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February 19, 2025, 10:20 PM
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Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft unveils the Majorana 1, its first quantum processor that uses Majorana particles instead of electrons, with the potential to fit a million qubits  —  Microsoft has spent 17 years researching a new material and architecture for quantum computing.
Financial Times:
Microsoft says it has harnessed a new state of matter using particles called Majorana fermions, a significant breakthrough to create workable topological qubits  —  US tech giant says it has harnessed a new state of matter to create the basic building blocks of a quantum machine
Dwarkesh Patel / Dwarkesh Podcast:
Q&A with Satya Nadella on Microsoft's AGI plan, the quantum breakthrough with Majorana 1, how Muse will change gaming, AI's legal barriers, AI safety, and more
Chance Miller / 9to5Mac:
Apple unveils the $599+ iPhone 16e with a 6.1" display, A18, 48MP camera, Apple Intelligence, the C1 cellular modem, USB-C, and no MagSafe, shipping February 28  —  Apple has officially taken the wraps off of the all-new iPhone 16e.  The device features an all-new design paired with the A18 chip inside …
More: Apple, Apple on YouTube, The Verge, MacRumors, MacRumors, Engadget, Gizmodo, Business Today, Ars Technica, Information Age, IGN, CNBC, BGR, Techsponential, Forbes, Bloomberg, Digital Trends, Brandon Butch on YouTube, The Verge, zollotech on YouTube, Brian Tong on YouTube, CNET, Tom's Guide, ZDNET, PhoneArena, Business Standard, The Standard, Android Authority, International Business Times, mobilenewscwp.co.uk, How-To Geek, iPhone in Canada Blog, OS X Daily, MacRumors, TechSpot, MacStories, Appleosophy, Lifewire, Cryptopolitan, Irish Examiner, HotHardware, en.ain.ua, Phandroid, Proactive, Cult of Mac, iClarified, 9to5Mac, The Economic Times, Phone Scoop, MacRumors, Press Start, TechCrunch, TechRadar, Six Colors, Philip Elmer‑DeWitt, mjtsai.com, 9to5Toys, and Washington Post
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Forums: Hacker News, r/iPhone16Pro, r/iPhone13Mini, r/hackernews, r/LinusTechTips, r/apple, r/technology, r/iphone, r/hardware, r/apple, r/apple, r/iPhone16ProMax, and r/iPhoneSE
Zac Hall / 9to5Mac:
Apple unveils its first in-house cellular modem, the C1, with 5G support, to replace Qualcomm modems, saying it's the most power-efficient iPhone modem ever  —  After years of development, Apple has unveiled what it calls C1, its first-ever in-house cellular modem.
Ryan Christoffel / 9to5Mac:
Apple discontinues the iPhone SE, iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 Plus; the iPhone 16e starts at $599, significantly higher than the iPhone SE's $429 starting price
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft announces Muse AI, a first-of-its-kind generative AI model that can generate a game environment based on visuals, players' controller actions, or both  —  Microsoft Research and Xbox game studio Ninja Theory have partnered to create a new AI model for gaming.
Ben Schoon / 9to5Google:
Google is removing Gemini support from the main Google app on iOS, pushing users to download the standalone Gemini app, which it launched in November 2024  —  Google is informing iOS users that it will be removing Gemini support from the main Google app as it pushes users over to the full Gemini app.
Adamya Sharma / Android Authority:
Google is bringing Circle to Search-like visual searches to its Chrome and Google iOS apps, without the Circle to Search branding, as a Google Lens feature  —  The feature will work within the Chrome and Google iOS apps via Lens.  —  •  —  •  —  •  —  TL;DR
Erik Larson / Bloomberg:
Trump Media and Rumble sue a Brazilian Supreme Court justice, alleging he tried to illegally suppress the US social media activity of conservative Brazilians  —  - Suit targets a supreme court justice who has clashed with Musk  — Brazilian judge has long attacked ‘fake news,’ disinformation
Andy Chalk / PC Gamer:
Valve releases a Team Fortress 2 SDK with the game's client and server code, letting users build new Team Fortress 2-based games licensed for non-commercial use  —  Valve has also released major updates to all Source-engine multiplayer games adding 64-bit support, scalable HUDS, “and a lot of other improvements.”
Andy Greenberg / Wired:
Signal updates its app with phishing protections after Google says Russia-linked hackers are duping Ukrainian soldiers via malicious QR codes for group invites  —  Google warns that hackers tied to Russia are tricking Ukrainian soldiers with fake QR codes for Signal group invites that let spies steal their messages.
Jon Keegan / Sherwood News:
Perplexity open sources R1 1776, a version of the DeepSeek R1 model that Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas says was “post-trained to remove the China censorship”  —  But shortly after its release, attention turned to how compliant the model was with Chinese censorship laws.
Katie Roof / Bloomberg:
Sources: X is in talks to raise funds at a $44B valuation, matching the price Elon Musk paid for Twitter in 2022, as his proximity to Trump alters X's prospects  —  - Valuation is the same as Musk's 2022 Twitter acquisition  — Billionaire has recently tapped private markets for big sums
Axios:
Sources: NIST plans to cut 497 people, including 74 postdocs and most staff at its Chips for America program; the AI Safety Institute faces an uncertain future  —  Exit Content Preview … - The cuts come at a time when the U.S. is looking to lead in AI development and stave off competition from China.
VentureBeat:
Sources: Chinese game publisher NetEase has been directed to divest its overseas holdings, starting with hit game Marvel Rivals, which laid off its Seattle team  —  Chinese game publisher NetEase raised fears with recent moves that it is unloading as much as all of its overseas holdings …
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai / TechCrunch:
Filings: US Army soldier Cameron John Wagenius pleads guilty to hacking AT&T and Verizon and stealing a massive trove of phone records from the telcos in 2024  —  Cameron John Wagenius pleaded guilty to hacking AT&T and Verizon and stealing a massive trove of phone records from the companies …
Suzanne Vranica / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: top X executives hinted to Interpublic and other ad firms that not spending on X could lead to legal woes, due to X's lawsuit against some advertisers  —  Interpublic recently signed an advertising agreement with the platform; other agencies are also in negotiations
Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch:
Uber ditches commissions in favor of daily fees for auto-rickshaw drivers in India in response to increased competition from local rivals Rapido and Namma Yatri  —  Uber is moving away from its commission-based model for three-wheeled motorized rickshaw drivers in India in response …
James Hunt / The Block:
Binance.US resumes USD deposits and withdrawals for the first time since June 2023, when the US SEC sued Binance, Binance.US, and co-founder Changpeng Zhao  —  - Binance.US customers can deposit and withdraw U.S. dollars on the platform for the first time in nearly two years.

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From Mediagazer

Bloomberg:
Sources: WBD begins exclusive talks with Netflix to sell its film and TV studios and HBO Max; Netflix is offering a $5B breakup fee if the deal isn't approved

The Guardian:
Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, and the Netherlands exit Eurovision after Israel received an all-clear to compete; the BBC and Germany's SWR plan to participate

James Faris / Business Insider:
Kalshi strikes a deal with CNBC that will integrate Kalshi's prediction data into CNBC's channel, site, and app starting in 2026, days after striking a CNN deal

More News

Earlier Picks

Danny Nelson / CoinDesk:
Source: in text messages, Libra co-creator Hayden Davis bragged he could “control” Argentine President Javier Milei by making payments to Milei's sister, Karina
Bloomberg:
Internal documents, emails, and federal data suggest Indian IT giant TCS has used L-1A manager visas in ways that raise concerns about undercutting US workers
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