Tech Roundup: IBM Osprey Quantum Processor, Zoom One & More

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

• Twitter tests a way to display an "Official" badge for select accounts in an attempt to differentiate between account types, coinciding with the imminent launch of its revamped Blue subscription tier that offers a blue checkmark for US$ 7.99 a month and displays fewer ads. (The accounts include government accounts, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers and some public figures. The change effectively means Twitter Blue subscribers get a blue checkmark, but that may not necessarily mean the accounts are "verified.")
• End-to-end encrypted messaging app Signal launches its Stories feature out of beta on Android and iOS; users' Stories will automatically expire after 24 hours.
• Amazon becomes the world's first public company to lose US$ 1 trillion in market value, sliding from US$ 1.88 trillion in July 2021 to ~US$ 879 billion in November 2022; Microsoft follows with market valuation losses hovering around US$ 900 billion.
• The price of Bitcoin crashes below US$ 16,000, hitting a low not seen since November 2020, following the collapse of popular crypto exchange FTX.
• The European Commission opens an in-depth investigation into Microsoft's proposed US$ 69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard and sets a March 23, 2023, decision deadline; says it's "concerned that the proposed acquisition may reduce competition in the markets for the distribution of console and personal computers ('PCs') video games and for PC operating systems."
• Palmer Luckey, founder of Oculus VR and the military intelligence company Anduril, debuts a new VR headset concept that can literally kill people when their virtual avatars die in a game; makes use of three explosive charge modules that leverages a photosensor to determine "when an appropriate game-over screen is displayed," causing the charges to fire and destroy the brain.
• Google expands its VPN service to Windows and macOS in 22 countries to Google One subscribers on Premium plans (2TB or higher), including Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S.
• IBM unveils its Osprey quantum processor with 433 qubits, up from 127 in its 2021 Eagle processor.
• Microsoft-owned GitHub experiments with a new voice-based interaction system for its Copilot software, allowing programmers to say "Hey, GitHub!" to code with just their voice and no keyboard.
• Apple releases iOS 16.1.1 and iPadOS 16.1.1 to fix minor bugs; comes two weeks after the launch of iOS 16.1, an update that added support for iCloud Shared Photo Library, Matter, Live Activities, and more.
• Google and Renault expand their four-year partnership that started in 2018 to develop a "software-defined vehicle" based on Google's Android Automotive OS; says the aim is to deliver "new on-demand services and continuous upgrades to be delivered to the car," with Google acting as its "preferred cloud provider."
• Zoom releases Mail and Calendar clients in beta as part of its Zoom One collaborative platform (users can sign up for a "@zmail.com" domain), announces an AI-powered Zoom Virtual Agent chatbot that's set for launch in 2023.
• Apple is said to be working on a "Custom Accessibility Mode" in iOS that offers a "customisable, streamlined way to use your iPhone and iPad."
• Google's YouTube says 1.5 billion users a month are watching its TikTok equivalent Shorts, as it brings the short-form video format to TVs, as its Music and Premium together surpass over 80 million paying subscribers, up from 50 million in September 2021.
• New findings show that the Apple App Store app on iOS 14.6 "sends every tap you make in the app to Apple" and that "as the user browses the App Store app, detailed usage data is sent to Apple simultaneously" even when users opt to disable sharing device analytics.
• Popular messaging service Telegram unveils video transcription, support for Topics in groups with over 200 members and assign multiple collectible usernames to each account; blames Apple for taking over a week to review the app update.
• Microsoft officially rolls out iCloud Photos integration to the Windows Photos app, enabling users to sync their photos between iPhone and Windows PCs.
• Meta officially makes like video selfie-based age verification system for teen users of Instagram in the U.K.; adds support for scheduled posts.
• Disney hits 235.7 million global streaming subscribers in Q4 2022, above Netflix's 223.1 million in its Q3; Disney+ touches 164.2 million subscribers (including Hotstar, which has 61.3 million subscribers), Hulu 47.2 million and ESPN+ 24.3 million.
• Lyft reports Q3 2022 revenue up 22% YoY to US$ 1.05 billion, and a US$ 422.2 million net loss, up from US$ 99.7 million YoY, stemming from the shutdown of autonomous vehicle company Argo AI, in which it had a small stake; active rider numbers jump 7% YoY to 20.31 million.
• Palantir reports Q3 2022 revenue up 22% YoY to US$ 478 million; U.S. commercial customer count surges 124% YoY, growing from 59 customers to 132.
• Dropbox reports Q3 2022 revenue up 7.4% YoY to US$ 591 million; paying users touch 17.55 million, as compared to 16.49 million for the same period last year.
• Roblox reports Q3 2022 revenue up 2% YoY to US$ 517.7 million; bookings (which refer to Roblox's virtual currency "Robux" that players buy that can be used upgrade players' avatars by buying in-game items such as clothing etc.) jump 10% YoY to US$ 701.7 million and daily active users climb 24% YoY to 58.8 million.