Mark Zuckerberg's metaverse keynote did nothing to address enormous skepticism and shows why the idea should have been an R&D project, not Meta's future
As Mark Zuckerberg spoke to the camera in a pre-recorded presentation on Tuesday to kick off Meta Platforms Inc.'s annual virtual reality conference …
A video of Meta's Connect 2022 keynote, showcasing the Quest Pro mixed reality headset, plans for the metaverse, new partnerships, and more
Meta on YouTube :
Q&A with Mark Zuckerberg on the Quest Pro, mixed reality, the Microsoft partnership, metaverse plans, TikTok, BeReal, the Discovery Engine approach, and more
The Verge :
Mango Markets, a DeFi platform on Solana, says a hacker stole some of its funds “via an oracle price manipulation”; blockchain auditor OtterSec estimates $100M+
Mango's MNGO token was down over 40% after suffering from the latest massive decentralized finance exploit.
The UK's CMA details its concerns with Microsoft's Activision acquisition, including withholding games from rivals; Microsoft argues Sony is the dominant player
The CMA expects the deal to impact PlayStation and game streaming — The Competition and Markets Authority has detailed …
Microsoft details the Surface Pro 9, combining the Pro X and Pro, with an SQ3 Arm chip or Intel's 12th Gen CPUs, available October 25, starting at $1,000
Microsoft is combining its Surface Pro X and Surface Pro lines into a single product this year, the Surface Pro 9.
The Meta Connect keynote felt overscripted and “incredibly thirsty”; the long pitch for VR and the metaverse came off as one of tech's hardest sells in a decade
humanize the company and the work in this space in particular — but it just feels forced with these memorized scripts. “Totally.” Ryan Mac / @rmac18 : Also interesting Zuckerberg brings out Accenture ...
Microsoft debuts Surface Laptop 5, available in 13.5-inch and 15-inch with Intel's 12th Gen CPUs, Wi-Fi 6, and Dolby Vision, available October 25 for $1,000+
After a year and a half on the market, this fall Microsoft is updating its mainstream notebook line with the new Surface Laptop 5.
Meta partners with Microsoft to bring Teams, Office, Windows 365, and Xbox Cloud Gaming to Quest VR headsets in the coming months; Teams will use Meta's avatars
Good morning! Meta took the wraps off its Quest Pro VR headset … Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch : Meta partners with Microsoft to bring Teams, Windows apps and games to Quest devices Shubham Verma / BGR I...
Sources: Intel is planning major job cuts, likely in the thousands, close to October 27; some divisions, including sales and marketing, could see ~20% cuts
Intel Corp. is planning a major reduction in headcount, likely numbering in the thousands, to cut costs and cope …
Microsoft announces the 28-inch Surface Studio 2+ with Intel's 11th Gen i7, Nvidia's RTX 3060, Dolby Vision, and 1TB, available for $4,299 or $4,499
It's been a long time since Microsoft updated its Surface Studio line of all-in-one PCs. While rumors had suggested a Surface Studio 3 was on the way …
Hands-on with Meta Quest Pro: feels like a sophisticated development kit with a thoughtful design, improved controllers, one to two hours of battery, and more
Adi Robertson / The Verge :
Meta announces Horizon Worlds avatars are getting legs using an AI model to predict the body's position, an avatar store, avatars are coming to Reels, and more
Meta's Horizon avatars will be getting legs. So far, the company's avatars have weirdly just hovered off the ground …
Meta unveils the $1,499 Quest Pro headset, offering eye and face tracking and color passthrough video for mixed reality, shipping on October 25 in 22 countries
Meta has finally announced the Meta Quest Pro: a $1,499 virtual reality headset it's been teasing for the past year.
Kuo predicts that, in the next three to five years, Apple may be able to supply the US market, or ~25% of global shipments, from assembly sites outside of China
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is out today with some new predictions on how Apple can continue to reduce its reliance on China.
Mango Markets, a Solana DeFi platform, says a hacker stole ~$100M by manipulating its coin's price; the hacker then passed a malicious DAO governance proposal
Mango Markets, a decentralized trading platform on the Solana blockchain, looks to be the latest victim of a massive hack within the crypto realm.
TikTok plans to take prompt action against “exploitative begging” after an investigation found refugees in Syrian camps pleading for digital gifts on the app
BBC Global Disinformation Unit, BBC News Arabic and BBC Eye Investigations — Displaced families in Syrian camps …
Microsoft says Apple will launch desktop Apple TV and Apple Music apps for Windows in 2023; Windows 11's Photo app will add iCloud integration
Microsoft today announced that desktop Apple TV and Apple Music apps will be available on Windows PCs next year, downloadable from the Microsoft Store.
Source: the US SEC is investigating whether Yuga Labs, the creator of Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs, violated securities laws by selling its NFTs and ApeCoins
The US Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating Yuga Labs Inc., the creator of the popular Bored Ape Yacht Club collection of NFTs …
Microsoft plans to integrate DALL-E 2 with the newly announced Microsoft Designer app and Image Creator tool in Bing and Microsoft Edge
Microsoft is making a major investment in DALL-E 2, OpenAI's AI-powered system that generates images from text, by bringing it to first-party apps and services.
A look at India's plan to build a wholly local supply chain, as its IT minister says the government is “actively encouraging and supporting” Apple's investments
John Reed / Financial Times :
Blockchain web search startup nxyz, founded by ex-Google executive Sridhar Ramaswamy, raised a $40M Series A in May led by Paradigm; Ramaswamy also runs Neeva
- Sridhar Ramaswamy, who led Google's advertising business from 2013 to 2018, has launched a Web3 company called nxyz.
PE firm Vista Equity Partners agrees to acquire Florida-based KnowBe4, which offers security awareness training and a simulated phishing platform, for $4.6B
Private-equity firm has agreed to pay $24.90 a share to acquire KnowBe4 — Private-equity firm Vista Equity Partners has struck …
In a staff letter, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger says the company plans to create greater decision-making separation between its chip design and chip production arms
Asa Fitch / Wall Street Journal :
British artist Damien Hirst burns thousands of his paintings live on Instagram as part of an NFT project, “completing the transformation” from physical to NFTs
Halisia Hubbard / NPR :
Microsoft announces Teams Premium, adding several AI-based features, like meeting recaps and live translations, expected to launch in February 2023, pricing TBA
Microsoft is launching Microsoft Teams Premium today, a new offering designed to boost its chat and collaboration app with some AI-powered smart features.
Google rolls out support for signing in with passkeys on Android and Chrome to beta testers ahead of a wider launch in 2022
Apple, Google, Microsoft, and others in the industry want to replace website/app passwords with “passkeys” that just require you to unlock your device.
Roku partners with Wyze to release smart home products, including lighting, plugs, and cameras, sold exclusively at Walmart starting October 17
here's the lineup José Adorno / BGR : Roku launches new smart home products with Walmart partnership Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends : Roku gets into the smart home business with Wyze and Walmart Twee...
Netflix joins the British ratings agency, or BARB, as a full member, publishing independently audited viewing figures on individual shows for the first time
in the UK at least Jessica Bromley / BARB : Netflix signs up to BARB Mariella Moon / Engadget : Netflix will finally disclose how many people watch its shows, in the UK at least Preslav Mladenov / Pho...
Crypto exchange Bittrex agrees to a $29.3M settlement with the US Treasury Department over potential liability for sanctions violations between 2014 and 2017
Microsoft plans to release its Adaptive Accessories, including a mouse, programmable button, and Adaptive Hub, on October 25 in “select markets”
Jess Weatherbed / The Verge :
NBCUniversal partners with Meta to bring VR experiences to Quest headsets in 2023, from The Office, DreamWorks, Blumhouse, the Peacock streaming app, and more
South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix confirms receiving a one-year exemption from new US export restrictions on China, letting it supply its China-based facilities
Jiyoung Sohn / Wall Street Journal :
A look at Stratum V2, the first update to the open-source intermediary protocol used by many bitcoin miners since 2012, developed by Block's Spiral and others
MacKenzie Sigalos / CNBC :
What to expect from Microsoft's Surface event: Surface Pro 9, Surface Laptop 5, Surface Studio 3, and potentially a mini PC and Surface accessories
Egypt-based Telda, a money management and payments app, raised a $20M seed led by Sequoia and Global Founders, with Block and others participating
Tage Kene-Okafor / TechCrunch :
Indian edtech giant Byju's plans to lay off 5% of its workforce, or around 2,500 people, in a bid to achieve profitability by 2023
Manish Singh / TechCrunch :
Sources: NYC-based health coaching app developer Noom, reportedly valued at $3.7B in May 2021, laid off 10%, or ~500 people, mostly from its coaching team
Natasha Mascarenhas / TechCrunch :
A look inside Meta's Reality Labs, featuring demos of a neural input wristband, 3D audio, photorealistic avatars with Codec Avatars 2.0, and 3D object scanning
Scott Stein / CNET :
London- and Miami-based Tatum, which offers tools to simplify blockchain app development, raised $41.5M led by Evolution Equity Partners
Jamie Crawley / CoinDesk :
Brex, valued at $12.3B in January 2022, lays off 136, or 11% of its staff, as part of a restructuring, and its CFO departs to join HR software startup Rippling
Paris-based Homa, which offers indie mobile game studios an SDK for optimizing their casual games, raised a $100M Series B led by Quadrille Capital and Headline
Romain Dillet / TechCrunch :
In a rare speech, the UK's GCHQ head Jeremy Fleming warns China's tech ambitions, including a CBDC currency, are a security issue “that will define our future”
Dustin Volz / Wall Street Journal :
Japanese fabless SoC design company Socionext closes up 15.07% in its IPO debut, valuing it at ~$960M, in Tokyo's biggest offering so far in 2022
Sam Byford / Reuters :
Meta says the Quest Store has generated $1.5B revenue to date from apps and games; over one-third of its 400 titles grossed $1M+ and 33 grossed $10M+
Intel and Google announce a co-designed E2000 chip for data centers, aiming to improve security and efficiency; Intel can sell the E2000 to other customers
The Financial Stability Board publishes nine crypto regulation proposals for public consultation until December 15, planning to finalize suggestions by mid-2023
Huw Jones / Reuters :
PitchBook: venture capital investment in crypto startups declined 37% YoY in Q3 2022 to $4.44B, the industry's lowest level in more than a year
Hannah Miller / Bloomberg :
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.
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.