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Oh Snap! Turns out dog filters aren't a great business model (The 3:59, Ep. 226)

On today's podcast we chat about Snapchat's $2.2 billion loss, virtual reality at the Tribeca Film Festival and the nightmare of flying with electronics.

Alfred Ng Senior Reporter / CNET News
Alfred Ng was a senior reporter for CNET News. He was raised in Brooklyn and previously worked on the New York Daily News's social media and breaking news teams.
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Joan E. Solsman Former Senior Reporter
Joan E. Solsman was CNET's senior media reporter, covering the intersection of entertainment and technology. She's reported from locations spanning from Disneyland to Serbian refugee camps, and she previously wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. She bikes to get almost everywhere and has been doored only once.
Expertise Streaming video, film, television and music; virtual, augmented and mixed reality; deep fakes and synthetic media; content moderation and misinformation online Credentials
  • Three Folio Eddie award wins: 2018 science & technology writing (Cartoon bunnies are hacking your brain), 2021 analysis (Deepfakes' election threat isn't what you'd think) and 2022 culture article (Apple's CODA Takes You Into an Inner World of Sign)
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Alfred Ng
Joan E. Solsman

Snap showed its earnings report for the first time ever, and unless you like $2.2 billion losses, it's not good.

On today's show, we take a look at what role Spectacles played in Snap's earnings woes, and what the "camera company" is doing to take on its rivals at Instagram. We did the math on the Spectacles sales, and it turns out less than 0.05 percent of Snapchat's users actually own the camera-glasses. Not even puppy filters could make this look better.

Also on the podcast, we talk about an experience at the Tribeca Film Festival's Immersive program, which had a virtual reality theater where actors in motion-capture suits were able to reach out and touch you. And we discuss a report that the Department of Homeland Security may soon ban large electronics in the cabin on flights from parts of Europe.

The 3:59 gives you bite-size news and analysis about the top stories of the day, brought to you by the CNET News team in New York and producer Bryan VanGelder.

Check out the extended shows on YouTube.

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