Tech Roundup: Goldman Sachs SETLcoin, iPhone 6c & More

[A recurring feature on the latest in Science & Technology.]

Alphabet/Google -

• Collaborating with car-maker Ford on self-driving cars, according to a report by Yahoo! Autos.
• Tests a new type of password-free login system; works similar to Yahoo! Account Key.
• Working on a new smart messenger to take on Facebook Moneypenny, reports Wall Street Journal (paywall); lets users message chatbots to answer queries.
• Files next-generation foldable, enterprise-focused optical head-mounted display aka Google Glass with US's Federal Communications Commission.
• Renames life sciences division as Verily (as in 'truly', truth being the only weapon to defeat Mother Nature) and unveils a Material Design revamp for Google Ventures as Alphabet Inc. takes shape with Nest and Access (Project Sunroof, Fiber, Link, OnHub) in tow.
• Officially stops selling Nexus 6 smartphone.
• To shut down music curation service Songza on January 30, 2016.
• Continues to move more and more first-party Android apps out of the core operating system; publishes Contacts and Phone apps to Play Store.
• Adds option for in-app purchase via Android Pay.

Apple -

• Files trademark for Beats 2, 3, 4 and 5 radio stations a la BBC.
• Settles Italian tax fraud claims for failing to pay €880m in taxes between 2008 and 2013 for €318m.
• Freaks everyone out with a rumour that upcoming iPhone 7 may ditch 3.5 mm headphone jack in favor of an all-in-one Lightning connector (hope it stays a rumour, or, even USB Type-C isn't a bad idea, what say?).
• Opposes UK Government's Snoopers' Charter that calls for increased online surveillance; believes "it is wrong to weaken security for hundreds of millions of law-abiding customers so that it will also be weaker for the very few who pose a threat".
• Open sources Swift programming language.
• Announces partnership with bankcard processor UnionPay to bring Apple Pay to China this year.
• Ends all pending litigation with Ericsson over use of latter's cellular technology patents; signs a seven-year global patent license agreement.
• Indirectly admits iPhone 6s battery sucks; releases a $99 battery case with an abnormal, ugly bump.
• 4-inch iPhone 6c rumors heat up; said to have 2GB RAM and A9 processor with launch set for early 2016.

Facebook -

• Blocks WhatsApp messages containing links to rival instant messaging app Telegram by marking it as a bad host (it's interesting to note that the app's Facebook page was taken down several months ago for no reason).
• Complies with Belgian court's ruling to stop tracking logged-out Facebook users; will force non-users to login even to view public pages (like sports teams, businesses and places of attractions).
• Tests interest-based News Feeds and a shopping marketplace on its mobile apps.
• Suspends "Free Basics" internet service in India and Egypt over net neutrality concerns.
• Notifies users when "A friend is writing a comment..." on status updates in real-time.
• Adds option to upload Apple Live Photos on its iOS app.
• Separates photos from main Facebook app and asks users to download Moments as part of continuing efforts to branch out its monolithic social network into standalone apps; but shuts down Slingshot, Rooms and Riff apps after they fail to gain traction.

Microsoft -

• Reportedly readying flagship Surface phone.
• Moves personal voice assistant Cortana for android and iOS out of beta; officially launches in the US and China.
• Brings back OneDrive free tier storage limit to 15GB after user backlash.

Others -

• Former Apple CEO John Sculley's Android-running Obi Worldphone SF1 comes to India for Rs. 11,999.
• Chinese handset-maker Oukitel's K10000 Android smartphone goes on sale; comes with a ginormous 10,000 mAh battery that lasts 15 days on a single charge.
• BlackBerry pulls out of Pakistan over government's demands to access user data.
• On the heels of Amazon's purchase of Washington Post, Chinese online retailer Alibaba buys Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.
• Shuttered independent news service Circa News gets a new lease of life with funding from Sinclair Broadcast Group; to relaunch this spring.
• After having acquired fellow competitor Zite back in early 2014, Flipboard officially shuts it down.
• Dropbox to shut down Mailbox and Carousel apps on Feb 26 and March 31 respectively this year.
• Amazon sets holiday sales record as more shoppers make their purchase online.
• Yahoo! to close Dubai operations come April 2016; decides not to spin off its stake in Alibaba.
• Ride sharing service Uber completes its 1 billionth trip; reportedly heading for an eye-popping $62.5 billion valuation, per Bloomberg.
• Fitness tracker Fitbit's companion app tops Apple App Store rankings after Christmas.
• Adobe finally acknowledges HTML5; renames Flash Professional to Animate CC.
• Microblogging service Twitter files trademark to own the word 'subtweet' following a similar move to trademark the word 'tweetstorm' back in April last year.
• Samsung Galaxy S7 to have iPhone 3D Touch-like pressure sensitive display, reports Wall Street Journal.
• Mozilla kills off Firefox phone; drops an ad-blocker app Focus for iOS.

Misc -

• Guinea is declared Ebola free by World Health Organisation.
• El Niño, blamed for a spate of natural disasters across the world over the last few months, including the recent record floods in Chennai, brings cheer to drought-hit California.
• SpaceX successfully lands reusable rocket Falcon 9 back on Earth after deploying 11 satellites, thereby creating history; CEO Elon Musk says the rocket is "ready to fire again".
• North Korea's Linux-based indigenous operating system Red Star features extensive surveillance features, an in-depth analysis reveals; called a dictator's "wet dream".
• World's first website, created by Tim Berners-Lee, is 25 years old.
• ​451 (inspired by Ray Bradbury's dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451) is the new status code designed to notify users when web content has been blocked due to censorship.
• The Beatles comes to major music streaming services Spotify, Google Play Music and Apple Music.
• US regulators suggest ads published (or disguised) as news stories be labelled 'paid advertisement' or 'sponsored advertising content' instead of misleadingly calling them as 'promoted stories'.
• San Francisco judge bars Uber from imposing new contract denying drivers access to class action lawsuits
• US retail chains Target and Walmart set to enter an already crowded mobile payments market with their own integrated payment systems.
• US Investment bank Goldman Sachs embraces cryptocurrency; files patent for SETLcoin, a virtual wallet for faster risk-free trade settlements.
• Toshiba announces 7,800 job cuts after accounting scandal costs it dear.