Techmeme
February 20, 2025, 7:25 AM

Top News

Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft unveils the Majorana 1, its first quantum processor that uses Majorana particles instead of electrons, with the potential to fit a million qubits  —  Microsoft has spent 17 years researching a new material and architecture for quantum computing.
Financial Times:
Dwarkesh Patel / Dwarkesh Podcast:
Ben Schoon / 9to5Google:
Google is removing Gemini support from the main Google app on iOS, pushing users to download the standalone Gemini app that launched in November 2024  —  Google is informing iOS users that it will be removing Gemini support from the main Google app as it pushes users over to the full Gemini app.
Adamya Sharma / Android Authority:
Google is bringing Circle to Search-like visual searches to its Chrome and Google iOS apps, without the Circle to Search branding, as a Google Lens feature  —  The feature will work within the Chrome and Google iOS apps via Lens.  —  •  —  •  —  •  —  TL;DR
Lizette Chapman / Bloomberg:
Palantir's stock fell 10% on February 19 after the WaPo reported US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to cut military spending; PLTR is up 50%+ in 2025  —  - Spending shift would affect 8% of US defense spending  — AI-focused Palantir has become major government contractor
Andy Chalk / PC Gamer:
Valve releases a Team Fortress 2 SDK with the game's client and server code, letting users build new Team Fortress 2-based games licensed for non-commercial use  —  Valve has also released major updates to all Source-engine multiplayer games adding 64-bit support, scalable HUDS, “and a lot of other improvements.”
Chance Miller / 9to5Mac:
Apple unveils the $599+ iPhone 16e with a 6.1" display, A18, 48MP camera, Apple Intelligence, the C1 cellular modem, USB-C, and no MagSafe, shipping February 28  —  Apple has officially taken the wraps off of the all-new iPhone 16e.  The device features an all-new design paired with the A18 chip inside …
More: Apple, Apple on YouTube, MacRumors, Moneycontrol, The Standard, MacRumors, The Verge, MacRumors, Engadget, Ghacks, International Business Times, Tom's Guide, Ars Technica, BGR, Android Headlines, Digital Trends, Silicon UK, TechSpot, CNBC, KnowTechie, Stuff, MacTrast, designboom, The Verge, Forbes, TechRadar, TrendForce News, Brian Tong on YouTube, Gulf Business, Business Today, IGN, zollotech on YouTube, Techsponential, Brandon Butch on YouTube, Bloomberg, ANI News, PhoneArena, mjtsai.com, Six Colors, OS X Daily, Press Start, Philip Elmer‑DeWitt, Washington Post, 9to5Mac, MacStories, MacRumors, TechCrunch, TechRadar, 9to5Toys, 9to5Mac, and MacRumors
Bluesky: @dompreston.comMastodon: @corbin@toot.communityThreads: @davidimel, @joannastern, and @davidimel
Zac Hall / 9to5Mac:
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft announces Muse AI, a first-of-its-kind generative AI model that can generate a game environment based on visuals, players' controller actions, or both  —  Microsoft Research and Xbox game studio Ninja Theory have partnered to create a new AI model for gaming.
Jon Keegan / Sherwood News:
Perplexity open sources R1 1776, a version of the DeepSeek R1 model that Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas says was “post-trained to remove the China censorship”  —  But shortly after its release, attention turned to how compliant the model was with Chinese censorship laws.
Suzanne Vranica / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: top X executives hinted to Interpublic and other ad firms that not spending on X could lead to legal woes, due to X's lawsuit against some advertisers  —  Interpublic recently signed an advertising agreement with the platform; other agencies are also in negotiations
Kim Zetter / Wired:
Source: 19-year-old Edward Coristine and Kyle Schutt, both DOGE engineers, are now on staff at the CISA; Coristine was briefly an intern for Neuralink  —  DOGE technologists Edward Coristine—the 19-year-old known online as “Big Balls”—and Kyle Schutt are now listed as staff at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Aditya Kalra / Reuters:
Sources: Google is close to deciding on locations in India for its first physical retail stores outside the US; the company currently has five stores  —  Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google is close to deciding on locations in its key market of India where it will open its first physical retail stores outside …
The Block:
Ethereum transaction fees' seven-day moving average fell to $0.77 on February 15, a 70% week-over-week drop from $2.57 and the lowest since July 2020  —  - The record-low Ethereum fees signal weak demand amid onchain volume decline.  — The following is an excerpt from The Block's Data and Insights newsletter.
Forums: r/ethtrader

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