Allison Sheridan joins us to talk about the world’s connectivity divide and how Microsoft’s doing making software accessible.

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Show Notes

Today’s guest: Allison Sheridan, host of The NosillaCast on podfeet.com

Headlines

CNET reports OnePlus strayed from smartphones announcing the OnePlus DR-1 a quadcopter that’s 70mm wide. Yep. Hand-sized. While it may seem like a joke, and it was definitely tongue-in-cheek OnePlus did sell a limited number of the quads for $20 each. To all who successfully ordered one, keep in mind what the OnePlus website said, with tiny power comes tiny responsibility. Also don’t try to land it on a moving ceiling fan.

The New Zealand Herald reports that New Zealand’s getting a new mobile payment system, launched Tuesday by Semble in collaboration with NZ mobile operators and banks. Semble uses a free app alongside a Semble Read Secure SIM card, provided by the mobile operator, that houses a EMV chip. The app is available for Android users and customers with ASB or the Bank of New Zealand accounts. Future additions to the Semble service include public transit cards, loyalty cards, ticketing, and vouchers with trials starting in April.

BizTechAfrica reports Kenya’s Secretary of the Ministry of ICT announced the One-Network-Area concept will be extended to data and mobile money in Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda within the next year. The concept was introduced last year to cut roaming charges for voice and SMS by 60%. Matiangi also said Tanzania will join the initiative at some point in the future.

The Wall Street Journal reports on the launch of the government’s Cyber Security Initiative, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore headed by minister for communications and information, Yaacob Ibrahim. The CSA will focus on national cybersecurity strategies, and conduct outreach to the growing cybersecurity industry. Interpol opened a cyber crime facility in Singapore in September and security firm FireEye launched an operations center there in February.

The Age reports the National Broadband Network company updated its $42 billion rollout construction plan Wednesday. By September 2016 158,000 locations in New South Wales will have access to fiber. Construction will begin on 26,660 homes and businesses in Sydney as well. Average broadband downloads rose 33% in the year to December. NBN hopes to connect 8 million premises by 2020.

BizTechAfrica reports Kenya’s role as a technology hub continues as the number of Internet users in the country topped 26.1 million. Data and Internet subscriptions grew by 10.8% in the 2nd quarter. And mobile is even better with 82.6% mobile penetration.

 

It’s a different story in the US as the Verge republished a story by the Centre for Public Integrity about the struggles to get the country’s population online. Among the findings, 27% of US citizens can’t go online at home. The most common reason given is price. One of the problems is lack of infrastructure. About 55% of US households have just one provider that offers 25 Mbps service. And access costs about 3.5 times as much as France. However there is hope on the mobile front. Pew research found that 64% of US adults now own a smartphone up from 35% in 2011 and nearing Kenyan levels.

The Times of India reports Alibaba and analytics company Globals will establish a startup incubator in Bangalore focused on mobile Internet and mobile commerce. Globals founder Suhas Gopinath told the Times they hope to start by May or June. Alibaba will provide mentors, technology and other business expertise.

Engadget reports that a team from the University of Houston in the US has published an article in “Frontiers in Neuroscience” detailing a method to help amputees control robotic limbs with their minds –and without surgery. The system uses a wearable “thinking cap” that monitors brain activity externally through the scalp, like an EEG, rather than needing surgically implanted electrodes. A brain machine interface interprets the brain waves and converts them into motion. So far the system works properly 80 percent of the time.

The Indian Express reports mobile network operator, Uninor announced that it is providing free Wikipedia access for its internet subscribers for three months, starting April 1. Uninor employees will work with students and teachers with a special focus on Wikipedia in the rural areas. Uninor has increased Internet use since introducing service plans for Facebook and WhatsApp last year. In 2012, Telenor– Uninor’s parent company– has provided similar programs in Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar and Montenegro.

Wikileaks has a new leaked chapter from the Trans-Pacific Partnership describing a process called Investor State Dispute Settlement which allows multinational corporations to sue to overturn local laws if those laws harm present or future profits. The EFF says the provision could be used to undermine user protections built into digital regulations like copyright law.

News From You:

TNTFan submitted the Verge article that US Internet video service Sling TV will add HBO to its service for $15 a month starting this month. That includes live channels plus on demand. Dish will also be able to sell subscriptions to HBO Now, a standalone service similar to HBO Nordic which launched in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark since 2012.

doorsrio sent us the The New York Times report that Verizon Wireless customers can now completely opt out of the phone carrier’s ad-targeting program that tagged users with undeletable tracking codes known as super cookies. Before customers could only opt out of the marketing program, but now they can stop the unique tag from being inserted. To unsubscribe Verizon customers can log into the privacy section of their account, or call 866-211-0874, and yell loudly into the phone UNSUBSCRIBE.

trionix11 submitted the Wired story that US retail chain Radio Shack received court approval for its bankruptcy plan. Hedge Fund Standard General will buy the company and keep some stores open under the Radio Shack and Sprint mobile carrier names. About a third of each store will be occupied by Sprint. About 1,740 of more than 4,000 stores will survive the deal.

Discussion Story: Accessibility

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/gg699728

http://www.winbeta.org/news/microsoft-launches-accessibility-developer-hub-help-more-developers-program-accessible-apps

https://msdn.microsoft.com/enable/

http://channel9.msdn.com/Series/Introducing-Windows-8/Introduction-to-Accessibility

 

Pick of the Day: Techsoup.org

 

Hey Tom,

I wanted to share a great service with your audience. If you work for a nonprofit, charity, or library, Techsoup.org is a fanstatic place to get name brand software, hardware and services, at greatly discounted prices. They work with companies like Microsoft, Cisco, Inuit, Autodesk and many more. They also work with companies that supply products specifically that deal with the nonprofit world.

Messages:

Tom,

I almost feel like the Surface 3 is a proof of concept for Microsoft. From what I’m seeing, outside of artists who want the digitizer pen functionality on a budget, it doesn’t seem to offer any kind of value proposition. Don’t get me wrong, I love the aesthetic of the Surface line, but without the keyboard doc, it feels VERY overpriced for a 2GB Windows Tablet, even with the new Atom chips powering it. Add in the cost of the keyboard, pen and 4GB of memory, and the system is more expensive than some new Core M laden ultrabooks/2-1s. Of course MS is probably saving Core M for the Surface Pro 4, so this may be the only way to differentiate. Still, it just seems designed for no one to want to buy. Am I missing something?

Rich from Lovely Cleveland

Tomorrow’s guest: Justin Robert Young

 

 

Patrick Beja is on today and we’ll talk about whether Amazon’s new Dash Button is bringing retail to far into your home.

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A special thanks to all our supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here or giving 5 cents a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the headlines music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Today’s guests: Patrick Beja

Headlines: 

Microsoft unveiled the Surface 3 (not the Pro, the regular one) and it has an Atom x7 propcessor in place of the ARM-designed Tegra, according to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley. The tablet starts at $499 has a 10.8” 1920×1280 ClearType HD Display, 2GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. 128GB storage and 4GB of RAM costs $599. Ports include USB 3, Mini DisplayPort, microSD card reader, and Micro USB charging port and will ship with a free one year subscription to Office 365 Personal. The keyboard is sold separately for $130 and the stylus is also separate for $50. You can preorder the Wifi versions from Microsoft today. You can slo get LTE versions sold through T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless stores in the US later this year.

CNET reports Google announced new Chrome OS devices Tuesday.
The Asus Chromebit is an HDMI stick with WiFi and Bluetooth that will sell for less than $100 this summer. The all-metal Chromebook Flip is a tablet with a keyboard for $249. And two new $149 laptops meant for the education market were introduced. You can preorder the Haier laptop on Amazon and the Hisense laptop on Walmart.
Google intends to release about 10 new Chromebooks in the next few months.

Twitter has publicly launched Curator, a real-time search and filtering tool designed for media outlets. Tech Crunch reports the free service lets users create complex queries to find specific content or current trends. Filters include keywords, usernames, location, language, time zone, follower count, number of re-tweets or favorites, verified users, and can be combined for complex queries. Curator can also natively search through Periscope and Vine videos.

The Verge reports that Android users can now make voice calls on WhatsApp as part of an update that rolls out today.  Click the brand new Calls tab and select a contact to start talking. Voice calling for the app will come to iOS later.

TechCrunch reports Tidal turns out not to just be owned by Jay-Z but 17 other artist and Softbank as well according to the NY Post. The music service will be partnering with Softbank-owned Sprint. Tidal plans to offer limited time exclusives of new releases from artists at around a week in advance of other services. Engadget passes along a Billboard report that Apple-owned Beats’ Jimmy Iovine has already been trying to steal artists from Tidal.

The Wall Street Journal reports Raptr raised $14 million to support the launch of Plays.tv. The new service lets players record, edit and share key gameplay moments. CEO of Raptr, Dennis Fong equated it to the “Share” button on the PS4 for PC gamers. Raptr will be targeting amateur gamers.

The Next Web reports India has begun its national net neutrality discussion. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued a 118-page long consultation paper March 27. Citizens can voice their opinion on 20 questions about on the licensing of internet services in India by emailing [email protected] before April 24. Interesting ly the Cellular Operators Association of India is lobbying against against net neutrality and counts Google and Facebook as members.

IBM will invest $3 billion over the next four years in a new “Internet of Things” unit according to Reuters. Services will leverage data from building sensors, smartphones, and home appliances.As an example, the first major partnership will let customers of Weather Co do things like advise customers of safe places to park in advance of a hailstorm. Great for insurance companies. IBM expects $40 billion in a annual revenue from cloud, big data, security and other areas by 2018.

News From You:

Starfuryzeta sent us the Engadget report that on Monday the US Supreme court clarified and affirmed that if the government puts a GPS tracker on you, your car, or your personal effects it counts as a search and is subject to the 4th amendment’s protection against unreasonable search and seizure. The clarification came in a unanimous ruling on Torrey Dale Grady v. North Carolina. Grady, a twice-convicted sex offender was made to wear a GPS monitor at all times. Grady sued the state claiming this qualified as an unreasonable search. The case now returns to the lower court, and all lower courts will now need to address the 4th amendment in monitoring cases.

Sunbun noticed Amazon has launched a new program called Dash Button. The program gives you a plastic wifi-enabled button you can associate with a limited number of regularly used products like paper towels or razor blades. Push the button and the product is re-ordered from Amazon. Amazon is encouraging manufacturers to build the system into products like coffee machines that reorder beans or water filters that reorder filtration cartridges. The program is invite only for Amazon Prime members.

Starfuryzeta submitted the Guardian report that the Belgian study determined Facebook tracks web browsing at its site even if a user does not have a Facebook account or has opted out of tracking. EU law requires prior consent before issuing a cookie or performing tracking. A Facebook spokesperson said the report contains factual inaccuracies and the authors never contacted Facebook. The studies authors said they would be happy to hear from Facebook.

Discussion Section Links:  

http://thenextweb.com/insider/2015/03/31/amazons-dash-buttons-let-you-re-order-household-essentials-with-virtually-no-effort/

https://www.amazon.com/oc/dash-button?reqInv=1

https://www.amazon.com/oc/dash-replenishment-service

https://fresh.amazon.com/dash/

http://techcrunch.com/2015/03/31/amazons-new-dash-button-hardware-offers-instant-orders-for-staple-products/#TQUNqg:pZMw

 

Pick of the day:

Hey Tom, Jenny & Guest,

Came across this cool iphone 6/6 Plus case today and wanted to make it my pick. It’s the ALM mCAMLITE Stabilizer Mount with Video Lens & Mic for iPhone 6/6 Plus.

This all aluminum iphone case turns your stock iphone camera into a wide angle or macro lens, and includes a mic for recording better audio.

I saw an unboxing video/review for this product and it looks really solid. And for $123 on amazon, it’s not a bad price either!

Thanks for a great show as always!

Your boss from BC,
Jamie

Messages

I loved your talk with Molly regarding streaming service. Especially mentioning the Pono service and apathy towards quality of the music. I have to add that regardless of the 24 bit 96/192 KHz lossless files many of the tracks available are just high bitrate versions of blown out and dynamically compressed masters. Something audiophiles snub their noses at. It is a matter of garbage-in-garbage-out. Love the show.

Alisdair in snow covered Moncton (I almost used an expletive instead of snow covered)

Mike in Sunny Beirut:

I personally use Google Music, which offers streaming like Spotify, but also includes my own library to suppliment songs google doesn’t offer. Amazon Prime members have access to a similar service, although with less free storage.

John in lovely Billings, MT :

My service of choice is Google Play Music for one very important reason – you can upload your own music to seamlessly augment the streaming catalog. This came in handy when Taylor Swift pulled her singles when the new album released. You can buy it directly from Google or anywhere else that gives you the MP3s and boom, problem solved.

Rich from Lovely Cleveland:

You briefly touched on this with Molly yesterday, but I think it’s a major point: the fact that albums are becoming a thing again is a testament to the success of Spotify. It’s a major milestone that streaming music has become so ubiquitous that artists now see the benefit of effectively “pre-releasing” their albums ahead of streaming to capitalize on sales, knowing that between Spotify and YouTube they’ll have a consistent revenue stream going forward after the release. This isn’t the death of piracy, but this emphasis on album releases is the validation of the streaming model. Its actually a very exciting precedent.
Sean, on his way to lovely Cleveland:

Re: the Apple Watch. How hard would it have been to use recycled aluminum? Maybe they are, but I don’t recall seeing it mentioned. If an 80’s K-car can become paperclips why can’t old beer cans become an apple watch. Apple uses so much metal that does not need to bear a large load. Maybe they are using recycled material but I have not seen anything to say that they are.

Garin (as in “guarantee”) from Los Angeles:

My “brother” (who is actually my friend *wink*) I have added as one of my family members on my Prime account contacted Amazon Customer service when he had a package that missed the estimated 2 day delivery. The CS agent went ahead and credited MY Prime account with a free month, without any hesitation. Though this might not help the potential “congestion” of Amazon Prime, I thought Molly and other listeners might find this tip may ease their frustrations caused by a missed delivery estimate.  Thanks for the show!

Randy writes:

As a follow-up to Molly’s problem with late Prime shipments, I just wanted to let you guys know that if your package is late, be it the fault of Amazon or UPS, they will extend your Prime membership one month, no questions asked.
In total, since I’ve been a Prime member, I’ve gotten six months free. Just contact them via chat support and getting it extended takes 2 minutes.

=====

Wednesday’s guests: Allison Sheridan!

Molly Wood and I discuss Jay-Z’s new artist-friendly music service and how albums may be making a digital comeback. IS the future of music iTunes again?

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A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the headlines music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Darren Kitchen joins for a robot roundup. Google wants to help make surgical bots and a robotic exoskeleton invades India. Plus Len Peralta illustrates it all. Will he draw a robot? Who can say?

MP3

Using a Screen Reader? click here

Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.

Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.

A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the headlines music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Justin Young is here and we’ll talk with Steve Kovach about the new Samsung Galxy S6. Can it save Samsung?

MP3

Using a Screen Reader? click here

Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org

Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.

A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the headlines music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Today’s guests: Justin Robert Young of Night Attack.tv and Steve Kovach, senior editor at Business Insider

Headlines: 

Twitter’s Periscope app launched today adding another mobile livestreaming app to the mix alongside Meerkat and others. Like Meerkat, Periscope lets you stream video live right from your phone and see chatting from viewers. Unlike Meerkat, the chatting is in app, not on Twitter, you can tap the screen to send hearts AND the biggest difference, Periscope archives videos for viewers to watch later. Periscope also lets you choose to tweet a link or not, and even invite selected people to private broadcasts.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge go on sale worldwide April 10 and US preorders will begin March 27. The Verge reports US pricing is between $20 and $35 a month on AT&T and T-Mobile. And PC Mag reports the HTC One M9 will also be available for pre-order in the US starting at $649 at 12:01 AM Eastern March 27th. The M9 hits stores April 10.

TechCrunch reports Amazon expanded its Cloud Drive service today. While Amazon Prime users can already get unlimited photo storage, non-prime users can now pay $11.99 a year for unlimited photo. All users can pony up $59.99 a year for unlimited storage of all media. You can try it free for three months.

Bloomberg reports its sources say Apple is working with Foxconn to begin a trade-in program for iPhone in China as soon as March 31st. Apple retail staff would assess the phone and offer credit. Foxconn would then repair the devices if needed and sell them through its own e-commerce sites and through Alibaba’s Taobao.

According to an Engadget story Reuters reports China’s Cyberspace Administration of China said that sexually explicit pictures and text including nude photos and erotic animation and stories of “one-night stands, wife-swapping, sexual abuse and other harmful information” will be subject to punishment if shared on WeChat. Accounts found to be in violation will be closed for a week on the 1st offense and permanently banned after 4 infractions. WeChat has around 438 million users in China and another 70 million outside the country.

The New York Times reports Trent Reznor who was chief creative officer for Beats prior to Apple’s acquisition, is playing a major role in a redesign of the service, according to Apple employees familiar with the product, who spoke on the condition they not be named because the plans are private. – ooh, new one! The redesign reportedly includes a subscription music-streaming service, and would incorporate curated playlists and more visual appeal from the Beats Music app. However, the report says Apple could not convince record labels to lower licensing costs.

Reuters reports a group of investors led by Japan’s SoftBank is in talks to buy a 20% stake in Indian handset maker Micromax for up to $1 billion. That values Micromax at $5 billion. Canalys reported Micromax became India’s leading smartphone provider in the 4th quarter, though Samsung, who did hold the lead, disputes the finding.

Like to ride in silence? Don’t take Lyft. The New York Times reports that Lyft will add user profiles for drivers and passengers to its app, including the option to add a hometown, musical tastes and other things that make for interesting conversation. If a user has connected their Facebook account, the Lyft app can show drivers and passengers if they have mutual friends. The new feature is meant to help passengers in the Lyft Line carpooling service to get know their new friends.

The Verge reports Microsoft’s universal apps will now be called Windows Apps. In an attempt to limit confusion and simplify things in Windows 10, engineer Don Box, revealed the new naming convention at a WinHEC developer event. “Windows apps runs on all devices, Windows desktop app is PC only. Windows apps run everywhere.”

 

 

 

 

News From You:

KAPT_Kipper pointed out the European Commission press release calling for a Digital Single Market. The proposal wants to tackle geo-blocking, simplify VAT arrangements, make parcel delivery more affordable and efficient and balance copyright between the interests of consumers and creators.

the_corley sent us some awesome space news. NASA has decided on a plan for its Asteroid Redirect Mission that sadly does not involve Bruce Willis or capturing an entire asteroid. Instead, NASA decided that the ARM robotic spacecraft will take a boulder from an asteroid’s surface, then put it into orbit around the moon, where it can be studied and sampled. The Asteroid Redirect Mission is scheduled to launch in 2020.

 

Discussion Section Links:  

http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-galaxy-s6-first-impressions-2015-3

http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/26/8292311/galaxy-s6-edge-price-colors-verizon-att-sprint-t-mobile

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/26/a-first-look-at-the-samsung-galaxy-s6-and-s6-edge/?_r=0

http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-galaxy-s6-edge-preview-photos-release-date-2015-3?op=1

http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/samsung-galaxy-s6-release-date-rumours-news-specs-and-price

 

Pick of the day:

Hi Tom and DTNS Crew , I’m $1 worth of a boss and I thought of a pick on the way home in grey and windy London (see pic attached) for you to let everyone know about. Of course everyone knows about Amazon Prime and how good its 2 day US and next day UK delivery, and instant video etc, but did you know you can share the prime delivery perks with your family members who live at the same address for free? Just go in to your prime account management and invite family members and its done and they get the free 2 day/next day delivery.

Keep on keeping on

Jody

Messages

Tom (I’m assuming all of these points will be in the discussion section today, but my two cents),

…I find myself much more compelled to use Meerkat. I’ve been coming around to the ephemeral nature of Snapchat for a while now, and I like the fact that with Meerkat, I can create a live stream of doing something silly to make a few of my friends laugh, but then I don’t have to worry about it following me around on social media down the line. Its temporally limited nature feels like it allows for more “authenticity” at the expense of production quality— Maybe Meerkat vs Periscope will become like Snapchat vs Instagram, their focus is completely different even though there are some surface similarities, and we’re only comparing them now because they both run on top of Twitter (arguably to Meerkat’s detriment now). Or Meerkat will be the next Chat Roulette and be dead in a month.

Also, by being able to save streams, isn’t Twitter opening itself up to a world of hurt (or at least inconvenience) with copyright issues?

Rich from Lovely Cleveland

=====

 

BOL REUNION!

Just announced: The Buzz Out Loud 10 Year reunion on March 29th at 12:30 pacific /3:30 p eastern and 7:30p GMT! It’s free! Tom, Molly, Veronica, Jason and many other special guests! Tickets for the event at the Hak 5 warehouse are available at http://bit.ly/BOLreunion but if you want to attend online you don’t need even need a ticket. The event will stream live on Alpha Geek Radio and on YouTube with more details forthcoming.

Buzztown’s Back!

 

Friday’s guests: Darren Kitchen and Len Peralta!