Tag Archives: Apple

PTJ 329: Root, Root, Root for the Home Team

March 22, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

As more states and cities tell citizens to stay out of public places and do their part to help stop the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, El Kaiser and J.D. fire up the microphones in their respective recording bunkers to discuss the latest tech news. El Kaiser also offers his pro tips for looking and sounding better on those office video-conference meetings, and J.D. has a few ideas for parents trying to keep the kids busy after they’ve finished their online lessons for the day. It’s all here on PTJ 329 — right in the comfort of your own home!

Links to Stories in This Week’s Episode

Google’s coronavirus website finally launches alongside enhanced search results (The Verge)
Google’s COVID-19 information page
Delivering information and eliminating bottlenecks with CDC’s COVID-19 assessment bot (The Official Microsoft Blog)
Apple updated Siri to help people who ask if they have coronavirus (CNBC)
Internal memo: Jeff Bezos tells Amazon employees he’s ‘wholly focused’ on the COVID-19 crisis (GeekWire)
A message from our CEO and founder (Amazon)
Netflix to Cut Streaming Video Bit Rates in Europe for 30 Days (Variety)
Mass move to work from home in coronavirus crisis creates opening for hackers: cyber experts (Reuters)
How Zoom Became King of the Quarantine Economy (Adweek)
‘Zoombombing’: When Video Conferences Go Wrong (The New York Times)
Emergency Support for Workers in the Creative Community (Netflix)
Exclusive: Amazon raises overtime pay for warehouse workers (Reuters)
New MacBook Air has more to love and is now just $999 (Apple)
Apple unveils new iPad Pro with LiDAR Scanner and trackpad support in iPadOS (Apple)
Believe it: Orchestra plays Beethoven 9th from their homes (Slipped Disc)
Must Watch: Toronto vs Rotterdam in The Home-Play Finals (Slipped Disc)

#StayHome Projects to Keep You (or the Kids) Busy

Make Your Own Animated Movies, Frame by Frame (The New York Times)
How to Add Hollywood Special Effects to Your Videos (The New York Times)
How to Take Music Lessons Whenever (and Wherever) Works for You (The New York Times)
How to Rescue, Repair and Revive Old Family Photos (The New York Times)
Can You Draw This? Of Course You Can! (The New York Times)
From Camera Roll to Canvas: Make Art From Your Photos (The New York Times)
Get Those Records, Tapes and CDs Onto Your Smartphone (The New York Times)

Episode Links

PTJ 328: Going Viral

March 15, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

With COVID-19 disrupting life all over the world, El Kaiser and JD get socially distant and take to their respective bunkers to discuss the pandemic’s effect on life, work and everything. Click into PTJ 328 to have a listen wherever you happen to spending your international public health crisis!

COVID-19 Coronavirus Outbreak (World Health Organization)
Coronavirus: What We’re Doing and How You Can Help (Folding@Home)
IsItCanceledYet.com
Twitter makes working from home mandatory for employees around the world in response to COVID-19 (TechCrunch)
Coronavirus Is a Preview of Our Self-Isolating Future (Medium)
Apple’s next iPhone will add a rear-facing 3D depth camera (Fast Company)
AT&T Suspends Broadband Data Caps During Coronavirus Crisis (VICE)
Comcast keeps charging overage fees (Ars Technica)
Comcast accidentally published 200,000 “unlisted” phone numbers (Ars Technica)
Resumption of work at Foxconn factories in China beats expectations, says founder (Reuters)
Apple’s New iPhone Camera Looks Like A Huge Upgrade (Forbes)
Apple’s massive iPhone 12 upgrade to pack a ‘world-facing’ 3D camera (BGR.com)
Bill Gates is stepping down from the boards of Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway to focus on ‘philanthropic priorities’ (Business Insider)
Firefox 74 slams Facebook in solitary confinement: Browser add-on stops social network stalking users across the web (The Register)
Why the web needs to work for women and girls (World Wide Web Foundation)
Apple Arcade

Episode Links

PTJ 327: It’s Baaaaaacon!

February 27, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer 1 Comment

As El Kaiser and J.D. discuss in the week’s news, the global spread of the coronavirus is starting to take a bite out of the tech industry in multiple ways. But hey, the news wasn’t all bad — a major fast-food chain is now selling a bag of bacon as a tasty snack. Just hit the Play button on PTJ 327 to hear it all, plus a (Hopefully) Helpful Hint about reining in your phone’s constant alerts and notifications.

Links to News Stories on This Week’s Show

Apple’s Cook Calls Coronavirus a ‘Challenge’ at Shareholder Talk (Bloomberg)
Coronavirus clouds Apple’s timeline for new iPhones (Reuters)
Apple will surprise everyone with a new iPhone next month, and now we know even more about it (BGR)
The best Apple rumor right now is Gmail (The Verge)
Facebook cracks down on ads about coronavirus (Business Insider)
It’s Facebook vs. the Bloomberg Campaign vs. the Internet (The New York Times)
Google Translate adds five languages (The Keyword)
PSA: Google Nest Cam outage takes down live video, history (9to5Google)
Inside ‘Amazon Go Grocery’: Tech giant opens first full-sized store without cashiers or checkout lines (GeekWire)
Clearview AI: Face-collecting company database hacked (BBC News)
Dunkin’ Snackin’ Bacon

(Hopefully) Helpful Hint

How to Take Control of Your Notifications (The New York Times)

Episode Links

PTJ 324: In With the New!

January 8, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

2020 is here and with it, new laws and other rules that might make life as a technology consumer a little easier. After a quick recap of the recent headlines by J.D., El Kaiser shares his adventures as both an impulse buyer of a brand new iMac Pro, and as the custodian of a trusty old 2008 Mac Pro tower that still has some life in it. Happy New Year, Pop Tech listeners, and here’s Episode 324!

Links to News Stories on This Week’s Show

Wrapping up CES 2020: Anxiety, cats and yet another streaming service, called Quibi (The Washington Post)
Twitter will put options to limit replies directly on the compose screen (The Verge)
Enforcing Against Manipulated Media (About Facebook)
Facebook bans deepfakes, but new policy may not cover controversial Pelosi video (The Washington Post)
Facebook Ad Library
Spotify brings streaming ad insertion technology to podcasts (TechCrunch)
Why you’re getting so many privacy update emails this week (USA Today)
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA): What you need to know to be compliant (CSO)
California Consumer Privacy Act
What California’s new privacy law really means for you (Fast Company)
‘We have a huge problem’: European regulator despairs over lack of enforcement (Politico)
President Trump signs robo-call bill into law (CNNPolitics)
New Free File agreement signed to strengthen program, help taxpayers (Internal Revenue Service)
Microsoft takes court action against fourth nation-state cybercrime group (Microsoft on the Issues)
Pentagon Warns Military Personnel Against At-Home DNA Tests (The New York Times)
The 2010s were supposed to bring the ebook revolution. It never quite came. (Vox)

El Kasier’s Big Upgrade

iMac Pro (Apple)
SoftRAID
Mac Pro, 2008 Edition (Apple History)
Computer vs. Smartphone (Computer Hope)
Americans favor mobile devices over desktops and laptops for getting news (Pew Research Center)

(Hopefully) Helpful Hint, Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 322: Disney, Plus…

November 22, 2019 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

On this week’s episode, El Kaiser and J.D. offer their initial impressions on The Mandalorian, the new Disney+ live-action show set in the Star Wars universe. After a quick trip through recent tech headlines, J.D. also supplies a (Hopefully) Helpful Hint about getting started with touch-screen drawing apps. Use the Force and punch the button for Episode 322!

Links to News Stories on This Week’s Show

“The Mandalorian” (Disney+)
An update on our political ads policy (Google Keyword blog)
Hey Google, play me the news (Google blog)
Spotify turns its personalization technology to podcasts with launch of Your Daily Podcasts (TechCrunch)
Uber Embraces Videotaping Rides, Raising Privacy Concerns (The New York Times)
Uber safety push includes plans to start audio recording rides in the U.S. (The Washington Post)
How Attackers Could Hijack Your Android Camera to Spy on You (Checkmarx)
U.S. approves first licenses for tech sales to Huawei (The Washington Post)
PayPal to acquire shopping and rewards platform Honey for $4B (TechCrunch)
Doorbell camera footage can be kept by police forever and shared with whomever they’d like (The Washington Post)
Amazon Announces New Fire TV Blaster, Giving Users Voice Control Over TVs and Cable Boxes (The Streamable)
Dead musicians are taking the stage again in hologram form. Is this the kind of encore we really want? (The Washington Post)

(Hopefully) Helpful Hint

Can You Draw This? Of Course You Can. (The New York Times)

Episode Links

PTJ 321: What’s In Your (Digital) Wallet?

November 8, 2019 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

On this week’s episode, El Kaiser and J.D. discuss recent happenings at Twitter, Apple’s housing project, YouTube’s redesign and new smartphone apps from Google that are supposed to make you use your smartphone less. J.D. also takes a look at the current state of mobile wallet apps. All this and more on PTJ 321!

Google Weighs Changes to Political Ad Policy (The Wall Street Journal)
Twitter Topics: follow subjects automatically in the timeline (The Verge)
Former Twitter Employees Charged With Spying for Saudi Arabia (The New York Times)
These Hugely Popular Local News Sites In The US And Canada Are Fake (BuzzFeed News)
T-Mobile promises consumer benefits if Sprint deal OK’d (Associated Press)
If You Got a Strange Text Last Night, Here’s Why (Popular Mechanics)
Introducing a fresh new look for YouTube on desktop and tablets (Official YouTube Blog)
YouTube’s homepage redesign focuses on usability, giving you control over recommendations (TechCrunch)
Adobe Exec Defends Photoshop for iPad After App Falls Flat (Bloomberg)
Adobe is launching a free AI-powered Photoshop Camera app (The Verge)
Apple commits $2.5 billion to combat housing crisis in California (Apple)
The Microsoft HoloLens 2 ships today for $3,500 (The Verge)
Google’s New Anti-Smartphone Apps, Ranked (Gizmodo)
How to Get the Most Out of Your Digital Wallet (The New York Times)

Episode Links

PTJ 320: The Ups and Downs of Package Delivery

October 28, 2019 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

On this week’s episode, El Kaiser continues his foray into the world of wireless Bluetooth earbuds after the weekly news roundup with J.D. And in these news this week: The stress of Internet shopping on New York City streets, more software updates from Apple and a leak peak at Windows 10X.

1.5 Million Packages a Day: The Internet Brings Chaos to N.Y. Streets (The New York Times)
UPS gets government approval to become a drone airline (Associated Press)
UPS and CVS plan to deliver prescriptions via drone (Engadget)
Microsoft wins $10 billion JEDI defense cloud contract, beating Amazon (CNBC)
Spotify Technology S.A. Announces Financial Results for Third Quarter 2019 (Spotify)
Apple Releases iOS and iPadOS 13.2 With New Emoji, Deep Fusion for iPhone 11, Siri Privacy Options, and More (MacRumors)
Apple reveals new AirPods Pro, available October 30 (Apple)
Molly Russell: Instagram extends self-harm ban to drawings (BBC News)
Facebook takes down false ad from PAC on Republican Graham (Reuters)
Facebook alters video to make people invisible to facial recognition (VentureBeat)
Exclusive: Google owner Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit (Reuters)
How 18 Malware Apps Snuck Into Apple’s App Store (Wired)
Google CEO Sundar Pichai acknowledges employee trust issues in closed-door meeting (The Washington Post)
Windows 10X details revealed in major leak (MSPoweruser)
Samsung Galaxy Buds

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 319: Secrets and Lies

October 14, 2019 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

El Kaiser and J.D. discuss the recent technology headlines, including Facebook’s wobbly Libra cryptocurrency, yet another iOS 13 update and political chaos around the globe. Also, there’s a giant Ouija board up in Salem, Massachusetts. And, leaving his beloved 3.5-mm headphone jack behind, El Kaiser takes a walk on the wireless side with a pair of Jabra Bluetooth earbuds.
Listen up here in PTJ 319!

High Schools to TikTok: We’re Catching Feelings (The New York Times)
Twitch is testing out watch parties, at long last (Polygon)
WAV audio files are now being used to hide malicious code (ZDNet)
Google Pixel 4: Android And Assistant Are Evolving (Forbes)
Hands-on with Pixel 4 and 4 XL: Google’s new phones only have minor differences (CNet)
The Reason Your Photos Are About to Get a Lot Better (The New York Times)
EBay, Visa, Mastercard, Stripe abandon Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency (CNBC)
Defiant Zuckerberg Says Facebook Won’t Police Political Speech (The New York Times)
Facebook’s Hands-Off Approach to Political Speech Gets Impeachment Test (The New York Times)
Elizabeth Warren targets Facebook’s ad policy — with a Facebook ad (CNN)
Why Facebook can’t stop politicians from lying (The Verge)
Facebook to Pay $40M in Proposed Settlement in Video Metrics Suit (Hollywood Reporter)
Google’s Pixel 4 hardware event: rumors, leaks, and what to expect (The Verge)
Kuo: iPhone SE 2 Launching in Q1 2020 with A13 at $399 Price (MacRumors)
Apple Adds Option to Delete Siri History and Opt Out of Sharing Audio Recordings in iOS 13.2 (MacRumors)
Is Amazon Watching You? Cloud Cam Footage Reviewed By Humans (Bloomberg)
Apple Removes App That Helps Hong Kong Protesters Track the Police (The New York Times)
Apple, Google Pull Hong Kong Protest Apps After China Uproar (Wall Street Journal)
Blizzard Boycott After Hearthstone Player Punished For Hong Kong Protest Support (BuzzFeed News)
World’s Largest Ouija Board Unveiled in Salem, Ma. (Geek.com)
Ouijazilla! (Talking Board Historical Society)
Jabra Elite 65t Bluetooth earbuds

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 318: Honk If You Love ‘Untitled Goose Game’

October 6, 2019 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

As crisp autumn breezes swirl through New York City at last, El Kaiser and J.D. get back to business, pondering new studies on social media’s effect on news and mental health, Apple’s bugfest of an iOS 13 release and a recent addictive video game about a horrible little goose loose in a quiet English village. El Kaiser also shares his observations on some recently acquired gear. Pour yourself a cup of hot cider and settle in for PTJ 318!

Americans Are Wary of the Role Social Media Sites Play in Delivering the News (Pew Research Center)
College students who go off Facebook for a week consume less news and report being less depressed (Nieman Journalism Lab)
With Facebook’s Coming News Tab, Only Some Will Get Paid (Wall Street Journal)
What Is Facebook Dating For? (The Atlantic)
TiVo Debuts the Edge DVR and TiVo+, Its Own Live Streaming Service (Digital Trends)
Instagram makes its ‘Restrict’ anti-bullying tool available to everyone (Engadget)
Tesla’s Smart Summon feature is already causing chaos in parking lots across America (The Verge)
U.S. online privacy rules unlikely this year, hurting big tech (Reuters)
Apple iOS 13 Is Full Of Bugs, Reports Warn (Forbes)
Apple Releases iOS 13.1.2 and iPadOS 13.1.2 with Fixes for Camera, iCloud Backup, HomePod Shortcut, and Flashlight Bugs (MacRumors)
iOS 13: Security and privacy settings you need to tweak and check (ZDNet)
How a horrible goose topped the gaming chart (BBC News)
Samsung Galaxy Note
Samsung Galaxy Watch

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 317: Candied Apples

September 10, 2019 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

Brand new iPhones in pastel-candy colors, two deluxe “Pro” models with three cameras on the back and a spiffy new iPad were in Apple’s basket of fall announcements this week — along with an updated Apple Watch and two new monthly subscription services for games and movies. El Kaiser and J.D. wade into the Apple news-stream after a look at other headlines, including new government scrutiny for Big, er, Gigundo Tech. Welcome to PTJ 317!

A message about iOS security (Apple)
Apple takes flak for disputing iOS security bombshell dropped by Google (Ars Technica)
A very deep dive into iOS Exploit chains found in the wild (Google Project Zero)
How Google’s Project Zero ended up attacking all iPhone users (iMore)
Texas attorney general leads Google antitrust probe (CNBC)
Google and YouTube Will Pay Record $170 Million for Alleged Violations of Children’s Privacy Law (Federal Trade Commission)
How Each Big Tech Company May Be Targeted by Regulators (The New York Times)
16 Ways Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon Are in Government Cross Hairs (The New York Times)
How Top-Valued Microsoft Has Avoided the Big Tech Backlash (The New York Times)
Your Private Instagram Stories Aren’t Exactly Private (BuzzFeed)
Period Tracker Apps: Maya And MIA Fem Are Sharing Deeply Personal Data With Facebook (BuzzFeed)
Facebook warns about Apple iOS 13 privacy improvement (CNBC)
Understanding Updates to Your Device’s Location Settings (Facebook)
How Apple’s Apps Topped Rivals in the App Store It Controls (The New York Times)
Amazon Employees Are Walking Out Over the Company’s Huge Carbon Footprint
(VICE)
The Polaroid Lab delivers instant prints using your phone display (Engadget)
Polaroid Originals
Kodak PRINTOMATIC Cameras

Apple Event Announcements

Everything Apple Announced at Today’s iPhone Event in Just Seven Minutes (macOS Rumors video)
September 2019 event (macOS Rumors)
Apple Arcade invites you to play something extraordinary (Apple)
Apple TV+ launches November 1, featuring originals from the world’s greatest storytellers (Apple)
Apple introduces new version of the most popular iPad starting at $329 (Apple)
Apple unveils Apple Watch Series 5 (Apple)
Apple introduces dual camera iPhone 11 (Apple)
iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max: the most powerful and advanced smartphones (Apple)

The independent audio magazine devoted to mashing up pop culture, technology and more. J.D. Biersdorfer and Pedro Rafael Rosado are your hosts. It's an Internet Radio revolution!