Tech Week: Google’s Plans, Aereo’s Loss And Occupied Stalls
It’s officially summer, but there’s no slowdown on the technology news front. Here’s your weekly roundup of notable stories in tech, from the team at NPR and beyond.
ICYMI
Aereo No Longer?: The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, decided that the streaming TV startup Aereo’s service, which lets users watch and record live TV from Internet-connected devices, is in violation of copyright laws. This means Aereo will either have to dramatically retool, or shut down. As I reported for All Things Considered, users are expecting it to go away, and furiously binge-watching their recorded programs before it’s too late.
Green Light, Go: When you just need to find an open restroom stall but are unable to tell which one might be available, having to bend down and see if there are feet behind the door feels pretty intrusive, not to mention acrobatic. This week’s innovation pick, written by our intern Allie Caren, is a simple light system that indicates whether a stall is open. (File under: Why hasn’t this always been around?)
The Big Conversation
Google’s Grand Plans: The tech giant held its annual event for developers on Wednesday and showed off its vision for even further reaching into our lives, as The New York Times’ Farhad Manjoo explains. Wired highlights the announcements one by one. They include connected cars, wearables and extending the Android OS everywhere by making it more contextually aware — flowing from platform to platform and place to place with you, without missing a beat.
Curiosities
Valleywag: Uber Destroys The Sanctity of Marriage With On-Demand Weddings
It’s the final weekend of Pride month, so Uber is getting in on the celebration by offering UberWEDDINGS: quickie weddings in an Uber ride.
New York Magazine: Why Voicemails Are So Horribly Awkward
We’ve ruminated about why people don’t talk on the phone anymore. This could be a reason…
The New York Times: F.C.C. Issues Snapshot of U.S. Internet Service
About 85 million homes subscribe to Internet service, but as much as 30 percent of households are crawling along the information superhighway with slow connections. However, fast mobile connections more than doubled, to 93 million, last year.
