DescriptionThis week, Apple's locking your phone down, Blizzard's holding your games back, and Facebook's letting your face go.ParticipantsScott ErtzHostScott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.Avram PiltchHostAvram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.OpeningPowered by TeknoAXENifty GiftiesPowered by Microsoft StoreApple officially states that you're only safe if they're in chargeOver the past few years, the public's perception of the mobile application landscape has been changing. Where once Apple users accepted that the company actually owned all of their devices, despite the high price, recently users have begun to demand full access to their phones and tablets. Apple has maintained that they have no intention of allowing owners to use their devices as they please because they know better than you how you should use your phone. This week, the company sent Craig Federighi to Web Summit (the sister event to Collision) to emphasize that point.read full articlePiltch Point with Avram PiltchPowered by PureVPNExtra LifePowered by Loot CrateBlizzard's legal issues cause delays for Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4The last few months have not been kind to game studio Blizzard. Legal and cultural issues have caused everything from employee protests to executives leaving the company. While the lasting effects of these responses are yet to be seen, the more immediate effect is that two of the company's upcoming games have been delayed: Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4.read full articleNews From the TubesPowered by MalwarebytesFacebook's creepy facial recognition department coming to an endIt's no surprise to anyone that the public's perception of Facebook has been circling the toilet. Users have grown weary of what appears to be constant surveillance of every aspect of their lives. Add to that, the brand and its parent company Meta seem to have no respect for the information they collect about us. But, one of the company's most controversial features will be coming to an end in the near future: facial recognition.read full article* DRM Not IncludedPowered by Amazon PrimeRoku plans to lock its platform down more, ending sideloadingThese days, people want more from their devices. We all know that the items we carry with us, whether it be phones or tablets, can do more than the platform they run on will allow them to do. Unfortunately, while users want more from their devices, manufacturers want you to have less. Apple is actively fighting against usefulness, but it's Roku that's taking the biggest stand - removing features from their devices.read full articleClosingPowered by Tech Podcast Network