Marc is away sick this week, but while he's gone we talk about: Uber's many struggles (in addition to the accusations of systemic misogyny and discrimination, they're also getting sued); some exciting news from Mobile World Congress, including a new Nokia 3310 and a Sony Xperia with an insane camera; Amazon is selling games on Twitch (and giving streamers a cut of the sales); Google Assistant is coming to Nougat and Marshmallow; MasterCard is bringing Qkr to Canada.

Speed round:

Recommendations

Links:

• Sony Unveils Xperia XZ Premium, Which Can Record at 960 FPS | Techvibes
• Nokia 3310 | Business Insider
• Uber says it’s not behind the phone calls to investigate Susan Fowler’s personal life | Recode — "Uber is in no way involved,” a spokesperson said. “This behavior is wrong."
• Uber Misled Public About Its Self-Driving Car That Was Caught Running a Red Light | Daring Fireball — Another case where lying has made a situation much worse.
• A note on our lawsuit against Otto and Uber – Waymo | Medium — In 2016, Uber bought a six-month old startup called Otto and appointed its founder (a former employee on our self-driving car project) as its head of self-driving technology. At the time, it was reported that Otto’s LiDAR sensor was one of the key reasons Uber acquired the company.
• Twitch to sell games in streamer-supporting initiative this spring | PC Gamer — "Soon the best place to watch and share games will be the best place to buy."
• Mastercard Expands Mobile Order-Ahead Platform for Retailers and On-The-Go Consumers | Business Wire — Qkr! with Masterpass enables consumers to seamlessly order and pay for goods and services via their smart phone without having to wait in line or for a restaurant server.
• Google Assistant Goes Beyond the Pixel to Take on Apple's Siri | Bloomberg — Until now, Google's Pixel smartphone, introduced in October, has been the only handset with the company's automated assistant.
• Apple Says Third-Party iPhone Screen Repairs No Longer Fully Void Your Warranty | Mac Rumors — Previously, an iPhone with a third-party display was not eligible for any authorized repairs under warranty.
• Samsung updates Gear VR with new accessory: a handheld controller | Ars Technica — With help from Oculus, Samsung makes its VR headset controls more accessible.
• Text adventures are back from the dead | Polygon — “Think of playing a game in your car,” he says. “So you’re stuck in traffic, and you’ve got this game on your Bluetooth. You’re playing this game while you commute. This is an art form that has not yet been fully developed.”
• Mozilla acquires Pocket to gain a foothold on mobile devices | The Verge — Mozilla said Pocket, which it will operate as an independent subsidiary, would help bring the company to mobile devices, where it has historically struggled to attract users.