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Australia caves in to Facebook. PlayStation is planning a big new push in VR. The Mate X2 keeps the foldable dream alive. The weird new malware infecting Apple Silicon Macs. And let’s use NBA Top Shot as a lens to explain NFTs. Sponsors: Kiwico.com promocode: ride EditorX.com Links: Facebook to reverse news ban on Australian sites, government to make amendments to media bargaining code (ABC.net.au) PlayStation CEO says PS5 will get its own VR headset, explains console supply chain shortfall (Washington Post) Huawei’s Mate X2 foldable adopts Samsung’s dual-screen design (The Verge) Kuo: New MacBook Pro Models With HDMI Port and SD Card Reader to Launch Later This Year (MacRumors) New malware found on 30,000 Macs has security pros stumped (ArsTechnica) Inside 'NBA Top Shot,' the Digital Highlights Marketplace Worth Millions (Bleacher Report) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

23 Feb 202118min

Spotify’s new HiFi subscription tier. Clubhouse has security concerns. Apple is king of the smartphone hill once again. Maybe the biggest survival story of the Covid-19 era is about the IPO. And is the Facebook news ban pushing Australians into the arms of the news publishers themselves? Sponsors: ManlyBands.com/techmeme code: techmeme for 20%  NewYorker.com/techmeme promocode: techmeme Links: Spotify HiFi is a lossless streaming tier coming later this year (The Verge) Clubhouse Chats Are Breached, Raising Concerns Over Security (Bloomberg) Apple Surpassed Samsung as World's Largest Smartphone Maker in Fourth Quarter (MacRumors) Restaurant-Software Provider Toast Prepares for IPO (WSJ) Google fires another AI ethics leader (Axios) Australia’s ABC News shot to the top of the App Store charts following Facebook’s news ban (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

22 Feb 202116min

As mentioned, for my birthday this year I got my first VR rig, an Occulus Quest 2 because if an Apple AR/VR thingy is coming, if Facebook continues to invest in VR, then I figured it was time to, you know, not be functionally inexperienced with the space. I have a little bit of crypto to understand the space. Looking to get my hands on some NFTs to understand the space. I’ve got an onlyfans account to understand the dynamics of what works in the creator economy. And that’s the only reason, I swear. Anyway, in this episode we’re going to talk about some of the things I’ve learned and to do so, we’re going to talk to two folks. First, some of you might know Kyle Hilliard, he was for a long time the host of our Gaming Ride Home podcast, before the pandemic put paid to that show. He’s a veteran games journalist, and actually, you can still hear Kyle talk gaming on the MinnMax podcast. Link in the show notes. Kyle helps me understand the state of the industry from a developer and corporate and startup perspective. And also, we’re going to talk to Seth Rininger (@Sethmr1989) who is a kind-hearted listener to this show who, when I put out the word for someone to help me get onboarded with Oculus platform, kindly answered the call and helped guide me through getting my VR legs under me. My discussion with Seth is designed to give you an idea of where VR is at right now, in case you’re looking to give it a go yourself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20 Feb 202159min

Uber has lost one of its most significant independent contractor battles, in this case, in the UK. The Android 12 Developer Preview is here. Office 2021 is coming. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: AirMedCareNetwork.com/tech offer code: TECH Tovala.com/ride Links: Uber loses a major employment rights case as the UK’s top court rules its drivers are workers (CNBC) Android 12 developer preview is available now with many under-the-hood updates (The Verge) Apple Is Working on Magnetic Battery Pack Attachment for IPhones (Bloomberg) Microsoft announces Office 2021, available for Windows and macOS later this year (The Verge) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The Bizarre Reaction To Facebook's Decision To Get Out Of The News Business In Australia (TechDirt) Why did I leave Google or, why did I stay so long? (Noam Bardin) Why the three biggest vaccine makers failed on Covid-19 (Financial Times) Citibank just got a $500 million lesson in the importance of UI design (Ars Technica) All Your Base Are Belong To Us has turned 20 (The Verge) What Peter Jackson’s original two-movie Lord of the Rings almost looked like (Polygon) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

19 Feb 202119min

I’ll do my best to explain this Australia situation with Facebook and Google. SpaceX is our interesting raise today. Nvidia unveils a line of chips just for crypto. Does Apple want to set the standards for 6G? And if remote work is the future, why is Big Tech still building so much office space? Sponsors: Uber.com/techmeme Tovala.com/ride Links: Facebook restricts users, publishers from sharing news content in Australia (AP) Facebook calls Australia's bluff (Platformer) SpaceX Funding Round at $74 Billion Valuation Was Led by Sequoia (Bloomberg) NVIDIA Annoucnes CMP 30HX, 40HX, 50HX and 90HX GPUs For Mining, Cripples Hash Rate Of RTX 3060 (WCCFTech) Apple Hiring Engineers to Develop 6G Wireless (Bloomberg) If Work Is Going Remote, Why Is Big Tech Still Building? (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

18 Feb 202122min

Epic Games takes its war with Apple to Europe. But Apple wins a skirmish in North Dakota of all places. New York sues Amazon over worker issues. Google maps will now let you pay for parking. Some tangible numbers about the recent NFT explosion. And why the new headphone emoji look suspiciously like AirPods Max. Sponsors: Tovala.com/ride PingIdentity.com Links: Epic Games files EU antitrust complaint against Apple (FT) Apple wins victory as North Dakota votes down bill that would regulate app stores (CNBC) New York Sues Amazon, Saying It Inadequately Protected Workers From Covid-19 (NYTimes) Amazon won’t build this Alexa cuckoo clock unless it hits a preorder goal (The Verge) Google Maps will now let you pay for public transportation and parking through its app (The Verge) Chromebooks outsold Macs worldwide in 2020, cutting into Windows market share (GeekWire) Ethereum NFT Market Primed for Explosive Growth in 2021 (Decrypt) First Look: 217 New Emojis in iOS 14.5 (Emojipedia) The essay we hope to discuss on Clubhouse tonight: Why did I leave Google or, why did I stay so long? (Noam Bardin) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

17 Feb 202117min

Bitcoin hits its latest, biggest milestone. A OnePlus cofounder’s latest startup is: Nothing. But it bought something: Essential. I’ll explain why this “who’s on first” routine might be interesting. Why government antitrust action has a tendency to open the litigation floodgates. And if you’ve been hearing about that new app Dispo, I’ve got an explainer for you. Cause that’s what I’m here for. Sponsors: Fundrise.com/techmeme Tovala.com/ride Links: Bitcoin Jumps to $50,000 as Record-Breaking Rally Accelerates (Bloomberg) Essential is now officially owned by Carl Pei’s Nothing Technologies (9to5Google) Microsoft’s new Office app now available on iPad (The Verge) New Samsung laptops rumored to include OLED screens and S Pen support (The Verge) Big Tech’s Next Big Problem Could Come From People Like ‘Mr. Sweepy’ (NYTimes) Retro photo app is winning buzz (Axios) The bull case for Dispo (Justin Potts) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

16 Feb 202119min

We’ve got our first look at how Microsoft plans to bring xCloud to every device, even iOS. Is Facebook building a smartwatch? Maybe because they’re so pissed at Apple? Is everyone trying to scupper the Nvidia/ARM deal? And why I failed to mention that Paramount+ is the new entrant in the streaming wars. Sponsors: ExpressVPN.com/techmeme MintMobile.com/ride Links: Here’s a first look at Microsoft’s xCloud for the web (The Verge) Facebook Plans Smartwatch With Focus on Messaging, Health (The Information) Facebook Meets Apple in Clash of the Tech Titans—‘We Need to Inflict Pain’ (WSJ) Google, Microsoft, Qualcomm Protest Nvidia’s Acquisition of Arm Ltd. (Bloomberg) Microsoft’s Big Win in Quantum Computing Was an ‘Error’ After All (Wired) ViacomCBS Goes ‘All-In’ on Streaming, But Without Many of Its Top Shows (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

15 Feb 202121min