Tech Brew Ride Home

Google rebrands AdWords and demos Duplex for reporters, Twitter takes steps to fight spam and make your account more secure, Facebook wants to help you avoid spoilers and is Blackberry back with the Key2? Links:Google is retiring the AdWords & DoubleClick brands in a major rebranding aimed at simplification (Search Engine Land)Google opens its human-sounding Duplex AI to public testing (CNET)Google Duplex really works and testing begins this summer (The Verge)Facebook tests 30-day keyword snoozing to fight spoilers, triggers (TechCrunch)BlackBerry KEY2 review: One of the most unique phones around comes up short of awesome (Android Police)

Uber gets legal in London, a16z raises a crypto fund, Apple opts for human editors, Fortnite makes bank, and a check-in on the space race. Links:Uber wins the right to keep operating in London (TheVerge)Wi-Fi security is starting to get its biggest upgrade in over a decade (TheVerge)Fortnite is generating more revenue than any other free game ever (ReCode)Intel and the Danger of Integration (Ben Thompson/Stratechery)Steven Sinofsky Tweet Thread on the Above

New noise cancelling AirPods might be coming, AT&T buys AppNexus, more Trump and Chinese tech rumblings, and what is the future of Benchmark Capital? Links:Apple to Unveil High-End AirPods, Over-Ear Headphones For 2019 (Bloomberg)The US now officially has the world's fastest supercomputer, knocking China off the top spot (TechSport)Is there a next act for one of Silicon Valley’s top investors after Uber? Benchmark and Bill Gurley are about to find out. (ReCode)Here’s How That Tablet On The Table At Your Favorite Restaurant Is Hurting Your Waiter (BuzzFeed) Book Recommendation:eBoys

The Supreme Court rules on cell phone tracking, YouTube gets channel memberships, Twitter literally smites Smyte, the Elon Musk sabotage saga gets weirder and the weekend longreads suggestions. Stories from: @sarahintampa, @drewharwell Tweets: @mathewi  Links:Supreme Court says police can't use your cellphone to track you without a court order (NBC News)Twitter ‘smytes’ customers (TechCrunch)Elon Musk Has Always Been At War With The Media (BuzzFeed) Weekend Longreads:How Twitter Made The Tech World's Most Unlikely Comeback (BuzzFeed)The Legend of Nintendo (Bloomberg)Intel now faces a fight for its future (The Verge)INSIDE THE CRYPTO WORLD'S BIGGEST SCANDAL (Wired)

Intel’s CEO steps down, an update on Apple’s AirPower wireless charger, a Supreme Court ruling will have a big impact on e-commerce, and Amazon Fire TV Cube reviews. Stories from: @jessiwrites, @chrisvelazco Tweets: @kevinctofel Links: Why Apple’s AirPower Wireless Charger Is Taking So Long to Make (Bloomberg)AMAZON FIRE TV CUBE REVIEW: A SMARTER STREAMING BOX (The Verge)Google turns on ‘Continued Conversation’ in the Google Assistant (Search Engine Land)WHY LYFT IS TRYING TO BECOME THE NEXT SUBSCRIPTION BUSINESS (Wired)

The immigration controversy comes to Silicon Valley, Instagram debuts IGTV, Disney ups its bid for Fox, and a new phone finds a new way around “the notch.” Links:Facebook launches gameshows platform with interactive video (TechCrunch)Oppo’s Find X ditches the notch for pop-up cameras (The Verge)Crypto Exchange Bithumb Halts Withdrawals After $31 Million Hack (CoinDesk)

Verizon and AT&T stop selling your location data, Google roles out a couple of cool new things, Alexa is coming to your hotel, Elon Musk is worried about sabotage, and how Europe might kill meme culture. Stories from: @jacknicas Tweets: @coryweinberg, @danprimack Links:In China Trade War, Apple Worries It Will Be Collateral Damage (NYTimes)One Year in, Bird Founder Sells Some Shares (The Information)The EU's bizarre war on memes is totally unwinnable (Wired UK)

Apple upgrades 911 calls—and is taking a case to the Supreme Court—Google invests big time in China, gaming addiction is officially a disorder, and how an Australian telecom company is screwing up the World Cup. Stories from: @stevelevine, @tiffkhsu Tweets: @mhbergen Links:In China, a picture of how warehouse jobs can vanish (Axios)Video Game Addiction Tries to Move From Basement to Doctor’s Office (NYTimes)Google Is Training Machines to Predict When a Patient Will Die (Bloomberg)SBS to screen World Cup games after Optus fail (Sydney Morning Herald)

Oprah signs with Apple, but OLEDs aren’t working out for Apple, Netflix has a hidden source for teen comedy hits, the weekend longreads suggestions, and, if you can believe it, William Shatner’s new gig. Stories from: @mochi_wsj, @McLauchlin Links:APPLE’S ORIGINAL CONTENT IS FURTHER ALONG THAN YOU THINK (LoupVentures)Netflix’s latest hit ‘The Kissing Booth’ is a Wattpad success story (TechCrunch)How Batteries Went From Primitive Power to Global Domination (Bloomberg)William Shatner's new enterprise: A solar-powered bitcoin mining farm in southern Illinois (Chicago Tribune) Weekend Longreads Suggestions:The Time Canada Wanted Its Own Internet Because It Thought the US Would Mess It Up (Motherboard)Instagram’s Wannabe-Stars Are Driving Luxury Hotels Crazy (The Atlantic)HOW THE TRENDIEST GRILLED-CHEESE VENTURE GOT BURNT (Wired)THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE RACY MODULE THAT ALMOST RUINED D&D (Wired)

Apple tries to lock down it’s phones again, Google makes ad targeting more transparent, Microsoft works to replace cashiers with robots… but the robots have already come for middle managers at Amazon, and a plea to help save Metafilter. Stories from: @spencersoper, @viticci, @CamiRusso Links:Shortcuts: A New Vision for Siri and iOS Automation (MacStories)Amazon’s Clever Machines Are Moving From the Warehouse to Headquarters (Bloomberg)Making a Killing in Virtual Real Estate (Bloomberg)The Million Dollar Homepage (Wikipedia)SAVE METAFILTER!