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June 17, 2021, 1:05 PM
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Mediagazer
memeorandum
WeSmirchTop News
| Salvador Rodriguez / CNBC: |
Facebook says it will begin testing ads on Oculus headsets, starting with the shooter game Blaston, and won't use data stored on devices to target ads — - Facebook on Wednesday announced that it will begin testing advertisements that will appear within the company's Oculus virtual reality headsets.
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Oculus Blog, The Verge, Ars Technica, Search Engine Land, Road to VR, TechCrunch, PCMag, TechSpot, Engadget, KnowTechie, Forbes, XDA Developers, ExtremeTech, Reuters, Tom's Guide, VRFocus, thegamer.com, Pocketnow, The Overspill, MSPoweruser, GamesIndustry.biz, Gamasutra, Variety, Social Media Today, Mashable, PC Gamer, PYMNTS.com, CNET, ZDNet, UploadVR, Neowin, IGN, Trusted Reviews, and SlashGear
Tweets: @boztank, @levie, @joabyjojo, @justinhendrix, @t3hero_, @rwilson_design, @giygaimpact, @humancell, @sub8u, @martyswant, @kavyapearlman, @paulobrien, @glytchtech, @uncooldana, @qtpop, @psythor, @kentbye, @ericpresidentvr, @lanceulanoff, @leojtravis10, @cixliv, @thelinuxexp, @danieltg85, @starfire2258, @gamoid, @bcarr, @yoda, @yoda, @ceciliakang, @shortformernie, @stevekovach, @stevekovach, and @shiraovide. Thanks:@sal19
| Casey Newton / Platformer: |
By acquiring promising VR games and software companies, Facebook seems to be cornering the VR market, reminiscent of its Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions — A recent shopping spree is giving some folks Instagram-in-2012 vibes — Imagine that, over the past year, Facebook had managed … | Bloomberg: |
Wise, previously known as TransferWise, plans to go public on the LSE via a direct listing, the first company to choose an alternative listing in the UK — - Founders, employees get extra voting rights for limited time — Direct listings are becoming more popular among U.S. startups
More:
CNBC, PYMNTS.com, Reuters, Finextra, Tech in Asia, Coinspeaker, and cryptodaily.co.uk
Tweets: @technation and @abhinavvr
| Sarah Perez / TechCrunch: |
Instagram launches ads in Reels worldwide; the ads can be up to 30 seconds and vertical in format — Instagram Reels are getting ads. The company announced today it's launching ads in its short-form video platform and TikTok rival, Reels, to businesses and advertisers worldwide.| Joe Weisenthal / Bloomberg: |
Mark Cuban calls for stablecoin regulation, after trading Iron Finance's algorithmic stablecoin DeFi Titanium, which then crashed from $60 to $0 in a day — Here's a chart you never want to see. It's of the DeFi Titanium token, which in one day went from being valued around $60 to $0.
More:
Medium, Forbes, Decrypt, CoinGeek, Crypto Briefing, Newsweek, BitcoinExchangeGuide, Cryptonews, and CryptoSlate
Tweets: @thestalwart, @pinboard, @pinboard, and @hshaban
| Mary Ann Azevedo / TechCrunch: |
Unit, which helps companies build financial and banking products, raises $51M Series B led by Accel, bringing its total raises to ~$70M — We've all heard the phrase, “Every company is a fintech.” — But these days, that's becoming more and more true as an increasing number of companies … | Elias Saba / AFTVnews: |
Amazon Appstore unveils a new program that reduces its share of developer revenue from 30% to 20% for developers earning less than $1M per year, starting in Q4 — The Amazon Appstore has announced that it will be reducing its cut of developer revenue from 30% to 20% for developers that earn less than $1 million in revenue per year.| Bobby Allyn / NPR: |
Snap eliminates Snapchat's speed filter, which let users show how fast they were moving, after a US court ruled that Snap could be sued for a fatal car crash — The maker of the Snapchat app is eliminating a feature known as the “speed filter” that lets users capture how fast they are moving …
Tweets: @gartenberg
| Jack Nicas / New York Times: |
Profile of Doug Guthrie, an advocate for doing business in China who advised Apple from 2014-2019, as he now warns of the risks of China's nationalist turn — Doug Guthrie, once one of America's leading China bulls, rang the alarm on doing business there. He spoke about his time at Apple.
Tweets: @liyuan6, @trippmickle, @jacknicas, @jacknicas, and @nytimes
| Jordan Novet / CNBC: |
Microsoft has named CEO Satya Nadella as chair of its board, replacing independent director John Thompson who succeeded Bill Gates as chair in 2014 — - Satya Nadella, Microsoft's CEO, is becoming the software company's chair, after running the company for seven years, when he replaced Steve Ballmer.
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Microsoft, Windows Central, ZDNet, CNET, TechSpot, GeekWire, The Register, cloudpro.co.uk, CNN, Neowin, MSPoweruser, AppleInsider, Insider, Gizmodo, Financial Times, Engadget, IT Management, Thurrott, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Bloomberg, and Seattle Business Journal
Tweets: @armchairdude, @danielnewmanuv, @therohitbansal, @chandrarsrikant, @rmnth, and @matthewsekol
| Strategy Analytics: |
In Q1 2021, global 5G smartphone shipments grew 6% QoQ, with Samsung up 79% QoQ and Vivo up 62% QoQ, while Apple maintained its lead despite a 23% dip — BOSTON—(BUSINESS WIRE)— According to new research from Strategy Analytics, Samsung and Vivo were the world's fastest growing 5G smartphone vendors in the first quarter of 2021.
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AppleInsider, MacRumors, 9to5Mac, phonearena.com, Patently Apple, Wccftech, iClarified, and equalocean.com
| Reuters: |
Russian lawmakers pass legislation that would force US tech giants to open offices in Russia by January 2022 or face punitive measures — Russian lawmakers passed legislation on Thursday that would oblige U.S. tech giants to open offices in Russia by January 2022 or face punitive measures …
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Patently Apple
| Insider: |
Sources: Google is downsizing its health team, which was working on sensors and health records, and moving them to Fitbit as part of a major reorganization — - Google's young health division is splintering, according to employees and an email seen by Insider.
Tweets: @dodgeblake, @hughlangley, and @counternotions
| Danny Crichton / TechCrunch: |
Neo4j, which offers a graph-centric database and related products, raises $325M Series F led by Eurazeo at a $2B+ valuation — Databases run the world, but database products are often some of the most mature and venerable software in the modern tech stack.
More:
VentureBeat, Crunchbase News, The Register, and ZDNet
| Mike Butcher / TechCrunch: |
Akur8, which uses AI to automate insurance claims, raises $30M Series B, bringing its total raised to $42M — Automating insurance claims is a big business, and the world of AI is coming at it ‘full pelt’. The latest is Akur8, an insurtech automating insurance platform whose ‘Transparent AI’ product …
More:
Tech.eu, FinSMEs, and Silicon Canals
| Joseph F. Kovar / CRN: |
Claroty, which develops security tech for industrial companies, raises $140M Series D, bringing its total raised to $235M, ahead of an IPO — 'We are able to reverse-engineer OT protocols and use them thanks to help from Schneider Electric, Rockwell Automation, and Siemens.
More:
FinSMEs, Geektime, TechCrunch, CTech, PR Newswire, and SecurityWeek
| Washington Post: |
The recent surge in ransomware attacks has upended the cyber insurance industry, increasing costs and requirements just as more companies need it — Cyber insurance carriers are raising premiums and limiting coverage in the face of severe ransomware attacks, just as organizations are clamoring for more protection| Ashley Carman / The Verge: |
Snap launches Creative Kit for Spotlight, which will let developers put their apps inside Snapchat's TikTok rival Spotlight — Ride the wave of virality for downloads — Snapchat is making it easier for developers to use viral content to directly promote their apps.| Sarah Krouse / The Information: |
Sources: Google is developing a conversational AI product, known internally as Tivoli, which aims to teach foreign languages through Google Search — Google CEO Sundar Pichai last month previewed an artificial intelligence model that he said would enable people to have open-ended conversations with technology.
More:
Android Police, androidauthority.com, and TNW
Tweets: @bysarahkrouse, @glenngabe, @glenngabe, @glenngabe, and @amir
| Igor Bonifacic / Engadget: |
In Xbox's June update, Microsoft adds a Stories-like feature to the Xbox mobile app and rolls out text-to-speech and speech-to-text accessibility features — June update is here, and Microsoft has — detailed the latest software tweaks Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S users can look forward to trying out on their consoles.
More:
Xbox Wire, The Verge, GameSpot, KnowTechie, and OnMSFT.com
Tweets: @chrismessina, @workwombatman, @basche42, @neonepiphany, @majornelson, @mattnavarra, and @tomwarren
| Stephen Shankland / CNET: |
Google says it is funding a project to increase Linux security by writing parts of the operating system's core in Rust — The search giant is working to allow Rust code in the Linux kernel, a major technological and cultural shift over decades using only C.| Liza Lin / Wall Street Journal: |
Leaked memo: ByteDance says its annual revenue in 2020 grew 111% YoY to $34.3B, while gross profit rose 93% YoY to $19B — ByteDance's gross profit rose 93% to $19 billion last year, according to a memo to staff — ByteDance Ltd., the owner of popular short-video app TikTok …
More:
CNBC, Forbes, New York Post, Financial Times, Coinspeaker, Bloomberg, and Reuters
Tweets: @chinarealtime, @stockmktnewz, @lizalinwsj, and @stokel
| Reuters: |
At the summit, Biden told Putin that certain critical infrastructure should be “off-limits” to cyberattacks; Putin agreed to “begin consultations” on the issue — U.S. President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that certain critical infrastructure …
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The White House, Bloomberg, CyberScoop, Reuters, Axios, MeriTalk, Washington Post, Associated Press, New York Times, The Hill, Politico, Politico, TechRadar, ZDNet, The Hill, Politico, infosecurity-magazine.com, iTnews, Dark Reading, New York Post, and Gizmodo
Tweets: @whitehouse, @securitycurrent, @_joaogui1, @kay06934926, and @gbgrick
| Ashley Carman / The Verge: |
In an email to creators, Facebook says it will launch its podcast platform on June 22; podcasters can link up RSS feeds and decide if users can clip shows — Along with podcast clips — Facebook is planning to start rolling out its podcast product next week, on June 22nd, and, eventually …
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Axios, Gizchina, Stratechery, iPhone in Canada Blog, MacRumors, iDownloadBlog.com, TNW, Cult of Mac, 9to5Mac, SlashGear, Social Media Today, Input, AppleInsider, mobilesyrup.com, and KnowTechie
Tweets: @ashleyrcarman, @trungtphan, @strngwys, @yoda, @kantrowitz, @aggrowill, @k_trendacosta, @teslatidbits, @davechensky, @backseatvc, @jonathanlack, @richlightshed, @colinbrauns, @mediaevan, @film_girl, @akilahobviously, @mikeisaac, @cgates123, @mikeisaac, @evelyndouek, @wongmjane, @ashleyrcarman, @lanceulanoff, @ashleyrcarman, @mrgoontronics, and @jasuja
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