Tech Brew Ride Home

The news that Yahoo was shutting down Yahoo Groups, as I said, was another gut punch when you realize how much of the web’s history is so ephemeral. It also got me thinking that Yahoo as a company might be about to go down the memory hole, and that got me thinking about Yahoo’s legacy as perhaps the first great Internet company, and that got me talking to one of the deans of tech journalism, Harry...

Introducing Facebook News. Did the major US Carriers do an end-run around Google out of spite? Amazon is back to making as little profit as it possibly can, HBO Max makes its aggressive pricing move, and, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: Mealime LegalForce RAPC (650-390-6461 or raj@legalforcelaw.com) Links: Rupert Murdoch wanted Mark Zuckerberg to pay him for news stories —...

Is TikTok a national security risk? Inquiring Senators want to know. Earnings running the gamut from bad to surprisingly good from Twitter, Amazon and Tesla. And to paraphrase an old saw: if a voicemail system goes down how would anyone even notice? Sponsors: Mealime LegalForce RAPC (650-390-6461 or raj@legalforcelaw.com) Links: TikTok raises national security concerns in Congress as Schumer, Cott...

Mr. Zuckerberg went back to Washington, Google claims “Quantum Supremacy,” Apple overtakes Starbucks, HireVue is a controversial AI hiring tool and is the influencer bubble on the wane? Sponsors: leap. Fidelitycareers.com Mealime.com Links: Zuckerberg, in Washington to Talk Cryptocurrency, Gets Grilled on Everything (NYTimes)  Snapchat beats in Q3, adding 7M users & revenue up 50% (TechCrunch) App...

SoftBank is taking over WeWork in order to save it, Verizon will give you Disney+ for free, Surprise! Comcast’s “free” streaming box really isn’t, and how much does Dark Mode save in battery life? Quite a bit, it turns out… Sponsors: LegalForce RAPC (650-390-6461 or raj@legalforcelaw.com) Mealime.com Links: Neumann to Get Up to $1.7 Billion to Exit WeWork as SoftBank Takes Control (WSJ) Verizon Wi...

It’s review-a-palooza day with Surface reviews and Pixel 4 reviews. Also, Facebook announces new disinformation initiatives, and Microsoft announces a Secured-core PC initiative and Twitch wants in on the Watch Party action. Sponsors: Mealime Capterra.com/ride Links: Facebook disables Russian, Iranian networks, illustrating continued 2020 election threat (Washington Post) Helping to Protect the 20...

Zuckerberg defends Facebook as a champion of free speech, will iPhone users have unlimited photo uploads to Google Photos while Pixel 4 owners will not, dial back your expectations for the Photoshop iPad app, the Vatican has a wearable prayer gadget, and, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: WeWorkRemotely.com Vistaprint.com promo code Ride Links: Samsung says fingerprint securi...

Fingerprint sensors on the Galaxy S10 can be tricked by a phone case, the Pixel 4 face recognition system unlocks your phone even when you’re asleep, Netflix kicks off tech earnings season, Airbnb’s losses double, and Travis Kalanick is getting the Billion’s treatment. Paging Bobby Axelrod... Sponsors: WeWorkRemotely.com GetQuip.com/ride Links: Samsung to patch the Galaxy S10’s fingerprint sensor...

Twitter explains how world leaders can break its rules but they’ll kinda, sorta crack down on them. LinkedIn launches Events, Giphy launches Giphy arcade, DoNotPay fascinates me, and a debrief on yesterday’s Google event. Sponsors: WeWorkRemotely.com Leap. FidelityCareers.com Links: Twitter says it will restrict users from retweeting world leaders who break its rules (TechCrunch) Huawei Reports St...

All the headlines from the Google hardware event, Apple butts in with new Beats, Libra loses another one, your movie theater wants to rent you movies, and Fortnite is back from the “black hole.” Sponsors: WeWorkRemotely Zapier.com/ride Links: PIXELBOOK GO: GOOGLE FINALLY MADE A REASONABLY PRICED CHROMEBOOK (The Verge) Google announces Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL (The Verge) BEATS ANNOUNCES SOLO PRO ON-...

More China related controversy for Apple, for gaming, for all of tech really… but why Apple suddenly finds itself in a unique bind. More iPhone SE 2 rumors, the latest installment of “Will We Actually Ever See Libra?” and why nobody can play Fortnite right now. Sponsors: WeWorkRemotely.com MintMobile.com/ride Links: How safe is Apple’s Safe Browsing? (Matthew Green) Chinese app on Xi’s ideology al...

More on Apple’s China controversy, hands-on with Google’s Pixelbook Go laptop, Twitter returns to the Mac, Africa’s first homegrown smartphone, SpaceX and NASA kiss and make up, and of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Castro CognitoHQ.com Today In Digital Marketing Podcast Links: TIM COOK’S COMPANY-WIDE MEMO ON HKMAP.LIVE DOESN’T ADD UP (Daring Fireball) Exclusive: This is the...

Apple takes down the Hong Kong app that it reinstated after taking it down in the first place, Waymo will soon let real people into driverless cars, Grammarly is the newest unicorn, and why, if you live in the Bay Area, your house might be without power… but your work probably won’t be. Sponsors: Castro Legacybox.com/ride Links: Apple Removes App That Helps Hong Kong Protesters Track the Police (N...

Twitter used your 2-Factor credentials to sell ads against you, the China/Hong Kong/tech controversies roll on, Mark Zuckerberg is going back to Washington, and the Nobel Prize for chemistry gives long overdue recognition to the most important technology innovation of our time. Sponsors: Today In Digital Marketing Podcast Castro Leap. FidelityCareers.com Links: Twitter says it unintentionally misu...

The PlayStation 5 is coming in about a year and Wired has the details, Hulu finally lets you download video, a gamer is banned for voicing support for Hong Kong protesters, how the Galaxy Fold was “fixed,” and Robinhood takes another crack at Cash Management. Sponsors: Castro Vistaprint.com promo code Ride Sponsors: Exclusive: A Deeper Look at the PlayStation 5 (Wired) Hulu finally launches suppor...

A Kindle Kids Edition is here, Sonos speakers via subscription is here, macOS Catalina is here, but the following tab is gone from Instagram, PayPal is ghosting Libra, and why investors think the time to jump into Quantum Computing is now. Sponsors: Castro Podcast App Today In Digital Marketing Podcast Links: Amazon debuts its first ever Kindle Kids Edition (CNET) New Sonos service lets you rent i...

Satish Jeyachandran is the Head of Hardware at Waymo. Before that he lead the self-driving team at Tesla, so he was in charge of the Autopilot team, and his job change lead to headlines at the time. Today Satish gives us a history lesson on Waymo, tells us what the future holds for self-driving tech generally, and most importantly for me, answers a question I’ve always wondered. Why go for full au...

Really bad Android zero-day discovered, is the scooter space back? Apple makes an interesting acquisition, an exoskeleton allows a paralyzed man to walk again and of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: PixelUnion.net Election Ride Home podcast Links: Attackers exploit 0-day vulnerability that gives full control of Android phones (ArsTechnica) Bird raises $275 million Series D roun...

Instagram launches Threads, the iPhone SE might ride again, the biggest content recommendation players have merged, Vice Media and Refinery 29 have merged, and why has Apple banned an app for users in Hong Kong? Sponsors: PixelUnion.net Manscaped.com, code: "ride" Links: Instagram launches Threads, a Close Friends chat app with auto-status (TechCrunch) Facebook Can Be Forced to Delete Content Worl...

All the news from Microsoft’s Surface event… they’re making smartphones again! Anti-trust scrutiny gets results again as Apple says Siri will soon play nice with others, the Galaxy Fold reviews are in and might the other members of the Libra consortium be having second thoughts? Sponsors: PixelUnion.net AirMedcareNetwork.com/tech code: tech Links: Microsoft Launches Surface Pro X With New Ultra-Th...

Listen in on Mark Zuckerberg rallying the troops, GoPro hopes newer cameras revive its fortunes, prepping for the Microsoft event tomorrow, the SEC slaps a crypto company on the wrist, and Tesla’s new Smart Summon feature has made for some viral videos. Sponsors: PixelUnion.net Capterra.com/ride Links: All Hands on Deck (The Verge) READ THE FULL TRANSCRIPT OF MARK ZUCKERBERG’S LEAKED INTERNAL FACE...

IS the new iOS release finally bug free? Add podcasts to your Spotify playlists, WeWork officially “delays” its IPO, which gives us a reason to examine why the Unicorn IPO Parade has mattered, and This Week In Elon Musk is all about achieving orbit. Sponsors: PixelUnion.net LinkedIn.com/ride Links: Apple Releases iOS 13.1.2 and iPadOS 13.1.2 with Fixes for Camera, iCloud Backup, HomePod Shortcut,...

A DoorDash data breach that has a bad new angle, we might see the foldable Razr phone by the end of the year, how long can this alternative app store last before Apple shuts it down, the biggest Tesla software update yet, and of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Metalab.co CognitoHQ.com Links: DoorDarsh confirms data breach affected 4.9 million customers, workers and merchants (...

Uber wants to become “the OS for everyday life,” Peloton’s IPO is a good news/bad news situation, the FTC sues Match.com for allegedly catfishing people, stuff I missed from yesterday’s Amazon event, and an “interesting raise” startup that wants to turn renters into home owners. Sponsors: Metalab.co CognitoHQ.com Links: Uber overhauls its app in ambitious bid to become ‘the operating system for yo...

Amazon’s hardware event gives us more Alexa in just about anything you can think of, Oculus has some news on the VR front, the 2020 iPhones might echo the iPhone 4 design, and those dog like robots from Boston Dynamics are finally leaving the lab, but to adopt one, you need to think through a use case. Sponsors: Metalab.co AirMedcareNetwork.com/tech code: tech Links: Amazon announces high-end $199...