Techmeme
October 17, 2017, 4:54 PM

Top News

Vlad Savov / The Verge:
Google unveils first SoC, called Pixel Visual Core, for accelerating HDR+ processing, available on Pixel 2 phones; its API will be open to developers soon  —  The Pixel Visual Core is a big deal  —  One thing that Google left unannounced during its Pixel 2 launch event on October 4th …
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Pixel 2 and 2 XL review: amazing camera and good speakers, represents the best Android experience, but design lacks flair and it has no headphone jack  —  Sharp shooter  —  Without fail, every person who has picked up the Pixel 2 XL has said virtually the same thing: “It feels like it's made out of plastic.”
Kurt Wagner / Recode:
Regina Dugan, head of Facebook's Building 8 hardware lab, announces she's leaving the firm within next “several months” after joining 18 months ago  —  Dugan is departing after just 18 months to “lead a new endeavor.”  —  Regina Dugan, the head of Facebook's secretive hardware …
Joseph Menn / Reuters:
Sources: internal Microsoft database for tracking critical bugs in its software, which contained descriptions of unfixed flaws, was hacked in 2013  —  (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp's secret internal database for tracking bugs in its own software was broken into by a highly sophisticated hacking group …
Peter Bright / Ars Technica:
Microsoft debuts $1,499+ 13" and $2,499+ 15" Surface Book 2 with Nvidia GeForce GPUs, updated design, up to 17 hours battery; preorder Nov. 9, ships Nov. 16  —  Microsoft's super-flexible systems get potent upgrade.  Alas, still no Thunderbolt 3.  —  Just over two years ago …
Andy Greenberg / Wired:
Google launches new “advanced protection” setting for Google accounts of high-risk users, which requires use of a hardware key with every login  —  WHEN IT COMES to the eternal tradeoff between digital security and convenience, most tech firms focus their efforts on the vast majority …
Devindra Hardawar / Engadget:
Major features in Windows 10's latest update: OneDrive Files on Demand, MyPeople app to keep in touch with friends via taskbar, mixed reality headset support  —  Microsoft's next major Windows 10 release for 2017, the Fall Creators Update, doesn't make any huge waves.  But you might have gathered that from its name alone.
Julian Chokkattu / Digital Trends:
ZTE unveils Axon M, a foldable smartphone with two 5.2" displays for multitasking, larger canvas, and mirroring modes, coming Nov., starting at ~$725 on AT&T  —  ZTE doubles down on different with the dual-screen Axon M … ZTE believes innovation is lacking in the smartphone industry …
Wall Street Journal:
Cruise Automation CEO announces GM will deploy fleet of Chevrolet Bolts early next year in 5-square-mile section of lower Manhattan  —  GM to deploy fleet of Chevrolet Bolts early next year in five-square-mile section of lower Manhattan  —  General Motors Co. GM -.26% plans to become …
Dan Goodin / Ars Technica:
Exploits, called KRACK, in Wi-Fi security protocol WPA2 open traffic to eavesdropping, connection hijacking, and malicious injection; US CERT advisory issued  —  Researchers have disclosed a serious weakness in the WPA2 protocol that allows attackers within range of vulnerable device …

Sponsor Posts

Subquadratic:
Subquadratic: the LLM built for 12M-token reasoning  —  SubQ can reason across entire codebases and document sets in one pass with no RAG workarounds.  Read how SubQ 1.1 Small holds near-perfect retrieval out to 12M tokens.
Cape:
Most carriers track everything.  Cape doesn't.  —  Unlimited talk, text & data, 24-hr metadata deletion, network ID rotation, SIM-attack defense, and more.  Switch today and get 29% off for life.
Zoho:
Meet Zoho Social MCP: Your AI assistant can now help run social media  —  Social media management has come a long way from simply publishing posts.Today, marketers are expected to create content …
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Salesforce data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Featured Podcasts

Grit:
Booking.com CEO on AI and the Future of Travel
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
Subscribe to Grit.
Acquired:
Disney: The Renaissance and the Empire
Learn the playbooks that built the world's greatest companies - and how you can apply them as a founder, operator, or investor.
Subscribe to Acquired.
Lenny's Podcast:
The playbook for building high talent density teams | Adam Ward, Head of Talent at Cursor
Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.
Subscribe to Lenny's Podcast.
Big Technology Podcast:
Demis Steps Down, Apple's Memory Problem, Microsoft's Clever Trick
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
Subscribe to Big Technology Podcast.
Hard Fork:
The White House's Secret A.I. Rules + The State of Model Alignment With METR's Chris Painter + The Final Hot Mess Express
The future is already here. Each week, journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and make sense of the latest in the rapidly changing world of tech.
Subscribe to Hard Fork.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Connecting the Unconnected: Doreen Bogdan-Martin
Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith speaks with leaders in government, business, and culture to explore the most critical challenges at the intersection of technology and society.
Subscribe to Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 4:54 PM ET, October 17, 2017.

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

Todd Spangler / Variety:
Paul Sawers / VentureBeat:

Earlier Picks

Katie Notopoulos / BuzzFeed:
James Ryan Burgess / The Team at X: