Techmeme
September 25, 2020, 11:05 AM

Top News

Jessica Conditt / Engadget:
Amazon announces Luna cloud gaming service, going live in October for $5.99/month, with a gamepad and support for Fire TV, PC, Mac, iOS, and later for Android  —  Spoiler: It's not a native iOS app.  —  4m ago  —  Luna is what happens when you take the subscription model of Prime Video …
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Apple confirms it had acquired cross-platform podcast app Scout FM, which created podcast stations for users based on listening history, before shutting it down  —  - Company acquired Scout FM earlier this year in podcasting push  — Acquisition continues rapid pace of Apple deals this year
Kate Cox / Ars Technica:
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
The European Commission says it will appeal the July 2020 ruling that reversed the original $15B fine against Apple and Ireland over State Aid and taxes  —  It's not over until it's over for Apple and its ongoing tax headache in Europe.  Today the European Commission announced that it plans …
Dan Seifert / The Verge:
Ring unveils Always Home Cam, an autonomous drone that can fly around inside a house, expected to cost $249.99 when it starts shipping next year  —  The Always Home Cam is an ambitious new home security device  —  Ring latest home security camera is taking flight, literally.
Taylor Hatmaker / TechCrunch:
Twitter says its test to prompt users to read articles before retweeting was a success, with users opening articles 40% more and sometimes opting not to retweet  —  Twitter's experiment to get people to actually read the content they're sharing is going so well the company plans to expand it to the platform at large “very soon.”
Annie Palmer / CNBC:
Amazon announces redesigned spherical Echo devices, including $99 Echo, $60 Echo Dot with Clock, and $50 Echo Dot, with on-board speech analysis  —  Amazon just unveiled an all-new Echo with a revamped design.  It comes in three colors and features a spherical design.
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Google to issue new guidelines emphasizing that developers must use Google's own billing service for in-app purchases and subscriptions in Play Store  —  - Google and Apple's 30% cut of purchases is under scrutiny  — Google to update developer rules to emphasize requirement
Olivia Solon / NBC News:
A group of about 25 experts say they have formed the Real Facebook Oversight Board, a group to analyze and critique Facebook's content moderation decisions  —  Some of Facebook's most vocal critics are tired of waiting for its independent oversight board — so they're starting their own.
Sean Lyngaas / CyberScoop:
Facebook says it removed 200+ accounts Thursday that were associated with US election interference in the past, “including those involved in DC leaks in 2016”  —  Facebook on Thursday removed over 200 phony accounts and dozens of pages that originated in Russia and pumped …
Andrew Martin / Bloomberg:
CISA: a hacker accessed the network of an unnamed US federal agency using valid credentials for multiple users' Microsoft 365 accounts and domain admin accounts  —  An unnamed U.S. federal agency was hit with a cyber-attack after a hacker used valid access credentials, authorities said on Thursday.
Juli Clover / MacRumors:
Apple is now letting customers return only the band, instead of the entire Watch, if they bought a Watch with an ill-fitting Solo Loop band  —  Apple has reversed course and created an online band-only return method for customers who purchased an Apple Watch Series 6 or Apple Watch SE …
Salvador Rodriguez / CNBC:
Facebook outlines new rules for its internal Workplace, including banning profile pictures that promote specific political candidates or causes  —  - Facebook on Thursday outlined its new set of rules for employee communications within Workplace, the company's internal social network.
Taylor Hatmaker / TechCrunch:
Hootsuite says it will terminate its ICE contract after disagreements within the company spilled over into public view when an employee tweeted about the deal  —  After disagreements within the company spilled over into public controversy, Hootsuite says it won't go forward with a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Rita Liao / TechCrunch:
Chinese startup Showmac Tech, which makes eSIMs for Xiaomi IoT devices, raises $15M Series A+ led by Addor Capital  —  Connectivity is vital to a future managed and shaped by smart hardware, and Chinese startup Showmac Tech is proposing eSIMs as the infrastructure solution for seamless …

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More News

Janko Roettgers / Protocol:
Russell Brandom / The Verge:
Rob Davies / The Guardian:
ProPublica:

Earlier Picks

Todd Haselton / CNBC:
Wired:
Biz Carson / Protocol:
Financial Times: