Episode 440

What this episode covers

Description This week, messaging makes money again, Yahoo approaches the end and Microsoft loves HD. 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 Segment 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 Another Messaging App, Line, Goes Public Successfully Tech Initial Public Offerings are a tricky endeavor, especially lately. They are so difficult that, in 2016, there have only been 5 tech IPOs. The latest is another messaging app, and one you have likely not encountered unless you are communicating often with Asia. The company and messaging product are called Line, and they work just like products like WhatsApp. read full article Piltch Point with Avram Piltch Powered by Monster Products Extra Life Powered by Origin by Electronic Arts As Pokémon GO Popularity Increases, Companies Capitalize on Trend When Pokémon GO released last week, it was clear that it was going to be big. Within a few days, the game had more active daily users than Twitter. With successes like that, it was inevitable that companies would figure out a way to take advantage of the popularity of the game. As the first full week of the game progressed, we saw lots of companies find unique ways to get involved. read full article News From the Tubes Powered by RiffTrax Yahoo Approaching End of Auction Period Since Yahoo's decision to sell the internet business, several attempts have been made to figure out exactly how to carry out the sale. The final decision was to hold a confidential auction, where bidders could determine the pieces they were interested in, and the price they were willing to pay. The auction has been held in several rounds, with bidders dropping out over time. The current round, which ends Monday July 18, is the final, and the board is expected to make a decision shortly after. read full article * DRM Not Included Powered by Groove Microsoft is the Only Option for HD Netflix in the Browser Since the launch of Windows 10 Microsoft has had an uphill battle trying to distinguish Microsoft Edge from Internet Explorer. IE was "The Browser You Loved to Hate," an ad campaign that Microsoft ran before retiring the browser stated. It's true, the browser received a lot of hate with regular internet users, mostly because of previous versions that had not performed nearly as well as its competitors. With that, Microsoft switched entirely. read full article Closing Powered by Tech Podcast Network