Blogs

Could Alexa be getting a new voice, at least in the USA? A teaser ad ahead of the Super bowl suggests Alexa might be due for a major makeover. We play the ad, and discuss what might be coming. There’s also more info about HomePod, which may not be selling as well as Apple had anticipated.

If you have a Lenovo computer with a fingerprint reader and not running Windows 10, it may be at risk. We tell you what you need to know and how to patch it.

Could the US Government build a 5G network to protect Americans against foreign hacking? Should it?

On Mushroom FM’s technology magazine show, The Daily Fibre, more on Spectre and meltdown. If your computer is rebooting spontaneously after you applied the patch, Microsoft can help you revert.

A new report claims that up to 15% of Twitter users are bots, many of which are spreading mischief. We learn how easy it is to purchase fake followers, and about vociferous bot retweeting of Donald Trumps tweets just ahead of the election.

Unfortunately, this week Steve Cutway is not going to be able to bring you the Early Years. So, scraping the bottom of the barrel, Mushroom FM has dug up Bruce Toews to sit in the air chair in steve's place.

That's right. Your regular intrepid host is under the weather and can't talk. (It's a good job my computer can.) So Bruce Toews has graciously consented to come out of semi-retirement 2 weeks early and host this week's Early Years. Bruce will be hosting four shows while I'm cruising the Caribbean Sea, the Panama Canal and the Pacific Ocean; so I'm particularly grateful for his help this week. Hopefully, I'll feel up to doing next week's show before I go.
So please join Bruce and make him feel welcome on The Early Years, tonight

Grooves? Well, alright, so I'm borrowing a bit from Paul Simon perhaps, but I think that Celtic music is groovy, so if you're tired of kicking down the cobble-stones and aren't getting anywhere talking to lamp-posts, and if you're looking for good solid folky fare, then tune in this week for Come by the Hills! I've recently purchased a few of the "Rough Guide" compilations and so have infused my Celtic collection with some interesting artists I have never heard before. We've got our usual features back again this week, and well, it'll just be a fun time, I tell you.

The Juke In The Back” focuses on the “soul that came before rock n’ roll,” the records that inspired Elvis, Buddy Holly, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and countless others.

On the Friday edition of Mushroom FM’s technology magazine show, The Daily Fibre, new public betas from Apple, and we reveal more that’s tucked away in iOS 11.3.

There’s a lot about voice controlled speakers today, HomePod pre-order day in Australia, the UK and the US. Sonos would rather you ordered a couple of their gadgets instead, which offer key functions HomePod will lack at launch.

With Alexa due to hit NZ and Australian shores on 1 February, the preliminaries are underway. We bring you up to speed.

There are more listener recommendations of Alexa skills.

Before that new smell even wore off iOS 11.2.5, Apple’s pushing ahead with a developer release of iOS 11.3, and boy, is it packed with some significant new features. Thursday’s Daily Fibre brings you a comprehensive summary of what’s coming.

Not to be left out of the fun, Microsoft has a new Insider build of Windows, and is MacOS preparing to follow iOS with a bold change?

The Spectre and meltdown patch has, well, melted down, as Spectre continues to haunt the IT industry.

In an extraordinary turn of events, a Nokia smart scale just got dumber. Learn why.

The Juke In The Back” focuses on the “soul that came before rock n’ roll,” the records that inspired Elvis, Buddy Holly, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and countless others.

Thank you for all the amazing feedback we’re getting on our new tech magazine show, The Daily Fibre. It’s nice to know it’s appreciated and making a difference.

On the next show, it’s HomePod, Tim, , but not as we were expecting it. Apple is about to release it’s delayed HomePod speaker in three countries, but without all the functionality promised last June. We’ve scoured the newswires and have a comprehensive roundup of all you need to know.

There’s loads of listener feedback on issues including wireless charging, Echo skills, Bard during Government shutdowns and more.