Techmeme
February 15, 2018, 5:05 AM

Top News

Jon Chase / Wirecutter:
HomePod can leave white rings when left on unprotected wood surfaces; Apple says “the marks can improve over several days” after HomePod is removed  —  Apple's HomePod is the best-sounding wireless smart speaker available, and you can control it by voice using Apple's virtual assistant, Siri.
David Pogue:
Douglas MacMillan / Wall Street Journal:
Sources say Google dominated Coalition for Better Ads' research and review process, which helped determine ads that will be blacklisted by Chrome  —  Critics say the search giant's ad-blocking plan—which will screen out certain types of ads in its Google Chrome browser—is self-serving
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
Chrome's default ad blocker goes live Thursday, removing ads on sites that repeatedly display pop-ups, autoplay video with sound, and other invasive ads  —  Chrome's built-in ad blocker will go live tomorrow.  It's the first time Google will automatically block some ads in Chrome …
Nitasha Tiku / Wired:
Analysis finds Facebook has financial ties to 7+ members of its 13-person Messenger Kids advisory board used to shape the product, with limited disclosure  —  IN DECEMBER, WHEN Facebook launched Messenger Kids, an app for pre-teens and children as young as 6, the company stressed …
Nick Statt / The Verge:
Facebook's two-factor authentication system auto-posts all 2FA SMS replies from a user to their profile; it is unclear if the behavior is intentional or a bug  —  It may be a bug  —  Facebook's two-factor authentication (2FA) system has come under fire today for some bizarre design elements …
Jon Russell / TechCrunch:
JD.com raises ~$2.5B by selling stake in its logistics business to investors including Hillhouse Capital and Tencent at $13.5B valuation, will retain 81% stake  —  JD.com, the Chinese e-commerce giant that is Alibaba's closest rival, is raising giving its logistics business a huge boost …
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
Microsoft launches Microsoft for Startups program with $500M committed over two years for joint sales forces, access to technology and working spaces, more  —  Over the last few years, Microsoft has launched a number of programs for startups that range from free BizSpark credits for Azure …

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Earlier Picks

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