Tech News Today 1778

Uber has fired Anthony Levandowski, its VP of technology and the former head of its self-driving car effort. The decision to fire the engineer/executive came after Levandowski decided to plead the fifth and not offer any evidence or testimony defending himself or Uber in a lawsuit filed by Levandowski's previous employer, Google's Waymo.

Andy Rubin, the father of Android, unveiled the Essential Phone, with premium specs, a titanium body and ceramic back, pure android, a near bezel-less screen design, and magnetic pins on the back for modular expansion. The Essential Phone is currently up for preorder for $699.

Sheryl Sanderberg -- lobbyist? In 2014, Facebook's famed Chief Operating Officer personally lobbied the Irish Prime Misiter, Tee-shaw Enda Kenny, both offering praise and threatening to take Facebook's investment dollars away from Ireland if the company didn't get its way. Facebook's European headquarters are in Dublin, Ireland. She also pushed for "one stop shop” provisions in the EU’s new privacy laws, and indeed that came to fruition. That will go into effect next year.

Plus, malware that clicks ads while you play android games, a big patent win that is consumer friendly, a mechanical gaming keyboard that is okay with you eating your sandwich over it, and Alison Griswold from Quartz says food delivery in the internet age is a tough nut to crack.

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-today.

Thanks to CacheFly for the bandwidth for this show.

Links

• Uber Fires Former Google Engineer at Heart of Self-Driving Dispute
• Exclusive: this is the Essential Phone
• The Father of Android Is Back, and He’s Built the Anti-iPhone
• Essential Home is an Amazon Echo competitor that puts privacy first
• Revealed: How Facebook chief, Sheryl Sandberg, lobbied Taoiseach Enda Kenny over data protection role and taxation
• Millions of Android phones hit by 'Judy' malware
• U.S. Supreme Court Curbs Patent-Holder Power to Block Resale
• A eulogy for the golden era of VC-subsidized meals, which is finally over
• Uber is practicing price discrimination. Economists say that might not be a bad thing
• Corsair releases a snack-proof gaming keyboard