Techmeme
October 16, 2024, 8:30 PM

Top News

David Pierce / The Verge:
Amazon unveils the $280 Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition, its first color e-reader with a Paperwhite-like design and color E Ink display, shipping October 30  —  For years, Kindle users have asked Amazon to make a color version of its e-reader. … The Colorsoft costs $279.99 and starts shipping on October 30th.
Sheena Vasani / The Verge:
Amazon updates Kindle Paperwhite, adding a larger, brighter 7" display and faster page turns for $160+, and Kindle, adding color options and speed improvements  —  Amazon introduced updated versions of the Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite on Wednesday, only a few hours after inadvertently leaking them both.
Tony Polanco / Tom's Guide:
Kindle Colorsoft hands-on: bold and sharp color on a 7" display, wireless charging, and comfortable, lightweight design, but pricier than other Kindles at $280  —  The Kindle Colorsoft is shaping up to be a winner  —  Early Verdict … The Kindle Colorsoft ($279) is the first color Kindle and something I've been waiting years for.
David Pierce / The Verge:
Amazon updates the Kindle Scribe to add modest design improvements like white bezels, a new stylus, and a more paper-like feel, shipping December 4 for $400  —  Ever since Amazon launched the Kindle Scribe in 2022, the company has been noticing some unusual ways people are using the device.
Jay Peters / The Verge:
Diana Olick / CNBC:
Amazon signs three deals to help develop small modular nuclear reactors in the US, with Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund leading a $500M Series C-1 for X-energy  —  Amazon Web Services is investing more than $500 million in nuclear power, announcing three projects from Virginia to Washington state.
Joseph Menn / Washington Post:
The US charges two Sudanese brothers with running Anonymous Sudan, a cyberattack-for-hire gang allegedly responsible for 35,000 DDoS attacks in a single year  —  Government says two brothers targeted big U.S. corporations, a hospital and an Israeli defense system in a mostly ideologically driven operation.
Emma Roth / The Verge:
The US FTC adopts its final “click-to-cancel” rule requiring businesses to make canceling a subscription as easy as signing up, after proposing the rule in 2023  —  The US Federal Trade Commission is taking action against subscriptions that are difficult to get rid of.
Bloomberg:
ASML's stock fell 16% on October 15, its largest drop since 1998, after a weak 2025 sales forecast, and it extended losses on October 16, closing down 5%  —  - Magnitude of ASML's forecast cut was a surprise, Citi says  — Peer Tokyo Electron among worst hit stocks in Asia, down 10%
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Apple's first chief people officer, Carol Surface, who joined in early 2023, is leaving; retail chief Deirdre O'Brien is reassuming oversight of human resources  —  - Carol Surface joined Apple from Medtronic in 2023 for new role  — The short tenure for a senior executive is rare at Apple
Financial Times:
Sources: Uber has explored a possible bid for Expedia as it seeks to grow into a super app; Expedia, valued at nearly $20B, would be Uber's largest acquisition  —  Buying the travel website would be the ride-hailing group's biggest deal as it looks to diversify
Eduardo Baptista / Reuters:
The Cybersecurity Association of China says Intel products sold in the country should be subject to a security review, alleging it has “constantly harmed” China  —  Intel (INTC.O) products sold in China should be subject to a security review, the Cybersecurity Association of China …
Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
Mistral releases Les Ministraux AI models in 3B and 8B sizes with 128K context windows, aimed at on-device translation, internet-less smart assistants, and more  —  French AI startup Mistral has released its first generative AI models designed to be run on edge devices, like laptops and phones.
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:
The EU declines to designate X as a DMA gatekeeper after an investigation found that “X is not an important gateway for business users to reach end users”  —  Elon Musk's X won't be regulated under the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA) the Commission decided Wednesday …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Apple is expanding Apple Business Connect to let businesses, including those without a physical location, manage their presence in Mail, Phone, and Tap to Pay  —  Apple on Wednesday announced an expanded series of tools that will allow businesses to increase their visibility on Apple's platforms via …
RT Watson / The Block:
Crypto derivatives exchange Bitnomial raised $25M led by Ripple and launches Botanical, a futures trading platform in the US currently in closed beta  —  - Bitcoin derivatives exchange Bitnomial announced it has raised $25 million in a funding round led by Ripple.
Reuters:
Robinhood launches its long-awaited desktop platform Robinhood Legend, and plans to add futures and index options trading to its mobile app in the coming months  —  Robinhood (HOOD.O) launched its long-awaited desktop platform and added futures and index options trading features to its mobile app …
Rachel Metz / Bloomberg:
Lightmatter, which uses silicon photonics with waveguides instead of wires in chips, raised a $400M Series D led by T. Rowe Price at a $4.4B valuation  —  Investors put $400 million into the company, which aims to make it faster to build new AI software.

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