Techmeme
September 30, 2020, 8:50 PM

Top News

Nathan Ingraham / Engadget:
Google unveils Pixel 5 with a 6-inch 90Hz OLED display, ultrawide rear-facing camera instead of zoom lens, 5G, 8GB RAM, and fingerprint sensor on back for $699  —  It's October, so despite the weird year we're having, Google is hosting a (virtual) event to show off its latest smartphone, the Pixel 5.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Google introduces a new Android feature called Hold for Me, which uses Assistant to monitor held phone calls and notify the user when taken off hold  —  Google has been pushing forward the capabilities of what a smartphone can do when it comes to one of the device's most basic — if these days often overlooked — features: phone calls.
Kyle Bradshaw / 9to5Google:
Google announces Nest Audio, a revamp to its discontinued Google Home speaker, available today for $99  —  During Launch Night In, Google unveiled Nest Audio, a major revamp of the original Google Home speaker, and it's available on October 5 for $99.  —  At last year's Made by Google event …
Nikkei Asian Review:
Damien Wilde / 9to5Google:
Ari Levy / CNBC:
Palantir closed at $9.50 following its direct listing on the NYSE, after opening at $10, giving it a market cap of roughly $20.9B  —  - Palantir's public market debut on Wednesday comes 17 years after the company was created.  — In pursuing a direct listing, Palantir is following the path …
Sharon Weinberger / New York Magazine:
Former US military and intel officials express concerns about Palantir, arguing its success is largely down to its software having a friendlier UI than rivals  —  Back in 2003, John Poindexter got a call from Richard Perle, an old friend from their days serving together in the Reagan administration.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Facebook unveils cross-app communication between Messenger and Instagram, which works even for users without accounts on the other service, rolling out now  —  Facebook announced today it will begin rolling out new functionality that will allow Instagram and Messenger users to communicate across apps …
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Google Chromecast (2020) review: excellent value for a 4K device and Google TV is great, but performance sometimes dips and home screen isn't customizable  —  The new Google TV software makes it easy to find something to watch  —  The new Chromecast is a much different product …
Brian Heater / TechCrunch:
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Brian Heater / TechCrunch:
Reuters:
Sources: China is considering an antitrust probe into Google, after allegations by Huawei that Google leveraged the dominance of Android to stifle competition  —  BEIJING/SINGAPORE/SHENZHEN, China (Reuters) - China is preparing to launch an antitrust probe into Alphabet Inc's Google …
NBC News:
Interviews with 40 Amazon employees and government documents: Amazon's COVID-19 response lacks oversight and transparency with inadequate worker safety policies  —  On the evening of Sunday, Aug. 9, workers at the MKE1 Amazon fulfilment center in Kenosha, Wisconsin, received an alert …
Natalia Drozdiak / Bloomberg:
Internal docs: EU may ban big tech companies from preferencing their own services or exclusively pre-installing their own apps as part of Digital Services Act  —  - Gatekeeper platforms could also have to share data with rivals  — EU to unveil regulatory proposal for platforms in December
Casey Newton / The Verge:
Brian Armstrong's apolitical goal for Coinbase is wishful thinking, limiting its politics to what he deems acceptable during a time of strife in America  —  At a highly polarized time, Brian Armstrong's controversial blog post is an act of wishful thinking  —  This story is part of a group of stories called
Jeff Benson / Decrypt:
US judge rules that Kik violated securities law in its $100M ICO from 2017, grants the SEC's motion for summary judgment against Kik  —  US District Court Judge Alvin Hellerstein today granted the US Securities and Exchange Commission its motion for summary judgement against Kik Interactive …
More: CoinDesk and The Block
Salvador Rodriguez / CNBC:
Facebook says it will ban Facebook and Instagram ads that seek to delegitimize the outcome of an election, including calling specific voting methods fraudulent  —  - Facebook on Wednesday announced that it will not allow any ads on its service that seek to delegitimize the outcome of an election …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Twitch launches Soundtrack by Twitch, which lets creators add licensed music to streams from an initial lineup of partners including SoundCloud  —  Twitch today is introducing a new tool, Soundtrack by Twitch, that will allows it creators to add licensed music within their streams.
Max Weinbach / Android Police:
Xiaomi announces a range of new flagship devices: €499 Mi 10T, €599 Mi 10T Pro, and €279 Mi 10T Lite, all with 6.67-inch displays, and €99 Mi Watch  —  Xiaomi is known for its cheap phones, whether they come under its own brand name or its Redmi and Poco sub-brands.

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