merritt
Guests	Patrick Beja

Patrick Beja joins the show to discuss the ad tech Verizon is buying with AOL and what it plans to do with its content publications.

Guest

• Patrick Beja
  • Patrick's Patreon

Headlines

• Verizon to Acquire AOL

Verizon announced today it has signed an agreement to buy AOL for $50 a share an estimated value of $4.4 billion AOL will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Verizon. Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam said AOL’s “advertising platform provides a key tool for us to develop future revenue streams.” AOL CEO Tim Armstrong, who will stay on as the subsidiary’s leader, said the combination “creates a unique and scaled mobile and OTT media platform for creators, consumers and advertisers.” The deal is expected to be completed this summer.

• Skype's real-time translator is now available for everyone to try

The Verge reports that Skype Translator is now available for anyone with a Windows 8 or Windows 10 PC to try. The software can translate English, Spanish, Italian, and Mandarin in real time, converting the original language into either text or audio.

• To use this drone, just throw it in the air and start running

The Verge reports on a new drone called Lily that you can throw into the air and ignore as it films whatever you’re doing. You have to strap a small GPS tracker to your wrist and then Lily uses computer vision technology to recognize its owner. The tracking device also records audio that syncs to the video, shot in 1080p at 60 frames per second. It can also shoot 12-megapixel stills. Oh and its waterproof to IP67. What it doesn’t have is avoidance detection, so you should only use it in wide open spaces. The device goes on sale today for pre-order at $499, a discount from the planned $999 retail price.

• Android One Moves Beyond Asia, Arrives in Turkey

ReCode reports Google’s Android One program for affordable smartphones added Turkey as its seventh country. General Mobile will produce the devices starting around US$260. Android One devices are normally supposed to sell for around $100 but electronics in Turkey generally have higher prices.

• Yes, 10-core smartphones will be a thing in 2016

Taiwanese fabless semiconductor company MediaTek is prepping the launch of a 10-core chip called Helio X20 according to Engadget. The chip is a 20nm “tri-cluster” design consisting of two 2.5GHz Cortex-A72 cores, four 2GHz Cortex-A53 cores and four 1.4GHz Cortex-A53 cores. While all ten cores can run simultaneously MediaTek General Manger of International Corporate Sales, Finbarr Moynihan said the chip’s software will pick the ideal cluster to use depending on power and processing needs. The first commercial device using the chip will arrive in consumer devices by the end of the year at the earliest.

• Samsung unveils Artik chipset for connected home, devices

ZDNet reports that Samsung has unveiled a new line of chips for Internet of Things devices, called the Artik. Artik One is the size of a ladybug with a 9-axis motion sensor, Bluetooth Low Energy support. Artik Five is the size of a 25-cent coin with a video decoder and encoder. And Artik 10 comes with an HD encoder and decoder, 5.1 audio meant for home servers and personal clouds. Samsung also has established an open source-based developer platform and starter kit, which will become available immediately.

• Aliyun, Alibaba’s Cloud Computing Unit, Takes Its First Steps Into The Middle East

TechCrunch reports Aliyun, Alibaba’s cloud computing unit announced a joint-venture with Dubai’s Meraas, to create apps, cloud architecture and big data tools for clients. The venture will be located in Dubai and serve the wider region. According to IDC, spending on ICT products and services in the Middle East and Africa will exceed $270 billion in 2015.

• Firefox 38

Mozilla officially launched HTML5 DRM support today, with the release of Firefox 38. But, Mozilla is also offering a separate download of Firefox without the Adobe content encryption module, for users who want a purely open sourced piece of software.

News From You

• Google admits Hangouts doesn’t use end-to-end encryption, conversations can be wiretapped

9 to 5 Google reports that following a Reddit AMA on government surveillance, Google admitted that while Hangouts conversations are encrypted, it does not use end-to-end encryption. That means Google can tap into sessions when it receives a government court order to do so. Google’s Transparency Report reveals it has received 26 US government wiretap requests from the beginning of 2013 to the middle of last year. The company did not identify how many of these, if any, were for Hangouts.

Submitted by Spsheridan

• Warner Music made more money from streaming than it did downloads

Warner Music Group announced today it made more money in Q2 from streaming licenses than it did from digital downloads. Streaming revenue rose 33% while digital sales rose 7%.

Submitted by Drtolbert

• MIT Finally Figured Out How To Remove Your Reflection From Window Photos

Researchers at MIT have solved one of the great artistic condundrums of our time. Sort of. A group of scientists led by YiChang Shih have developed an algorithm that can extract and automatically remove reflections in an image, like when you take a shot of something through a window. The catch is that the window has to be double-paned or very thick. Gizmodo helpfully points out that in addition to Adobe Photoshop, the military might also benefit from the algorithm, to help robots look through windows and not get confused by their own reflection.

Submitted by habichuelacondulce

Discussion

• Verizon to Acquire AOL
• In Big Media Push, Verizon Buys AOL For $4.4B (Memo From AOL CEO Tim Armstrong)
• Verizon Buys AOL for $4.4 Billion
• Verizon’s deal to buy AOL will make life uncomfortable for TechCrunch and Engadget
• Verizon buying AOL for $4.4 billion, calls it a “digital trailblazer”
• Ad-Tech, not Content, Is King in the Verizon-AOL Deal
• Welcome to the ad business, Verizon
• AOL Has Been in Talks to Spin Off HuffPost as Part of Verizon Acquisition Deal
• Verizon is launching a tech news site that bans stories on U.S. spying

Pick of the Day

• WhyNoPadLock.com

When creating a HTTPS secure website one sometimes needs to troubleshoot why Chrome or Firefox do not display the lock icon usually associated with HTTPS. The usual culprits are external elements which are being loaded over HTTP, so https://www.whynopadlock.com/ helps you check for those elements and fix them.

Submitted by Devulu

Links

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

Preceded by: "Discourse remorse"

Leaving AOL in a HuffPo?

Followed by: "10 Windows One Garden"