Techmeme
November 29, 2016, 1:30 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
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 …
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
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 …
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.
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 …
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

Tribe AI:
Build AI that works  —  Tribe builds tech for top AI companies.  Get in touch to learn how our bench of 500+ engineers and researchers can accelerate your roadmap.
Kulkan Security:
Hire Kulkan as your penetration testing partner  —  Kulkan prioritizes deep-dive manual security reviews, dissecting your software and infrastructure to find issues that once remediated can truly reduce security risk.
Zoho:
Environmental impact of remote support: Reducing carbon footprints in IT  —  Information technology is essential for powering core business processes and facilitating communication.
Mastodon:
Donate to Mastodon  —  Mastodon gGmbH, the non-profit behind the open-source software powering the social web, relies entirely on support from users like you.  Donate directly with a credit card or through Patreon.
The Kevin Rose Show:
Magatte Wade, Unlocking Prosperity in Africa (#53)
Gain unconventional wisdom and insights through conversations with top expert in AI, investing, wellness, technology, and culture.
Techmeme Ride Home:
Fri. 04/19 - All The News About Llama 3
The day's tech news, every day at 5pm ET. Fifteen minutes and you're up to date.
Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 1:30 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: