Motorola throws shade at Samsung's new battery tests (The 3:59, Ep. 233)
Motorola throws shade at Samsung's new battery tests (The 3:59, Ep. 233)
2017-05-25
and good morning on Thursday May 25th
episode 233 of the 359 podcast and we
apologize for such an unprecedented
unfortunate hiatus that was due to
unforeseen circumstances and on my
name's dvg and in the house today we got
offered a and Ben Fox Ruben welcome back
everybody it wasn't really a hiatus well
we haven't been like the audio we
haven't been live all week amazi yeah
yeah yeah it is it is nice to be back I
bought a house in New Jersey so that's
where that's where I was last week so
I'm very happy to be back what we are
talking about today Motorola was
throwing some shade on Samsung's battery
testing which seemed very bold to me
we'll get into that Roger Cheng wrote
that story yesterday also there's a new
feature from t-mobile called digits
we'll get into that and we'll end with a
Brobot police officer
Robocop in Dubai Robocop in Dubai I'd
watch that movie that would be the
lamest movie ever I would watch it it
would be better than sharknado so
sending your questions and comments
Brian our producer is going to get to as
many as he can at the end of the show
let's let's do it I suppose Brian's
ready we'll we'll make it happen
oh we're ready okay let's go then then
here we go buckle up three two
welcome to the 359 I'm Ben Fox Ruben I'm
Alfred Aang Samsung cobbled its
reputation back together thanks in part
to its new 8 point battery testing
process which should prevent future
train wrecks like the note 7 but rival
Motorola this week and the new testing
as more of a quote marketing campaign
and said it could have avoided the note
sevens battery problems from the get-go
that's pretty bold why do that why not
just is it bold it's very petty it's
just one of those things or it's like
it's after the fact that it happened yet
we could have prevented that like you
didn't know what was going on is much
more than you're backing this yeah don't
don't act like like you knew what the
problem was and like no that's never
happen uh yeah and there's a we could
stopped it yeah uh but partly partly
that this came from Motorola you know
had a meeting with a handful of
journalists this week and it was asked
like have you changed your battery
testing in any way since the note 7
debacle they said no we we know what
we're doing with lithium-ion batteries
we didn't change anything it does it
does seem almost a little too Cavalier
it was just such an odd shot for them to
take in in this sense as far as like why
don't you tell like your phone's great
battery life you know with Motorola and
they're like modular phones like how
it's different from the note 7 where you
know all the phones are stuck in there
with their batteries where like with
this you can put like an extra battery
pack or like mod it so like it's a you
know things like this wouldn't happen
but more so is like no we would have
fixed that error yeah never was great
come on it's so weird ads are dead
mods never time and they're still trying
to push for it try to push for it but I
don't think mods are really going to
happen so I guess the best thing that
they can do is you know take a crap on
Samsung no we're best it's such an
absurd like claw their way back
next up t-mobile introduced a new
feature called digits which lets you
sync your phone number across devices
and get this use one phone for multiple
phone numbers letting you toggle between
like your work and personal phone
numbers which sounds like a pretty nice
feature I mean I really like it it makes
so much sense like think about like your
email where it's like if you leave one
computer at home you don't think like oh
I can't check any
because I don't have that computer like
it makes so much sense to have all the
numbers on like one device like there
were a few like on Monday I left my work
phone at home and I was like I hope
nobody calls it of like wants me to do
any work today because I'm not like
doing have to call me on my landline
right but who would benefit we talked
about this before the show who would
benefit the most from this feature I
mean this seems like perfect for drug
dealers there you go where they can just
have their burner numbers on the envy a
burner number and not a burner phone and
then you don't have to keep buying like
really like cheap phones yeah I love it
I love I love drug dealing I'm gonna die
I'm not juggling uh-huh what if I did if
I word I would use digit this is very
useful last Dubai put into action a new
police robot this is really hard to keep
my face straight on this one which it
will station in malls and tourist
attractions you can use its touch screen
to report crimes it also looks like a
mannequin which is pretty creepy and
it's got an adorable little hat on it
it's such a weird form factor is it why
why the Hat why what is it like you
don't put like a bowtie on you're like
echo I would wear a tie on wears like to
like you know give it like a little
human look or whatever it's a machine
it's meant to like serve its job like in
Stanford at like the Stanford mall they
have those like mall cop robots right
called the night scope and it looks like
a little dome it's a little trash can
yeah that makes sense like it's there
like I know it's a robot but like you
give me this like mannequin looking
robot that I can come up to and like
press buttons on its chest it's so weird
I don't know about this whole thing so
get this also you buy plans on
eventually having 25% of its Dubai
police force robe be robots by 2030 this
is just I don't know there's a lot of
robot hats tonight Pritikin overrun at a
robot hat anyway if you want to read
more about these stories check us out on
CNET I'm Ben Fox Ruben I'm Alberta
thanks for listening
you may not put a bow tie on your echo
but the hipsters in Brooklyn do okay
they definitely do and they get those
bow ties off of Etsy I love that you
just started cracking up the moment that
yeah it's just so silly looking I'm
sorry look I don't I know I'm not enough
about this story to judge it objectively
but if done luck Sal he's got a little
hat he does he does I mean the very low
point is like for like low profile stuff
so like if you want to go pay like your
font like a fine like a parking ticket
or whatever you don't have to go all the
way to the core or like the police
station you can just go there but I'm
also like does I also drove up I could
also just be a kiosk of collect report
crimes and get information like they
literally have that in New York City of
like on the subway like that little like
kiosk thing that you just press the
button and you talk to somebody or like
pops up a screen depending on like how
old your station is you don't have a
mannequin dude I think this is what I
think I think like everybody in the tech
world and government and whatever looked
at their watches and we're like it's
2017 we should have had more robots by
now kind of like the book report was do
or something and now we're cobbling
together a bunch of these ridiculous
looking robots like I don't understand
what the point of it them DeMarre listen
we'd have this alright look at the
literal Robocop from 1987 and then
remade in modes of 2014 2014 and as
arguably bad as the remake was like the
Robocop still look kind of cool in a way
like far from perfect far from his
iconic as the original was like alright
that doesn't look silly it looks kind of
man but then and then you get like ghost
in the shell' that just came out this
year and it's still kind of about
technically a Robocop to a certain
extent and you go yeah yeah I know well
I think one of the problems is is and
we've discussed this before is that any
robots that do come out that are that
are kind of facing the public like you
know consumer-facing they intentionally
try to make them look cute because they
don't want to make them look scary cuz
holly has made as Michael everybody
robots are scary back up you don't think
that looks scary it looks creepy it
looks kind of weird but back off and
that's um I Robot maybe that's why I'm
gonna throw a punch at that robot any
day of the week that is not affordable
but the thing is like it doesn't have to
be like cute to not be scary
has been like a kiosks or like a
literally like a stick with that screen
what does it need arms that stick
what is it roll I gonna do those arms if
it was this joke you in your sleep
right if it was a stag I still would
want the adorable little hat on it
though at least with the hat off cause
like it's supposed like the the main
point of it is that like touchscreen on
its chest right so like you built a
whole thing around it just for the
touchscreen but why doesn't eat I get
maybe legs floor like we also can move
around and stuff and like tell people to
get out of here son what are they gonna
do those arms it looks like it's I mean
it looks like it could like judo chop
some body with that though we are 100%
in agreement that this robot is stupid
I'm just wait hold on scroll to the
right a little bit look how serious this
man is right like he's like this is yup
this is we're doing this for two hun it
is although like metals and stuff I
don't know what that's for button the
robots got some catching up to do
right he's a rookie cop this let this
look like a buddy cop movie oh my god I
would watch we're taking you off the
Robo floor and then like the season
finale is that that robot gets caught up
in like ransomware robot go give me back
my robot I'm getting too outdated for
this let's pull it back let's pull it
back the show is officially gotten off
the rails do we have any questions or
comments I like to comment from Matthew
Matthew dancer who says I don't want to
live in a world with uncanny uncanny
valleys around every corner
amen totally yeah great comment great
comment um all right let's uh sorry so
distracted by this damn thing it doesn't
need I those cameras they may be camera
it has ears it's honest all right
horrible focus focus
it's a serious show this is this is yeah
we came back from like not doing video
and like now we're just cracking okay
let's talk into something that we do
like let's talk about digits okay I
think that's kind of a radical idea
like the idea that's kind of like you
know Apple I'm messaging how it yeah how
it goes in different devices yeah
absolutely have to be a hardware
loyalist lost legacy points out that you
are arguably better off still just using
Google Voice because it's free that's a
good point I think this is also free but
you have to be a t-mobile customer yeah
so this is this is a way it depends on
how many lawns you want to add right
also um I mean I really like it I I'm
saying like they made a good point where
it's like we're treating like phone
numbers as if they're like emails or no
no no they're not treating them as of
their emails like before like right now
like the way that we look at phone
numbers it's like it's almost as if it's
like a social security number mmm or
something was like this number is
directly tied to me kind of thing and
it's only directly tied to this device
or this SIM card that's in it and it
makes no sense like you should you're
treating it like messengers or like well
previously a telephone number was more
like an IP address yeah I to a physical
location right address but now it's more
like a QR code that's identified with a
subject the person a hand yeah they're I
like the way they're thinking about this
I mean I wouldn't even put a pass at
someday the idea of a traditional number
is kind of retired yeah sure yeah that's
that's true yeah in their marketing of
this too they also mention the idea that
you would have a specific phone number
that you would give out only for dating
or something like that so you would have
disposable numbers the like you know
like the song or whatever like keeps
calling you and just like ditch that
phone number right not to me seems
pretty smart because like we were saying
before like your phone number is so tied
to your I guess that kind of makes it
like we have a work email a personal
email yeah I know more have like a
spammy ideal email yeah yeah let's get
back to the drug dealing
I know I know reporters that will only
give out like their Google Voice number
and smart may I have more able a better
filtering yeah that's the idea with this
though where it's like the weird thing
in there a design of the opposite though
isn't it there you're able to I mean
it's not the same number though it's
just all numbers can sync onto one phone
oh I see I guess I'd interesting when
there's all those evil numbers but they
all go to the same phone yeah yeah it's
cool yeah cuz I get largely utilize that
anyways like all my notifications
buzzing
getting yeah causes me major anxiety
it'd be nice to have more controller but
then like I look like a jerk on the
subway a lot of times when it's like I
get a work email but I'm also reading
something I'm like my oh I do that all
the time I'm just like I'm trying to
show off it's really crowded and like
I'm already holding my phone and then
I'll like accidentally like elbowed
somebody and it's just like I haven't
sorry this is for my second phone I'm
more important than you oops yeah
at one point I was carrying around three
phones when I was like messing around
with the Samsung Galaxy we did how did
you hold the third one Oh were you
testing it though I was testing a Yaris
playing with a with a galaxy what was it
just like the edge of field last you
didn't actually have three phones I did
yeah but like I was really bad marine I
were you just wearing two of them like
shades I would just put like them all
down on my lap and tried to read the New
York Times like you know across at least
you didn't have like three phone holders
like oh that would be amazing
nobody somebody walks - like this guy's
an intense hacker definitely nobody has
ever said that about me here's a
fascinating thought from Matthew in the
chat again our 10 digits enough numbers
to be throwing them away willy-nilly
good point it isn't really good that
that is that is one of the issues who
they're like legit running out of phone
numbers I didn't know that we're gonna
have to actually start using the 555 at
least at least in New York that's why
they've had to come up with like new
area codes whereas i7 one eight six four
six two one two they're already had
taken because there's so many people in
the city I was like all right we're nine
to nine now like that's like I don't
even know if 99 is new I know they came
out with a new one recently I can't keep
track yeah I know worse six four six
which is a newer one I just sent that
ones I think we're going to see more I
think you're going to find a way to
repurpose some of the area codes being
that they're not going to be tied to a
physical location again like we talked
about you know the phone numbers are
less about they they brought in the air
there's a lot of rural areas where they
don't but saw shows number they brought
them in originally because it's like
they ran out of like like phone numbers
with just like seven like digits is the
thing so I was like okay we'll use this
one for like min Han this one for Queens
that kind of thing because it was like
we need more combinations kind of thing
I remember being able to call somebody
in Brooklyn
like with only seven digits I was like
oh so great that was yep definitely back
in the day that was like late 90s
yeah that was that was back um when I
was a four late 90s but like that's what
I've ER whatever that was back in like
when I was growing up in the
Philadelphia area everybody was to one
five and then eventually we got switched
over to six six one zero
so it was the same situation I will say
this this is what I do like about area
codes though is that it tells you how
long somebody's been like an OG like in
that neighborhood for somebody like
comes through and they have like a six
for six numbers or like a they're 99
numbers I I know you're not from here I
know you're a baker yeah Abdul points
out three five nine area code I looked
it up to Bulgaria really mm-hmm
what yeah that's maybe that's where we
do the 359 episode ooh what we doing in
Bulgaria so first we actually need a
budget travel which we do $359 Hey
before we bring things all the way
around full circle and take some shots
at the shade uh-huh Andres getting a
little pushy in the chat here hey what's
up would any of y'all buy the Galaxy
Note 8 any of y'all three yeah how do
you know that that's his a like voice he
typed y'all a different I say y'all um
your assimilate your on assimilate
biology I I would yeah I would I would
definitely consider getting it uh one of
my major hesitations with wait a minute
did he ask about the note eight the note
the note eight it's not happening I
thought he was asking you about the same
day but like theoretically in a nano a
he's asking us erratically a phone that
I've never seen before and that I would
consider it is now just rumored no I
wouldn't because I don't like phablets
I get like cell phones so that's no I
wouldn't buy that I'm basically not
buying a venue phone until they come out
with another se like upgrade mmm yeah
the SE I mean like we're waiting to see
what the next Google pixel will look
like obviously the 10th anniversary
iPhone is expected to come out I was
strongly considering the s8 for a while
but the fingerprint sensor in the back
kind of caused me a little bit of
hesitation so I don't know it just it to
it I mean yeah it's one of those things
that's just a learning
curious about what it was just it was an
odd choice yes all it was it was it
seemed pretty clear that it was a
last-minute thing so um it wasn't you
know the worst thing in the world but
still yeah alright let's talk about
let's talk about Motorola first of all
Ankit says does those motorola even
exist anymore that's a good point I mean
like that was partly why they threw
shade in the first place at Samsung
because Samsung yeah an apple or like
the duopoly that's the other thing too
when when you introduce that storing you
said like rival like rival Samsung that
was Motorola and a rival yeah I mean
like they're a rival stronger I don't
think that their rivals they're both
phone makers that's true those are
surprised I mean yes they both they're
both vying for the same category like me
in the same rival category but that's a
very good point yeah and I like that as
easy-peasy as uh I don't know if that's
the user name Samsung's up Samsung eight
point testing one does it catch fire -
does it catch fire three doesn't catch I
mean that's pretty much if you look at
the eight point stuff it kind of is a
lot like that so there's one where they
do like um there's like heat testing
they do one where it's like leakage
testing there's one where it's like like
puncture testing where they like they
don't like exactly hammer nails into it
but say it's all mechanical right um but
it's pretty much we like make it go
through all these conditions and see if
it catches fire wait wait wait you hear
that here comes a wave of people getting
mad at us for beating a dead horse over
the Samsung exploding mine I mean like
look it was it was like the a chemise
mad at Motorola long luck it was the
biggest like major flagship phone train
wreck in years I mean like obviously
we're going to be talking about it a lot
so yeah that's fine if you guys think
we're beating a dead horse we are a
question from Jacob coming in here at
the 11th hour speaking of the pixel do
you think it's possible we could see
Google double down on it and purchase a
new phone maker again or just continue
outsourcing the manufacturing um I would
probably say the latter
they already had purchased Motorola
and it pissed off a lot of the phone
makers that use Android and I ended up
jettisoning Motorola and now Lenovo owns
it so it doesn't seem very likely to me
that they would shell out billions of
dollars don't own a phone maker again
yeah I mean that they don't really need
to like own a phone maker when they can
like just like give money to HTC for
this yeah I and if they can with the
second iteration actually make it a
little bit more customized make the
design a little bit nicer then there
really isn't much of a purpose for them
to like you know like whatever the
hardware all the hardware and the
factories and employees and all that
other stuff that being said though
Google is also like kind of rich though
yeah maybe they can kind of do it yeah
but like Apple doesn't make its own
phones make an entire time to do that
yeah so it wasn't like ships it out at
China and like you know Foxconn does
does like all the heavy lifting for them
so from a business standpoint it's
pretty obvious that outsourcing would be
the smarter way to do it but but at
least for Google because if Google were
to own like a brand like Motorola again
I just think that it would it would be
the same situation that was a couple
years ago where everybody's like wait a
minute why are you why are we using
Android if you're gonna like go after us
like this heavily I just I just hope
that all future headlines related to
Motorola and Samsung are like anytime
something bad happens Samsung Motorola
comes out as like we would have caught
that
like yesterday I wrote a story about how
like the iris scanner on the galaxy si
is like easily hacked right with like a
piece of paper and like contact lens
like you take if you take a photo of
somebody's eyes like in like night mode
it like uses like the infrared like
shots and then you put a contact lens
over it so it looks like it's an eye
it's like it's textured holy cow and
then like they held up the piece of
paper to like the galaxy si and then
like it unlocked it I really want to see
a headline from Motorola like we would
have caught that we were caught that
because we don't offer an iris scanner
mm-hmm what had never happened
you get snaked okay one more this is
this is a god nothing goes over my head
a good question of how a little out of
left field from Andres again who by the
way was from Texas
whatever happened to Motorola project
ara I was really hoping to that to come
out
i project ours from google that was
Google as an angle but that that was a
modular thing too they correct they
canned it because like Ben said earlier
uh mods are pretty much dead yeah um
except with Motorola yeah you're such a
cool promo demo thing that they showed
off though what's the idea it is a fun
idea but I think in practice people
don't really want to do that they just
think there's a lot of liability to it
there's a lot more moving parts to fail
your ass got from you have to carry
around and you know if you want well I
feel like you if you want to deal with
em right get a good camera I think you'd
build your dream phone you wouldn't get
sitting out there going you know Optimus
Prime on the single day day yeah but I
the ID again moving parts sliding parts
connections fail that thing is just
asking I mean I thought it was a great
idea but then it came into like that
thing is like that project are like did
not seem like future proof to me in the
Centaurs like okay I got all these parts
and stuff and then like one year later
it's like oh there's these new parts out
and the phone that you have is not
compatible with them so you need to get
the new thing too and well it just like
didn't seem very future proof to me yeah
that's probably a good place to wrap it
up for the day but before we go
loss of legacies asking what our e3
plans are and I'm going to advise you to
go ahead and ping old Jeff Bakalar right
over on the 404 because I believe he's
your guy to talk to about synergy 3
coverage very much yes yeah you know is
likely going to be there I can't confirm
that percent but historically he's been
the guy to go also we might as well tell
people that we're going on hiatus next
week Memorial Day hiatus so we'll be
back in time for WotC
we sketched out for a few days and now
we're formally taking a few more games
I'm sorry guys catch up a little sorry
so but yeah we'll be we'll be out enjoy
the long weekend and yeah let's let's
wrap this thing up 3:59 podcast is
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expect you to stop I was just gonna like
read it okay Rama C that would have been
even weirder we'll work on our harmonies
for next time I say y'all I'm anyway
thanks everybody for watching and we'll
be back in time for WWDC see you then
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