Monday, October 23, 2023

Tinder rolls out Tinder Matchmaker, which lets loved ones view and recommend potential matches, in the US, the UK, and 13 others ahead of a global launch soon (Jess Weatherbed/The Verge)

Jess Weatherbed / The Verge:
Tinder rolls out Tinder Matchmaker, which lets loved ones view and recommend potential matches, in the US, the UK, and 13 others ahead of a global launch soon  —  If you're the kind of person who asks friends and family for help with your love life, Tinder is aiming to make things a little easier …



Uber plans to let users in Turkey's touristic Cappadocia region buy a €150 air balloon ride; ~10% of Turkey's 44.6M visitors in 2022 stayed in the region (Patrick Sykes/Bloomberg)

Patrick Sykes / Bloomberg:
Uber plans to let users in Turkey's touristic Cappadocia region buy a €150 air balloon ride; ~10% of Turkey's 44.6M visitors in 2022 stayed in the region  —  - New service follows Tuk-Tuks in India and boats in Greece  — Unesco-listed Cappadocia is one of Turkey's top attractions



Apple may launch a HomePad with an LCD screen

Apple is reportedly working on prototypes of a HomePod with an LCD screen, according to leaked images shared on social media. The touchscreen on the prototype is said to be larger than the current HomePod panel, and Apple is actively working on the design, suggesting it may be released soon. The company has been rewriting some tvOS apps to make the display operational. https://ift.tt/q4mXewy

Sunday, October 22, 2023

Sources: Apple was caught off guard by the generative AI fever and is on course to spend ~$1B/year to deploy the tech across iOS 18, Siri, Music, and other apps (Mark Gurman/Bloomberg)

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple was caught off guard by the generative AI fever and is on course to spend ~$1B/year to deploy the tech across iOS 18, Siri, Music, and other apps  —  But the company is now preparing its response and plans to develop features for its full range of devices.



The Global Times: China launches an investigation into Foxconn over tax and land use and inspects multiple sites; Foxconn plans to cooperate (Financial Times)

Financial Times:
The Global Times: China launches an investigation into Foxconn over tax and land use and inspects multiple sites; Foxconn plans to cooperate  —  Tax authorities said to have inspected a number of the Apple supplier's sites in provinces  —  China has launched an investigation …



Martin Goetz, holder of the first US software patent, died on October 10 at 93; Goetz was awarded a patent for data-sorting software for mainframes in 1968 (Richard Sandomir/New York Times)

Richard Sandomir / New York Times:
Martin Goetz, holder of the first US software patent, died on October 10 at 93; Goetz was awarded a patent for data-sorting software for mainframes in 1968  —  “I knew at some point in time the patent office would recognize” computer software, he said.  It happened in 1968, helping to ignite the software market.



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...