Techmeme: Qualcomm updates its AR Smart Viewer reference design with a higher-powered chipset, a Wi-Fi 6 / 6E and Bluetooth tethering system instead of USB-C, and more (Adi Robertson/The Verge)

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May 20, 2022, 6:45 PM

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Adi Robertson / The Verge:

Qualcomm updates its AR Smart Viewer reference design with a higher-powered chipset, a Wi-Fi 6 / 6E and Bluetooth tethering system instead of USB-C, and more — But don't expect much battery life — Qualcomm is introducing a wireless version of its augmented reality Smart Viewer …

More: Qualcomm, TechRadar, MobileSyrup, CNET, iPhone in Canada Blog, Phandroid, AR Insider, and UploadVR

Tweets: @scobleizer and @sadlyitsbradley

Sean Hollister / The Verge:

Qualcomm unveils the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, promising 10% faster CPU performance, 10% faster GPU clocks, and up to 30% better CPU and GPU power efficiency — Bragging rights (and battery life?) for gaming phones — Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 set the stage for the biggest Android smartphones of 2022 …

More: Qualcomm, AnandTech, XDA Developers, PCWorld, Thurrott, Forbes, Ars Technica, SiliconANGLE, PCMag, Droid Life, 9to5Google, CNET, Android Police, iPhone in Canada Blog, Android Headlines, Gizmodo, Slashdot, Pandaily, Engadget, Onsitego Blog, Android Authority, HotHardware.com News, BigTechWire, and Livemint

Tweets: @anandtech and @ryansmithat

Joe Rossignol / MacRumors:

Report details the development of Apple's MR headset as sources say Jony Ive remains involved as an external consultant and the device is not focused on gaming — Earlier this week, The Information's Wayne Ma outlined struggles that Apple has faced during the development of its long-rumored AR/VR headset.

Source: The Information. More: Philip Elmer‑DeWitt, UploadVR, iPhone Hacks, Input, MobileSyrup, iPhone in Canada Blog, AppleInsider, 9to5Mac, and iMore

Tweets: @_chuckyc, @scobleizer, @alexqgb, @gassee, @waynema, @nickwingfield, @markdistef, and @shortformernie

Juli Clover / MacRumors:

Kuo: Apple is working on an updated version of the HomePod for release in the Q4 2022 or Q1 2023 — Apple is working on an updated version of the HomePod that could come in the fourth quarter of 2022 or the first quarter of 2023, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

More: 9to5Mac, SlashGear, MobileSyrup, iDownloadBlog.com, iMore, Wccftech, Redmond Pie, iThinkDifferent, AppleInsider, AppleTrack, iClarified, and Cult of Mac

Tweets: @mingchikuo and @jake31krol

Jay Bonggolto / Android Central:

Google agrees to let Match Group offer alternative billing to Android users; the Tinder owner drops its request for a temporary restraining order against Google — Match Group apps will be able to offer alternative billing systems to users. — What you need to know

More: PR Newswire, TechCrunch, Android Police, Thurrott, PYMNTS.com, Digital Trends, Reuters, and Wall Street Journal

Murray Stassen / Music Business Worldwide:

Google agrees to keep Bandcamp in the Play Store even if it doesn't adopt Google's in-app payment system; Epic will keep 10% of Bandcamp's IAP revenue in escrow

More: Protocol, 9to5Google, and FOSS Patents

See also Mediagazer

Washington Post:

Court docs and a source: Larry Ellison participated in a November 14, 2020 call that focused on strategies for contesting the legitimacy of the 2020 US election — The billionaire GOP donor participated along with Fox's Sean Hannity and Sen. Lindsey Graham, according to court filings and a participant

More: Protocol and Insider

Tweets: @mikedrucker, @washingtonpost, @remotesynth, @jaypinho, @counternotions, @samhouston, @whstancil, @davidoatkins, @mattzeitlin, @kombiz, @scout_finch, @djrothkopf, @teddyschleifer, and @josheidelson

Aaron Tilley / Wall Street Journal:

Report: Microsoft hid Bing autofill in the US for politically sensitive Chinese names, affecting Windows search; Microsoft blames a technical error — Bing's autofill feature failed to make suggestions for terms that could be deemed controversial in Beijing, according to a cybersecurity and surveillance group

More: Engadget, The Citizen Lab, windowscentral.com, PCMag, Protocol, VICE, OnMSFT.com, New York Post, The Register, TechSpot, and Slashdot

Tweets: @rondeibert, @jchengwsj, @jchengwsj, @repjeffduncan, @rasmus_kleis, @om, @jchengwsj, @citizenlab, @greatfirechina, and @info_activism

Kishan Vyas / XDA Developers:

Google says an upcoming Android 13 beta will provide native support for braille displays, letting users access Talkback without downloading a separate app — Over the years, Google has added many features to Android to make the operating system more accessible to people with special needs.

More: The Keyword, The Keyword, Engadget, Forbes, Android Police, Android Police, Digital Trends, Phandroid, Fossbytes, The Verge, Liliputing, and 9to5Google

Tweets: @liliputingnews, @google, @sundarpichai, and @android

Timothy Craig / Crypto Briefing:

YC-backed DeFi startup Stablegains faces a lawsuit after losing $44M+ of users' funds by investing them in UST, despite previously claiming it was using USDC — Stablegains has been accused of misleading customers about where their money was going. — Key Takeaways

Sophia Kunthara / Crunchbase News:

Bravado, a networking service and jobs marketplace for sales professionals, raises a $26M Series B led by Tiger Global — Sales-oriented professional networking startup Bravado raised $26 million in a Tiger Global-led Series B round, the company said Thursday. — Search less. Close more.

More: FinSMEs, PitchBook, and TechCrunch. Tweets: @chudson

Carly Page / TechCrunch:

Conti urges Costa Rican citizens to pressure their government to pay a ransom, now doubled to $20M, and says it is “determined to overthrow the government” — Conti demanded $20M in ransom — and the overthrow of the government — It's been a rough start for the newly-elected …

More: SiliconANGLE, The Record, and CPO Magazine

Tweets: @uuallan and @zackwhittaker

Lawrence Abrams / BleepingComputer:

AdvIntel: the Conti ransomware group has taken its infrastructure offline and its leaders are partnering with other smaller ransomware groups to conduct attacks

More: AdvIntel, Tech Monitor, TechRadar, Digital Trends, and HotHardware.com News

Tweets: @mdisec, @adam_k_levin, @lawrenceabrams, @780thc, @uuallan, and @kwestin

TechCrunch:

Seoul prosecutors open an investigation into Terraform Labs, creator of the UST stablecoin and the LUNA token, as its co-founder Do Kwon faces a $78M tax fine — Do Kwon, the creator of the stablecoin TerraUSD (UST) and its sister token Luna, is facing legal prosecution in South Korea …

More: Decrypt, NewsBTC, Gizmodo, The Korea Times, and Finbold. Tweets: @jeffjohnroberts

Loni Prinsloo / Bloomberg:

Dutch e-commerce company Prosus says it is exiting Russia and is looking to sell Avito, its classifieds ads business in the country valued at an estimated $6B — Prosus NV is looking to sell its Russian classifieds ads business Avito, the latest international company to dispose of assets …

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From Mediagazer

Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill:

The AP says its journalists were barred from an Oval Office event featuring Trump and El Salvador President Nayib Bukele in defiance of a court injunction

New York Times:

Sources: the White House plans to ask Congress to rescind $1.1B in federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR, PBS, and others

Ted Johnson / Deadline:

After CBS aired two 60 Minutes segments, Trump calls on CBS to lose its license and asks FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to “impose the maximum fines and punishment”

More News

Reuters:

Singapore-based online fashion marketplace Zilingo fires CEO Ankiti Bose after a probe found “serious financial irregularities”; Bose was suspended in April

More: The Economic Times, DealStreetAsia, Bloomberg, and Tech News

FinSMEs:

Noyo, which provides APIs to help companies offer health insurance and other employee benefits, raises a $45M Series B led by Norwest Venture Partners

More: Business Wire and Insider

Matt Day / Bloomberg:

Amazon is testing a service that uses its Flex drivers to deliver packages from mall-based retailers, expanding the variety of goods available for fast shipment

More: PYMNTS.com, Benzinga, CNBC, and Barron's Online

Tweets: @brianroemmele and @masasoncap

Scharon Harding / Ars Technica:

HP refreshes its Spectre x360 laptop with Intel 12th Gen and AMD Ryzen 5000 CPUs, an Intel Arc GPU, a beefed-up webcam, and a quieter fan, starting at $1,650

More: CNET, The Verge, XDA Developers, XDA Developers, XDA Developers, Digital Trends, Pocket-lint, PCMag, Engadget, and windowscentral.com

Tweets: @ifixit and @frameworkputer

Jay Peters / The Verge:

In its annual diversity report, Google saw its “largest increases in representation of Black and Latinx Googlers in the US” at 20% YoY and 8% YoY, respectively

More: Protocol and The Keyword

Tweets: @alphabetworkers and @peard33

Nilesh Christopher / Rest of World:

Bengaluru-based Koo, an app touted as India's answer to Twitter, offers a self-verification feature that highlights the risks of giving data to the government

More: Insider. Tweets: @restofworld, @restofworld, and @cengizyar

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:

Snapchat is working on Family Center, to let parents see who their teens are friends with and whom they are messaging; teens have the option to not participate

More: Social Media Today, MSPoweruser, dot.LA, iMore, 9to5Mac, and Benzinga

Earlier Picks

Tonya Riley / CyberScoop:

The FTC warns edtech companies to not use children's data for ads and other commercial purposes without parental consent, as it will “vigilantly enforce” COPPA

More: Federal Trade Commission, PCMag, The Register, govtech.com, Washington Post, Law Street Media, Protocol, and Fossbytes

Tweets: @ftc, @justinbrookman, @cherkies, @linakhanftc, @maggiejordanacn, @tonyajoriley, and @hypervisible

Alex Heath / The Verge:

A Meta executive told employees they cannot discuss abortion on Workplace, citing “an increased risk” that the company is seen as a “hostile work environment”

More: Protocol, New York Post, Game Developer, Insider, Input, and CNET

Tweets: @brandonrichards, @jannekeparrish, @lizzadwoskin, @rmac18, @ibaiki, @barakshoshany, @karlbode, @mrinaldesai, @sesmith, @thesixler, @openculture, @ggreeneva, @ismh, and @thepacketrat

Rich McHugh / Insider:

Docs: SpaceX paid $250K to settle a flight attendant's allegation that Elon Musk exposed himself and offered a horse in exchange for an erotic massage in 2016

More: The Guardian, Bloomberg, Нов …, Newslit Daily, Electrek, Benzinga, Gizmodo, Fossbytes, New York Post, The Verge, KRON4, Daily Mail, CNBC, Forbes, ZDNet, Boing Boing, The Wrap, Coinspeaker, Engadget, The Economic Times, CNET, and New York Times

Tweets: @elonmusk, @elonmusk, @johnjcook, @elonmusk, @nichcarlson, @elonmusk, @popehat, @elonmusk, @drewharwell, @karacarlson2, @elonmusk, @andst7, @elonmusk, @chad_hurley, @ashleyfeinberg, @mmasnick, @lebassett, @clarajeffery, @pixelatedboat, @tedfrank, @cbouzy, @parasocialyte, @kenklippenstein, @chad_hurley, @danprimack, @gadyepstein, @goadgatsby, @davidfrum, @jowiph, @ashtonpittman, @internethippo, @imranzomg, @michaelharriot, @sethabramson, @jeffgrubb, @timobrien, @nichcarlson, @drmistercody, @ericnewcomer, @parikpatelcfa, @jscros, @samthielman, @joemcken, @andizeisler, @moorehn, @johniadarola, @goldengateblond, @willoremus, @willoremus, @kimmasters, @sarahjeong, @sarahjeong, @marypcbuk, @dennisjromero, @sawyerhackett, @eriqgardner, @apollozac, @benadida, @wagatwe, @nicoleeinbinder, @cathygellis, @popehat, @mavenofmayhem, @marlownyc, and @lopezlinette