Tech News Weekly (Video)

The Wall Street Journal says that Apple plans to invest one billion dollars into the acquisition and production of its own TV shows, while aiming to match the quality of HBO content.

AltspaceVR might not be shutting down after all as the company posted that there are relationships in the works that will effectively keep the lights on for the many communities that have made it home.

Voice calling, a much awaited feature for the Google Home, is beginning to roll out to users in the US. The new feature will allow users to place calls to businesses and numbers from their address books using the device.

Also, the Essential phone will begin shipping next week, the Hexa robot is a creepy crawly robot from your nightmares, and Rafe Needleman discusses why bots should never pretend to be human.

Hosts: Megan Morrone and Jason Howell

Guest: Rafe Needleman

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Why Uber must submit to privacy audits for the next twenty years. How to watch a movie in a theater every day for only $10 a month. And Geoffrey Fowler from the Wall Street Journal joins Jason Howell and Megan Morrone to talk about how seniors can learn how to use tech. Spoiler alert: Not from their impatient children.

Hosts: Megan Morrone and Jason Howell

Guest: Geoffrey Fowler

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One White Supremacist website, the DailyStormer, was hosted by GoDaddy until last last night when the site was given 24 hours to move its domain for violating the terms of service by encouraging additional violence. Today, many news outlets are reporting that Google has also refused to host the site.

Snapchat released a new Stories feature called Crowd Surf that takes videos recorded at big events and merges them into an interactive viewing experience that puts the viewer in control. Snapchat collects and syncs videos recorded simultaneously from many users at a performance, so the viewer can hit play and switch between the videos as a song plays without being interrupted.

Paul Thurrott has obtained a leaked Microsoft memo that reveals how the company plans to deal with the fallout from Consumer Reports's bad reliability rating of all Surface products. The memo also included a chart with return rates for the products included in the Consumer Reports research.

Plus, Netflix is hiring away Hollywood, AI is making video streaming more tolerable, and we go hands-on with the latest Project Tango phone, the Asus Zenfone AR.

Hosts: Megan Morrone and Jason Howell

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This week the Federal Communications Commission in the US said Americans might not need high speed internet access at home through cable or fiber, and that smartphone access is just fine. SoundCloud narrowly escaped demise with last minute funding and the requirement for CEO Alexander Ljung to step aside. Sarahah is a new anonymous social media messaging app that's intended to enhance your areas of strength. Mikah Sargent from iMore joins us to discuss his experience with the app. And Georgia Dow gives her unique perspective on all of today's tech news.

Hosts: Megan Morrone and Georgia Dow

Guest: Mikah Sargent

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SNAP missed every one of Wall Street's expectations in its quarterly earning, delivering less revenue and fewer users than investors had hoped for. The only glimmer of hope was that animated hot dog, which was viewed 1.5 billion times and called, "the world's first augmented reality superstar" by SNAP CEO Evan Spiegel.

Facebook has a new Watch tab for those of you thirsty for another avenue of original video content. Several dozen new shows are hitting a small group of users in the US via the new section, with original content including a number of reality shows, sports coverage, and mini-documentaries.

According to a Consumer Reports survey of 90,000 tablet and laptop owners, the Microsoft Surface has the worst failure rate in the industry. As a result, the magazine is pulling its "recommended" designation for all Surface products.

Plus, Uber has in-app chat, Ikea is getting into the solar game, Disney is being sued for COPPA violations, and Dr. Michael Bishop discusses how to work with kids to cut down on screen time.

Hosts: Megan Morrone and Jason Howell

Guest: Mike Bishop

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Essential announced that Amazon's Alexa Fund and Tencent have invested $300 million into the company. The phone will be sold on Amazon and Best Buy when it finally gets a release date that could be within a few weeks.

Intel finalized its acquisition of Mobileye, and now plans to prepare a 100-vehicle fleet of test vehicles with near-full autonomy. Vehicles of all different brands and types will be utilized to show off how the tech can be supplied to all sorts of partners.

Facebook says that it's cracking down on cloaking, a practice that enables an ad or post to represent itself legitimately to Facebook's reviews process, while simultaneously serving up another thing entirely to those who click through. Facebook is assigning artificial intelligence along with additional human attention to the problem.

Plus, Fallout gets a tabletop game, Acer announces a tough chromebook, Anker announces a cheap Echo Dot competitor, and Jonathan Strickland and I tell you how to select the best password.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Jonathan Strickland

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The author of the so-called "anti-diversity manifesto" has been fired from Google. CEO Sundar Pichai said publicly that the contents of the memo violated Google code of conduct, giving those who claim Google isn't open to dissenting opinions more ammo to back their claims. The leaves are starting to change and so have the iPhone rumors, coming faster and more furious every day. KGI's Ming Chi Quo says this fall we'll see an Phone 8 and an iPhone 7s in three colors. The Impossible Burger, made with genetically engineered yeast, would bleed like an actual burger made from cow's bodies. But until the Food and Drug administration says that soy leghemoglobin isn't an allergen, they won't confirm that its safe for humans to eat. And hackers who stole 1.5 terabytes of data from HBO last week dumped a new lot of that data, releasing more scripts, emails and the phone numbers of some of the actors on Game of Thrones.

Megan Morrone and Jason Howell also talk to Evan Ackerman, contributing editor at the iEEE Spectrum blog about a mechanical robot that's going to Venus and how hackers could trick neural networks into thinking a Stop sign is a 45 mph speed limit sign. Plus, find out if dogs like audiobooks.

Hosts: Megan Morrone and Jason Howell

Guest: Evan Ackerman

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The new Samsung Galaxy S8 Active is flatter than the curvy Galaxy S with bezels that extend out to protect against scratches and drops, a shatterproof screen, polycarbonate backside, and a sizeable 4,000mAh battery. It comes exclusively to AT&T later this week.

Youtube is rolling out a new sharing feature to its Android and iOS app that will allow users to share videos with their contacts in a new chat interface inside the app. Those in the chatroom can then invite others to the chat for a total of 30 people.

Netflix announced its first ever acquisition: Millarworld, an independent comic house responsible for Kick-Ass, Kingsman, and Wanted to name a few. Comic lovers rejoice.

Plus, Amazon has a number of brands of its own though you may never realize it, Amazon Echo gets some new music playback features to match playlists to moods or activities, and Sam Abuelsamid joins Ron Richards and I to talk about Foxconn's possible investment in Michigan as it hopes to bring autonomous vehicle R&D to the states.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Ron Richards

Guest: Sam Abuelsamid

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Bloomberg's sources say that Apple is planning to release a new version of the Apple Watch this year with cellular connectivity and is expected to be showcased along with Apple's big iPhone announcement sometime this Fall.

Google is developing a new feature for publishers that's similar to Snapchat's Discover feature, called Stamp. It uses Google's AMP to deliver swipe-based stories created by publishers and surface in Google search.

LinkedIn is developing a new feature to connect its users in a fashion that's similar to Tinder. Users can swipe through people in their area, from their alma mater, or within their LinkedIn network. If both parties are interested, a connection is made.

Plus, Coinbase is getting in on Bitcoin Cash after all, more leaks of the new Google Pixel phone, and Sam Machkovech from Ars Technica shares his review of the Dark Tower film.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Ron Richards

Guest: Sam Machkovech

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Marcus Hutchins, a cybersecurity researcher who stopped the WannaCry ransomware code in its tracks, was arrested at the Las Vegas airport on charges related to his role in creating Kronos banking malware.

Disney struck a deal with The Void to bring full-scale immersive virtual reality to its resorts in the form of a Star Wars experience called Secrets of the Empire.

Facebook introduced a new "related articles" feature to appear in the news feed next to items that have been flagged as fake news.

Plus, Uber purchased 1,000 defective cars and it led to a fire, Millennials don't all think that television antennas are sorcery, and David Gershgorn from Quartz shows how the Facebook AI that created its own language isn't something to be afraid of after all.

Hosts: Megan Morrone and Jason Howell

Guests: Dave Gershgorn and Iain Thomson

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