Hidden gems on the technological internet to visit

The tech world’s little corner on the internet has its own share of big names who dominate the YouTube algorithm and where people read their headlines. But apart from the Verges and Linus Tech Tips of the world, there are several less prominent and less mainstream avenue for technology-related analysis and news. This article aims to highlight a few that I’ve come across which play a crucial role in informing my knowledge and perspective on technology.

Newsletters #

The Download #

A daily newsletter by MIT technology review, The Download delivers the latest developments and news in technology at large. It’s a refreshing look at the field as a whole rather than focus on the nitty gritty of corporate and consumer drama that albeit interesting, tends to dominate the tech headlines (although it does touch on such stories with broader implications from time time).

Processor by Dieter Bohn #

Processor is a insightful yet somewhat light-heated weekly series by Dieter Bohn at the Verge. While it does feature the main headlines of the week with links to the full stories, and often a mention of feature-length stories published on The Verge, the reason why it makes the list is for the brief paragraph at the beginning and extended thoughts at the end that comprise the entertaining commentary of this digest.

Blogs and Indie Channels #

Jon Gruber’s Daring Fireball #

Daring Fireball is where John Gruber, renowned for his skills as a tech journalist and enthusiast, gives his thoughts on snippets of take news from day to day. You’ll find yourself reading a short tweet-worthy sentence or two or essay-style posts on this blog, all of which are eloquent and add to the conversation.

Rene Ritchie #

Rene Ritchie has had a presence on YouTube for well over two years, but his content has only gone from strength to strength since he went independent this March. His insightful editorial-style analysis in his apple-centric videos is quite unique and stands out amongst the slew of other content creators covering similar topics.

TechAltar #

TechAltar is a criminally small channel for the quality of his analysis of the economics of the technology industry and industrywide trends in his video essays - most notably his ‘The Story Behind’ Series. Not the ordinary tech review or unboxing channel, these video essays are well-researched, interestingly presented and his predictions often correct.

Youtube Channels #

The Friday Checkout #

The Friday Checkout is run by Martin from TechAltar as well, and is perhaps my favourite item on this entire list. It features a weekly roundup of the biggest tech stories, along with a dash of the aforementioned analysis. Most of all the videos tend to maintain their value in under ten minutes. TechLinked is a similar channel run by Linus Media Group although its increased frequency in uploading and more specific appeal to a gaming-focused audience led to it not getting its own spot on this list

MrMobile [MichaelFisher] #

Of the plethora of tech reviewers who rush to get their reviews out as fast as possible, MrMobile is always the first one to receive my attention. His reviews are always to-the-point in their thoughtful arguments for or against a device, and while his focus is often on phones (as the name suggest), he does occassionally dive into other devices or arguments on the industry as a whole.

Podcasts #

Waveform Waveform is hosted by Marques Brownlee, whose youtube status has made him legendary and whose hour-long Deep Divess on this podcast with fellow co-host Andrew Manganelli are a must for anyone with an hour and an interest in learning more about the headlines of the week. In addition, several guests are brought onto the show for exclusive interviews or extended versions of interviews that appear on his YouTube channel. Just last week Mark Zuckerberg made a guest appearance.