SouthGeek News has its roots in a wide variety of previous podcasts, specifically the origin of the first podcast that Donovan ever did — The SouthGeek Ramble & Review.  It went for 63 episodes before life changes made him make some difficult choices…one of which was to kill off that first podcast. Over the course…

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Sam, Oliver, and Donovan are back after a brief hiatus to discuss the tech they purchased or received in 2020 that provided quality of life upgrades.  They also discuss what they have plans for or look forward to in the coming year of 2021.  Oh, and there’s a weird file!

Donovan, Sam, and Oliver are back discussing Oliver’s purchase of the iPhone 12 Pro Max, his thoughts about it since he upgraded from an iPhone 8, and does he have any buyer’s remorse after hearing rumors that the iPhone 13 could potentially be so much better.  Donovan mentions he has both an iPhone and his Pixel 2 simply because there are technical needs he has that only the android can fulfill.

As the show just flows from one topic to another, they discuss Apple’s announcement of their computers with their new M1 chips, battery life of the units, potential software issues, should you go with a first generation device or should you wait until at least the 2nd if not 3rd generation?  All three of the guys love the idea of SpaceX Starlink to serve in those broadband starved areas, but Sam and Donovan are concerned about the initial cost which can be as high as $700.

They sidetrack a bit to discuss comedies, which Donovan isn’t a real big fan of, with the possible exception of Scrubs, and he explains why.  Otherwise he seems to enjoy animated comedies as well as stand up comedians.

As they moved on to to discuss Google’s announcement that they would stop unlimited photo storage in 2021, Sam and Oliver both were shocked to discover how cheap Google One was (Donovan explained he pays $3 per month for 200GB of storage).  Sam found that Google offers 2TB of storage for $10, which made Oliver want to switch from Dropbox until he discovered they had increased his storage to 2TB and the pricing was about the same.

Ring doorbells catching on fire, and the report that teens that limit screen time and do other extracurricular activities both elicit a “duh!” moment from the gang.  On that note, Donovan wonders if he should go back to Facebook, even though he recognizes his own mental health is so much better since he’s taken a break from it (he deactivated his account about a month ago).

And that’s the show!  Thanks for listening!

Sam and Donovan are back after being off for 4 weeks.  Sam discusses his COVID-19 diagnosis; he’s out of the woods and back at work.  Donovan talks about his camera he placed at his inherited home 35 miles away and how a bird has decided it’s a great new perch.

On the docket for this show:  the Apple App store made a ton of money because of COVID-19, Apple loves to tout how they recycle, but one partner decided it was easier to make some additional money, G Suite is now Google Workspace (Donovan jokes about the number of name changes Google makes along with the number of services it starts and then kills), a long discussion about Apple’s latest iPhone, the iPhone 12; the military using Twitch as a recruitment tool, Netflix no longer offers a 30 day trial, Quibi is dead, and Sam brings out the weird file where profanity filters go nuts.

App Store grossed nearly twice as much as the Google Play Store during Q3

Apple sues recycling partner for reselling more than 100,000 iPhones, iPads and Watches it was hired to dismantle

G Suite is now Google Workspace in a bid to merge Gmail, Chat, and Docs

5G Drains iPhone 12 Battery 20% Faster Than 4G in Benchmark

What You Need to Know About 5G Smartphones

IPhones won’t come with headphones or power adapters in the box from now on

Uncle Sam Is Looking for Recruits—Over Twitch

Netflix Quietly Axes 30-Day Free Trial Offer In U.S.

Quibi is shutting down

Weird File

Donovan Adkisson

Samuel Lewis

The post Episode 16: The Bird is the Word appeared first on GPPN.

Oliver is back with Sam and Donovan this week to discuss an odd source that was causing broadband service outages in a village; the Z4 is the oldest digital computer that still exists and its manual was lost, until now; Microsoft hasn’t completely given up on perpetual licenses for Office; is it space debris or is it a mini-moon; Google is adding a COVID-19 layer to maps; Windows XP source code and more leaked; and Sam brings up the weird file concerning smartphones – are they making us dumber?

Apple iOS 14.0.1 Release: Should You Upgrade?

Internet: Old TV caused village broadband outages for 18 months

Researchers found the manual for the world’s oldest surviving computer

Microsoft to release a new perpetual license version of Office next year

A new mini-moon is about to join Earth’s orbit. It could be a booster rocket from the 60s

Google Maps adds an overlay of COVID-19 case trends

Windows XP Source Code Reportedly Leaked, Posted to 4chan

Weird File

Donovan Adkisson

Oliver

Samuel Lewis

Shae Jones

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Donovan and Samuel are back again, this time discussing 5G spectrum, transcription in Microsoft Word on the web, Netflix calls it quits on ‘Altered Carbon’ after two seasons, Amazon wins FAA approval for their delivery drones, Walmart’s shot across the bow of Amazon with their Walmart+ $98/year service, new rules in Apple’s App store affecting streaming game services (i.e. Microsoft, Google), and the big story:  The alarming rise of the technosexuals.

FCC makes more 5G spectrum available ahead of iPhone 12 launch

Microsoft Word just got a killer feature that puts Google Docs to shame

‘Altered Carbon’ Canceled By Netflix After 2 Seasons

Amazon wins FAA approval for Prime Air drone delivery fleet

Walmart unveils ‘ultimate life hack,’ a $98 membership with access to gas, groceries and free delivery

Apple issues new rules for App Store that will impact streaming game services from Google and Microsoft

The alarming rise of the technosexuals

Donovan Adkisson

Oliver

Samuel Lewis

Shae Jones

The post Episode 14: Technosexual appeared first on GPPN.

Sam, Oliver, and Donovan are back to discuss Toshiba saying goodbye to the laptop market (and basically the entire computer market), a mom managed to get back almost $20k in Twitch donations her son spent, Windows 10 loses the ability to search online for device drivers (but not really), Microsoft is forcing Windows Defender to stay on (but is it just for Windows 10 Home or all versions?), the Uber and Lyft saga continues in California, and AMC starts back up with 15-cent tickets.

The Big Story:  The showdown between Apple, Epic, and Google.  The guys weigh in with their thoughts on who is right, who is wrong, and if this is just rich companies doing what rich companies do.

Rounding out the show, Sam has a weird file, one that literally makes Donovan squirm (the guys were on video and Sam took delight in watching Donovan’s reaction).

Goodbye Toshiba Laptops. It’s Been Good Knowing Ya

A Mother Recovers the $20K Her Son Secretly Spent on Twitch Donations in 17 Days

Windows 10 Device Manager loses the ability to search online for driver updates

Uber and Lyft on track to leave California after failing to delay driver status order

AMC is reopening its theaters next week with 15-cent tickets

Microsoft no longer allows users to permanently disable Windows Defender

Epic Games vs. Apple: Timeline of Events Surrounding Fortnite’s Removal From App Store

iPhones with ‘Fortnite’ installed are being sold for as much as $10,000 after Apple pulled the game from the App Store

Donovan Adkisson

Oliver

Samuel Lewis

Shae Jones

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After a two week hiatus, Sam and Donovan are back missing Oliver and Shae for this episode of SouthGeek News.  The guys catch up with one another on what’s been going on in their lives over the last two weeks.  Sam won something, Donovan finally got some financial issues resolved (and got stung several times by wasps – fun!)

In tech news, Mulan is coming to Disney Plus for an additional $30.  Sam thinks this works for larger families, but not so much for a single dude like himself.  Donovan agrees stating he and his wife think they’d just wait until it became part of the regular Display Plus lineup.

Dr. Disrespect, a popular Twitch streamer, is back on his streaming game after being banned and kicked from the Twitch platform (still with no public reason why).  He’s going to be streaming on YouTube, Facebook, and his own website.

The format you’re most likely listening to this in is officially 25 years old!  Happy birthday to MP3!

7 social media apps that you may have not heard of or you have forgotten about…what are they?  Listen and find out!

Popular local network streaming software/service Plex has introduced “live” television.  Donovan notes it seems very similar to Pluto.

Mixer’s final day was basically an ad for Twitch.  Was anyone surprised?

Would you pay for a social media subscription?  Sam explains the reports of Twitter looking at subscriptions isn’t what it sounds like.

Finally, Sam provides a breakdown of the Executive Order concerning TikTok, and WeChat as well as a comparison between Instagram’s Reels and TikTok.  Donovan previously had stated to Sam that he thought Reels would eventually kill TikTok, which prompted Sam to do his due diligence and he’s pretty convinced, at least in its current form, TikTok has nothing to worry about from Reels.

22:36 Mins – Get to the actual tech news

Mulan’s move to Disney Plus proves how quickly the pandemic forever changed entertainment

Dr Disrespect officially returns to streaming

MP3 IS 25 YEARS OLD!

7 social media apps you totally forgot about — and what happened to them

Do-It-All Streaming Service Plex Is Launching a New TV Feature—And Yes, It’s Free

On Mixer’s last day, all eyes were on Twitch

Twitter says it’s looking at subscription options as ad revenue drops sharply

Trump signs Executive orders banning US business with TikTok owner ByteDance and Tencent’s WeChat

Donovan Adkisson

Oliver

Samuel Lewis

Shae Jones

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