Tech Roundup: Chrome RSS Reader, Spotify Virtual Concerts & More

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

• Google starts testing a new "Follow" button in Chrome (only limited to Canary builds for now) for sites that support RSS feeds, with content appearing under a "Following" section in the new tab page, almost eight years after killing Google Reader.
• Pinterest introduces Idea Pins, allowing creators to make content using video, music, and creative editing tools, with up to 20 stories per Pin.
• Germany's Federal Cartel Office opens fresh proceedings against Amazon over antitrust risks and possible anti-competitive practices; to probe whether "Amazon is of paramount significance for competition across markets."
• Ethereum Foundation announces plans to full transition Ethereum from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake "in the upcoming months" in a bid to lower power consumption; says "Ethereum will use at least ~99.95% less energy post merge."
• Music streaming service Spotify to auto-transcribe certain original shows in the coming weeks as part of a beta rollout of the feature that it aims to eventually enable for all shows; enters the virtual concert business, offering "prerecorded livestreams" of 40-75 minutes from different artists for US 15 each, and partners with Audible rival Storytel, allowing the latter's subscribers to listen to books on Spotify. (Storytel has 500,000 titles and about 1.6 million subscribers.)
• Sidewalk Labs, Alphabet's urban innovation organization, announces Pebble, a vehicle sensor that's designed to help manage parking in cities by providing real-time parking and curb availability data.
• Vodafone's Vodacom partners with Alibaba to develop VodaPay, an app for South African customers that lets them take out loans, shop online, and make payments.
• Apple announces new accessibility features, including background sounds to help maintain focus and stay calm, AssistiveTouch for Apple Watch, and iPad eye-tracking; updates Apple Store app on the iPad to introduce a refreshed design that includes a macOS-style new sidebar and` launches an affiliate program for paid podcast subscriptions, letting users earn a one-time commission of 50% of a podcast's monthly subscription price.
• Videoconferencing platform Zoom debuts Zoom Events, a dedicated service that builds on paid event marketplace OnZoom, letting companies host live events and sell tickets.

• Google affirms its support for Matter (formerly Project CHIP), the ambitious smart home partnership between Amazon, Apple, Google, Samsung, and the Zigbee Alliance that aims to standardize the fragmented ecosystem and achieve interoperability by supporting a variety of protocols and assistants, including Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant as well as Bluetooth, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Thread; Android to offer built-in support for Matter as well as ways to easily set up and control Matter-certified devices, with Nest Wifi, Nest Hub Max and second-gen Nest Hub to serve as Matter connection hubs.
• Amazon extends its moratorium on law enforcement use of its facial recognition software dubbed Rekognition "until further notice."
• End-to-end encrypted email provider ProtonMail surpasses 50 million users worldwide for all its products, including its VPN, as it turns seven years old.
• Snapchat to roll out new feature that lets users tip popular creators later this year, as the platform reaches 500 million monthly active users and social media companies are adding more ways for creators to make money off their content in order to attract more users; unveils its first AR glasses, with four built-in microphones, two stereo speakers, and a touchpad.
• Google's Android TV OS, which includes Google TV, reaches over 80 million monthly active devices, with 80% year-over-year growth in the U.S., potentially putting it ahead of rivals like Roku and Amazon Fire TV, both of which have more than 50 million monthly active accounts.
• Microsoft to officially retire its Internet Explorer browser on June 15, 2022 for Windows 10 users; urges customers to transition to Edge improved compatibility and better browser security.
• Twitter relaunches public verification program for the first time since 2017, with revamped categories that include activists and journalists; previews upcoming changes to account profiles, including the addition of an About tab, a dedicated pronouns field, and a label for automated (aka bot) accounts.
• India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) urges WhatsApp to withdraw its new privacy policy that went into effect on May 15; says "It is not just problematic, but also irresponsible, for WhatsApp to leverage this position to impose unfair terms and conditions on Indian users, particularly those that discriminate against Indian users vis-à-vis users in Europe."