Susan Molinari, who leads Google’s federal lobbying and policy efforts, is leaving her role amid growing scrutiny of the Silicon Valley giant. Senior Google Lobbyist Is Stepping Down From Her Role Source: NY Times Tech
Read MoreJoe Rossignol / MacRumors: Spotify makes an early version of its Apple Watch app available to a limited number of users via Apple’s TestFlight beta testing program — Spotify is officially coming to Apple Watch, as the streaming music service today delighted users with an early beta version of the watchOS app through TestFlight. Spotify
Read MoreTwo Bulgarian government reps have been arrested on allegations of accepting bribes in Bitcoin in return for illegitimately issuing Bulgarian identity documents to foreign individuals. Court files claim the accused, both of whom held management positions in the National Agency for Bulgarian Citizens Abroad, have been illegally receiving payments to issue documents, according to local
Read MoreDavid McCabe / Axios: Google says Susan Molinari, its Vice President of Public Policy for the Americas and head of its D.C. office, is leaving next year — Google’s top U.S. public policy official is stepping down from the role, the company confirmed on Friday. — Why it matters: The departure … Google says Susan
Read MoreThe premium headphone market is crowded. There are not only boatlands of brands battling for your earholes, but some very established companies (think Sennheiser, Sony or Bose) who suck up a lot of market share. Well, one of the latest companies to enter the ring is Moshi. It’s hoping that its Avanti Air on-ear, wireless headphones will earn it a
Read MoreA lithium-ion battery tester seems like a simple project, at least electrically. But when you start thinking about the physical problem of dealing with a huge range of battery sizes, things get a little more complicated. Sure, you can 3D-print adapters and jigs to accommodate the different batteries, or you can cheat a bit and
Read MoreThe International Space Station photographed by Expedition 56 crew members from a Soyuz spacecraft after undocking. The International Space Station as of Oct. 4, 2018 Source: NASA
Read MoreDespite Google’s hardline stance against malicious cryptocurrency apps, some still find ways of sneaking through its net. Security and malware researcher, Lukas Stefanko, published a video yesterday exposing how a malicious app, distributed via Google’s Play Store, steals the sensitive data from unsuspecting users. Disguised as a currency conversion tool, the app (called Easy Rates
Read MoreAdventure Sync lets you progress without having the app open, saving your battery. Pokemon Go lets you track steps with Apple HealthKit, Google Fit – CNET Source: CNet
Read MoreHere’s what happens to your information after you fill out a voter registration form. Midterm elections: How politicians know exactly how you’re going to vote – CNET Source: CNet
Read MoreSaqib Shah / Engadget: Yelp brings Yelp Reservations, its online reservation management service, to Buick Marketplace, the first time the service has been integrated in vehicles — Until Buick lets you order coffee and fuel with your voice, you’ll have to stick to using your digits. Yelp brings Yelp Reservations, its online reservation management service,
Read MoreHave you ever had one of those moments, when you’re rummaging through your spare parts heap, and have a rather bizarre project idea that you can’t quite get out of your head? You know, the ones that have no clear use, but simply demand to be born, of glass and steel and silicon? This time,
Read MoreWith the training available in the four-course Complete Ethereum Blockchain Mastery bundle ($29, over 90 percent off, from TNW Deals), you can not only become an expert in cryptocurrencies, but the Ethereum blockchaining revolution as well. Ethereum blockchaining is changing the web. This course package will show you how. Source: The Next Web
Read MoreResearch from eToro, conducted earlier this year, indicates that blockchain is witnessing a major gender divide – only 8.5 percent of cryptocurrency users are female. It’s obviously a problem. As we move into a new era of blockchain and cryptocurrency, one where it could potentially become universally adopted, it’s clear that the voices and opinions
Read MoreNathaniel Popper / New York Times: Profile of cryptocurrency millionaire Jeffrey Berns who says he has spent $300M to build an experimental community based on blockchain in Nevada — A man spent millions on an enormous plot of land near Reno. Now he wants to build a community based on the blockchain technology introduced by
Read MoreLime recalled about 2,000 devices from three California cities this summer, blaming a manufacturing issue for faulty batteries. Segway claims its manufacturing is not the problem. Lime blamed its fire-prone batteries on Segway’s manufacturing. Now Segway is pushing back. Source: Washington Post Tech
Read MoreWhat will on-by-default Office 365 email messages do to phishing-awareness training? Use Office 365? Microsoft's about to start emailing you regular tips by default Source: ZDNet Microsoft
Read MoreYunan Zhang / The Information: Sources: Tencent is investing $250M in Chinese online tutor service Yuanfudao at a valuation of $2.8B — Tencent is investing a further $250 million in online education startup Yuanfudao at a valuation of $2.8 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. Sources: Tencent is investing 0M in Chinese online
Read MoreGram Slattery / Reuters: Sources say Amazon is struggling to ramp up operations in Brazil amid challenges like the nation’s tax system, complicated logistics, and testy vendor relations — SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc is struggling to ramp up its operations in Brazil, a promising market that so far … Sources say Amazon is
Read MoreOnline advertising giants like Google and Facebook promised entrepreneurs an effective way of reaching consumers at an affordable cost. But following a series of policy crackdowns, this wasn’t exactly the case for cryptocurrency and blockchain businesses. Pressed in a corner by draconian ad bans, one Netherlands-based cryptocurrency exchange found an alternative to Google’s and Facebook’s restrictive
Read MoreYahoo: Sources: in 2011, Iranians used Google search to identify a string of websites CIA was using to communicate with its agents, compromising CIA’s wider network — In 2013, hundreds of CIA officers — many working nonstop for weeks — scrambled to contain a disaster of global proportions … Sources: in 2011, Iranians used Google
Read MoreGoogle employees marched to protest workplace harassment. Apple profits soared. But the big news was social media’s role in real-world violence. Bits: The Week in Tech: Social Media Ugliness Hits Home Source: NY Times Tech
Read MoreIndia has taken its first step in microprocessor development thanks to a research team of Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M). The researchers have built the country’s first native microprocessor, ‘Shakti.’ The chip was manufactured at Semi-Conductor Laboratory of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Chandigarh. Back in July, 300 units of an early version of the chip called
Read MoreKyle Wiggers / VentureBeat: Baidu says its DuerOS AI assistant is now installed on 150M devices, up from 100M in August, and has more than 35M MAUs — Watch out, Alexa, Cortana, Siri, and the Google Assistant: Baidu’s voice assistant is coming for you. Beijing tech giant Baidu this week announced that DuerOS … Baidu
Read MoreIt may fire up some young voters, but they’ve got plenty of other fish to fry. Net neutrality faces its own election challenge in heated midterms – CNET Source: CNet
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