Tech News Today for March 2, 2017
Tech News for Thursday March 2, 2017
It's been a bad week for human error. First there was the pointer error in the code that Cloudflare used that sent passwords into search results. Then there was the distracted Price Water House Cooper partner who handed the wrong card to Warren Beatty at the Oscars, and today Amazon revealed that the AWS outage that partially turned off the internet this week was caused by an authorized team member who inputted the wrong command while trying to speed up the company's billing system during routine maintenance. Read more at aws.amazon.com.
Google understands the broad appeal of its Assistant AI on smartphones that, up until now, has been more or less exclusive to its Pixel devices. Now, Google is opening Assistant up for more Android users running Nougat and Marshmallow, though they haven’t specified what devices will get it first. Google is also updating its Allo messaging app to include a quick shortcut to Assistant from inside the compose box making it easier to tap into the power of Assistant if and when you ever remember to use Allo. Read more at cnet.com.
We are officially in the trough of sorrow when it comes to Apple news. Since we'll have to wait until September to see a new phone, all we can do is satisfy our curiousity with rumors. Earlier this week we learned that Apple *might* replace the Lighting port with USB-C, a move which seems rather un-Apple-like due to their affection for proprietary cables. Now Apple analyst Ming Chi Kuo says the next iPhone will support fast charging by the adoption of Type-C Power *Delivery* technology, but that power will still be delivered through the Lightning port. Read more at macrumors.com.
How can companies improve the quality of the comments sections that accompany posts and articles? In the case of Norwegian broadcaster NRK’s site, the answer lies in quizzing their readers about the stories they just read before allowing them to leave a comment at all. NRKbeta, the tech arm of NRK, says the 15 second multiple choice quiz should also force commenters to slow down and take a breath, perhaps encouraging them to reevaluate their knee jerk reaction to drop a nasty comment in the feed. Read more at thenextweb.com.
Netflix has posted plans online for you to make your own Arduino-based wearable personal trainer. Because life is beautiful. All the materials you'll need to build your own activity tracker, including an accelleromter, a Bluetooth audio module, and more are available for purchase online from places like Digikey or Ada Fruit. You'll also need access to a 3D printer in order to print a case for the wearable that will clip to your waistband or armband or to any Hermes Apple Watch band you might have hanging around. Read more at netflix.com.
Tech News Today with Megan Morrone and Jason Howell streams live weekdays at 4PM Pacific, 7PM Eastern at twit.tv/live. You can subscribe to the show and get it on-demand at twit.tv/tnt.