Tech Meme

WABetaInfo: WhatsApp updates Status, adding a Private Audience Selector, Status Reactions, 30-second Voice Status messages, and more, rolling out on iOS, Android, and web  —  WhatsApp has just announced a set of new features for status updates, which will be available to users on both iOS and Android devices over the coming weeks. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Reuters: An FTC official says the agency does not plan to appeal its US federal court loss over Meta’s Within acquisition, but could still appeal to an internal judge  —  The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said it will not appeal its loss in federal court in its fight to stop Meta Platforms … Lees verder op Tech Meme

Matthew Panzarino / TechCrunch: An interview with Apple executives Tim Millet and Bob Borchers on M2, building on M1, transitioning from Intel, the future of Mac gaming, Metal APIs, and more  —  On M2 chips, Mac mini and how the Mac will thrive in gaming  —  Apple’s M series chips were incredibly well telegraphed when they arrived in late 2021. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Bloomberg: SoftBank reports a ~$5B loss for its Vision Fund in Q3, its fourth straight quarterly loss, and investments of less than $350M in only a few startups  —  SoftBank Group Corp.’s startup investment unit reported another quarterly loss, hurt by sluggish valuations throughout the technology landscape. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Aisha Malik / TechCrunch: Tinder rolls out incognito mode, a step up from fully hiding profiles, for Tinder+, Gold, and Premium users, profile blocking, and other safety features  —  Tinder is rolling out new features aimed at making it easier for users on the dating app to control how they interact with others. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Brian Quarmby / Cointelegraph: Document: prosecutors and SBF’s lawyers agree to let SBF use Zoom, email, WhatsApp with restrictions, and more, but not Signal and other ephemeral apps  —  The agreement comes as a result of federal prosecutors looking to ban SBF from contacting current or former FTX and Alameda employees while on house arrest. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Masha Borak / Wired: A look at Moscow’s Safe City, an AI surveillance system with 217K connected cameras designed to catch criminals that is now seen as a tool of digital repression  —  Moscow promised residents lower crime rates through an expansive smart city project.  Then Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Ron Amadeo / Ars Technica: Samsung Galaxy S23 users say the smartphone uses ~60GB of its storage for Android and pre-installed apps, four times more than the Google Pixel 7 Pro’s ~15GB  —  Samsung’s Android build is 4x bigger than Google’s—twice the size of Windows 11.  —  As a smartphone operating system … Lees verder op Tech Meme

Alexander Onukwue / Semafor: Google Play began requiring local regulatory approval for loan apps in Nigeria and Kenya on January 31, matching rules in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines  —  Google has toughened its screening process for African digital lending companies that wish to have their apps on Play Store … Lees verder op Tech Meme

Zheping Huang / Bloomberg: Baidu’s stock jumps 15%+ after the company announced plans to add its ChatGPT-like service “Wenxin Yiyan”, or “Ernie Bot” in English, to search in March 2023  —  Baidu Inc. surged more than 15% after affirming it’s on track to publicly roll out its ChatGPT-like service in March … Lees verder op Tech Meme