YouTube Tests ‘Search by Humming;’ Musk Bummed By Shoddy Cybertrucks; T-Mobile Will Cut 7% of Workforce; Scientists Strengthen Concrete 30%-With Coffee Grounds!

YouTube is testing a new search feature…are you ready for this…powered by humming! According to mashable.com,  the platform announced this week it will be testing a new app feature on Android phones that allows users to search for a song by humming or recording it for more than three seconds. That sure would have been handy when I was a rock and roll DJ, and people would just sing you a few notes, and expect us to figure out the song. Only a few users are seeing the feature so far. If you see it, once you’ve hummed or recorded the song you’re looking for and the track is identified, the app will surface related “official music content, user-generated videos, and/or Shorts.” This should be a popular feature if they release it to everybody. A lot of people like a good hummer…

Elon Musk has griped on his social media platform about lousy build quality for the Cybertruck. Arstechnica.com reports that this was just after Musk quote: “drove the production candidate Cybertruck at Tesla Giga Texas.” Elon said “Due to the nature of Cybertruck, which is made of bright metal with mostly straight edges, any dimensional variation shows up like a sore thumb.” Of course, it was his idea to build the ugly beast out of what everyone in the auto business knows is a difficult material to work with. The brushed stainless steel in the old Deloreans showed everything. Musk wants 10 micron accuracy…which he says is achieved in things ranging from Legos to soda cans. 

T-Mobile is laying off some 7% of its workforce, about 5,000 employees. The provider says it is mostly in corporate roles, as it ‘streamlines its operating model and structure.’ CEO Mike Sievert said the impacted roles are “primarily duplicative to other roles, or may be aligned to systems or processes that are changing, or may not fit with our current company priorities.” Geekwire.com says the CEO also whined about increasing customer acquisition and retention costs. This is just after bragging about their best 2nd parter postpaid phone net adds in 8 years, and lowest churn in the industry for the first time ever. T-Mobile also bought back some $3.5 billion in common stock 2nd quarter, so they really have plenty of cash. Will service get better? Ha…what do you think?

Some scientists at a University in Australia have discovered that coffee grounds can be used as a silica substitute in concrete production…and when done to the right proportions, you get concrete that is 30% stronger than sand alone! Engadget.com reports that it isn’t as simple as just dumping the right amount of coffee grounds into the concrete mix…first they do what they call ‘pyrolyzing’ the grounds…heating them to exactly 662 degrees Fahrenheit. (I know that sounds like a kooky temperature, but it’s 350 Celsius.) It seems like a win-win…a lot less coffee grounds in landfills, less sand used to make concrete, and stronger concrete to boot! 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

Sony Portable-PlayStation Portal; iPhone 15 Pro Max May Be Delayed; Google Aims to Offer AI Security Enhancements; Twitch Tests TikTok Style Feed

Sony is going to launch their portable PlayStation later this year. The PlayStation Portal handheld will stream PS5 games over Wi-Fi, and will sport an 8 inch LCD screen running at 1080 pixel resolution and at 60 feet per second. Theverge.com reports that the Playstation Portal should be priced at $199.99. The unit has controllers attached to each side that look very much like the PS5 DualSense controllers. In an interesting twist, the device won’t work with Sony’s upcoming cloud streaming for PS5 games. the PlayStation Portal is really a way to stream PS5 games you already have installed on your own PS5 onto a handheld for remote play. You’ll need an internet connection capable of at least 5Mbps, and Sony is recommending 15Mbps for the best experience.

It won’t be the first time, but it looks like Apple’s top line iPhone Pro Max will be delayed 3-4 weeks beyond the on sale date for the rest of the line. According to 9to5mac.com,  Sony will not be able to provide the image sensor used by the iPhone 15 Pro Max in time for it to ship alongside the other new models. The Pro Max is thought to be getting a periscope zoom lens that will give much greater optical zoom. The present model has a 3 power zoom, and the periscope may have 6 to 10. Optical zoom is cleaner than the electronic zoom, which is virtually useless if you are filming something like fast moving sports activities. The optical zoom will catch those moments without any smearing. Most Apple watchers expect Cupertino to show off the new phones and apple Watches on September 12, with all but the Pro Max being delivered or available by September 22nd. 

Google has announced several security-related enhancements to Google Workspace and Gmail and Drive that will use AI to automate certain tasks. Techcrunch.com says the features will probably be released by late this year and early 2024. Google is enhancing its so-called zero trust model. It will use AI to support this model, which it describes as “a cloud security model designed to secure modern organizations by removing implicit trust and enforcing strict identity authentication and authorization. Under zero trust, every user, device, and component is considered untrusted at all times, regardless of whether they are inside or outside of an organization’s network.” Google will be adding data loss prevention controls to Gmail…so admins can keep users from inadvertently attaching sensitive data…that could avoid some embarrassing moments. Again, the AI assisted features are in development, so don’t expect any of them until late this year at the earliest. 

Twitch is experimenting with a feature that shows clips in a new vertically-scrolling feed it calls the ‘discovery feed.’ Theverge.com reports that the feed is rolling out to select users. Twitch joins companies like Spotify, Amazon, and Reddit in introducing a TikTok-like format. The streaming company announced the discovery feed in July as one of a few forthcoming new features involving clips, including the ability to directly export clips to TikTok. Twitch also announced in July that they intend to bring stories to the platform. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

Threads Launches Desktop Version; Great Pixel Security Feature, Base Galaxy S24 Rumored to Have Larger Battery; Twitter Change to ‘X’-Big Drop in App Store Downloads

We just reported yesterday that Meta would release a web based version for your desktop this week, and here it is…it dropped this morning. Techcrunch.com reports that the rollout is in progress, and you will be able topmost, view your feed, and interact with posts form the desktop..but won’t be able to edit your profile or send a thread over to Instagram Direct Messages yet. A lot of tech watchers think the web app will be a game changer for the upstart Twitter replacement wannabe. 

Google has a little-touted feature in their new Pixel phones that ought to be picked up by all other Android makers and Apple as well. According to bgr.com, it is called Binary Transparency. The feature was originally announced back in 2021, and is exclusive to Pixels right now.  It is a complement to the existing Android Verified Boot feature, that ensures that software on your device comes from a genuine source. The Pixel Binary Transparency tool is a public cryptographic log that will record all metadata about Pixel factor images, Google explains. Pixel users can then use this to mathematically prove that their software is genuine. The idea of the feature is to make it incredibly difficult to insert malicious code and not get caught. A little peace of mind for you from ‘The Google.’

A new rumor says that Samsung’s base Galaxy S24 will be getting a bigger battery. while it will still be smaller can the S24+ or even the S23 Ultra, bigger batteries and longer battery life are always a big selling point for smartphones. 9to5google.com says the next base model will rock a 4,000 mAh battery. Samsung has actually cut battery size as recently as the S22 and 23…after making some tweaks to the phones to make them more efficient. Expect the S24 series to be rolled out in late January or early February of next year. 

Elon Musk’s name change from Twitter to ‘X’ has apparently caused a huge drop in downloads of the app from Apple’s App Store. Mashable.com notes that Seufert looked at the rankings and between July 27th…right before the change on the 31st, to August 15th, the app dropped from 35th to 54th in rankings. WhatsApp and TikTok showed little change, and Meta’s new Threads got into the top 10.

A non-tech note: I am wearing a SAG-AFTRA ON STRIKE hat in solidarity with members who are picketing today down at Netflix in Los Gatos. Since a) I’m working, and b) I’m not on strike because the broadcast contract is still in force, I wanted to support my brothers and sisters. Some independent producers have already agreed to the SAG-AFTRA interim agreement and are back to work. Here’s hoping the big studios will take the hint, and agree to a reasonable deal.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Threads May Get Web App This Week; YouTube Explores Music AI-Ways to Pay Labels and Creators; IBM Study-40% of Workers Need to ‘Reskill’ in Next 3 Years Due to AI; Cruise Told to Cut Fleet by 50% in San Francisco

Meta’s answer to what used to be Twitter, Threads, may get one of its two most requested features this week…a web version. Engadget.com reports that Instagram head Adam Mosseri said last week “It’s a little bit buggy right now, you don’t want it just yet. As soon as it is ready we will share it with everybody else.” Threads just added the ability to set notifications and view posts in chronological order. Users hope the other most requested feature…the ability to search posts…not just search for accounts…will be getting into user hands soon, too.

YouTube is getting together with record labels, working on fashioning rules for how AI generated music will work on its platform. According to theverge.com, this includes details concerning monetization opportunities for both companies and creators. In a note, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan said “Generative AI systems may amplify current challenges like trademark and copyright abuse, misinformation, spam, and more, but AI can also be used to identify this sort of content, and we’ll continue to invest in the AI-powered technology that helps us protect our community of viewers, creators, artists and songwriters.” YouTube didn’t offer any further details about how it all would work.

IBM has just released a report analyzing how the emergence of AI is affecting company business models, and finds that 40% of workers will have to ‘reskill’ in the next 3 years. Zdnet.com says that amounts to a gigantic 1.4 billion out of the 3.4 billion people in the worldwide work force. The report found that 87% of executives expect generative AI to augment roles rather than replace them. Or at least that’s what they are saying. A warning in the report for employees….quote: “AI won’t replace people—but people who use AI will replace people who don’t,” said IBM in the report.

After a fire truck hit a Cruise vehicle last Thursday, the California DMV has asked the company to cut its robo-taxi fleet in San Francisco in half. The Fire truck was in the oncoming lane, red light and siren when it hit the cruise vehicle in the intersection…the Cruise vehicle didn’t yield as required by law. Techcrunch.com reports that DMV is investigating quote: ‘recent concerning incidents.’ Cruise will be allowed no more than 50 driverless cars during the day and 150 at night until the investigation is complete.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

Lenovo Answer to the Steam Deck; Microsoft Will Close Xbox 360 Store Next Summer; No Apple Leather iPhone 15 Cases; Netflix Will Unload DVDs When Closing Mail Service

Lenovo is working on its own portable gaming system called the Legion Pro. It is aimed at the Steam Deck market. Now, some pics have leaked, and it apparently will have a feature lacked by the Steam Deck…detachable controllers like the Nintendo Switch. There has been a previous device with removables…that was the crowd-funded OneXplayer…but it hasn’t gotten a foothold in the mass market. According to arstechnica.com, the Legion Pro has a wide kickstand, so you can set up the screen when you take off the controllers for game play that way. The Legion Pro has two USB-C ports, at least in the prototype in the pictures that leaked. The screen is an 8 inch diagonal one…that is an inch larger than the Steam Deck from Valve, and the ROG systems. No word on release date, price, or battery life as yet. 

Microsoft plans to shutter the Xbox 360 store in July of next year. Theverge.com notes that while you won’t be able to buy new content after that, Xbox 360 digital games you already have will continue to be playable. Microsoft is also removing the Movies and TV app from Xbox 360…so TV and movie content won’t be viewable on the Xbox 360 after July 29th, 2024. Xbox network services will be unaffected, so owners will still be able to play online multiplayer or transfer games to a different Xbox 360 or even an Xbox One or Series S/X. 

There is a rumor out that Apple won’t be offering official leather cases for the iPhone 15 lineup. No one knows why for sure, but speculation is that Cupertino plans to introduce a new premium case material to take the place of leather. 9to5mac.com says they have heard the rumor from multiple sources. It may be a move to show good faith in reducing their carbon footprint. If you love leather though, nomadgoods.com offers gorgeous Horween leather cases as well as Apple Watch straps, and key fobs that hold your Air Tags. I have used their products…and this is a freebie…they aren’t paying me a dime to say so. If you don’t love leather, or want the sustainability patina, then go with another high end material…or hey…a cheap, crummy plastic case…it’s up to you!

Those few subscribers to Netflix that still get DVDs through the mail are going to get a bonus of sorts as the streamer closes down its mail service. Theverge.com reports that they will send up to 10 extra discs to subscribers in the last batch. Subscribers just have to click the link included in one email by August 29th to opt in. Mail service ends September 29th. Netflix says it will choose the discs based on movies listed in the users’ film queues. Amazingly, Netflix actually wants the old DVDs back…and all other discs by October 27th. You’d think they would be happy to get them out of inventory so they didn’t have to store them…or waste them. Maybe it’s a tax thing.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

YouTube Cracking Down on Fake Med Advice Videos; Google-New Improvements to Bard; Apple Expands in India; X Apparently Throttled Competitor Links

In what can only be characterized as a good thing, YouTube announced that it’s cracking down on medical misinformation by removing videos that go against its policies, including those recommending “harmful or ineffective” cancer treatments and “cures.” The video platform is making its medical misinformation policy more robust, having already added new rules to ensure abortion safety last month. According to zdnet.com, YouTube will follow a framework targeting videos that showcase prevention, treatment, and denial of different health ailments based on unproven, harmful, and ineffective methods. It’s also taking down videos that directly contradict health authorities on topics prone to misinformation, like cancer, Covid-19, and vaccines. As we note at the end of the next story, please don’t follow medical advice from Doctor YouTube or Doctor Google! 

Google has been unveiling changes and features for their generative AI over the past few months, in an effort to catch up with OpenAI’s tech. Now, the New York Times reports that one of the capabilities Google wants to give Bard  is the ability to give advice about issues users face in their lives. Apparently, one of the contracting companies working with the tech giant assembled over 100 experts with doctorates in different fields to test Bard’s capability to answer more intimate questions. This will be anywhere from interesting to catastrophic in my opinion. Getting relationship advice from an AI chatbot seems pretty foolish right off the bat…but after the system rolls in advice from itself and other chatbots, I can’t imagine the terrible advice you may be getting. Google is also working on getting Bard up to speed on tutoring…but even Google warns in the help pages against using the chatbot’s advice and relying on its responses “as medical, legal, financial, or other professional advice.” 

The iPhone 15 is now being produced in India, and that marks the first time that plants there have made the latest iPhone model as the same time of China. Appleinsider.com notes that older models of iPhone have been made by Foxconn for several years intuit country…both to reduce reliance on China as a single source, and to dodge Indian import fees. Now, 7% of iPhone production is coming from India. Last year, the plants there didn’t build current models until some 6 to 9 months after phones started flowing out of China. Now, they lag by just weeks. It is thought that Apple is seeking parity with China, and would like to increase latest-model iPhone production in India substantially from the 7% figure currently.  

In an unsurprising, childish action, X…the app formerly known as Twitter, apparently has delayed loading of Links to sites of competitors and others disliked by Elon Musk. Theverge.com reports that the New York Times was taking extra long to load starting on August 4th. Other sites that had a delay in loading sites from links included Meta, Bluesky, and Substack. The Washington Post tested some links, and found that while these were slow, Fox News, YouTube, Mastodon, and even the Post loaded fine. Yoel Roth, X’s former head of trust and safety, noted on Bluesky  that “This is one of those things that seems too crazy to be true, even for Twitter, until you see it inexplicably take 5 seconds for Chrome to receive 650 bytes of data.” When queried, X sent an auto reply message saying ‘We’ll get back to you soon.’

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

Google Working on an Apple-Like Continuity Feature; Ford BlueCruise-at a Price; News Organizations Push for AI Regulation; Amazon Hardware Boss Retiring

A great feature which I use constantly is Apple’s Continuity…it allows you to start a task on for example your phone, then pick right up on your Mac laptop or iPad. Now, according to znet.com, Google is working on a similar feature that will include call switching from one device to another, internet sharing that will let you set up a personal hot spot and have all devices connect, and likely but not announced…easy file transfer…which is not only an Apple thing but also like the Nearby Share feature for Windows. An all-device clipboard feature is apparently also part of the Google feature set for Android. Google may go Apple one better, too. They may allow transfer from one phone to another…Apple won’t let you transfer a call to another iPhone. No timeline is out, but it looks like it will be soon, as some screenshots are already floating around. 

Most car makers have brought out driver assist features that are quite good…not ‘full-self driving,’ as Tesla calls their system…which is a huge exaggeration…but quite good, especially for highway driving. Now, Ford has announced that it is opening up availability of its BlueCruise hands-free driving tech…for a price. Engadget.com reports that previously a customer had to order the option at purchase. Now, the service will be included as standard in supported vehicles. The catch? Oh, of course there is one. BlueCruise at purchase is $2100 for the first 3 years, and annual subscriptions are $800 a year or else $75 a month! Ford does offer a 90 day free trial. They expect to install BlueCruise on 500,000 vehicles in the 2024 model year. 

A number of the world’s largest media organizations have assembled to call for greater transparency in regard to the training of generative AI models. In an open letter to policymakers published yesterday, they ask to be involved in creating standards for the use of artificial intelligence, especially as it relates to intellectual property rights. Thenextweb.com notes that among the organizations behind the letter is the European Publishers’ Council (EPC), European Pressphoto Agency, Gannett | USA TODAY Network, Getty Images, National Press Photographers Association, National Writers Union, News Media Alliance, The Associated Press, and the Authors Guild.

Amazon’s Senior VP of devices and services…that’s the Alexa gadgets…Dave Limp…is retiring in the next few months after 13 years at the company. Theverge.com reports that a successor will be announced in the next few weeks. Although Amazon has sold lots of Echo devices, those sales have tapered off, and Amazon announced last fall that that division would have some layoffs. Limp just said he is leaving because “it’s time.” He added “I have been doing a version of this job (building and shipping consumer electronics) on and off for 30+ years. I love it, but I also want look into the future through a different lens. I am not sure what that future is right now, with the notable exception that it won’t be in the consumer electronics space.” Amazon hosts its fall devices and services event September 20th, and he will be there.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

Apple Watch X Next Year-Big Changes; Zuck Musk Cage Match Cancelled-Shocking; Threads Use Drops 79%; Social Media Influencers-Watch for Counterfeit Goods

From all leaks and rumors, the next Apple Watch out in September will be another minor upgrade…but it looks like in 2024, we may get significant improvements. Appleinsider.com reports that the Apple Watch X…and most are calling it that since Apple used that designation for the 10th anniversary iPhone…will have magnetic attaching bands instead of the slots…which will free up significant room for a bigger battery or other upgrades. It is also rumored to have a thinner design…made possible by the additional space gained by losing the slots. Apple watchers will have to keep an eye peeled for new patents. I expect them to call the new system Mag-something, to go with their MagSafe charging system, marketing-wise.

Fight fans, and tech magnate haters worldwide are crushed, but it looks now like the much-hyped Mark Zuckerberg-Elon Musk cage match is off. In a series of posts on Threads, Meta CEO Zuckerberg said he was done talking about the fight because Musk never got “serious” about it. Lately, Musk has claimed he needed surgery before he could fight. Despite all the b.s. and taunting online, Musk has never agreed to a date or location. Zuckerberg did leave the door open a crack, according to arstechnica.com. He said he might still be game if Musk properly trains. Zuck has been doing serious MMA training for 2 years. 

Threads usage has apparently fallen off by some 79% in one month. It is now down to just over 10 million…from a high of almost 50 million in early July. Zdnet.com says the numbers were crunched by analytics firm Similarweb. This sounds pretty terrible, but considering that we reported last week that Twitter had lost quite a few users from May to August, it doesn’t seem all that bad. It remains to be seen if the usage will pick back up when the Meta owned platform gets a desktop or browser based version, and search that actually works…which we have been promised are coming in weeks.

Social media influencers are quite a phonom…but with apparently following their lead isn’t always so beneficial. Thenextweb.com reports that a new study by Portsmouth University of some 2,000 people in the UK found that around 22% had bought goods recommended by influencers that turned out to be counterfeits. According to the study, people between 16 and 13 years old are three times as likely to purchase endorsed counterfeits as those aged 34 to 60. Males, meanwhile, accounted for 70% of all the buyers. In retail, it has always been caveat emptor…let the buyer beware…and more so on the internet…but apparently even more than that when it comes to influencer-endorsed stuff.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

TikTok Creators Must Disclose AI Generated content; New Features coming to Threads This Week; ‘X’ CEO Says Video Calls Are coming; Disney Cracking Down on Plus Password Sharing

Although they have yet to announce it publicly, TikTok now lets you add AI-generated content labels to your videos…AND warns that you MUST disclose AI-generated content…or risk having the content taken down. Zdnet.com reports that users can toggle the AI-generated label option when  uploading a video that includes AI content. It appears that for now, the feature is only available to a limited number of users while TikTok tests it out. Instagram is also working on a label for AI-generated content. 

Meta’s answer to Twitter, Threads, is getting new features this week. That’s the word from CEO Mark Zuckerberg. According to theverge.com, new features include the ability to share a Threads post to your Instagram DMs, a way to add custom alt text to photos and videos that you include in posts, and a new “mention button” that lets you “easily mention someone’s account in your Thread.” These are nice to have, but we’re still waiting on the ones that really count…a web browser based version and search that searches content and doesn’t just surface user accounts. As we reported earlier, Zuck has promised those in the next few weeks. 

Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X…the app formerly known as Twitter, has revealed that video chat is coming to the platform. Engadget.com notes she was quoted as saying “Soon you’ll be able to make video chat calls without having to give your phone number to anyone on the platform.” It isn’t clear how X video calls would fill a burning need for consumers: The crowded video-chat landscape already includes Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Apple FaceTime and more. But as Musk and Yaccarino try to reshape the company, they increasingly view the platform formerly known as Twitter as expanding far beyond tweets into a real-time town square for various media, communications and payments. Yaccarino also said that the platform is close to being in the black…even with users down from over 30 million in May to around 9 million last month. They are also auctioning off ‘Twitter memorabilia.’ That sounds like selling off the furniture and fixtures to pay the bills, but yeah…it’s nearly profitable!

It hasn’t been that long since Netflix brought their password sharing ban to the US…and it initially hurt, then seemed to help the platform. Now, DisneyPlus is joining the party. In addition to looming price hikes for Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN, Disney has announced that it will be instituting a password ban like Netflix, maybe as early as the first of next year. Bgr.com reports that CEO Bob Iger has said that password sharing is ‘significant’ and that they already have the ability to track it. Iger seems intent on squeezing every nickel out of Disney customers, like he was squeezing a nickel until the buffalo poops. Get used to paying more for Disney streaming services, visiting the parks, and all the rest. Hey, ‘magic’ doesn’t come cheap!

I’m Clark Reid, and you’re ‘Techinified’ for now.

Apple Can Keep App Store Rules-For Now; YouTube Will Break Home Feeds If You Turn Off Watch History; Big Slack Redesign; BlueJeans Shuts Down

Apple has gotten a reprieve with regards to changing App Store rules…at least for now. The Supreme Court will let them keep the status quo while the appeal of their case with Epic Games is considered by the high court. Macrumors.com reports that Apple’s anti-steering rules prevent developers from directing customers to make purchases for digital goods outside of the ‌App Store‌. In the Epic vs. Apple case that started in 2020, the judge decided that Apple should change its ‌App Store‌ rules to allow developers to direct customers to purchasing mechanisms outside of the ‌App Store‌, which paves the way for alternate payment methods. Nope…Apple isn’t interested in losing any of that 30% cut they skim off the top from every single paid app in the store. Apple has 90 days to file with the Supremes, and won’t need to change its rules until the Supreme Court decides on whether to hear the case. 

Apparently YouTube really, really wants to kind about everything you’re watching. So much, that if you turn off your watch history, the Home tab won’t show any videos at all…not from your subscription, not from trending…nothing. According to bgr.com, you will get an alert that says “Your watch history is off. You can change your setting at any time to get the latest videos tailored to you.” Google says that it is rolling out this change over the next few months, so you may still have a home feed for a little while before it is taken away from you (if you have your watch history turned off, of course).

Slack is preparing to unveil its biggest ever redesign. The Salesforce platform hopes that the changes will make things easier to find and manage on the sprawling app. Theverge.com says that many of the changes are designed for the heaviest slack users. Chief Product Officer Noah Weiss says “for end users, you end up having to switch to all these different workspaces just to see channel activity, the mentions you have, the threads you’re part of, and so on.” The redesign was all about making Slack a little easier to maneuver. When the app first opens, you well get a Home section that looks much like the present interface. Frankly, those that have seen the interface say it looks a lot like Microsoft’s Teams. What we need…another Teams! 

After dumping hundreds of millions into it during the pandemic, Verizon has decided to shutter BlueJeans. We had used the Zoom wannabe, and it worked fine. In fact, it played more nicely with Safari and Firefox for me than Zoom…which seems to prefer Chrome…at least on my Mac. Techcruch.com reports that Verizon is killing the app quote “due to the changing market landscape.” Of course the use is way down since a lot of people are back in the office, at least a couple days a week. Zoom and Google Hangouts use is down too…but BlueJeans never really got the traction. Basic and free trial tiers will be turned off August 31st. BlueJeans will continue to operate for other users until December. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.