Samsung may launch flagship phone early to grab Huawei share: Sources

Samsung may launch its flagship Galaxy S smartphones more than a month earlier than expected in a bid to grab market share from Huawei and fend off competition from Apple, sources say. Samsung, which lost its No.1 position to Huawei in the second quarter, regained the crown in the third thanks in part to the US restrictions on Huawei. https://ift.tt/359avK6

Clash of consoles: New PlayStation and Xbox enter $150 billion games arena

Sony, whose PlayStation 5 (PS5) takes on Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Series S, is widely viewed as being in pole position to capitalise on a pandemic-driven boom in consumer spending that has buoyed the $150 billion video game industry. https://ift.tt/3kbsIet

Virgin Hyperloop hosts first human ride on new transport system

Richard Branson's Virgin Hyperloop has completed the world's first passenger ride on a super high-speed levitating pod system, the company said on Sunday, a key safety test for technology it hopes will transform human and cargo transportation. https://ift.tt/3eIP3iu

Why Kamala Harris may be good news for big tech

As the world watches efforts to rein in the biggest tech firms -- including antitrust probes in the US and the EU amid calls to break up the Big Tech -- the arrival of Kamala Harris as the next US Vice President is a blessing for the famous FAANG (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google) family. https://ift.tt/36jdWgQ

Foxconn hitches bumpy ride with electric vehicles

Broadly speaking, contract-manufacturing for electronics is a low-value business: Foxconn's net profit margin has been shrinking for years, to nearly 2%. https://ift.tt/359CYzp

Yahoo Mail to stop automatic email forwarding for free users

Yahoo Mail will discontinue automatic email forwarding for free users from January 1 next year, in order to reduce hacking attempts. https://ift.tt/3pa5XLE

Donald Trump Will Lose Special Twitter Protections in January

US President Donald Trump will lose the special status granted to him on Twitter when President-elect Joe Biden takes office on January 20, the social media company confirmed this week. https://ift.tt/3596Z2w

Samsung May Launch Galaxy S21 Early to Grab Huawei Share: Sources

Samsung may launch its flagship Galaxy S smartphones more than a month earlier than expected in a bid to grab market share from Huawei and fend off competition from Apple, three sources familiar with... https://ift.tt/3kdlnuX

Q&A with iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens about the new Massachusetts car repair ballot measure, parallels with the right to repair battle with Apple, and more (David Pierce/Protocol)

David Pierce / Protocol:
Q&A with iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens about the new Massachusetts car repair ballot measure, parallels with the right to repair battle with Apple, and more  —  A lot of races in the 2020 election were close, but one important one wasn't: Question 1 in Massachusetts, which “allows car owners …

Disappearing messages come to WhatsApp: How it compares with similar features of Telegram, Signal and Snapchat

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Meet the Female Founders Who Made It to 2020's Apple Entrepreneur Camp

The founders of Mamma-Miya and Transplant Care were a part of this year's (virtual) session of Apple Entrepreneur Camp. The camp aims to empower the groups underrepresented in the industry. They... https://ift.tt/3eDk3jP

How to send disappearing photos and videos on Instagram

Instagram automatically deletes the media file shared by someone as disappearing. Once the receiver opens the disappearing photo or video, it will no longer be visible in their inbox unless the sender has enabled the replay feature for the message. https://ift.tt/2U5jfun

​Amazon sale: Up to 55% discount on washing machines, refrigerators and ACs

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Germany-based challenger bank Vivid Money, which lets customers create sub-accounts called pockets with their own IBAN numbers, raises $17.6M Series A (Romain Dillet/TechCrunch)

Romain Dillet / TechCrunch:
Germany-based challenger bank Vivid Money, which lets customers create sub-accounts called pockets with their own IBAN numbers, raises $17.6M Series A  —  German fintech startup Vivid Money has raised a $17.6 million Series A funding round (€15 million).  Ribbit Capital is leading the investment.

Original Content podcast: ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ is the historical chess drama we need right now

On paper, “The Queen’s Gambit” might not sound like a compelling drama: Based on a novel by Walter Tevis, the Netflix series tells the story of Beth Harmon as she rises through the world of competitive chess, eventually taking on the world champion from the Soviet Union.

But on the latest episode of the Original Content podcast, your hosts are unanimous in their love for the series. We talk a bit about some of the flaws (a setup-heavy first episode, the unsatisfying treatment of Beth’s friend Jolene), but for the most part, we’re happy to spend our time praising the show.

Some of that has to do with the period setting — “The Queen’s Gambit” traces Beth’s life through the 1950s and ’60s, with some delightfully retro sets and costumes, along with a clear-eyed approach towards the condescension and sexism that Beth faces in her early matches.

At the same time, it’s Beth (played by Anya Taylor-Joy) who pulls you through all eight episodes as they depict her complex relationship with her foster mother, her struggles with substance abuse and her friendships with other chess players. While Beth has a handful traits you’ll recognize from other difficult geniuses portrayed on-screen, she’s ultimately too complex to boil down to a single idea or logline.

And while you don’t need to know much about chess to enjoy “The Queen’s Gambit,” the show’s focus on character and personality allows it to depict competitive chess in a way that is, in fact, thrilling.

You can listen to our review in the player below, subscribe using Apple Podcasts or find us in your podcast player of choice. If you like the show, please let us know by leaving a review on Apple. You can also follow us on Twitter or send us feedback directly. (Or suggest shows and movies for us to review!)

f you’d like to skip ahead, here’s how the episode breaks down:
0:00 Intro
4:28 “The Queen’s Gambit” review
34:11 “The Queen’s Gambit” spoiler discussion