Techmeme
March 20, 2019, 10:10 PM

Top News

EU Press Room:
The European Commission has fined Google €1.49B for “abusive practices in online advertising” and breaching EU antitrust rules  —  The European Commission has fined Google €1.49 billion for breaching EU antitrust rules.  Google has abused its market dominance by imposing …
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Google's Stadia could be the future of gaming but the announcement left questions unanswered, like cost and subscription, launch date, or available games  —  A lot of questions remain unanswered  —  “The future of gaming is not a box,” according to Google.  “It's a place.”
Vlad Savov / The Verge:
By integrating Stadia into YouTube, Google plans to cement YouTube's dominance, as 200M users already watch gaming content there every day  —  Google's starting a revolution just to keep things as they are  —  Yesterday, Google announced plans for a new game-streaming service called Stadia.
Mike Isaac / New York Times:
Sources: WSJ plans to join the new paid tier of Apple News to be announced on Monday, expected to cost $10/month; NYT and The Washington Post have opted out  —  SAN FRANCISCO — The Wall Street Journal plans to join a new paid subscription news service run by Apple, according to two people familiar …
Joe Rossignol / MacRumors:
Report: Apple approved production of its wireless charging AirPower mat earlier this year, after announcing it in 2017 with a 2018 launch date  —  The Wall Street Journal today reports that Apple approved production of its long-awaited wireless charging mat AirPower earlier this year …
Apple:
Apple launches new AirPods with hands-free “Hey Siri” and more talk time for $159, with wireless charging case for $199, available to order today  —  New AirPods Are Powered by the New H1 Chip and Feature 50 Percent More Talk Time, Hands-Free “Hey Siri” and the Option of a Wireless Charging Case
Lucas Matney / TechCrunch:
Oculus announces $399 Rift S, developed alongside Lenovo, with higher-res 1280x1440 displays and improved optics, available in spring  —  After years of high-profile onstage announcements, Oculus has decided to quietly deliver the successor to its flagship Rift virtual reality headset …
Nikhilesh De / CoinDesk:
Square CEO Jack Dorsey introduces Square Crypto, a new initiative for open source contributions to the “bitcoin/crypto ecosystem”  —  Payments startup Square plans to hire a number of engineers and a designer to work on its crypto initiatives, according to tweets from CEO Jack Dorsey.
Paris Martineau / Wired:
Inside Airbnb's “guerrilla war” against US local governments, which often face a slew of lawsuits from the company when they try to collect occupancy taxes  —  “READ MY LIPS: We want to pay taxes," Chris Lehane, Airbnb's global head of public policy, told the nation's mayors in 2016.
Nick Statt / The Verge:
Manish Singh / VentureBeat:
Opera adds unlimited VPN service to its Android browser for free, with 256-bit encryption and no data logging  —  Opera today added its free VPN service to its Android browser.  The Norwegian browser maker, which went public last year, also addressed concerns about potential hidden costs of using its free VPN offering.
Michelle Toh / CNN:
Profile of Connie Chan, a16z's first partner promoted from within, who has built a reputation for sourcing deals with startups like Pinterest and Lime  —  Hong Kong (CNN Business)For years, venture capital powerhouse Andreessen Horowitz stood by a steadfast rule: to become a general partner at the firm …
Kirsten Korosec / TechCrunch:
Uber says Freight, which connects truck drivers to shipping companies, is expanding to Europe, starting in the Netherlands  —  Uber Freight, the newly spun out Uber business unit that helps truck drivers connect with shipping companies, is kicking off its global expansion plans.
Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge:
Amazon adds a built-in light to its entry-level Kindle, now available to preorder for $89.99, shipping April 10  —  You should probably just invest in a Paperwhite, though  —  Amazon is announcing an update to its entry-level Kindle (you know, the one that's just called “Kindle” …
Scott Stein / CNET:
Qualcomm says it is developing Snapdragon-powered VR and AR headsets that will double as wireless VR for PCs, with hardware arriving this year  —  There are just too many VR helmets and goggles out there — getting even one on your face is enough of a struggle.

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