|
January 29, 2024, 2:30 PM
|
Mediagazer
memeorandum
WeSmirchTop News
| Bloomberg: |
Amazon drops its $1.4B acquisition of Roomba maker iRobot after clashing with EU regulators and will pay a $94M fee; iRobot has ~$500M in net losses since 2021 — - IRobot CEO steps down and company cuts workforce by 31% — Tech giant to pay $94 million to iRobot over deal termination
More: The Verge, About Amazon, Telegraph, TechCrunch, The Register, The Messenger, NBC News, Thurrott, The Information, TechSpot, Engadget, TechRadar, Cybernews.com, Associated Press, New York Times, Axios, Financial Times, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, Chain Store Age, Android Headlines, and TechStartups
Threads: @firstadopter. X: @progresschamber, @visu, @jamestitcomb, @bongcapital, @marketsneil, @mattturck, @pat_hedger, @pitdesi, @jcbcp, @sarthakgh, @ttoboyle, @adamkovac, @edludlow, @linakhanftc, @matthewstoller, @theo_wayt, @laz_radic, @lewis_crofts, @diane_alter, and @bhalligan. LinkedIn: Emil Protalinski
| Rohan Goswami / CNBC: |
After Amazon ended its acquisition, iRobot plans to lay off 31% of its staff, or ~350 people, and says chair and CEO Colin Angle would step down; IRBT drops 5%+ — - Amazon and iRobot mutually agreed to call off their planned acquisition, writing that there was “no path” to regulatory approval and sending iRobot shares down 15%.
More: Ars Technica, iRobot, PCMag, The Guardian, Gizmodo, eeNews Europe, Seattle Business Journal, Fortune, Tech Monitor, Business Post, SiliconANGLE, Android Police, GeekWire, PYMNTS.com, The Boston Globe, Investor's Business Daily, Reuters, iPhone in Canada Blog, TechHive, New York Post, TechCrunch, Tech Xplore, MobileSyrup, Neowin, Techaeris, The Robot Report, and NBC Bay Area
X: @geoffmanne, @geoffmanne, @bongcapital, @carnage4life, and @mattmday
Forums: Hacker News, Blind, and r/technology
| Emanuel Maiberg / 404 Media: |
Microsoft adds safeguards to its AI text-to-image tool Designer, after fake AI images of Taylor Swift went viral and a report of 4chan users misusing the tool — Following 404 Media's reporting, Microsoft has made changes to a tool people were using to make AI nudes of celebrities.
More: VentureBeat, NBC News, Thurrott, Windows Central, New York Post, Futurism, Gizmochina, Gizmodo, NBC News on YouTube, Engadget, Neowin, Fortune, and Variety
| Washington Post: |
X blocking “Taylor Swift” searches as explicit AI images spread is a blunt measure to accomplish a basic moderation task, after gutting “trust and safety” staff — The superstar's fans were spurred into action last week after the images, likely generated by AI, began proliferating online
More: The Register, Ars Technica, MobileSyrup, TechCrunch, BBC, Axios, Reuters, PCMag, CCN.com, Business Insider, The Information, Financial Times, Mashable, Engadget, The Verge, Neowin, and Comic Book
Threads: @renee.diresta and @drewharwell
Mastodon: @malwarejake@infosec.exchange, @vrandecic@mas.to, and @homelessjun@mas.to
| Chance Miller / 9to5Mac: |
Zoom details its visionOS app, which will support 3D file sharing, “real-world pinning” of up to five meeting participants, Apple's Persona feature, and more — As promised, Zoom will be available on Apple Vision Pro from day one. Ahead of Vision Pro's launch on Friday …
More: Zoom, TechCrunch, AppleInsider, Engadget, PCMag, The Verge, UC Today, XR Today, and TweakTown
| Suzanne Vranica / Wall Street Journal: |
Amazon expects Prime Video's average hourly ad load to be 2 to 3.5 minutes, below traditional TV and most streaming services, and to reach 159M monthly viewers — Move prompts longtime subscribers to cancel Prime altogether, forgoing free shipping; ‘There is only one way to show them that this is not OK’| Dawn Lim / Bloomberg: |
How Blackstone is building a ~$25B US data center empire after acquiring QTS, estimated to use 6GW of electricity when complete, equal to the needs of ~5M homes — The private equity giant says landlord QTS could be one of its best investments ever — but the resources needed for growth are vast.| Allison Johnson / The Verge: |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review: bright screen, anti-glare, Circle to Search, great camera, and seven years of updates, but pricey, heavy, and AI is a mixed bag — The Galaxy S24 Ultra is packed with top-tier hardware, but its highly touted AI features are hit-or-miss — and the price is higher than ever.
More: CNET, MacRumors, XDA Developers, IGN, Forbes, MakeUseOf, PCMag, Tom's Guide, GSMArena.com, TechSpot, and The Shortcut
| New York Times: |
How Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and others balance developing AI chips with their Nvidia relationship; Omdia says Nvidia accounts for 70%+ of AI chip sales — In September, Amazon said it would invest up to $4 billion in Anthropic, a San Francisco start-up working on artificial intelligence.| Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch: |
Meta partners with the Center for Open Science to share data for researching online well-being, before January 31's Congressional hearing on kids' online safety — Ahead of a major Congressional hearing about children's online safety, Meta has announced a collaboration with the Center for Open Science …
More: Engadget and Center for Open Science
| Gavin Bonshor / AnandTech: |
AMD Ryzen 7 8700G and Ryzen 5 8600G review: both offer solid levels of gaming performance for $329 and $229, respectively, especially with AMD's fastest cores — One of the most desired desktop chips designed for low-cost systems has been AMD's APUs, or Accelerated Processing Units.| Oliver Haslam / iMore: |
Apple updates Shazam to add support for identifying songs from other apps while listening via wired or Bluetooth headphones and earbuds — Apple's Shazam is now better than ever. — Shazam has long been the go-to app for people who want to know what song they're listening to but now it's better …
More: MacRumors, MobileSyrup, and BGR
Sponsor Posts
Okara:
Meet Okara, the AI platform that doesn't train on your data — Chat with 30+ open-source models (Llama, Kimi, Qwen, DeepSeek) through encrypted infrastructure. Used by teams handling proprietary code and strategy.
Meet Okara, the AI platform that doesn't train on your data — Chat with 30+ open-source models (Llama, Kimi, Qwen, DeepSeek) through encrypted infrastructure. Used by teams handling proprietary code and strategy.
Soxton:
AI-powered law for startups — Soxton automates startup legal so founders can move faster and sleep better. We handle incorporation, advisor, employment and commercial contracts. Join the waitlist for early access!
AI-powered law for startups — Soxton automates startup legal so founders can move faster and sleep better. We handle incorporation, advisor, employment and commercial contracts. Join the waitlist for early access!
Zoho:
Saudi Arabia's data localisation era: Why compliance-ready clouds are now essential — Saudi Arabia is in a key phase in its digital transformation, where data governance, cybersecurity, and digital sovereignty are as vital as innovation.
Saudi Arabia's data localisation era: Why compliance-ready clouds are now essential — Saudi Arabia is in a key phase in its digital transformation, where data governance, cybersecurity, and digital sovereignty are as vital as innovation.
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.
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
Big Technology Podcast:
Who Wins if AI Models Commoditize? — With Mistral CEO Arthur Mensch
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.
Uncapped with Jack Altman:
Daniele Perito from depthfirst
Conversations with people I admire about things I'm genuinely interested in.
Subscribe to Uncapped with Jack Altman.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
How to Build a Profitable Media Company in 3 years, with Semafor's Justin Smith
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.
Hard Fork:
Can We Build a Better Social Network?
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.
Invest Like the Best:
Tom Digan & Greg Stewart - Building the World's Best Fitness App
The leading destination to learn about business and investing. We do this by showcasing exceptional talent and ideas.
Subscribe to Invest Like the Best.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Special Edition: Key findings from the Microsoft AI Diffusion Report
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 2:30 PM ET, January 29, 2024.
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.
From Mediagazer
New York Times:Andrew Egger / The Bulwark:
James Poniewozik / New York Times:
Upcoming Tech Events
Earlier Picks
| David Pierce / The Verge: |
More: TechCrunch, App Store, Arc from The Browser Company, Inc.com, ZDNet, Thurrott, Engadget, TestingCatalog, TechRadar, Spyglass, MacStories, MacRumors, 9to5Mac, The Dent, and iPhone in Canada Blog
Threads: @crumbler, @shanselman, @anildash, @gruber, and @imdavidpierce. Mastodon: @matt@worldkey.io
Forums: r/ArcBrowser and MacRumors Forums
| Jennifer Maas / Variety: |
More: Game Developer and PC Games Insider
| Salvador Rodriguez / Wall Street Journal: |
More: Apple on YouTube, UploadVR, Gizmodo, Axios, ExtremeTech, TechCrunch, Livemint, MIXED Reality News, MacRumors, TechRadar, Wccftech, Notebookcheck, and 9to5Mac
Threads: @kbode. X: @edzitron, @amaldorai, @lunayian, @benz145, @benz145, @arian_ghashghai, @iamdcinvestor, @iamdcinvestor, @zgftech, @cixliv, and @benz145. Forums: MacRumors Forums