European Commission proposes legislation mandating USB-C charging for mobile devices, citing electronic waste; Apple is the main USB-C holdout
LONDON (AP) — The European Union unveiled plans Thursday that would require smartphone makers to adopt a single charging method for mobile devices. Source: European Commission .
Tim Sweeney says Apple told Epic that it will not consider reinstating Epic's developer account until all legal appeals have concluded, likely years from now
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney revealed the conversation in a series of tweets — Fortnite will not be returning to the iOS App Store any time soon … Source: Epic Games .
Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer says he will step down next year and shift into a part-time adviser role; Andrew Bosworth will become CTO
- Veteran executive ‘Schrep’ will shift to senior fellow role — Hardware boss Andrew Bosworth will be promoted to CTO role Source: Mike Schroepfer .
WSJ's Facebook Files, which uses Facebook's own data and research to highlight its impact on users, is Facebook's biggest crisis since Cambridge Analytica
How the company found itself in its biggest crisis since Cambridge Analytica — A week ago, the Wall Street Journal began to publish …
Leaked email: Tim Cook says recent leakers of info about Apple products and internal meetings “do not belong here” and the company is tracking them down
The CEO says the company is doing everything in its power to track down workers — Tim Cook sent an email …
Analysis: Apple Silicon averaged 19% GPU gains YoY for the past five years, and A15 grew 52%; since iPhone 5s, performance has grown 133% every four years
For years now, Apple's tight integration of its products and Apple Silicon have evolved in lockstep.
Twitter plans to stop tweets from disappearing when the timeline auto-refreshes, in a series of updates over the next two months
address a longstanding complaint people have had with its mobile app. If you use the software frequently, you may have noticed tweets will sometimes disappear … Source: @twittersupport .
Researchers say an Exchange Autodiscover bug can be used to obtain Windows users' domain and app credentials; Microsoft is investigating
Security researchers have discovered a design flaw in a feature of the Microsoft Exchange email server that can be abused to harvest Windows domain and app credentials from users across the world.
Industry groups representing Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter sue Texas over a law that lets residents sue social networks that ban them for their political views
Technology trade groups that represent Facebook, Google's YouTube and Twitter are suing Texas to stop a new state law that cracks … Source: US District Court for the Western District of Texas Division...
Discord is testing Watch Together, a feature that lets members broadcast YouTube videos, after Google forced the shutdown of two popular music bots on Discord
Discord music returns, kind of — Discord is starting to test YouTube integration, just weeks after Google-owned YouTube forced two popular Discord music bots offline.
Researchers: despite Apple's ATT changes, at least three popular iOS apps are sending identifying info to third-parties even when users opt-out of tracking
On your iPhone, you can now tap a button that says, “Ask app not to track.” But behind the scenes, some apps keep snooping anyway.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a bill requiring Amazon and other employers to disclose the use of productivity quotas and more, starting January 1
Gov. Gavin Newsom says the new law, which targeted Amazon, will protect workers and give them “the dignity, respect and safety they deserve.” Source: California Governor .
YouTube is testing letting Premium subscribers download videos from its desktop site through October 19
Downloading content for playback later is most useful on mobile, where your connection quality is determined by your location. But there are plenty of us whose home connection isn't so great either …
US federal judge orders Facebook to hand over records on posts removed for promoting violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar
Federal judge rules social-media company must hand over information about posts removed for promoting violence against Rohingya Muslims
Despite passing a tough online abuse law, researchers say social networks in Germany are full of hate speech and harassment ahead of a September 26 election
Scrolling through her social media feed, Laura Dornheim is regularly stopped cold by a new blast of abuse aimed at her …
Chinese AR glasses maker Nreal raises $100M, source says at a $700M valuation, to develop its Nreal Light glasses that connect with smartphones
- Chinese augmented reality (AR) glasses maker Nreal has raised $100 million to fund international expansion, valuing the company at $700 million.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn says WSJ's Facebook Files whistleblower has turned over documents and plans to reveal their identity “at some point down the line”
Happy Thursday and welcome to The Technology 202! Below: Meet “Help Desk,” a new initiative our colleagues are launching … Tweets: @donie , @nicoleperlroth , @talkopan , @kantrowitz , @viacristiano ,...
Draft memo shows the US and EU plan to work more closely in regulating Big Tech companies, including in areas such as hate speech and algorithmic amplification
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and European Union plan to take a more unified approach to limit the growing market power …
Apple releases StoreKit 2 alongside iOS 15, letting developers quickly access a user's purchase history, letting users request a refund in-app, and more
Refunds and subscription management — As part of this week's launch of iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and watchOS 8, Apple also introduced StoreKit 2 … Source: Apple Developer .
New York-based Ocrolus, which offers automated tools for businesses to process documents, raises $80M Series C at a $500M+ valuation led by Fin VC
If you've ever had to take out a loan, you know just how many documents are involved in the approval process. — It's a lot.
Microsoft unveils Surface Laptop Studio, replacing Surface Book, with 14.4" 120Hz display that can slide into new positions, Thunderbolt 4, and haptic trackpad
the “most tactile” pen ever might be true, but the stylus-on-glass feel in my experience just isn't close to pen on paper, especially “ink” latency. Hopefully the haptic feedback here will make this f...
Chinese autonomous driving startup Momenta raises $300M from GM, following $500M Series C in March; Momenta has a license for detailed geographic data in China
US car giant General Motors (GM) is to invest $300m in Chinese self-driving start-up Momenta, Reuters has reported.
Seattle-based Remitly, which lets users send and receive money across borders, raises $300M+ in its IPO at a valuation of nearly $7B
Remitly will be valued at nearly $7 billion when it goes public on Thursday. — The Seattle company priced shares at $43 on Wednesday evening …
Apple iPad mini (2021) review: A15, Pencil 2 support, better cameras, and USB-C, but no keyboard case support and the screen feels too small for some apps
Facebook details the types of posts that get demoted in News Feed, such as clickbait and spam, but stops short of saying exactly how a demotion works
A high-level look at what gets suppressed by Facebook's algorithm — The way that Facebook controls its News Feed is often controversial and largely opaque to the outside world. Source: About Faceboo...
Sources: Biden plans to nominate Cornell law professor and cryptocurrency critic Saule Omarova to run the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Bloomberg :
Researchers: as social networks clamp down on disinformation, Russia has begun spreading propaganda in comments sections on news outlets, such as Daily Mail
Online sites test new methods as social media platforms try to scrub their platforms of propaganda Tweets: @rasmus_kleis , @campuscodi , and @1br0wn See also Mediagazer Tweets: Rasmus Kleis Nielsen / ...
Microsoft unveils Surface Duo 2 with 8.3" 90Hz dual displays, three 12MP rear cameras, Snapdragon 888, 5G, Android 11, curved screen for exterior notifications
Blue White Robotics, which “retrofits” existing farming infrastructure with autonomous systems, raises $37M Series B, bringing its total raised to $60M
The company ‘retrofits’ existing infrastructure in farming operations with autonomous algorithms
Facebook says Apple's ATT changes will continue to cause headwinds in Q3 and reveals it under-reported iOS web conversions by 15% on average; stock drops 3%+
Learn about the tools and APIs announced at WWDC Tweets: Patrick Coddou / @soundslikecanoe : I'm getting very annoyed. There are really talented operators behind great businesses that are scared sh!it...
Research: automakers globally will produce 7.7M fewer cars this year due to the chip shortage, costing them $210B in sales, as chip lead times slip to 21 weeks
almost double previous estimates, a consulting firm says Michael Wayland / CNBC : Chip shortage expected to cost auto industry $210 billion in revenue in 2021 Chethan Rao / Android Headlines : Global ...
Microsoft announces Surface Pro 8 with a 13-inch edge-to-edge 120Hz display, Thunderbolt 4, Surface Slim Pen 2, up to 32GB of RAM, and more
London-based Vyne, which works with merchants to build open banking payment services, raises $15.5M seed from Hearst and others
Open banking — a new approach to payments and other financial services that disrupts traditional card-based infrastructure by linking directly into banks — is having a moment.
Microsoft announces the Surface Adaptive Kit, with tactile labels for locating keycaps and ports, and device opener support, for laptop users with disabilities
John Loeffler / TechRadar :
Poll of 2,016 US voters: 80% say the government should do “everything it can” to curb tech giants; 84% are “very nervous” about impact of social media on kids
Survey indicates broad support for stronger U.S. regulations over use of data, wariness of social media's effects on children Tweets: @jessefelder Tweets: Jesse Felder / @jessefelder : ‘80% of registe...
LG is acquiring Israeli startup Cybellum, which detects and assesses vulnerabilities in connected vehicles, for around $240M
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch : Source: LG Newsroom .
Spotnana, which offers SaaS tools for the travel industry, emerges from stealth with $34M Series A and $7M seed funding
Christine Hall / TechCrunch :
Toast shares closed up 56% at $62.51 in its NYSE debut, giving it a market cap of $31B+, after raising ~$870M in its IPO
Ari Levy / CNBC : Tweets: @levynews , @danpriceseattle , and @skupor Tweets: Ari Levy / @levynews : Toast valued at $32.5 billion at opening price Was $8 billion in secondary sale in November Was $5 ...
Tel Aviv-based Panorays, which offers security risk management software, raises $42M Series B led by Greenfield Partners, bringing its total raised to $62M
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat :
Singapore-based Cobo, which provides crypto custody and financial services, raises $40M Series B co-led by DST Global, A&T Capital, and IMO Ventures
Kate Park / TechCrunch :
A look at efforts to close the digital divide in states like Arkansas, as a Microsoft study finds around 120M Americans don't have access to high-speed internet
Austin Carr / Bloomberg : Tweets: @austincarr , @bw , @austincarr , and @bw Tweets: Austin Carr / @austincarr : But fiber-first proponents like @tewheels say fiber is better long-term investment, pro...
Spenmo, a Singapore-based provider of automated bill payments software and corporate cards for SMBs, raises $34M Series A led by Insight Partners
Catherine Shu / TechCrunch : Source: Spenmo Blog .
IPC, which represents Foxconn, Intel, and others, says a survey found ~80% of manufacturers are struggling to find workers, compounding chip shortage issues
Stephen Nellis / Reuters : Tweets: @brianroemmele Tweets: Brian Roemmele / @brianroemmele : The chip shortage is far more complex an issue than most thought. 80% of manufacturing can not find workers...
London-based grocery delivery startup Jiffy raises $28M Series A led by Heartland, bringing total funding to $35M
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch :
CRM software maker Freshworks closed up 32% at $47.55 per share in its debut, giving it a market cap of $15.3B after raising over $1B in its IPO
Iron Ox, an autonomous farming startup, raises $53M Series C led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, bringing its total raised to $98M
Kyt Dotson / SiliconANGLE :
A look at the strengths and weaknesses of US and Chinese tech industries, including China's supremacy in network equipment, commercial drones, and batteries
Microsoft announces 10.5-inch Surface Go 3 with updated Intel CPUs for up to 60% better performance, Windows Hello, and more
Read-later apps, pioneered by Instapaper and Pocket, are having a resurgence led by Matter, Upnext, and others, which improve discoverability and other features
David Pierce / Protocol : Tweets: @pierce , @jordannovet , @getmatterapp , @dlberes , @navalang , and @lainnafader See also Mediagazer Tweets: David Pierce / @pierce : Reading the internet sucks. For...
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.