Daily Tech News Show

Google has rolled out an updated policy regarding political ads on the platform. We examine to see what changes were made and effect, if any, the policy will have. Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang, Justin Robert Young Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bill Gates's backs computer directed heat ray mirrors, Disney admits issues with Disney+ app vows to rebuild it, and a bot that reads user scanned licensing agreements and highlights possible issues including data privacy and opt outs.  Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang, Scott Johnson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This Thursday Valve will announce Half-Life: Alyx a flagship VR game. To help us understand why this is such a momentous occasion Patrick Beja fill us in on the history of Half-Life. Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang, Patrick Beja.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sleep is possibly one of the most important aspects of our daily routine. We look into the efficacy of sleep tracking tech and what if any useful information they can provide. Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang, Rob DeMillo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robert Heron joins us with tips on some out of sight deals on HDTV and UHDTVs! Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang, Robert Heron. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is Rich Communication Service aka RCS and why is so important to the wireless telecom industry?  Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang, Justin Robert Young Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We take a look at the Apple's latest refresh of the MacBook Pro line, the MacBook Pro 16". Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang, Scott Johnson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Disney+ has launched but not without some hiccups. We examine how well the new streaming service has fared on its first day and our impressions of it. Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang, Theatremonkey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are frequent OS updates the right way to go or should they be rolled out annually for bug checks and compatibility issues? Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Allison Sheridan, Roger Chang Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US Justice Department has charged two former Twitter employees with spying for Saudi Arabia. AMD announced the Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and 3960X processors and T-Mobile will activate its 5G network int eh US on December 6.  Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang, Justin Robert Young.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a blog post Facebook platform partnerships head Konstantinos Papamiltiadis revealed around 100 developers accidentally had access to Facebook Group member data that was thought to have been cut off. Is this failure a continuation of Facebook's missteps?  Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang, Scott Johnson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patrick Norton shares his experience with mobile internet while on the road. Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang, Patrick Norton Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We share our thoughts on the slew of new Microsoft and Adobe products and services. Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Australia's government is mulling over facial recognition technology to age verify internet users before allowing them to view porn online. Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang, Len Peralta, Peter Wells Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Twitter's Jack Dorsey recently announced policy changes on Twitter banning political ads on the platform. This is in stark contrast to Zuckerberg's Facebook policy of not interfering with political posts. Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Justin Robert Young, Roger Chang Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

HBO Max will launch in May for $14.99 a month, the same price as HBO Now. Customers who pay HBO for an HBO Now subscription or who get HBO from an AT&T service will be able to log into HBO Max. What will this mean for current HBO subscribers and the streaming landscape? Starring Tom Merritt, Patrick Beja, Roger Chang Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Electronic Arts announced it is publishing games on Steam for the first time since 2012, starting with a pre-order page for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Why has EA's strategy for online game distribution come full circle back to Steam and will it be the only one? Starring Tom Merritt, Scott Johnson, Roger Chang Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nvidia updates its venerable Shield TV set-top box, Apple announces the launch of its AirPod Pros, and Harvard University researchers have found a way to simulate real meat by growing muscle cells on a gelatin scaffold. Starring Tom Merritt, Nicole Lee, Roger Chang Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Facebook is rolling out a News product in a limited test in the US as a home screen tab and bookmark in the Facebook app. What is Facebook trying to accomplish with this roll-out and will it succeed? Starring Tom Merritt, Shannon Morse, Roger Chang, Len Peralta. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is TikTok a national security threat or just electioneering hyperbole? Starring Tom Merritt, Roger Chang, Justin Robert Young Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

McDonald's, the fast-food giant, has invested substantial resources into developing AI to help automate portions of its business. We take a look at the progress the Golden Arches has made in the tech sector. Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang, Justin Robert Young  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ed Both at ZDNet has an article up called "How to replace each Google service with a more privacy-friendly alternative." We take a look at Ed's suggestions and add a few of our own. Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang, Patrick Beja Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Scientists at the University of Bristol and Sorbonne University have developed a skin-like input interface for use with phones and computers. Twitch is testing "watch parties", which would allow streamers to screen Amazon Prime video content to viewers, provided they also have an Amazon Prime subscription. NordVPN says one of its VPN servers at a data center it was renting in Finland, was accessed...

We examine the phenomenon that prevents people from picking up new habits and ways of doing things preferring established methods instead even if new behavior would simplify tasks. Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Blair Bazdarich, Len Peralta, Roger Chang.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Netflix earnings for the quarter are in and things look good. Earnings are up but subscriber base in the US missed targets. CEO Reed Hastings said that new streaming services from Apple and Disney would provide "modest headwinds" and that the bigger threat is linear TV.  Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang, Justin Robert Young.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more i...