WhatsApp releases Channel alerts in Android beta, may soon bring reply feature

WhatsApp is reportedly working on a new feature that will allow users to reply to channel updates. The feature was discovered in the 2.23.20.6 update for beta users on Android. It will include a reply indicator and added privacy to protect users' phone numbers. This feature will enhance channel conversations and provide users with a way to actively participate and share their thoughts and opinions. https://ift.tt/OA8aS3x

How to use NameDrop on iPhone

With the release of iOS 17, iPhone users can now use a new feature called NameDrop to easily share contacts and other files. To use NameDrop, both devices need to be running iOS 17 and the feature is only available on iPhone XS and newer models. Users can turn on NameDrop by going to Settings, General, and AirDrop. To share contacts, simply bring the iPhones close together and a connection will be established. For sharing photos, videos, and files, users can select the file and choose AirDrop. Both devices should have AirDrop turned on and set to Contacts. https://ift.tt/0xtUfWb

Amazon plans to introduce limited ads in Prime Video in the US, the UK, Germany, and Canada early in 2024; ad-free tier will cost $2.99/month extra in the US (Jake Rudnitsky/Bloomberg)

Jake Rudnitsky / Bloomberg:
Amazon plans to introduce limited ads in Prime Video in the US, the UK, Germany, and Canada early in 2024; ad-free tier will cost $2.99/month extra in the US  —  Prime will also include an ad-free option for an additional $2.99 per month in the US, while pricing in other countries will be published later …

EU regulators fine Intel €376.36M over "a previously established abuse of dominant position", after an EU court overturned a €1.06B fine in January 2022 (Stephanie Bodoni/Bloomberg)

Stephanie Bodoni / Bloomberg:
EU regulators fine Intel €376.36M over “a previously established abuse of dominant position”, after an EU court overturned a €1.06B fine in January 2022  —  - Fine follows ruling by court upholding part of EU's case  — EU initially fined Intel a then-record penalty in 2009

Tecno Phantom V Flip vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: How the two flip phones compare

Tecno has introduced its latest foldable smartphone, the Tecno Phantom V Flip. It features a clamshell design, MediaTek Dimensity chipset, and a 4,000 mAh battery. The phone has a circular external display, leather finish back panel, and a 64MP dual rear camera. It runs on Android 13 and comes with fast charging support. https://ift.tt/A5p4xUn

Coalition: ransomware victims reported an average $365K+ loss in H1 2023, up from $227K+ in H2 2022; the average ransom demand was $1.62M, up 74% from 2022 (James Reddick/The Record)

James Reddick / The Record:
Coalition: ransomware victims reported an average $365K+ loss in H1 2023, up from $227K+ in H2 2022; the average ransom demand was $1.62M, up 74% from 2022  —  A cyber insurance firm reported a significant jump in the number of claims during the first half of the year, adding that damages caused by attacks has also increased.

Cisco plans to acquire cybersecurity company Splunk for $157 per share in cash, up 31% on Splunk's September 20 closing price, in a deal valued at ~$28B (Molly Schuetz/Bloomberg)

Molly Schuetz / Bloomberg:
Cisco plans to acquire cybersecurity company Splunk for $157 per share in cash, up 31% on Splunk's September 20 closing price, in a deal valued at ~$28B  —  Cisco will pay $157 a share in cash, the companies said in a statement Thursday.  That represents a 31% premium to Splunk's previous closing price on Wednesday.

Layer 2 blockchain Optimism sells 116M tokens worth $157M to seven buyers in a "private" sale, after airdropping 19.4M tokens to 31K+ users earlier this week (Oliver Knight/CoinDesk)

Oliver Knight / CoinDesk:
Layer 2 blockchain Optimism sells 116M tokens worth $157M to seven buyers in a “private” sale, after airdropping 19.4M tokens to 31K+ users earlier this week  —  The token sale was described as a “planned event.”  —  The foundation behind layer2 blockchain Optimism …

Source: Google has extensively discussed dropping Broadcom for AI chips as early as 2027 to design its own TPUs, aiming to save billions of dollars annually (Wayne Ma/The Information)

Wayne Ma / The Information:
Source: Google has extensively discussed dropping Broadcom for AI chips as early as 2027 to design its own TPUs, aiming to save billions of dollars annually  —  Google executives have extensively discussed dropping Broadcom as a supplier of artificial intelligence chips as early as 2027 …

Japanese chipmaking equipment maker Kokusai Electric plans to raise ~$750M in an IPO on October 25 in Tokyo at a ~$2.95B valuation, pricing shares at ~$12.78 (Reuters)

Reuters:
Japanese chipmaking equipment maker Kokusai Electric plans to raise ~$750M in an IPO on October 25 in Tokyo at a ~$2.95B valuation, pricing shares at ~$12.78  —  Chipmaking equipment maker Kokusai Electric said on Thursday it plans to list on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Oct. 25 …

Korean game publisher Krafton says Dead Space developer Striking Distance's CEO Glen Schofield, COO, and CFO are leaving, months after its new game flopped (Jason Schreier/Bloomberg)

Jason Schreier / Bloomberg:
Korean game publisher Krafton says Dead Space developer Striking Distance's CEO Glen Schofield, COO, and CFO are leaving, months after its new game flopped  —  Video-game developer Striking Distance Studios, a subsidiary of Korean publisher Krafton Inc., is appointing new management several months …

The Biden administration awards $238M via the Defense Department to set up eight chip research hubs, one of the earliest releases of the nearly $53B CHIPS Act (Ana Swanson/New York Times)

Ana Swanson / New York Times:
The Biden administration awards $238M via the Defense Department to set up eight chip research hubs, one of the earliest releases of the nearly $53B CHIPS Act  —  The $238 million in grants will set up eight research hubs, as a small slice of the federal money that will go to chip companies and research facilities in the coming months.

Amazon's Eero announces the Eero Max 7, its first router to support Wi-Fi 7, offering 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz and "up to 4.3 Gbps" wireless throughput, for $600+ (Wes Davis/The Verge)

Wes Davis / The Verge:
Amazon's Eero announces the Eero Max 7, its first router to support Wi-Fi 7, offering 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz and “up to 4.3 Gbps” wireless throughput, for $600+  —  Eero has announced a powerful new top-of-the-line router called the Eero Max 7.  It's Eero's first router to support …

Sources and analysis: four of the eight CPUs in the Kirin 9000S SoC use Arm designs and four use Huawei-modified Arm designs, HiSilicon made the GPU, and more (Qianer Liu/Financial Times)

Qianer Liu / Financial Times:
Sources and analysis: four of the eight CPUs in the Kirin 9000S SoC use Arm designs and four use Huawei-modified Arm designs, HiSilicon made the GPU, and more  —  Facing US sanctions, Chinese company emulates Apple by using its own designs in chips for Mate 60 Pro

Copenhagen-based Corti, which offers an AI chatbot for hospitals, raised $60M co-led by Atomico and Prosus, sources say at a $260M valuation (Mark Bergen/Bloomberg)

Mark Bergen / Bloomberg:
Copenhagen-based Corti, which offers an AI chatbot for hospitals, raised $60M co-led by Atomico and Prosus, sources say at a $260M valuation  —  Investors value company behind AI co-pilot for medical professionals at $260 million.  —  Corti ApS, a medical software startup …