Tech Talk Thursdays

Tech Verizon is increasing prices while removing its Google Play Pass perk Verizon Ending Free Apple Arcade Access and Loyalty Discounts - MacRumors AT&T to pay $177 million in data breach settlement. Here’s how to claim up to $5,000 Microsoft's Satya Nadella says job cuts have been 'weighing heavily' on him Israel is reportedly storing millions of Palestinian phone calls on Micros...

Tech • Apple announces AppleCare One multi-device bundle with simplified pricing • Report: Apple alerted Iranians to spyware attacks in lead-up to war with Israel • Grindr Won’t Let Users Say 'No Zionists' • A power utility is reporting suspected pot growers to cops. EFF says that’s illegal. • OpenAI partners with Oracle to built out 4.5 gigawatts in data center capacity • Trump's AI A...

Tech • Grok 4 'Truth-Seeking' AI Consults Musk's Stance on Sensitive Topics • Grok team apologizes for the chatbot's 'horrific behavior' and blames 'MechaHitler' on a bad update • Grok's AI chatbot now includes companions for you to 'romance' • The Real Future of AI Is Ordering Mid Chicken at Bojangles • Immigration Raid Tracking App ‘ICE Block’ Keeps Yo...

Tech • US government seeks tool to find ‘hidden language’ in messages on your phone • 5th Avenue Apple Store spray-painted by climate protesters calling for boycott • Unless users take action, Android will let Gemini access third-party apps • Grok sure seems antisemitic after its recent update ◦ Grok chatbot silenced as even Musk saw how awful it was ◦ Elon Musk is trying to blame Grok's Nazi...

Tech • Trump’s sanctions on ICC prosecutor have halted tribunal’s work • Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is now open source • “Microsoft has simply given us no other option,” Signal says as it blocks Windows Recall • Microsoft acknowledges it supplied AI technology to Israel's Ministry of Defense, but claims "no evidence" it's been used to "target or harm people in the con...

Tech • You can now claim your piece of Apple's $95 million Siri privacy settlement • Panasonic will slash its global workforce by 10,000 • Google settles lawsuit that accused it of fostering systemic bias against Black employees • Mexico is suing Google over 'Gulf of America' name change for US users • “Google wanted that”: Nextcloud decries Android permissions as “gatekeeping” • Googl...

Tech • Patreon Planning iOS App Update to Skirt In-App Purchases • Refurbished iPhone 15 Models Now Available From Apple's Online Store in U.S. and Canada - MacRumors • Microsoft’s new “passwordless by default” is great but comes at a cost - Ars Technica • TeleMessage, a Signal clone the Trump administration uses, has been hacked • Jury orders NSO to pay $167 million for hacking WhatsApp users...

Tech • Google layoffs impact hundreds in Pixel, Android division • Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting unused for 3 days - Ars Technica • Samsung Receives Government Approval To Increase The Work Hours To 64 Per Week For Its R&D and Semiconductor Divisions To Boost Competitiveness Against Rivals • Microsoft is rolling out its controversial Recall feature to Windows Insider...

Tech • Most Americans think AI won’t improve their lives, survey says - Ars Technica • TikTok Gets Another 75-Day Reprieve From Ban - MacRumors • DOGE is reportedly using AI to monitor government comms for anti-Musk and anti-Trump chatter • Microsoft reportedly fires staff whose protest interrupted its Copilot event Gaming • Palestinian-led BDS movement adds Microsoft’s Xbox as priority boycott ta...

Tech End-to-end encrypted RCS messaging on iPhone coming in future software update - 9to5Mac YouTube investigating widespread low quality video playback issues on iOS This is one of the most sophisticated phishing attacks ever made against Mac users Microsoft's latest Windows update accidentally uninstalled Copilot Tesla recalls more than 46,000 Cybertrucks over a faulty exterior panel Amazon...

Tech Western Digital Has Reportedly Bid Farewell To The SSD Market; SanDisk Will Now Be Responsible For Existing & Future Products Apple must allow app sideloading in Brazil within 90 days, judge orders Elon Musk says a 'massive cyberattack' is to blame for X being down Reddit Is Restricting Luigi Mangione Discourse—but It's Even Weirder Than That Telecom tells employees they won’t...

Tech Apple Provides Reason for iPhone 16e's Lack of MagSafe Charging - MacRumors Apple is now fighting the UK over its demand for backdoor access to iCloud accounts Everything Apple announced since its last event Samsung will finally release Android 15 for Galaxy devices in April, nearly 6 months late Skype is shutting down soon, Microsoft pushing users to Teams - 9to5Mac Digg is returning tha...

Tech Apple Announces iPhone 16e With A18 Chip and Apple Intelligence, Pricing Starts at $599 - MacRumors Apple Unveils 'C1' as First Custom Cellular Modem - MacRumors iPhone 16e Doesn't Have MagSafe - MacRumors Apple officially bids farewell to the Lightning port after 13 years Apple Discontinues iPhone SE - MacRumors Apple Discontinues iPhone 14 and 14 Plus - MacRumors Apple currently only able t...

Tech US senator wants to fine and jail those who use DeepSeek and other Chinese AIs TikTok advises Android users in the US to sideload the app Android users who want TikTok would be best advised to copy iPhone users Workday lays off 1,750 employees, citing demand for AI Amazon faces new union test in North Carolina | CNN Business Feds putting the kibosh on national EV charging program - Ars Techni...

Tech Dozens of subreddits are banning links to X - The Verge China suggests it’s open to a US deal for TikTok after all Meta will lay off more ‘low-performers,’ says CEO Mark Zuckerberg - The Verge Meta admits it deleted links to decentralized Instagram competitor Pixelfed A major data broker hack may have leaked precise location info for millions - The Verge AT&T pulls its 5G internet service...

Tech John Deere says its self-driving tractors and trucks will help address labor shortages - The Verge Microsoft Says AI Will Lead To Job Losses, Invests $80 Billion In The Tech - GameSpot Instagram blocked LGBTQ hashtags and treated them as ‘sexually suggestive content’ Meta is ditching third-party fact checkers on Facebook, Instagram Nvidia announces next-gen RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 GPUs - The Ve...

Tech Razzlekhan, crypto’s most embarrassing rapper, is going to prison - The Verge Amazon and SpaceX attack US labor watchdog in court - The Verge X adds Twitch to its advertising boycott lawsuit Apple Adds iPhone XS Max and More to Vintage/Obsolete Product Lists - MacRumors Microsoft made a $349 hardware client to connect to Cloud PCs Porch pirates appear to be accessing AT&T data to track iP...

Tech Black people across the country have been getting racist texts about slave plantations Bluesky crosses the 15 million user mark - The Verge Bluesky apparently acted up today because of a cut fiber cable - The Verge Stopping the TikTok ban is reportedly a Trump priority - 9to5Mac Tesla Cybertruck hit with sixth recall this year, this time over a bad inverter - The Verge Apple Releases iPhone 1...

Tech Hackers made robot vacuums randomly yell racial slurs Brazilian police arrested the hacker who stole everyone’s SSN - The Verge You'll soon be able to safely and easily move your passkeys between password managers Apple Pay now works with third-party iOS and desktop browsers Google strikes a deal with a nuclear startup to power its AI data centers Automattic offered employees another chance t...

Tech WordPress co-founder is paying employees to leave if they disagree with him - The Verge Mastodon switches things up to make its app a little easier to use - The Verge Violent threats against FEMA swirl on social media - The Verge Porsche to recall over 27,000 EVs in US over battery short circuit risk - The Verge Geico insists it ‘has coverage’ for the Cybertruck after owners complain of dropp...

Tech YouTube Shorts can now run up to three minutes Up to 600 million Facebook and Instagram passwords stored in plain text College students used Meta’s smart glasses to dox people in real time - The Verge Reddit policy changes make sitewide protests nearly impossible Hurricane Helene barreled through a crucial chip mining area in North Carolina - The Verge Verizon’s mobile services are down acros...

Discussion Futureproofing in Unethical Times Tech Exploding pagers kill at least eight and injure thousands in an attack on Hezbollah - The Verge 14 dead as Hezbollah walkie-talkies explode in second, deadlier attack | Ars Technica Hundreds of Amazon drivers in NYC join the Teamsters union Amazon warehouse workers are getting free Prime and a pay raise - The Verge Amazon is making its employees co...

Tech Abbott’s OTC glucose monitor is now available in the US An Apple Store in Oklahoma City is close to approving an union agreement for its workers Everything Apple revealed at the iPhone 16 launch event: Apple Watch Series 10, AirPods 4, iOS 18 and more Apple will release iOS 18, macOS 15, iPadOS 18, other updates on September 16th | Ars Technica Bluesky lets you post videos now - The Verge   G...

Tech Judge orders X ban in Brazil - The Verge Bluesky added 2 million new users in a week following Brazil's X ban Meta shouldn’t remove ‘from the river to the sea’ as hate speech, says Oversight Board - The Verge The Internet Archive loses its appeal of ebook copyright case ruling Oprah’s upcoming AI television special sparks outrage among tech critics | Ars Technica Generative AI backlash hi...

Tech Data leak affecting everyone in the US, UK, and Canada even worse than we thought Microsoft’s Recall AI feature won’t be available for Windows testers until October - The Verge Finally! Windows will let your webcam work in multiple apps at once | PCWorld Nothing is requiring employees to be in the office five days a week - The Verge Chick-fil-A is reportedly launching a streaming service for...