Uber is launching the ability to tip in its app in 121 cities in North America Thursday. Previously it was being tested in Seattle, Minneapolis and Houston. Tips can be left up to 30 days after a trip. (Source)
The Nintendo Switch app is set to launch July 21, the same day as Splatoon 2. The app will provide private lobbies, voice chat, stat tracking and more for Splatoon 2. More features will come in 2018 along with the Switch’s $20 a year online service. (Source)
Symantec will acquire Fireglass, a Tel Aviv-based company that specializes in browser isolation. This allows corporate users to view any website without risking the rest of the network. (Source)
Motorola sent out invites to the press for an event in New York City on July 25th. The invite read “You won’t want to miss this” and an animated GIF of a rainbow colored hallway. It possibly will introduce the Moto X4 phone. (Source)
Top Stories
Microsoft confirmed it plans to cut thousands of jobs as part of a reorganization. CNBC reports the number at about 3,000 jobs, that’s about 10% of the workforce, though Microsoft will not confirm the number. Microsoft’s last major reorganization took place a year ago after former Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner left the company. Microsoft’s cloud and server businesses have been fueling revenue recently, with server products and cloud services revenue up 15 percent and Azure revenue itself growing by 93 percent in the recent quarter. (Source)
HMD Global, which makes phones under the Nokia brand, said Thursday it has partnered with Zeiss to design lenses, hardware connections and image software for phones. (Source)
Google launched a new app called Blocks for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, that lets users create 3D objects. Imagine Tilt Brush for 3D. The app makes it easy to create simple polygonal objects and export them into AR and VR apps if they want. (Source)
The Verge has sources that say Facebook is working on a group video chat app called Bonfire that looks similar to the app Houseparty. The creators of Meerkat make Houseparty and as of November last year had 1.2 million users. (Source)
Researchers at Stanford and MIT have built a prototype chip made of sheets of 2-D graphene formed into nanocylinders with Resistive RAM or RRAM layered over it. The 3D nanoelectronic system combined processor, RAM and sensors in one chip. Using silicon would not allow the interleaving of memory and processing, as the high temperatures required for silicon would damge lower layers as the new ones are added. The result can be denser, faster and more power-efficient than existing tech like DRAM. Plus it’s CMOS compatible. Fabrication and design can happen on existing infrastructure built for silicon. There is no word on commercialization yet. (Source)
Discussion Story
The Wall Street Journal reports Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Dish’s Charlie Ergen have “discussed a partnership to enter the wireless business.” The sources say the two have discussed an Internet of Things network powered by Dish and connectivity plans sold through Amazon Prime. An acquisition of Dish is considered highly unlikely. (Source)
Amazon and Dish were rumored to be in talks back in May as well. Dish has to use its spectrum by 2020 or face losing some rights to it. (Source)
Message of the Day
Today I listened to your discussion of the Echo and wanted to point out that over time it has become a bit less discerning in its interpretation of my instructions. I’ve had one since the Beta days and I have many in my house. I am a huge fan, even though outside of shopping I tend to spend more time in the Google ecosystem. I believe that as they’ve added features (I think I read that there are now 15k skills available) they’re crowding the headspace inside Alexa’s cognitive functions, and with so many possible outcomes, a misinterpretation is more likely. It’s frustrating that while I could once just say “Play W A M U” (local NPR station) It now has to be “Play W A M U from Tune-in” or risk getting some rando I Heart Radio station instead. I keep providing feedback, but I don’t see it getting better. I still may give the new video product a go, though the one to tell you you’ve dressed like a fool is a bit much IMHO.OK, there was one more but now I don’t recall what it was. Keep up the great work.Thanks!Rob from Damascus (MD)