Techmeme
August 11, 2021, 10:20 PM

Top News

John D. McKinnon / Wall Street Journal:
Three US senators unveil the bipartisan Open App Markets Act, which would force app stores to allow sideloading and let developers use their own IAP systems  —  Legislation would place new limits on how Apple and Google app stores can operate  —  WASHINGTON—Senators introduced legislation Wednesday …
Ben Schoon / 9to5Google:
Samsung announces Galaxy Z Flip3 with an internal 6.7" 120Hz display, a 1.9" external screen, 8GB RAM, and Snapdragon 888, starting at $999, shipping August 27  —  One of the first thoughts around foldable smartphones is a high price tag, but that tune is changing.
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Samsung announces Galaxy Z Fold3 with a 7.6" 120Hz primary screen, S Pen support, 12GB RAM, and IPX8 water resistance, shipping August 27 for $1,799  —  The flagship foldable now has a 120Hz cover screen  —  It's August, and today is Samsung's latest big Unpacked event.
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
How Samsung managed to waterproof the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3, primarily using Armor Aluminum, tape, and goo, while adding S Pen support  —  I was not expecting Samsung's third generation of folding phones to be water-resistant.  —  The new Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 have just as many moving parts as previous generations.
Alex Heath / The Verge:
Interview with Facebook ad exec Graham Mudd on Facebook's plans to enhance privacy in its ads, regulation, Apple's ad tracking prompt, Google's FLoC, and more  —  A ‘very meaningful pivot’ is underway inside the world's largest social network  —  Facebook's massive business was built on its ability to track users across the internet.
Wolfie Zhao / The Block:
The attacker who stole $611M from Poly Network has now returned over $256M in USDC, BTCB, SHIBA, and others, after saying they were “ready to surrender”  —  Quick Take  — Poly Network attacker has started returning the funds that were stolen in the largest DeFi hack to date.
Tim Copeland / The Block:
Group behind Poly Network, a cross-chain protocol used for DeFi applications, says a hacker has stolen $611M; one researcher blames the attack on a crypto flaw  —  Quick Take  — Cross-chain protocol Poly Network has been hacked for $611 million.  — The team behind the protocol …
Gael Fashingbauer Cooper / CNET:
Twitter rolls out a web and mobile app redesign, implementing its first proprietary font, Chirp, high-contrast black and white follow and unfollow buttons, more  —  It's inevitable: Twitter changes Twitter, and Twitter users complain on Twitter.  But does Chirp make you feel like a woodpecker is pounding on your skull?
Steve Dent / Engadget:
Instagram introduces anti-hate speech tools to let users limit comments and DM requests on popular posts, following abuse toward England soccer players  —  Instagram has introduced new features called Limits and Hidden Words designed to reduce hate and abuse on trending posts, the company
New York Times:
Radhamely De Leon / VICE:
Researchers create nine computer-generated faces that can serve as “master keys” to impersonate almost half of the faces in three top facial recognition systems  —  According to the paper, their findings imply that facial recognition systems are “extremely vulnerable.”
Jon Porter / The Verge:
Samsung announces Galaxy Watch4, starting at $249, and Galaxy Watch4 Classic, starting at $349, both with “Wear OS Powered by Samsung”, shipping August 27  —  Samsung and Google's smartwatch collaboration is here  —  Today we're getting our first look at the fruits …
Cherlynn Low / Engadget:
Jon Fingas / Engadget:
WhatsApp will let users move their chat history, including photos and voice notes, between iOS and Android devices, starting with new Galaxy models  —  WhatsApp is finally addressing one of the biggest problems with its  —  chat histories: the inability to carry them over when you switch platforms.
The Information:
Sources: DoorDash recently held talks to buy Instacart for between $40B and $50B, but the talks fell apart due to potential antitrust scrutiny  —  DoorDash held talks to buy Instacart over the past two months, say people familiar with the situation, for a price that likely would have been between $40 billion and $50 billion.
CNBC:
Amazon opens its $1.5B, 600-acre air hub in northern Kentucky, capable of handling 100 planes and 200 flights per day, as it ramps up delivery speeds  —  - Amazon on Wednesday debuted its $1.5 billion air hub in Northern Kentucky.  — The hub will serve as the central nerve …

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 10:20 PM ET, August 11, 2021.

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.

More News

Earlier Picks

Stephen Shankland / CNET:
Reed Albergotti / Washington Post: