Oppo, Xiaomi, and Vivo formed an alliance to develop a cross-platform file sharing protocol using WiFi and Bluetooth, similar to Air Drop and Google’s rebranded Fast Share, but would not require Google Play Services.  

Our roundup includes stories about another 90-day extension for Huawei, Apple tariffs, a digital assistant showdown, a neat TD/FPS game, Ikea’s new smart home business unit, old-school communications in the Navy, scooters that drive themselves, and Starman's lap around the sun.