Top Videos
Gucci made its own horrifying custom ‘Year of the Dog’ Animoji
The pair of Animoji dogs are based on Gucci Creative Director Alessandro Michele’s own Boston terriers, Bosco and Orso.
The beloved Nokia 3310 throwback phone finally gets 4G
This version, with its faster internet connection, arrives in February for one market.
Top News
1
Samsung confirms production of cryptocurrency mining chips | ZDNet
Gamers may be frustrated, but the demand for graphics and ASIC chips capable of supporting mining rigs used to mine cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin -- in the days when it was financially viable for average consumers to do so -- Ethereum, and others, also represents an opportunity for manufacturers.
2
Reg Saddler on Twitter
Google Says It Used #AI to Help Block 700K Bad Apps on the Play Store http://j.mp/2EsiS4E #MAchineLearning pic.twitter.com/F3ikVov2Lu
3
Microsoft modestly beats Wall Street expectations on earnings, stock goes nowhere
Microsoft reported its quarterly earnings on Wednesday after the bell, showing a clean, but modest, beat on the top and bottom lines. It also announced a one-time charge of $13.8 billion related to the newly-passed tax bill.
4
Microsoft takes $13.8 billion charge from tax bill
Microsoft did not specify whether the charge was due to a new repatriation tax. The tax bill requires companies to pay a one-time 15.5% tax on money held overseas, down from the maximum of 35% they would previously paid to return the money. Firms can no longer avoid paying taxes on past international profits by keeping the money outside the U.S.
5
SpaceX successfully launches GovSat-1 on a flight proven Falcon 9
SpaceX has launched a Falcon 9 rocket loaded with a geocommunications satellite commissioned by the Government of Luxembourg. The satellite, created by Orbital STK and to be operated by SES, will support humanitarian and military operations for Luxembourg, among other communications functions.
6
Forbes Tech News on Twitter
Facebook shares fall after people spend 50 million hours less per day on the social network: http://on.forbes.com/6012D3xpE pic.twitter.com/KEdC1HWhg3
7
Facebook says its users are spending 50 million fewer hours a day on the platform
The company was able to drive such standout results in part by boosting the average revenue it saw for each user. Average revenue per user was up across each of the major geographic areas in which the company operates, but rose sharply in the United States and Canada. There, average revenue per user was up 35% from the fourth quarter of 2016 to $26.76.
8
Facebook Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2017 Results
"2017 was a strong year for Facebook , but it was also a hard one," said Mark Zuckerberg , Facebook founder and CEO. "In 2018, we're focused on making sure Facebook isn't just fun to use, but also good for people's well-being and for society. We're doing this by encouraging meaningful connections between people rather than passive consumption of content. Already last quarter, we made changes to show fewer viral videos to make sure people's time is well spent. In total, we made changes that reduced time spent on Facebook by roughly 50 million hours every day. By focusing on meaningful connections, our community and business will be stronger over the long term."
9
US appeals court says Tinder Plus pricing is discriminatory
Tinder co-founder Sean Rad said, "Our intent is to provide a discount for our younger users", and while a lower court agreed with him, a California appeals court reversed the decision in a lengthy statement that suggested "some older consumers will be 'more budget constrained' and less willing to pay". Then, in a "how do you do, fellow kids?" move, the court concluded its opinion on the previous ruling with "Accordingly, we swipe left, and reverse". It's not yet clear how this judgement will affect pricing in the future -- we've reached out to Tinder for comment.
10
U.S. public health chief quits over financial conflicts
(Reuters) - The head of the leading U.S. public health agency has resigned because of financial conflicts of interest that documents showed included purchases of tobacco and healthcare stocks while in office.
11
NFL's new secret weapon for training world-class athletes: Smart beds
Through the program, each NFL player will get a voucher from Sleep Number that they can take into their local Sleep Number retail location and order a 360 Smart Bed. So, it's an opt-in program. The players will learn how to read the SleepIQ data on the Sleep Number app on their iPhone or Android phone, and then they'll have the option of sharing the data with their trainer and the team to help optimize their training regimen. The goal of the program is to get nearly every NFL player in a Sleep Number bed before the 2018 season begins this fall.
12
NVIDIA brings its fastest GPU accelerator to IBM Cloud to boost AI, HPC workloads
"Whether they are accelerating drug discovery or creating virtual personal assistants that converse naturally, data scientists are using our GPU computing platform in the cloud to solve complex problems that were once considered unsolvable," Ian Buck, vice president and general manager of accelerated computing at NVIDIA, wrote in the post. "The new IBM Cloud offerings based on our Volta technology provide incredible processing speeds and the ability to scale up or down on demand for HPC and deep learning."
13
USA TODAY Tech on Twitter
Amazon's Alexa has a new voice, Jeff Bezos reveals in Super Bowl ad https://usat.ly/2Ev0ZCk pic.twitter.com/yscBPVkuAQ
14
Your Amazon Echo can now send text messages for you — here's how to do it
All you have to do is say, "Alexa, send a message." Alexa will then either send your message as a regular text, or over Alexa messaging (if it's to another Alexa-enabled device). The new feature works using any Alexa device, like the Echo Dot or Echo Show, but it only users with Android phones will be able to enable text messaging — at least for now.
15
Microsoft’s cloud bet continues to pay off in latest earnings
Overall server and cloud services revenue grew 18 percent year-over-year, alongside the massive 98 percent jump in Azure revenue. It’s clear Microsoft’s future growth and revenue opportunities are with the cloud, so it’s no surprise to see the company continually investing there to be competitive with Amazon. Microsoft’s Office 365 subscription bet for consumers is also paying off. 29.2 million people are now using Office 365 on the consumer side, with revenue increasing 12 percent year-over-year for Office consumer and cloud. On the commercial side, Office revenue is also up at a 10 percent increase since the same period last year
16
Lifehacker on Twitter
Why your credit score may not be as good as you think it is http://lifehac.kr/83POMek pic.twitter.com/6NCcDZjGAL
17
Spotify tests new, Pandora-like app called Stations
The Stations app will let you just start listening without needing to make any tough choices. So far, the app has been downloaded by fewer than 100 people, so it's definitely rolling out quietly. It's possibly restricted to certain Android phones too, as I can't download it to my Google Pixel . We'll update this story if we hear what specific regions and devices the app will work with.
18
Gizmodo on Twitter
Not on Twitter? Sign up, tune into the things you care about, and get updates as they happen.
19
Facebook bans all ads for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies over scam fears
Facebook notes that this policy is ‘intentionally broad’ to play things safe-rather-than-sorry for the moment, while the site works to refine its detection of such scam adverts. That may change in the future though, as Facebook says: “We will revisit this policy and how we enforce it as our signals improve.”
20
Amazon patent details hand-tracking wristbands for warehouse workers
The patents, originally filed in 2016, may likely never see the light of day. As Gizomodo points out, the wristband system has three parts, with an ultrasonic unit for the wrist, various ultrasonic devices placed around the work area and a module to manage all that data. The patent also points to a haptic feedback module, which could buzz employees for various reasons, including notifying them of breaks or to help them find items in the warehouse, Apple Watch navigation-style.
21
“Corporate” Is the Funniest Eulogy For Capitalism You Will Ever See
As much as the show lampoons corporations and the people who help them thrive and the people who fight against them, the creators accept their place within it all. In one episode, Weisman’s character memorably laments, “You spend years fighting corporations and then you realize, ‘I love southwestern egg rolls.'” The meta-textual kicker to that joke is that it’s actual product placement for Chili’s, which offers the above fried appetizer with avocado-ranch dipping sauce. Viacom is an enormous company and its shows are paid for in part with corporate tie-ins. Just because one of its shows happens to be about how corporations are terrible does not exempt it from that reality.
23
USA TODAY Tech on Twitter
Mark Zuckerberg: People are spending 50 million fewer hours on Facebook a day https://usat.ly/2Eu9z4a pic.twitter.com/HYwQIuCqIz
24
Diablo Creator Unveils New Game It Lurks Below - IGN
Brevik's new game, It Lurks Below, mixes elements of Diablo, Terraria, and Minecraft and launches on Steam later this year. The game will feature an indie/retro aesthetic, and those interested in a closer look at the game can tune in to the game's first streaming event this Friday.
25
LibreOffice, the best office suite, gets even better with LibreOffice 6.0 | ZDNet
That said, LibreOffice's parent organization, The Document Foundation , would like to remind you that "LibreOffice 6.0 represents the bleeding edge in term of features for open-source office suites, and as such is targeted at technology enthusiasts, early adopters, and power users. For enterprise class deployments, The Document Foundation maintains the more mature 5.4 family -- now at 5.4.4 "
26
Super blue blood moon photos show that it lived up to the hype
The event combined a super moon (when the moon is at its closest point to Earth), a blue moon (the second full moon of the month), and a blood moon (a total lunar eclipse) for a wondrous astronomical event visible to over half the globe, especially for those on the U.S. West Coast and in Australia, Northern Russia, Eastern Asia, and the Middle East.
27
Amazon Alexa adds ability to send SMS messages by voice | ZDNet
By registering you become a member of the CBS Interactive family of sites and you have read and agree to the Terms of Use , Privacy Policy and Video Services Policy . You agree to receive updates, alerts and promotions from CBS and that CBS may share information about you with our marketing partners so that they may contact you by email or otherwise about their products or services.
You will also receive a complimentary subscription to the ZDNet's Tech Update Today and ZDNet Announcement newsletters. You may unsubscribe from these newsletters at any time.
28
Brenda Fitzgerald is out at the CDC after buying tobacco stock
Brenda Fitzgerald, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bought tobacco stock after she took over the agency’s top job, according to documents obtained by Politico . Yes, the Trump administration’s top public health official bought shares in a tobacco company , despite the fact that her job is to reduce tobacco use.
29
Appeals Court Deems Tinder Plus Pricing Ageist, Illegal
Plaintiff Allan Candelore filed suit against the company for age discrimination, alleging its Tinder Plus pricing violates California's Unruh Civil Rights Act and Unfair Competition Law. A lower court ruled that Tinder's age-based Plus pricing did not constitute discrimination, since it was based on market research showing that younger users are more cash-strapped than older users.
30
How to Start a Successful Amazon Business With a Proven Step-by-Step System [Last Chance]
If starting a business to generate secondary income and get financial freedom has been one of your goals, but you haven’t got started yet because you don’t know how to go about it, then I’ve some great news for you to take action and change your life forever.
31
Why a Muji catalog is causing diplomatic friction between China and Japan
The Chinese government is mad at everyone’s favorite Japanese design store, Muji, and not because its body fit cushions are out of stock.
32
'SEX Club' spam just took over Strava
This would suggest that the message didn't originate from a legit exercise group, and that the spam bots so familiar to Twitter users have made their way over to our exercise apps. It was only a matter of time, I guess.
33
Apple tells U.S. government it isn't slowing old iPhones to get people to buy new ones
"We sought to further improve the customer experience in December by announcing a significant discount on replacement batteries for certain iPhones. We also announced that we began developing a new iOS feature to show battery health and which would recommend when the user should consider replacing their battery. These actions were taken to further assist our customers and help extend the life of their iPhones. In addition, users will be able to see if the power management feature is being used to prevent unexpected shutdowns, and turn if off if they so choose. These features will be included in a developer release next month and a user release this Spring."
34
Michelle Obama gave one little girl's third grade project an A+
Twitter user Audrey Dow ( @ADCollegeOpp ) shared a picture of her 9-year-old daughter dressed as her hero former First Lady Michelle Obama for a school project. Dow says her daughter was inspired by the former First Lady's commitment to helping students go to college, and that she sees herself in her hero.
35
An ode to the delightfully unhinged Lisa Frank Facebook page
But nowhere is this effort more apparent than on Facebook, where every Lisa Frank post is the bizarro version of a phrase you'd see printed on a mug abandoned in your office kitchen: "If I won the award for laziness, I would send somebody to pick it up for me"; "COFFEE is the most important meal of the day!"
36
Gizmodo on Twitter
How could they have made them in India when they hadn't even left Africa yet? Are you implying that there was another spies of humans that had evolved and went extinct, outside of Africa?
37
Why Samsung Is Hell-Bent on Making Bixby Happen
Samsung is the world's biggest chipmaker, but it doesn't control its smartphone destiny. For a decade, it's been dependent on Google for its OS. Its phone performance has often dragged as a result, because differentiating Samsung features (its "skin") have sat too heavily on Google's base layer. And it hasn't been able to create the sort of cross-Samsung convergence that it's wanted to do, in part because everything has to be laid on top of not only Android, but Google's services layer.
38
MIT Tech Review on Twitter
An influential scientist involved in gene therapy’s biggest setback, the death of a study volunteer 19 years ago, has issued a surprise warning over the dangers of the gene-replacement technique. https://trib.al/tT7VlTs
39
Gizmodo on Twitter
Apparently drowsy Samsung files trademark for social network called 'Uhssup'
http://gizmo.do/j0GDQsd pic.twitter.com/fgOQXoKFc2
40
Arbitrary code execution through unsanitized browser UI
Mozilla developer Johann Hofmann reported that
unsanitized output in the browser UI can lead to arbitrary code execution.
41
Apple works to bring iPad apps to Mac in 2018
Apple’s primary focus for its software updates this year is on improving performance and stability. But there’s a big new feature that the company is still working to bring to macOS, according to a new report. That’s the ability to run iPad apps.
42
USA TODAY Tech on Twitter
Super blue blood moon eclipse is super cool https://usat.ly/2ntFzx3 pic.twitter.com/tV2d5TVOEb
43
Apple's iPhone X innovation risks pay off with higher customer satisfaction
Nearly two-thirds of iPhone X owners would highly recommend the model to others, with another 26% somewhat recommending it. High consumer satisfaction ratings may mean that Apple's risks paid off, and may lead the Cupertino giant to return to its formerly high pace of innovation with its future models.
44
Dorky dad posed with hilarious CNN headline and made his son take this classic pic
Reddit user charmik12 uploaded the magical photo of his dad posing with a thumbs up in front of a headline that reads "Breaking News: Trump Leaving White House." Other Reddit users, despite political differences, couldn't help but admire this classic move. Dad jokes are universal after all.
45
Windows will delete software that scares users into paying for upgrades
Microsoft is targeting free programs that claim to scan computers and then try to frighten users with messages that they need a paid upgrade to fix a problem with their PC.
46
Gizmodo on Twitter
This two-month timelapse gives you a free front row seat on a Mediterranean cruise http://gizmo.do/YLKTFIC pic.twitter.com/oCk3D4cqXb
47
How to install LibreOffice 6 on Linux
I have found LibreOffice to be an invaluable tool for my daily grind, so when a new release is available, I immediately download and install. Most often this is fairly straightforward—at least for those with enough Linux experience to make it happen. For new users, getting the latest release of LibreOffice can be a real hair puller, unless you're using a distribution that offers bleeding edge software. Because it takes considerable time before the latest release of LibreOffice to reach the standard repositories, I wanted to walk you through the process of installing the latest version on Linux. It's only slightly challenging, but knowing the necessary commands to make it happen will ease away that challenge.
48
Michelle Obama explains her painfully awkward reaction to Melania Trump's gift
"Well, there’s all this protocol. I mean, this is like a state visit, so they tell you that you’re going to do this, they’re going to stand here. Never before do you get this gift, so I’m sort of like okay. What am I supposed to do with this gift?" Michelle asked herself.
49
GDC retracts award for Atari founder amid online outcry
Bushnell earned his place in gaming history for founding Atari (and later, the company that would become Chuck E. Cheese's). But books and profiles written in years and decades past have shown a pattern of sexual objectifying and harassment in Atari's workplace. In the wake of last year's reckoning of sexual harassment claims for celebrities and businessmen, this reframes Bushnell's contribution as helping propagate a boy's club norm that the gaming industry still hasn't shaken off.
50
How to extract text from a PDF or image in Google Drive
Sure you can purchase software that will allow you to do just that, but if you're a Google Drive user, you already have that ability at your fingertips. That's right, Google Docs does a pretty impressive job of converting PDF documents to regular Google Docs. It's not perfect—it's more an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for PDFs and images—but if you're looking for a means to get to that precious text, this is a handy way to do just that.