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Spotify acquires podcast discovery specialists Podz

Spotify has acquired Podz, a startup whose technology generates preview clips of podcasts, the streaming service has announced. Unlike other services podcasters can use to manually create clips, TechCrunch says Podz automates the process of finding key moments from episodes using machine learning trained on over 100,000 hours of audio. The acquisition is aimed at… Read more

Facebook will start putting ads in Oculus Quest apps

Facebook will soon begin testing ads inside its Oculus Quest virtual reality system. In the coming weeks, ads will start appearing inside the Resolution Games title Blaston as well as two other unnamed apps. Facebook will later expand the system based on user feedback, saying it aims to create a “self-sustaining platform” for VR development…. Read more

iOS 15 gives you better tools to fight the firehose of notifications — with a catch

Apple’s iOS 15 preview earlier this week gave us a look at an important new feature coming to your iPhone’s notifications: help. A few new tools may act as a life preserver for those of us up to our eyeballs in a sea of notifications every day, regulating which apps and people are allowed to… Read more

States pass laws limiting use of DNA searches for criminal investigations

Maryland and Montana recently became the first states in the nation to pass laws limiting law enforcement’s use of DNA databases to solve crimes. The strategy, sometimes called genetic genealogy, has been used to find dozens of people accused of violent crimes, including the Golden State Killer, but raises genetic privacy concerns. The laws focus… Read more

Tesla will store Chinese car data locally, following government fears about spying

Tesla says it’s established a data center in China to store and process information produced by its vehicles locally. The announcement, made on Weibo, comes as the US carmaker faces pressure from Chinese authorities over fears its cars could be used for spying. “Car data security is very important,” said Tesla (via Google Translate). “All… Read more

Government decides pipeline cybersecurity ought to be regulated

The hack of the Colonial Pipeline — which kneecapped oil availability on the East Coast for almost two weeks — was as disastrous as it was likely preventable. A branch of the Department of Homeland Security, however, is hoping to correct course by changing the rules on cybersecurity and disclosure for Colonial and other companies… Read more

YouTube pulled its community captions feature, so now more creators are making their own

Jack Edwards doesn’t want to be praised for doing what he considers the bare minimum: making his videos accessible to his deaf and hard of hearing viewers. Edwards began making book and lifestyle videos on YouTube five years ago, but he only started captioning all of his videos in January. “It was one of my… Read more

This is Microsoft’s vision for the future of meetings

Microsoft is outlining its vision for the future of meetings today. After a year that’s seen more people dialing into the office remotely, the company is once again banging the drum for hybrid work: a model that combines remote access with in-person work. While the company has been teasing new concepts for Microsoft Teams in… Read more

Twitch is lowering subscription prices — but says streamers will earn more money

Twitch is announcing a big change to subscription prices — but not for users in the US. Most countries outside of the US will be getting lower prices that will be localized to their specific country, starting with Turkey and Mexico on May 20th. Those lower prices will mean less money for streamers, but Twitch… Read more

Renewable energy won’t make Elon Musk love bitcoin again

Elon Musk shouldn’t hold his breath waiting for bitcoin to become environmentally friendly enough for Tesla to take it as payment. Musk announced yesterday that Tesla was walking away from the cryptocurrency because of the fossil fuels used for bitcoin mining and transactions. In the announcement, he left the door open for Tesla to accept… Read more

Facebook and Instagram notices in iOS apps tell users tracking helps keep them ‘free of charge’

Facebook is continuing its campaign against Apple’s iOS 14 privacy updates, adding a notice within its iOS app telling users the information it collects from other apps and websites can “help keep Facebook free of charge.” A similar message was seen on Instagram’s iOS app (Facebook is Instagram’s parent company). Technology researcher Ashkan Soltani first… Read more

You can save up to $147 on a preorder for the latest M1 iPad Pro or iMac

Following the official reveal last week of the new model refreshes for the iMac and iPad Pros, all of which are powered by Apple’s own silicon — the M1 chip — preorders began for all three products today. As spotted first by 9to5Toys, Expercom is offering an incentive if you pre-purchase any of the three… Read more

Bootleg Firmware Brings Ryzen 5000 Support to ASRock X370 Motherboards

Home News ASRock X370 Taichi (Image credit: ASRock) AMD’s 300-series motherboards were never part of the chipmaker’s support plan for Ryzen 5000 (Vermeer) processors. However, an avid enthusiast (via HKEPC) has modified ASRock’s firmware to support AMD’s latest Zen 3 chips. First and foremost, it’s important to emphasize that it’s a Beta firmware, and an… Read more

Windows 10’s Store May Open Up to More Games and Software Soon

Home News (Image credit: Shutterstock) Finding software via the Microsoft Store app for Windows 10 might be less painful soon. Windows Central today reported that Microsoft is redesigning the app to offer a better experience for developers and consumers alike with a variety of changes. Microsoft started distributing software via the Windows Store for Windows… Read more

Uber reported bookings for its ride-hailing business rose 9 percent in March 2021

Uber saw record gross bookings in March 2021, according to a filing posted Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The increase may signal the beginning of a comeback for the ride-hailing business, which suffered mightily in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Uber’s mobility segment, which includes its ride-hailing business, was up 9 percent… Read more