As the COVID-19 pandemic continues its spread, Apple and Google join forces to create a platform to track the disease — even though privacy advocates have concerns. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss the program, along with the other tech headlines of the week. And, with network connectivity more important than ever, El Kaiser offers some tips on getting the most out of your home Wi-Fi. It’s all here waiting for you in PTJ 332!
Links to News Stories Discussed on This Episode
- Coronavirus Contact Tracing: Apple and Google Team Up to Enable Virus Tracking (The New York Times)
- How Apple and Google are tackling one of the toughest parts about tracking COVID-19 exposures (The Verge)
- Apple and Google detail bold and ambitious plan to track COVID-19 at scale (Ars Technica)
- Coronavirus: UK confirms plan for its own contact tracing app (BBC News)
- Britain’s NHS working with Google, Apple on app to track coronavirus contact: Sunday Times (Reuters)
- Contact Tracing in the Real World (Light Blue Touchpaper)
- ACLU White Paper: The Limits of Location Tracking in an Epidemic (American Civil Liberties Union)
- Apple Maps will soon display COVID-19 testing locations (9to5Mac)
- PayPal, Intuit QuickBooks approved for coronavirus small-business loan (CNBC)
- Warehouse workers are forcing Amazon to take COVID-19 seriously (The Verge)
- Robots Welcome to Take Over, as Pandemic Accelerates Automation (The New York Times)
- Apple Plans IPad-Like Design for Next IPhone, Smaller HomePod (Bloomberg)
- Screen time is nothing to feel guilty about during the coronavirus — for adults or kids (The Washington Post)
Great episode as always! While most of the tips were great, there were a couple of little factoids that could have been added in. 5GHz has shorter range, but faster, not the other way around!! The router should be at least dual band in order to be selectable. It might be good to make a better distinction of the modem and router. How I like to explain it is that the modem is the cable box for the internet, and the router is a multi-outlet to disperse it either via wired or WiFi. I love the fact that you mention that wired connections are king, so I would almost recommend, if it is possible to put the cable modem and router by the main tv console. That way you can have your Apple TV’s/Rokus/Fire TV’s (Amazon sells a dongle adapter that lets you connect a wire to the Fire TV Sticks!) all on the wired connection. Then maybe do a range extender for the WiFi to have the connection reach further afield. Powerline adapters might be something to look into. I have used one a while ago, but not in an apartment building setting.
HI Kevin, Thanks for the input! I’ll make a clarification on next week’s episode.