Iyaz Akhtar joins us to look a little closer at what Apple Watchkit tells us about the Apple Watch, get a report on the Jolla Tablet from Slush in Helsinki, and find out why zero-rating data doesn’t seem to bother Australians.

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Show Notes

Today’s guest: Iyaz Akhtar of cnet.com and the GFQ Network

Headlines:

MacRumors passes along the Financial Times story that Apple will put the Beats app into iOS making it a default app on every iPhone and iPad starting early next year, possibly as early as March. FT’s sources indicate Beat swill remain a paid subscription service but may get rebranded under iTunes.

The Next Web reports Samsung is adding curated video to its Milk music streaming service. Milk Video brings selected clips from the likes of Vevo, Funny or Die, Vice and more. You can’t add video, but you can follow certain providers and if you register, you can swipe away videos you don’t like so the system learns your preferences. You can download Milk from the Google Play store but it only works on Samsung Galaxy devices.

That’s right the Jolla tablet soared past its $380,000 crowdfunding goal in a couple hours and is on its way to a million. Other specs on the 8-inch tablet include a 2048×1536 display, 1.8GHz quad-core Intel processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and five-megapixel camera. Jolla expects to start shipping in Q2 2015. It started at $189 on indiegogo but is now $204.

TechCrunch reports BitTorrent announced it will move its Sync cloud storage product out of beta in early 2015 as Sync 2.0. Free users will get an upgraded interface, syncing and apps. A new Pro tier will be added for $40 a year that gives users access to very large folders, control of file permissions and ownership, automatic sync and priority tech support. After Sync 2.0 launches, BitTorrent plans a mobile app to make it easy to send and receive large files.

Engadget reports Nielsen will begin tracking viewership of streaming video services Amazon and Netflix next month. The system identifies shows by their audio. The data could prove useful for companies who sell shows to Netflix and Amazon. Neither company shares viewership data, which makes it hard to know how valuable any particular show might be to the companies.

Netflix officially announced today that it will launch in Australia and New Zealand in March 2015. CNET reports a price hasn’t been set yet, but Australians will be able to sign up for a free one-month trial, then chose from three pricing plans. New Zealanders and Australians can sign up now for updates at https://www.netflix.com/global

And Engdaget reports on China’s Meizu unveiling the highest screen resolution in the current smartphone market in its new MX4 Pro. The followup to the MX4 has a 5.5-inch 2560 x 1536 resolution which they call 2K-Plus. The phone also has a fingerprint reader called mTouch and high-fiedlity audio that Meizu called ‘retina sound’ which might be bad for your eyes if literal. What it really means is a 32-bit digital audio converter from ESS and a TI OPA1612 amp. It comes to China December 6th for CN¥2,499 ($410) at 16GB on up to ¥3,099 ($510) for the 64 GB.

Gigaom reports that British telecommunications regulator Ofcom will free up spectrum in the 700MHz range for mobile broadband use by the start of 2022. That range of spectrum is used for 4G/LTE in the U.S. and Asia. In the UK free-to-view digital TV and wireless broadcast microphones currently use the 700MHz band.

News From You:

Hurmoth submitted the Ars Technica report that the US Senate only got 58 of the 60 votes it needed to pas the USA Freedom Act which would have placed limits on NSA surveillance. Bulk phone surveillance would have ended and data would have remained with phone companies and only searched by request with specific terms. It would have also added a privacy advocate to the secret FISA Court. The bill was supported by several cicil liberties groups and law enforcement agencies including Director of the NSA James Clapper.

ShamelessTub passed along a BBC report about Tony and Jan Jenkinson, who who had a bad experience in a hotel in Blackpool, England. The elderly couple posted a negative review about The Broadway Hotel on TripAdvisor. The hotel then charged the couple £100 on their credit card for the bad review, per hotel policy, which Mrs. Jenkinson didn’t read, because she wasn’t wearing her glasses. The UK Trading Standards Council is investigating whether the hotel is in violation of trading practice regulations.

In the latest episode of The Wire ancrod2 pointed out the Ars Technica article that Baltimore natural PO-lice withdrew evidence from a court case against a 16-year-old robbery suspect rather than reveal how information leading to an arrest was obtained. Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry G. Williams asked Detective John L. Haley how police located the suspect’s phone. Detective McNulty – I mean Haley cited a non-disclosure agreement prevent ed him from revealing the information. Jude Williams said “ “You don’t have a nondisclosure agreement with the court!” according to the Baltimore Sun. Prosecution withdrew the phone and a gun from evidence but intend to continue the case. One can imagine many bottles of Jameson’s were smashed by the railroad tracks that night.

starfuryzeta passed along an Engadget report that Uber is now investigating itself for violations of its own privacy policy. Apparently Uber’s New York general manager Josh Mohrer used Uber’s so-called “God View” tool to track the movements of Buzzfeed reporter Johana [Boo-YIN] Bhuiyan in two instances: one in order to meet the reporter for an interview and a second time to use as an example in an email meant to answer questions related to a story on Uber competitor Lyft. The problem is the reporter did NOT give Mohrer permission in either instance. Uber’s privacy policy states that employees at all levels are prohibited from accessing rider or driver data, unless it is for a limited set of “legitimate business purposes” including facilitating payments, monitoring fraud, and troubleshooting.

In addition, entrepreneur Peter Sims told Reuters he considered suing Uber after his location was broadcast to a room at an Uber launch party without his permission.

Discussion Section: Apple watch

http://www.theverge.com/2014/11/18/7243085/most-important-apple-watchkit-discoveries

http://thenextweb.com/apple/2014/11/18/meet-apples-new-font-designed-watch/

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2014/11/18Developers-Start-Designing-Apps-for-Apple-Watch.html

https://developer.apple.com/watchkit/#agreement

https://gigaom.com/2014/11/19/how-good-wearable-design-can-actually-reduce-tech-distractions/

Pick of the Day:  One Tab via Bill Burlingame

I’m obsessive about browser tabs. I keep many tabs open in several instances of Chrome all the time and I like to have them in a particular order. I have found the Recent Tabs selection in Chrome to be unreliable. Several weeks ago, Allyn Malventano of PC Perspective gave this as his tip. It’s a Chrome extension called One Tab. I have been using One Tab since then.

Bill Burlingame
Huntsville, AL

Thursday’s guest: Jill Duffy, writer and senior analyst at pcmag.com

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Patrick Beja is in residence today and Nokia just surprised us all with a tablet. Is this the resurrection of the old Nokia? Should Microsoft be angry?

MP3

Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.

Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.

A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the headlines music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Today’s guests: Patrick Beja, DTNS correspondent and host of Le Rendez-vous Tech and Pixels podcast

Headlines:

Facebook launched a new standalone app today from its Creative Labs team, called Groups. Gigaom reports the app– as you might expect– helps users manage their Facebook Groups. Users can create a group, keep up with the latest posts in their existing groups, and search for new groups based on interests. Unlike Facebook’s standalone Messenger App, no one is going to force you to download this one. You can still access your groups through the original Facebook app.

Nokia announced a new tablet called the Nokia N1. The 7.9-inch tablet uses Nokia’s Z Launcher app and runs Android Lollipop and uses an Intel Atom Z3580 processor AND uses the new reversible Type C USB Connector but only at USB 2.0 speeds. Nokia designed the tablet which will be made and sold by FoxConn. It will come to China first around Feb. 19th— Chinese New Year— then to Europe later— and be priced at the equivalent of US$249.

Ars Technica writes up the controversy over Uber Senior VP of Business Emil Michael saying Uber should hire researchers to look into personal lives of journalists and give the media a “taste of its own medicine.” Michael specifically criticized Sarah Lacy of PandoDaily for accusing Uber of “sexism and misogyny” and intimated there was a ‘specific claim’ Uber could prove about her life. The remarks were made at a dinner for Uber execs and journalists in Manhattan on Friday. Uber thought the meeting was off the record, a BuzzFeed editor was not informed of that. Michael stated his remarks were wrong and he regrets them. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick posted several times to Twitter explaining among other things that Michael’s remarks were terrible and do not represent the company.

The Verge reports Apple released WatchKit today, giving developers the tools they need to begin coding and testing apps for the Apple Watch. Watch apps can have their own interface, add a page to the Glances screen and send notifications. All apps must be extensions of existing iOS apps. Tools for native watch apps won’t come until later next year. Still no word on when the watches themselves will be launched.

PC World reports Intel will megre its PC and mobile processor divisions as the line between tablets and laptops continues to blur. The new division will be called the Client Computing Group encompasing Core and Atom processor teams. The Mobile and Communications group will send its Atom processor team to the new group and its modem teams move to a new wireless R&D group. Kirk Skaugen, lead of the PC Client Group will lead the new combined team which takes effect sometime after Jan. 1.

The BBC reports that scientists at Google have created machine-learning software that can accurately describe what a photograph looks like using simple language. The software uses a neural network trained to recognize images, then runs that data through a neural network designed to generate simple language and voila, captions! The software could be used to help visually impaired people understand pictures, provide alternate text for images in places where mobile connections are too slow for images, and put every caption writer on earth out of business.

In a move that sounds dangerously like what HTC was saying a few years ago, Samsung’s head of investor relations Robert Yi told investors Samsung plans to make fewer phones next year, according to the WSJ. GigaOm said the company plans to cut its list of current devices by at least a quarter. So heads up Galaxy Active, Galaxy Star, Galaxy Pocket 2, Galaxy Ace Style LTE, Galaxy J, Galaxy Core Lite LTE, Galaxy Core Advance, Galaxy Grand Prime, Galaxy S III Mini VE, Galaxy Alpha, Galaxy V, Galaxy Avant, Galaxy Mega, Galaxy Mega 2, Galaxy Grand Neo, and Galaxy W.

Reuters reports on IBM’s new email app for business that combines social media, file sharing and other analytics to predict interactions with coworkers. The app– called IBM Verse– does not want to rat you out to the boss– but rather act as a personal assistant and do things like draft response emails based on pervious interactions.

News From You:

metalfreak sent along the PC world article that a Certificate Authority called ‘Let’s Encrypt’ will start providing website owners with free SSL/TLS certificates starting sometime in Q2 next year. The CA will be run by a new public benefit corporation called Internet Security Research Group set up by Mozilla, the EFF and others. IN an attempt to get as many people as possible using TLS, ‘Lets Encrypt’ will automate certification issuance, configuration and renewal processes. Another primary sponsor, existing CA IdenTrust will cross-sign the certificates.

Peter_File pointed out the Verge article about WhatsApp’s Android app adding strong end-to-end encryption by default. WhatsApp partnered with Open Whisper Systems, developers of TextSecure among other apps. Open Whisper CTO Moxie Marlinspike says it took six months to get the code ready for the huge deployment.

metalfreak passed along an Ars Technica report that Honorable Ernest H. Goldsmith of San Francisco Superior Court ruled that Google’s search results qualify as free speech. S. Louis Martin of a website called CoastNews sued Google for violating antitrust laws because it put its site lower in search results, than Bing or Yahoo. The site also sued over Google’s refusal to deliver ads to CoastNews after the site posted photographs of a nudist colony. But the court decided that Google is protected by the First Amendment and has the right to organize its search results as it sees fit.

Discussion Section: Nokia N1 Tablet

https://gigaom.com/2014/11/18/non-microsoft-nokia-launches-android-n1-tablet-and-z-launcher/

https://www.zlauncher.com/

http://www.theverge.com/2014/11/18/7239695/nokia-n1-first-tablet-with-reversible-usb

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8733/nokia-announces-n1-tablet-79-powered-by-android

http://bgr.com/2014/11/18/nokia-n1-release-date-specs-android-5-0-lollipop-tablet/

http://n1.nokia.com/

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/11/nokia-launches-an-android-tablet-with-smartphones-likely-to-follow/

Pick of the Day:  myfav.es

My pick is myfav.es I use it for my browser start screen on our Win7 HTPC with Logitech K400 to make life easier for my wife. She’s been happy with it, so I’ve never ventured to anything like Plex or XBMC.

Wednesday’s guest: Iyaz Akhtar of cnet.com!

Justin Young is on the show today and we’ll talk about Uber’s integration with Spotify. Will anyone use it? And if so will it become a nightmare for drivers?

MP3

Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.

Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.

A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the headlines music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Today’s guests: Justin Robert Young, DTNS correspondent

Headlines:

New York City is getting free gigabit WiFi. TechCrunch reports that a public-private consortium will begin building wifi enabled kiosks all around the five boroughs, beginning in 2015. The LinkNYC kiosks will have an encrypted network connection and offer free phone calls to anywhere in the U.S, as well as a touchscreen tablet interface to access city services, interactive maps, free emergency and information calls, charging stations and displays for advertising and public service announcements. They will also feature display advertising space which the city expects will generate $500 million in revenue over the next twelve years.

Good news for iOS 8 users with older devices. 9 to 5 mac reports that Apple has released iOS 8.1.1, which will improve performance for older A5-powered devices, including the iPad2 and iPhone 4s. Apple also release OS X 10.10.1, with wi-fi performance fixes, as well as a maintenance update for third-generation Apple TVs, also known as version 7.0.2. So far no reports of install issues with any of the updates.

GigaOm passes a long a Financial Times report that Facebook is testing a new product called Facebook for Work. Rather than be a clever way to hide your Facebook surfing while at work. the service would instead allow users to chat with colleague, make professional contacts and do boring job-enhancing things like collaborating on documents. Work accounts would be separated from personal accounts. TechCrunch previously uncovered info about the project back in June.

Spotify announced today it will launch a partnership with Uber in ten cities around the world on Nov. 21st that will let Spotify Premium users choose the music in their Uber rides. Users can link their Uber and Spotify accounts today. The feature is opt-in for the driver so not all cars will have it. Meanwhile TechCrunch reports developer Ethan Lee has uncovered code in Spotify’s app indicating it may add a special section for podcasts at some point. That was obvious because the entry in the code was called ‘Podcasts.’ Lee found another entry called ‘Magic’ that obviously means Spotify will be incorporating magic in its app at some point.

Engadget reports Sony just launched a stacked CMOS photo sensor for smartphones, the Exmor RS IMX230, that puts 21 megapixels into a 1/2.4-inch sized form factor. It has 192-point phase-detection autofocus and integrated HDR for high-res photos and 4K video. Pretty much its being called dSLR features in a smartphone sensor. The iPhone 6 and OnePlus One use current version of the Exmor sensor. This new Exmore RS sensor should appear in April.

The Next Web reports Apple announced Chinese customers can now use Union Pay cards with their iTunes accounts. Previously Chinese customers had to transfer money into their App Store account before making purchase. Now they can just make a purchase and be charged directly.

TechCrunch reports that a group of technology companies wrote a letter urging the US Senate to pass the USA Freedom Act, a bill that would prevent bulk collection of Internet metadata and increase transparency about government demands for user information from technology companies. The letetr was written on behalf of the Reform Government Surveillance Group which includes AOL, Apple, Dropbox, Evernote, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter, and Yahoo. The bill could come before the Senate this week.

The US State Department shut down its entire unclassified email system this weekend so engineers could repair possible damage from a suspected attack. A senior state department official said “activity of concern” was first detected around the same time as the October incident that targeted the White house unclassified computer network. No word yet on who was responsible for the State Department breach, but the official said no classified systems were affected.

Recode reports that Snapchat unveiled a new feature powered by Square, that allows you to send and receive money through the Snapchat app. Here’s how it works: Users type out the dollar amount they want to send as part of a private message. The app recognizes the dollar sign + number and presents a green payment button, which users tap to activate payment. We’re trying to confirm if the money stays or disappears after 12 seconds.

News From You:

metalfreak pointed out last Thursday’s Science Daily post about A3, a software suite that attempts to recognize and eliminate never-before-seen malware, repair any damage it caused and prevent against future infection. A team of computer scientists at the University of Utah led by research assistant professor Eric Eide and associate professor John Regehr developed the software. A3 detects unusual OS behavior and stops it. As a test it discovered and repaired a Shellshock attack in 4 minutes. The software is open source and is designed to protect servers running Linux.

starfuryzeta posted the Guardian story that Google’s Project Loon is coming to Australia in conjunction with Telstra. 20 balloons will fly in western Queensland in December as a test. The balloons beam Internet signals to homes and phones. Telstra will provide base stations and spectrum. Google tested the project in Christchurch, New Zealand last June. The goal of Project Loon it to eventual circle the whole Earth providing Internet connectivity to unwired areas.

jaymz668 let us know about the Ars Technica article about Martijn Wismeijer, a Dutch entrepreneur and Bitcoin enthusiast, who embedded an NFC chip in each hand. One encodes love and the other hate. I mean one hand he overwrites with things like contact details and the other contains the encrypted key to his private BitCoin wallet. He uses it to stock ATMs that are part of his company Mr. Bitcoin. He also would like to get NFC-enabled locks so he can unlock doors with his hand.

Discussion Section: Riding in Cars with Noise

http://thenextweb.com/opinion/2014/11/17/think-ubers-deal-spotify-awful-idea/

http://thenextweb.com/insider/2014/11/17/official-spotify-uber-team-let-control-music-ride/

http://techcrunch.com/2014/11/14/uber-music/

https://news.spotify.com/us/2014/11/17/uber/

http://techcrunch.com/2014/11/17/uber-spotify-bmw/?ncid=rss

Pick of the Day: Alien Blue via Andrew Hughes from epic Portland

Andrew from epic Portland here and I want to recommend the reddit app Alien Blue for iOS. It’s got a ton of different features but the things that make it stand out the most to me are how it manages your subreddits and how easy it is to share a post. I definitely think that any redditor that has an iOS device needs this app. Thank you to everyone at DTNS for a great podcast keep up the amazing work.

Tuesday’s guest: Patrick Beja, DTNS correspondent