Techmeme
August 25, 2020, 8:35 PM

Top News

Lucas Matney / TechCrunch:
Facebook says it will unify its AR/VR teams into a group called Facebook Reality Labs, renames Oculus Connect event to Facebook Connect, to be held on Sept. 16  —  Facebook is moving further away from the Oculus brand.  —  The company says it is changing the name of their augmented reality …
Ian Sherr / CNET:
Microsoft adds an audio transcription feature to Word's web version for Office 365 that will work with prerecorded or live audio  —  Microsoft's Word writing tool will soon be able to record and transcribe audio, marking an evolution long requested by everyone from students to reporters to Microsoft executives.
Paul Mozur / New York Times:
Emboldened by Hong Kong's new security law, police are targeting the social media accounts of media executives, pro-democracy politicians, and activists  —  Under a new national security law, the police are targeting the social media accounts of executives, politicians and activists.
The Verge:
Judge denies Epic's motion to restore Fortnite to the App Store but orders Apple to not block Unreal Engine; full hearing scheduled for September 28  —  Epic Games won a temporary restraining order against Apple, at least in part  —  Epic Games just won a temporary restraining order against Apple — at least in part.
Jordan Novet / CNBC:
Palantir files S-1 for its public market listing, confirming a net loss of $580M in 2019 on $742.6M in revenue; intends to debut with a direct listing  —  - The data analytics company co-founded by Peter Thiel is going public after 16 years.  —  Data analytics company Palantir Technologies …
Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:
Facebook is testing a Shop section in its app in the US, while Instagram expands Live Shopping to more sellers in the US  —  Facebook is announcing a number of new e-commerce features both within the main Facebook app and on Instagram.  —  The pandemic has forced many businesses to shift online …
Issie Lapowsky / Protocol:
As content moderators started working from home, YouTube's reliance on automation resulted in double the video removals; Facebook saw removals steeply decline  —  When YouTube sent content moderators home in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it dramatically expanded its use of automated filters …
Brian Heater / TechCrunch:
Gartner: global smartphone sales in Q2 dropped 20.4% YoY, similar to Q1's 20% drop; Samsung and Huawei virtually tie for top spot, after Samsung drops 27% YoY  —  The last couple of years have been tough on the smartphone industry, as sales plateaued and eventually eroded.
Takashi Mochizuki / Bloomberg:
Sources: Nintendo plans to launch an upgraded Switch in 2021, possibly with 4K graphics, more computing power, and a lineup of new games  —  - Strong lineup of Nintendo games set to accompany new hardware  — Update would make the Switch Nintendo's most enduring console
Saritha Rai / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple plans to open an online store in India next month and is planning two retail stores there next year, first in Mumbai and then in Bangalore  —  - Online store comes a year after India eases rules on retail  — IPhone maker also plans a second physical outlet in India
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Amazon is rolling out a new AR shopping tool, Room Decorator, that lets users see multiple pieces of furniture and other home décor in their own space  —  Amazon is rolling out a new augmented reality shopping tool, Room Decorator, that will allow you to see furniture and other home decor in their own space.
Foreign Affairs:
NSA director says the US disrupted “a concerted effort” to undermine 2018 midterms and describes Cyber Command's proactive strategy ahead of the 2020 election  —  In early October 2019, personnel from U.S. Cyber Command landed in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, at the invitation of the country's government.
Emil Protalinski / VentureBeat:
Fitbit unveils $330 Sense smartwatch with ECG and a sensor for detecting stress, and $230 Versa 3 with GPS and Google Assistant, both shipping in late September  —  Even as Google's $2.1 billion acquisition hangs over Fitbit, the wearables company today announced three new devices.
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Facebook says it aims to launch its News tab in multiple countries within the next 6-12 months and is considering the UK, Germany, France, India, and Brazil  —  Facebook is expediting the launch of its Facebook News tab in countries beyond the U.S., the company will announce Tuesday.
Andrei Frumusanu / AnandTech:
TSMC says its 3nm process will hit volume production in 2022, and 5nm N5 chips, which should ship in products this year, will use 30% less power than the N7  —  At TSMC's annual Technology Symposium, the Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer detailed characteristics of its future 3nm process node …
Emil Protalinski / VentureBeat:
Mozilla rolls out Firefox 79 for Android with Enhanced Tracking Protection, a new UI, its own mobile browser engine GeckoView, improved privacy mode, and more  —  After more than a year of development, Mozilla today launched Firefox 79 for Android, branded Firefox Daylight.
Ian Allison / CoinDesk:
ConsenSys acquires JP Morgan Chase's Quorum enterprise blockchain project, while the bank makes a strategic investment in ConsenSys  —  Quorum, the enterprise blockchain platform developed by mega-bank JPMorgan Chase, is being acquired by ConsenSys, the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Ethereum venture studio.

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