Techmeme
March 16, 2017, 7:50 PM

Top News

Khari Johnson / VentureBeat:
Amazon says Alexa is coming to its iPhone app next week, with the ability to shop, track packages, tell jokes, check the weather, more  —  Starting today and available to all iPhone users next week, you can talk to Amazon's intelligent assistant Alexa while using the Amazon app.
Jordan Kahn / 9to5Mac:
Report: Spotify is negotiating with music labels to decrease royalty fees ahead of future IPO, possibly by limiting some releases to paid users for a period  —  Spotify is considering a move that would mean some of its biggest new releases will be restricted to paid users, according to a new report from Financial Times.
Bloomberg:
Profile of Anthony Levandowski, Otto founder and ex-head of Google's LiDAR team, who's at the heart of Waymo's Uber lawsuit after allegedly taking designs  —  Travis Kalanick, the chief executive officer of Uber Technologies Inc., says he needs leadership help.
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Some users report Google Home playing a promo for “Beauty and the Beast”; Google says it's not an advert as Assistant invites “partners” to “share their tales”  —  Google Assistant now does advertising  —  Today some Google Home owners are hearing something extra …
Jordan Golson / The Verge:
Nvidia partners with Bosch to sell its AI-powered driver-assistant platform to automakers  —  Nvidia has announced a new partnership with Bosch to sell its Drive PX 2 driver-assist platform to automakers.  In effect, the deal gives Nvidia a go-to-market strategy for its self-driving hardware and software platform.
Corinne Gretler / Bloomberg:
Swatch CEO Nick Hayek says the firm is developing a smartwatch operating system focused on battery life, to compete with iOS and Android, debuting in late 2018  —  First product with new system to be Tissot in late 2018  —  Swiss watchmaker says technology can be used in small objects
Rita El Khoury / Android Police:
Google says its Assistant rollout on devices running Android 6.0 and above “does not include tablets”  —  When Google announced that the Assistant would start rolling out to devices running Android 6.0 and above, there was one little detail we didn't pay close attention to …
Sam Kim / Bloomberg:
Sources: Galaxy S8 will allow Samsung Pay authorization via facial recognition, building on authorization via fingerprint and iris scans  —  It's counting on features to differentiate its flagship phone  —  Phone to feature digital assistant, all-screen front as well
Farhad Manjoo / New York Times:
After years of undermining the economics of culture, the internet is helping fund old and new art forms, often through subscriptions via platforms like Patreon  —  One secret to longevity as a pundit is to issue predictions that can't be easily checked.  So here's one for the time capsule …
Shelby Carpenter / Forbes:
Bike-sharing startup LimeBike raises $12M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz, plans to launch in the Bay Area early April  —  When Andreessen-Horowitz partner Jeff Jordan goes from his Portola Valley home to San Francisco, he avoids driving as much as possible.
Steve Kovach / Business Insider:

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Earlier Picks

Lisa Baertlein / Reuters:
Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge: