Microsoft's plan to buy gaming powerhouse Activision Blizzard for nearly $70 billion—its biggest acquisition ever—represents a huge bet that people will be spending more and more time in the digital world, the New York Times reports. Microsoft framed the deal as strengthening the company’s hand in the metaverse, the nascent world of virtual and augmented reality.
Toronto-based cyber security startup 1Password this week said it raised $620 million in its latest round of funding led by ICONIQ Growth and is now valued at $6.8 billion, Reuters reports. 1Password's technology makes it easier for remote employees to log into their company systems while also giving companies the ability to see what apps employees are downloading without permission.
AT&T and Verizon will delay launching new 5G wireless service near key airports after the nation’s largest airlines said the service would interfere with aircraft technology and cause widespread flight disruptions, AP reports. The companies will delay turning on 5G cell towers within a two-mile radius of runways designated by federal officials.
Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge users have been cautioned to watch out for fake updates that are in fact ransomware, Tech.Co reports. The ransomware is affecting users of both Chrome and Microsoft Edge because it’s based on chromium coding, which is also utilized to build both browsers.
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New data from Pitchbook shows that less than 2 percent of venture capital funding went to all-female founding teams in 2021, marking a five-year low, TechCrunch reports. While all-female founding teams received 83 percent more funding last year, when U.S. startups overall raked in a record amount of cash, their share was down for the second year in a row.
A new memo from House Energy and Commerce Committee Democratic staff outlines why the panel is exploring cryptocurrency-related energy demand and carbon emissions, Axios reports. It cites estimates that the 2021 CO2 emissions from digital mining for Bitcoin and Ethereum is "equivalent to the tailpipe emissions from more than 15.5 million gasoline-powered cars on the road every year."
The ongoing rivalry between small tech companies and the industry behemoths they rely on expanded this week when more than 40 companies signed an open letter of support for the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, which is before Congress. The legislation, Protocol reports, would keep large platforms like Apple and Google from excluding competitor products.
Social media is an effective tool to meet marketing objectives, but only if guided by a smart strategy. HubSpot says it's best to take a holistic view of your needs, research what each platform has to offer, and decide when you should—and should not—advertise on social networks.
Aldi has opened a checkout-free supermarket in London where people can shop without having to scan a product, the BBC reports. A series of high-tech cameras track customers who have downloaded the Aldi Shop&Go app as they do their shopping, and the system automatically charges for their purchases when they leave.
Researchers at a university in Israel have taught a goldfish to navigate a robot vehicle to a target by simply swimming in its tank, Mashable reports (see video). A camera system records the goldfish's movements and a program translates it into navigational directions.