Tech News Weekly (MP3)

Journalist Walt Mossberg has posted his last column on Re/Code, the site he co-founded. His final piece is worth your time as it describes our ambient computing future where devices that we interact with on desks, in our laps, or in our hands are no more and computing is simply around us, in the air.Facebook's Instant Articles is opening up to supporting Google's AMP and Apple's News formats in its open source dev kit. An extension will allow publishers to create their content in a way that supports all three formats.This week the US Department of Homeland Security met with European officials to discuss a potential laptop ban on flights. While no specific timeline has been set, Bloomberg reports that some airports will begin tests to determine the feasibility of the ban.Plus, T-Mobile virtualizes customer phone numbers, a benefits bill for the gig economy is on the horizon, smart pants that could someday charge your phone while you walk, and Spencer Soper from Bloomberg discusses Amazon's brick and mortar grocery strategy. Hosts: Megan Morrone and Jason Howell Guest: Spencer Soper Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-today.Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

The New York Times reported on a document that shows how the Trump administration is asking Congress for the ability to capture or destroy any drone from the sky that they deem a threat to a "covered facility." The report also absolves any of those people from any legal action that might result from the capture or destruction of those drones.Google can now prove to advertisers that you're buying stuff, even if you're buying it in a brick and mortar store. The company announced a new tool that uses credit card receipts to track purchases in physical stores, and they're using machine learning to do it.Intel announced plans to make the Thunderbolt 3 specification royalty-free, removing a barrier for hardware manufacturers that want to use the data transfer spec in their products. Intel is also integrating Thunderbolt 3 into its CPUs, which it hopes will help drive adoption of the protocol in devices and peripherals using Intel's chips.We also talk about DJI's new $500 Spark drone, malware in subtitles, walking on water, and the debate that never dies: GIF VS GIF. Hosts: Megan Morrone and Jason Howell Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-today.Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

Microsoft introduced the new Surface Pro with configurations including Core m3 and Core i5 models up to Intel's seventh generation Kaby Lake processor. They utilize an improved hinge design, offer 13.5 hours of battery life, and support for the Surface Dial, but no longer include the Surface Pen inside the box.Microsoft is also making inroads with the Chinese government by creating a version of Windows 10 that's just for them. It's called the Windows 10 China Government Edition and it's based on Windows 10 Enterprise Edition.The Chaos Computer Club demonstrated how to fool a Samsung Galaxy S8's iris scanning technology to access the device. The process includes taking a digital picture of the owner's face from up to 15 feet away using the night mode setting, printing that photo onto paper, dropping a wet contact lens onto the eye ball, and flashing that in front of the phone to gain entry.Also in the news today, Google's AlphaGo beats the Go champion in their first round of play. The Netflix of China is failing and has pivoted to focus on the Chinese speaking community in the US, and Robocop has come to Dubai to detect your emotions. Hosts: Megan Morrone and Jason Howell Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-today.Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Amazon has given away 1.7 million bananas. Bezos wanted to offer a free healthy snack to workers and non-workers around the company's headquarters, but now the company is disrupting the fruit economy with their freebies.The Guardian posted parts of Facebook's manual for its moderators that details how the social network handles potentially bad behavior on the network, revealing the complexities of how the company enforces its own ethical code.Microsoft co-founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen are just two of the big wigs investing 29 million dollars in Echodyne, an autonomous tech company behind the radar vision used in drones and self-driving cars. Echodyne's sensors are designed to work through the rain, snow, and other adverse weather conditions.Plus, The Supreme Court change how patent trolls do business, Ford replaces its CEO with the head of its autonomous car division, Bill Gates has a few books for you to read this summer, and Steve Kovach from Business Insider reveals what Google's experimental ATAP group has been up to since Regina Duggan left for Facebook. Hosts: Megan Morrone and Jason Howell Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-today.Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

Researchers have found a fix to unlock computers infected with Wannacry, the week old ransomware that has affected systems all over the world. The tool called wannakiwi allows you to avoid paying the bitcoin ransom, but only if you're running Windows XP, Windows 7, and Windows 2003 AND if you haven't rebooted your PC since the attack.Noted leaker Evan Blass of EvLeaks says on VentureBeat that he's obtained photos of the newest Surface Pro, ahead of its rumored launch in Shanghai next week. The photos don't show a total redesign, which we'd already heard from Paul Thurott's sources. The device will allegedly be called The Surface Pro (not the Surface Pro 5).According to an interview with Bloomberg, Uber will soon begin charging people what their algorithm thinks that people are willing to pay. The new policy doesn't mean drivers will get paid more, but it does mean you might get charged more if you're traveling from or to a place that makes you look like a rich person.We also discuss why Geek Squad will report you to the police, how Microsoft might be stockpiling patches, and why Twitter thinks I'm a dude. Plus, Jason sits down with Google execs to discuss why everyone is excited about the newest Android programming language called Kotlin. Hosts: Megan Morrone and Iain Thomson Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-today.Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

The FCC has voted along party lines to begin dismantling Net Neutrality. The 2-to-1 vote means the Federal Communications Commission has taken the first step toward repealing the rules that many internet freedom advocates fought hard for only two years ago. The rules had imposed strict oversight over ISPs to help prevent internet fast lanes, preferential treatment, and other measures intended to maintain a free and open internet.Mercedes-Benz is following in Elon Musk's footsteps. It's partnering with Vivint Solar, a US solar panel installation company, to sell and install solar panels and battery storage packs to homeowners. Vivint says the Benz solar and battery packages would range from $5,000 for a 2.5 kWh system to $13,000 for a 20 kWh package, fully installed.The European Union has fined Facebook 110 million Euros (or 122 million dollars) for providing incorrect or misleading information in their acquisition of messaging service WhatsApp. The issue surrounds whether or not Facebook could match user accounts on WhatsApp to user accounts on Facebook. Spoiler Alert: They can and they did last August when WhatsApp changed its privacy policy and terms of service.Facebook is going to broadcast Major League Baseball games and e-sports, Amazon knows what books you bought and never finished reading, and a San Francisco Man was recently jailed for a Facebook comment he made. Hosts: Megan Morrone and Nathan Olivarez-Giles Guest: Sarah Needleman Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-today.Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

Google kicked off its I/O developer conference today, introducing a few new products coming later this year: a wireless stand alone VR headset, its voice controlled Google Assistant coming to an iPhone app, and Google Lens -- a camera feature in Google apps that will be able to recognize places and things, plus deliver search results on the fly, and even some language translations.There's a new Superchat API for YouTube Live streamers. Google will allow developers to program automated triggers for audiences to demand and pay for during YouTube live broadcasts.13 senate democrats published an open letter in Tech Crunch today arguing why Net Neutrality should be kept in place and not revoked as Federal Communications Chairman Ajit Pai has said he wants to do. On Thursday, the FCC will vote to initiate a process to repeal net neutrality rules that have been in place since 2015. The letter argues that repealing Net Neutrality would let internet service providers to create "fast lanes" where websites and apps load quicker for companies that can afford to pay for the perk, and possibly drive up internet bills. The FCC is taking public comment both for and against its net neutrality rules.We also discuss a new proposal that might help increase transparency when it comes to the NSA collecting and hoarding hacking tools, the future of exclusives on Apple music, and how a superyacht was hacked in less than an hour. Hosts: Megan Morrone and Nathan Olivarez-Giles Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-today.Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

Instagram is ripping off Snapchat again with what it's calling "face filters." It works just as it does on Snapchat: Open the app, hold your phone up, and in selfie camera mode you'll be able to choose things like a golden wreath, ears, and nose from a koala bear or bunny rabbit. These work with one or two faces at a time.HTC introduced its next major flagship smartphone, the HTC U11, with some very unique features, including dual-wake words with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa onboard, as well as a squeezable frame around the lower half of the phone for shortcut actions.For the 10th time since last September, Facebook is admitting to overstating how many people are seeing or interacting with the ads it's serving. The advertisers were charged for clicks to their websites on video carousel ads by smartphone web users -- but in these instances, users didn't actually click through. The error was happening for a year before it was found by Facebook and fixed.Plus, Apple's worldwide developer conference might have some new laptop hardware announcements, the first Amazon-powered Fire TV is unveiled, Mark Cuban wants you to check out his hoverboard, and Kurt Wagner from Recode discusses Biz Stone's return to Twitter. Hosts: Jason Howell and Nathan Olivarez-Giles Guest: Kurt Wagner Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-today.Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

In reference to the latest ransomware attack, Microsoft President and chief legal officer Brad Smith calls out the potential harm caused when governments, ours included, actively work to develop zero-day vulnerabilities and then hoard them.Netflix is taking aim at Android users who unlock and root their devices by disabling the app's visibility in the Play Store. Those with the app already installed on their device can still use it, for now, but the plan is to keep it from running on those devices altogether.Facebook's new initiative, ParlAI, will open-source the dialogue used to train machines to have conversations, with a focus on computer vision and other fields of artificial intelligence involved in learning how to understand a task. The eventual goal is to give you your own digital friend.Plus, patent licensing for the MP3 is dead, the iPhone is expected to get Google Assistant, and Zelda may be coming to mobile. Also, Sam Abuelsamid joins to discuss Waymo and Lyft's deal that rubs salt in Uber's wound, or maybe it rubs Smalt in the wound... that is... a smart salt shaker... that actually exists. Hosts: Megan Morrone and Jason Howell Guest: Sam Abuelsamid Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-today.Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

Google teased Project Treble, an upcoming feature to Android O, that separates android devices into two parts: one for vendor modifications, and the other for Google's own OS updates in an effort to make it easier for its devices to stay current.Delta had to apologize for posting signs in the Cincinnati International Airport banning electronics larger than a cell phone as of today, May 12th. The airline said the sign was in error and it has been taken down. According to Reuters, U.S. and European officials will discuss airline security issues at a meeting in Brussels next week.Uber suffered a one-two punch in US courts. First, Judge William Alsup ordered that Waymo's IP theft case against Uber be conducted in a public trial, denying Uber's bid to move it into private arbitration. Not only that, Judge Alsup referred the case to an examination to see if Uber did break the law, pointing to a criminal investigation.A health startup called Cardiogram says it might have developed an Apple Watch app that can predict and prevent strokes. We also talk to Iain Thomson from The Register about the virulent strain of ransomware that has hit at least 74 countries, including hospitals in the UK, telecom companies in Spain, and the Russian ministry for internal security. Hosts: Megan Morrone and Jason Howell Guest: Iain Thomson Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-today.Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

Microsoft announced Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, which will connect across all your devices, and it will look better with a new framework called Fluent Design. Microsoft's new cloud clipboard will let you paste something you're working on from your Windows 10 PC to almost any device you move to, including your iPhone or your Android phone.Researchers have discovered that certain HP laptops are keylogging unbeknownst to users, due to an audio device driver by Conexant. The driver keeps a log of keystrokes stored on the C drive, including IDs, passwords, contacts, and pretty much anything typed out at any time. No word on a fix at this point.Google has announced the acquisition of Owlchemy Labs. That's the VR studio that makes the popular game Job Simulator and the new Rick and Morty virtual reality game. Owlchemy will join Google's Daydream division, but they say they'll create games across many different platforms.Plus, the Lighthouse interactive assistant can keep tabs of who is in your house and who doesn't belong there, Amazon is eating legacy retail stores for lunch, Nectar brings the liquor pour spout into the IoT age, and Eric Geller from Politico talks about President Trump's newly signed cybersecurity executive order. Hosts: Megan Morrone and Jason Howell Guest: Eric Geller Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-today.Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

Nucleus, a company that received $5.6 million dollars in funding from Amazon's Alexa investment arm is complaining that the Amazon Echo Show borrows ideas from its own Nucleus Anywhere product, and that other Amazon Partners should be wary.Microsoft BUILD 2017 started today with the announcement that 500 million devices are now running Windows 10 and a renewed focus on what Satya Nadella is calling The Intelligent Cloud. The company revealed Azure Cosmos DB designed for global reach and customer accountability.Beddit, a Finland-based company that creates sleep tracking products, has been acquired by Apple, according to changes found in its privacy policy that refer to Apple. Beddit isn't expected to operate differently as the result of the acquisition in the short term.We also delve into the less than stellar Snap earnings, how Google will help you get up off your couch and find local events for you to attend, and the chicken nugget tweet heard round the world. Plus, David McCabe from Axios joins us to talk about Mark Zuckerberg's political aspirations. Hosts: Megan Morrone and Jason Howell Guest: David McCabe Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-today.Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

Amazon has unveiled the Echo Show, the rumored Echo with a screen. You can use the $229 device for all the things you currently use your Echo for, plus video and audio calling, watching videos from YouTube or Prime, and more. The video calling comes from Alexa Calling, which lets you make calls or send messages, not just for the Echo Show, but for all Echo devices.The Verge obtained a series of leaked images that show off an unreleased WIndows 10 feature called HomeHub, Microsoft's challenger to the Amazon Echo and Google Home. Instead of creating a separate device, Microsoft will turn any Windows 10 PC into its own voice-activated smart home hub.Snapchat released a few new features ahead of its parent company Snap's first quarterly earnings report this week. According to the Verge, you will now have unlimited time to view other people's snaps. You can also draw with emoji and erase objects from your snaps.Plus, Current is making a debit card for teens that's managed via an app by parents, a new report shows that robots aren't as bad for our jobs as we may think, and Kyle Bradshaw talks about his deep dive on Google's Fuchsia OS. Hosts: Megan Morrone and Jason Howell Guest: Kyle Bradshaw Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-today.Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

Facebook is running full-page ads in British newspapers in an attempt to educate the public in advance of the June 8 parliamentary election in Britain. Facebook also announced the removal of tens of thousands of accounts it believes were spreading false news across the network. The Associated Press says that the FBI paid a private company $900,000 to hack the iPhone of the San Bernadino killer last year. Despite the Freedom of Information Act, James Comey had claimed that the total would remain classified. Citymapper, a mapping, and transportation app is broadening its business by getting into the bus business. The Citymapper Smartbus, or the CMX1, will hit the streets of London on a fixed route on May 9th, armed with intelligence from the Citymapper app. There's a battle brewing among digital assistants in the home and rumors are swirling that Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple all have new devices on the way. Plus, drones for farmers and Liz Gannes from 60 DB is here to discuss the politics of augmented reality. Hosts: Megan Morrone and Jason Howell Guest: Liz Gannes Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-today.Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

The Feds are launching a probe into Uber's Greyball system. Greyball was the codename the ride-hailing company used to evade authorities in places where Uber was outlawed or not yet approved. According to the New York Times, the Justice department is trying to determine the legality of the program.Alphabet is expected to announce its investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in more than 40 original movies and shows starring well-known stars and artists like Ellen DeGeneres and Katy Perry. These will appear on YouTube for free, and be supported by ads.Microsoft just announced a Surface event on May 23rd in Shanghai. We're guessing it's a Surface Pro update with Kaby Lake processors inside.Plus, Amazon might be close to finally bringing its video app to AppleTV, Microsoft Hololens is dabbling with spine surgery in its spare time, a new Echo with a touchscreen could be around the corner, and Sam Machkovech from Ars Technica talks about a whole lotta VR, including the new release by Bethesda called Prey. Hosts: Megan Morrone and Jason Howell Guest: Sam Machkovech Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-today.Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.