At the I/O developer conference yesterday, Google said that Android apps will be able to run on Chromebooks (which is a very big deal). The company also made its pitch to mobile app developers about the advantages of Android over iOS, briefly showed off a once-secret AI chip and described a plan for virtual reality headsets that sounds a lot like its Nexus smartphone strategy. Check out our full coverage at the link below.
[Recode Staff]
Yahoo bidders who previously thought Yahoo was worth $4 billion to $8 billion now think Yahoo is worth $2 billion to $3 billion, bidders tell the Wall Street Journal. The Journal notes that it is "generally in the interest of bidders to play down their enthusiasm in an auction."
[Douglas MacMillan | The Wall Street Journal]
Uber has been testing self-driving Ford Fusions on Pittsburgh streets for the last year, and the company yesterday officially confirmed that it has been doing so. Meanwhile, Singaporean ride-hailing startup Grab says it isn't developing its own self-driving cars, but is open to joining a global partnership for the tech. Kind of like its partnership with Lyft and Didi.
[Aaron Aupperlee | Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]
Wouldn't it be nice to keep your phone in airplane mode all the time, only using Wi-Fi to access the internet? On the new Too Embarrassed to Ask podcast, Lauren Goode and Kara Swisher talk with Karma CEO Steven van Wel about the Wi-Fi hotspot device his company makes, which aims to let you do just that.
[Eric Johnson | Recode]
Walmart yesterday reported a small increase in revenue, bucking the bad earnings trend for major retailers from this past quarter. A big reason for this is because Walmart serves people who either cannot afford or do not know how to buy stuff from online stores like Amazon.
[Rachel Abrams | The New York Times]
Facebook
By Dawn Chmielewski
The conservative commentator walked away from Wednesday's meeting obviously impressed.
Science
By Noah Kulwin
Could it be you?
Google
By Edmund Lee
I met her a few times. She wasn't a radical.
Voices
By Eric Holmen
"Offline" data — things like voice command and in-store shopping — are stil important factors in consumer decision-making.
Google
By Walt Mossberg
The mobile-centric mindset may be fading.
Facebook
By Dawn Chmielewski
The VR company knows how far apart your eyes are, but only to deliver images in sharp focus.
Former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown has access to more political power in the city than anyone else, and it is available to the highest bidder. This excellent San Francisco Magazine profile of Brown examines the "most investigated least prosecuted" politician that California has "ever produced."
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
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