Tech Roundup: Google Cast, Twitter 10th Anniversary & More

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

Alphabet/Google:

• Rebrands Chromecast as Google Cast in an attempt to better reflect the technology's expanded portfolio of devices; announces new TVs and speakers with native Google Cast support (no dongles required).
• Announces Android Pay for the UK; mobile payments service to be rolled out in the coming months.
• Reportedly working a search-focused third-party keyboard for iOS, according to The Verge; meant to boost Google searches on iOS (not required on Android, because only a fool would switch to another search engine!) as it strives maintain its search dominance.
• Also said to be working on a Periscope-like live streaming app called YouTube Connect (via VentureBeat), and an Amazon Echo-like connected speaker powered by Google Now (via The Information, paywall), as Nest thermostats curiously gain Amazon Alexa support.
• Adds a dedicated tab in Google Maps for Android and iOS with information for ride-sharing services in five countries: 99Taxis in Brazil, Ola Cabs in India, Hailo in the UK and Spain, mytaxi in Germany and Spain, and Gett in the UK, in addition to already existing Uber integration.
• Said to be building a better Android Camera with Google Goggles capabilities, reports SlashGear (whoa, my wish just came true!).

Apple:

• Hearing with FBI over its ongoing iPhone unlocking standoff is postponed after U.S. Department of Justice says it has found new ways to unlock the phone without involving Apple; Israeli mobile forensic software developer Cellebrite is helping FBI, reports Reuters.
• Celebrates its upcoming fortieth anniversary (it was founded on April 1, 1976) by unveiling new iPhone SE and iPad Pro; slashes price of Apple Watch to $299, and discontinues iPhone 5s and original iPad Air.

Facebook:

• To drop native support for BlackBerry devices (including WhatsApp); users will have to use the mobile version of the website to log on to the social network.
• Ships first Oculus Rift virtual reality headset to a customer in Alaska; founder Palmer Luckey hand-delivers it in person to get some "satisfaction."
• Unveils Facebook/Twitter-styled algorithmic (as opposed to the current chronological) timeline for Instagram to "see the moments you care about first", prompting user backlash all over again.

In other news:

• Bangladesh and South Korea report their first case of Zika virus, as pharmaceutical companies race to find a vaccine.
• New scientific study reveals that coral reefs away from human habitation and "sheltered from the added stress of human-driven problems, such as overfishing, showed healthy levels of coral and algae growth."
• Major French newspaper outlets, including Le Monde, Le Parisien, and L'Équipe, as well as the French music streaming service Deezer, to block users who use ad blockers from accessing their websites.
• Twitter celebrates its tenth anniversary (it was founded on March 21, 2006) as it copes up with an existential question even after all these years.
• Taiwanese handset maker HTC to unveil its next Android flagship device online on April 12 (08:00 New York).