Tech Roundup: Apple App Store Antitrust Twist, Facebook Journalism Project & More

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

• Climate data analysed by NASA and NOAA shows 2016 to be the warmest year on record since 1880.
• Security researchers call out Guardian's irresponsible reporting; recommends retracting story that falsely claimed WhatsApp to contain a "backdoor".
• January 2017 Android distribution figures finally declare Froyo (Android 2.2 to 2.2.3) dead.
• Uber unveils Movement to provide access to its traffic data (in anonymised format) for city planners and researchers; adds calendar integration to suggest destinations based on scheduled meetings and events.
• Apple says a bug in Safari web browser caused inconsistent battery life in new MacBook Pros; Consumer Reports recommends the MacBook after fix.
• Chinese electronics giant ZTE to slash 3,000 jobs globally amid continuing tensions over trade sanctions in the United States for violating rules restricting exports of U.S. technological goods to Iran.
• Atlassian, provider of project management services like JIRA, to acquire productivity software Trello for US$ 425 million.
• Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer resigns from board; Parts of the company not acquired by Verizon, including Yahoo's investment in Alibaba and its Japan offshoot, folded into a new company called Altaba (supposedly a portmanteau of the words "alternative" and "Alibaba").
• Secure end-to-end encrypted paid-email service Lavabit relaunches in a bid to "start a new freedom journey and inaugurate the next-generation of email privacy and security."
• Google's low-cost handset initiative Android One to come to the United States in the coming months, The Information (paywall) reports.
• LG bids goodbye to modular phones (after the underwhelming G5); to go bezel-less with upcoming G6.
• Instagram Stories hits 150 million daily active users, the same number of users as Snapchat, from where it copied the feature from last August; adds skippable video ads when watching stories in a row.
• Google to officially roll out Android Wear 2.0 for smartwatches next month; new update to bring support for standalone apps, auto-activity tracking (like walking, running etc.) among others.
• Apple can be sued for creating a monopoly in iOS by allowing users to only download and install apps from the App Store, rules U.S. appeals court in latest antitrust twist.
• Anonymous web browser Tor becomes free on iOS.
• Facebook planning to show ads in the middle of videos and share revenues with publishers; launches Facebook Journalism project to develop new news formats, training tools and root out fake news.
• Nintendo debuts Switch gaming console; officially launches on March 3.
• HTC unveils U Ultra and U Play smartphones sans headphone jacks; jumps aboard the artificial intelligence hype train by launching its own AI assistant dubbed HTC Companion. (Samsung acquired Viv assistant last year and is expected to be included in the upcoming Galaxy S8.)
• Google begins ranking websites with intrusive ads lower in search results.
• Android founder and ex-Googler Andy Rubin to float a new company called Essential; to launch a bezel-less high-end smartphone.
• Adobe officially unveils voice-assistant powered photo editing capabilities.
• Google's parent company Alphabet shuts down solar drone project Titan as it begins to rein in costly unprofitable businesses.
• Video streaming service Netflix sees jump in user subscriptions as international expansion pays off.
• Apple AirPods off to a successful start this holiday season; captures one fourth of wireless headphones market with strong sales.
• Twitter transitions Vine to Vine Camera app.
• Spotify, Line, Netflix, Tinder, Pandora, HBO Now and Hulu emerge the top revenue earning apps in 2016; Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and Uber dominate downloads.
• Snapchat goes the Facebook way; will match users' personal identifiable information like email against data from third-party marketers (called audience match) to target more relevant ads based on their offline purchases.
• Jay-Z owned TIDAL music streaming service accused of inflating user subscription numbers, based on reports by Norwegian business daily Dagens Næringsliv.
• Apple planning to launch original TV shows by end of 2017 as part of Apple Music US$ 9.99 subscription bundle.
• Google Maps update adds native Uber integration (no separate Uber app required), even as Google's former head of search Amit Singhal departs the company to head Maps and Marketplace division at the ride-hailing startup.
• Samsung officially confirms Galaxy Note 7 fires were due to defective batteries.
• Tencent-owned WeChat and QQ become the most used apps in China, with almost 80% of the online population embracing WeChat according to CNNIC.