Daily Tech News Show

Is Apple Intelligence as good as Apple says it is? Emily Forlini from PC Magazine shares her experience. Plus US users can try out Google Labs new image generator called Whisk. And Mark Zuckerberg announced Threads daily and monthly active users numbers. And how do they compare with X and Bluesky?Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Emily Forlini, Roger Chang, Joe.Link to the Show Notes.

Political polarization feels like it's at historic high, but what does the data actually tell us? Plus LLMs can sound very convincing to some people and there’s a psychological reason why that is. Professor of cognitive psychology at the University of Waikato, Dr. Garry explains.Starring Tom Merritt, Andrea Jones-Rooy, Dr. Maryanne Garry, Roger Chang, Joe.Link to the Show Notes.

Waymo’s robotaxis passes an independent first responder test. Plus Google’s NotebookLM AI podcast hosts can directly talk with the user. And Patrick’s here with a list of audio brands you’ve never heard but you should check out.Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Patrick Norton, Roger Chang, Joe.Link to the Show Notes.

Jason Howell has first impressions of Android XR, Google’s new mixed reality platform. And is Epic’s deal with Telefonica bloatware?Big Story"Epic Games to pre-install its game store on 'millions' of devices with new Telefónica deal | TechCrunch"   https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/12/epic-games-to-pre-install-its-game-store-on-millions-of-devices-with-new-telefonica-deal/"Android XR: Google's Bold New Vision for Extended Reality"   https://www.androidfaithful.com/android-xr-googles-bold-new-vision-for-extended-reality/"I Tried Google's Android XR Glasses - by Jason Howell"   https://jasonhowell.substack.com/p/i-tried-googles-android-xr-glasses"Google wants Android XR to power your next VR headset and smart glasses"   https://www.androidpolice.com/android-xr-announced/"Android XR and Project Moohan hands-on: Gemini is the killer app - The Verge"   https://www.theverge.com/2024/12/12/24319528/google-android-xr-samsung-project-moohan-smart-glasses"Harvard and Google to release 1 million public-domain books as AI training dataset | TechCrunch"   https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/12/harvard-and-google-to-release-1-million-public-domain-books-as-ai-training-dataset/"Harvard Is Releasing a Massive Free AI Training Dataset Funded by OpenAI and Microsoft | WIRED"   https://www.wired.com/story/harvard-ai-training-dataset-openai-microsoft/"FCC Opens Entire 6-GHz Band to Very-Low-Power Device Operations | TV Tech"   https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/fcc-opens-entire-6-ghz-band-to-very-low-power-device-operations"YouTube TV Hikes Price by $10 to $83 per Month, up 14%"   https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/youtube-tv-raises-price-increase-2024-1236247063/"YouTube TV Hikes Price $10 to $82.99"   https://www.thewrap.com/youtube-tv-price-increase/"Google Adds More Bluetooth Tracker Protections to Android - Thurrott.com"   https://www.thurrott.com/mobile/android/314394/google-adds-more-bluetooth-tracker-protections-to-android"Android’s Unknown tracker alerts adding ‘Find Nearby’ for FMD"   https://9to5google.com/2024/12/11/unknown-tracker-alerts-find-nearby-update/"You can now use AirTags to expedite a lost luggage reunion through United’s mobile app - The Verge"   https://www.theverge.com/2024/12/12/24319503/apple-airtag-find-my-network-share-item-location-united-airlines-lost-bag-luggage"Intel Arc B580 review: The first worthy budget GPU of the decade | PCWorld"   https://www.pcworld.com/article/2553897/intel-arc-b580-review.html"It sure looks like OpenAI trained Sora on game content — and legal experts say that could be a problem | TechCrunch"   https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/11/it-sure-looks-like-openai-trained-sora-on-game-content-and-legal-experts-say-that-could-be-a-problem/"Nvidia Steps Up Hiring in China to Focus on AI-Driven Cars - Bloomberg"   https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-12-12/nvidia-steps-up-hiring-in-china-to-focus-on-ai-driven-cars"China’s Instagram-Style Xiaohongshu Crosses $1 Billion in Profit - Bloomberg"   https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-12-12/china-s-instagram-style-xiaohongshu-crosses-1-billion-in-profit"Australia to force tech giants to keep paying for news"   https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4pvgjklevo"Google says feedback shows old search result format is bad for hotels"   https://finance.yahoo.com/news/google-says-feedback-shows-old-140517877.html

What happens when Moxie the AI powered emotional support companion loses access to its cloud servers that make it run because the company that makes it closes down? Plus Google introduces its new Gemini 2.0 AI model. And YouTube Says Sports Viewing Via TVs Is Up 30% Year-On-Year, 4K Uploads Climb 35%.Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang, Joe.Link to the Show Notes.

How an AR program may be the key to helping people with Parkinson’s disease manage symptoms. Plus Amazon is partnering with Hyundai to purchase a new car online with more automakers to follow next year. And Norway’s Vipps launches the first tap-to-pay system that can be the default payment system on iPhones instead of Apple Pay.Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang, Joe.Link to the Show Notes.

Merriam-Webster made “blog” the word of the year in 2004. Twenty years later how has blogging evolved and changed since then? Plus Google unveils its latest quantum computer that can solve problems in 5 minutes that would take the Frontier supercomputer (currently second fastest) 10 septillion years. And Reddit is testing a generative model chatbot that answers user questions with a summary of relevant threads.Starring Tom Merritt, Nate Lanxon, Roger Chang, Joe.Link to the Show Notes.

As the US government invests in technology to extra data from encrypted communications what should typical users worry about? Plus researchers from the Swiss École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and UC Irvine have developed a drone with jumping legs to leap the device into the air. And red team research published by OpenAI and Apollo Research discover o1 will lie to give answers users are happy with.Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Molly Wood, Len Peralta, Roger Chang, Joe.Link to the Show Notes.

OpenAI’s “12 Days of Shipmas” starts today and we go over the big announcements. Plus, X-like social media platform Bluesky has hinted at including social media subscriptions, a marketplace of algorithms, and selling domain names.Starring Sarah Lane, Robb Dunewood, Justin Robert Young, Roger Chang, Joe.Link to the Show Notes.

In response to suspected hackers in China penetrating American telecom networks the head of CISA and an FBI official recommend people use encryption. Plus, the head of Sony Interactive Entertainment Hermen Hulst believes generative AI can be the key to innovative in-game experiences but that game development needs a human touch.Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Scott Johnson, Roger Chang, Joe.Link to the Show Notes.

Tuesday, China restricts the export of “‘dual-use items’ related to gallium, germanium, antimony, and superhard materials to the US.” Plus the Verge has launched a subscription service called Verge+, priced at $7 per month or $50 per year, that removes ads and gives unlimited access to articles. And a University of Texas research team has created ink for a temporary tattoo that can be printed on the skin to record brain activity.Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang, Joe.Link to the Show Notes.

Allison explains why she’s changed her mind about Apple’s password management app. Plus Intel CEO, Pat Gelsinger, leaves the company abruptly. And we explore the rumors that Apple may or may not change all of their iPhone cases to aluminum in 2025.Starring Tom Merritt, Allison Sheridan, Roger Chang, Joe.Link to the Show Notes.

Canada’s Competition Bureau sues Google for anti-competitive online advertising, the European Commission ends an investigation into Amazon over taxes, and Meta plans to build a $10 billion, 40,000+ kilometer fiber-optic subsea cable.Link to Show Notes

Australia bans social media for teens under 16, China said it would take "necessary actions" to protect Chinese firms if the U.S. escalated chip control measures, and the FTC is investigating Microsoft over antitrust concerns.Link to Show Notes

President of SCE Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, steps down from his 38 years. Scott shares his thoughts on Yoshida’s legacy. Plus OpenAI shuts down access to its video generative AI tool, Sora, after artists given early access released a version of the tool publicly alongside a statement decrying “being lured into ‘art washing’ to tell the world that Sora is a useful tool for artists”. And a Hugging Face machine learning librarian a dataset composed of one million Bluesky posts.Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Scott Johnson, Roger Chang, Joe.Link to the Show Notes.

A UK company has developed a gamma ray detector mounted on a robotic dog that can assess soil quality. Do the domestically manufactured chips in Huawei’s Mate 70 smartphone point to progress in China’s semiconductor industry? And the musician Drake has filed a lawsuit in New York’s Supreme Court alleging Universal Music Group used bots and bribes to inflate the popularity of rival Kendrick Lamar’s song “Not Like Us”.Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang, Joe.Link to the Show Notes.

How does holiday pricing work and what motivates sellers to drop prices during the holiday shopping season? Big Jim explains. Plus the media is warning that AI development has reached its peak, but is it true? Andrew Mayne cuts through the FUD. And The Information says the iPhone 17 “Air” rumored to be coming next year will be between 5 and 6 millimeters thick compared to the iPhone 16 at 7.8 mm.Starring Tom Merritt, Nica Montford, Andrew Mayne, James Thatcher, Roger Chang, Joe.Link to the Show Notes.

Robert Heron is here with a holiday home theater buying guide! Not sure which TV deals are the best? Robert will steer you right. Plus OpenAI wants to make its own browser according to The Information. And Threads is overhauling its search and trend features as Bluesky closes in on engagement numbers.Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Robert Heron, Len Peralta, Roger Chang, Joe.Link to the Show Notes.

The US DOJ is proposing a breakup of Google's Browser and potentially its OS business as well. How likely is that? Plus Facebook Messenger has added support for HD video calls, audio and video voice messages, generative backgrounds, and support for Apple’s Siri. Tubi has introduced a new short-form video feature called “Scenes” that lets users explore short clips from over 250,000 popular television programs and films.Starring Sarah Lane, Robb Dunewood, Justin Robert Young, Roger Chang, Joe.Link to the Show Notes.

Why has Niantic, creators of the Pokémon Go mobile game, turned that into an AI tuned to geospatial information? Plus a system update for the PlayStation Portal lets users play games directly from the cloud. And Amazon introduces a new Echo product. The Echo Show 21.Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Scott Johnson, Roger Chang, Joe.Link to the Show Notes.