Jan 13th 2022
Tech News Weekly 217
Wordle Clone Calamity
Google & Sonos Patent Battle, Wordle Copycats, RCS, Mis- and Disinformation
After taking Google to court over smart speaker patent infringement, Sonos appears to be the victor. Developer James Thomson discusses App Store copycats in the wake of the Wordle clones. Apple's iMessage doesn't use RCS messaging, but Google wants "green bubbles" and "blue bubbles" to play nice. Many experts have penned two open letters — one to Spotify and one to YouTube — regarding the spread of misinformation and disinformation.
First, Esper's David Ruddock stops by the show to discuss the patent infringement case between Google and Sonos. Google will be making changes to its smart speaker lineup in the interest of complying with the ruling, but Sonos wants Google to pay royalties instead.
Then, in the wake of a number of Wordle copycats making their way to the App Store, developer James Thomson shares his own experience dealing with clones and copycats of PCalc.
Then, Jason and Mikah discuss the ongoing conversation about "green bubbles" and "blue bubbles" in iMessage chats and Google's encouragement for Apple to adopt RCS messaging.
Lastly, Mikah shares two open letters penned by scientists, engineers, and expert fact-checkers. The letters, addressed to Spotify and YouTube, respectively, encourage the companies to introduce policies to help quell the spread of misinformation.
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Links
- Google Infringed on Sonos Speaker Technology, Trade Court Rules
- David Ruddock on Google v Sonos Case
- Apple Removes Wordle Apps Fueled by Confused Users
- Wordle Copycat Creator Apologizes for Ripping off the Popular Free Word Game
- After Ruining Android Messaging, Google says iMessage is Too Powerful
- Why Apple’s iMessage Is Winning: Teens Dread the Green Text Bubble
- An Open Letter to Spotify: A Call From the Global Scientific and Medical Communities to Implement a Misinformation Policy
- Fact-Checkers Write Open Letter Urging YouTube to Get Serious About COVID Misinformation
- An Open Letter to YouTube’s CEO From the World’s Fact-Checkers