Tag: Microsoft

Episode 63. When Samsung’s Galaxy Meets Microsoft’s World

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In this episode, Shawn and Ross look at Samsung’s latest announcements, including its latest smartphone tour de force, the Galaxy Note 20, its attempt at Android tablet relevance with the Tab S7, and its promising preview of the next Galaxy Fold Z. Meanwhile, as the electronics giant steps up its relationship with Microsoft, we take on why its corporate-focused partner would have interest in TikTok, as well as the challenges that it and other Big Tech rivals face as they navigate the rules of Apple’s app store with streaming game services.

Episode 57. Twitter’s Face-off with Trump

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In this episode, Shawn and Ross break down the feud between President Trump and Twitter, looking at my of the elements of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Plus, we look at Microsoft’s Fluid Framework for modular documents, evaluate a VR comeback attempt for HTC’s co-founder, and discuss whether the messy launch of HBOMax will do much to hurt the service in the long term.

Episode 56. Microsoft’s Big Plans and Content’s Next Celebrity

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In this week’s episode, Shawn and Ross talk about Microsoft’s announcements from this week’s Build conference. We also discuss what’s happening in the world of podcasts. Joe Rogan is going exclusive on Spotify while Bloomberg reports Audible is in talks to acquire celebrity podcasts and Amazon Music is preparing to add podcasts.

Episode 55. Big Tech swoops in for acquisitions

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n this episode, Shawn and Ross look at how Big Tech is taking advantage of market volatility to swoop in and acquire companies that fill out their offerings. These include direct competitive response in the case of Facebook buying Giphy and Uber eyeing GrubHub, market expansion in the case of Microsoft buying Metaswitch, and farther-flung VR dreams in the case of Apple buying NextVR. Plus, we look at the competitive dynamics of the video meeting market among Zoom, Microsoft and Google in the context of office population. Finally, we end with a note about Huaweii's clever circumvention of the U.S. tech ban as it puts a sheen of new tech on last year's P30 smartphone.

Episode 39. Does Facebook Get the Message?

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In this episode, Shawn and Ross discuss changes Facebook is making to its messaging portfolio, trying another another app called Threads for Instagram users while giving businesses more play in Messenger. Plus, a look at Microsoft’s continued retreat from tablets as its next Surface draws near and how Disney is courting Disney+ subscribers with aggressive, long-term deals.

Episode 35: Microsoft up, Netflix down, Amazon prime

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In this episode, Shawn and Ross look at the evolution of Prime Day and the effects its having on competitors and seasonality. Plus, we look at Microsoft’s strong cloud growth and Netflix’s earnings miss as the streaming giant starts to encounter danger signs from competition.

Episode 22: Hololens 2 Hands On, This Week in Facebook, and Tim Apple

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Fresh off of Shawn’s triumphant run at the Tokyo marathon, Shawn and Ross talk about a recent hands-on experience with Microsoft’s HoloLens 2. We also go deep on the latest wave of news of Facebook, including its privacy pivot and Patreon competitor. Finally, the Lightning Round strikes on Huawei’s lawsuit, wrist phones, and the debut of Tim Apple.

Episode 14: End of Year Grading for Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft

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In this episode, Shawn DuBravac and Ross Rubin hand out report cards to five big tech ecosystem companies — Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft. We’ll discuss some of their biggest highlights and lowlights and assign a final grade for the year as well as consider what’s in store for them in 2019.

Episode 4: Microsoft’s Surface event in NYC and Amazon Go

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This week, Shawn DuBravac and Ross Rubin dig into the announcements from Microsoft’s Surface event in NYC. That sets up a broader discussion of how the major tech giants approach hardware and its integration with their other strategic initiatives. Plus, Shawn shares his impression of the Amazon Go store in Chicago and what businesses might feel the impact of its competition.