Tech Stocks That Move The Market

Alexa owners can listen to Amazon Music for free -- with ads

Rumors started circulating last week that Amazon was exploring a free, ad-supported tier of its streaming music service. Turns out there was something to those rumblings. Today, the commerce giant announced that Alexa device owners in the US will be able to listen to top playlists and stations on Amazon Music at no additional charge, even if they are not Amazon Prime subscribers. Of course, this news also comes on the same day that Amazon's frenemies over at Google launched ad-supported free YouTube Music streaming on Google Home smart devices.

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  Microsoft is making VR better for those with vision problems

  Engadget
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  Amazon launches ad-supported music service to Echo owners

  TechCrunch

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  Facebook stored millions of Instagram passwords in plain text

  Engadget
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  Facebook now says its password leak affected 'millions' of Instagram users

  TechCrunch

Microsoft delves deeper into IoT with Express Logic acquisition

Microsoft has never been shy about being acquisitive, and today it announced it's buying Express Logic, a San Diego company that has developed a real-time operating system (RTOS) aimed at controlling the growing number of IoT devices in the world. Express Logic is not some wide-eyed, pie-in-the-sky startup. It has been around for 23 years building (in its own words), "industrial-grade RTOS and middleware software solutions for embedded and IoT developers." The company boasts some 6.2 billion (yes, billion) devices running its systems.

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  YouTube Music is now free with ads on Google Home devices

  TechCrunch
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  YouTube Music is free on Google Home, if you don't mind ads

  Engadget

Apple is making it easier to recycle iPhones in the US

With Earth Day just around the corner, Apple announced it's quadrupling thenumber of locations US customers can send their iPhones for recycling

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  Next iPhone could feature an ultra-wide lens

  TechCrunch
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  Apple expands global recycling programs, announces new Material Recovery Lab in Austin

  TechCrunch

Facebook bans several major UK far-right groups

Facebook has banned a swath of UK far-right groups including the British National party (BNP), the English Defence League (EDL) and Britain First. The action is part of its ongoing clampdown on hateful rhetoric, which has already seen it ban former EDL leader Tommy Robinson from its main platform and Instagram.

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  LG struggles to deliver on its promise of faster Android updates

  Engadget
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  Google & Amazon reach an agreement to bring their streaming video apps to each others' platforms

  TechCrunch

Amazon will close its Chinese platform for third-party sellers in July

Amazon is pulling the plug on its e-commerce marketplace for third-party sellers in China. The decision follows a long struggle by American e-commerce companies in the country, who have fallen behind China's faster shopping rivals. According to a statement from Amazon, it will no longer operate its third-party online marketplace or provide seller services on Amazon.cn from July 18th.

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  Amazon China to close local marketplace and place more focus on cross-border

  TechCrunch
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  Google pulls popular Chinese Android apps over large-scale ad fraud

  Engadget

Facebook is working on a voice AI rival to Siri and Alexa

Facebook might introduce its own voice assistant à la Siri and Alexa in the future. Based on what a spokesperson told Reuters, though, Facebook is mainly developing the assistant for its Oculus headsets, its Portal smart display and future AR/VR devices. Facebook has previous experience developing AI assistants, but none that could rival Alexa or Siri.