What's Popular on Techmeme
A look at tech catering to the needs of the elderly showcased at CES; US citizens over 50 are projected to spend $84B on tech products over the next decade
Epic says its PC game store, which serves as Fortnite's launcher, has 108M users and generated $251M in 3rd-party game sales since its debut in December 2018
Google is buying an Irish retail search startup called Pointy
New study shows how popular apps including Grindr, OkCupid, Tinder, and the period-tracking apps Clue and MyDays share intimate user data with data brokers
Google says it will phase out support for third-party cookies in Chrome within two years
Instagram says it is testing letting some users access DMs from its website
theverge.com · 4 days ago
Google acquires Dublin-based Pointy, a startup helping brick-and-mortar retailers track which products they have in stock, a source says for $163M
Google plans to phase out support for user-agent strings in Chrome, opting for a new technology called Client Hints, as part of its Privacy Sandbox project
Internal memo: Uber's Rachel Holt, a longtime executive and chief of New Modalities, which includes scooters and bikes, is leaving to launch a VC firm
Verizon Media debuts OneSearch, a privacy-focused search engine that claims to serve ads based only on contextual info related to individual searches
Tradeshift, which builds private marketplaces for businesses and facilitates supply chain payments, raises $240M in equity and debt, appearing to delay its IPO
Tech companies, from IBM and Microsoft to Etsy and Reddit, file amicus briefs in support of Google ahead of its Supreme Court battle with Oracle
Sensor Tower: Disney+ was downloaded 30M+ times in the US in Q4 2019, besting TikTok; Disney+ has 41M+ installs and made ~$97M in subscriber spending to date
Sony Interactive Entertainment says it won't participate in E3 again this year, will instead attend "hundreds of consumer events" globally ahead of PS5 launch
After AG Barr called on Apple to unlock Pensacola shooter's iPhones, Apple releases statement rejecting backdoors but highlighting its help in the investigation
In Q4, Gartner estimates global PC shipments grew 2.3% to 70.6M units; IDC estimates 4.8% growth to 71.8M units; both say Lenovo and HP lead PC shipment growth
Cloudera names former Hortonworks CEO Rob Bearden as its new CEO; Cloudera's market cap is $3.4B, less than its $5.2B valuation when it merged with Hortonworks
Security experts say Russia's GRU phished login credentials, accessed servers for Burisma, a gas company on whose board Hunter Biden served, starting Nov. 2019
Visa is buying Plaid, which helps popular fintech apps connect to users' bank accounts, for $5.3B
Ahead of Boris Johnson's expected decision on Huawei equipment in the UK, the US showed his government a dossier with allegedly damning info on the company
Hesai Technology, a China-based LiDAR manufacturer with customers like Bosch, Lyft, and TuSimple, raises $173M Series C co-led by the Bosch Group and Lightspeed
London-based higher ed startup Jolt raises $14.1M Series A to expand its modular, self-designed, pay-as-you-go curriculum across the UK, Israel, and the US
HP Spectre x360 13 review: an excellent high-end laptop with nice port selection, good performance, and great battery life, but its trackpad is narrow
Researchers: AT&T, T-Mobile, Tracfone, US Mobile, and Verizon use vulnerable procedures for customer support that put users at risk of SIM swapping attacks
StreamElements: Twitch's "Just Chatting" category for non-gaming streamers was the most popular category for the first time in December with 81M hours watched
ToursByLocals, which helps tourists search for and book local guides, raises $33M from Tritium Partners, says it has ~4K guides and 30K tours in 162 countries
India's competition commission orders antitrust probe against Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart citing exclusive arrangements with mobile phone brands
reuters.com · 5 days ago