Technology
By Flipboard Newsdesk | A curated selection of Technology news.
Apple is on the hunt for original TV shows
Apple is finally getting serious about original TV programming.<p>Two Apple (AAPL, Tech30) executives have been meeting with Hollywood agents and producers to hear pitches about possible shows for Apple to buy, according to two producers who have met with them.<p>The execs, Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van …
Google updates Docs, Sheets and Slides with new collaboration features
G Suite, Google’s set of online productivity tools, is getting a major update today that adds a number of new features to Google Docs, Sheets and Slides. Most of these updates focus around collaboration, but the service is also getting support for Google Cloud Search and the company is adding new …
GoogleAmazon will pay more developers who make popular Alexa skills
Payment is being expanded into more categories<p>Amazon says it will now pay developers who make Alexa skills with the highest engagements in the US, UK, and Germany. Alexa skills are feature commands you can say to Amazon’s digital assistant such as, “Alexa, ask Fitbit how I’m doing today,” or …
AmazonEssential Phone preorders to start shipping in 7 days
After Essential missed its first shipping target, preorders of the highly-anticipated phone from the father of Android are set to ship within a week.<p>That new Essential Phone you've been eagerly awaiting? Essential has promised preorders will start shipping within a week.<p>The announcement, sent today …
Mobile TechnologyTop Trump business group to disband amid Charlottesville tumult
CEOs on President Trump's top outside business-advisory group decided Wednesday to disband amid the tumult over his response to this weekend's …
Donald TrumpMicrosoft launches Azure Event Grid, a fully managed event routing service
Microsoft announced a new product in its Azure line-up in preview today that will make it easier for developers to build event-based applications.<p>The Azure Event Grid makes events (like uploading a picture or video, clicking a button, updating a database, etc.) first-class Azure objects. Event Grid …
Cloud ComputingAltspaceVR is keeping its virtual hangout open
AltspaceVR might have just saved its virtual world at the 11th hour, because the company is halting its plans to shut down. According to a new post by the team, AltspaceVR isn't closing down and is going to live on. It's still unclear what's going on behind the scenes, but the company says it's …
Virtual RealityUber halted in the Philippines after 'misunderstanding'
After not obeying regulators' orders, the ride-hailing company is forced to temporarily shutter its service.<p>After a back-and-forth with regulators, Uber has temporarily shuttered its operations in the Philippines.<p>The country's transportation authority ordered Uber to suspend its service for one …
UberUber is letting some drivers pick and choose where they drive
Uber is experimenting with giving a key decision-making power to drivers, making good on its “be your own boss” tagline.<p>The ride-hailing company is testing a “drop-off area filter” that lets drivers choose where they go. “We will only send you trips that have a drop-off location within the areas …
UberUNICEF Picks YouTube Star As Ambassador
Lilly Singh makes YouTube videos with titles like "Why I'm NOT In A Relationship," "Why Bras Are Horrible," and "Every Argument With My Parents EVER!" She plays a cast of goofy characters — including hyperbolic parodies of her parents, complete with beards, wigs and saris. But she mostly plays …
Social MediaNeo-Nazi site sued for defamation, struggles to stay online
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A Muslim-American radio host is accusing the publisher of a notorious neo-Nazi website of defaming him by falsely labeling him the "mastermind" of a deadly concert bombing in England, according to a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday.<p>SiriusXM Radio show host Dean Obeidallah …
RacismCan Oath, the Arranged Media Marriage of Yahoo and AOL, Avoid a Rough Divorce?
Can two once-great Internet behemoths come together harmoniously in an age of mergers, roll-ups, and distribution plays? The early returns suggests that Oath has some work cut out for itself.<p>“How do you take two things that are already fucked up and put them together and expect it to work?” This is …
JournalismFacebook bans white nationalist's accounts over hate speech
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) — Facebook has banned the Facebook and Instagram accounts of a white nationalist who attended the rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that ended in deadly violence.<p>Facebook spokeswoman Ruchika Budhraja tells The Associated Press that the profile pages of Christopher …
CensorshipBarack Obama's Charlottesville tweet is now the most-liked in history
A tweet sent by former US President Barack Obama last week just became the most-liked in Twitter’s history.<p>The tweet was made in response to the tragic events in Charlottesville, Virginia, which left three people dead. It shows a picture of Obama greeting several children of different ethnicities, …
Barack ObamaGoogle Home can now make phone calls in the US and Canada
Google is rolling out a long-awaited feature for its Google Home smart speaker today: voice calling. The company just announced that Home users in the US and Canada will very soon be able to call people in their contacts and local businesses using their voice and the signature “OK Google” command. …
GoogleYouTube has an illegal TV streaming problem
Most people turn to Netflix to binge watch full seasons of a single TV show, but there could be a much cheaper way: YouTube.<p>You might be surprised to learn that you can watch full episodes of popular TV shows on YouTube for free, thanks to a large number of rogue accounts that are hosting illegal …
Social MediaGenesis introduces new Google Assistant app, allows for remote start, locking, unlocking, more
When someone buys a car from Genesis, they’re given three complimentary years of the company’s “Connected Services.” These services include the ability to remotely lock, unlock, start the vehicle, and much more. Announced today, users will now be able to control their Genesis cars through Google …
GooglePinterest is finally adding a feature users have been craving for years
A long-awaited feature is finally coming to Pinterest: Starting Wednesday, Pinterest users will be able to zoom in on pins.<p>Up until now, Pinterest images were static — you could click to enlarge them, but there was no way to actually zoom in on those images within the app. Now, zooming will work on …
Pinterest10 best driving apps for Android
Driving is a major form of transportation all over the world. You already knew that, though. It’s generally good practice to not use your smartphone while driving. However, there are some apps that can be genuinely helpful. We’re telling you here and now, don’t text and drive. Have one of these …
GoogleMicrosoft’s autonomous gliders seek out thermal updrafts to stay aloft
Microsoft wants to build autonomous tech for aircraft that require little to no power to fly. It just completed tests in the Nevada desert of gliders equipped with self-guidance systems that help them track regions of rising hot air and predict their movement, with the aim of staying up in the air …
GlidersiDevices launches a light dimmer with Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant support
iDevices is expanding its line of smart home products today with a dimmer switch, joining the company’s integrated wall outlets, smart plugs, lights, and more.<p>Like all the iDevice products, the new dimmer switch is particularly notable for working without requiring a separate hub device to be …
Home AutomationAngry Bird maker Rovio plans to go public
The problem with Rovio going public isn't that the Finnish game maker is best known for its years-old hit, Angry Birds. The problem is that it is …
AngerGerman Chancellor Merkel's favorite emoji is a smiley
BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel's favorite emoji is a smiley — and on a good day it's one with a heart.<p>Merkel talked about her emoji preferences Wednesday during a live interview on YouTube as part of her re-election campaign.<p>Germany's general election is on Sept. 24, and Merkel is …
GermanyThese 3D-printed Switch adapters allow one-handed gamers to play Zelda
The versatility of the Nintendo Switch and its Joy-Con controllers is one of the console’s greatest strengths. An engineer named Julio Vazquez has taken that idea even further to create a 3D-printed Joy-Con adapter that lets disabled gamers play with only one hand. The creation was first spotted by</i> …
Nintendo SwitchESPN’s new Apple TV app lets you watch four screens of live sports at the same time
Get ready for some football. And then more football. And then two more football games. All at once.<p>Do you like sports?<p>Do you like watching a lot of sports? At the same time?<p>ESPN wants to help you — if you subscribe to a pay TV service that has ESPN and if you have the most recent version of Apple …
Smart TVAdd some color to your home with 3rd-gen Philips Hue bulbs for $41 each
Our friends at Thrifter are back again, this time with a great deal on the latest Philips Hue bulbs!<p>Philips Hue is one of the biggest names in the …
Home AutomationTesla calculator estimates how much it actually costs to buy a Model 3
Tesla already has a pretty sleek configuration tool that helps you figure out how much it would cost you to buy the new Model 3. Unfortunately, one thing it doesn’t tell you is exactly how much cash you’ll have to bleed for federal taxes and other fees. But thanks to this calculator, now you can …
Model 3V-Moda Crossfade 2 Wireless review: the everything headphones
The best at nothing, but great at most things<p>I have a confession to make, but it’s not about me, it’s about you. You’re terrible at buying headphones. The typical list of demands when someone asks me for headphone advice is tantamount to wanting a Ferrari with great gas mileage, tons of luggage …
HeadphonesSmiley emoji in your work emails are making you look incompetent :(
Emoji have invaded our texts, Slacks, and even our business emails. But, a new study suggests that including emoji in your work emails may be making you look incompetent. Not ideal, TBH.<p>Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel found that professional emails which feature "smiley" …
Ben-Gurion UniversityThe race to the bezel-less bottom is on
You probably haven't heard of the phone you see above. It's called the Doogee Mix. As you’ll have noticed, it’s in line with the biggest trend in phone design for 2017 — that of slimming down the bezels around the screen as much as possible.<p>Ever since this phone's namesake, the Xiaomi Mi Mix, broke …
TabletsTrump attacks Amazon for 'doing great damage' to other retailers
Trump's tweet is part of a string of criticisms he's directed at Amazon, CEO Jeff Bezos and Bezos' Washington Post.<p>President Donald Trump on Wednesday morning attacked Amazon, claiming the company is hurting other retailers and causing them to shed jobs.<p>Amazon has been a regular target of Trump, …
AmazonGlitch: The Sleeper Coding Platform Used By Facebook And Slack
“There used to be an immediacy to the web,” says Anil Dash. “It was something you made.”<p>Remember when the web was young? The salad days of AOL Instant Messenger, Geocities, and Netscape. Back then, when you wanted to dork around on the internet, you made your own webpage. It was simple: You just …
ProgrammingXperia XZ1 leaks in CAD render video, looks the same as Sony’s other phones
The Sony Xperia XZ1 has leaked in a CAD render video from leaker @OnLeaks and India tech site C<i>ompareraja</i>. The video was uploaded yesterday, potentially revealing the design of one of three Sony handsets tipped to be unveiled at IFA 2017, with the others being the Xperia XZ1 Compact and Xperia …
TabletsInstacart’s messy love triangle with Whole Foods and Amazon just got a lot more awkward
San Francisco-based food delivery service Instacart just inked a deal with German grocery chain Aldi, which has been making moves to disrupt the US supermarket sector. In doing so, Instacart is thumbing its nose at Amazon, which also hopes to upend the US grocery space.<p>Just last year, Whole Foods …
TrendsAlipay partners with Yelp to continue its pursuit of Chinese tourist money
Ant Financial, the Alibaba affiliated valued at $60 billion, is continuing to follow Chinese tourists and their wallets overseas after it inked a deal with Yelp in the U.S..<p>The partnership allows Alipay users — and there are over 500 million registered in China — to make payment through the service …
United StatesGlobal cybersecurity sending to grow 7% to $86.4BN in 2017, says Gartner
Analyst Gartner is projecting that worldwide spending on IT security products and services will grow seven per cent, year over year, to reach a total of $86.4 billion in 2017 — suggesting opportunities for security startups to tap into rising demand for specialist b2b services.<p>Within the …
CybersecurityAndy Rubin's Essential Phone is now ready to ship in seven days
The Essential Phone is finally ready to go out to customers.<p>Andy Rubin's smartphone startup Essential announced last week that it secured $300 …
Andy Rubin