Tech Digest daily roundup: Amazon suffers slowest growth in two decades
Amazon has suffered its slowest growth for two decades, knocking $150bn (£120bn) off its value on Thursday, as the pandemic internet shopping boom ground to a halt. The online retail giant said revenues rose by 7pc in the first three months of the year to $116.4bn. This was the slowest growth since 2001, in the aftermath of the dotcom bubble. It also revealed its first loss since 2015, as costs soared and it took a heavy hit on its investment in the electric carmaker Rivian. Shares fell almost 10pc in after-hours trading as the company issued disappointing forecasts for the next quarter. It said sales could grow by as little as 3pc, well below Wall Street forecasts. Telegraph
It’s best known for its social media app, Snapchat, but Snap has today launched a new piece of hardware – a flying camera. The flying camera, called Pixy, was unveiled at Snap’s Partner Summit today, and is described as a ‘free-flying sidekick that’s a fit for adventures big and small.’ Pixy does not require a controller or any set-up, and instead operates on its own, snapping selfies for you before landing in your palm. Speaking at Snap’s Partner Summit, Mr Spiegel explained why Snap decided to develop the flying camera. ‘We first created Snapchat as a new way to use the Camera for self-expression and communication,’ he explained….’Today, we’re taking the power and magic of the Snap Camera — the spontaneity, the joy, and the freedom — to new heights.’ Daily Mail
Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has sold almost $4bn (£3.2bn) worth of shares in the electric car maker, just days after he agreed to buy Twitter. The sale has led to speculation that it will help to finance his planned $44bn buyout of the social media platform. Twitter’s board agreed on Monday to accept a takeover offer from Mr Musk. Shares in Tesla fell sharply earlier this week over worries that Mr Musk would sell part of his stake in the carmaker to fund the deal. However, he tweeted that he had no plans to sell any more of his shares in the carmaker. BBC
WhatsApp has supported multiple devices for a while now—at least when it comes to desktops. You can use the messenger on your laptop or computer without maintaining an active internet connection on your mobile phone. However, people with Android tablets or secondary smartphones were left out of the party, with the feature exclusively available for WhatsApp on desktop computers. This might soon change, with first evidence cropping up that the messenger is working on supporting companion Android devices. Android Police
Google has expanded options for keeping personal information private from online searches. The company said Friday it will let people request that more types of content such as personal contact information like phone numbers, email and physical addresses be removed from search results. The new policy also allows the removal of other information that may pose a risk for identity theft, such as confidential log-in credentials. The company said in a statement that open access to information is vital, “but so is empowering people with the tools they need to protect themselves and keep their sensitive, personally identifiable information private.” Yahoo!
