Techmeme
November 29, 2016, 12:50 PM

Top News

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Amazon developing premium Echo-like device with a 7-inch touchscreen set at an angle and high-grade speakers, to be announced as soon as Q1 2017  —  Company may release higher-end device early next year  —  New speaker targets kitchens; to cost more than Echo gadgets
Alan Travis / The Guardian:
UK's Investigatory Powers bill becomes law, mandates everyone's browsing histories be stored and available to police, as well as several government agencies  —  Home secretary hails ‘world-leading’ laws, which include forcing web and phone companies to collect browsing histories
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Facebook launches Messenger-based platform for HTML5 games, played in message threads; 17 games available at launch, including Pac-Man, Space Invaders  —  Bored while you wait for friends to text back?  Now you can challenge friends for high scores on Facebook Messenger's new Instant Games …
Steve Ranger / ZDNet:
Report: Cyber Monday was the biggest online shopping day in US history with $3.39B in sales, up 10.2% YoY; mobile revenue was 35% of sales, up 48% YoY at $1.19B  —  Online frenzy for Lego, iPads and Playstations saw $3.39bn spent: mobile spending grew fast and shoppers using iOS devices outspent Android users.
Bloomberg:
Samsung will allocate 50% of free cash flow to shareholders, add at least one outside director, and review its corporate structure  —  Company considering adding at least one new outside director  —  Stock buybacks, increased dividends will make up cash return
Mark Scott / New York Times:
Uber defends its business model as a digital platform, not a transportation service, in landmark case in EU's highest court  —  LUXEMBOURG — Uber asserted on Tuesday that it was helping to bolster Europe's digital economy as part of its defense in a long-awaited hearing to decide …
Nitasha Tiku / BuzzFeed:
The White House partners with Stanford University and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to host an event on Wednesday to discuss how tech can help address poverty  —  President Obama and Mark Zuckerberg in 2011  —  Tomorrow, the White House will partner with Stanford University …
Zac Hall / 9to5Mac:
AT&T's DirecTV Now streaming TV service launches Nov. 30 starting at $35/mo. for 60+ channels, up to $70/month for 120+ channels  —  [UPDATE: Channel lineup below the fold.]  —  AT&T has officially unveiled details about its upcoming streaming TV service called DirecTV Now.
Chris Velazco / Engadget:
Lenovo Phab 2 Pro review: first Google Tango phone shows promise with small yet compelling AR app library but is mediocre for day-to-day tasks  —  I just spent 15 minutes wandering around the office, trying to shoot ghouls in the face with lightning.  Before that, I dropped a virtual rococo sofa …

Sponsor Posts

Google:
Try Gemini 3 Pro  —  Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
Shopify:
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.
Zoho:
Connecting, collaborating, and growing: Zoho Mail 2025 wrap-up  —  Your inbox has been home to a lot this year—quick updates, long threads, approvals, reminders, and the occasional late-night draft you weren't sure about.
IDrive:
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.

Featured Podcasts

BG2 Pod:
AI Enterprise - Databricks & Glean
Open-source podcast on all things tech, markets, investing, and capitalism, hosted by Brad Gerstner.
Subscribe to BG2 Pod.
Great Chat:
The stories we told ourselves in 2025
A podcast mostly about tech. Brought to you weekly by Angela Du, Sally Shin, Mac Bohannon, Helen Min, and Ashley Mayer.
Subscribe to Great Chat.
Grit:
How Brands Stay Visible When AI Decides | Profound CEO James Cadwallader
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
Subscribe to Grit.
Lenny's Podcast:
The coming AI security crisis (and what to do about it) | Sander Schulhoff
Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.
Subscribe to Lenny's Podcast.
Big Technology Podcast:
OpenAI's Potential, Google's Speedy Model, Copilot Hits Turbulence
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
Subscribe to Big Technology Podcast.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ted Sarandos: Netflix and how tech changed storytelling
Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith speaks with leaders in government, business, and culture to explore the most critical challenges at the intersection of technology and society.
Subscribe to Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 12:50 PM ET, November 29, 2016.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

Earlier Picks

Om Malik / New Yorker:
Steven Perlberg / Wall Street Journal:
Mark Harris / Backchannel: