Thursday, March 7, 2024

Analysis: Temu and Shein are spending heavily on Facebook, X, and YouTube ads in the US; Temu placed ~1.4M ads globally on Google services in the past year (New York Times)

New York Times:
Analysis: Temu and Shein are spending heavily on Facebook, X, and YouTube ads in the US; Temu placed ~1.4M ads globally on Google services in the past year  —  Temu, Shein, and streaming and gaming apps looking to break into the U.S. market are spending huge sums to get their wares in front of American consumers.



A look at Apple's studio business: sources say the company spent $700M+ of its reported $1B+ annual 2023 spend on just three films, which earned $466M combined (Tatiana Siegel/Variety)

Tatiana Siegel / Variety:
A look at Apple's studio business: sources say the company spent $700M+ of its reported $1B+ annual 2023 spend on just three films, which earned $466M combined  —  On March 10, the tech giant has 13 shots to take home an Oscar via two historical epics, “Killers of the Flower Moon” and …



Transfer Voter ID Card: How to transfer a voter ID card after marriage online; a step-by-step guide

For a woman who has moved to a new address after getting married, it's important to update her Voter ID card to keep all her details current. To do this, she needs to fill out Form 8. This form is used to transfer the Voter ID card after marriage, whether the address change is within or outside the assembly constituency. https://ift.tt/8HK3OLz

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Canalys Q4 2023 smartphone chip shipments: MediaTek rose 21% YoY to 117M, Apple rose 7% YoY to 78M, Qualcomm rose 1% YoY to 69M; Samsung dropped 48% YoY to 13M (Ben Schoon/9to5Google)

Ben Schoon / 9to5Google:
Canalys Q4 2023 smartphone chip shipments: MediaTek rose 21% YoY to 117M, Apple rose 7% YoY to 78M, Qualcomm rose 1% YoY to 69M; Samsung dropped 48% YoY to 13M  —  Google Pixel is coming off of its best-selling year to date, but according to one report, Google shipped fewer Tensor chips in Q4 2023.



NPCI data: UPI transactions processed by Paytm fell 14% to $19.9B from January 2024 after RBI curbs, while PhonePe rose nearly 7% and Google GPay rose almost 6% (Sankalp Phartiyal/Bloomberg)

Sankalp Phartiyal / Bloomberg:
NPCI data: UPI transactions processed by Paytm fell 14% to $19.9B from January 2024 after RBI curbs, while PhonePe rose nearly 7% and Google GPay rose almost 6%  —  - Paytm loses usage even before any disruption to its systems  — Services of Walmart, Google capitalize on Paytm's troubles



Instagram Reels Tricks: 11 must-try tips for Instagram success

In the dynamic world of social media, Instagram continues to be a powerhouse platform for connecting with audiences, showcasing creativity, and building a brand presence. Among its myriad features, Instagram Reels has emerged as a powerful tool for content creators, businesses, and influencers alike. With its short-form video format and wide reach, Reels offers a unique opportunity to captivate and engage audiences in a matter of seconds. ​​To help you harness the full potential of Instagram Reels, we've curated a comprehensive guide packed with 11 expert tips and tricks. https://ift.tt/MHxjFt2

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Reliance Jio AirFiber vs Airtel Xstream AirFiber: Which is the better choice and why?

India's two leading telecom giants, Jio and Airtel, are also fierce competitors in the broadband arena. Both companies offer fixed wireless access (FWA) solutions powered by 5G technology – Airtel Xstream AirFiber and Jio AirFiber. Unlike conventional broadband setups, where the router is fixed at a permanent location using a LAN cable, these FWA offerings provide a degree of portability, allowing users to position them anywhere within their homes, provided there is adequate network reception. Notably, Jio AirFiber boasts widespread availability, setting it apart from Airtel's offering. https://ift.tt/zx0N1Ub

UK digital bank Monzo raised $430M led by Alphabet's CapitalG at a $5B valuation, up from $4.5B in December 2021, and plans to use funds to expand in the US (Financial Times)

Financial Times:
UK digital bank Monzo raised $430M led by Alphabet's CapitalG at a $5B valuation, up from $4.5B in December 2021, and plans to use funds to expand in the US  —  London-based digital bank raised $430mn from investors including CapitalG and HongShan  —  Monzo has secured a fresh round …



Sources: Chinese AI startup MiniMax raised $600M+ led by Alibaba at a $2.5B+ valuation; the round remains in progress and HongShan has committed funds (Jane Zhang/Bloomberg)

Jane Zhang / Bloomberg:
Sources: Chinese AI startup MiniMax raised $600M+ led by Alibaba at a $2.5B+ valuation; the round remains in progress and HongShan has committed funds  —  - Minimax scores funding from investors including HongShan  — Alibaba has spearheaded two major deals so far this year



Monday, March 4, 2024

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: How to update address on voter ID card online, documents required, and track application status

An Election Commission ID card, commonly known as a Voter ID card, holds significant importance as it is a prerequisite for exercising one's voting rights. The Election Commission of India facilitates various online tasks for citizens, including the updating of residence addresses on Voter ID cards. If you have recently relocated or shifted to a different city, you can conveniently amend your address on the Voter ID card by completing 'Form 8' on the National Voter's Service portal website. https://ift.tt/3yIcVgM

Saudi Arabian e-commerce software startup Salla raised $130M from Investcorp, Sanabil, and others, in what is likely to be its last funding round before an IPO (Matthew Martin/Bloomberg)

Matthew Martin / Bloomberg:
Saudi Arabian e-commerce software startup Salla raised $130M from Investcorp, Sanabil, and others, in what is likely to be its last funding round before an IPO  —  - Sanabil, STV also participated in the pre-IPO fundraising  — Salla is part of bevy of Saudi startups prepping for listing



Sunday, March 3, 2024

A profile of Lanny Smoot, Disney's only research fellow, who holds 100+ patents and has built an omnidirectional HoloTile Floor to allow users to walk in VR (Marah Eakin/Wired)

Marah Eakin / Wired:
A profile of Lanny Smoot, Disney's only research fellow, who holds 100+ patents and has built an omnidirectional HoloTile Floor to allow users to walk in VR  —  If you've ever seen a lightsaber at a Disney park or marveled at BB-8, you've seen Lanny Smoot's work.



Some users turn to AI therapist chatbots, finding them cheap, quick, available 24/7, and easy to talk to, but experts warn about a lack of emotional connection (Alice Robb/The Guardian)

Alice Robb / The Guardian:
Some users turn to AI therapist chatbots, finding them cheap, quick, available 24/7, and easy to talk to, but experts warn about a lack of emotional connection  —  It's cheap, quick and available 24/7, but is a chatbot therapist really the right tool to tackle complex emotional needs?



A look at Apple's hubris that doomed the electric car project, spring hardware updates without a dedicated event, and Dan Riccio's retirement plans (Mark Gurman/Bloomberg)

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
A look at Apple's hubris that doomed the electric car project, spring hardware updates without a dedicated event, and Dan Riccio's retirement plans  —  Apple's belief that it could create a better car than Tesla and the rest of the automotive industry ultimately led to the downfall of the project.



The US NLRB rules that Amazon must negotiate with the Amazon Labor Union, which represents ~5K workers at its Staten Island warehouse; Amazon plans to appeal (Greg Bensinger/Reuters)

Greg Bensinger / Reuters : The US NLRB rules that Amazon must negotiate with the Amazon Labor Union, which represents ~5K workers at its ...