Techmeme
- Apple accounted for 22% of global smartphone shipments in Q4 2021, down from 23% in 2020, followed by Samsung (20%), Xiaomi (12%), Oppo (9%), and Vivo (8%) (Canalys)
- An in-depth look at Sony's ambition to become the world's most fully integrated entertainment company across movie blockbusters, music catalogs, and PlayStation (Financial Times)
- Microsoft says Xbox Game Pass has 25M subscribers, up from 18M in January 2021 (Tom Warren/The Verge)
- Sources: the US government is reviewing Alibaba's cloud business to determine potential national security risks, including how it stores US clients' data (Alexandra Alper/Reuters)
- Microsoft plans to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7B in cash, or $95/share, closing in FY 2023; Bobby Kotick will remain as CEO, reporting to Phil Spencer (Microsoft)
- Pinwheel, which offers APIs to fintechs for payroll, income, and other data, raises a $50M Series B at a $500M valuation, following a $20M Series A in June 2021 (Anita Ramaswamy/TechCrunch)
- Animoca Brands, an NFT and metaverse service, raises $359M led by Liberty City at a $5B valuation, up from $2.2B in October 2021 (Joanna Ossinger/Bloomberg)
- Shopify partners with JD.com to help US merchants sell goods in China; merchants can set up shops in 3-4 weeks, well below the current 12-month process (Arjun Kharpal/CNBC)
- China's MY2022 Olympics app, mandatory for attendees to report travel and health data, has serious encryption flaws and contains censorship keyword lists (Jeffrey Knockel/The Citizen Lab)
- The UK government will increase scrutiny of crypto ads, bringing the marketing in line with other financial promotions, citing risk to buyers (Lucy Harley-Mckeown/The Block)
- Istanbul-based mobile game developer Dream Games, which makes Royal Match, raises $255M led by Index Ventures at a $2.75B valuation, up from $1B in June 2021 (Ryan Browne/CNBC)
- Crypto.com halted withdrawals and requires users to re-sign-in and reset 2FA; research shows Crypto.com lost 4,600+ ETH, worth $15M+, during a suspected hack (Andrew Asmakov/Decrypt)
- The EU levied €1.1B in GDPR fines during 2021, up from €158.5M in 2020, led by the €746M fine on Amazon and €225M fine on WhatsApp (Stephanie Bodoni/Bloomberg)
- African startup Finclusion Group, which uses AI to provide credit-based financial services, raises a $20M pre-Series A in debt and equity (Tage Kene-Okafor/TechCrunch)
- Binance conducted its first Binance Coin (BNB) auto-burn last quarter, removing over 1.6M BNB tokens worth $750M from circulation (Omkar Godbole/CoinDesk)
TechCrunch
Silicon Alley Insider
- Check out these 32 pitch decks that helped fintechs disrupting trading, banking, and investing raise millions in 2021
- Neil Gorsuch reportedly defied a request from Chief Justice John Roberts to wear a mask out of respect for Sonia Sotomayor
- 'For Them' is a new queer wellness brand that 'codesigns' products with buyers to make them more inclusive
- Matt Gaetz's ex-girlfriend was granted immunity in exchange for her grand jury testimony, report says
- Royal funerals are a big ? and complicated ? business. Here's how they're planned and carried out.
- NFT platform OpenSea hits monthly record of $3.5 billion in ethereum trading volume as digital collectible mania rages on
- I went truffle hunting with experts at a gorgeous hotel in northern Italy. Here's what it was like.
- A tech founder took out a full-page ad in The New York Times to accuse Tesla of treating Full Self-Driving users like 'crash test dummies'
- Oil prices surge to a 7-year high on the back of supply disruption fears and surging demand
- Goldman Sachs drops as 4th-quarter earnings miss estimates on equity trading decline
- Higher premiums send more US drivers out shopping for usage-based coverage
- Bill de Blasio won't join the 2022 New York governor's race
- How to let go of regret and move on, according to a clinical psychologist
- Trump's feud with Mitch McConnell may never end, despite the best efforts of his aides to get him to drop it
- Crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried names 2 potential ethereum-killers as the next big blockchains: report
- Former Obama official blasts Supreme Court justices for blocking Biden's vaccine mandate: 'They really don't want to stop this pandemic'
- US stocks tumble, with Dow falling 439 points as surging bond yields batter big tech shares
- Activision Blizzard soars 38% after Microsoft reportedly agrees to acquire the video-game maker for $69 billion in cash
- Meta might let companies sponsor the appearance of objects in the metaverse, patent filing suggests
- I had a difficult pregnancy and complications afterward ? and my options for maternity leave made everything far worse
- I made sure to have perfect attendance at work, and it backfired. Here's why I'll prioritize self-care going forward.
- Microsoft to buy embattled 'Call of Duty' publisher Activision in $68 billion bailout
- Visibly emotional Boris Johnson says 'nobody told me' he was breaking lockdown rules amid accusations he knew May 2020 event was a party
- Crypto.com restarts withdrawals after suspending them over 'suspicious activity' that hit customer accounts
- Billy Bush, fired over infamous Access Hollywood Trump tape, was 'livid' not to feature in a 'Today' 70th anniversary video: report
- Hong Kong police arrested 2 former Cathay Pacific flight attendants over suspected COVID-19 rules breach
- New Pentagon charts lay out China's growing military advantage over Taiwan
- Meta wants to track your eye movements and facial expressions as you roam the metaverse, patents suggest
- Biden's free-COVID-test program gives out fewer tests and is significantly slower than its UK equivalent
- The London Stock Exchange is looking at a 'hybrid' trading model to give private companies a stepping stone into the market: report
- UK planes took a long detour around Germany to deliver weapons to Ukraine in case Russia invades
- How more than $404 million in taxpayer money got locked away in a forgotten government fund ? and lawmakers won't spend it or return it
- Job seekers have the advantage as vacancies continue to outnumber applicants, recruitment boss says
- 'Black Swan' author Nassim Taleb compared bitcoin to a disease, called it a speculative bubble, and warned it was worthless. Here are his 8 best tweets about the crypto.
- JPMorgan says ethereum is losing ground to rivals in the NFT market, which could boost the likes of solana
- 10 things before the opening bell
- Chamath Palihapitiya says 'human rights matter' but stops short of apologizing after saying he doesn't care about the Uyghurs
- Laura Ingraham clapped in celebration while reporting that Gen. Milley, a hate figure for Trump fans, has COVID-19
- 10 things in tech you need to know today
- The family of an Amazon driver killed in a tornado warehouse collapse is suing the company
- Dow futures plunge as bond yields shoot higher, while oil hits a 7-year high
- Elon Musk says social media accounts that track his travel movements are becoming a 'security issue'
- Tech giant Tencent is limiting kids' access to its gaming platform and only allowing them 14 hours of play during China's 4-week school break
- Israeli vaccine study finds people still catching Omicron after 4 doses
- Labour calls for attorney general to tell ministers and officials not to delete photos or texts from lockdown parties
- Minister admits 'party' took place after Boris Johnson's former aide rejects PM's claim it was work event
- The world's largest iPhone factory is offering $1,500 signing bonuses ? more than a month's salary ? to lure workers amid China's Omicron lockdowns
- 10 major airlines have signed a letter warning of massive flight disruptions and supply-chain chaos as AT&T and Verizon plan to roll out 5G services
- The Enigma ? a 555-carat black gem and the largest diamond ever auctioned ? can be purchased with cryptocurrency
- China's claim of a Beijing man getting infected with Omicron through Canadian mail is 'extraordinary,' Canada's health minister says
Mashable
- 10 best classic movies on Netflix for a trip down memory lane
- Peloton is hiking up prices, blaming inflation
- Stephen Colbert explains dating trends like outercourse, wanderlove, and untyping
- These beginner-friendly Python courses are available for free with Udemy
- Save 66% on this live and on-demand yoga class subscription
- Get 5 cybersecurity certification prep courses for £50
- Access American Netflix with a discounted subscription to PureVPN
- 'Moon Knight' first trailer sees Oscar Isaac embrace the chaos
- Kids are throwing tantrums over Google Assistant's new white noise
- 'Our dearest apologies': 'Yellowjackets' showrunner answers our many, many finale questions
- Bernice King calls out #MLKDay virtue signaling, while real activists march on D.C.
- Joss Whedon responds to 'Justice League' cast allegations
- Google Easter egg pays tribute to the late Betty White
- The UK is piloting a four-day work week
- The best Valentine's Day gift ideas for your husband
- 'Sekiro' speedrunner finishes the game in 2 hours while blindfolded
- Get two WiFi boosters for 30% off and enjoy elite WiFi at home
- Get this massage gun on sale for $129 off
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- Apple CarKey is reportedly coming to more cars soon
- New Safari bug can expose Apple users' browser history and Google account details
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- Why MSI's Business Solutions Will Improve Your Office
- Time to process our 'Yellowjackets' finale emotions
- Sex workers are being booted off the 'link in bio' platform, Linktree
- Spotify faces calls for a misinfo policy as an open letter exposes Joe Rogan's COVID lies
- Creator of a years-old app called Wordle will donate proceeds from its newfound popularity
- Beware the QR code scams
- Will Forte, MacGruber himself, will return to 'Saturday Night Live' as a first-time host
- Social media-savvy mom explains the setup for an awesome 'hands-free' TiKTok hack
- Eric Adams despairs at NYC's 'swagless existence' on 'Saturday Night Live'
- Rocco hilariously upstages Elmo yet again on 'SNL' Weekend Update
- 'SNL' one-ups Peacock's 'Fresh Prince' reboot with a pitch for a gritty, gun-toting 'Urkel'
- Joe Biden commands the nation to 'stop seeing Spider-Man' in an absolutely unhinged 'SNL' cold open
- Look at your webcam, not your monitor during Zoom calls and livestreams if you don't want to appear shady
- China landed on the moon and found water in dirt and rocks
- Who gets called a 'tech worker' is the big question for 2022
- This sewing table is great for small spaces, and it's on sale
- This cybersecurity course bundle is on sale for only $40
- Is something bothering your pet? Find out with this hair sample test.
- Grab a ring light for 70% off and enhance every video call
- Get a refurbished MacBook Air for less than $400
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- The best Squarespace templates for interior designers
- An otherworldly teaser for 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' swaps David Bowie for Chiwetel Ejiofor
- 10 TV casts we'd like to see survive the wilderness, 'Yellowjackets'-style
- This weird-looking distant planet is a one-of-a-kind mystery ? for now
- Jaw-dropping satellite imagery captures the explosive volcano eruption near Tonga
- DirecTV will drop Trump's favored news source, One America News Network
- Meta is being investigated for alleged Oculus anti-trust violations
- The 11 best and funniest tweets of week
- 'Pixel Notepad' might be the name of Google's rumored foldable device
- Bradley Cooper got real serious with Colbert's piercing questions about music, smells, and pets
- Samsung's Galaxy S21 FE really is for fans only
- 5 easy ways to start practicing mindfulness now
- Many of the Webb telescope?s greatest discoveries won't come from any amazing pictures
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- 25 post-holiday deals to brighten your winter
- The Nutribullet food processor will become your new favorite sous-chef
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- Best record players for lovers of vinyl
- The viral TikTok air fryer recipe for homemade hot pockets is delicious
- 14 of the best movies streaming on Paramount+
- Netflix prices go up again
- 10 best action movies on Hulu to kick up your adrenaline
- Why 'Station Eleven' was the last great end of the world story
- Shudder's 'Hellbender' trailer serves up scares (and worms)
- It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a...flying yacht? ? Future Blink
- The highest-paid female YouTuber is a 7-year-old who earned $28 million in 2021
- Google Maps discovery will take you on a journey to a very nostalgic place on the internet
- Save $53 on an aesthetically pleasing air purifier at Walmart
- Box your way through 2022 with a FightCamp system on sale
- Apple's new AirPods 3 are back on sale at their lowest price ever
- Netflix's 'Inventing Anna' trailer captures real-life intrigue
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- TikTok enrolls in 'Euphoria' High
- Everything you need to know before watching 'Peacemaker'
- Jordan Klepper has a tense confrontation with Matt Gaetz on Jan. 6 anniversary
- The best sexting apps for NSFW exchanges
- HBO Max's 'Landscapers' makes theatre out of true crime
- 'Scream' can't live up to 'Scream'
- The best Valentine's Day gifts for her
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- New year, new kitchen gear: Save big with this sale
- Tesla delays Cybertruck production to early 2023, report claims
- You can now only buy some Tesla merch with Dogecoin
- Get 86% off and 3 months for free with ZenMate VPN's best New Year deal