Tuesday, April 20, 2021

EU to examine Illumina's $7.1 billion acquisition of Grail

EU antitrust regulators will examine Illumina Inc's proposed $7.1 billion acquisition of cancer test maker Grail Inc, the European Commission said on Tuesday, following a request from six countries on competition concerns. https://ift.tt/3dxgVqK

Sources: UiPath priced its IPO at $56 per share, above its target range, raising $1.3B and giving it a $29B valuation (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg:
Sources: UiPath priced its IPO at $56 per share, above its target range, raising $1.3B and giving it a $29B valuation  —  UiPath Inc., an automation software maker, and its shareholders raised more $1.3 billion in an initial public offering, pricing the shares above a marketed range, according to people familiar with the matter.



Monday, April 19, 2021

Google, Apple executives to testify in app store hearing on Wednesday

The four tech giants -- Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google -- have come under tough scrutiny for more than a year because of such varied concerns as privacy breaches, allegations of hate speech and stifling conservative voices and violations of antitrust law. https://ift.tt/3v8Tvht

US banks deploy AI to monitor customers, workers amid tech backlash

City National will begin facial recognition trials early next year to identify customers at teller machines and employees at branches, aiming to replace clunky and less secure authentication measures at its 31 sites, Dominguez said. https://ift.tt/32sj00X

IBM quarterly sales growth highest in over two years on cloud strength

Sales from IBM's cloud computing services jumped 21% to $6.5 billion in the quarter. The 109-year-old firm is preparing to split itself into two public companies, with the namesake firm narrowing its focus on the so-called hybrid cloud, where it sees a $1 trillion market opportunity. https://ift.tt/3dCvIRb

Facebook takes on Clubhouse, unveils upcoming audio products

Facebook Inc CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company planned to launch several audio products, including Clubhouse-style live audio rooms and a way for users to find and play podcasts. https://ift.tt/3ao4ATV

Microsoft to test Xbox cloud gaming on PCs, Apple mobile devices

The feature will enable users to play over 100 Xbox Game Pass titles on Microsoft's Edge, Google's Chrome, or Apple's Safari internet browsers on their devices instead of using a video game console, easing access to gaming irrespective of location and device. https://ift.tt/3syG88D

Parler to Be Brought Back to App Store by Apple Following Ban

Apple will bring social media app Parler, favoured by US conservatives, back to its App Store after the iPhone maker pulled it following the deadly January 6 US Capitol riot, according to a letter... https://ift.tt/32xzHrL

Facebook Takes on Clubhouse, to Begin Testing Live Audio Rooms

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company planned to launch several audio products, including Clubhouse-style live audio rooms and a way for users to find and play podcasts. https://ift.tt/3akxSmj

Boston-based HqO, which offers a SaaS platform to connect office buildings' tenant-facing tech and amenities, raises $60M Series C (E.B. Solomont/The Real Deal New York)

E.B. Solomont / The Real Deal New York:
Boston-based HqO, which offers a SaaS platform to connect office buildings' tenant-facing tech and amenities, raises $60M Series C  —  Cushman & Wakefield, JLL among investors … Commercial real estate firms Cushman & Wakefield, JLL and DivcoWest are betting on a “tenant experience” startup to help get workers back to their offices.



Moto G40 and G60 with up to 108MP camera to launch in India today at 12pm

Moto G40 and Moto G60 are listed on e-commerce site Flipkart, hinting at their availability via the e-tailer’s site. The smartphones will be equipped with 6,000mAh batteries. It will run on Android 11 Stock operating system. https://ift.tt/3api0Pz

Apex Legends going mobile, beta testing to start this month in India and Philippines

Initially, the beta testing will be available to a select few thousand players in India and Philippines. The publisher says that eventually, the game will roll out for other regions in coming years. https://ift.tt/3v23pkO

Oppo A74 5G phone to launch in India today: Expected specs and price

Oppo A74 5G is set to launch in India today. The smartphone will be announced at 12pm. The handset is said to be Oppo’s cheapest offering and is rumoured to be priced under Rs 20,000. https://ift.tt/3n0ycvH

Oppo A54 to go on sale in India today at 12pm via Flipkart

Oppo A54 is set to go on its first sale today. The smartphone will be available on e-commerce site Flipkart at 12pm. The handset has a 6.5-inch HD+ screen having 1600x720p resolution and is powered by MediaTek Helio P35 processor. https://ift.tt/32rc7wG

Amazon app quiz April 20, 2021: Get answers to these questions and win Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro for free

Results of today’s quiz will be announced on April 21. https://ift.tt/3dxuMNA

Russian cryptocurrency payment network A7 expands to Africa, as Moscow builds an alternative payments system amid western sanctions after its Ukraine invasion (Financial Times)

Financial Times : Russian cryptocurrency payment network A7 expands to Africa, as Moscow builds an alternative payments system amid weste...