Tech Roundup: Amazon Fire TV Cube, Bitcoin Manipulation & More

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

Alphabet/Google:

• Google+ adds dedicated post titles and Drive attachments with automatic previews.
• Alphabet/Google to be fined by the E.U. for abusing its dominance in Android and for forcing smartphone manufacturers to preinstall Google Search and the Google Chrome browser as a condition for accessing the Google Play app store.
• Releases standalone Lens app in Play Store; removes option that allowed users to book Uber rides from within Google Maps on Android, a feature it removed from its iOS app last summer.
• Makes US$ 550 million strategic investment in Chinese ecommerce platform JD.com as it makes slow, steady inroads in the country.
• Puts an end to Chrome extension installs from third-party sites even as it takes down malicious extensions hosted on Chrome Web Store; brings neural machine translation-powered offline translation to Google Translate.

Amazon:

• Gets criticised for 'secretly oppressing' workers at its Echo Dot and Kindle factory.
• Officially launches Amazon Prime Wardrobe to all U.S. Prime members; makes available Echo Look, selfie-camera-meets-AI-fashion-assistant, for purchase in its latest attempt (after Echo Show, Echo Spot, Amazon Cloud Cam, Ring Doorbells, Blink security cameras) to bring cameras to homes.
• Using artificial intelligence to make more important decisions in its day-to-day operations, replacing white-collar workers, according to Bloomberg.
• Announces Fire TV Cube, a new gadget that combines Echo Speaker and Fire TV into one, for US$ 120.

Apple:

• Said to be partnering with companies to display ads within apps.
• Bans cryptocurrency mining on iOS devices; updates its developer policy to explicitly prohibit third-party apps from using Apple's address book or photos to "build a contact database for your own use or for sale/distribution to third parties."
• Fined US$ 6.6 million in Australia for its refusal to fix iPhones and iPads that had been previously repaired with third-party parts.

Facebook:

• Young people are ditching the Facebook as a source of their news, a new study finds; they're turning to messaging apps like WhatsApp - which is also owned by Facebook.
• Struck customized data-sharing deals that gave select companies, including Royal Bank of Canada and Nissan Motor Co., special access to user information well after the point in 2015 that the social network has said it walled off that information, according to court documents, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
• Unveils Musical.ly competitor called Lip Sync Live.
• Former Cambridge Analytica Chief Alexander Nix, who had previously denied that his firm had ever been given data by Aleksandr Kogan, the researcher at the center of Facebook's scandal, now admits to getting data from the researcher.
• Kills Trending news sidebar and begins monetising Marketplace with ads from users and brands.
• Launches Fb.gg gaming video hub to compete with Twitch and YouTube Gaming.
• Develops new AI-based technology that can open people's eyes in photos; begins showing autoplay video ads inside Messenger.
• Begins testing subscriptions for private groups, allowing users pay as much as US$ 30/month for access to exclusive content.
• Takes aim at YouTube again by expanding Watch platform to include interactive social content and game shows from content creators.

Microsoft:

• Working on technology that could eliminate cashiers and queues from shops, taking a page from Amazon's playbook; reportedly in talks with Walmart for a possible collaboration.
• Unveils a new AI-powered News experience with Microsoft News for Android and iOS.
• Rolls out a consistent user experience for Office apps across web, Windows and Mac operating systems.
• Brings its SwiftKey keyboard to Windows 10.
• Acquires Flipgrid, a social education app that utilizes short video clips to create collaborative lesson plans.

Yahoo!:

• After AOL Messenger, it's the turn of Yahoo! messenger as Oath reveals plans to shut it down on July 17; asks users to check out Squirrel.
• Fined US$ 330K for 2014 data breach by U.K. watchdog Information Commissioner's Office for failing to take appropriate measures to protect data from unauthorised access and for comply with EU data protection standards.

In other news:

• Snap Spectacles becomes available in the U.S., U.K. and Canada.
• Uber begins testing a lite version of its rider app in India.
• New research says at least half of the 2017 rise in bitcoin prices was due to coordinated price manipulation using another cryptocurrency called tether.
• Twitter expands live content on its platform; to surface curated pages dedicated to news stories surrounding breaking news, live events and stories.
• Adblock Plus wants to become the rater of websites to flag fake news; releases new chrome extension called Trusted News.
• Caller ID service TrueCaller makes its first acquisition; buys mobile payments/P2P money transfer service Chillr.
• Amazon, Google, Microsoft and other tech companies rally against California Consumer Privacy Act that would require companies to disclose the types of data they collect, like information used to target ads, and allow the public to opt out of having their data sold.
• OnePlus says over 1 million OnePlus 6 phones were purchased in less than a month since its release.
• Crown, a new dating app from Tinder, turns online dating into a game.