Good morning! Here is the tech news you need to know this Wednesday.
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10 things in tech you need to know today (GOOG, AMZN)
Photos of Google's Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL leaked, Amazon is working on smart glasses, and Uber is investigating possible bribery in Asia.
1. Amazon is working on a pair of Alexa-enabled smart glasses, according to The Financial Times. The device looks like a pair of spectacles and uses bone conduction to allow the wearer to hear Alexa.
2. Uber is facing a federal investigation for alleged bribery in five major Asian markets: Indonesia, India, China, Malaysia, and South Korea. The firm has opened an internal probe and notified US officials about suspicious-looking payments made by Indonesian staff, according to Bloomberg.
3. There are new leaked photos of Google's upcoming flagship smartphones, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. The Pixel will reportedly cost $649 (£480), while the bigger model comes in at $849 (£628).
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4. Amazon accidentally sent lots of customers emails about their non-existent baby registries. The email, which Amazon said was a technical glitch, indicated that someone had made a purchase from the registry — even though many of the recipients didn't have a baby.
5. Patreon, the funding platform for independent media creators, has raised $60 million (£44 million). The company says it has helped its 50,000 creators raised $150 million from fans.
6. A proposed class-action lawsuit against Uber claims the ride-hailing firm secretly overcharges passengers, but underpays drivers. The suit alleges Uber calculates the passenger fare for the slowest and longest route, but pays the driver based on a faster, cheaper route.
7. London-based fintech startup GoCardless raised $22.5 million (£16.6 million) for its global payments processing business. The raise follows CEO Hiroki Takeuchi return to the company after a cycling accident which left him unable to use his legs.
8. A Benchmark Capital VC tangled up in the firm's lawsuit with Uber has left the company. Kris Fredrickson was accused of putting Benchmark's interests above Uber's, and is leaving for a hedge fund.
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9. Google's former chief financial officer, Patrick Pichette, has joined Twitter's board. He replaces Pepsi CFO Hugh Johnston, who is joining Microsoft's board.
10. Reviews for the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are in, and the consensus seems to be that people should wait for that $1000, or £999, iPhone X. Reviewers said the two phones are solid but incremental upgrades on previous models.
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