Techmeme
May 7, 2019, 5:00 PM

Top News

Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Google Pixel 3a review: great price with an excellent camera and a 3.5mm headphone jack but a slower processor, no wireless charging, and isn't water resistant  —  At $399 and $479, respectively, the Pixel 3A and 3A XL are great deals  —  I am going to break an unwritten rule of tech reviews …
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat:
Google unveils the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL, both going on sale this week for $399 and $479 respectively  —  In October 2018, during a press event in New York City, Google took the wraps off the latest additions to its three-year-old Pixel smartphone lineup: Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL …
Ben Schoon / 9to5Google:
Google Pixel is no longer exclusive to Verizon, Pixel 3, 3a launching on T-Mobile, Sprint, more  —  Since its debut, the only carrier that's had the privilege of selling the Google Pixel line has been Verizon Wireless.  That officially ends today, though, as Google has partnered up with T-Mobile …
More: CNET and The VergeTweets: @dcseifert
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
First look at Android Q: dark mode, better gestures, Live Caption, improvements to OS security updates via Project Mainline, Focus Mode, and more  —  It isn't about what's new, it's about what's better  —  A full release is expected this fall, but Google is announcing new major features …
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Google unveils Live Caption, coming with Android Q, which shows a real-time transcription of any video or audio a user plays on their phone  —  It even works when using video chat apps  —  Google waited until I/O 2019 to demonstrate one of the most impressive features of Android Q. It's called Live Caption …
Richard Nieva / CNET:
Google says its next-gen Assistant is 10X faster and includes more app-specific functionality, coming to Pixel phones later this year  —  After three years, the voice-activated helper gets its biggest update yet.  And it shows just how much Google already knows about you.
Richard Nieva / CNET:
Google announces Duplex on the Web, less focused on mimicking speech, can now handle car rentals and fill online forms with your info, coming to Android in 2019  —  Last year, Google stoked intense controversy when it announced Duplex, a technology that uses eerily human-sounding artificial …
Abner Li / 9to5Google:
Google Assistant is getting a driving mode, with large touch-friendly shortcuts to navigate, make a call, and more, available this summer on Android phones  —  Google Assistant is already available in Google Maps, but it's now getting an optimized phone mode.  This presents a feed of suggestions like directions and music.
Scott Stein / CNET:
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Google unveils the Google Nest Hub Max, a 10-inch smart display with a built-in camera that can act as an indoor security camera, coming this summer for $229  —  It can detect your face, too  —  The Google Nest Hub Max is a big Google Assistant smart display with a camera on top that you can use …
Ju-min Park / Reuters:
Samsung says it cannot confirm the shipping date for Galaxy Fold and will cancel pre-orders, unless told not to, if they do not ship by May 31  —  SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics said on Tuesday it cannot confirm the shipping date for its foldable device Galaxy Fold yet and apologized …
Kyle Bradshaw / 9to5Google:
Google demonstrates Project Euphonia, its effort to improve Google Assistant's voice recognition for those with speech impairments  —  As in year's past, the Google I/O 2019 keynote has taken time to focus on Google's latest accessibility tech.  One of this year's demos, Project Euphonia …
Bloomberg:
Current and former employees discuss how Apple's stores changed during Angela Ahrendts' tenure, with challenges around customer service festering  —  Web Smith's recent experience at his local Apple store in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio, has been an exercise in frustration.
New York Times:
Symantec: a Chinese state-sponsored hacker group co-opted and repurposed NSA hacking tools to attack US allies and private companies in Europe and Asia in 2016  —  Chinese intelligence agents acquired National Security Agency hacking tools and repurposed them in 2016 to attack American allies …
Ben Schoon / 9to5Google:
Google will bring Incognito Mode to Google Maps this year, allowing users to hide any data they create, which will not be linked to their accounts  —  Following Chrome and YouTube, Google is bringing an Incognito Mode to Google Maps soon to help users easily keep searches they don't want linked to their account private.
James Vincent / The Verge:
US Department of Energy says AMD and Cray will build the world's fastest supercomputer, dubbed Frontier, by 2021, with 1.5 exaflops of processing power  —  Dubbed Frontier, the supercomputer expected to go online in 2021 with 1.5 exaflops of processing power
Adam Satariano / New York Times:
As Europe clamps down on online hate speech and misinformation, concerns grow that these efforts will harm free expression and stifle dissent  —  LONDON — In Spain, activists were convicted for social media posts that violated an expanded antiterrorism law.

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