Google Bought My Favorite Playlist App (And Now I'm Nervous)
Google just bought Songza, my go-to mood-playlist app, and I've got mixed feelings about what happens to human-curated playlists once a giant platform owns them.
Tech News
Tech News
So Nest Just Bought Dropcam (Yes, The Camera Company)
Nest just bought Dropcam for $555 million in cash, which means Google now owns a camera company. Some thoughts on what that does to the whole "trust us" thing.
The Court Said Get a Warrant, and I Still Dont Lock My Phone
The Supreme Court's unanimous Riley v. California ruling says police need a warrant to search your phone after an arrest, and it made me actually look at my own lock screen settings for once.
1.7 Million People, One Buffering Wheel
A rough Sunday night streaming USA-Portugal through the buffering-prone WatchESPN app turned into a small case study on why streaming infrastructure still isn't ready for a real mass audience.
Nest Just Bought the Company That Watches Your Living Room
Nest just bought Dropcam for $555 million, and between the thermostat, the smoke detector, and now a camera, Google's smart home footprint is starting to feel bigger than "smart home."
Dynamic Perspective, Mayday, and an App Called Yo
Amazon's Fire Phone brought face-tracking cameras and a genuinely useful help button this week, while a one-word app called Yo quietly picked up $1.2 million.
I Watched the Fire Phone Launch Over Lunch
Watched Amazon's Fire Phone event over lunch — some thoughts on Dynamic Perspective, the AT&T exclusivity, and why Firefly is the only feature I actually buy.
Goal-Line Tech Just Made Its World Cup Debut and Nobody Explained It
Goal-line tech made its World Cup debut in France vs Honduras, and I've got thoughts about how invisible the decision-making was to anyone watching at home.
Nintendo Skipped the Stage and Won E3 Anyway
Nintendo skipped the live E3 stage this year for a weird pre-recorded claymation video, and between that, the new Zelda footage, and Splatoon, I think it was the smartest move of the show.
John Oliver Broke the FCC's Website and I'm Not Mad About It
John Oliver told people to flood the FCC's comment system over net neutrality, and they did it hard enough to crash the site. A personal take on why that's a genuinely new kind of public pressure.
The Surface Pro 3 and That Laptop-Replacement Line
Microsoft unveiled the Surface Pro 3 this week calling it "the tablet that can replace your laptop." Here's why the pitch doesn't quite add up once you look at the actual price.
Apple Actually Kept a Secret
Apple's new Swift language was the real surprise out of WWDC this week, not because of what it looks like but because of how nobody saw it coming.