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All Tech Considered

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The Industry

Thursday

Tuesday

Soon It'll Be OK To Tinker With Your Car's Software After All

A service technician uses a diagnostic device in front of a diesel engine in a Volkswagen Touran in an auto repair shop in Hanover, Germany. Researchers have been pushing for freedom to learn more about the code inside cars in the fallout of the VW software-rigging scandal. Julian Stratenschulte/EPA/Landov hide caption

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Julian Stratenschulte/EPA/Landov

The Industry

Soon It'll Be OK To Tinker With Your Car's Software After All

Security researchers and owners will be able to dig into the software built into cars and farming equipment under new exemptions from the Librarian of Congress, who oversees a copyright law provision.

Monday

Don't Necessarily Judge Your Next E-Book By Its Online Review

Yelp users, who flock to the platform known for its reviews and recommendations, should be on the lookout for astroturfing — the creation of fake reviews to make a business look more popular. Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Industry

Don't Necessarily Judge Your Next E-Book By Its Online Review

Online scams known as catfishing and astroturfing produce fake reviews for e-books published under fake names or generate false praise for restaurants. In either case, it pays to be skeptical.

Don't Necessarily Judge Your Next E-Book By Its Online Review

Listen · 7:56
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Friday

It's Not Just VW: A Robust Market For Reprogramming Vehicles
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The Industry

It's Not Just VW: A Robust Market For Reprogramming Vehicles

An entire marketplace exists on the Internet for tuners, devices that help drivers crank up the power on vehicles and then hide the evidence. We visit a local diesel shop to see how it works.

It's Not Just VW: A Robust Market For Reprogramming Vehicles

Listen · 4:39
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Wednesday

What Happens When The Price Of Free Goes Up? YouTube Is About To Find Out
Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images

The Industry

What Happens When The Price Of Free Goes Up? YouTube Is About To Find Out

YouTube has long suggested it may try to charge for its content. The new subscription service "Red" hopes to lure users with exclusive content from top stars, offline access to music and other perks.

What Happens When The Price Of Free Goes Up? YouTube Is About To Find Out

Listen · 2:46
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Sunday

Friday

More Fair Use News: Google Books, Again, Prevails Against Authors

A librarian working with the Google Books project in Ann Arbor, Mich., helps a giant desktop machine scan a rare, centuries-old Bible in 2008. Carlos Osorio/AP hide caption

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Carlos Osorio/AP

The Industry

More Fair Use News: Google Books, Again, Prevails Against Authors

Google gets another win in a case by book authors and publishers challenging its digital library. Disputes over "fair use" of copyrighted material are bound to continue as more stuff ends up online.

Tuesday

Groups Aim To Make It Easier To Own A Cable TV Box Instead Of Renting

A study by two U.S. senators estimated that 99 percent of cable TV subscribers rent their set-top boxes and pay on average $231 a year to do so. Ariel Zambelich/NPR hide caption

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Ariel Zambelich/NPR

The Industry

Groups Aim To Make It Easier To Own A Cable TV Box Instead Of Renting

A study estimated that 99 percent of cable TV subscribers rent their set-top boxes and pay on average $231 a year to do so. Groups want to make it easier for consumers to own similar devices.

Groups Aim To Make It Easier To Own A Cable TV Box Instead Of Renting

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Thursday

Amazon Takes Aim At Etsy With A New Craft Site, Handmade

Valerie Nethery's LilyEmme Jewelry is among the first artisanal stores to be featured on Handmade, Amazon's new marketplace. LilyEmme Jewelry hide caption

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LilyEmme Jewelry

The Industry

Amazon Takes Aim At Etsy With A New Craft Site, Handmade

Amazon will require that the goods be factory-free — a direct swipe at Etsy, which now allows artisans to work with manufacturers to increase their sales.

Amazon Takes Aim At Etsy With A New Craft Site, Handmade

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Tuesday

Amid VW Scandal, Critics Want Access To Carmakers' Computer Code

A Volkswagen Passat is tested for exhaust emissions, at a Ministry of Transport testing station in London. In the U.S., a 1998 copyright law prevents safety researchers from accessing the software that runs cars. John Stillwell/PA Photos/Landov hide caption

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John Stillwell/PA Photos/Landov

The Industry

Amid VW Scandal, Critics Want Access To Carmakers' Computer Code

Most of us are unaware of what goes on under the hood of our car. Some people, including safety researchers, would like to access the software. But a 1998 copyright law stands in the way.

Amid VW Scandal, Critics Want Access To Carmakers' Computer Code

Listen · 3:22
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Atlanta Tries To Carve Out A Niche In Tech

Atlanta is earning the nickname Silicon Valley of the South, joining spinoffs Silicon Alley in New York and Silicon Prairie in the Midwest. Greg Williams/Flickr hide caption

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Greg Williams/Flickr

The Industry

Atlanta Tries To Carve Out A Niche In Tech

Many local startups say their biggest hurdle is cash. It's such a common complaint, Atlanta's mayor is launching a venture capital fund to help tech companies get off the ground.

Atlanta Tries To Carve Out A Niche In Tech

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Thursday

Friday

New Film Asks: Were Steve Jobs' Flaws Uploaded To His Machines?

In Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine, director Alex Gibney turns a critical lens on the Apple co-founder and his products. Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures hide caption

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Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Review

The Industry

New Film Asks: Were Steve Jobs' Flaws Uploaded To His Machines?

Alex Gibney's documentary joins a growing list of Steve Jobs biopics and biographies. The director's thesis seems to be that Jobs' flawed character was infused into the machines he made.

Wednesday

Politics Overshadows U.S. Tech Firms' Hopes For Entering Iran

Customers try out cellphones and tablets in a store in Tehran, in 2012. Financial sanctions make it difficult for U.S. firms to do business in Iran, analysts say. Vahid Salemi/AP hide caption

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Vahid Salemi/AP

The Industry

Politics Overshadows U.S. Tech Firms' Hopes For Entering Iran

With a young, well-educated population, Iran has the potential to be a boom market for tech. But sanctions and negative political implications for doing business there seem to limit prospects.

Politics Overshadows U.S. Tech Firms' Hopes For Entering Iran

Listen · 4:05
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Sunday

More Than A Pipeline Problem: In Search Of Diversity In Silicon Valley

Wall graffiti at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. The company released a diversity report last month showing that 70 percent of employees are male; African-Americans comprise 2 percent of it workforce. Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

The Industry

More Than A Pipeline Problem: In Search Of Diversity In Silicon Valley

As the big tech firms grapple with a lack of diversity, three women of color who work in the industry talk about the challenges of expanding staff demographics.

More Than A Pipeline Problem: In Search Of Diversity In Silicon Valley

Listen · 8:22
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