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Showing posts from May, 2019

As anonymized phone records of millions of people in low-income countries are used in big data projects for saving lives, critics worry about potential misuse (Amy Maxmen/Nature)

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Amy Maxmen / Nature : As anonymized phone records of millions of people in low-income countries are used in big data projects for saving lives, critics worry about potential misuse   —  Researchers have analysed anonymized phone records of tens of millions of people in low-income countries. from Techmeme http://bit.ly/2Z1dajm

What to expect from WWDC 2019: new Mac Pro, iOS 13 with Dark Mode and updates to core apps, macOS 10.15 with Marzipan apps, and 31.6-inch 6K pro display (Dieter Bohn/The Verge)

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Dieter Bohn / The Verge : What to expect from WWDC 2019: new Mac Pro, iOS 13 with Dark Mode and updates to core apps, macOS 10.15 with Marzipan apps, and 31.6-inch 6K pro display   —  Apple's big Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote is happening on Monday, June 3rd, and this year looks to be more consequential than most. from Techmeme http://bit.ly/3118hZ6

Sources: DOJ began work on a possible Google antitrust investigation after brokering a deal with FTC, which considered and opted not to pursue the case in 2013 (Tony Romm/Washington Post)

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Tony Romm / Washington Post : Sources: DOJ began work on a possible Google antitrust investigation after brokering a deal with FTC, which considered and opted not to pursue the case in 2013   —  The potential probe could open a new chapter in the tech giant's troubles with regulators around the world who contend that the company is too large. from Techmeme http://bit.ly/2W1Od5r

Camera app VSCO, which has an ad-free social feed and makes its money on subscriptions, says 2M+ people paid $20 in 2018 for its premium service (Alex Kantrowitz/Tech Giant Update)

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Alex Kantrowitz / Tech Giant Update : Camera app VSCO, which has an ad-free social feed and makes its money on subscriptions, says 2M+ people paid $20 in 2018 for its premium service   —  Friday, May 31 The camera app VSCO is unlike its social counterparts.  Though it has a feed similar to Facebook's News Feed and Twitter's Timeline … from Techmeme http://bit.ly/2W5igcl

Sources: DOJ is preparing an antitrust investigation into Google's practices related to search and other businesses (Wall Street Journal)

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Wall Street Journal : Sources: DOJ is preparing an antitrust investigation into Google's practices related to search and other businesses   —  The Justice Department is preparing an antitrust investigation into Google's practices related to search and other business, sources say. from Techmeme http://bit.ly/2JP4IzZ

Apple bumps the App Store cell connection download cap up to 200 MB

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Good news: Apple now allows you to download bigger apps over a cellular connection than it used to. Bad news: there’s still a cap, and you still can’t bypass it. As noticed by 9to5Mac , the iOS App Store now lets you download apps up to 200 MB in size while on a cell network; anything bigger than that, and you’ll need to connect to WiFi. Before this change, the cap was 150 MB. And if you’ve got an unlimited (be it actually unlimited or cough-cough-‘unlimited’) plan, or if you know you’ve got enough monthly data left to cover a big download, or you just really, really need a certain big app and WiFi just isn’t available? You’re still out of luck. That 200 MB cap hits everyone. People have found tricky, fleeting workarounds to bypass the cap over the years, but there’s no official “Yeah, yeah, the app is huge, I know.” button to click or power user setting to toggle. The App Store being cautious about file size isn’t inherently a bad thing; with many users only getting an allotment

A look at the terms "creators" vs. "influencers" on YouTube, Instagram, and other platforms, and how recent digital history has shaped the terms (Taylor Lorenz/The Atlantic)

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Taylor Lorenz / The Atlantic : A look at the terms “creators” vs. “influencers” on YouTube, Instagram, and other platforms, and how recent digital history has shaped the terms   —  It's not a gender thing.  —  It was 2011, and YouTube had a problem.  The company, which was then a hub … from Techmeme http://bit.ly/311gWuD

Tibbits are colorful pre-programmed modules for building IoT devices

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At first glance, Tibbits look like building blocks, but each one is a module or a connector that makes it easier to build connected devices and systems. Tibbits were created by Tibbo Technology , a Taipei-based startup that exhibited at Computex this week (it showed off a humanoid robot built from various Tibbits). Pre-programmed Tibbit modules from Tibbo The heart of the Red Dot Award winning Tibbo Project System (the company used bright colors to make its modules stand out from other hardware) is the Tibbo Project PCB, which includes a CPU, memory and Ethernet port. Then you pick Tibbits, with pre-programmed functionality (such as RS232/422/485 modules, DAC and ADC devices, power regulators, temperature, humidity or pressure sensors or PWM generators), to plug into your PCB. Once done, you can place your project in one of Tibbo’s three enclosure kits (custom enclosures are also available). Tibbo also offers an online configurator that lets you preview your device to see if it

In the age of music streaming, missing, bad, or inconsistent song metadata is estimated to have left billions on the table unpaid to artists and musicians (Dani Deahl/The Verge)

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Dani Deahl / The Verge : In the age of music streaming, missing, bad, or inconsistent song metadata is estimated to have left billions on the table unpaid to artists and musicians   —  Recently, a musician signed to a major indie label told me they were owed up to $40,000 in song royalties they would never be able to collect. from Techmeme http://bit.ly/2MfUElt

Muro is a retro-style cylinder music box you control with an app

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The light twinkle of an old-fashioned cylinder music box evokes many things: nostalgia, childhood memories, sometimes even horror (they are a trope in scary movie soundtracks ). Most music boxes play one tune, but with the Muro Box , which exhibited at Computex this week, you can use an app to pick different songs or even compose your own. It even doubles as a smart alarm clock. Created by Tevofy Technology, a Taiwanese startup, the Muro Box’s components are mounted on a wooden base and visible underneath a glass cover, so you can watch as a 20-note steel comb creates music by plucking pins on its cylinder. The key difference between Muro and traditional music boxes, however, is that Muro’s cylinder is programmable. The Muro Box is a music box with a programmable cylinder Instead of a fixed pattern of pins, Muro’s patented convertible cylinder features 20 stainless steel gears, to correspond with each tooth on the comb. Each gear is attached to an electronic magnet and commanded b

Importance of Application Software

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In tech-savvy times, applications have become a daily part of our lives, from music to data we take help of applications for almost everything we do for example shopping, music, traveling, food and even business. when it comes to businesses, these days they are increasing in size, complexity, and resources, it is getting difficult to […] The post Importance of Application Software appeared first on ReadWrite . from ReadWrite http://bit.ly/2MiDCTQ

Foursquare buys location analytics service Placed from Snap, raises $150M led by Raine Group; Placed reportedly raised $13.4M before Snap acquired it in 2017 (Jordan Crook/TechCrunch)

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Jordan Crook / TechCrunch : Foursquare buys location analytics service Placed from Snap, raises $150M led by Raine Group; Placed reportedly raised $13.4M before Snap acquired it in 2017   —  Foursquare just made its first acquisition.  The location tech company has acquired Placed from Snap Inc on the heels … from Techmeme http://bit.ly/2wqYD44

Netflix and Amazon made £1.1B in revenue from ~17.7M UK subscribers in 2018, while streaming services of UK's four main commercial broadcasters made ~£530M (Mark Sweney/The Guardian)

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Mark Sweney / The Guardian : Netflix and Amazon made £1.1B in revenue from ~17.7M UK subscribers in 2018, while streaming services of UK's four main commercial broadcasters made ~£530M   —  Without a major British rival, TV and film fans are turning to the Silicon Valley giants from Techmeme http://bit.ly/2KdG4sk

Investigation: US universities, foundations, and retirement plans back funds that invest millions in Chinese surveillance tech companies Megvii and SenseTime (BuzzFeed News)

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BuzzFeed News : Investigation: US universities, foundations, and retirement plans back funds that invest millions in Chinese surveillance tech companies Megvii and SenseTime   —  Millions of dollars from US university endowments, foundations, and retirement plans have helped fund two billion-dollar Chinese … from Techmeme http://bit.ly/2wt55aH

Intuit says it is acquiring Origami Logic, an Accel-backed marketing analytics startup that has raised over $64M in funding, in a deal expected to close Q4 2019 (Maria Deutscher/SiliconANGLE)

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Maria Deutscher / SiliconANGLE : Intuit says it is acquiring Origami Logic, an Accel-backed marketing analytics startup that has raised over $64M in funding, in a deal expected to close Q4 2019   —  Financial software powerhouse Intuit Inc. today announced that it's buying Origami Logic Inc., an Accel-backed marketing analytics startup. from Techmeme http://bit.ly/2Knik5d

VMware reports Q1 revenue of $2.27B, up 13% YoY, beating analyst estimates of $2.24B, and net income of $505M, including a gain of $132M from Pivotal (Natalie Gagliordi/ZDNet)

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Natalie Gagliordi / ZDNet : VMware reports Q1 revenue of $2.27B, up 13% YoY, beating analyst estimates of $2.24B, and net income of $505M, including a gain of $132M from Pivotal   —  VMware also reported an unexpected gain of $132 million from its investment in Pivotal Software.  —  VMware delivered strong … from Techmeme http://bit.ly/2JMXHQa

Dell reports Q1 net income of $329M on revenue of $21.9B, up 3% YoY, below analyst estimates of $22.24B, as server and networking revenue fell 9% YoY to $4.2B (Larry Dignan/ZDNet)

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Larry Dignan / ZDNet : Dell reports Q1 net income of $329M on revenue of $21.9B, up 3% YoY, below analyst estimates of $22.24B, as server and networking revenue fell 9% YoY to $4.2B   —  The company cited slower demand in China and large enterprise opportunities.  Earnings in the quarter were better than expected, but sales fell short. from Techmeme http://bit.ly/3156um6

Sources: Amazon is interested in buying prepaid cellphone wireless service Boost Mobile from T-Mobile and Sprint (Reuters)

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Reuters : Sources: Amazon is interested in buying prepaid cellphone wireless service Boost Mobile from T-Mobile and Sprint   —  (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc is interested in buying prepaid cellphone wireless service Boost Mobile from U.S. carriers T-Mobile US Inc and Sprint Corp, two sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday. from Techmeme http://bit.ly/2Kfu0GW

Microsoft says devs can now bring Win32 games to the Microsoft Store, a shift away from the store's previous Universal Windows Platform requirement for games (Tom Warren/The Verge)

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Tom Warren / The Verge : Microsoft says devs can now bring Win32 games to the Microsoft Store, a shift away from the store's previous Universal Windows Platform requirement for games   —  It's been a long time coming  —  Microsoft had a dream with Windows 8 that involved universal Windows apps that would span across phones … from Techmeme http://bit.ly/2KdmufH