Techmeme
December 29, 2017, 4:15 PM

Top News

Apple:
Apple apologizes for inadequately communicating battery management practices that slowed down iPhones with older batteries, will offer $29 battery replacements  —  We've been hearing feedback from our customers about the way we handle performance for iPhones with older batteries and how we have communicated that process.
Victor H. / PhoneArena:
Samsung, LG, HTC, and Motorola say that they do not slow down phones with older batteries  —  Two of the biggest Android phone makers - Samsung and LG - have just confirmed that they do not slow down phones with older batteries, a tactic that Apple has admitted it uses on some iPhones …
Apple Support:
Apple posts explainer of its device battery power management practices and their noticeable effects for users, like longer app launch times, slower scrolling  —  Our intention for iPhone is to deliver an experience that is simple and easy to use.  Doing so requires a lot of engineering and many advanced technologies.
Nilay Patel / The Verge:
Apple says it will issue an iOS software update in early 2018 with new features that give users more visibility into the health of their iPhone's battery  —  Batteries are “consumable components” now  —  Apple just published a letter to customers apologizing for the “misunderstanding” …
Justin Sink / Bloomberg:
In a tweet, President Donald Trump calls on the United States Postal Service to charge Amazon “much more” in postage fees  —  Latest criticism of online retailer and its CEO Jeff Bezos  —  Amazon stock opens as much as 0.6 percent lower after tweet
Nichole Manna / Wichita Eagle:
Gamers say deadly shooting of a man Thursday night by Wichita police was the result of a swatting prank  —  Online gamers have said in multiple Twitter posts that the shooting of a man Thursday night by Wichita police was the result of a “swatting” hoax involving two gamers.
Robby Payne / Chrome Unboxed:
Android apps in the upcoming Chrome OS 64 update will be able to run in the background  —  Thanks to some reader input, we've been made aware that a missing feature we discussed not long ago that is now coming soon to a Chromebook near you.  —  That feature?  Android Parallel Tasks.
Mike Isaac / New York Times:
SoftBank agrees to buy at least 14% of Uber from shareholders at a $48B valuation, will invest an additional $1.25B at a $67.5B valuation, documents show  —  SAN FRANCISCO — A group of Uber's largest shareholders have agreed to sell a significant stake in the ride-hailing giant at a steep discount …
Dylan / Hacker Noon:
LastPass fixes vulnerability in Authenticator Android app that let you bypass PIN/fingerprint lock to access 2FA codes; flaw was reported to LastPass in June  —  UPDATE: The issue has been fixed.  Please see below.  —  I've found a really easy way to bypass the fingerprint/PIN authentication that protects all of your 2FA codes.
Anjali Athavaley / Reuters:
AT&T says all 50 states will participate in FirstNet wireless broadband network for emergency responders, funded with $6.5B over 5 years by federal government  —  NEW YORK (Reuters) - AT&T Inc said on Friday that all 50 U.S. states had decided to participate in the nationwide broadband network …
More: Axios and Seeking Alpha
Ryan Whitwam / Android Police:
Google removes Pixel C, released in December 2015, from the Google Store; Pixel C was the only Android tablet the company sold  —  Google started selling the Pixel C about two years ago as an Android flagship tablet.  The price was high, but it was a good Android tablet.  Well, as good as Android tablets could be.

Sponsor Posts

Meta:
Open Source AI: Available to all, not just the few  —  Meta's open source AI enables small businesses, start-ups, students, researchers and more to download and build with our models at no cost.
Zoho:
Celebrate and collaborate this holiday season with Zoho Cliq  —  The holiday season is a time for celebration, relaxation, and reflection.  While some people are busy wrapping presents for their loved ones …
Genesys:
Executive Insights: The Era of Contact Center AI Copilots  —  How AI copilots are transforming customer experience and agent performance.
Tribe AI:
Build AI products that matter  —  Tribe AI helps organizations rapidly deploy AI solutions that have real business impact.  We bring together world class AI talent and tooling to drive differentiated results.
Techmeme Ride Home:
Mon. 12/23 - The Revenge Of Google Glass?
The day's tech news, every day at 5pm ET. Fifteen minutes and you're up to date.
Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 4:15 PM ET, December 29, 2017.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

More News

Earlier Picks

Raymond Zhong / New York Times: