Facebook will notify users who have liked, commented, or reacted to coronavirus misinformation and guide them to WHO resources
Facebook will begin informing people who have engaged with coronavirus misinformation on its main Facebook app, the company announced Thursday.
Apple announces a new iPhone SE with a 4.7" display, A13, Touch ID, 12MP camera with portrait mode, 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB storage from $399, shipping April 24
It looks like an iPhone 8, but it has more modern specs — Apple has officially announced the new iPhone SE …
Sources: Apple is developing at least two over-ear wireless headphone variants, with swappable magnetic ear cups and headbands, to augment its AirPods business
- Over-ear headphones customizable via magnetic attachments — Entering a category led by own Beats brand, Bose and Sony
Verizon says it will buy videoconferencing company Blue Jeans Network, source says for less than $500M
Acquisition comes as the coronavirus spurs unprecedented work-from-home arrangements — Verizon Communications Inc. has agreed to buy videoconferencing company Blue Jeans Network Inc. …
Sources: Sony plans to limit its initial PlayStation 5 production run in its first year partly because it expects lower demand due to a higher launch price
- Console still on track for year-end launch despite Covid-19 — Biggest impact from virus so far seen on unveiling timeline
Libra scales back ambitions of launching a global currency and will now focus on creating a traditional payment network with coins tied to local currencies
After months of criticism, the cryptocurrency is moving ahead with significant revisions. — OAKLAND, Calif. …
US DOD inspector general finds the Pentagon's controversial decision to award $10B JEDI contract to Microsoft was “consistent” with acquisition standards
- Inquiry didn't find evidence that Trump swayed the decision — Inspector general added that White House limited cooperation
TikTok lets parents set restrictions on their kids' accounts like limiting screen time, disabling DMs, and restricting content, and disables DMs for under-16s
They can set screen time limits, disable DMs, and restrict content — TikTok is amping up its parental controls today …
US DOD's report could not “definitively determine” whether the White House intervened in $10B JEDI contract as officials were barred from answering questions
cuz he barred DoD officials from cooperating in the investigation. this feels... familiar. https://www.politico.com/...
Sources: Amazon is redesigning its website to get customers to put fewer items in their carts while it contends with an immense surge in order volumes
Retailer cancels Mother's Day promotions, uses other tools to limit strain of order surge — Amazon.com Inc. is retooling its website …
Google says it is launching a new Kids section on Google Play, featuring “Teacher Approved” apps, rolling out in the US in the coming days
‘Everything here is teacher approved’ — Google is launching a new Kids section for the Google Play Store, which will offer a selection of so-called “Teacher Approved” apps.
In an internal email, Sundar Pichai tells Alphabet employees that the company will slow the pace of hiring for the rest of 2020 as it re-evaluates investments
- Company is ‘recalibrating’ spending on data centers, servers — Covid-19 crisis is affecting richest Silicon Valley businesses
In his annual letter to shareholders, Jeff Bezos outlined the steps Amazon is taking to curb the coronavirus, including regular testing for all staff globally
Amazon.com Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos said the online retail giant is developing Covid-19 testing capabilities …
EU issues guidelines to make COVID-19 contact tracing apps interoperable and says it will scrutinize Google and Apple's proposed APIs to ensure compatibility
- Bloc set common approach on tracking apps to exit lockdowns — Apple, Google announced new contact-tracing tech last week
Stripe adds $600M extension to its $250M Series G at a $36B valuation from existing investors, including a16z, GV, and Sequoia, in its largest funding to date
Digital payments platform Stripe has raised $600 million in new funding and is now valued at nearly $36 billion, co-founder and president John Collison tells Axios.
GoPro says it's laying off 200 employees, or ~20% of its staff, and aims to reduce expenses by ~$100M by switching mostly to a direct-to-consumer model
GoPro has announced that it will lay off 200 employees or around 20 percent of its workforce due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The new 4.7" iPhone SE shows that the era of small smartphones that could be comfortably operated with a single hand is over
Dan Seifert / The Verge :
Samsung to use Xilinx's Versal ACAP chips, which optimize beamforming tech, for its 5G commercial deployments, with first Versal ACAP devices available in Q4
Samsung Electronics and programmable chip maker Xilinx have teamed up to make chips that can serve as the key processing technology …
Swiss startup Crypto Finance AG, which provides blockchain-related asset management, brokerage, and storage services, raises €13.3M Series B
Swiss startup Crypto Finance AG, a blockchain-centered fintech, has successfully completed a Series B investment round, raising around €13.3 million.
VAST Data, maker of high-capacity flash storage for enterprises, raises $100M Series C led by Siemens at a $1.2B valuation, bringing its total raised to $180M
VAST Data, a startup that has come up with a cost-effective way to deliver flash storage, announced a $100 million Series C investment today …
Gousto, a London-based meal-kit service which uses AI for personalized recommendations of what to cook and eat, raises $41M led by investment firm Perwyn
Food delivery — be it ready-made restaurant meals, groceries, or anything in between — has seen a huge surge of activity …
UN backs down on Tencent partnership for 75th anniversary after complaints from US officials and human rights groups that the company aids Chinese surveillance
The decision comes after U.S. officials and human rights advocates complained that Tencent aids Beijing in surveillance. Tweets: @lokmantsui and @sophiehrw Tweets: Lokman Tsui / @lokmantsui : update: ...
Lucid Software, which develops data visualization and marketing software, raises $52M Series D led by ICONIQ, says it has crossed the $100M ARR mark
Continuing our coverage of Utah-based startups, this morning we have our second big round of the year from the state.
Internal memo to unions: Amazon plans to close its 10 French warehouses, with 10K staff, until at least April 20, after a court banned non-essential item orders
Mathieu Rosemain / Reuters :
India says e-commerce companies can resume accepting customers orders for non-essential items, including smartphones and laptops, starting April 20
Flipkart, Amazon, Snapdeal and other online shopping firms will resume selling “non-essential” items to customers in India starting April 20 …
Sources: Robinhood is raising $250M led by Sequoia Capital at a pre-money valuation of about $8B
Katie Roof / Bloomberg :
Google says Gmail business and education users can now directly take video calls on Meet, with a new Zoom-like layout, noise filtering, and more coming later
OAKLAND, California (Reuters) - Google will allow business and education users on Gmail.com to directly take calls … Thanks: @peard33
Choco, which develops ordering software for restaurants and their suppliers, raises $30.2M led by Coatue Management at a ~$250M valuation
Mary Ann Azevedo / Crunchbase News :
Profile of Lee Holloway, Cloudflare's third founder, widely considered a genius, who became distant and erratic due to a tragic case of frontotemporal dementia
for a long time, no one could make sense of it. https://www.wired.com/... @richardheartwin : If you read this, you will understand how desperately we need more progress in medicine. https://www.wired....
Microsoft details new environmental initiatives, including a Planetary Computer that would aggregate and analyze data to help in sustainable decision making
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat :
Bridgecrew, which makes automated cloud security tools for engineers, raises $14M Series A led by Battery Ventures
In today's grim economic climate, companies are looking for ways to automate wherever they can. Bridgecrew, an early-stage startup that makes automated cloud security tooling aimed …
Q&A with Pam Kostka, CEO of nonprofit All Raise which launched two years ago, on the mixed progress it has made in closing the gender gap in the US VC industry
but others are network-reliant in virtual age. I spoke to @PamKostka on the 2nd anniversary of @AllRaise about the progress they've made — and how to prevent a backslide: https://www.protocol.com/... ...
Alkira, which has raised $30M from KPCB, Sequoia, and GV, emerges from stealth with networking-as-a-service tech for building and deploying multicloud networks
Raynovich: Startup Alkira's Khan brothers tap multi-cloud magic Gina Narcisi / CRN : Former Viptela Founding Brothers Launch Cloud Networking Startup Alkira Tweets: Shamus McGillicuddy / @shamusema : ...
Instagram announces new features to support small US and Canadian businesses during the pandemic, including gift cards, food orders, and fundraisers
Julia Boorstin / CNBC :
Privacy experts worry insurers can use data harvested by mobility analytics startups like Mobileye to raise rates on drivers depending on where they drive
Keith Barry / Consumer Reports : Tweets: @itskeithbarry Tweets: Keith Barry / @itskeithbarry : My latest for @ConsumerReports: Those safety systems in new cars aren't just keeping you from crashing. ...
Australian payments startup Airwallex, which helps companies manage cross-border transactions, raises $160M Series D, bringing total funding to $360M
Cara Waters / Sydney Morning Herald :
India-based Setu, which provides APIs that allow banks to connect with companies and small businesses offering financial services, raises $15M Series A
Manish Singh / TechCrunch :
UK-based digital health startup Medopad, which uses AI to monitor patients, rebrands to Huma and acquires AI startups BioBeats and Tarilian Laser Technologies
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat :
Tencent, Alibaba, and SoftBank invest heavily in popular fantasy sports and online rummy apps in India that use loopholes in anti-gambling laws to offer prizes
Bloomberg : Tweets: @bloombergquint , @talktosanjai , and @darkwyr Tweets: @bloombergquint : Watching cricket and playing rummy are online passions for millions of Indians, fueling a nascent gaming i...
Berlin-based Taxfix, which develops a mobile tax filing app that maximizes refunds, raises $65M Series C led by Index Ventures
Romain Dillet / TechCrunch :
A look at efforts by developers, hobbyists, and students in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and other Asian countries to track and offer information about COVID-19
Bloomberg : Tweets: @hare_brain and @quicktake Tweets: Stephanie Hare / @hare_brain : “Taiwan's digital minister, Audrey Tang, was a civic hacker before joining the cabinet in 2016. She created her g...
An in-depth look at the global efforts to push back against planned obsolescence in tech products, a scandalous practice, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic
John Harris / The Guardian : Tweets: @dingos1946 , @jonathanwatts , and @rachelcoldicutt Tweets: @dingos1946 : “feature of modern manufacturing known as planned obsolescence. This is the idea that so...
Shopify's new AI commerce stack
Their VP of Product digs into just-launched products to help entrepreneurs and developers build with the latest AI and tech.
Email fatigue is real: Here's how smart email tools help you regain control
Picture this: It's Monday morning. You walk into the office feeling energized and ready to take on the week.
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data
Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.