Techmeme: WhatsApp unveils Flows, which lets merchants build richer shopping experiences, like by letting users pick a flight seat or order a meal without leaving the app (Ivan Mehta/TechCrunch)

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September 20, 2023, 1:25 PM

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The Verge:

Everything Amazon announced at its product event: Alexa Emergency Assist for $6/month, Alexa Eye Gaze to control devices, the $50 Echo Pop Kids, and more — Amazon is kicking off its annual fall product announcements at its HQ2 campus in Arlington, Virginia.

More: About Amazon, TechCrunch, TechCrunch, TechCrunch, Engadget, Engadget, Engadget, TechCrunch, Engadget, Android Central, About Amazon, About Amazon, Liliputing, and The Shortcut

Mastodon: @bradlinder@fosstodon.org and @bradlinder@fosstodon.org

X: @daveleebbg, @daveleebbg, @film_girl, @amazon, @amazon, @amazon, @amazon, @lanceulanoff, @caro_milanesi, @danwroc, @amazon, @raywongy, and @rogerwcheng

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:

Amazon unveils generative AI updates for Alexa, aiming to become more conversational and personalized, available as a free preview on all Echo devices in the US — During a press event this morning at its HQ2 headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, Amazon announced that it'll soon use …

More: TechCrunch, Engadget, Reuters, GeekWire, The Verge, Bloomberg, VentureBeat, ZDNet, About Amazon, Neowin, MobileSyrup, Tom's Guide, About Amazon, Wired, and iPhone in Canada Blog

Mastodon: @bradlinder@fosstodon.org and @jank0@sfba.social

X: @amazon, @amazon, @daveleebbg, and @andrewmartonik

See also Mediagazer

Brian Heater / TechCrunch:

Amazon announces the $150 Echo Show 8 with a new design, a centered camera, a smart home hub, Spatial Audio, and a changing home screen based on proximity — Amazon kicked off today's Fall Devices Event with an update to its Echo Show 8. The small smart screen features smart home hub functionality and improved audio quality.

More: The Verge, TechHive, PCMag, Android Police, The Ambient, Engadget, About Amazon, Bloomberg, Android Central, MobileSyrup, TechEBlog, T3, nextpit, iPhone in Canada Blog, Pocket-lint, Android Headlines, and Digital Trends

Mastodon: @davezatz@mastodon.social, @jank0@sfba.social, and @jank0@sfba.social

X: @amazon and @daveleebbg

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:

Amazon announces updated Echo Frames, its Alexa-powered glasses, offering enhanced speech processing, better noise isolation, and six hours of battery for $270 — Amazon today unveiled a new generation of Echo Frames, its Alexa-powered glasses, with enhanced speech processing, better noise isolation and a $269.99 price tag.

More: The Verge, About Amazon, T3, MobileSyrup, and Pocket-lint

X: @caro_milanesi, @markgurman, and @amazon

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge:

Amazon unveils the $180 Echo Hub, a wall-mountable smart home controller with an 8" touchscreen, and Map View, a new interface that shows a home's floor plan

More: ZDNet, Engadget, TechCrunch, Android Police, Cord Cutters News, and Android Headlines

X: @iethics, @amazon, and @markgurman

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:

Amazon announces the $50 Fire TV Stick 4K, $60 Fire TV Stick 4K Max, $120 Fire TV Soundbar, and new generative AI updates for Fire TV voice search

More: CNET, ZDNet, Android Police, Engadget, The Verge, T3, nextpit, Android Headlines, iPhone in Canada Blog, Pocket-lint, The Streamable, SlashGear, Digital Trends, Tom's Guide, AFTVnews, Liliputing, BigTechWire, and 9to5Toys

X: @daveleebbg, @amazon, @amazon, @daveleebbg, @lanceulanoff, and @markgurman

BBC:

After Meta criticized the UK's potential E2EE rules, the UK says Meta “failed to provide assurances” over keeping its platforms “safe from sickening abusers” — Facebook's owner Meta has hit back at a new government campaign strongly critical of its plans to encrypt messages.

More: The Guardian, Forbes, 9to5Mac, ComputerWeekly.com, Light Reading, London Evening Standard, Sky News, Reuters, Politico, Daily Mail, ComputerWeekly.com, and Reuters

Mastodon: @carnage4life@mas.to and @mattburgess@infosec.exchange. Bluesky: @self.agency

Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:

The UK's parliament passes the Online Safety Bill, in the works since 2019, paving the way for Royal Assent and the bill becoming law in the coming days

More: GOV.UK, New York Times, Electronic Frontier Foundation, BBC, Computerworld, PYMNTS.com, The Verge, Silicon Republic, The Register, Coinspeaker, Sky News, The Record, Forbes, Tech Times, Pixel Envy, Cybernews.com, CSO, Molly Rose Foundation, TechSpot, Ofcom, Reuters, CircleID, SiliconANGLE, Dailymirror, The Independent, The Times, NewsWire, NationalWorld, Silicon UK, Samaritans, and ISPreview UK

Mastodon: @JamesBaker@social …, @jeffjarvis@mastodon.social, @rachelcoldicutt@assemblag.es, @openrightsgroup@social …, @JamesBaker@social …, @JamesBaker@social …, and @thegibson@hackers.town

Forums: r/technology, r/technology, and Slashdot

CNBC:

Sources: as equities soared in 2020, Apple and Goldman were working on an iPhone stock trading feature but shelved the project when markets turned south in 2022 — - Apple was exploring the launch of an iPhone feature that would let users buy and sell stocks, according to three sources familiar with the plans.

More: PYMNTS.com, 9to5Mac, The Verge, MacRumors, AppleInsider, Apple Must, Watcher Guru, KNSD-TV, MacDailyNews, Supercharged, and Crowdfund Insider

X: @bzamayo and @kejca

LinkedIn: Romeo Salta and Arcady Lapiro

Forums: r/apple and MacRumors Forums

Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:

Meta expands its Meta Verified program to businesses on Facebook and Instagram in select markets, for $21.99/month/page for each or $34.99/month/page for both — Meta announced today that it is expanding Meta Verified to businesses after first launching it for creators in March.

More: WhatsApp Blog, Meta, Search Engine Land, Engadget, The Information, The Verge, PYMNTS.com, PhoneArena, Neowin, WinBuzzer, Social Media Today, Memeburn, MSPoweruser, Metaverse Post, and TechRadar

X: @kyurieff and @liahaberman

Financial Times:

Meta launches in-chat payments for WhatsApp in India, letting businesses accept payments via credit cards, debit cards, WhatsApp Pay, and UPI at no extra charge

More: International Business Times, WinBuzzer, PYMNTS.com, Social Media Today, Bloomberg, Reuters, Inc42 Media, WABetaInfo, Digit, BigTechWire, TechCrunch, and Business Today

X: @wcathcart, @skasriel, and @saadhjawwadh

Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:

WhatsApp unveils Flows, which lets merchants build richer shopping experiences, like by letting users pick a flight seat or order a meal without leaving the app

More: BetaNews

Victoria Song / The Verge:

Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 review: Double Tap is great, but Precision Finding requires an iPhone 15, and the Siri and brightness improvements feel minor — Iterative updates aren't flashy, but these smartwatches are mainly for folks who don't have Apple Watches yet.

More: CNET, Wall Street Journal, CNET, Wired, Engadget, CNN, CNBC, TechCrunch, AppleInsider, MacRumors, 9to5Mac, XDA Developers, Wired, Cult of Mac, MacDailyNews, Independent.ie, New York Times, MobileSyrup, British GQ, Pocket-lint, Pocket-lint, Geek Culture, and BGR

X: @adrianweckler, @nicnguyen, and @nicnguyen

Forums: r/apple and MacRumors Forums

Nikkei Asia:

On WeChat, China's Ministry of State Security says the US, since 2009, has continuously hacked Huawei's servers, stolen critical data, and installed backdoors — Beijing says Washington forces tech companies to install backdoors for spying — China has accused the U.S. of hacking Huawei's servers continuously since 2009.

More: The Register, The Verge, TIME, 9to5Mac, and South China Morning Post

X: @qingqingparis, @williamturton, @joetidy, @huxijin_gt, @joetidy, @z_edian, @gazthejourno, @ericgeller, and @williamturton

Mariam Sunny / Reuters:

Neuralink is recruiting for the first human trial of its brain implant for paralysis patients, expected to take about six years, likely for fewer than 10 people — Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's brain-chip startup Neuralink said on Tuesday it has received approval from an independent review board …

More: Neuralink, VICE, CNN, Gizmodo, BBC, PCMag, San Francisco Business Journal, Futurism, TweakTown, T3, The Guardian, Silicon Republic, WinBuzzer, Silicon Canals, Analytics India Magazine, Digital Trends, VentureBeat, Insider, Forbes, Wired, The Verge, Engadget, Bloomberg, and Mashable

X: @neuralink, @elonmusk, @sawyermerritt, and @sotadotclub. Forums: r/ABoringDystopia

Qianer Liu / Financial Times:

Sources: the Kirin 9000S SoC has four CPUs that use Arm designs, the other four use Huawei-modified Arm designs, HiSilicon developed the GPU and NPU, and more — Facing US sanctions, Chinese company emulates Apple by using its own designs in chips for Mate 60 Pro

More: Reuters, CNBC, and Insider

X: @sub8u, @tphuang, @tphuang, @briantycangco, @echenze, @davidgaleuk, @pstasiatech, and @pstasiatech

Reuters:

Sources: Huawei's HiSilicon is shipping new Chinese-made surveillance camera chips, a fresh sign the company is circumventing four years of US export controls

More: IPVM Physical Security …, Light Reading, Livemint, The Information, The Register, and Bloomberg. Forums: Slashdot

WABetaInfo:

WhatsApp releases a beta for iOS via Apple's TestFlight with a companion mode for iPadOS, built using Mac Catalyst, after years of user requests for an iPad app — WhatsApp has just submitted a new update through the TestFlight beta Program, bringing the version up to 23.19.1.71.

More: The Verge, Macworld, XDA Developers, Thurrott, Mashable, Pocket-lint, Metro.co.uk, TechRadar, Gizchina, Android Authority, MacRumors, Wccftech, Cult of Mac, The Sun, PhoneArena, 9to5Mac, Gearrice, Gadgets Now, Gadgets 360, and Android Police

Bluesky: @coma.photography. X: @mgsiegler and @tim_tom_0. Forums: Slashdot

The Verge:

Memo: Phil Spencer tells staff the FTC v. Microsoft documents leak is “disappointing” and that the company failed to live up to its confidentiality expectations — / ‘We all put incredible amounts of passion and energy into our work, and this is never how we want that hard work to be shared with the community.’

More: Windows Central, Ars Technica, Bloomberg, PC Gamer, Pureinfotech, Eurogamer.net, Wccftech, TrueAchievements, WinBuzzer, Metro.co.uk, OC3D, Gameranx, SamMobile, T3, GamesIndustry.biz, Dot Esports, TechRadar, TheGamer, Game Rant, TechSpot, ResetEra, The Escapist, Dexerto, Comic Book, MobileSyrup, VG Charts, GamesRadar, IGN, Video Games Chronicle, CNBC, The Verge, Press Start, and Eurogamer.net

Mastodon: @carnage4life@mas.to. Bluesky: @epro.social. X: @xboxp3, @douglaslfarrar, @tomwarren, @genki_jpn, @joepostingg, @jezcorden, @cade_onder, @twthereddragon, @zhugeex, @parismarx, @ethangach, @stephentotilo, @matthewstoller, @charlieintel, @kevincollier, @stephentotilo, @t3dotgg, and @alexeheath

Forums: r/xboxone, r/Games, r/pcgaming, r/XboxSeriesX, r/gamecollecting, and r/GyroGaming

Casey Newton / Platformer:

Bard's “Google it” feature adds the ability to “double check” answers by highlighting phrases with “supporting or contradicting information found by Search” — Can you stop chatbots from making stuff up using search? — Today let's talk about an advance in Bard …

More: The Keyword, Decrypt, Fast Company, iThinkDifferent, BetaNews, MediaNama, Ars Technica, New York Times, and Gizmodo

Threads: @crumbler. Mastodon: @carnage4life@mas.to. X: @aurman21, @ilyaabyzov, @mcwm, and @kelvin_guu

Ina Fried / Axios:

OpenAI debuts DALL-E 3, which can be summoned and controlled using ChatGPT, and plans to make it available to ChatGPT+ and enterprise customers in October — OpenAI is offering an early look at DALL-E 3, the next version of its image generation tool. The update allows DALL-E 3 to be summoned …

More: New York Times, Washington Post, and Wired

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:

OpenAI launches the OpenAI Red Teaming Network, a contracted group of experts to help inform the company's AI model risk assessment and mitigation strategies

More: OpenAI, WinBuzzer, Digit, and SiliconANGLE

X: @openai, @currencyat, @_lamaahmad, and @_lamaahmad

Matt Binder / Mashable:

Bluesky Stats: on September 18, Elon Musk floated charging all X users, and on September 19, Bluesky signed up 53,585 users, or 5% of its ~1,125,499 accounts — The day isn't even over yet Bluesky has already seen its biggest influx of new users in a single-day — Would you pay to use X, the platform formerly known as Twitter?

More: Insider and Social Media Today

Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:

The Linux Foundation launches the Unified Acceleration Foundation to create an open standard for accelerator programming, an evolution of the oneAPI initiative — At the Open Source Summit Europe in Bilbao, Spain, the Linux Foundation today announced the launch of the Unified Acceleration (UXL) Foundation.

More: The Linux Foundation, The Next Platform, Forbes, oneAPI.io, and Runtime

Mastodon: @fj@mastodon.social and @Codeandrew@mastodon …

X: @kelseyhightower and @intelsoftware. LinkedIn: Seungwon Lee

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From Mediagazer

Variety:

AMC Networks acquires full control of BBC America, after BBC Studios sold its remaining 50.1% interest in the channel to AMC Networks for $42M in cash

Sean Burch / The Wrap:

News Corp reports Q1 revenue up 3% YoY to $2.58B, net income up 148% YoY to $144M, Dow Jones revenue up 3% YoY to $552M, and WSJ subscriptions up 7% YoY to 4.3M

Chris Roush / Talking Biz News:

Memo: Business Insider founder Henry Blodget says he is leaving BI's board, will remain an adviser and contribute occasional columns, and plans to write a novel

More News

Jess Weatherbed / The Verge:

1Password rolls out passkey support to its iOS and Android apps and web extensions; replacing the user's master password with a passkey is coming later in 2023

More: PCMag, 1Password Blog, SiliconANGLE, SlashGear, Android Police, TechRadar, and BGR

Madeleine Ngo / New York Times:

The US spending $64.5B+ to improve rural broadband and close the “digital divide” may not be enough due to the cost of laying fiber, labor shortages, and more

X: @connect_fund

Benj Edwards / Ars Technica:

DeepMind researchers detail Optimization by PROmpting to improve LLM performance by using “meta-prompts” like “take a deep breath”, which helped Google's PaLM 2

More: Insider. Forums: Ars OpenForum

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:

Legit Security, whose service helps identify app vulnerabilities from code, raised a $40M Series B led by CRV, taking its total funding to $77M

More: FinSMEs, Reuters, CTech, TechStartups, and PR Newswire

Christine Hall / TechCrunch:

Latin America-focused rapid grocery startup JOKR raised a ~$50M Series D led by Convivialité at an $800M valuation, down from a $1.3B valuation in February 2023

Mark Bergen / Bloomberg:

Copenhagen-based Corti, whose AI co-pilot transcribes hospital calls and does paperwork, raised $60M led by Atomico and Prosus, sources say at a $260M valuation

More: SiliconANGLE, Corti, Metaverse Post, TechCrunch, EU-Startups, Tech.eu, Insider, Tech Funding News, and Silicon Canals

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:

LimeWire, which pivoted from piracy to content creation, acquires generative AI image tool BlueWillow, which has 2.5M Discord members and has made 500M+ images

More: Axios, CCN.com, Metaverse Post, and Decrypt

Nilay Patel / The Verge:

Q&A with Matthew Panzarino, who recently stepped down as TechCrunch EIC after 10 years, on the site's Silicon Valley relationship, the future of media, and more

X: @alex

Earlier Picks

Rest of World:

A profile of Tokyo-based Soramitsu, which worked on Cambodia's blockchain-based “quasi-digital currency” system and is running CBDC studies in other countries

X: @restofworld

Wall Street Journal:

A profile of Jeff Yass, whose Susquehanna International Group has a ~15% stake in ByteDance, as he works to prevent a US TikTok ban by donating to GOP lawmakers

More: New York Times and The Verge

Javier Espinoza / Financial Times:

An Uber executive says the EU's Platform Work Directive that designates gig workers as employees may raise prices and cause Uber to close in hundreds of cities

More: City A.M., PYMNTS.com, Fortune, Rest of World, and Techpoint Africa. Mastodon: @carnage4life@mas.to

Bloomberg:

E-commerce marketing company Klaviyo prices its 19.2M shares at $30 each, above its $27-$29 range, raising $576M in its IPO at a $9.2B fully diluted valuation

More: TechCrunch, Renaissance Capital, The Information, CNBC, Fast Company, Reuters, The Information, and Reuters. X: @jasonlk

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:

Calgary-based ZayZoon, which provides SMB employees access to their earned wages whenever they need them, raised a $34.5M Series B co-led by Framework and EDC

More: FinTech Global, BetaKit, Business Wire, FinSMEs, and Private Capital Journal

Hayden Field / CNBC:

How Airbnb Head of Trust and Safety Naba Banerjee cut parties reported on the service by 55% from 2020 to 2022 and launched an anti-party AI system in May 2023

Ehren Kret / Signal:

Signal announces PQXDH, an upgrade to the X3DH cryptographic specification meant as a first step to advancing quantum resistance for the Signal Protocol

More: BleepingComputer, EEJournal, Ars Technica, Signal, Cybernews.com, and The Hacker News

Mastodon: @dangoodin@infosec.exchange. X: @derekmorr, @jsrailton, @scobleizer, @durumcrustulum, @mer__edith, and @signalapp

Forums: Hacker News, r/programming, r/privacy, r/Android, and r/signal

Richard Nieva / Forbes:

An interview with Instacart founder and former CEO Apoorva Mehta on Instacart's beginnings, his board exit, his reluctance to take the company public, and more

More: KNSD-TV, The Information, Fortune, Reuters, and CNBC

X: @apoorva_mehta, @sarthakgh, @apoorva_mehta, @harjtaggar, @apoorva_mehta, @davehclark, @alistairmbarr, @davehclark, @bgurley, @jonerlichman, @coryweinberg, @apoorva_mehta, @apoorva_mehta, and @garrytan

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