Tech News Today 525

Tech News Today Episode 525

Tech News Today 525: The Next Instagram

It's Tablet-palooza, but who's winning and who's giving up? Spotify takes on Pandora on the side of humans, and more.

Submit and vote on story coverage at technewstoday.reddit.com

Hosts

• Tom Merritt (@acedtect)
  • TomMerritt.com
• Sarah Lane (@SarahLane)
  • SarahLane.com
• Iyaz Akhtar (@Iyaz)
• Jason Howell (@RayGun01)

News Fuse

• Google sent a letter to YouTube-MP3.org informing the site operators that it violates YouTube's terms of service, YouTube-MP3.org is one of many sites that will convert a YouTube link into an MP3, something any user could do on their own computer if they wanted. TorrentFreak, Google has also apparently blocked YouTube-MP3.org's servers from accessing YouTube.

• Go to Surface.com & you'll read some interesting fine print: “Looking for the Samsung SUR40 with Microsoft Pixelsense? Visit www.pixelsense.com“. That refers to the big LCD panel that was last updated at CES 2011 & cost $15k. Click on the Pixelsense URL and you'll get a Bing search page pointing to various Surface 1.0 technology. Nice smoke & mirrors strategy on Microsoft's part keeping the Surface name under wraps.

• Senator Chuck Schumer wrote a letter to the CEOs of Apple and Google asking the companies about their mapping equipment. Schumer wants the companies to give communities notice when mapping will occur, ensure infrastructure details like power or water grids are blurred as well as offer individuals the option to opt-out of maps. Most importantly, and this is a quote from Schumer's letter "People on Long Island or in Buffalo have a reasonable expectation of privacy when they decide to have a barbeque on their back deck …"

• Pairing-based cryptography just got a new benchmark. Fujitsu Laboratories said on Monday it broke a world record for the time it takes to successfully crack the next-generation cryptography standard. Fujitsu and its partners, Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) and Kyushu University, took 148.2 days to carry out a cryptanalysis of the 278-digit (923-bit) pairing-based cryptography, a task that had been thought to require several hundred thousand years.

• Here's my best Pandora impression: Mom, Spotify's copying me! The streaming music service announced true, ad-supported, DMCA-compliant internet radio in the US that rivals Pandora in every way, except instead of Pandora's algorithm it uses the social graph for music selection. Which is pretty much all that sets it apart from Pandora now.

• You know who else is watching where you go other than those map giants? Facebook! The company is working on a location-based mobile advertising product -- that's just a fancy way of saying Facebook's going to give you ads on your mobile device depending on where you are. Colin Sebastian, an analyst with Robert W. Baird & Co., thinks by combining your location with everything Facebook already knows about you, we're looking at a very powerful system.

• Sharp just introduced the world's first 90-inch FullHD 1080 LED LCD TV for the consumer home-theater market. The new model, LC-90LE745U, is in stores now, with a suggested retail price of $10,999. But don't overpay! You should be able to find a street price of around $9,999. The set uses full array LED backlighting, comprising 500 individual white LEDs positioned in sectors running across the entire back plane of the panel. It offers 1080p resolution and is 3D capable

• On stage at the Le Web conference today, Bradley Horowitz demo'd a prototype Google+ account running on... Flipboard. Currently Flipboard is only available on iOS, but says an Android version is coming soon. The actual Google+ on Flipboard launch date is TBD, but as luck would have it, Google i/O is next week.

• Square keeps adding features to Square Register. Say hello to Square Rewards - it will give vendors who use Square create digital loyalty cards -- like buy 5 coffees, get one free, that kind of thing.
  • Not tobe outdone, Google Offers launched an iOS app in the US that shows you nearby deals.

• Frustrated with Facebook's attempt to make you buy Facebook credits? Cheer up! They're going away sort of. Facebook announced it will slowly move away from its Credits initiative to a model where users can purchase virtual goods and apps in local currency. The new currency system will begin in July, and Facebook plans to phase out Credits entirely by the end of 2012.

Discussion Stories

• Microsoft unveils Surface tablets, powered by Windows 8
• Microsoft's Surface: Technology experts' reactions
• Microsoft Surface tablets have new MagSafe-like connector, may transmit both power and data
• Hands-on with Microsoft Surface for Windows RT, Touch Cover and Type Cover (update: video!)
• Microsoft’s First Surface Video Is Super Serious, in a Techno-Funk Kinda Way
• Microsoft Surface tablets: Reading the fine print

• "Hey TNT Crew,

The Microsoft announcement touted the surface to be "Always on the go", "Light Weight", "Mobile", but there was one missing piece. What about data plans 3g/4g? Granted they have not disclosed the full spec, it surprised me to see that this was not even mentioned. I understand not everyone gets a data plan but from a consumer standpoint this is a big non starter to not be baked into the product.

Keep up the good work, Scottix"

• A Microsoft spokesperson said the company chose LA because it had good production houses, a great venue (Milk Studios) and was an easier place to keep things secret. A Microsoft spokesperson said the company chose LA because it had good production houses, a great venue (Milk Studios) and was an easier place to keep things secret."

• Google tablet timing set, says report
• LG To Sideline Tablet Development To Focus On Smaller Devices
  • Digitimes reports the Google Nexus tablet, jointly developed w/ Asus, will be introduced at Google I/O (starts June 27th)
  • The tablet's rumored specs are: 7-inch form factor, Wi-Fi only, $199 with a July release
  • They won't have competition from LG any more however. Ken Hong, spokesman for LG, said "We’ve decided to put all new tablet development on the back burner for the time being in order to focus on smartphones."
  • LG made the Optimus Pad LTE

• Spotify Finally Launches Web Radio, for Real. And That’s a Problem for Pandora
• Watch Out Pandora, Spotify Just Introduced A Free, Streaming Radio Service In The U.S.
  • Spotify has launched free ad-supported radio, via mobile or web. no android support just yet.
  • previously Spotify had artist "radio" but not available via mobile for free, users had to pay $10/month
  • more of Spotify's "we have so many users, some of them will eventually pay" strategy. give away good features, increase total revenue
  • Spotify’s radio service is “DMCA compliant"... same as Pandora, pays performance royalties to any licensed music. no restrictions like spotify streaming. limitied skipping, US only
  • because Spotify also has core biz, subscribers can fast-forward through songs. make playlists of songs they've heard on the radio service
  • key difference: Pandora is algorithmic based on music types. Spotify is social graph, based on ppl's tastes

• Flipboard becomes prominent Google+ partner
  • on stage at Le Web Bradley Horowitz (VP Google product management, Google+ head) showed off a prototype of g+ running on flipboard. via G+ API
  • no android. iOS only. g+ has iPhone app but not ipad yet
  • no launch date. google i/o next week, makes more sense to launch there than here
  • didn't comment on users, says "hundreds of millions" which is in range of Larry Page's last earnings call quote. Horowitz says "not hypergrowth", says Japan usage is really big
  • big question: who buys flipboard? it's the next instagram that is actually a more more useful property

• Top US Senator to Apple, Google: 'Curb your spy planes'
• Iyaz's Lawn Art on Google Maps
  • Senator Charles SChumer of New York has written to Google and Apple, concerned about aerial mapping planes
  • Schumer thinks Google and Apple have upgraded their capabilities to aircraft-based photography that can see through windows and capture detailed images with four-inch resolution.
  • "Barbequing or sunbathing in your backyard shouldn't be a public event," said Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) in a statement on Monday. "People should be free from the worry of some high-tech peeping Tom technology violating one's privacy when in your own home."
  • "Detailed photographs could also provide criminals and terrorists with detailed views of sensitive utilities,"
  • SHOULD work with law enforcement
  • AND first, Apple and Google should inform communities when they are to be surveiled; second, they should give property owners the right to opt out of the aerial intrusion; and third, they should blur out images of individuals.

• iRobot Introduces The $699 Roomba 790, The First Roomba With A Wireless Remote
• iRobot Roomba 790 Sports a New Look and Wireless Remote
• iRobot Releases Smartest Roomba Yet
  • The Roomba 790 has a wireless controller so you can sit on your butt and use a trackpad to get your robot to do your work for you
  • Other Roombas have remote controls, but this is a controller
  • $700
  • "Wireless Command Center remote control, it’s possible to steer the Roomba to any spot in the house and schedule it to routinely clean during certain hours, even when no one is home."
  • Using the steering function, you can guide the Roomba to an especially dirty spot, then activate a spot cleaning.

Randomizer

• Robot finger detects textures more accurately than humans

Calendar

• Canon EOS-1D X launch day, but supply will be limited. if you've got $6,800, go nuts
• Harry Potter eBooks Now Available To Borrow From Kindle starting today
• The Windows Phone Developer Summit is tomorrow! who's excited for windows phone 8 apollo?
• Wireless Sonos Sub now on sale for $699, arriving July 30th

INCOMING

Email

"One other thing about the Facebook purchase is this: if you recall, in March there was a movement where Facebook tried to trademark the word "book."

facebook-asserts-trademark-on-book-in-new-user-agreement

By buying Face.com, they get trademark protections that Face already owns. I wonder how much like.com is.

Thanks,

tim from nashville"

Sponsors

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Production Information

• Edited by: Jason
• Notes:

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