Technology
Uber is reportedly exploring an Expedia takeover
Uber is reportedly exploring the idea of purchasing Expedia, one of the largest travel booking companies in the world, according to the Financial Times. Expedia, which is valued at $20 billion and which reported its highest-ever annual revenue in 2023, will be the company’s biggest acquisition, if the deal does indeed push through. The Times says it’s very early days, however, and Uber hasn’t even made a formal offer for the travel company yet. It’s still in the process of studying the implications of acquiring Expedia and has, over the past months, worked with advisers to figure out whether the deal is feasible and how it would be structured.
The company’s CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, may have to sit out deal discussions, seeing as he used to be CEO of Expedia before he was hired by the ride-hailing service in 2017. He’s still in its Board of Directors, as well. It doesn’t sound like Khosrowshahi was the one who suggested the potential purchase, though — in its report, the Times said the idea was “broached by a third party.”
Uber has had plans to become a wider travel booking platform for a while now. Khosrowshahi said he wanted Uber to be the “Amazon of transportation” from the time he joined the company. Since then, the ride-hailing service has added train, bus and flight bookings in some markets, and it has also made several large acquisitions. It purchased online food delivery service Postmates for $2.65 billion and alcohol delivery service Drizly for $1.1 billion before shutting it down three years later. The company also teamed up with Waymo and Cruise to offer autonomous rides in certain markets. As the Times notes, Uber became profitable for the first time in 2023 due to a renewed demand for rides and food delivery and could be a in a good position to acquire a company as big as Expedia.
Technology
AMD is finally recognizing that Ryzen 9000 is too expensive
AMD is finally cutting prices on its Ryzen 9000 CPUs. After teasing that its long-awaited Ryzen 7 9800X3D will arrive in November, the company revealed that it’ll be slashing prices on its existing Ryzen 9000 range by anywhere from $30 to $50. Combined with some impressive performance updates, AMD’s latest chips have a better shot at a spot among the best processors than they’ve ever had.
The company describes the price cuts as an early holiday promotion, though it hasn’t put an end date on the discounts. The flagship Ryzen 9 9950X is seeing a $50 price cut, while the remainder of the range is reduced by $30. It’s a clear stab at Intel’s upcoming Arrow Lake CPUs, which go on sale later this week. Similar to the last few generations, Intel is undercutting AMD on pricing, so this promotion brings the scales back in balance.
AMD’s latest CPUs were too expensive, but the unfortunate reality for CPU pricing is that AMD’s recommended pricing has little bearing on the actual price you’ll pay. For example, the , which is exactly $50 less than its list price. The Ryzen 9 9900X, on the other hand, is , which is $70 below its list price.
Although AMD is describing these price cuts as a holiday promotion, there’s a good chance the prices will live on. We’ve already seen price cuts on Ryzen 9000 CPUs, and the processors have reportedly seen poor sales since launch. Even a small price reduction could bring them back into relevance, combined with AMD’s performance updates that can boost speeds by up to 17% in our own testing.
More than anything, AMD’s price cuts here are a message about the upcoming competition from Intel. The upcoming Core Ultra 9 285K will arrive at $589, while the Core Ultra 5 245K is showing up at $309. At the low-end, AMD is now undercutting Intel, and at the high-end, it’s coming in $10 more expensive with the Ryzen 9 9950X. That kind of price shifting lays a foundation for a pure performance comparison when Arrow Lake reviews go live later this week.
Technology
Android 15 update may brick your Pixel 6 if ‘Private Space’ is enabled
Google started rolling out the stable version of Android 15 to its Pixel devices recently. Now reports about Android 15 bricking Pixel 6 phones have started appearing on social media platforms.
Android 15 update bricking some Pixel 6 smartphones
Google launched the Pixel 6 smartphone three years ago. It is still one of the most feature-rich smartphones that offer a pure Android experience. The entry-level Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro have worked reliably for most buyers.
Google recently released the Android 15 OS update to its Pixel smartphones. The latest update is intended for Pixel smartphones starting from the Pixel 6, and going all the way up to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
Google attempted to eliminate some concerning behavior of the Pixel smartphones when they are charging, including random reboots. However, it appears the Android 15 update has started bricking the Pixel 6 smartphone.
Although the update process is smooth and uneventful, some Pixel 6 users have reportedly complained that the update bricks their devices. According to the posts on Reddit, the Pixel 6 devices bricked by the Android 15 update become completely unresponsive.
Why is the latest update causing problems for older Pixel smartphones?
It is concerning to note that this is not the first time a major Android OS update has caused problems for the Pixel 6 smartphones. Last year, the Android 14 update locked the phone’s storage for some users. Earlier this year, a simple factory reset rendered several Pixel 6 devices unresponsive.
This year, the Android 15 update is straight-up bricking some smartphones. Interestingly, there appears to be a pattern that could be avoided. Some Reddit users have mentioned their phones died after enabling the Private Space feature.
Simply put, Pixel 6 smartphone users should avoid installing the Android 15 update for a few days. Moreover, users should back up their data before updating their devices. Additionally, it would be wise to stay away from the Private Space feature, which is pretty unfortunate. This is one of the more exciting Android 15 features to launch.
Science & Environment
Ripple founder has given more than $11.8 million to Harris campaign
Chris Larsen, the co-founder and chairman of Ripple, contributed nearly $9.9 million to Future Forward in September, in addition to more than $800,000 to the Harris Victory Fund, according to FEC data compiled by Breadcrumbs crypto market and blockchain analyst James Delmore and independently verified by CNBC.
Including Larsen’s August contribution of $1 million worth of XRP tokens, the billionaire has given more than $11.8 million to PACs supporting the Harris campaign, making him one of the crypto industry’s largest individual donors this cycle.
Larsen, who’s backed candidates across the aisle the last few years, told CNBC in an interview that his comfort level with Harris comes from conversations he’s had with people inside the campaign and what he’s seen from the vice president since she replaced President Biden at the top of the ticket in July.
It helps that Harris is from the Bay Area.
“She knows people who have grown up in the innovation economy her whole life,” Larsen previously told CNBC. “So I think she gets it at a fundamental level, in a way that I think the Biden folks were just not paying attention to, or maybe just didn’t make the connection between empowering workers and making sure you have American champions dominating their industries.”
Larsen’s affection for the Democratic nominee isn’t new. In February, he gave the maximum personal contribution of $6,600 to Harris (which would cover the primary and general election), about five months before she became the Democratic presidential nominee, FEC filings show. At the same time, he contributed $100,000 to the Harris Action Fund PAC.
Larsen, 64, has a net worth of $3.1 billion, according to Forbes, primarily from his ownership of XRP and involvement in Ripple, which provides blockchain technology for financial services companies.
He’s part of an industry that’s become suddenly prominent in political fundraising, though more heavily in support of Republicans. Nearly half of all the corporate money flowing into the election has come from the crypto industry, according to a recent report from the nonprofit watchdog group Public Citizen.
The Trump PAC has raised about $7.5 million crypto donations since early June.
Fairshake, which is one of the top spending PACs this year, is targeting close House races. The committee gave out nearly $29 million in September.
Of that sum, $20 million went to two affiliated PACs — $15 million to the Defend American Jobs PAC, a single-issue committee focused on cryptocurrency and blockchain policy that’s favored Republicans, and $5 million to Protect Progress, which has only supported Democrats.
The remaining $8.8 million spent by Fairshake last month mostly went to House races in New York, Nevada and California, according to FEC data compiled by crypto market and blockchain analyst James Delmore and verified by CNBC.
Several of those races are considered toss-ups by the Cook Political Report. Among the recipients were Southern California Republicans David G. Valadao and Michael Garcia, who are in tight contests to keep their seats. They’ve received $1.3 million and $1 million, respectively.
For the 2024 cycle, political donations from or supporting the crypto industry reached around $190 million and so far, crypto groups have spent over $130 million of that cash in congressional races for this year’s election, including the primaries.
Technology
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition will only be sold in Korea and China
Samsung fans interested in the Galaxy Z Fold series may be curious about the the (SE), which is coming out on October 25, this Friday. However, this smartphone will only reach stores in Korea and China.
The Galaxy Z Fold SE is 1.5mm thinner and three grams lighter than the Galaxy Z Fold 6, measuring 1.6mm thick and weighing 236 grams. The inner and outer screens are 8 and 6.5 inches, respectively. The Galaxy Z Fold 6’s screens are 7.6 and 6.3 inches, in comparison.
While the Galaxy Fold 6 has 12GB of RAM, the Galaxy Z Fold SE will have 16GB of RAM, which allows it to perform better at AI tasks courtesy of Samsung’s . These tasks include real-time conversation interpretation, image editing, summarizing audio and transcription functions. Samsung aims to help users “unleash” their creativity with these and other functions.
The final notable change is the rear camera. The Special Edition rear sensor has been upgraded to 200 megapixels from 50 on the standard model, which is sure to please smartphone photography fans.
Samsung’s suggested price for the Galaxy Z Fold SE is 2,789,600 won, which is approximately $2,025. There are currently no sources mentioning a Chinese price. The Galaxy Fold SE is fundamentally the same as the other Galaxy Z Fold models, but it’s currently the thinnest and lightest one. It’s more challenging to procure if you’re not in Korea or China, but perhaps Samsung will change that in the future.
Technology
Tropical Storm Oscar is making Cuba’s nationwide power outage even worse
Tropical Storm Oscar is making it harder to restore power in Cuba after a massive, prolonged power outage that preceded the storm.
The nation’s power grid failed on Friday after Cuba’s largest power plant went offline, leaving more than 10 million people without electricity. The grid reportedly collapsed four more times before Oscar made landfall as a Category 1 storm on Sunday evening.
Oscar is hitting a key region for power generation where at least two important power plants in the city of Holguín Santiago de Cuba are located. The storm creates “an additional inconvenience,” the Associated Press reports Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy saying in a news conference. The storm is still barreling through Cuba today, posing new dangers to residents and complicating efforts to get the power grid running again.
Oscar is still dangerous even though it has weakened into a tropical storm since making landfall. Heavy rainfall is expected to trigger “life-threatening flash flooding along with mudslides across portions of eastern Cuba, especially within the Sierra Maestra” through midweek, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
Authorities are working with the aim of restoring power by Tuesday, de la O Levy said. Several days without power have already taken a big toll, leaving people without running water systems (since water pumps need electricity) or refrigeration to keep food from rotting.
Even before last week’s crisis, Cuba was already teetering on an energy crisis with an aging power grid and looming fuel shortages. Officials say they’re working to get micro power grid systems running to restore electricity region by region until “greater stability” can be achieved.
Science & Environment
The laws of physics appear to follow a mysterious mathematical pattern
A strange pattern running through the equations of physics may reveal something fundamental about the universe or could be a sign that human brains are biased to ignore more complex explanations of reality – or both.
This insight comes from a physicist’s version of Zipf’s law, an observation by linguists that the most common word in a language appears twice as often as the second most common word, three times as often as the third, and so on. In…
-
Technology4 weeks ago
Is sharing your smartphone PIN part of a healthy relationship?
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Hyperelastic gel is one of the stretchiest materials known to science
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
‘Running of the bulls’ festival crowds move like charged particles
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
How to unsnarl a tangle of threads, according to physics
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Maxwell’s demon charges quantum batteries inside of a quantum computer
-
Technology1 month ago
Would-be reality TV contestants ‘not looking real’
-
Science & Environment4 weeks ago
X-rays reveal half-billion-year-old insect ancestor
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Sunlight-trapping device can generate temperatures over 1000°C
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Liquid crystals could improve quantum communication devices
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Quantum ‘supersolid’ matter stirred using magnets
-
Womens Workouts4 weeks ago
3 Day Full Body Women’s Dumbbell Only Workout
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Why this is a golden age for life to thrive across the universe
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Laser helps turn an electron into a coil of mass and charge
-
TV3 weeks ago
সারাদেশে দিনব্যাপী বৃষ্টির পূর্বাভাস; সমুদ্রবন্দরে ৩ নম্বর সংকেত | Weather Today | Jamuna TV
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
A new kind of experiment at the Large Hadron Collider could unravel quantum reality
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Quantum forces used to automatically assemble tiny device
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Nerve fibres in the brain could generate quantum entanglement
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
How to wrap your mind around the real multiverse
-
Technology3 weeks ago
Ukraine is using AI to manage the removal of Russian landmines
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
A slight curve helps rocks make the biggest splash
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
ITER: Is the world’s biggest fusion experiment dead after new delay to 2035?
-
Business3 weeks ago
DoJ accuses Donald Trump of ‘private criminal effort’ to overturn 2020 election
-
Business2 weeks ago
When to tip and when not to tip
-
News1 month ago
the pick of new debut fiction
-
News1 month ago
▶️ Hamas in the West Bank: Rising Support and Deadly Attacks You Might Not Know About
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Time travel sci-fi novel is a rip-roaringly good thought experiment
-
News1 month ago
▶️ Media Bias: How They Spin Attack on Hezbollah and Ignore the Reality
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Nuclear fusion experiment overcomes two key operating hurdles
-
News4 weeks ago
Our millionaire neighbour blocks us from using public footpath & screams at us in street.. it’s like living in a WARZONE – WordupNews
-
Technology4 weeks ago
Why Machines Learn: A clever primer makes sense of what makes AI possible
-
MMA3 weeks ago
Julianna Peña trashes Raquel Pennington’s behavior as champ
-
News2 weeks ago
Massive blasts in Beirut after renewed Israeli air strikes
-
News2 weeks ago
Navigating the News Void: Opportunities for Revitalization
-
Technology3 weeks ago
Microphone made of atom-thick graphene could be used in smartphones
-
Football3 weeks ago
Rangers & Celtic ready for first SWPL derby showdown
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Physicists have worked out how to melt any material
-
MMA3 weeks ago
Pereira vs. Rountree prediction: Champ chases legend status
-
Technology2 weeks ago
Samsung Passkeys will work with Samsung’s smart home devices
-
News2 weeks ago
▶ Hamas Spent $1B on Tunnels Instead of Investing in a Future for Gaza’s People
-
Sport3 weeks ago
World’s sexiest referee Claudia Romani shows off incredible figure in animal print bikini on South Beach
-
Technology3 weeks ago
This AI video generator can melt, crush, blow up, or turn anything into cake
-
Sport3 weeks ago
Boxing: World champion Nick Ball set for Liverpool homecoming against Ronny Rios
-
TV2 weeks ago
Love Island star sparks feud rumours as one Islander is missing from glam girls’ night
-
Sport2 weeks ago
Wales fall to second loss of WXV against Italy
-
News3 weeks ago
Heartbreaking end to search as body of influencer, 27, found after yacht party shipwreck on ‘Devil’s Throat’ coastline
-
News2 weeks ago
Heavy strikes shake Beirut as Israel expands Lebanon campaign
-
Sport2 weeks ago
Coco Gauff stages superb comeback to reach China Open final
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Physicists are grappling with their own reproducibility crisis
-
TV3 weeks ago
Phillip Schofield accidentally sets his camp on FIRE after using emergency radio to Channel 5 crew
-
Technology3 weeks ago
Texas is suing TikTok for allegedly violating its new child privacy law
-
Sport3 weeks ago
Sturm Graz: How Austrians ended Red Bull’s title dominance
-
News2 weeks ago
Family plans to honor hurricane victim using logs from fallen tree that killed him
-
MMA2 weeks ago
Pereira vs. Rountree preview show live stream
-
MMA2 weeks ago
‘Uncrowned queen’ Kayla Harrison tastes blood, wants UFC title run
-
MMA3 weeks ago
Dana White’s Contender Series 74 recap, analysis, winner grades
-
Technology1 month ago
Meta has a major opportunity to win the AI hardware race
-
Business3 weeks ago
Eurosceptic Andrej Babiš eyes return to power in Czech Republic
-
News1 month ago
You’re a Hypocrite, And So Am I
-
Sport1 month ago
Joshua vs Dubois: Chris Eubank Jr says ‘AJ’ could beat Tyson Fury and any other heavyweight in the world
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
A tale of two mysteries: ghostly neutrinos and the proton decay puzzle
-
Technology3 weeks ago
Artificial flavours released by cooking aim to improve lab-grown meat
-
MMA3 weeks ago
Alex Pereira faces ‘trap game’ vs. Khalil Rountree
-
Technology3 weeks ago
Amazon’s Ring just doubled the price of its alarm monitoring service for grandfathered customers
-
Technology3 weeks ago
Musk faces SEC questions over X takeover
-
News3 weeks ago
German Car Company Declares Bankruptcy – 200 Employees Lose Their Jobs
-
TV2 weeks ago
Maayavi (මායාවී) | Episode 23 | 02nd October 2024 | Sirasa TV
-
Technology2 weeks ago
Popular financial newsletter claims Roblox enables child sexual abuse
-
Money2 weeks ago
Why thousands of pensioners WON’T see State Pension rise by full £460 next year
-
Business3 weeks ago
Bank of England warns of ‘future stress’ from hedge fund bets against US Treasuries
-
Business3 weeks ago
Chancellor Rachel Reeves says she needs to raise £20bn. How might she do it?
-
Football3 weeks ago
Simo Valakari: New St Johnstone boss says Scotland special in his heart
-
News3 weeks ago
Hungry customer left gobsmacked as two blokes riding giant HORSES stroll into local chip shop
-
Politics3 weeks ago
Rosie Duffield’s savage departure raises difficult questions for Keir Starmer. He’d be foolish to ignore them | Gaby Hinsliff
-
News2 weeks ago
Hull KR 10-8 Warrington Wolves – Robins reach first Super League Grand Final
-
MMA2 weeks ago
UFC 307 preview show: Will Alex Pereira’s wild ride continue, or does Khalil Rountree shock the world?
-
Technology2 weeks ago
How to disable Google Assistant on your Pixel Watch 3
-
Technology2 weeks ago
A very underrated horror movie sequel is streaming on Max
-
Sport2 weeks ago
Man City ask for Premier League season to be DELAYED as Pep Guardiola escalates fixture pile-up row
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Rethinking space and time could let us do away with dark matter
-
Health & fitness1 month ago
The secret to a six pack – and how to keep your washboard abs in 2022
-
Science & Environment1 month ago
Caroline Ellison aims to duck prison sentence for role in FTX collapse
-
News1 month ago
The Project Censored Newsletter – May 2024
-
Technology3 weeks ago
Quantum computers may work better when they ignore causality
-
Technology3 weeks ago
University examiners fail to spot ChatGPT answers in real-world test
-
News1 month ago
New investigation ordered into ‘doorstep murder’ of Alistair Wilson
-
Sport3 weeks ago
Watch UFC star deliver ‘one of the most brutal knockouts ever’ that left opponent laid spark out on the canvas
-
Technology3 weeks ago
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney renews blast at ‘gatekeeper’ platform owners
-
Science & Environment3 weeks ago
Markets watch for dangers of further escalation
-
News3 weeks ago
‘Blacks for Trump’ and Pennsylvania progressives play for undecided voters
-
Technology3 weeks ago
Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S24+
-
TV2 weeks ago
The Sopranos: ‘Annoyed’ cast member criticises their final scene in HBO show
-
Technology2 weeks ago
Ulefone Armor Pad 4 Ultra is now available, at a discount
-
News2 weeks ago
Reach CEO Jim Mullen: If government advertises with us, we’ll employ more reporters
-
Money2 weeks ago
Wetherspoons issues update on closures – see the full list of five still at risk and 26 gone for good
-
News2 weeks ago
Balancing India and China Is the Challenge for Sri Lanka’s Dissanayake
-
Technology2 weeks ago
The best shows on Max (formerly HBO Max) right now
-
MMA3 weeks ago
How to watch Salt Lake City title fights, lineup, odds, more
-
Business3 weeks ago
Top shale boss says US ‘unusually vulnerable’ to Middle East oil shock
-
Technology3 weeks ago
J.B. Hunt and UP.Labs launch venture lab to build logistics startups
-
News3 weeks ago
Woman who died of cancer ‘was misdiagnosed on phone call with GP’
You must be logged in to post a comment Login