- A tech news a day, keeps industry-specific ignorance away.
So it's too bad we only do three videos a week.
You're screwed, I'm sorry.
Large portion of the internet may have no longer work
for those with phones running Android 7.1.1 or earlier.
That's Android nougat for you, sweet tooths.
Sweet teeth?
I like to think of myself as a sweet teeth.
- [John] My whole mouth!
- The issue is that a security certificate
used by many sites is set to expire next September.
So older Android versions will no longer trust it.
An issue that highlights, yet again,
the issue of Android updates for non-Pixel phones.
- [John] My phones have so much baggage.
- Some older phones are locked out of updates entirely,
while others are very slow to get new versions
due to staggered rollouts.
Of course you might be asking why anyone
would be running an Android version that old.
But apparently, nearly 34% of users on the Google Play Store
use a version before 7.1.
Thankfully, there's an easy fix
and it's readily available for all effected users right now.
It's called buying a new phone.
- You, - [John] You.
- You scrub! - [John] Scrubs!
- Come on!
Virgin's Hyperloop
is a step closer to reality,
as its first test with a human crew aboard
reportedly went off in Nevada without a hitch.
- Launch.
(upbeat music)
- The company's co-founder and Head Passenger Experience
were the two Guinea pigs
who were flung down a 500 meter human pipe,
going 107 miles per hour.
They've were turned into Guinea pigs.
Although that sounds really fast,
the system is actually capable of going 240 miles per hour.
Though the speed for this test was limited,
so the riders could be comfortable
and avoid excessive acceleration and braking
over such a short distance.
I wonder if it was as loud as this sighs in the background.
Although obviously 500 meters isn't very far,
the company is expected to build
another testing ground in West Virginia,
which is expected to feature longer runs
and not turn anyone into Guinea pigs.
- [John] A country road.
- Maybe in the future,
it'll even be more appealing than flying.
I love being stuck in a metal tube
with a bunch of strangers.
So think about how much better the experience would be,
without windows, ooh.
It's no surprise that websites
that rely on advertising revenue
don't particularly like it when people use ad blockers,
with plenty of sites throwing up warnings
denying you access unless you disable them.
Well, now one major streaming service
is taking a different approach,
as Twitch is reportedly limiting stream resolutions
to only 480p if it detects an ad-blocker.
Many users of uBlock Origin,
an extremely popular browser ad block extension,
have confirmed that the service's
usual max quality of 1080p at 60 frames per second
is no longer available to them.
Although some users have unsurprisingly
found a way to bypass this restriction,
it remains to be seen
if this will end up being a permanent change,
as Twitch's advertising policies have already drawn the ire
of some of its viewers for doing things like
injecting ads in the middle of a stream.
We have no plans to do mid-roll ads on Tech Linked, however,
except for this one!
Today's quick bits are sponsored by
the Corsair K100 RGB gaming keyboard.
With cutting edge performance, style, durability,
and customization options.
It has a refined design with a tub aluminum frame,
dynamic per key RGB lighting,
and Corsair's 44 zone three sided light edge,
- [John] Light edge.
- Ooh, which gives you RGB around the keyboard itself.
It's not on the keyboard,
it's just in the air.
And it's CHERRY MX SPEED SILVER RGB silver switches
are guaranteed for a hundred million keystrokes.
So check it out today at the links below.
On to the quick bits!
If you've used Google Photos on your phone lately,
you might've noticed that a color pop feature
that was previously available to everyone
is now behind a paywall.
- [John] Yeah, I lone that!
- And, great news!
The paid version gives additional editing options though,
to photos without depth information.
And it looks like it's being rolled
into the company's Google One subscription service,
which will set you back two bucks a month.
Two bucks, no!
- [John] For something I haven't heard of?
- I'm sure this will go over very well
with a user base that might already be cash strapped
from a pandemic.
In case it wasn't clear, John meant that as sarcasm.
T-Mobile might not be the first name you think of
when you hear the words "home internet,"
but it's offering it's LTE-based
alternative to cable and fiber in over 130 more cities.
Primarily areas in the American Midwest.
The heart of the country.
LTE home internet was initially focused on rural areas
with limited connectivity options.
But it's not a bad idea for cities
if the existing ISPs all suck.
Who am I kidding?
That's never happened before, right?
(mumbling in background)
Oh, I guess the Midwest isn't like the super rural part.
We're Canadians.
- [John] It's the mid.
- Sits right in the Midwest.
A general in the British Army has said in an interview
that he thinks a full one fourth of the army
will be robotic by the next decade.
- [John] Only one quarter of their bodies?
100% of people with one arm.
- There are no firm dates yet,
but he wouldn't be surprised if robots saw frontline combat,
especially as the UK has had problems
recruiting enough soldiers.
Hopefully, that rollout will happen without a hitch
and we won't end up living in the Terminator franchise.
My question is,
is anybody asked the robots how they feel about this?
- [John] Not even the robots
wanna be in the Terminator franchise.
(laughter)
- (mumbling) movie podcast subscribed to that.
After eight long years,
Halo 4 will finally be released next week on PC,
after beta testing ended this weekend.
The game was originally released on Xbox 360 in 2012,
and next week's release marks another step
towards the entire main Halo series being playable on PC,
with Halo 5 now being the only exception.
Maybe we'll see that one in 2028?
- [John] What's taking them so long?
- No way before that, John.
They're coming fast.
- [John] Time to get my old gang back together.
(laughter)
Popping the word out, boys!
- Time to recruit a squad of 13-year-olds
to call other people's moms, bad names.
And McDonald's is joining other food chains
in introducing a plant-based meatless patty
that it's fittingly calling, McPlant.
That's horrible, that's so bad.
McPlant, would you like to order a McPlant?
The company is looking at putting it on everything
from burgers to breakfast offerings,
with test products rolling out
in limited markets next year.
Personally, I can't wait to shove a McPlant in my face,
as I've already been eating McAnimal for years now.
That's why it's funny.
That's our show.
Come back Wednesday for more tech news,
with no soy protein filler.
Unless it's this, these new
soy protein stuff that's really good.
- [John] They're not gonna have soy, probably dude.
- They're not gonna have soy, John.
- [John] P protein. - Come on, John.
Get with the,
- [John] P? - Don't you love that?