WSJ Tech News Briefing

Tech News Briefing is your guide to what people in tech are talking about. Every weekday, we’ll bring you breaking tech news and scoops from the pros at the Wall Street Journal, insight into new innovations and policy debates, tips from our personal tech team, and exclusive interviews with movers and shakers in the industry.

Tech News
News
2101
iPhones and Apps Help Apple Top Estimates
Apple delivered its best-ever revenue for the June quarter, as demand for high-price iPhones remained resilient and services soared to new records. The Wall Street Journal's Tripp Mickle has more.
5 min
2102
Walmart Takes on Netflix With Streaming Service
Walmart is exploring a subscription video-streaming service that would challenge Netflix and Amazon by offering programming that targets Middle America. The Wall Street Journal's Joe Flint has more.
7 min
2103
How Amazon's Profit Soared to New Records
Amazon's profit topped $2 billion for the first time, powered by the company's newer services businesses that are ushering the online retail giant into an era of swelling profitability. The Wall Street Journal's Laura Stevens has more.
7 min
2104
Facebook Shakes Investor Faith
The Wall Street Journal's Deepa Seetharaman explains how concerns about revenue growth, monetizing Instagram Stories and the impact of new privacy laws have hit Facebook's shares this week.
6 min
2105
'Ford Autonomous Vehicles' Revs Up Self-Driving...
Ford is carving out its autonomous-vehicle program into a separate wholly owned company, a bid to accelerate its driverless-car efforts by attracting outside investors. The Wall Street Journal's Mike Colias has more.
7 min
2106
Google's Strong Results Offset Worries
Google parent Alphabet's strong earnings results have helped offset growing worries about big costs and political risks. The Wall Street Journal's Dan Gallagher has more.
7 min
2107
Tesla Asks for Cash Back to Help Turn a Profit
Tesla, in a memo, asks suppliers to return a meaningful portion of money spent since 2016. The Wall Street Journal's Tim Higgins has more on its urgency to sustain operations during a critical production period.
7 min
2108
First Test Drive of Tesla Model 3 Performance
The Tesla brand has its share of haters, but no one has yet driven the new Model 3 Performance-until now. The Wall Street Journal's Dan Neil takes a first turn behind the wheel.
7 min
2109
On Amazon, Counterfeiters Plague Small Brands
Small brands easily sell their products to large numbers of customers on Amazon, but some counterfeiters are cutting into their business. Wall Street Journal reporter Laura Stevens has more.
5 min
2110
Google Fined $5 Billion by EU in Android Case
The European Union hit Alphabet Inc.'s Google with a record antitrust fine of $5.06 billion and ordered changes to its business that could loosen the company's grip on mobile phones. The Wall Street Journal's Sam Schechner has the details.
7 min
2111
Netflix: Time for a Pause
Netflix's stock fell sharply after its quarterly subscriber growth, though still strong, fell short of expectations. The Wall Street Journal's Dan Gallagher says Netflix's soaring stock was overdue for a pause and talks about the pressures the company faces.
7 min
2112
5 Ways Your Cellphone Location Data is Being Used
Mobile carriers said they would stop selling access to customers' locations to two companies-but other services rely on access to users' whereabouts to make money. Wall Street Journal reporter Sarah Krouse has more.
8 min
2113
Apple's $300 Million Clean Energy Fund for China
Amid trade tensions, Apple is set to invest in and develop clean energy projects totaling more than 1 gigawatt of renewable energy in China. The Wall Street Journal's Tripp Mickle has the details.
5 min
2114
Facebook Gives 'Full Access' of Data to Researc...
Despite privacy concerns, Facebook is giving researchers "full access" to user data so it can learn about the effects of social media on democracy. The Wall Street Journal's Douglas MacMillan has more.
7 min
2115
Is It Smart to Install a Smart Lock?
Digital alternatives to keys have their advantages, but they're proving divisive. Joshua Fruhlinger, contributor to the Wall Street Journal's Off Duty, summarizes both sides of the debate.
9 min
2116
Can Microsoft's Surface Go Challenge Apple's iPad?
Microsoft is cutting prices on its Surface devices and introducing a $399 tablet to compete with Apple's least-expensive iPads. The Wall Street Journal's Jay Greene has the details.
5 min
2117
Voice Chat: The Future of Communication?
Tired of texting? The Wall Street Journal's David Pierce says voice chat might be the future of communication, as companies build walkie-talkie-type tools to address things people don't like about phone calls.
8 min
2118
Sonos Goes Public in New Era of Smart Speakers
Sonos reveals its plans for an initial public offering, opening its books to show a company on pace to turn a profit this fiscal year. The Wall Street Journal's Maureen Farrell has the details.
5 min
2119
Too Many Spam Calls? These Apps Help Block Them
Inundated with spam calls? Sara Clemence, former travel editor for the Wall Street Journal's Off Duty, breaks down how to stop annoying robo-callers with anti-spam apps.
8 min
2120
Facebook Probe Broadens With SEC, FBI
The SEC and FBI join the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission in probing how the political analytics firm Cambridge Analytica purchased data on 87 million users of Facebook without their consent. The Wall Street Journal's Georgia Wells has the details.
5 min
2121
Facebook Discloses Special Access to Personal Data
Facebook disclosed it gave dozens of companies special access to user information, detailing for the first time a contrast with previous statements that it restricted data to outsiders in 2015. The Wall Street Journal's Georgia Wells has the latest.
6 min
2122
Tech's 'Dirty Secret': App Developers Sift Thro...
Software developers are scanning hundreds of millions of Gmail users who sign up for email-based services. The Wall Street Journal's Douglas MacMillan has the details.
9 min
2123
Sweeping Data-Privacy Bill Passes in California
California lawmakers have given consumers unprecedented protection for their data and imposed tough restrictions on the tech industry. The Wall Street Journal's Marc Vartabedian talks whether this will serve as a template for the rest of the nation.
6 min
2124
Amazon's Deep Dive Into Package Delivery
Amazon says it has to build out its own services to handle the surging number of online orders that UPS, FedEx and the Postal Service can't. The Wall Street Journal's Laura Stevens has the details.
6 min
2125
Driverless Cars: Reshaping Urban Landscape
Self-driving cars could mean better public transit, more green space and less congestion -- but also urban sprawl and greater inequality. The Wall Street Journal's Tim Higgins talks the challenges ahead of big cities.
9 min