Rafe Needleman joins the show to talk about whether Cyber Monday is just a myth created by marketers.
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Show Notes
Today’s guest: Rafe Needleman, Editorial Director, Yahoo Tech
Headlines
Gigaom reports Microsoft is in fact acquiring email startup Acompli. Javier Soltero formerly of VMWAre wrote the company will continue to develop mobile email apps for multiple platforms and services. While the consumer face will not change nothing was said about whether Acompli would move off of Amazon Web Services to Microsoft Azure on the back end. I’m betting that might happen.
Ars Technica passes along a Wall Street Journal report that a new version of Google Glass will arrive in 2015 with an Intel processor inside. This will replace the TI chip which was no longer made or supported causing many issues with keeping the Android OS updated. It also furthers Intel’s push into mobile and wearable devices. WSJ reports Google still views Glass as a consumer device.
Reuters reports Sony Pictures Entertainment has hired FireEye’s Mandiant forensics unit to help deal with the attack that shut down their internal systems last week. Email is expected to return for Sony today. ReCode reported Friday that investigators were looking into whether attackers were hired by North Korea, possibly in retaliation for the upcoming Sony Movie “The Interview” a comedy about an attempt to assassinate North Korea’s Supreme Leader. North Korea has called the movie With Seth Rogan and James Franco, an act of war.
For the first time ever, Google has overtaken Apple in sales to US schools. 9 to 5 Google comments on an IDC report which estimates Google shipped 715,500 Chromebooks to US schools and colleges in Q3 2014, while Apple shipped 702,000 iPads in Q3. IDC says the lower cost of Chromebooks is a huge factor, as well as the full keyboard. The Financial Times points out that Chromebooks have gone from zero to 25 percent of the educational market in two years. Apple iTunes store still has more educational apps, 75,000 at last count.
A 2005 lawsuit against Apple alleging antitrust for failing to support non-Apple DRM’ed music on iPods finally goes to trial this week. Apple argues their software upgardes were not meant to break DRM, but merely to improve the user experience. The trial will feature a deposition of Steve Jobs recorded before he died. Apple no longer carried DRM on its own songs, never prevented un-DRMd songs from iPods and no longer makes classic iPods.
We reported on rumors that sounded pretty certain that Samsung Co-CEO JK Shin was going to be demoted. Well good news JK Shin, GigaOm and the WSJ report JK Shin will remain in charge of mobile as Co-CEO with the two other CEOs. There were some position changes in the mobile division, including the removal of DJ Lee as head of sales and marketing for Mobile.
The Next Web reports that Intel has acquired Canadian identity management service PasswordBox for an undisclosed amount. The product lets users log into websites and apps without having to enter or remember passwords. The product will now be part of Intel’s security group.
News From You:
starfuryzeta sent us The Verge article about a curious coincidence in relation to the Sony hack last week. Watermarked DVD quality copies of Sony Pictures films Fury, Annie, Mr. Turner and Still Alice appeared on torrent websites shortly after the attack. A Sony rep would not confirm that the videos came from the leak but said Sony is working closely with law enforcment to address it. Screeners have been showing up in torrents for a long time but it is curious to see five Sony movies only one of which is even in theaters yet, show up so close to the attack.
KAPT_Kipper sent us the Torrent Freak report that Kim Dotcom has defeated efforts by the US government to send him back to a New Zealand jail. An Auckland district judge ruled that bail should not be revoked because there was no evidence Dotcom had secret assets or posed a flight risk while he fights extradition to the United States. The judge did ban Dotcom from traveling by helicopter or by sea (hopefully in a boat) unless that transport is via public service, and said he must visit a police station twice a week while on bail (up from once a week).
spsheridan submitted the Ars Technica article that the Department of Justice as turned to a federal law called the All Writs Act to order Apple to assist law enforcement in recovering data from phones. Judges in a federal court in Oakland, California and District court in San Jose, California both ordered Apple provide reasonable technical assistance to obtain unencrypted data but stated specifically that Apple was not required to decrypt. Jonathan Mayer, a lecturer at Stanford Law pointed out to Ars that the All Writs Act is often used to compel assistance with unlocking a phone and some language of the order is provided by Apple itself.
Discussion Links: Cyber Monday, la la, la la la la.
http://www.cnet.com/news/did-thanksgiving-and-black-friday-online-sales-soar-or-sink/
http://www.wired.com/2014/12/amazon-reveals-robots-heart-epic-cyber-monday-operation/
Pick of the Day: LazyGameReviews via Randy Strye
Hi Tom! One of your many, many bosses here 
I’d like to suggest a YouTube channel as a daily pick. I’ve been watching (and supporting on Patreon) LazyGameReviews for quite some time now. He’s not just another YouTube video game reviewer. Along with reviewing classic, obscure PC games, he has many videos discussing collecting of classic PC games, videos about strange, classic PC peripherals (or as he calls them “Oddware”), and most recently (and what made me think of you!) a show about tech history, the first being about the Osborne and the most recent being about Digital Research. Keep up the great work. Thanks for making my daily commute more bearable!
Plug of the Day: “What’s a Poor Normal To Do?” at the DTNS store
The DTNS store has a new item! One the one Friday day that Len Peralta couldn’t join us, Producer Jennie filled in and drew “What’s a Poor Normal to Do?” Darren Kitchen asked her to put it in the store, so now it is there. 
You can also buy other cool DTNS things in the store.
Tuesday’s guests: Patrick Beja and Justin Robert Young will join us!