Tech News Weekly (Video)

Jack Dorsey's billion-dollar COVID fund, Bringing the classroom to YouTube, Microsoft doubles down on virtual events

• Kurt Wagner from Bloomberg discusses how Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey has committed 1 billion dollars to COVID-19 related efforts and why now is a particularly good time for him to do so.
• Sophie Lucido Johnson is a teacher who has chosen to utilize YouTube over Zoom for her remote classroom work. She shared her reasons why in a post on OneZero and talks about those reasons with Mikah and Jason.
• Microsoft insiders told Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet and Windows Weekly that the company will postpone the release of its dual-screen Windows X devices to 2021 due to COVID-19 supply chain issues.
• The Unicode Consortium announced that new EMOJI will be pushed back to at least 2021 due to the pandemic.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Kurt Wagner and Sophie Lucido Johnson

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Using the Oura smart ring to catch COVID-19 symptoms, breaking down the T-Mobile & Sprint merger, and celebrating virtual weddings on Zoom.

First, CNET's Lexy Savvides joins us to talk about a new study from the University of California, San Francisco. Using a smart ring called Oura, the study aims to determine if wearables can detect early symptoms of COVID-19.

Then, Joe Maring of Android Central breaks down the T-Mobile/Sprint merger. Where's John Legere headed? What, exactly, is "The New T-Mobile"? Maring answers these questions and more.

Then, The Verge's Zoe Schiffer raises our spirits by sharing stories of folks who've used Zoom to host virtual weddings in the time of social distancing.

Lastly, Jason and Mikah talk about their stories of the week: Apple acquires Dark Sky and shuts down the Android version; the Internet Archive offers up The National Emergency Library, filled with hundreds of e-books and other resources.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Lexy Savvides, Joe Maring, and Zoe Schiffer

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly.

Google Podcasts redesign, Zoom's attention tracking, At-home COVID-19 test kits

• Emily Mullin from Elemental discusses some of the tech companies creating at-home COVID-19 testing kits.
• Zoom teleconferencing software has some data and privacy tracking hooks to be aware of, according to Mehreen Kasana from Input Mag.
• Google Podcasts Founder Reneau-Wedeen from Google talks through the redesign of the app as well as the newly released iOS app.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Emily Mullin, Mehreen Kasana, and Zack Reneau-Wedeen

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly.

• Dan Moren from SixColors walks through all the new hardware announced by Apple including an updated Macbook Air and an iPad Pro with LiDAR.
• Alfred Ng from CNET covers a multitude of COVID-19 hoaxes, the effect of the pandemic on the US primaries, and how privacy could be impacted long term.
• The European Union is asking online streaming services to throttle its content quality in an effort to save the broadband networks they run on.
• Movie theaters are getting creative in a time where people are limiting their exposure to COVID-19 by avoiding cinemas entirely.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Dan Moren and Alfred Ng

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• First, Zac Hall, lead editor at 9to5Mac, joins Jason and Mikah to talk about 9to5Mac's coverage of the rumored iPhone 9, updates coming in iOS 14, Apple Watch improvements, and so, so much more.
• Then, Dave Gershgorn stops in to share his exclusive coverage for Medium's OneZero publication; Gershgorn has been reporting on live facial recognition for police body cameras.
• Then, Geoffrey Fowler Skypes in from his home to talk about working from home in the age of COVID-19.
• Lastly, Jason and Mikah share their stories of the week: A university professor teaches a class over Twitch and Brian Krebs details how cybercriminals are taking advantage of coronavirus tracking maps to infect computers and steal passwords.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Zac Hall, Dave Gershgorn, and Geoffrey Fowler

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly.

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• First, Mikah and Ant talk about how to properly clean your smartphones, keyboards, and mice before Ant challenges you to a dog-based Photoshop contest.
• Then, Alex Wilhelm of TechCrunch stops by to talk about the impact of Robinhood's multi-day downtime earlier this week.
• Lastly, Joss Fong of Vox's Recode describes how text-generation algorithms are improving and the era of fake writing is upon us.

Hosts: Ant Pruitt and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Alex Wilhelm and Joss Fong

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly.

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• First, Jason and Mikah break down the latest cancelations and updates surrounding the coronavirus: Facebook cancels F8 and Microsoft isn't attending GDC.
• Then, Sam Machkovech of Ars Technica takes us inside Amazon's newer, larger Amazon Go Grocery store. He recounts his attempt to trick the cashier-free system with bananas.
• Lastly, CNET's Joan Solsman joins us to discuss Bob Iger's unexpected resignation from Disney.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Sam Machkovech and Joan Solsman

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly.

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• First, Mikah shares Mark Gurman's Bloomberg piece about Apple potentially allowing its users to change default apps on their devices.
• Then, Jason issues a mea culpa regarding Chinese laser guns before talking about a new round of deep fakes in a Delhi, India election.
• Then, Lauren Gurley of Vice's Motherboard joins us to talk about Kickstarter employees unionizing.
• Lastly, OneZero's Dave Gershgorn gives us an in-depth look at NEC, the technology company that happens to be a major player in facial recognition technology.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Lauren Gurley and Dave Gershgorn

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly.

• First, Mr. Mobile (Michael Fisher) joins us to unpack the Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy S20.
• Then, Protocol's Mike Murphy discusses the cancelation of MWC Barcelona and the impact of that decision.
• Then, we talk to Daniel Bader of Android Central about Essential closing down and the history and future of Andy Rubin.
• Then, Jason tells us about China's new laser gun, the ZKZM-500, which can actually kill people.
• Lastly, Mikah goes over a new bill from U.S. senators that proposes a facial recognition moratorium at the federal level until a group can be established to introduce necessary legislation to protect citizen anonymity.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Michael Fisher, Mike Murphy, and Daniel Bader

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly.

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• The Iowa caucus voting app caused quite a stir in tech news this week. Huffington Post's Kevin Robillard discusses.
• Fujifilm announces its latest compact systems camera with great reviews. Bryan Minear shares his hands-on experience.
• Nvidia challenges Google with its online gaming option as it provides cloud graphics processing for top-tier gaming titles. The Verge's Sean Hollister shares the highlights.
• Facial recognition AI leads to cease and desist orders towards Clearview AI from the tech giants.
• Motorola's new RAZR shows off foldable screen technology, but how does it stack up to existing foldable phones?

Hosts: Jason Howell and Ant Pruitt

Guests: Kevin Robillard, Bryan Minear, and Sean Hollister

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly.