YouTube changes its logo for the first time

Google-owned YouTube has refreshed its iconic logo and introduced some major design changes to its desktop and mobile apps.

Unlike minor tweaks, this is the biggest change the YouTube logo has received over the years.

The logo ditches the red colour inside the "Tube" part of the name and places the now familiar play icon to the left side of the YouTube name, said a report in Android Authority on Wednesday.

Google says the change allows the YouTube logo to work better "across a variety of devices, even on smallest of screens".

According to reports, the service is also getting a new typeface, colour scheme and several major changes to the look, feel and functionality of its desktop and mobile app.

Earlier this year, YouTube had made a major change to its desktop website which delivered a cleaner interface and new features such as a "dark mode" for night-time viewing.

According to a new report, Google and Facebook rule the app ecosystem in the United States.

"Google-owned YouTube took the second spot overall with 71 per cent app audience penetration and Google's Search app took fourth place with 61 per cent," the report says.

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Pages sharing fake news can't buy ads: Facebook

Taking ahead its battle against the spread of fake news and misinformation, Facebook has decided to stop Pages that share fake news regularly from buying any ads from the company.

According to a TechCrunch report on Monday, when a story is marked as disputed on the social media platform, the link can no longer be promoted through the platform's ads.

Facebook is already working in collaboration with fact-checkers like Snopes and the AP to detect news stories which are outright hoaxes and lies.

This is one of the many steps the social media giant has taken since last year after it was criticised for its role in helping to spread fake news which had an impact on the US presidential elections.

"Facebook has been trying to fight back in three ways -- ending the economic incentive to post false news stories, slowing the spread of those stories and helping people make more informed decisions when they see a false story," Rob Leathern, Facebook's Product Director, was quoted as saying.

According to Facebook, the ban on buying ads is not necessarily permanent.

"If a Page stops sharing false stories, it should eventually be able to buy ads again," the company said

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Apple Watch to support 'all' workouts soon

The firmware of Apple's smart speaker HomePod and iOS 11 beta have shown several plans that the tech giant has for its customers with latest files revealing that the Apple Watch would soon support new workouts.

A website dedicated to Apple 'iHelp BR' has found assets hinting that the Apple Watch will support "virtually every workout under the Sun".

Files discovered in the latest iOS 11 beta release suggest Apple is planning to add a host of exercises to Apple Watch's Workout app with the launch of watchOS 4 which is expected in September.

iHelp BR found icons and titles for what appears to be a new set of Workout routines.

"While not present in the most recent watchOS 4 beta, the iconography is likely incorporated in iOS 11 for reviewing Apple Watch-tracked activities on a paired iPhone," the website said.

The publication found icons and code strings for badminton, barre, baseball, bowling, boxing climbing, core training, cricket, curling, dance, equestrian sports, fencing, fishing, flexibility, functional training, golf, gymnastics, jump rope, kickboxing, lacrosse, paddle sports, pilates, "play" sailing, skating, skiing and other snow sports, step training, strength training and surfing.

Earlier this month, HomePod firmware revealed 4K UHD, Dolby Vision support for Apple TV.

Earlier this month, a reference in HomePod firmware revealed that a next-generation Apple TV might come with the support for 4K video as well as High Dynamic Range (HDR) in both 10-bit and Dolby Vision formats for better picture quality.

The leak came a few weeks after Apple accidentally confirmed 4K and HDR plans on the iTunes Store.

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Uber names new CEO

Ride-hailing app Uber has named American travel company Expedia's Dara Khosrowshahi as its new CEO after its founder and former chief executive Travis Kalanick resigned in June, the media reported.

The announcement was made on Sunday night, reports CNN.

According to Uber sources, Iranian-origin Khosrowshahi was not among those reported to have been in the running. The short list included Jeff Immelt, the former CEO of General Electric (GE) and Meg Whitman, the head of Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

However, Whitman said in June that she would not move to Uber and Immelt pulled out of the race earlier on Sunday because of problems with the San Francisco-based company's board, the sources said.

Khosrowshahi took the helm of Expedia when it spun out of InterActiveCorp's (IAC) IAC Travel division in 2005. He previously served as IAC Travel's CEO, as well as IAC's chief financial officer.

Uber has been without a chief financial officer since 2015, and the company's head of finance left the company at the end of May.

Expedia was one of the first tech companies to challenge President Trump's travel ban in court, citing the potential harm to its employees and customers.

As Uber's new CEO, Khosrowshahi will face a big job, including repairing the company's internal culture, navigating legal battles, and reducing its financial losses, CNN quoted the company sources as saying.

Last week, Uber said its sales reached $1.75 billion in the second quarter, up 17 per cent from the previous quarter.

The problems for Kalanick started earlier this year after a former Uber engineer alleged sexual harassment at the company, reports The New York Times.

Susan Fowler, a former site reliability engineer, levelled numerous allegations of sexism against her former superiors in a lengthy blog post. Her blog was widely shared online and prompted the company to launch an internal investigation.

This led to further allegations from other employees, prompting the company to conduct internal investigations.

Uber has already fired 20 employees -- including some in senior positions -- after evaluating more than 200 claims of sexual harassment, discrimination, bullying and unprofessional conduct.

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Google may launch 2nd-gen Pixel phones in October

The launch of Googles second generation Pixel phones is nearing, however, the technology giant has not revealed the date so far. According to reports, the launch will be on October 5.

This date lines up with last year's announcement of the original Pixel handsets which took place on October 4, according to the famed and highly-accurate leakster, Evan Blass.

"Google's second-generation ‘Pixel' handsets, powered by Snapdragon 836 SoC's, will be unveiled on October 5," Blass tweeted.

"No official plans have been announced for the new handsets, but we did anticipate Google would take the wraps off of the new smartphones as well as some other devices later this fall," says a report in "9to5Google".

There have been rumours that the Pixel devices would sport a slimmer frame and better camera specifications this time.

Some rumours have also said that the Pixel devices could come with a "squeezable" feature, similar to HTC's flagship U11 smartphone.

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