Techmeme
March 31, 2020, 10:15 PM

Top News

Michael Potuck / 9to5Mac:
Weather app Dark Sky says it's been acquired by Apple along with its team; the Android app is no longer available and the API will shutter on Dec. 31, 2021  —  In a big move to improve its weather app, Apple has purchased the highly popular iOS app Dark Sky.
The Intercept:
Zoom's marketing and product make the claim that it uses “end-to-end encryption”, but video and audio content from meetings is not end-to-end encrypted  —  Zoom, the video conferencing service whose use has spiked amid the Covid-19 pandemic, claims to implement end-to-end encryption …
New York Times:
Catalin Cimpanu / ZDNet:
After reports in tabloids of Houseparty users having social media accounts hacked, Houseparty offers $1M reward to unmask those behind apparent “smear campaign”  —  App maker denies getting hacked after multiple reports in British media.  —  Houseparty, a video conferencing desktop …
Lucas Matney / TechCrunch:
Pokemon Go maker Niantic says it's acquired AR startup 6D.ai, which will shut down its dev tools and have its tech integrated into Niantic's Real World Platform  —  Even as the pandemic forces Niantic to shift the way its outdoor-friendly titles are played, the gaming company is charging ahead …
Cara Lombardo / Wall Street Journal:
Xerox plans to end its $30B+ tender offer for HP and proxy fight to replace HP's board after the pandemic undercut its ability to execute a merger  —  Coronavirus pandemic prompts copier maker to walk away from challenging merger attempt  —  Xerox Holdings Corp. is pulling the plug …
Chance Miller / 9to5Mac:
Report: Apple commits to paying its contractors during the COVID-19 pandemic, after initially saying some jobs would be suspended without pay  —  As shutdowns caused by COVID-19 remain in place, Apple has committed to paying its contractors.  The Wall Street Journal reports that initially …
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Spotify Kids launches in the US, Canada, and France on the Spotify Family tier with 8,000 songs and 60 hours of stories, of which 50% is localized by market  —  Spotify is giving more housebound parents — and their cooped-up kids — a new tool to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mary Jo Foley / ZDNet:
Sources: Microsoft plans to make most public and some internal events digital-only through first half of 2021, including Ignite, Build, and Inspire conferences  —  Microsoft is moving to make most of its external (and some internal) events digital-only for its FY'21 in light of impacts of the coronavirus.
OnePlus Community:
OnePlus says its OnePlus 8 flagship phone will have Snapdragon 865 for 25% better performance, 120Hz display, 5G, and more; launch event will be on April 14  —  As most of you already know, OnePlus has focused on creating a “fast and smooth” user experience since day one.
Victoria Song / Gizmodo:
Fitbit unveils the Charge 4 fitness tracker, its first new product under Google, with built-in GPS, NFC payments, and Spotify compatibility, starting at $150  —  As we entered a new decade, Fitbit's fortunes looked uncertain.  Last year, the company was acquired by Google for a neat $2.1 billion …
Issie Lapowsky / Protocol:
Tech trade groups and congressional leaders send letters to the Trump administration requesting VC-backed startups not be excluded from the stimulus' SMB loans  —  In a letter, the lawmakers ask the Trump administration to include the “engine of the innovation economy” in stimulus package loans.
Josh Dzieza / The Verge:
Around 60 employees staged a walkout at a Staten Island, NY fulfillment center to protest the impact of Amazon's COVID-19 response on warehouse workers  —  As Amazon workers across the country test positive for the virus, employees believe collective action is the only way to get the company to meaningfully clean its facilities
Bloomberg:

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