Tech Soha

Hobbi, Facebook’s experimental app for hobbyists, is shutting down. According to TechCrunch, the social network sent a push notification to users to let them know that the application will only be around until July 10th, 2020, and that they can export their data before then. Hobbi was created by Facebook’s New Product Experimentation (NPE) Team, which is the division in charge of developing new experiences outside of the company’s existing platforms. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/3igcy3D

Luxury EV designer Byton has paused its operations for six months due to financial problems worsened by the pandemic. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/3gbkrWj

Oculus co-founder Nate Mitchell has launched a multiplayer-focused game studio, Mountaintop, and hopes it'll avoid the pitfalls of rivals. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/3gka1nr

NASA and ULA have postponed the Mars Perseverance rover's launch until July 30th due to launch vehicle delays. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2Aj60jz

When in 2010, former VC Michael Kim set out to raise a fund that he would invest in a spate of micro VC managers, the investors to which he turned didn't get it. Why pay Kim and his firm, Cendana Capital,  a management fee on top of the management fees that the VC managers themselves charge? Three years after raising $260 million across a handful of vehicles whose capital he plugged into up-and-coming venture firms, Kim is now revealing a fresh $278 million in capital commitments, including $218 million for its fourth flagship fund, and $60 million that Cendana will be managing expressly for the University of Texas endowment. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/31DUsm6

Lyft's self-driving vehicle division has restarted testing on public roads in California, several months after pausing operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Lyft’s Level 5 program said Tuesday some of its autonomous vehicles are back on the road in Palo Alto and at its closed test track. The company has not resumed a pilot program that provided rides to Lyft employees in Palo Alto. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/38mJkLV

By BY STEVE LOHR from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/3ihq9aQ

This morning we're looking into Twitch's temporary ban of Donald Trump, a slick VR prototype from Facebook and Netflix's 'Cuphead' preview. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/31tfXpJ

Boeing has a lot to prove before Starliner can make its second attempt to reach the ISS. One of the tests it has recently conducted focused on parachute reliability — in particular, the company wanted validate that the vehicle’s parachute system can deploy under an adverse set of environmental factors. The aerospace giant’s main objective was to ensure that the parachutes would inflate correctly even if an abort occurs early into launch. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2NIfo3j

Telegram has been fined $18.5 million for not properly following securities regulations. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/38efZ6d

DeepSpin, a Berlin-based startup that is developing what it describes as a "next-generation, AI-powered MRI imaging machine", has raised €600,000 in seed funding. Backing the round is APEX Digital Health, with participation from existing investors Entrepreneur First (EF) and SOSV, along with a number of unnamed angel investors. DeepSpin is a graduate of EF's company builder programme, where its two founders -- Clemens Tepel, a former McKinsey consultant, and Pedro Freire Silva, a PhD researcher from KIT -- decided to partner in September 2019. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/3ic95mG

How to find everything Microsoft knows about you It’s no secret how much Big Tech companies know about all of us. I bet Google comes to mind first. Tap or click here to see everything Google has on you with one quick download.

Lenovo's Smart Clock with Google Assistant is on sale for $40 at Best Buy today. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2BNBKOe

Facebook Avatars, which lets users customize a virtual lookalike of themselves for use as stickers in chat and comments, is now available in India, the social juggernaut's biggest market by users account. The American firm said Tuesday it had launched Avatars to India as more social interaction moves online amid a nationwide lockdown in the world's second largest internet market. The company said Avatars supports a variety of faces, hairstyles, outfits that are customized for users in India. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/31GICbh

Google Photos will no longer back up images from WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and other messaging and social media services, the company announced. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2NKkuvO

You can now tip your Ola driver. The Indian ride-hailing giant said on Tuesday that it has rolled out this feature to its users in India, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom -- all the nations where it currently operates. Ola said riders in each market will see a range of denominations they can pick as the amount they wish to tip digitally. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2YLi0UE

For example, the best-known race on the planet, the Tour de France, normally staged in July, has had to be pushed back to August 29 through September 20. In fact, beginning this coming weekend, 23 top men’s teams and 17 women’s teams will participate in a virtual version of the event that's being hosted by six-year-old Zwift, after it was chosen by the official race organizer of the real tour, Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), as its partner on the event. For one thing, the virtual version of the event, which will feature six stages that last roughly hour over the next three weekends beginning this Saturday, will be broadcast in more than 130 countries. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2YK7MDO

Amazon’s new Prime Video feature could help you stay connected with friends even while social distancing. If you’re in the US, you can now host and attend a Prime Video Watch Party, a new option for desktop that lets you co-watch with friends and fellow Prime members. The new feature seems to be an expansion of Watch Parties for Twitch, which Amazon launched as a test feature in late 2019, that lets streamers watch videos with their viewers. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2ZgeO2c

This week Disney+ adds 'Hamilton,' while Netflix responds with 'Unsolved Mysteries.' Also, Desus & Mero are on a new night, and Formula 1 racing is back. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2ZhxVZI

Pentagon will deploy its new B-21 stealth bomber to Pacific The Pentagon plans to deploy its emerging B-21 stealth bomber in the Pacific as part of a decided effort to ensure technical superiority, sustain deterrence and, if needed, hold potential adversaries at risk. 

Army AI-enabled robots may fire weapons in war to defend against attacks What if artillery rounds, mini-drone swarms of explosives, rockets and even air-fired missiles are all approaching forward-positioned Army troops at the same time? Imagine that these incoming weapons are dispersed, varied and fast approaching. How do ground commanders avoid being overwhelmed and destroyed? Could AI help solve this lethal predicament? 

Uber has reportedly made an offer to buy food delivery service Postmates, according to The New York Times. For those that have been paying attention to Uber, this appetite is not new, albeit consistent. A little over a month ago, the ride-hailing company was reportedly pursuing an acquisition of Grubhub,  another food delivery company. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/3gag7X9

The United States government began measures today to end its special status with Hong Kong, one month after Secretary of State Michael Pompeo told Congress that Hong Kong should no longer be considered autonomous from China. The new actions include suspending export license exceptions for sensitive U.S. technology and ending the export of defense equipment to Hong Kong. Both the Commerce and State Departments also said further restrictions are being evaluated. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2BfI8hs

Uber has reportedly made an offer to buy Postmates, creating a food delivery giant. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/31vlo7Q

By BY MIKE ISAAC AND ERIN GRIFFITH from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/3gcfAUQ

When macOS Big Sur arrives, you'll get to watch Netflix in 4K HDR using Apple's Safari browser. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2VwW90Z

By BY MIKE ISAAC AND ERIN GRIFFITH from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2BMElYK

Lululemon is dipping into home workout tech by acquiring Mirror for $500 million. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/38bnf2V

Amazon Prime Video is beginning to roll out a co-viewing feature to Amazon Prime members in the U.S., the company announced today. The "Watch Party" feature, which is included at no extra cost with a Prime membership, allows participants to watch video content together at the same time with the playback synchronized to the host's account. The host of the co-watching session will be able to start, stop and pause the Watch Party as needed throughout the session, and those changes will also be synced to all participants' devices instantly. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/3i7qrky

The post Digital Marketing Center adds Twitter support, new features, pilot for small business owners appeared first on Stories . from Stories https://ift.tt/2Ada5Wu

Facebook is expanding the availability of the tools it offers to help game streamers and other online creators make money. The social network first launched fan subscriptions in early 2018, giving a small group of creators in the United States and the United Kingdom the ability to charge their fans a $4.99 monthly fee for exclusive content and a fan badge for their profiles. Participation in the subscription program was limited until today. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/3g14H8e

Ready to make your own games on Google's Stadia? from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/31o9i0d

Waze is rolling out a brand refresh and app update that lets users share their mood. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/3eEimBM

The 'Cuphead' Netflix series will have cleaner lines than the game while retaining that old-school cartoon charm. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/3dN1YgV

The virtual tour will have a side event for amateurs called the Virtual l’Etape du Tour de France. Zwift and ASO, the real-life Tour de France organizer, want the event to have a celebratory atmosphere. Enter Zwift. Will Zwift racing ever supplant the real-life Tour? from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2ZfhU6y

Engadget's daily tech news bulletin. Today: Nintendo's theme park delay, no more phone chargers and Google's Phone app helping you screen calls. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2VtnVeI

Scotts Miracle-Gro, the lawn care and fertilizer giant that has opened up a secondary business as a pioneer in cannabis and hemp cultivation, is launching a $50 million corporate venture capital fund called1868 Ventures. Is it strange that a fertilizer company would commit to a $50 million fund to invest in two to three startup companies per year over the next few years? New discoveries around crop cultivation, the development of organic pesticides and herbicides, and the wave of new applications for hemp and cannabinoids in manufacturing, healthcare, and legal recreational use are creating new opportunities for the business and Scotts Miracle-Gro is looking to capitalize on them. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2Zl6Pkw

Amazon said on Monday it has eliminated all single-use plastic in its packaging across its fulfillment centers in India, delivering on a pledge it made last year to achieve this goal by June. The American e-commerce group said it had replaced packaging materials such as bubble wraps with paper cushions and was also using “100% plastic-free biodegradable” paper tapes. All of Amazon’s 50-plus fulfilment centers in India were complying with the new guidelines, the company said. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/388nZG0

Like it or loathe it, video has proven to be the most engaging of all mediums across the web, and today a company out of Israel called Artlist -- which provides royalty-free libraries of music, sound effects and even video itself to enhance video content -- is announcing a significant growth round of $48 million, both to continue its expansion, and to build better technology to help navigate users to the perfect clip. This is the first funding that Artlist has ever announced, although Elephant had backed it with a previously undisclosed amount previously. Ira Belsky, Artlist's co-CEO who co-founded the company with Itzik Elbaz, and Eyal Raz and started as a filmmaker himself, said the company has mostly been bootstrapped since being founded in 2016. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/3g7Z6Nh

The apple Watch Series 3 is a solid smartwatch now on offer for a lower price. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/3g9JQje

Facebook bars some political posts Zuckerberg flips on violence, voter suppression.

The Premier League's Crystal Palace versus Burnley match streams on Twitch tonight. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/31s5w5O

By BY DAVID STREITFELD from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2CLvUxb

Zuoyebang, a Beijing-headquartered startup that runs an online learning app, said on Monday it has raised $750 million in a new financing round as investors demonstrate their continued trust in -- and focus on -- Asia’s booming edtech market. U.S. investment firm Tiger Global and Hong Kong-based private equity firm FountainVest Partners led the six-year-old startup’s Series E financing round. Existing investors including SoftBank’s Vision Fund, Sequoia Capital China, Xiang He Capital, Qatar Investment Authority also participated in the round, which brings the startup’s to-date raise to $1.33 billion. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/3ie4IY7

f you’re on the fence about purchasing the latest Fire HD tablets, Amazon has a deal that might sway you. For today only, it’s offering the all-new Fire HD for $59.99 and the Fire HD Plus for $79.99, or $30 each off the regular prices. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/3dFCnqs

While many in Silicon Valley might prefer to forget investor Mike Rothenberg roughly four years after his young venture firm began to implode, his story is still being written, and the latest chapter doesn't bode well for the 36-year-old. While Rothenberg earlier tangled with the Securities & Exchange Commission and lost, it was a civil matter, if one that could haunt him for the rest of his life. Now, the U.S. Department of Justice has brought two criminal wire fraud charges against him, along with charges that he made two false statements to a bank and money laundering charges that, depending on how things play out, could result in a very long time in prison. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2NJsVaJ

The EU's space chief has promised to accelerate plans due in part to pressure from SpaceX and China. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2YGCEF9

E-commerce giant Flipkart is planning to launch a hyperlocal service that would enable customers to buy items from local stores and have those delivered to them in an hour and a half or less. Yatra, an online travel and hotel ticketing service, is exploring a new business line altogether: Supplying office accessories. Flipkart and Yatra are not the only firms eyeing new business categories. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/3eJjEeK

Researchers from MIT have developed a new way to keep shared spaces free of the coronavirus and other pathogens: a UVC light-equipped robot. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2VuzIJX

Toyota is recalling 752,000 Prius cars due to a glitch in the hybrid software that could lead to an engine stall. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2VtFo6R

Amazon warehouse workers in Germany will strike for two days over a claimed lack of transparency about COVID-19 infections. from Yahoo Tech https://ift.tt/2BhbFag