Techmeme
September 29, 2022, 12:25 AM

Top News

Brian Heater / TechCrunch:
Amazon's $1,000 Astro robot gets pet detection, the ability to check specific windows and doors, Ring camera integration, and an SDK for three universities  —  There's been a standing question surrounding how seriously we should ultimately take Astro.  The product was launched exactly one year ago …
Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
Google announces new Maps features, including the ability to visually soar over some areas, 250 more landmark views, enriched neighborhood info, and AR search  —  Google is gearing up to launch several new updates for Maps in the coming months, the company announced today at its Search On event.
Nitasha Tiku / Washington Post:
OpenAI removes the waitlist for DALL-E, giving everyone immediate access; OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says a public release is essential to develop the tech safely  —  None of these photos were taken by a camera.  —  All of these images were created by the artificial intelligence text …
Filipe Espósito / 9to5Mac:
UN1feed says Apple removed The OG App, which let users create and share Instagram feeds without ads and suggested posts, from the App Store; the app ranked #50  —  This week, a new Instagram client called “OG App” caught the attention of the internet as it promised a better Instagram experience …
Lisa Eadicicco / CNET:
Amazon unveils the $140 Halo Rise, a bedside sleep tracker that uses contactless sensors, coming later in 2022 with a free six-month Amazon Halo subscription  —  It sits on your nightstand and functions as a sleep tracker and sunrise alarm clock.  —  Lisa Eadicicco
Samantha Cole / VICE:
Meta permanently bans Pornhub's Instagram account for “repeatedly violating” its policies, after a three-week suspension and ToS breaches accruing over 10 years  —  Pornhub claims its account was “fully PG,” and cites the uneven treatment of mainstream celebrities like Kim Kardashian …
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge:
Amazon unveils its fifth-gen $50 Echo Dot and $60 Echo Dot with Clock, which double as Eero mesh Wi-Fi extenders and have a temperature sensor and deeper bass  —  At its annual fall event, Amazon showed off its brand-new Echo Dot and Echo Dot with Clock.  The fifth generation …
Adam Satariano / New York Times:
A look at Portugal's Meia Praia beach, a haven where crypto supporters gather, creating a bubble of optimism about digital currencies amid crypto's downturn  —  In crypto havens such as Meia Praia beach, the confidence in digital currencies remains undimmed even after this summer's crash.
David Pierce / The Verge:
Amazon unveils the $340 Kindle Scribe, an Oasis-like device for reading and writing with a 10.2" E Ink display and two stylus options, available to preorder  —  The newest Kindle is the first truly new Kindle in years.  It's called the Kindle Scribe, and it's both a reading device and a writing one.
Spencer Soper / Bloomberg:
Amazon encourages some customer service staff to work from home, sources say to cut real estate costs; source: Amazon plans to close multiple US call centers  —  Amazon.com Inc. is encouraging customer service employees at some US call centers to work from home, signaling the company's preference …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Amazon unveils a refreshed Fire TV Cube media player with Wi-Fi 6E for $140, Fire TV Omni QLED Series for $800+, and a refreshed Alexa Voice Remote Pro for $35  —  Amazon today introduced two new Fire TV devices designed to cater to customers seeking a more premium experience.
Umar Shakir / The Verge:
Cloudflare releases Turnstile, a “privacy-preserving” CAPTCHA alternative that tests the browser, not the user, through JavaScript-based challenges, in beta  —  The company calls it Turnstile, and it's designed to spare us from performing those mundane click-the-traffic-light kinds …
Dan Primack / Axios:
Sources: GV shelved its algorithm, which for years served as a gatekeeper for new investments, suggesting that human judgement can't always be automated away  —  Google Ventures has mothballed an algorithm that for years had served as a gatekeeper for new investments, Axios has learned from multiple sources.

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