August 13, 2017 - Episode 475

What this episode covers

Description This week, Microsoft gets a bum rap, Nintendo gets a new lawsuit and Netflix gets a new competitor. Participants Scott Ertz Host Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab. Avram Piltch Host Avram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW. Opening Powered by TeknoAXE Nifty Gifties Powered by Microsoft Store Consumer Reports Downgrades Official Surface Models Based on Other Devices It is no secret that Consumer Reports' integrity has been in question for years. In my personal experience working in electronics retail, the publication gave high marks to some of our most returned or defective merchandise, and often gave low marks to many consumer favorites. It often appeared as if the reviews were based more on a relationship with the manufacturer than actual product successes. In fact, Consumer Affairs has the publication listed with a 1/5 star rating, for various issues, including value of reviews. read full article Piltch Point with Avram Piltch Powered by Monster Products Extra Life Powered by Razer Lawsuit Against Nintendo Over Joy-Con Controller Design Basics Patent law in the US is a mess, and it hasn't gotten better over the years. In fact, a few years ago, a patent reform bill made it worse, rather than better. A few months ago, the Supreme Court adjusted how suits are filed, but that was just a minor alteration. The real problem comes from the idea that, if an idea is truly unique, a company should be able to compete in the marketplace without the government's interference. As it works today, patent law is a system for government sanctioned monopoly. read full article News From the Tubes Powered by RiffTrax Snap is in Even More Trouble than Twitter Snap Inc., the company that produces Snapchat, has not been public very long, but it has had a difficult journey thus far. Their second quarterly report was released this week, and the results did not make anyone happy. The company has fallen victim to some of the same issues as other struggling social platforms, and has overcome others. read full article * DRM Not Included Powered by Groove Closing Powered by Tech Podcast Network