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February 19, 2025, 10:40 PM
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| Tom Warren / The Verge: |
Microsoft unveils the Majorana 1, its first quantum processor that uses Majorana particles instead of electrons, with the potential to fit a million qubits — Microsoft has spent 17 years researching a new material and architecture for quantum computing.
More: Microsoft Azure, Microsoft, Microsoft on YouTube, Nature, The Guardian, Decrypt, Microsoft on YouTube, Mercury News, SC Media, Moneycontrol, CNBC, Business Insider, BetaNews, The Post-Quantum World on YouTube, SiliconANGLE, The National, WebProNews, Wall Street Journal, Quartz, The Hill, HPCwire, The Register, Thurrott, The Information, Network World, Windows Central, Proactive, TechEBlog, Constellation Research, The Quantum Insider, Engadget, and Microsoft
Bluesky: @quinnypig.com and @graemesmith
Mastodon: @mathewi@journa.host, @jschauma@mstdn.social, @Jason_W_Karpf@mastodon.social, and @johncarlosbaez@mathstodon.xyz
X: @satyanadella, @yusuf_i_mehdi, @6a6763, @tomwarren, @basedbeffjezos, @peteratmsr, @jezcorden, @bradsmi, @preskill, @iancutress, @iohk_charles, @satyanadella, @elonmusk, @microsoft, @gillverd, @elliotthetrainr, @stockmktnewz, @jaguaranalytics, @fxshaw, @fxshaw, @tomwarren, @konstanthacker, @thomasgwong, @konstanthacker, @ijustine, @konstanthacker, @0xlac, @basedbeffjezos, @bdsams, @ccatalini, @aureliensacaze, @dr_chetan_nayak, @morningbrew, @aubreystrobel, and @satyanadella
LinkedIn: Bruno Couillard, Chetan Nayak, Maciej Malinowski, Bela Bauer, Krysta Svore, John Preskill, Ben Blaiszik, Dr. Renata Jovanovic, Zulfi Alam, Christian Dickel, and Ramon Aguado
Forums: r/Physics, r/technology, r/Futurology, and Slashdot
| Financial Times: |
Microsoft says it has harnessed a new state of matter using particles called Majorana fermions, a significant breakthrough to create workable topological qubits — US tech giant says it has harnessed a new state of matter to create the basic building blocks of a quantum machine
More: arXiv.org, Ars Technica, The New Stack, Defense One, Nature, MIT Technology Review, Microsoft, PCMag, and New Scientist
| Dwarkesh Patel / Dwarkesh Podcast: |
| Chance Miller / 9to5Mac: |
Apple unveils the $599+ iPhone 16e with a 6.1" display, A18, 48MP camera, Apple Intelligence, the C1 cellular modem, USB-C, and no MagSafe, shipping February 28 — Apple has officially taken the wraps off of the all-new iPhone 16e. The device features an all-new design paired with the A18 chip inside …
More: Apple, Apple on YouTube, The Verge, MacRumors, MacRumors, Engadget, Gizmodo, Ars Technica, Business Today, Information Age, CNBC, IGN, BGR, Techsponential, Bloomberg, Forbes, Digital Trends, The Verge, Brandon Butch on YouTube, zollotech on YouTube, Brian Tong on YouTube, CNET, Tom's Guide, ZDNET, PhoneArena, Business Standard, The Standard, Android Authority, International Business Times, mobilenewscwp.co.uk, How-To Geek, iPhone in Canada Blog, OS X Daily, MacRumors, TechSpot, MacStories, Appleosophy, Lifewire, Cryptopolitan, Irish Examiner, HotHardware, en.ain.ua, Phandroid, Proactive, Cult of Mac, iClarified, 9to5Mac, The Economic Times, Phone Scoop, MacRumors, Press Start, Ubergizmo, T3, Six Colors, Philip Elmer‑DeWitt, mjtsai.com, Washington Post, TechCrunch, TechRadar, and 9to5Toys
X: @markgurman, @munster_gene, @film_girl, @aaronp613, @joannastern, @zollotech, @mkbhd, @parkerortolani, @dylanmcd8, @parkerortolani, @film_girl, @mgsiegler, @gregorymcfadden, @shishirshelke1, @caro_milanesi, @aaronp613, @joannastern, @varunkrish, @film_girl, @zollotech, @firstadopter, @aaronp613, @maxwinebach, @willguyatt, @microsoftvapple, @maxwinebach, @dylanmcd8, @markgurman, @aaronp613, @deedydas, @film_girl, @markgurman, @aaronp613, @maxwinebach, and @tim_cook. LinkedIn: Raffaele Cetrulo
Forums: Hacker News, r/iPhone16Pro, r/iPhone13Mini, r/hackernews, r/LinusTechTips, r/apple, r/hardware, r/apple, r/iPhone16ProMax, r/iPhoneSE, r/technology, r/apple, and r/iphone
| Zac Hall / 9to5Mac: |
Apple unveils its first in-house cellular modem, the C1, with 5G support, to replace Qualcomm modems, saying it's the most power-efficient iPhone modem ever — After years of development, Apple has unveiled what it calls C1, its first-ever in-house cellular modem.
More: Wall Street Journal, Reuters, MacRumors, The Verge, TechRadar, CNET, PhoneArena, Trusted Reviews, 9to5Mac, Beebom, The Apple Post, and Cult of Mac
Bluesky: @stevekovach. X: @maxwinebach, @tailosivetech, @dylanmcd8, @basicappleguy, @benbajarin, @markgurman, @vadimyuryev, @benbajarin, and @wongmjane
| Ryan Christoffel / 9to5Mac: |
More: MacRumors, Engadget, MacRumors, Appleosophy, Barron's Online, Financial Express, The Verge, AppleInsider, Andrew Clare on YouTube, MacRumors, Android Police, CNBC, MacRumors, PhoneArena, Digital Trends, Game Rant, Cult of Mac, TechRadar, Expert Reviews, Trusted Reviews, MobileSyrup, Spokesman.com, Beebom, and Entrepreneur
| Hartley Charlton / MacRumors: |
| Tom Warren / The Verge: |
Microsoft announces Muse AI, a first-of-its-kind generative AI model that can generate a game environment based on visuals, players' controller actions, or both — Microsoft Research and Xbox game studio Ninja Theory have partnered to create a new AI model for gaming.
More: Xbox Wire, Microsoft Research, Nature, Xbox on YouTube, Reuters, The Register, Ars Technica, VentureBeat, Wired, Microsoft, TheGamer, New Scientist, Engadget, Gameranx, TweakTown, The Shortcut, IGN, Dot Esports, Laptop Mag, TechSpot, PCMag, Neowin, Aftermath, Polygon, PCWorld, GameSpot, VICE, Game Developer, Android Headlines, and Bloomberg
Bluesky: @tomwarren.co.uk. Mastodon: @mads@fedi.mvpgame.dev. X: @lukasschaefer96, @reach_vb, @katjahofmann, @natureportfolio, @alacremeox, @mustafasuleyman, @protosphinx, @coreybrickley, @yacinemtb, @teknium1, @satyanadella, @rowancheung, @azed_ai, @xboxwire, @rowancheung, @howfxr, @peteratmsr, @knoebelbroet, @wario64, @tomwarren, @msftresearch, @tomwarren, @peteratmsr, @coldplay, @theturingpost, @rowancheung, and @rowancheung
| Ben Schoon / 9to5Google: |
Google is removing Gemini support from the main Google app on iOS, pushing users to download the standalone Gemini app, which it launched in November 2024 — Google is informing iOS users that it will be removing Gemini support from the main Google app as it pushes users over to the full Gemini app.| Adamya Sharma / Android Authority: |
Google is bringing Circle to Search-like visual searches to its Chrome and Google iOS apps, without the Circle to Search branding, as a Google Lens feature — The feature will work within the Chrome and Google iOS apps via Lens. — • — • — • — TL;DR
More: The Keyword, 9to5Google, Engadget, How-To Geek, Trusted Reviews, Android Central, PCMag, CNET, Android Police, Search Engine Journal, Neowin, The Verge, Tom's Guide, Android Headlines, AppleInsider, TechRadar, Cult of Mac, Search Engine Land, Android Central, MakeUseOf, MacRumors, BGR, The Irish Sun, iPhone in Canada Blog, TechCrunch, PhoneArena, and Pocket-lint
Mastodon: @glenngabe@mas.to. X: @googlechrome, @google, @newsfromgoogle, and @richontech. LinkedIn: Max Christoff
| Erik Larson / Bloomberg: |
Trump Media and Rumble sue a Brazilian Supreme Court justice, alleging he tried to illegally suppress the US social media activity of conservative Brazilians — - Suit targets a supreme court justice who has clashed with Musk — Brazilian judge has long attacked ‘fake news,’ disinformation
More: SiliconANGLE, New York Times, CNN, Rumble, Wall Street Journal, The Daily Beast, Associated Press, UPI, Seeking Alpha, Glenn Greenwald, Law360, Law.com International, NBC Bay Area, Reuters, Folha de S.Paulo, Fortune, Newsmax, Reclaim The Net, The Guardian, Politico, Trump Media & …, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Axios, Reuters, and United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
X: @daphnehk, @daphnehk, @daphnehk, @daphnehk, @daphnehk, @daphnehk, @ggreenwald, @ggreenwald, @ggreenwald, @kyledcheney, @daphnehk, @paoloardoino, @chrispavlovski, @prestonjbyrne, @andrewjfhoward, @wicary, and @ggreenwald
Forums: r/NewsOfTheStupid, r/worldnews, r/neoliberal, r/Brazil, and r/worldnews
| Andy Chalk / PC Gamer: |
Valve releases a Team Fortress 2 SDK with the game's client and server code, letting users build new Team Fortress 2-based games licensed for non-commercial use — Valve has also released major updates to all Source-engine multiplayer games adding 64-bit support, scalable HUDS, “and a lot of other improvements.”
More: TF2 Official Blog, Ars Technica, Eurogamer.net, Game Rant, Neowin, ReadWrite, Engadget, GameSpot, OC3D, Digital Trends, Destructoid, Rock, Paper, Shotgun, TechSpot, and GamesRadar
Bluesky: @steinmakesgames. X: @ultr4nima, @heyitscookie, @xradicald, @4g_b4nny, @ultr4nima, @skyminslash, @steamdb, @shoun1c, @jonsyishere, @ultr4nima, @phisnom, @teamfortress, @micahtischler, and @interneth0f
Forums: r/Chivalry2, r/pcmasterrace, Slashdot, and Ars OpenForum
| Jon Keegan / Sherwood News: |
Perplexity open sources R1 1776, a version of the DeepSeek R1 model that Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas says was “post-trained to remove the China censorship” — But shortly after its release, attention turned to how compliant the model was with Chinese censorship laws.
More: Perplexity and TestingCatalog
Bluesky: @edzitron.com. X: @bill_drexel, @aravsrinivas, @aravsrinivas, @perplexity_ai, @localghost, @nathanbenaich, @perplexity_ai, and @perplexity_ai. LinkedIn: Ipek Ceylan. Forums: Hacker News
| Andy Greenberg / Wired: |
Signal updates its app with phishing protections after Google says Russia-linked hackers are duping Ukrainian soldiers via malicious QR codes for group invites — Google warns that hackers tied to Russia are tricking Ukrainian soldiers with fake QR codes for Signal group invites that let spies steal their messages.
More: Google Cloud Blog, Ars Technica, CyberInsider, Infosecurity, Security Affairs, Dark Reading, CyberScoop, pravda.com.ua, UPI, Hackread, and Forbes
Bluesky: @agreenberg. Mastodon: @ianfogg@mastodon.social, @nopatience@swecyb.com, and @evacide@hachyderm.io
X: @danwblack, @danwblack, @780thc, @danwblack, @imposecost, @dinodaizovi, and @danwblack
Forums: Hacker News, r/technology, r/signal, r/technews, and r/craftofintelligence
| Axios: |
Sources: NIST plans to cut 497 people, including 74 postdocs and most staff at its Chips for America program; the AI Safety Institute faces an uncertain future — Exit Content Preview … - The cuts come at a time when the U.S. is looking to lead in AI development and stave off competition from China.
More: Bloomberg, The Register, and ZDNET
Bluesky: @eguango. X: @hamandcheese, @ericgeller, @jakewilkns, @stuartbuck1, @deanwball, @ashleyrgold, @alecstapp, and @ericgeller
Forums: r/technology and r/fednews
| Katie Roof / Bloomberg: |
Sources: X is in talks to raise funds at a $44B valuation, matching the price Elon Musk paid for Twitter in 2022, as his proximity to Trump alters X's prospects — - Valuation is the same as Musk's 2022 Twitter acquisition — Billionaire has recently tapped private markets for big sums
More: The Information, Reuters, Mashable, Adweek, and San Francisco Business Times
Forums: r/unusual_whales and r/technology
| VentureBeat: |
Sources: Chinese game publisher NetEase has been directed to divest its overseas holdings, starting with hit game Marvel Rivals, which laid off its Seattle team — Chinese game publisher NetEase raised fears with recent moves that it is unloading as much as all of its overseas holdings …
More: Kotaku, Eurogamer.net, VentureBeat, IGN, The Verge, The Verge, Engadget, GamesIndustry.biz, Wccftech, GeekWire, and Eurogamer.net
| Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai / TechCrunch: |
Filings: US Army soldier Cameron John Wagenius pleads guilty to hacking AT&T and Verizon and stealing a massive trove of phone records from the telcos in 2024 — Cameron John Wagenius pleaded guilty to hacking AT&T and Verizon and stealing a massive trove of phone records from the companies … | Krystal Hu / Reuters: |
Lambda, which offers cloud services and computers to train AI, raised a $480M Series D, sources say at a $2.5B post-money valuation, taking its funding to $863M — Lambda, a cloud computing firm specializing in providing hardware and services to power artificial intelligence development …
| Melissa Heikkilä / Financial Times: |
Google launches a Gemini 2.0-based AI co-scientist tool to help biomedical scientists create novel hypotheses and speed up research, available to select testers — Lab assistant powered by artificial intelligence can help generate scientific hypotheses — Google has built …
More: Google Research, Business Today, The Keyword, Forbes, SiliconANGLE, WinBuzzer, and Reuters. Forums: Slashdot
| Suzanne Vranica / Wall Street Journal: |
Sources: top X executives hinted to Interpublic and other ad firms that not spending on X could lead to legal woes, due to X's lawsuit against some advertisers — Interpublic recently signed an advertising agreement with the platform; other agencies are also in negotiations
Bluesky: @wikisteff, @baymama, @whetmoser.com, @mediaevan, @pppgrifter, and @chronotope.aramzs.xyz
| Sarah Perez / TechCrunch: |
Instagram updates direct messages with translation across 99 languages, scheduling and pinning tools, music-sharing features, and more, on iOS and Android first — Instagram is upgrading its direct messages, also known as DMs, with a handful of new features that make its messaging system … | Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch: |
Uber ditches commissions in favor of daily fees for auto-rickshaw drivers in India in response to increased competition from local rivals Rapido and Namma Yatri — Uber is moving away from its commission-based model for three-wheeled motorized rickshaw drivers in India in response …
More: Times of India, CNBC-TV18, India Today, PC-Tablet India, Reuters, and The Indian Express
X: @nikhilkumarks, @vivekmadani, @refsrc, @tim_clif, and @indiantechguide
| Romain Dillet / TechCrunch: |
Mistral's Le Chat app tops 1M downloads in just 14 days, quickly reaching the App Store's top free downloads spot in France; ChatGPT hit 500K in just six days — A couple of weeks after the initial release of Mistral's AI assistant, Le Chat, the company told Le Parisien that it has reached one million downloads.| Kim Zetter / Wired: |
Source: 19-year-old Edward Coristine and Kyle Schutt, both DOGE engineers, are now on staff at the CISA; Coristine was briefly an intern for Neuralink — DOGE technologists Edward Coristine—the 19-year-old known online as “Big Balls”—and Kyle Schutt are now listed as staff at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.| James Hunt / The Block: |
Binance.US resumes USD deposits and withdrawals for the first time since June 2023, when the US SEC sued Binance, Binance.US, and co-founder Changpeng Zhao — - Binance.US customers can deposit and withdraw U.S. dollars on the platform for the first time in nearly two years.
More: Binance.US, Binance.US, The Daily Hodl, Bloomberg, Crypto Briefing, and CoinDesk
X: @beyond_broke, @_salvader_, @binanceus, @binanceus, and @cryptowendyo
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