The Two Techies 525: Competent Repair

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Apple’s new Music venture and the FTC backs the right to repair.

Quick News:

  • Bitcoin falls further as China cracks down on crypto-currencies [Link]
  • Colonial Pipeline boss confirms $4.4m ransom payment [Link]
  • Farewell (again) to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer [Link]
  • Facebook and Instagram threaten to charge for access on iOS 14.5 [Link]

Topics talked about today:

  • Should customers be able to repair their devices? The FTC says yes. [Link]
  • Apple Music Announces Spatial Audio With Dolby Atmos Launching in June [Link]

The Two Techies 524: Controversial Codecs

Play

Apple have some musical announcements and questions about some of Amazon’s delivery tactics.

Quick News:

  • Analytics Suggest 96% of Users Leave App Tracking Disabled in iOS 14.5 [Link]
  • Twitter is testing a new Tip Jar feature for sending money to your favorite accounts [Link]
  • Bill Gates and Melinda Gates are splitting up after 27 years [Link]
  • Biggest ISPs paid for 8.5 million fake FCC comments opposing net neutrality [Link]

Topics talked about today:

  • Rumor: Apple to Announce Third-Generation AirPods and HiFi Apple Music Tier on May 18 [Link]
  • Amazon delivery drivers were told to turn off safety apps to meet quotas [Link]
  • Facebook and Instagram threaten to charge for access on iOS 14.5 [Link]

The Two Techies 523: Possibly Pro

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Apple’s “Spring Loaded” event, when a major technical error ruins countless lives and Google want their employees back in the office.

Quick News:

  • Tesla’s Autopilot ‘tricked’ to operate without driver [Link]
  • ‘Self-driving’ cars to be allowed on UK roads this year [Link]
  • Jaguar Land Rover to suspend output due to chip shortage [Link]
  • Spotify Announces Podcasts Subscription Service to Rival Apple Podcasts [Link]

Topics talked about today:

  • This week’s top stories: Everything Apple announced at its ‘Spring Loaded’ event [Link]
  • Bad software sent postal workers to jail, because no one wanted to admit it could be wrong [Link]
  • Google’s Push To Bring Employees Back To Offices Frustrates Some Employees Who Say They’ll Quit [Link]

The Two Techies 522: Catching Up

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Industry rivals don’t agree with Facebook, a global chip shortage and what does Amazon’s new CEO mean for the company?

Quick News:

  • The Right to Repair Movement Is Poised to Explode in 2021 [Link]
  • Chrome users have faced 3 security concerns over the past 24 hours [Link]
  • Dangerous products remain for sale on Wish [Link]
  • Broadband switching should be less ‘hassle’, says Ofcom [Link]

Topics talked about today:

  • Unlike Zuckerberg, Snap CEO Spiegel says Apple’s iPhone privacy change is good for consumers [Link]
  • Snapchat warns Apple’s privacy changes could hurt ad business [Link]
  • How will ‘chipageddon’ affect you? [Link]
  • Amazon: Meet Jeff Bezos’s successor – Andy Jassy [Link]
  • Amazon will have a new CEO as Jeff Bezos transitions to executive chair later this year [Link]

The Two Techies 521: Reaching Records

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The show turns 11, Apple reports a record-setting Q1 2021 and the UK’s internet usage doubles in 2020.

Quick News:

  • WhatsApp loses millions of users after terms update [Link]
  • Tim Cook calls out Facebook’s business model, says it leads to ‘violence,’ ‘polarization’ [Link]
  • Google Deletes Thousands of Negative Robinhood Reviews to Save It From 1 Star Rating [Link]
  • Subscribers of Apple TV Plus will continue to get credit refunds until June [Link]

Topics talked about today:

  • Apple Reports Record-Setting 1Q 2021 Results: $28.8B Profit on $111.4B Revenue[Link]
  • UK internet use doubles in 2020 due to pandemic [Link]

The Two Techies 520: Managing Moderation

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What drives our fascination with our smart phones and Elon Musk wanted Apple to buy Tesla in 2017.

Quick News:

  • Apple iCloud sign-in and activation issue appears resolved after nearly 36 hours [Link]
  • Samsung’s deleting ads that mocked Apple for not including a charger in the box [Link]
  • UK government ‘likely to miss’ broadband and 5G targets [Link]
  • YouTube cancels Rewind video amid pandemic [Link]

Topics talked about today:

  • Elon Musk says Apple’s boss snubbed takeover deal [Link]
  • Phone addiction not driven by notifications, study finds [Link]

The Two Techies 519: Factually Flawed

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PayPal knows how to scare users away and is the M1 chip really all it’s hyped up to be?

Quick News:

  • Facebook and Instagram disable features in Europe [Link]
  • Cyberpunk 2077: Sony pulls game from PlayStation while Xbox offers refunds [Link]
  • Periscope App Shutting Down in March as Most Functionality Has Transitioned to Twitter [Link]
  • Google outage: YouTube, Docs and Gmail knocked offline [Link]

Topics talked about today:

  • PayPal introduces new fee for dormant accounts [Link]
  • M1 13″ MacBook Pro vs 16″ MacBook Pro: I’m dumbfounded.. [Link]

The Two Techies 518: A New Era

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A complete overview of everything Apple announced at their November 2020 event and more.

Quick News:

  • Google Photos abandons unlimited uploads amid storage changes [Link]
  • Amazon’s Ring video doorbells catch fire because wrong screw used [Link]
  • Codemasters: UK games firm to sell to Take-Two [Link]
  • Apple Launches New AirPods Pro Service Program for Sound Issues Like Crackling or Static [Link]

Topics talked about today:

  • Everything Announced at Today’s Apple Event in 6 Minutes [Link]

The Two Techies 517: Super Specification

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Everything Apple announced at their “Hi, Speed” event and MPs question whether artists are paid fairly for streaming music.

Quick News:

  • High charges for rural broadband investigated by Ofcom [Link]
  • Drivers to be banned from picking up mobile phones [Link]
  • Microsoft just force restarted my Windows PC again to install more unwanted apps [Link]
  • British Airways fined £20m over data breach [Link]

Topics talked about today:

  • Top Stories: iPhone 12, HomePod Mini, MagSafe Accessories, and More [Link]
  • MPs to investigate whether artists are paid fairly for streaming music [Link]

The Two Techies 516: Costly Consumerism

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Apple announce their October 2020 “Hi, Speed” event and is consumerism changing for the better?

Quick News:

  • Corona-fied: Employers are now spying on remote workers in their homes [Link]
  • Microsoft to reportedly allow its 150,000 employees to work from home permanently, the latest tech giant to do so [Link]
  • Huawei ousted from heart of EU as Nokia wins Belgian 5G contracts [Link]
  • Apple delays new anti-tracking privacy measures [Link]

Topics talked about today:

  • Nine in 10 adults think buying latest smartphone is ‘waste of money’ [Link]
  • What to Expect at October’s Apple Event: New iPhone 12 Lineup, Smaller HomePod Mini, Wireless Chargers and More [Link]

The Two Techies 515: Predefined Preinstallations

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The EU wants to limit preinstalled smartphone apps and Google say they have redesigned their new Pixel phone for an economic downturn.

Quick News:

  • Amazon Ring: Phantom smart doorbell chimes alarm owners [Link]
  • E-scooters should be legalised, say MPs [Link]
  • Disappearing Covid-19 app alerts cause alarm [Link]
  • Designer makes £77,000 from iPhone icons in a week [Link]

Topics talked about today:

  • The EU wants to limit which apps Apple and Google pre-install on your phone [Link]
  • Google Pixel phone ‘designed for economic downturn’ [Link]

The Two Techies 514: Prioritising Privacy

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Apple indirectly make it harder for Facebook to track people through an iOS update, mobile operators need to be more transparent about costs and the importance of fact checking online information.

Quick News:

  • Mozilla signs fresh Google search deal worth mega-millions as 25% staff cut hits Servo, MDN, security teams [Link]
  • Anti-vaccine group sues Facebook, claims fact-checking is “censorship” [Link]
  • Santander online banking hit ahead of Bank Holiday [Link]
  • Apple removes Fortnite developer from App Store [Link]

Topics talked about today:

  • Apple’s new iPhone operating system is making it harder for Facebook to track people, and Facebook says it will decimate part of its business [Link]
  • Mobile users still ‘ripped off’ by operators says Which? [Link]

The Two Techies 513: Audacious Algorithms

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Bill Gates speaks out about tech firms, Apple continues to rattle developer’s cages and can algorithms make life changing decisions?

Quick News:

  • Apple fires back in court, says Epic Games CEO asked for special treatment [Link]
  • Microsoft will bid farewell to Internet Explorer and legacy Edge in 2021 [Link]
  • You’ll need a Facebook account to use future Oculus headsets [Link]
  • Ofcom broadband compensation scheme in record payout [Link]

Topics talked about today:

  • Bill Gates says tech companies ‘deserve rude, unfair, tough questions’ [Link]
  • WordPress founder claims Apple cut off updates to his completely free app because it wants 30 percent [Link]
  • The algorithms that make big decisions about your life  [Link]

The Two Techies 512: Attentively Aware

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Apple further alienates themselves from an already distant community, Google Home listens even when not prompted and Instagram were found to have stored deleted content from their servers for more than a year.

Quick News:

  • Eurostar blames virus for premium seat only wi-fi [Link]
  • ZX Spectrum remake blasts through Kickstarter goal [Link]
  • Toshiba shuts the lid on laptops [Link]
  • Computer mouse co-creator dies at 91 [Link]

Topics talked about today:

  • Apple stumbled into a war with the gaming industry, and the future of iOS is at stake [Link]
  • Apple goes to war with the gaming industry [Link]
  • Google accidentally enables Home smart speakers to listen in to everyday house sounds [Link]
  • Instagram kept deleted photos and messages on its servers for more than a year [Link]

The Two Techies 511: Firing Facebook

Play

Facebook faces significant financial losses after firms boycott their advertising platform and the most significant Twitter breach in the company’s history – who or what is to blame?

Quick News:

  • Pivotal tech antitrust hearing officially postponed [Link]
  • Apple to Give Employees Paid Time Off to Vote in U.S. Election [Link]
  • Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak is suing YouTube after grifters used his likeness to promote extensive bitcoin scams [Link]
  • Intel’s next-generation chips delayed until 2022 [Link]

Topics talked about today:

  • Zuckerberg Loses $7 Billion as Firms Boycott Facebook Ads [Link]
  • Twitter and the big bitcoin scam: what happened next [Link]
  • An Instagram bug showed a ‘camera on’ indicator for iOS 14 devices even when users weren’t taking photos [Link]