Facebook gets a bad rap, former exec says, but we should break it up anyway
The rise of hate speech, the trolling, the comment on Facebook? Not Facebook's fault, says Alex Stamos, former chief security officer, in a fireside chat with Kara Swisher at the Collision conference. But the site should still be broken up. And Google too.
Twitter co-founder Ev Williams still wants to save the world
Social media has led to a mental health crisis in Gen Z and a rise in hate speech. But there’s light at the end of the tunnel, according to Ev Williams, the co-founder of Twitter and Medium. But weaning ourselves off today's social media won't be easy, he told Kara Swisher at the Collision conference.
GM hits reverse with Maven carsharing as it closes service in eight cities
GM-owned Maven will close its carsharing service in nearly half of the 17 North American cities where it currently operates. Competing with the likes of Zipcar and Car2Go, the company said it wants to concentrate on the markets where it has the "strongest current demand and growth potential."
Gmail logs your purchase history, undermining Google’s commitment to privacy
Google has tried to portray itself as privacy-focused, including an op-ed from CEO Sundar Pichai in the New York Times saying privacy should not be a luxury good. But Google tracks many of your online purchases, even if they are bought from a non-Google affiliated store like Amazon.
Instagram’s new Explore grid tempts you to open your wallet
Instagram has made some changes to its Explore tab that might tempt you into the occasional shopping spree. A newly designed navigation bar pins a Shop button to the front of the bar and offers access to category filters. It's also planning to add Stories to the grid, alongside photos and videos.
FCC could require carriers to block robocalls. Here’s why they didn’t before
The FCC is considering making legal protections for carriers that want to block robocalls, and perhaps even require them to be blocked by default. In the past, carriers were worried about the legal implications of blocking legitimate robocalls, but these new protections could help make that less of an issue.
American Express expands its dining app services by purchasing Resy
American Express is continuing to snap up apps and services within the lifestyle bracket. Today, the financial giant announced it is purchasing the restaurant reservation app Resy, adding the app to its already formidable arsenal of apps, services, and startups.
Jeff Bezos breaks ground on $1.5B Amazon cargo hub for 100 Prime Air planes
Amazon has all kinds of plans to speed up delivery times, but none come bigger than the $1.5 billion air cargo hub that it's building in Kentucky for up to 100 Prime Air cargo planes. At a ground-breaking ceremony for the hub on Tuesday, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos dropped in to do the deed.
Here’s why Disney’s Hulu takeover won’t matter for a while
With Comcast ceding control of Hulu to Disney while it preps its own streaming platform, Disney is now in complete control of the service. That's great news for Disney, but it won't mean much for regular Hulu subscribers who enjoy NBCUniversal programming — not for now, at any rate.
Digital Trends Live: Amazon’s packaging machines, Tamagotchi returns, and more
On today’s Digital Trends Live, we discuss today’s top trending tech news, including: Amazon’s new packaging machines could replace 1,300 jobs, Apple’s credit card goes to employees first, Lyft eyes long-term car rentals, the Tamagotchi returns to America, a new robot that climbs walls, and more!
Apple might have to open iPhone to other app stores — here’s what that means
The Supreme Court ruled that an antitrust case against Apple can go ahead. The case is over whether or not Apple is a monopoly because of the way that it operates the App Store, and prevents the iPhone from being able to download apps from other stores. Here's what the ruling could mean for you.
Google is ending its Works with Nest system. Here’s what that means for you
Google is ending its Works with Nest program. This means that in a few short months, many smart devices will no longer work with Nest. Google is making this change as part of a broad rebranding strategy for its smart home products and a focus on privacy. Here's everything you need to know about the changes.
FuboTV CEO says company will launch ad-supported free TV streaming soon
FuboTV will be launching a free, ad-supported live streaming TV channel, according to the company's CEO. Few details are available, but the move appears to be a way for the company to attract viewers to its paid subscription platform while earning money from advertising revenue.
The Uber, Lyft strike appears to be a flop, but it might have spooked investors
By all accounts, Wednesday's Uber and Lyft strike wasn't very successful, or well attended, with a handful of picketing drivers showing up in most cities. Where it may have had an effect though is on Wall Street as Uber heads for its IPO on Friday.
Google and Qualcomm want to make more smart headphones with the Google Assistant
Google and Qualcomm have released a new development kit aimed at making it easier for manufacturers to add Google Assistant support to headphones and headsets. The development kit is now available, and supports the use of push-to-talk to communicate with the Google Home app on your smartphone.
Workhorse could give a castoff GM factory new life building electric trucks
General Motors could sell an idled Ohio factory to Workhorse Group, a company that specializes in electric vehicles. The factory could go from building compact cars to electric pickup trucks. General Motors ended Chevrolet Cruze production at Lordstown in March.
Google I/O: Android Q aims to bring app permissions firmly under control
We've all been there -- an app is asking for permission to access your SMS history, and you're extremely suspicious as to why. Google wants to put an end to permission anxiety in Android Q, and is introducing new permission controls that put you in control of your device's permissions.
Google goes all-in on Nest with a total rebrand of its smart home devices
Google and Nest have been together since 2014, but now they're really together as Google Nest. Products like Google Home Hub are being rebranding as the Google Nest Hub. Other changes to Nest accounts and privacy and security measures are also underway, but that could spell trouble for IFTTT users.
Everything announced at Microsoft Build 2019, from Edge to Azure
Microsoft has a lot of exciting news at this year's Build conference and much of it was announced during the major keynote address to kick things off. In the lead up to the rest of the exciting Build show, here's everything we learned about what Microsoft has coming up in 2019.
Audi of America president abruptly resigns after just six months on the job
Audi of America President Mark Del Rosso is stepping down after less than six months at the helm. Audi has not provided any specifics as to why Del Rosso is departing so suddenly, or whether it was his choice to step down. Current Executive Vice President and COO Cian O’Brien will fill the role on an interim basis.
Tesla’s Model 3 qualifies for owner tax incentives in Canada
To help Canadian Tesla Model 3 buyers qualify for a rebate, Tesla cut the price and limited the range of the Model 3 Standard Range version. Anyone who buys the limited-range car will get the rebate, but can only drive 93 miles per charge. Because of the range and price cut, however, others can also get the rebate.
Dell’s small business deals drop up to 45 percent off XPS and Vostro desktops
Dell's desktop are now discounted by as much as 45% as part of the company's small business promotion. While most of the systems are geared toward the SMB market, with select OptiPlex, Precision, and Vostro systems on sale, the XPS Tower is also discounted, making it a good fit for office or home use.
U.K. government minister fired over Huawei 5G leak accusation
Huawei's involvement in the U.K.'s 5G network infrastructure continues to be controversial, with leaks and high-profile government firings surrounding it. The final decision around the company’s involvement has yet to be finalized by the government, and we’ve got all the details on the story here.
Survey says Siri and Google Assistant are the most used voice assistants
Alexa might be extremely popular because of smart speakers, but it still has a way to go to catch up to voice assistants the are built into smartphones. A recent survey conducted by Microsoft found that Apple's Siri and Google Assistant tied for the most used voice assistants on the market.
British telecoms company Vodafone found backdoors in Huawei equipment
The British telecoms giant Vodafone has disclosed that it found potential backdoors in Huawei equipment used in its telecoms systems multiple times in multiple years. This will fuel fears from many that the Chinese company isn't to be trusted, but it seems Vodafone still backs Huawei.
Spotify is first music service to hit 100 million paying subscribers
Though it's still in second place in the U.S., globally Spotify is on a tear. The company revealed in its Q1 2019 report that it had hit 100 million paying subscribers worldwide, making it the first streaming music company to achieve the milestone. It has also stayed profitable, though challenges remain.
Massdrop rebrands itself as Drop, launches slate of new products
Massdrop wants to have a slightly more memorable name, and has rebranded itself to simply "Drop." Not only that, but the company also launched a series of new products, including new headphones, and a new mechanical keyboard, which offers RGB lighting and a sleek design.
United Airlines covers seatback cameras to allay privacy concerns
United Airlines has decided to cover the cameras on its latest seatback entertainment displays. The move comes a couple of months after some Singapore Airlines passengers expressed privacy concerns over such cameras. Both airlines have said the cameras aren’t connected and they have no plan to activate them.
Apple is recalling faulty plug adapters over risk of electric shock
Apple is recalling certain three-prong AC wall plug adapters shipped with Mac and some iOS devices between 2003 and 2010, and also sold as part of the Apple World Travel Adapter Kit. The company said that in rare cases it could break and, as a consequence, create a risk of electric shock if touched.
Weekend box office: Avengers: Endgame’s opening weekend breaks all the records
Marvel Studios blockbuster Avengers: Endgame exceeded pundits' already lofty predictions with a massive, $350 million opening weekend in U.S. theaters and a $1.2 billion premiere worldwide. The film broke all kinds of records, of course, and is on pace to break quite a few more in the weeks to come.
Sony’s fiscal year report confirms no PS5 launch before March 2020
Sony recently released its consolidated financial results and there were some enlightening takeaways regarding the PS4 and upcoming PS5. The current-gen hardware suffered a small decline in sales, but software grew. The company is planning to spend operating incoming on its next generation, but not on marketing.
With Sinemia gone, are movie subscription plans too good to be true?
Amid a class-action suit from subscribers over unexpected fees, complaints about a broken app, ongoing revenue woes, and a lawsuit from its biggest competitor, MoviePass, Sinemia has closed shop in America, casting the future of theatrical movie subscription services into doubt.
Amazon will reportedly launch a hi-fi version of Amazon Music Unlimited
A new report suggests that Amazon is in the final months of preparation for the launch of a new hi-res tier for its music subscription service. If true, it might launch later this year, for around $15 per month, making it the first of the big streaming giants to take this step.
Intel’s CPU shortage is no longer affecting Microsoft’s sales
Microsoft is no longer worried about Intel’s CPU shortage affecting Windows sales. Microsoft’s Windows sales are surviving the shortage of Intel’s 14nm CPUs just fine as manufacturers pivot to using other processors like AMD. And Intel may face another shortage this year.