Techmeme: Alphabet's Wing says it will test drone delivery in Christiansburg, Virginia with Walgreens, FedEx, and local retailer Sugar Magnolia (Greg Kumparak/TechCrunch)

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Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge:

iOS 13 review: has some much needed quality-of-life improvements, Dark Mode and new Photos app are great, but it's buggy and there are few truly new features — Apple's latest iPhone software brings dark mode, a new Photos app, and bugs — iOS 13 is here.

More: Wall Street Journal, Axios, MacRumors, iMore, CNBC, 9to5Mac, Wall Street Journal, The Verge, and iPhone in Canada Blog

Tweets: @cgartenberg and @marcoarment

Federico Viticci / MacStories:

Extensive iOS 13 and iPadOS review: Apple clearly considers iOS to be a platform, not just an OS, and is building upon that with updates for everyone — In looking back at major iOS releases from the recent past, it's easy to see how building and positioning these annual updates has become a careful balancing act for Apple.

More: Computerworld, iMore, TechCrunch, 9to5Mac, SlashGear, and AppStories

Tweets: @viticci, @jamesthomson, and @viticci

Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge:

Apple brings the release date of iOS 13.1 and iPadOS forward by six days to September 24 — Six days ahead of schedule — iOS 13.0 has just arrived, but Apple is already bumping up the release date for its first big update — both iOS 13.1 and iPadOS will now release on September 24th …

More: 9to5Mac, ZDNet, MacRumors, iMore, iPhone in Canada Blog, Bloomberg, iDownloadBlog.com, MACお宝 …, and The Mac Observer. Tweets: @laurengoode

Tom Warren / The Verge:

Apple releases iOS 13 with Dark Mode, QuickPath swipe keyboard, a redesigned Reminders app, and more — Dark mode is the big new addition — Apple's new iOS 13 update is now available to download on compatible iPhones today, with an iPhone 6S release to follow soon.

More: MacRumors, Wired, Ars Technica, MacRumors, iMore, The Verge, TechSpot, CNET, CNET, Daring Fireball, CNBC, HomeKit Hero, Softpedia News, Business Insider, CNBC, and Gotta Be Mobile. Tweets: @laurengoode

Zack Whittaker / TechCrunch:

A look at the new privacy features in iOS 13, including reminders about app location track, one-time location sharing, and removing metadata from images

More: The Verge, iMore, and TechCrunch

Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat:

Jeff Bezos announces the Climate Pledge, for businesses like Amazon to commit to meet the Paris Agreement's zero-carbon goal by 2040, 10 years ahead of schedule — During a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington this morning, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos alongside former United …

More: Medium, Business Wire, The Verge, CNBC, The Verge, ZDNet, New York Times, CNET, Engadget, TechCrunch, Engadget, Xconomy, Bloomberg, Telegraph, Washington Post, Fast Company, Fortune, TechSpot, CNN, GeekWire, Axios, Bloomberg, BBC, CNET, Bloomberg, Business Insider, The Hill, Mashable, Slashdot, and Seeking Alpha

Tweets: @benkellison, @mzjacobson, @living_marble, @kyweise, @shiraovide, @mollywood, @bradstone, @alexckaufman, and @johnrhanger

Peter Rudegeair / Wall Street Journal:

Stripe raises $250M from Sequoia Capital, General Catalyst, and a16z at a $35B valuation, up about 50% from an early 2019 funding round — Stripe surpasses Airbnb and Palantir valuations in new funding round — Stripe Inc. climbed closer to the top ranks of the highest-priced U.S. startups …

More: TechCrunch, Crunchbase News, The Block, and Silicon Republic

Tweets: @davidrbiggs, @ingridlunden, and @edwinwee

Romain Dillet / TechCrunch:

Automattic raises $300M Series D from Salesforce Ventures at a post-money valuation of $3B — Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, WooCommerce and soon Tumblr, has closed a $300 million funding round at a $3 billion post-money valuation. The Series D round has a single investor, Salesforce Ventures.

More: Matt Mullenweg, Axios, On my Om, Crunchbase News, FinSMEs, VentureBeat, and SiliconANGLE

Tweets: @rushabh_mehta, @dhh, @markosaric, @jonrussell, @mattfarina, and @amix3k

See also Mediagazer

Patrick Whyte / Skift:

Airbnb, which generated revenue of more than $1B in Q2, says it intends to go public in 2020 — While $1 billion in revenue is impressive, it's not the first time Airbnb has achieved the number. What matters for the homesharing platform is the growth narrative.

More: Airbnb Newsroom, New York Times, CNN, The Guardian, PYMNTS.com, Fortune, New York Post, and Reuters

Tweets: @parismartineau, @shiraovide, and @alex

Damien Wilde / 9to5Google:

Huawei unveils its first flagship without Google-licensed apps, the 6.53" Mate 30 Pro with Kirin 990 chip, 8GB RAM, 4,500mAh battery, fast 27W wireless charging — The Huawei Mate 30 Pro has now gone official with the troubled handset coming with a serious spec sheet that includes the Kirin 990 chipset …

More: The Verge, BBC, CNET, CNBC, Financial Times, PYMNTS.com, The Verge, Android Police, Digital Trends, Engadget, PCWorld, iPhone in Canada Blog, Business Insider, Thurrott, VentureBeat, BGR India, Android Headlines, CNET, Reuters, and Phandroid

Tweets: @tomwarren, @jonporty, and @ronamadeo

Om Malik / Wired:

An in-depth look at Apple's six-core A13 Bionic processor, found in the new iPhones, which promises 30% more efficiency than last year's A12 chip — Here's how the chip in each new iPhone works, and what it tells us about the future of mobile technology. — About 72 minutes …

More: AppleInsider, iMore, On my Om, MacDailyNews, Apple Must, MacRumors, iPhone Hacks, 9to5Mac, and iPhone in Canada Blog. Tweets: @stevemoser

Greg Kumparak / TechCrunch:

Alphabet's Wing says it will test drone delivery in Christiansburg, Virginia with Walgreens, FedEx, and local retailer Sugar Magnolia — Wing, the drone delivery company that started its life within the Google X lab before spinning out into its own thing under the Alphabet umbrella, is prepping for takeoff.

More: Quartz, Wing Blog, SiliconANGLE, VentureBeat, 9to5Google, The Verge, CNET, and Slashdot

Official Google India Blog:

Google says Google Pay in India has 67M monthly active users and has processed transactions worth $110B+ in the last 12 months and unveils Pay for Business — Rama Devi has taught more than a thousand women how to use the internet in her role as a Saathi—now she's helping farmers become more productive.

More: The Keyword, Official Google India Blog, VentureBeat, Android Authority, Inc42 Media, The Next Web, WinBuzzer, Telecoms.com, Android Authority, 9to5Google, SlashGear, The Economic Times, Thurrott, Engadget, MSPoweruser, and RAIN News

Tweets: @s_ketharaman and @googlepayindia

Pranav Dixit / BuzzFeed News:

Google announces Vodafone-Idea Phone Line, a free phone number for the carrier's feature phone users in India to talk to Google Assistant in Hindi or English

More: TechCrunch, Ars Technica, TechSpot, Inc42 Media, 9to5Google, Wall Street Journal, and TechCrunch

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:

YouTube to tighten creator verification in October, focusing on channels with a need for proof of authenticity and clarifying verification isn't an endorsement — YouTube's verification program is getting a massive overhaul, the company announced today, which will likely result in a number …

More: YouTube Creator Blog, The Verge, Business Insider, CNET, 9to5Google, Engadget, The Daily Dot, Variety, and TechSpot

Tweets: @caseynewton, @verge, @caseynewton, @taylorlorenz, @inthelittlewood, @fwiz, and @vidiq

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