Techmeme
October 9, 2018, 2:50 PM

Top News

Chris Welch / The Verge:
Google announces $799+ 5.5" Pixel 3 and $899+ 6.3" Pixel 3 XL with slimmed down bezels, wireless charging, dual front cameras, preorder now, available Oct. 18  —  Google just unveiled the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, its latest flagship Android smartphones.  There was little left to “unveil” …
Nicole Nguyen / BuzzFeed News:
Google's Pixel 3 and 3 XL has a robot call screener feature called Call Screen that can respond to unknown callers; feature will come to other Pixels “soon”  —  Today, Google is announcing the latest versions of its flagship phone, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, at an event in New York.
Ben Schoon / 9to5Google:
Google announces Pixel Stand, a wireless charger for the new Pixel devices, available on Google Store for $79  —  Google's latest set of Pixel smartphones arrived today with the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL.  One of the big new features arriving with these phones is wireless charging …
Bloomberg:
Abner Li / 9to5Google:
Google announces 7-inch Home Hub, to compete against Amazon's Echo Show, which comes in four colors, has no camera; pre-order today for $149, ships October 22  —  With the Home Mini and Home Max in 2017, Google was able to inundate the market with affordable smart speakers, while offering an audiophile experience for the high-end.
Financial Times:
President of Sony confirms that the company is working on a successor to the PlayStation 4, but declined to formally name it the “PlayStation 5”  —  The president of Sony has confirmed that the company is working on a successor to the PlayStation 4, as speculation intensifies …
Mikey Campbell / AppleInsider:
Hardware security expert Joe Fitzpatrick, a named source in Bloomberg's China spy chip investigation, casts doubt on the story's accuracy  —  Security researcher Joe Fitzpatrick, one of the few sources named in Bloomberg Businessweek's bombshell Chinese hack investigation …
Mehedi Hassan / Thurrott.com:
Google debuts Pixel Slate, a Chrome OS tablet with a 3000×2000 display, 8-16GB of RAM, front and rear cameras, no 3.5mm jack; coming later in 2018 from $599  —  Google just took the wraps off a new Chromebook device at its hardware event today.  The company is launching its new Pixel Slate …
Guilherme Rambo / 9to5Mac:
Sources: 2018 iPad Pro models to sport thin bezels with no notch, will support Face ID in both portrait and landscape; new Pencil will have proximity pairing  —  Apple is widely expected to hold an event this month to introduce new 2018 iPad Pro models, new Macs, and more.
Ryan Gallagher / The Intercept:
Transcript of remarks on Dragonfly by Google search chief Ben Gomes to staff seem to contradict Google's claims about limited progress on Chinese search engine  —  “We have to be focused on what we want to enable,” said Ben Gomes, Google's search engine chief.  “And then when the opening happens, we are ready for it.”
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Instagram will use machine learning to scan photos to detect bullying and send them to community moderators for review if needed, rolling out in coming weeks  —  Instagram and its users do benefit from the app's ownership by Facebook, which invests tons in new artificial intelligence technologies.
Saheli Roy Choudhury / CNBC:
Microsoft says it will invest in ride-hailing company Grab as part of a strategic partnership on big data, AI, cloud services, more; the amount is undisclosed  —  - Tech giant Microsoft said it will invest an undisclosed sum into Singapore-based ride-sharing company Grab as part of a strategic partnership.
Naomi Nix / Bloomberg:
Google says it has decided not to compete for a DoD cloud contract worth potentially $10B, citing poor bidding process and potential conflict with its AI values  —  - Company says cloud deal may clash with its values on AI  — Google also criticizes plan to pick a single winner among bids
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft unveils Project xCloud, a game streaming service designed to work across consoles, PCs, and mobile devices, available for public trials in 2019  —  Available for public trials in 2019  —  Microsoft is unveiling its game streaming service for the first time today.
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Facebook debuts video chat devices for home: the $199 Portal with a 10" screen and $349 Portal+ with a 15.6" swiveling screen; preorders today, ships November  —  Facebook's first hardware product combines Alexa (and eventually Google Assistant) with a countertop video chat screen that zooms to always keep you in frame.
Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:

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