Techmeme
August 11, 2021, 10:40 PM

Top News

John D. McKinnon / Wall Street Journal:
Three US senators unveil the bipartisan Open App Markets Act, which would force app stores to allow sideloading and let developers use their own IAP systems  —  Legislation would place new limits on how Apple and Google app stores can operate  —  WASHINGTON—Senators introduced legislation Wednesday …
Ben Schoon / 9to5Google:
Samsung announces Galaxy Z Flip3 with an internal 6.7" 120Hz display, a 1.9" external screen, 8GB RAM, and Snapdragon 888, starting at $999, shipping August 27  —  One of the first thoughts around foldable smartphones is a high price tag, but that tune is changing.
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Samsung announces Galaxy Z Fold3 with a 7.6" 120Hz primary screen, S Pen support, 12GB RAM, and IPX8 water resistance, shipping August 27 for $1,799  —  The flagship foldable now has a 120Hz cover screen  —  It's August, and today is Samsung's latest big Unpacked event.
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
How Samsung managed to waterproof the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3, primarily using Armor Aluminum, tape, and goo, while adding S Pen support  —  I was not expecting Samsung's third generation of folding phones to be water-resistant.  —  The new Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 have just as many moving parts as previous generations.
Alex Heath / The Verge:
Interview with Facebook ad exec Graham Mudd on Facebook's plans to enhance privacy in its ads, regulation, Apple's ad tracking prompt, Google's FLoC, and more  —  A ‘very meaningful pivot’ is underway inside the world's largest social network  —  Facebook's massive business was built on its ability to track users across the internet.
Wolfie Zhao / The Block:
The attacker who stole $611M from Poly Network has now returned over $256M in USDC, BTCB, SHIBA, and others, after saying they were “ready to surrender”  —  Quick Take  — Poly Network attacker has started returning the funds that were stolen in the largest DeFi hack to date.
Tim Copeland / The Block:
Group behind Poly Network, a cross-chain protocol used for DeFi applications, says a hacker has stolen $611M; one researcher blames the attack on a crypto flaw  —  Quick Take  — Cross-chain protocol Poly Network has been hacked for $611 million.  — The team behind the protocol …
Gael Fashingbauer Cooper / CNET:
Twitter rolls out a web and mobile app redesign, implementing its first proprietary font, Chirp, high-contrast black and white follow and unfollow buttons, more  —  It's inevitable: Twitter changes Twitter, and Twitter users complain on Twitter.  But does Chirp make you feel like a woodpecker is pounding on your skull?
Steve Dent / Engadget:
Instagram introduces anti-hate speech tools to let users limit comments and DM requests on popular posts, following abuse toward England soccer players  —  Instagram has introduced new features called Limits and Hidden Words designed to reduce hate and abuse on trending posts, the company
New York Times:
Radhamely De Leon / VICE:
Researchers create nine computer-generated faces that can serve as “master keys” to impersonate almost half of the faces in three top facial recognition systems  —  According to the paper, their findings imply that facial recognition systems are “extremely vulnerable.”
Jon Porter / The Verge:
Samsung announces Galaxy Watch4, starting at $249, and Galaxy Watch4 Classic, starting at $349, both with “Wear OS Powered by Samsung”, shipping August 27  —  Samsung and Google's smartwatch collaboration is here  —  Today we're getting our first look at the fruits …
Cherlynn Low / Engadget:
Jon Fingas / Engadget:
WhatsApp will let users move their chat history, including photos and voice notes, between iOS and Android devices, starting with new Galaxy models  —  WhatsApp is finally addressing one of the biggest problems with its  —  chat histories: the inability to carry them over when you switch platforms.
The Information:
Sources: DoorDash recently held talks to buy Instacart for between $40B and $50B, but the talks fell apart due to potential antitrust scrutiny  —  DoorDash held talks to buy Instacart over the past two months, say people familiar with the situation, for a price that likely would have been between $40 billion and $50 billion.
CNBC:
Amazon opens its $1.5B, 600-acre air hub in northern Kentucky, capable of handling 100 planes and 200 flights per day, as it ramps up delivery speeds  —  - Amazon on Wednesday debuted its $1.5 billion air hub in Northern Kentucky.  — The hub will serve as the central nerve …
Stephen Shankland / CNET:
Facebook open sources Time Card, its PCIe-based timekeeping tool that uses atomic clocks and navigation satellites to keep devices and data centers in sync  —  The social network giant gives away its hardware and software designs that can keep data centers humming efficiently.
David Carnoy / CNET:
Samsung announces $150 Galaxy Buds 2 with active noise cancellation and a similar design to the Galaxy Buds Pro, available August 27  —  The latest Samsung true-wireless earbuds are essentially mini versions of the more expensive Galaxy Buds Pro. … Samsung's Galaxy Buds 2 earbuds …

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.
Cloudflare:
Cloudflare Connect 2026: The Agentic Conference  —  Stop preparing for agents.  Start running them.  100+ sessions, workshops, and speakers from OpenAI, Arm, and Cloudflare across AI, security, and performance.
Zoho:
The 90-day recognition cliff: Why praise programs fade, and what keeps them alive  —  Recognition programs often start with enthusiasm.  Employees participate, managers share shoutouts, and teams have a new way to celebrate achievements.
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

Uncapped with Jack Altman:
David George from a16z
Conversations with people I admire about things I'm genuinely interested in.
Subscribe to Uncapped with Jack Altman.
Big Technology Podcast:
SAP CEO: AI Won't Kill Software, But It Will Change Your Job — With Christian Klein
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.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
David Ellison's Paramount-Warner Empire & The Fight That Comes Next
Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.
Subscribe to Channels with Peter Kafka.
Sources:
Factory CEO on why AGI is already here
Candid conversations with the leaders shaping what's next in AI and the broader tech industry. Hosted by Alex Heath, who has covered Silicon Valley for more than a decade.
Subscribe to Sources.
Invest Like the Best:
Noah Shinn - Building Instinct: The Personal Agent
The leading destination to learn about business and investing. We do this by showcasing exceptional talent and ideas.
Subscribe to Invest Like the Best.
Lenny's Podcast:
The grief, loneliness, and burnout sweeping through the tech industry right now | Molly Graham
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.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 10:40 PM ET, August 11, 2021.

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

Earlier Picks

Joe Light / Bloomberg:
Reed Albergotti / Washington Post: