GadgetFreak

Xiaomi is reportedly readying a mid-range smartphone with an unannounced Snapdragon 700 series chip. Based on the model number, it’s possible that the chip is the successor to the Snapdragon 765. Xiaomi is reportedly planning a warm send-off for the Mi 10 series with a Snapdragon 870 -powered model, but the company’s also reportedly set to add to its newer device lines. Per a leak from Digital Chat Station , Xiaomi is readying a new mid-ranger with an unannounced Snapdragon 700 series chipset. The post to Weibo suggests the phone will sport an OLED display, a 64MP primary camera, and 5x zoom. The leaker also mentions the Snapdragon SM7350 — a model number yet to be used by Qualcomm on any current hardware. However, it’s understandable that if the Snapdragon 765 wore the SM7250 tag, this chipset is the next model in the line. There’s no official word on what Qualcomm will call this chip, but reliable WinFuture journalist Roland Quandt previously claimed that it’s the Snapdr

Speaking is one of the hardest parts of learning a new language, especially if you don’t have someone to practice with regularly. ELSA is an app that helps by using speech recognition technology to correct pronunciation. Based in San Francisco and Ho Chi Minh City, ELSA announced today it has raised a $15 million Series B, led by VI (Vietnam Investments) Group and SIG. Other participants included returning investors Google’s AI-focused fund Gradient Ventures, SOSV and Monk’s Hill Ventures, along with Endeavor Catalyst and Globant Ventures. The capital will be used to expand ELSA’s operations in Latin America and build a scalable B2B platform, allowing companies and educational organizations to offers the app’s coaching services to employees or students. Founded in 2015, ELSA, which stands for English Language Speech Assistant, now claims more than 13 million users. Its last round of funding was a $7 million Series A announced in 2019. Gradient Ventures, Google’s AI fund, leads $7M

Steven Borowiec / Nikkei Asia : The pandemic has exacerbated the brutal conditions of workers at e-commerce and delivery companies in Asia even as average earnings per delivery declined   —  How the pandemic economy relies on overburdened and underpaid couriers  —  DAEGU, South Korea — The last time Park Mi-suk … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3tdD17j via IFTTT

Asus ROG Phone 3 Credit: David Imel / Android Authority Update: February 1, 2021 (12:38 AM ET) : We’ve added some more details about the specs of the Asus ROG Phone 5 revealed in a new regulatory listing. Read on for all the latest. Original article: January 18, 2021 (1:10 PM ET) : The Asus ROG Phone series has established itself as the lineup of choice for those wanting the best phone for gaming , and it’s easy to see why. Between the high refresh rate OLED screen, the top-notch horsepower, and those neat shoulder triggers, the device family is one of the best picks for gamers. We’re expecting Asus to offer a new ROG Phone in 2021. It will have high standards to live up to thanks to the ROG Phone 3 , but the upcoming device will likely set a new standard for the range when it launches. We’re guessing that a launch is coming sooner rather than later thanks to the initial leaks. With that in mind, we thought it would be a good idea to gather all of the major leaks and rumo

Ben , a London-based employee benefits and rewards platform, has raised $2.5 million in funding. The seed round is led by Cherry Ventures, and Seedcamp. A number of angel investors with backgrounds in fintech and HR tech also participated. They include Paul Forster (founder of Indeed), Taavet Hinrikus (founder of TransferWise), Carlos Gonzalez-Cadenas (previously an exec at GoCardless but now a partner at Index Ventures ), Philip Reynolds (VP of Engineering at Workday), and Matt Robinson (founder of Nested). Part fintech, part HR play, Ben has built an employee benefits platform to enable SMEs to offer much more personalised and flexible benefits to employees. The U.K. startup does this via a SaaS for managing benefits, including a benefits marketplace, combined with per-employee debit cards powered by Mastercard. The idea is to give employees more individual choice around which benefits they choose, while making it easy to on-board additional providers. This can be via the marketp

Despite China’s history of stringent media control, an industry of uninstitutionalized, individual publishers has managed to flourish on social media platforms like Tencent’s WeChat and ByteDance’s Toutiao. These self-publishers are called “We Media” in the Chinese internet lexicon, denoting the independent power of citizen journalists and content creators. Meanwhile, self-publishers have always had to tread carefully on what they post or risk being targeted by censors who deem them illegal or inappropriate. The topics they cover are myriad, ranging from fashion and food to politics and current affairs. WeChat, a major destination for self-publishers, hinted last July it had 20 million “public accounts” , platforms for individuals to broadcast content and in businesses’ case, reach customers. In 2020, 360 million users read articles published on WeChat public accounts, WeChat founder Allen Zhang disclosed recently. Sina Weibo, China’s answer to Twitter, has long attracted citizen

Access to the internet in Myanmar dropped sharply after the military detained leaders of ruling party National League for Democracy , including Aung San Suu Kyi, and declared a state of emergency. The NLD won a wide majority of parliamentary seats in November’s general election , which the military alleges was the result of election fraud. In a statement on military-owned television, the army said a year-long state of emergency would be declared in Myanmar and power handed to military chief Min Aung Hlaing. According to NetBlocks , a non-governmental organization that monitors digital rights, cybersecurity and internet governance around the world, internet disruptions began around 3AM Monday morning local time, with national connectivity falling to 75% of ordinary levels, and then reaching about 50% around 8AM. Data shows that the cuts affected several network operators, including the state-owned Myanma Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) and Telenor. NetBlocks said “preliminary findin

Abner Li / 9to5Google : Apple releases an iCloud Passwords browser extension for Chrome on Windows   —  Besides iTunes, Apple's biggest offering on Microsoft's operating system is the iCloud sync client for files, photos, and mail.  Apple is now extending its presence on Windows with an iCloud Passwords Chrome extension. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3cuwZto via IFTTT

Daniel Howley / Yahoo Finance : Microsoft says revenue from its various cybersecurity offerings crossed $10B over the past 12 months, up 40% YoY and ~7% of its total revenue for the year   —  Microsoft (  —  MSFT) is officially a cybersecurity giant.  For the first time on Tuesday, Microsoft disclosed revenue from its various security offerings as from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3ae8Iok via IFTTT

NetBlocks : Network data indicates the onset of widespread internet disruptions in Myanmar amid reports of a military uprising and the detention of political leaders   —  Network data from the NetBlocks Internet Observatory indicate the onset of widespread internet disruptions in Myanmar on Sunday 31 January 2021 … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/39CigKI via IFTTT

Bloomberg : Many elderly people in the US aren't getting scheduled for COVID-19 vaccinations due to a lack of familiarity with navigating the internet and web-based signups   —  - Slots go fast, often to those who are more comfortable online  — ‘Health departments are failing’ nationwide, one official says from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2NONFkN via IFTTT

Manish Singh / TechCrunch : Ula raises $20M Series A led by Quona Capital and B Capital Group to expand its food-focused e-commerce marketplace in Indonesia currently serving 20K+ stores   —  Tokopedia, Lazada, Shopee, and other firms created an e-commerce market in Indonesia in the past decade, making it possible for consumers to shop online in the island nation. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2Ml7q38 via IFTTT

Igor Bosilkovski / Forbes : Yotta Savings raises $13.2M Series A for its savings account app that instead of interest offers depositors a chance to win prizes ranging from 10 cents to $10M   —  Savings account app Yotta Savings, cofounded by two Under 30 honorees, announced today that it has raised a $13.2M Series A … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/36wbLY3 via IFTTT

Jeff Horwitz / Wall Street Journal : In August, internal research at Facebook showed that ~70% of the platform's most active civic Groups were considered too toxic to recommend to users   —  The giant struggled to balance Mark Zuckerberg's free-expression mantra against findings that rabid partisanship had overrun a feature central to its future from Techmeme https://ift.tt/36wXo5Y via IFTTT

Susan Adams / Forbes : Profile of Chegg, which is valued at $12B, employs 70,000+ freelance tutors in India, and faces the issue of students using it to cheat by getting test answers   —  I'm a senior editor in charge of Forbes' education coverage.  —  This story appears in the March 31, 2021 issue of Forbes Magazine. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2Yyaiw8 via IFTTT

Yueqi Yang / Bloomberg : Robinhood reduces the number of companies with trading restrictions from 50 to 8, according to its website; GME, NOK, and BB are still among those restricted   —  Robinhood Markets Inc. reduced the number of companies with trading restrictions to eight from 50 on Sunday, according to an update on its website. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3ctw3Fi via IFTTT

Maggie Miller / The Hill : A look at the criticism in DC directed at CSET, a State Dept. bureau focused on cybersecurity and emerging technologies formed in the last days of Trump's admin   —  A newly established State Department bureau focused on cybersecurity and emerging technologies could give the Biden administration … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3coT7oV via IFTTT

Ron Miller / TechCrunch : SetSail raises $26M Series A for its service that recommends when to pay salespeople, by monitoring the progress of sales across CRM, email, and other systems   —  SetSail wants to upend the way sales people get compensated by paying them throughout the sales cycle, rather than a single commission after the sale closes. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3crZTKl via IFTTT

Kellen Browning / New York Times : League of Legends teams in the US recruited 40+ superstar players from Asia since 2016, with an average salary of $460K for a player in a team's starting five   —  League of Legends teams in the U.S. lag behind their competitors in Asia, so they recruit the world's best players by offering huge salaries. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2YvVtdp via IFTTT

Silicon Canals : Riverlane, which spun out of Cambridge University, raises $20M Series A led by Draper Esprit to build Deltaflow, its operating system for quantum computers   —  According to IBM, “Quantum computers can boost the development of new breakthroughs in science, medications to save lives … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3td36Ub via IFTTT

Sergiu Gatlan / BleepingComputer : A now-fixed 10-year-old bug in Sudo used in several versions of Linux allowed any local user to gain root access   —  A now-fixed Sudo vulnerability allowed any local user to gain root privileges on Unix-like operating systems without requiring authentication. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2Yu3lfh via IFTTT

You’ve just landed on the web version of my weekly newsletter, Human Capital. It’s where we look at the recent events of the week pertaining to diversity, equity, inclusion and labor in tech. You can sign up her e to get Human Capital delivered straight to your inbox every Friday at 1 p.m. PT. Let’s jump in. Alpha Global forms to unite Alphabet workers around the world Alpha Global announced its formation earlier this week to unite Alphabet workers around the world, including those from the Alphabet Workers Union in the United States, The Verge reported . Alpha Global, which is affiliated with the UNI Global Union, aims to create a common worker strategy, support fellow workers and more.  “A just Alphabet has wide-ranging implications for our democracies and societies,” Alpha Global said in a statement . “That is why we are joining together to demand fundamental human rights for all workers in Alphabet operations, including the right to form or join a union and the right to bar

Credit: Sarah Chaney / Android Authority The long-awaited next-generation PlayStation is here. The PS5 launched with some great titles like the Demons Souls remake and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, but many of the best games are yet to come. We’ve selected some of the most intriguing PS5 exclusives and non-exclusive titles headed to the platform in the near future. Here are the best upcoming PS5 games you can expect in 2021 and beyond. Don’t miss : Sony PlayStation 5 review: A beautiful, speedy upgrade from last-gen New PS5 games: Final Fantasy XVI Stray Horizon: Forbidden West God of War 2: Ragnarok Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart Deathloop Gran Turismo 7 Honorable mentions 1. Final Fantasy XVI Release date: TBD Final Fantasy seems to be returning to its more traditional roots for the sixteenth mainline game of the series. The new installment is set in the medieval-esque realm of Valisthea — a world littered with towering Mothercrystals that gra

Dave Lee / Financial Times : More than 2,000 police and fire departments in the US have now partnered with Amazon's Ring, with 1,189 new departments added over the past year   —  Controversial surveillance network has doubled in size in the country in the past year  —  More than 2,000 police and fire departments in the US … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/36sk9rJ via IFTTT

Hello friends, this is Week in Review. Last week , I dove into the AR maneuverings of Apple and Facebook and what that means for the future of the web. This week, I’m aiming to touch the meme stock phenomenon that dominated American news cycles this week and see if there’s anything worth learning from it, with an eye towards the future web. If you’re reading this on the TechCrunch site, you can get this in your inbox every Saturday morning from the newsletter page , and follow my tweets @lucasmtny . (Photo by Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images) The big thing This week was whatever you wanted it to be. A rising up of the proletariat. A case of weaponized disinformation. A rally for regulation… or perhaps deregulation of financial markets. Choose your own adventure with the starting point being one flavor of chaos leading into a slightly more populist blend of chaos. At the end of it, a lot of long-time financiers are confused, a lot of internet users are using rent money