Tech News
Tech News and Analysis from around the web
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat:
4iQ, which uses AI to tackle the trade in stolen digital identities, raises $30M Series C led by ForgePoint Capital, bringing its total raised to $63M+ — Digital identity protection startup 4iQ today announced a $30 million round it will use to ramp up investments in its go-to-market activities.
Juli Clover / MacRumors:
Adobe debuts improvements to Creative Cloud, with Neural Filters in Photoshop, Illustrator coming to iPad, Adobe Fresco coming to iPhone, and more — Adobe holds an annual MAX conference each year, and this year's event is free for everyone for the first time because it is being held virtually rather than in person.
Mary Jo Foley / ZDNet:
Microsoft partners with SpaceX for satellite-powered internet connectivity on Azure and debuts Azure Space, a set of products for the space-related cloud market — Microsoft is using its ‘Amazon is your competitor’ playbook to try to win over more satellite partners and customers.
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Handshake, a diversity-focused LinkedIn for college students, raises $80M Series D led by GGV, source says at a $550M-$600M valuation — College graduates this year (and perhaps in the near-term) have been looking for work in what is one of the most challenging job markets in a decade due …
Nilay Patel / The Verge:
iPhone 12 Pro review: has an excellent camera and performance, Dolby Vision video is great, 5G can be very fast, but battery life is inferior to iPhone 11 Pro — 5G, LIDAR, MagSafe — the new iPhone 12 Pro has a lot of things you won't be able to do much with right now
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
iPhone 12 review: has an excellent camera, display, and design, promising MagSafe ecosystem, but battery life is inferior to iPhone 11's and it's more expensive — It's the one you should get unless you're waiting for the Max or mini — More than most years, there are a lot of things that are new in the iPhone 12.
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
LearnUpon, which develops an online learning management system for enterprises, raises $56M from Summit Partners — One big technology by-product of the Covid-19 pandemic has been a much stronger focus on online education solutions — providing the tools for students to continue learning …
Wall Street Journal:
DOJ files an antitrust suit alleging that Google engaged in anticompetitive conduct to preserve monopolies in search and search-advertising — Lawsuit follows lengthy investigation and seeks to break company's grip over search traffic — The Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit Tuesday alleging …
Sergiu Gatlan / BleepingComputer:
GravityRAT malware, known for checking the CPU temperature of Windows PCs to detect virtual machines or sandboxes, now also targets Android and macOS devices — GravityRAT, a malware strain known for checking the CPU temperature of Windows computers to detect virtual machines or sandboxes …
Reuters:
Major founder-led tech companies have seen their share prices double in 2020 vs. 7.8% gain for the S&P 500, while outperforming non-founder led tech companies — (Reuters) - Technology companies led by their founders have been the standout winners in share price performance and profit growth this year …
Christopher Mims / Wall Street Journal:
New mathematical model-based research suggests that exposing US social media users to viewpoints different than their own furthers political polarization — Mathematicians are teaming up with political scientists to create models of how social media divides us, and results suggest at least …
Reuters:
Sources: Didi Chuxing is considering Hong Kong, rethinking its previous aims of NYSE, for an IPO in the first half of 2021, targets a valuation of $60B+ — HONG KONG (Reuters) - China's top ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing is considering Hong Kong for a multibillion-dollar initial public offering …
Amrith Ramkumar / Wall Street Journal:
Technology companies now account for nearly 40% of the S&P 500 and are set to end the year eclipsing a record of 37% from 1999 — Companies that do everything from manufacturing phones to operating social-media platforms now account for nearly 40% of the S&P 500
Mary Ann Azevedo / FinLedger:
Billtrust, which makes cloud-based software for processing B2B payments, is going public on Nasdaq through a SPAC merger in a deal valued at $1.3B — The company will launch with a cash balance of about $200 million — Billtrust announced on Monday it will go public through …
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:
EU enables cross-border interoperability between contact tracing apps from Germany, Ireland, and Italy, with plans to add at least 18 others in the coming weeks — The European Union has switched on cross-border interoperability for a first batch of COVID-19 contacts tracing apps …
Mistakes heard recently (and repeatedly) on cable news.
- Wearing a mask protects other people more than it protects the wearer. So if one person in a crowd of thousands wears a mask, unless it's certain that person has the virus, it's not doing much to protect anyone.
- It has been said that if the Dems win the Senate and hold the House, it doesn't matter if Trump is re-elected, Congress will remove him. Not possible. It takes a 2/3 majority in the Senate, or 67 votes, to remove the president, and there aren't enough Republican seats at stake in the election to give the Dems that big a majority, even if they swept the Repubs. However there would be enough Democrats in the Senate to require a full trial, including testimony. Recall that the Senate not only didn't convict, they didn't allow an actual trial with witnesses and compelled testimony.
- Repeating Russian misinfo, even to question it, is journalistic malpractice. It's the biggest mistake journalism keeps repeating. Journalism wields a lot of power, and that power is accountable to no one. It may be a bigger problem than Citizens United or court packing by either party.
