The Morning After: Thursday December 22, 2016
Nokia sues Apple over 32 patents and California DMV vs. Uber
Good morning! If you need some last-minute gift ideas, don't worry -- we've got your back.
Issues in the news include Uber ending its self-driving car tests in San Francisco, a Nokia vs. Apple patent battle and an early look at Sling TV's AirTV player.
Uber shuts down its self-driving cars in San Francisco
After a week or so of posturing, the battle between California regulators and Uber has come to an end. The ride-sharing company pulled 16 self-driving cars off the road after the DMV revoked their registrations, insisting that Uber needs to obtain an autonomous permit for testing. According to the state, getting the permit (as 20 other companies already have, including Google, Tesla and Ford) could take less than 72 hours.
What it's like to wear a pair of 3D-printed Adidas
The Adidas 3D Runner is pretty difficult to get, but just in case you could acquire them, how would they feel? Edgar Alvarez tried on a pair and found that their 3D-printed midsoles made for a shoe that was not only comfortable but also extremely light. Unfortunately, the heaviest hit could come to a hypebeast's pocketbook -- pairs from the limited release are selling online for as much as $6,500.
Sling TV is developing its own hardware for cord cutters
It looks like Sling TV's next step is to build its own Android-powered player, according to a website leak revealed by Dave Zatz. The AirTV Player looks ready to blend local broadcasts and Sling's live TV streams with internet services like Netflix, but we'll probably have to wait until the start of CES to find out more.
Nokia sues Apple for patent infringement
The latest battle over IP is here, as Nokia filed lawsuits against Apple in Germany and the US. The suits cover 32 patents, while Nokia claims Apple declined to expand a licensing agreement the two reached in 2011. Based on recent history, were not expecting for this to wrap up anytime soon, but stay tuned.
A Russian bot army "watches" video ads on fake sites 300 million times a day
According to the security firm WhiteOps, it uncovered a botnet built to trick ad networks. Called Methbot, the scheme tricked advertisers into playing videos on fake websites, where they were watched by fake viewers, and then paid for with real money.
Sansar is intended as a Wordpress for social VR
Linden Lab's new project is called Sansar, and it's a toolkit for creators to easily build and share virtual worlds. Interactivity is "fairly limited" at the moment, but its creators expect to improve that over time. Their experience comes from operating "Second Life" for many years, and Sansar has a similar focus on social, with support for hundreds of avatars at a time.
NASA missions were a social media hit in 2016
A combination of interesting missions and effective campaigns kept our attention on what was happening in space this year. Leaning in to pop culture references and dialing back the jargon also helped NASA's team of social media specialists, as the group manages more than 500 accounts. Everyone wants to crush the 'gram, but only NASA can do it from the furthest reaches of our Solar System.
