Wrecked By Tech

In this week's episode, Dan and Marc talk about a really bad FaceTime bug that allows people to spy on you before you answer (update your phone!), a really bizarre and cryptic Google I/O "announcement," several more reasons to dislike Facebook (including openly ripping off children and parents, blocking ad transparency tools, merging the backend of all their messaging services, and tracking teenagers via a VPN that spies on them), and an island in the Galapagos that's using poison-dropping drones to eradicate its rodent problem. (e-RAT-icate? Geddit?)

Speed round:

Links:

• Major iPhone FaceTime bug lets you hear the audio of the person you are calling ... before they pick up - 9to5Mac
• I/O Transmission | Google
• Facebook knowingly duped game-playing kids and their parents out of moneyReveal
• Facebook's plan to merge Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram raises data privacy concerns
• Facebook Moves to Block Ad Transparency Tools | ProPublica
• Daring Fireball: TechCrunch: Facebook Pays Teenagers to Install VPN That Spies on Them
• Drones Drop Poison Bombs to Fight One Island’s Rat Invasion | WIRED
• U.S. charges Huawei, proceeding with Meng extradition from Canada | Globalnews.ca
• Under house arrest in Vancouver, Huawei CFO lives in luxury and spends her days out shopping | Financial Post
• Apple Reports 1Q 2019 Results: Nearly $20B Profit on $84.3B Revenue, Second-Best Quarter Ever Despite Earnings Warning - MacRumors
• Apple's 'Wearables, Home and Accessories' Category Now Bringing in More Revenue Than iPad, and Soon Mac - MacRumors
• Canadian revenue-per-gigabyte 70 times higher than India, 23 times higher than Finland: Tefficient
• Fortnite now supports Bluetooth controllers on iPhone and Android - The Verge
• Mattress maker Casper’s first gadget is a smartphone-controlled bedside light - The Verge
• Twitter Experiments With 'Original Tweeter' Tag | PCMag
• References to New iPads and 7th-Generation iPod Touch Found in iOS 12.2 - MacRumors
• MoviePass to Offer Unlimited Plan Again | PCMag
• DeepMind Beats Pros at StarCraft in Another Triumph for Bots | WIRED

In this week's episode, Marc and Riley talk about Xiaomi's foldable phone teaser, the new-and-maybe-exciting RAZR revival, Spotify's artist blocking feature, the potential for a Google Pixel Watch, the #tenyearchallenge and what it could mean for AI training, Facebook's imminent foray into petitions, and Chrome remote desktop features.

Speed round:

Links:

• Xiaomi’s folding phone is the best we’ve seen so far - The Verge
• Is this the Motorola RAZR with folding display? - The Verge
• Spotify Is Testing Artist Blocking | PCMag
• Google Buys Up Smartwatch Tech from Fossil Group for $40M
• Facebook's '10 Year Challenge' Is Just a Harmless Meme—Right? | WIRED
• Facebook launches petition feature, its next battlefield | TechCrunch
• How to access a remote computer using Google Remote Desktop - The Verge
• Ottawa-based Shopify plans to open TV and film production house
• Netflix apologizes to Lac-Megantic residents for including derailment disaster footage in content
• Rogers launching Google Assistant integration for carrier information
• Garmin data used to convict British runner for the murder of two gangsters - The Verge
• Microsoft to hold HoloLens 2 press event next month - The Verge
• Share your best photos shot on iPhone - Apple
• Amazon pulls its Echo Wall Clock due to connectivity issues - The Verge
• Match Group and Betches’ new dating app lets you swipe for your friends - The Verge
• Autonomous Bar Will Drive Up And Mix You Drinks | Geek.com

In this week's episode, the guys tell you about Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos' divorce (and the unfortunate way people are talking about it), scary ad tech that knows who you are, Bing surfacing (and recommending) child porn, Canadian search laws when cops have your cell phone, and Nike's upcoming self-lacing shoes (yes, you can actually buy them).

Speed round:

Links:

• MacKenzie Bezos and the Myth of the Lone Genius Founder | WIRED
• I saw the future of advertising, and damn is it scary | Android Central
• Bell's 'tailored marketing program' to collect more user information for targeted ads
• Microsoft Bing not only shows child pornography, it suggests it | TechCrunch
• Court: Cops Can't Force You to Unlock a Phone With Biometrics | PCMag
• Are Cellphone Data Searches Legal in Canada? - Armoured Suits
• When can police search your cellphone in Canada? -
• Can law enforcement legally access data on your smartphone in Canada? - National | Globalnews.ca
• Nike Adapt BB self-lacing basketball shoes arrive in February - 9to5Toys
• Faster Wi-Fi is here, but it’s off to a slow start - The Verge
• Apple reportedly planning three iPhones for 2019, one with new triple-camera system - The Verge
• Reminder: Windows 7 Support Ends 1 Year From Today | PCMag
• 'Choose Your Own Adventure' Publisher Sues Netflix Over Interactive 'Bandersnatch' Film | Geek.com
• Google Discontinues Chromecast Audio | PCMag
• Man's $1,998 Camera Fried by Self-Driving Car Laser
• Privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo partners with Apple Maps for map search results
• Microsoft is preparing for foldable Windows devices - The Verge
• Apple Releases Smart Battery Cases for iPhone XS, XS Max and XR, Qi Wireless Charging Supported - MacRumors
• Apple reportedly replaced 10 times as many batteries as expected in 2018 - The Verge
• SpaceX will lay off hundreds to ‘become a leaner company’ | TechCrunch

This week Dan, Marc, and Riley talk about approximately one one-millionth of the CES news thus far, including new brands of TV supporting AirPlay (and how that news crashed Roku stock), an Apple ad trolling other companies about data security, The Verge's assertion iMessage should, for moral reasons, be on Android, Apple maybe supporting RCS, LG's roll-up TV, Sony's 98-inch 8K TV, and Tile's partnership with chipmakers and bluetooth standards.

Hey! We also have a subreddit now! Check it out here: https://www.reddit.com/r/wreckedbytech

Speed round:

Links:

• Here are all of the TVs getting AirPlay 2 in 2019 - The Verge
• Apple’s AirPlay 2 TV integration crashes Roku stock after investors call company ‘uninvestable’ - 9to5Mac
• The moral case for iMessage on Android - The Verge
• Apple reportedly 'in discussions' to support RCS, the iMessage-like successor to SMS - 9to5Mac
• LG’s groundbreaking roll-up TV is going on sale this year - The Verge
• Sony announces giant-sized 8K and 4K TVs at CES 2019 - The Verge
• Tile Partners With Chipmakers to Ensure You Never Lose Your Stuff
• Huawei punishes staff with pay cuts for marketing tweet sent via iPhone
• Withings brings EKG readings to its hybrid smartwatch | TechCrunch
• This AirPods case is also a fidget spinner - The Verge
• The USB-C portable monitor you can take anywhere - YouTube
• Foldimate’s laundry-folding machine actually works now - The Verge
• Folding your T-Shirt the Easy Way - YouTube
• HomeKit-compatible Smart Shades starting gradual roll-out at Ikea
• Augmented Reality pool trajectory : INEEEEDIT
• Forest - Stay focused, be present
• Forest for Windows Phone aims to free you from your phone addiction | Windows Central

This episode Dan, Marc, and Riley record in the same room — FOR THE FIRST TIME — to discuss the funniest/stupidest/scariest tech topics of the year. Happy New Year! Let's hope 2019 is just as insane.

This week Dan and Riley talk about Riley's shiny new Pixel 3, Canada's anti-spam laws and their effects on cease and desist letters from Hollywood, the CRTC's "low-cost" data-only plans, and Apple's bent iPads.

Speed round:

Links:

• Canada Prohibits Piracy Settlement Demands in ISP Copyright Notices - TorrentFreak
• CRTC's low-cost data-only plan decision is disappointing, 'slap in the face,' say advocates
• Apple confirms some iPad Pros ship slightly bent, but says it’s normal - The Verge
• Razer teases Xbox One mouse and keyboard for CES 2019
• We Broke Into A Bunch Of Android Phones With A 3D-Printed Head
• Facebook admits unshared photos from 6.8 million users affected by latest privacy flaw - 9to5Mac
• Home Alone Again with the Google Assistant - YouTube

This week Riley takes you through a few tidbits all by his lonesome, including an incident with bear spray at Amazon, a court injunction banning iPhone sales in China, Google+ shutting down four months early, GoPro's plans to move some manufacturing to the US, changes to the digital LSAT, and Microsoft Edge's fancy new Chromium features.

Links:

• Amazon Has a History of Bear Repellent Accidents | WIRED
• Qualcomm wins court injunction banning Apple from importing older iPhones in China - The Verge
• Google will shut down Google+ four months early after second data leak - The Verge
• GoPro to Move Camera Production Out of China to Avoid US Tariffs
• LSAC Announces Technology Collaboration with Microsoft | The Law School Admission Council
• Microsoft's new Chromium-based browser will support Chrome extensions

This week Dan and Marc talk about the Huawei CFO's Canadian arrest, a massive data leak from Bethesda, PewDiePie's quest to stay king of the hill at YouTube, Microsoft's new Chromium-based browser, and Google's murder of Allo.

Speed round:

Links:

• Huawei C.F.O. Is Arrested in Canada for Extradition to the U.S. - The New York Times
• Bethesda Leaks Personal Details of Fallout 76 Customers
• Microsoft is building its own Chrome browser to replace Edge - The Verge
• Source: Google Allo will be officially shut down soon - 9to5Google
• Police Catch Tesla Autopilot Driving Home Sleeping Drunk
• Robot janitors are moving into Walmart
• New Scam Apps Take Advantage of iPhone Touch ID | WIRED
• Samsung Busted Using DSLR Photo t Market A8 Phone's Camera
• Instagram Launches AI Descriptions of Photos for the Visually Impaired
• Marques Brownlee's Blind Smartphone Photo Test Results

This week Marc and Riley discuss the Marriott hotel hack (it's big), an ad campaign showing how often men grope women in clubs, Japan's mandatory shutter sound on phones, Payless' publicity stunt that fooled influencers into thinking it was boutique, and Shaw's wonderful new internet speeds.

Speed round:

Links:

• Marriott Database Hack Exposes Details of 500M Guests | PCMag
• Oglivy's smart dress shows how often women are groped at clubs — Quartzy
• Japan's noisy iPhone problem
• Payless marked up discount shoes to $600 at luxury event 'Palessi'
• Shaw doubles speeds of its top internet plans in Western Canada
• Mobile broadband is faster than Wi-Fi in 33 countries - The Verge
• Amazon put unwanted sponsored products in customers’ baby registries - The Verge
• Netflix Canada increases monthly subscription prices
• Apple Music is coming to Echo devices next month - The Verge
• Starbucks says it’ll block porn on its public Wi-Fi next year - The Verge
• Apple will stop offering $35 battery replacements by January 1st, 2019

Reunited and it feels so good! All three of us are back for our 100th episode, where we talk about a new European law that threatens video content worldwide, another inexplicable pair of Spectacles from Snap Inc., Amazon's HQ2 bid benefitting Toronto, and Instagram's attempt to de-emphasize follower count.

Speed round:

Links:

• YouTube | #SaveYourInternet - Article 13
• Snap To Release New Spectacles With Two Cameras For $350 on Cheddar
• Toronto made $143 million advertising itself to be Amazon's HQ2 location
• Instagram works on profile redesign to de-emphasize follower counts
• PowerPic | Twelve South
• Cards Against Humanity 99% Sale
• Canadians are more polite on Twitter, Americans more negative — study looked at 40M tweets | CBC News
• Holiday — Share Your Gifts — Apple - YouTube
• Holiday — Making of “Share Your Gifts” — Apple - YouTube