Techmeme: How Amazon is limiting the ability of popular brands to sell independently via its Marketplace, if they also want to sell their goods directly via Amazon itself (Jason Del Rey/Recode)

Top News

Benjamin Mayo / 9to5Mac:

Ming-Chi Kuo: updated AirPods with wireless charging support and upgrades to the Bluetooth spec to launch in Q1 2019, an all-new design model coming in Q1 2020 — The AirPods truly-wireless earbuds are on track to be Apple's best growth product for the foreseeable future, according to Ming-Chi Kuo.

More: AppleInsider, MacRumors, Fortune, Engadget, SlashGear, Ubergizmo, Cult of Mac, Digital Trends, The Apple Post, Forbes, Neowin, TechRadar.com, The Verge, CNET, Mashable, iPhone in Canada Blog, and Peter O'Kelly's Reality Check

Tweets: @neilcybart, @1jrice, and @leeratliff

Jason Del Rey / Recode:

How Amazon is limiting the ability of popular brands to sell independently via its Marketplace, if they also want to sell their goods directly via Amazon itself — Some companies are choosing to end their relationship with Amazon rather than cave to the online retailer's demands.

More: Digiday and The Precursor Blog

Tweets: @delrey, @sub8u, @retailgeek, and @herrmanndigital

The Information:

Sources: Uber has recently held talks about possible acquisitions with scooter startups Bird and Lime — Uber has held talks recently with electric scooter rental startup Bird to acquire the company in what could be a multibillion-dollar deal, said several people briefed on the discussions.

More: Financial Times, The Verge, PYMNTS.com, SiliconANGLE, Engadget, Telegraph, Gizmodo, Mashable, Los Angeles Times, and NBC Bay Area

Tweets: @coryweinberg, @coryweinberg, @coryweinberg, @michalnaka, @business, and @semil

Boris Hristov:

As Bitcoin bulls cite past recoveries, the amount of money lost in the last bubble raises the question of where funds for another BTC surge may come from — The crypto market correction turned winter will soon mark its first year. Over the last months, many folks have posted tables …

More: Bitcoin Magazine and Virtual Mining Bitcoin News

Tweets: @twobitidiot, @bitfinexed, @alexsunnarborg, @mit1991_2, @twobitidiot, @mrupsys, @carnage4life, @richiekp101, and @hristovbz

CNN:

Canadian activist sues NSO Group, claims its spyware empowered Saudi officials to access WhatsApp messages with Jamal Khashoggi, possibly leading to his killing — London (CNN)In his public writings, Jamal Khashoggi's criticism of Saudi Arabia and its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was measured.

Tweets: @sam_vinograd, @cnnbrk, @matthewwells, @hichamyezza, and @cfountain07

See also Mediagazer

Chance Miller / 9to5Mac:

After Qualcomm and Apple fail to reach a settlement over patent royalties, judge schedules the start of the trial for April 15 in San Diego federal court — Earlier this week, Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf made headlines when he said his company was “on the doorstep of a resolution” with Apple, implying a settlement was possible.

More: sandiegouniontribune.com, TechSpot, iPhone Hacks, and The Verge. Tweets: @patentlyapple

insider.co.uk:

Alex Chesterman raises £30M for his next startup, Cazoo, a platform to buy or rent used cars; Chesterman sold Lovefilm for £200M and Zoopla for £2.2B before — Alex Chesterman made a windfall selling Lovefilm, the video rental company he co-founded, to retail giant Amazon

More: Tech.eu, City A.M., and The Times & The Sunday Times

Tweets: @entreecap and @philipn_auto

Jon Russell / TechCrunch:

UrbanClap, a startup that matches customers with service people, like cleaners, repair staff, and beauticians, across 10 cities in India, raises $50M Series D — UrbanClap, a four-year-old startup that offers home services across in India, has closed a $50 million Series D round for expansion.

More: The Economic Times, Telegraph India, VCCircle, Deccan Herald, Livemint, BloombergQuint, VatorNews, and MediaNama. Tweets: @jonrussell

Catherine Shu / TechCrunch:

Bangkok-based enterprise messaging startup Eko Communications raises $20M Series B as it eyes European and US expansion, says it has 500K+ recurring paid users — After focusing on Asian markets, particularly in Southeast Asia, Bangkok-based Eko Communications is getting ready to take on Slack …

More: PYMNTS.com

Matthew Hughes / The Next Web:

E Ink unveils JustWrite, a new digital paper technology that doesn't require a backlight and promises almost no lag — The hypothetical pinnacle of digital paper is when it becomes indistinguishable from the real article, both in terms of reading and writing.

More: The Digital Reader, Business Wire, Engadget, TechCrunch, BostonGlobe.com, PCMag, The Verge, SlashGear, Good e-Reader, and Liliputing

Anna Escher / TechCrunch:

Brazil-based QuintoAndar, an online marketplace for long term rentals, raises $64M Series C led by General Atlantic, bringing the total funding raised to $95M — Anna Escher @https://www.twitter.com/annaescher / 8 hours — There's quite a bit wrong with real estate in Brazil, according to QuintoAndar founder and CEO Gabriel Braga.

More: AIM Group and Pulse 2.0

New York Times:

US officials: China's cyberespionage against the US, which was pared back in 2015 after US-China pact, picked up again in 2017 and has accelerated since then — WASHINGTON — Three years ago, President Barack Obama struck a deal with China that few thought was possible …

Tweets: @nytimes, @daknycip, @graymanactual, @jmohanmalik, @halberesford, @keithbradsher, and @cooterdwayne

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