WSJ Tech News Briefing

As rivals Google and Apple work to improve their own digital products, Amazon is set to add a team of engineers to build new features for its virtual assistant, Alexa. The Wall Street Journal's Laura Stevens has the details.

Following orders to treat rival comparison-shopping services equally in its rankings, Alphabet's Google has officially sketched out how it plans to stop tipping the scales in its favor. The Wall Street Journal's Natalia Drozdiak talks what happens next.

As Apple scrambles to strike deals with Hollywood studios to offer 4K definition films on the new Apple TV, the Wall Street Journal's Tripp Mickle talks what's at stake for the streaming video device ahead of its latest rollout.

Amazon will begin slashing prices on grocery staples at Whole Foods starting Monday, the first changes the online retailer plans for its $13.7 billion acquisition. The Wall Street Journal's Laura Stevens has the latest.

Electronic Arts and the National Football League are teaming up to create an annual videogame tournament aimed at a new kind of esports competitor -- the player sitting at home on the couch. The Wall Street Journal's Sarah E. Needleman has the details.

With HTC dropping the price of its Vive virtual-reality headset by $200, weeks after Facebook made a similar price cut for its Oculus Rift, Heard on the Street's Dan Gallagher talks whether a lower cost is enough to attract more VR users.

As demand increases ahead of "Great American Eclipse," Amazon has taken a stand to remove special viewers with unconfirmed safety standards. The Wall Street Journal's Laura Stevens has the details.

The Wall Street Journal's Alexandra Bruell breaks down what to expect from Facebook's new "Watch" video platform, and how the social media giant plans to court digital video makers for content.

Tech companies like Alphabet and Apple are rethinking products amid a new wave of newcomers who avoid text and use voice activation and images to communicate instead. The Wall Street Journal's Eric Bellman talks how this emerging user base could create new winners and losers in tech.

Mobile-game makers frequently use common tactics that ping players, baiting them back in with rewards and special contests. The Wall Street Journal's Sarah E. Needleman explains why it's a strategy that's working.

Apple plans to introduce a smartwatch this year with cellular network capability, marking the first step in liberating the device and possibly consumers from their iPhone dependency. The Wall Street Journal's Tripp Mickle has the details.

Tesla's version of production "hell" could mean the Silicon Valley car maker will run low on cash later this year as it starts on an ambitious plan to build its first automobile for mainstream consumers. The Wall Street Journal's Tim Higgins has more.

The latest in the legal fight between Uber and Alphabet over driverless-car trade secrets reveals Google co-founder Larry Page's flying-car startup enlisted star Google engineer Anthony Levandowski. The Wall Street's Jack Nicas has the details.

While Tesla shareholders are betting on a profitable future, Heard on the Street's Charley Grant breaks down the costly challenges the electric-car maker faces in the present day.

With the roll out of Facebook's new "related articles" feature, the Wall Street Journal's Deepa Seetharaman talks the social media giant's latest effort to limit the damage of false news -- without having to censor any posts.

With Amazon's camera-equipped Echo Look touting the use of AI to evaluate which outfits look best on you, the Wall Street Journal's Geoffrey Fowler checked with fashion experts for an experiment in how robots fare in assessing fashion.

With services like App Store, iTunes and iCloud generating more than $27.8 billion in revenue in 12-month period, the Wall Street Journal's Tripp Mickle talks the breakthrough success of Apple's services business.

Upon GM hiring the two hackers who notoriously hacked into a Jeep made by Fiat Chrysler, the Wall Street Journal's Mike Colias talks how Detroit is looking to move into a leading position in the autonomous car race.

HBO is the latest entertainment company to be hacked and have its proprietary information, including some of its shows, stolen and leaked online. The Wall Street Journal's Robert McMillan has the latest.

Upon the release of its new Model 3 sedan, Tesla showed off details of the all-electric sedan's interior for the first time, allowing a roughly 10-minute test ride around the factory. The Wall Street Journal's Tim Higgins has a first look.

Tesla's Elon Musk is set to take the stage Friday evening at an event to showcase the first deliveries of the sedan he hopes will help transform his niche car company into a more mass-market maker. The Wall Street Journal's Tim Higgins has the details.

Twitter posted no real increase in users after getting a bump three months ago from the U.S. presidential election, stressing the growing challenges the social-media company faces. The Wall Street Journal's Georgia Wells has more.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos's net worth topped $90 billion on Thursday morning, allowing him to dethrone Microsoft's Bill Gates as the richest man in the world. The Wall Street Journal's Laura Stevens talks what this means for Amazon's ever-growing momentum.

The Wall Street Journal's Laura Stevens talks Amazon's giant job fair around the country as the tech giant pushes to make good on its pledge to hire 130,000 employees.

The Wall Street Journal's Josh Zumbrun talks about the leading tech cities for higher-wage tech jobs, and why expensive prices in metro areas aren't enough to stop its growing momentum.

With the new Lego Boost kit making classic Lego bricks come to life with programmable motors and sensors, the Wall Street Journal's Geoffrey Fowler talks how encouraging kids to code has become a big trend among toys and apps.

An influential House committee chairman is aiming to pass compromise net-neutrality legislation, seeking common ground between high-tech and telecommunications firms that have battled for a decade over internet governance rules. John D. McKinnon has the latest.

Facing more pressure to speed orders more quickly to customers, a rising number of companies are using high-tech robots in their manufacturing process. The Wall Street Journal's Brian Baskin talks how this shakes up the e-commerce and traditional retail industries.

J.P. Morgan Chase and PayPal, two of the highest-profile companies providing mobile wallets in the U.S., will now be partners as well as competitors under terms of a new deal. The Wall Street Journal's Peter Rudegeair has the latest.

As Lyft announces plans to launch its own driver-less car division, the Wall Street Journal's Greg Bensinger talks where this leaves the always competitive self driving car race.

With billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk tweeting that he got "verbal" government approval for his ambitious New York-to-D.C. Hyperloop project, the Wall Street Journal's Tim Higgins explains why he may have raised more questions than he answered.

With a new talking sidekick arriving on millions of Samsung Galaxy S8 phones this week, the Wall Street Journal's Geoffrey Fowler breaks down what makes chatting with Bixby different from Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant.

Google is relaunching Glass, its head-worn computer, by targeting corporate customers and dubbing the device, "Glass Enterprise Edition." The Wall Street Journal's Laura Stevens has the details.

Amid increasing pressure from Amazon, Wal-Mart and other large retailers are turning to technology to do workers' rote tasks. The Wall Street Journal's Sarah Nassauer has the latest.

Is your smartphone constantly telling you there's no more storage? Michael Hsu, Gear & Gadgets editor for The Wall Street Journal's Off Duty section, breaks down three free and paid ways to easily copy your photos and videos to the cloud before safely deleting them.

Netflix blew through its subscriber-growth estimate, proving that big bets on original programming and international expansion are paying off. The Wall Street Journal's Austen Hufford has the latest.

Netflix blew through its subscriber-growth estimate, proving that big bets on original programming and international expansion are paying off. The Wall Street Journal's Austen Hufford has the latest.

As rumors circulate that Apple's new iPhone will arrive late -- and at a much higher price, the Wall Street Journal's Dan Gallagher talks whether the tech giant can keep its appeal with the mass market as it scrambles to get the device done.

Elon Musk warned a gathering of U.S. governors about several worst-case scenarios for AI, saying that the technology "is the biggest risk that we face as a civilization." The Wall Street Journal's Tim Higgins has the latest.

The Wall Street Journal's AnnaMaria Andriotis discusses Visa's offer to small businesses to upgrade payment technology and stop taking cash, as well as its broader effort to steer us away from using paper money.

With hits running at a rate of more than 2.5 billion a month, technology advances continue to make robocalls cheap and easy to place. The Wall Street Journal's John D. McKinnon talks the FCC's latest move to curb these unwanted calls.

The Wall Street Journal's Tim Higgins talks how restrictions on digital mapping by overseas firms in China present hurdles to non-Chinese vehicle and tech companies.

Two different airport-screening changes-one high-tech, one very low-show promise at speeding up security lines and improving accuracy at finding weapons. The Wall Street Journal's Scott McCartney has the latest.

The Wall Street Journal's Geoffrey Fowler talks the new Tovala meal kit, which aims to reinvent the TV dinner by shipping meals to your home that are ready to cook in a special steam oven.

Reporter Jack Nicas discusses the Wall Street Journal's report about Google's little-known program that harnesses the brain power of university researchers to help sway opinion and public policy.

The Wall Street Journal's Jay Greene talks how Microsoft is pushing for "TV white-space technology," and why it may be the key to solving the digital divide between U.S. cities and rural areas.

As Tesla readies for its first mass-market car, it's tripling its capacity to repair vehicles with new service centers and hundreds of maintenance vans. The Wall Street Journal's Tim Higgins has the details surrounding its crucial strategy ahead of the Model 3 launch.

As Apple's iTunes Store continues to struggle for music listeners, it's losing the battle for video viewers as well. The Wall Street Journal's Tripp Mickle talks talks how Apple aims to take on the rising competition.

As more big banks roll out ATM machines accessible via smartphones, the Wall Street Journal's Telis Demos talks the new use of biometric data, and the complexities of managing millions of customers' personal information.

As companies like Apple experiment with technology aimed understanding users without invading their privacy, the Wall Street Journal's Robert McMillan explains how "differential privacy" tech gives companies a new way to analyze sensitive data.

A year after 'Pokémon Go,' where are the augmented-reality hits? The Wall Street Journal's Sarah E. Needleman talks what's next for AR as app makers continue to experiment with the nascent technology.

With Apple's new iOS 11 software update, what will an iPad be good for -- and when are you still better off with a laptop? The Wall Street Journal's Geoffrey Fowler breaks it down.

The Wall Street Journal's Shalini Ramachandran talks how a tie-up with Amazon could help the Dish Network break into the wireless business and why a merging of the two companies makes sense down the road.

As tech companies grapple with accusations of unfair treatment of women and minorities, Stanford University's Graduate School of Business is trying to help would-be entrepreneurs create more conscientious companies. The Wall Street Journal's Kelsey Gee has the details.

In the face of competition from Tesla, Volvo has announced that new models from 2019 will be either fully electric or a hybrid. The Wall Street Journal's William Boston talks how abandoning conventional car engines is poised to shake up the auto industry.

With President Donald Trump signing an executive order to reinstate the National Space Council, the Wall Street Journal's Andy Pasztor talks whether the organization of new space programs can restore America's legacy of leadership in orbit.

With Tesla reporting second quarter global sales growth of 53% amid Elon Musk's tight timeline for Model 3 production, the Wall Street Journal's Tim Higgins discusses whether it's on track to become mainstream player in the car industry.

With regulators calling Google's search engine a monopoly for the first time ever, the Wall Street Journal's Jack Nicas talks the new threat Google's business strategy faces from the European Union.

With Tesla CEO Elon Musk teasing on his Twitter account that an announcement about the timing of the coming Model 3 sedan will come on Sunday, the Wall Street Journal's Tim Higgins talks how enthusiasm helped push the company's shares to record highs.

For years, Nike was one of the biggest holdouts against Amazon, refusing to sell items on the website. The Wall Street Journal's Laura Stevens explains how shifting trends have changed things and what it means for the future of e-commerce.

The Wall Street Journal's Alejandro Lazo discusses why Silicon Valley is leading the charge to boost minimum wage, and how cities in the wealthy region are enacting laws to increase base pay.

With Apple pulling out all the stops for its next roll out, the Wall Street Journal's Tripp Mickle talks about the huge challenges ahead of the iPhone's 10th birthday.

The Wall Street Journal's Geoffrey Fowler reviews the Echo Show, Amazon's first Alexa-powered speaker with a touch screen and built-in camera, and explains why it may still need some work before it's a welcome addition to most homes.

Thanks to the growing number of online dating services, the economic dynamics of online dating have seen a shift in trends. The Wall Street Journal's Khadeeja Safdar breaks it down.

Heard on the Street's Dan Gallagher talks why Google's record-breaking fine from the European Union highlights how the tech industry continues to benefit from its size -- despite the risks of constant scrutiny.

As the iPhone marks the 10th anniversary of its first sale this week, the Wall Street Journal's Christopher Mims talks about what Apple has in store for the next ten years.

The Wall Street Journal's Deepa Seetharaman discusses how Facebook is working with Hollywood studios and agencies to produce TV-quality shows -- with an eye toward launching original programming as soon as late this summer.

Tesla has confirmed that it's exploring with government officials in Shanghai the possibility of opening a facility to build electric vehicles for the Chinese market. The Wall Street Journal's Tim Higgins talks what this means for the U.S.'s most valuable automaker.

The resignation of Uber's CEO has some investors and entrepreneurs saying it will prompt a reassessment of placing ambitious expansion targets ahead of principles. The Wall Street Journal's Rolfe Winkler has more.

Mark Zuckerberg announced a brand new mission statement at a Facebook event in Chicago this week. The Wall Street Journal's Deepa Seetharaman talks how his new focus will aim to "bring the world closer together."

With high-end VR lacking a customer base large enough for game publishers to commit big development dollars, virtual reality may not break out of its niche without some must-have games. The Wall Street Journal's Dan Gallagher breaks it down.

Travis Kalanick's abrupt resignation as CEO leaves Uber searching for a leader to run the world's most valuable startup. The Wall Street Journal's Joann S. Lublin talks how this "once-in-a-generation opportunity" is also fraught with risk.

If its deal goes through, Amazon can join its online expertise with Whole Foods' in-store knowledge to gather key information about how consumers shop. The Wall Street Journal's Laura Stevens has the details.

As auto makers look to the driverless future, the Wall Street Journal's Chester Dawson discusses the emerging innovation in automotive interiors and how the inside of our cars may soon see a new transformation.

Amazon's planned $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods unites two maverick businessmen who will now have to blend very distinct approaches to make the deal a success. The Wall Street Journal's Laura Stevens has the details.

While Amazon may be the player most likely to persuade Americans to buy fresh food online, it must first solve the "last mile" logistics puzzle. The Wall Street Journal's Julie Jargon has the details.

The Wall Street Journal's Jennifer Levitz says high costs are preventing far-flung U.S. communities from getting speedy broadband Internet access. Jennifer visited a rural Missouri county and tells us how it's been impacted by slow Internet service.

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is taking a leave of absence at the company, leaving the decision-making to a group of 14 senior executives. Wall Street Journal reporter Kelsey Gee has talked to experts who say that a company run by committee is not an ideal situation.

The Wall Street Journal's Chester Dawson says the IBM/BMW deal would provide car owners with customized services based on real-time vehicle performance.

The Wall Street Journal's Lara O'Reilly says Facebook is launching new algorithms to help advertisers direct their ads to people most likely to buy their products.

Look ma, no hands! Facebook is working on developing technology that would help us type and text directly with our minds, not our fingers. The Wall Street Journal's Christopher Mims talks about Facebook's plan for telepathic typing.

While Uber wrestles with a string of controversies, the ride-hailing company is in advanced talks to acquire much of the engineering team from struggling car-parking service, Luxe Valet. The Wall Street Journal's Greg Bensinger has the details.

Having taken shots of many of the world's streets using cameras on vehicles, Google is moving to more difficult locations. The Wall Street Journal's Mike Cherney talks the latest virtual enhancements to its "Street View" feature as well as its future in mapping technology.

With its voice assistant Siri, Apple finds itself playing catch-up in a product category it invented. The Wall Street Journal's Tripp Mickle talks whether it can find its way back as a leader in voice tech innovation.

Amazon has teamed up with Crestron, global provider of technology solutions, to bring Alexa into the work place and hopefully get employees to work more productively. Dan Jackson, who leads Crestron's enterprise technology business, has the details.

The Wall Street Journal's Tripp Mickle talks how augmented reality may be Apple's next frontier and where its new ARKit platform stands against new innovation from Facebook, Alphabet and Snap.

Uber has fired more than 20 workers as a result of an investigation into claims it has an aggressive, male-dominated workplace that permits sexual harassment and sexism. The Wall Street Journal's Greg Bensinger has the details.

The Wall Street Journal's Wilson Rothman discusses how, with iOS 11, the new iPad Pro could be Apple's best chance at turning the iPad into a laptop replacement.

In wake of the London attacks, the Wall Street Journal's Jack Nicas discusses the criticism Silicon Valley is facing for not cracking down enough on terrorists who successfully use the internet to communicate with and recruit followers.

The Wall Street Journal's Christopher Mims talks how the trend of Americans working from home continues to be on the rise as the tools to accomplish remote work become increasingly powerful.

The Wall Street Journal's Brian Fitzgerald and Wilson Rothman break down the top takeaways from the first day of Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference including an updated iOS, a new iPad Pro, and the unveiling of its smart speaker, HomePod.

Google is set to roll out a new ad-blocking tool expected to prevent all ads from appearing on websites that are deemed to provide a bad advertising experience for users. The Wall Street Journal's Jack Marshall has the details.

Wrapping up the Wall Street Journal's comprehensive guide to online privacy, personal tech columnist Geoffrey Fowler talks the concept of pseudonyms, as well how to further obscure your online presence.

In the first part of the Wall Street Journal's comprehensive guide to online privacy, personal tech columnist Geoffrey Fowler breaks down how to share as little data as possible, as well as how to efficiently block your browser.

Looking to install outdoor lighting -- without the elaborate and costly installation? The Wall Street Journal's Michael Hsu offers a guide to outdoor solar lights for your garden or patio.

The Wall Street Journal's Rolfe Winkler talks the growing business of digitizing the doctor's office with a look at Outcome Health, a company specializing in digital posters and pamphlets in doctor's waiting rooms.

Now that Uber has fired its top driverless-car executive Anthony Levandowski, the Wall Street Journal's Jack Nicas talks where the company's bid to contain a spiraling legal battle with Google parent Alphabet goes from here.