Techmeme
December 13, 2016, 9:35 PM

Top News

Bloomberg:
Sources: Alphabet plans ride-sharing service with Fiat Chrysler, will deploy semi-autonomous version of the Chrysler Pacifica minivan as early as end of 2017  —  Parent Alphabet said to announce automotive-unit plans Tuesday  —  Semi-autonomous Chrysler Pacifica set for fleet, people say
TechCrunch:
Google to spin off its self-driving car unit as a new company within Alphabet called Waymo; ex-Hyundai North America executive Jon Krafcik to be CEO  —  Dec 13, 2016, 9:16 amDec 13, 2016, 9:33 am  —  Google is spinning out its self-driving car unit as a separate company called Waymo, the company announced today.
Sam Byford / The Verge:
New York Times:
How Russia executed an effective, hard to trace and mitigate cyber offensive on the DNC, aided by an FBI response that lacked speed, urgency, comprehensiveness  —  WASHINGTON — When Special Agent Adrian Hawkins of the Federal Bureau of Investigation called the Democratic National Committee …
Windows Blog:
Microsoft announces Cortana Devices SDK for OEMs, in private preview, and Cortana Skills Kit preview for developers to publish Bot Framework bots to Cortana  —  We believe that everyone deserves a personal assistant.  One to help you cope as you battle to stay on top of everything, from work to your home life.
Nat Levy / GeekWire:
New Microsoft Translator feature enables real-time, in-person, multi-language translations for conversations across multiple devices  —  Microsoft this morning announced a new feature for its Translator program that will let people use their smartphones to have conversations in several languages at the same time.
David Jagneaux / UploadVR:
Oculus splits into two divisions: PC VR, with co-founder Iribe stepping down as CEO to lead, and mobile VR, led by an ex-Qualcomm exec; Luckey not mentioned  —  Some days when you work on the media side of the tech industry, you get through the day by going through the motions …
Mitchel Broussard / MacRumors:
Apple starts selling AirPods online in 100 countries, with units available in retail stores over the coming weeks; shipping times slip to 4+ weeks in US  —  Apple's AirPods are now available to order from the company's online store for $159.00, following weeks of speculation on exactly when the wireless headphones would launch.
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
Google debuts Android Things, a platform for building IoT devices with Google services and Android APIs, available today in developer preview  —  Google today announced Android Things, its new comprehensive IoT platform for building smart devices on top of Android APIs and Google's own services.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Apple releases macOS update for 2016 MacBook Pro, which removes “battery remaining” readout, fixes graphics problems, more  —  Apple today is rolling out an update to macOS Sierra that addresses several issues with MacBook Pro computers, including the graphicsproblems on late-2016 MacBook Pro computers.
Several People Are Typing:
Slack adds video calling to Mac and Windows 10 apps as well as Google Chrome, with up to 15 participants on paid accounts; mobile users can join with audio-only  —  Talking face-to-face with your team is just one click away  —  Since we added voice calling to Slack earlier this year …
Nitasha Tiku / BuzzFeed:
A group of nearly 60 employees at major tech firms sign pledge refusing to help build a Muslim registry  —  A group of nearly 60 employees at major tech companies have signed a pledge refusing to help build a Muslim registry.  The pledge states that signatories will advocate within …
Michael Simon / PCWorld:
Facebook launches standalone Events app for Android, two months after iOS launch  —  Facebook Events has been available for past two months on the iPhone, but now Android users can get in on the fun.  The social media giant is making good on its promise to bring its planning app to the Play Store …
Larry Dignan / ZDNet:
Saleforce announces LiveMessage, which brings bot conversations, SMS, Facebook Messenger, and more to Service Cloud  —  The gist of LiveMessage is that companies should be able to connect to customers and service them as a friend-to-friend interaction would occur via an app like Facebook Messenger.
Juli Clover / MacRumors:
Apple temporarily pulls 3.1.1 watchOS update after reports of it bricking some Series 2 Watch models  —  Following complaints that the new watchOS 3.1.1 update is bricking some Series 2 Apple Watch models, Apple has temporarily pulled the update.  —  watchOS 3.1.1 is no longer available …
Stephen Nielson / Photoshop Blog:
Photoshop updates its Mac app with Touch Bar support, providing clearer, contextual controls  —  Just a few weeks ago, Apple revealed the all new MacBook Pro featuring a breakthrough new interface that replaces the traditional row of function keys with a Retina-quality Multi-Touch display called the Touch Bar.
Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:
Snapchat adds 16-person ephemeral group messaging to its app, Shazam support, and new creative tools including paintbrush and scissors features  —  Snapchat has added some new features, including Groups, a new group chat that lets up to 16 friends share conversation and media.
Kara Swisher / Recode:
Sources: Donald Trump did not invite Jack Dorsey to his tech summit in NYC tomorrow despite his love for Twitter  —  Though tweeting helped the president-elect win the election, no seat at the gilded table for its CEO.  —  Jack Dorsey, the man who invented Twitter, has not been invited …

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