Anything For You All: 10 things in tech you need to know today

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August 21, 2017

Good morning! Here's the tech news you need to know to start your week.

1. Former CEO of General Electric Jeffrey Immelt is reportedly at the top of the list of potential Uber CEO replacements. The former chief executive, Travis Kalanick, stepped down from the position in June, and the company has yet to find a new head.

2. The new Xbox One X has an official price and launch date. Microsoft first unveiled the game console at the E3 expo in June, and has now announced that it will come to stores on November 7 for $500 (£390).

3. Facebook may be working on a pair of augmented reality glasses. A recently published patent shows that the smart glasses would project light into the viewer's eyes, and use the lenses as a display to augment the real world environment.

4. A render of what seemingly looks like a new smart thermostat by Google's Nest subsidiary leaked. The image comes courtesy of Evan Blass, a notorious leaker who has correctly published product images and information ahead of time many times, and shows a product that would mark the thermostat's first big redesign since its introduction in 2011.

5. Snapchat is using the solar eclipse to promote the new Maps feature in the app. Friends who are in the path of the solar eclipse today will have a special Bitmoji called "Actionmoji" that will temporarily show them wearing a pair of sunglasses while looking up in the sky.

6. Google is reportedly testing new tools with The New York Times and The Financial Times to boost subscriptions for publishers. Some of the new tools may include a revamp of "first click free" and targeting of potential new subscribers.

7. AT&T is reportedly inching closer to its takeover of Time Warner. The $85 billion (£66 billion) acquisition has reportedly "reached an advanced stage," and AT&T lawyers are said to be talking with the US Department of Justice about merger conditions.

8. Apple launched a series of new videos to promote iOS 11 on the iPad. The new version of the operating system offers a series of features designed specifically for the new iPad Pros, and the company is highlighting some of the new exclusive ones that users will be able to use when the finalized software launches some time in the coming weeks.

9. Google is updating its Chrome and Google apps on Android and iOS to include auto-playing, artificial intelligence-generated, six-second video previews in search results. Videos will be silent, and only show up when the user is connected to WiFi.

10. Google is expected to fully unveil and potentially release the latest version of its Android operating system today. Android O has been in beta for about three months now, but the finalized version is expected to launch in conjunction with today's solar eclipse at 2.40PM ET.