Thu. 03/07 – The Epic/Apple Fight Gets Gnarly

We gotta talk about Cybertruck, Twitter continues its shipping products hot streak, AirPods are hotter than even Apple anticipated, some trouble in Russia for gadget makers and, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: SVB.com/next Netgear.com/bestwifi Links: Behold, the Tesla Cybertruck is here (TechCrunch) Tesla accidentally busted two windows on the Cybertruck while demonstrating how tough they are (TechCrunch) Wall Street analysts say Tesla’s pickup is ‘really weird’ and Ford can ‘breathe a sigh of relief’ (CNBC) Tesla all-electric ATV makes a surprise debut at Cybertruck event (TechCrunch) Russia bans sale of gadgets without Russian-made software (BBC News) Twitter will finally let users disable SMS as default 2FA method (ZDNet) Twitter rolls out its 'Hide Replies' feature to all users worldwide (TechCrunch) Apple AirPods Shipments Expected to Double to 60 Million in 2019 (Bloomberg) Microsoft pushes Surface Earbuds release back to spring 2020 (Windows Central) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: How our home delivery habit reshaped the world (The Guardian) The Architect of Modern Algorithms (Quanta Magazine) Spotify’s Daniel Ek Has a Plan to Harness Hollywood for Podcasts and Create "the World’s No. 1 Audio Platform" (The Hollywood Reporter) Inside the Most Watched YouTube Channel in the World (Bloomberg Businessweek) Global Protests Reveal Bitcoin’s Limitations (CoinDesk) Robert De Niro and Al Pacino: A Big, Beautiful 50-Year Friendship (GQ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

22 Nov 201917min

Google is changing its rules around political ads, PayPal is acquiring Honey for a ton of money, why have a Dash Button when you can have a Dash Shelf? Route puts all your orders in one place and I’m afraid Google’s original culture is definitively dead. Sponsors: Castro.fm SVB.com/next Links: An update on our political ads policy (The Keyword/Google) Google to Limit Targeting of Political Ads (NYTimes) Facebook Weighs Steps to Curb Narrowly Targeted Political Ads (WSJ) PayPal to acquire shopping and rewards platform Honey for $4B (TechCrunch) Amazon unveils new Dash Smart Shelf that automatically reorders items when supplies run low (GeekWire) Route's app auto-tracks all your packages, raises $12M (TechCrunch) Inside Apple’s iPhone Software Shakeup After Buggy iOS 13 Debut (Bloomberg) Google Hires Firm Known for Anti-Union Efforts (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

21 Nov 201917min

Hackers could take over your Android cameras, the police can do whatever they want with your Ring videos, if your Disney+ account is hacked, is it probably your fault? An amazing breakthrough in solar technology and why fishing by drone has become a thing. Sponsors: Castro Rhone.com/ridehome Links: Android Camera App Bug Lets Apps Record Video Without Permission (BleepingComputer) Police can keep Ring camera video forever and share with whomever they’d like, Amazon tells senator (Washington Post) Amazon says it’s considered face scanning in Ring doorbells (Associated Press) Hacked Disney+ accounts are reportedly being sold for as little as $3 (CNBC) Apple expands in Austin (Apple Newsroom) Secretive energy startup backed by Bill Gates achieves solar breakthrough (CNN) A new solar heat technology could help solve one of the trickiest climate problems (Vox) Tackle Box for the Modern Fisherman: Rod, Reel, Drone (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20 Nov 201917min

Apple’s planning an awards ceremony? Amazon has a new fire TV accessory, Spotify launches Your Daily Podcast, Google announces Your News Update, Ransomware comes for the vets, and the hidden cost hurdle for electric cars. Sponsors: Castro SVB.com/next Links: Apple announces press event on Dec. 2 (CNBC) Amazon’s latest Fire TV accessory is an IR blaster that lets your Echo control your TV (The Verge) AMAZON EXPANDS FREE MUSIC STREAMING SERVICE TO APPLE, ANDROID DEVICES (MusicBusinessWorldwide) Google is putting an algorithmic audio news feed on its Assistant (The Verge) Ransomware Bites 400 Veterinary Hospitals (Krebs on Security) Why the electric-car revolution may take a lot longer than expected (MIT Technology Review) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

19 Nov 201917min

The Mustang Mach-E wants to out Tesla Tesla, John Legere is stepping down from T-Mobile, .org domain names might be getting a lot more expensive, and the reviews on Google Stadia are decidedly mixed, but at least it works. Sponsors: Castro Mealime Links: FORD’S MUSTANG MACH-E IS AN ELECTRIC SUV WITH UP TO 300 MILES OF RANGE (The Verge) UP CLOSE WITH FORD’S ELECTRIC MUSTANG SUV, THE MACH-E (The Verge) Wayve raises $20 million to give autonomous cars better AI brains (VentureBeat) John Legere to step down as T-Mobile CEO next year (CNBC) The org that doles out .org websites just sold itself to a for-profit company (The Verge) ByteDance to take on rivals with music streaming launch (Financial Times) HP board unanimously rejects Xerox’s bid to acquire the company (CNBC) GOOGLE STADIA REVIEW: THE BEST OF CLOUD GAMING IS STILL JUST A BETA (The Verge) Stadia the Technology? Awesome. Stadia the Service? Not So Much (Vice) Stadia tech review: the best game streaming yet, but far from ready (EuroGamer) Subscribe to the ad-free feed right here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

18 Nov 201916min

So, that Razr event, out in LA... obviously I didn’t get to cover it live… and if there was ever a recent hardware event crying out for “hands-on” reporting, this was one. So, I reached out to someone who was there: QZ.com’s Mike Murphy, and actually, his take was pretty different than some of the others I read to you on Thursday. Come for that, and stay for the reality check about what will really make the 5G revolution happen. Sponsors: Mealime GetQuip.com/ride Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

16 Nov 201923min

Apple takes down vaping apps from the App Store, why is Google going ahead with the Stadia launch this month? Amazon protests the JEDI decision, the TikTok juggernaut rolls on—especially in India—and, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: PixelUnion.net Vistaprint.com promo code Ride50 Links: Exclusive: Apple to remove vaping apps from store (Axios) November 2019 Xbox One Update Brings Xbox Action for the Google Assistant, Gamertag Updates, Text Filters and More (XBox Wire) Microsoft to launch xCloud in 2020, with PS4 controllers and PC streaming on the way (The Verge) Google demos Stadia UI and lists several missing launch features (Engadget) Amazon cites ‘unmistakable bias’ in Microsoft’s military cloud contract win (CNBC) TikTok surpasses 1.5 billion downloads — with almost 500M in India (TNW) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: WeFail: How the doomed Masa Son-Adam Neumann relationship set WeWork on the road to disaster (Fast Company) How VCs Make Money (VCStarterKit) Superhero or Supervillain? Technology’s Role Changes Comic Books (NYTimes) AN ORAL HISTORY OF LIMEWIRE: THE LITTLE APP THAT CHANGED THE MUSIC INDUSTRY FOREVER (MelMagazine) As L.A. ports automate, some workers are cheering on the robots (LATimes) Managing Your Friendships, With Software (The Atlantic) From Instagram to Candy Crush: These are the most important apps of the decade (CNET) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

15 Nov 201916min

There’s a new Razr phone with a foldable screen that might actually work? That Apple Prime bundle might be coming sooner rather than later. That Apple Research app is here right now. Why did 1Password raise a bunch of money for the first time ever? And can Netflix use Nickelodeon to fend off Disney? Sponsors: PixelUnion.net leap.FidelityCareers.com Links: Motorola's foldable Razr: Inside the remaking of a flip phone icon (CNET) MOTOROLA RESURRECTS THE RAZR AS A FOLDABLE ANDROID SMARTPHONE (The Verge) Apple Plans Mega Bundle of Music, News, TV as Early as 2020 (Bloomberg) Apple launches Research app, US users can enroll in three health studies (9to5Mac) In Its First Funding In 14 Years, Toronto’s 1Password Raises $200M Series A Led By Accel (Crunchbase) Netflix and Nickelodeon partner on original programming, following Disney+ launch (TechCrunch) First ‘Tuned by THX’ home theater speakers need no A/V receivers — or wires (Digital Trends) Support the pod directly! Subscribe to the ad-free feed directly in your podcast app! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

14 Nov 201916min