SiriusXM is taking over Pandora in a deal that values the vanguard music streaming service at $3.5 billion in stock and will fuse the world’s dominant satellite radio company with an online music mainstay.  Neither Pandora nor SiriusXM will be changing their services initially, the companies said Monday. The main change you’ll notice is potentially …

IGTV, a video-focused app spun off of Facebook’s popular photo-sharing app Instagram, recommends offensive videos to young users, a report by Business Insider said Friday. Clips with apparent child exploitation and genital mutilation surfaced in the app’s “For You” and “Popular” sections for an anonymous account the publication registered as belonging to a 13-year old, according to the report.  Backlash over multiple examples of …

ESPN+ has racked up a million subscribers in the five months since Disney’s sports network launched the streaming video service, Disney said on Thursday.  With ESPN+ and a planned streaming service with its blockbuster movies and shows, Disney is aiming to battle deep-pocketed tech companies like Netflix, Apple and Amazon that are pouring money into original video. Next year, Disney …

Amazon unveiled a new Echo Plus, an updated speaker with more powerful bass and clearer sound that still works as a smart home hub. The updated device adds a larger, 3-inch neodymium woofer and increased back volume, giving the bass a stronger feel and providing clearer mid- and high tones.  The $150 (£140, AU$229) device, which has a new fabric design and …

On this podcast, we talk about: Speculation that Amazon may have a high-end receiver, amp and subwoofer in the offing. Would a soundbar be next?  Apple TV’s latest update to its operating system, bringing Dolby Atmos sound and other tweaks.  Now playing: Watch this: Amazon may bring Alexa to high-end audio 2:01 The 3:59 gives you bite-size news and analysis …

YouTube has renovated its hub for gaming fans before it cuts off its dedicated Gaming app.  On Tuesday, Google’s massive video service launched an updated homebase for videos about games and for streaming games as other people play them. The revamped hub is more consistent with how YouTube normally looks on a laptop or desktop. The Gaming hub already has more …

Pandora on Monday introduced another personalized playlist, called The Drop, which collects new-release music suited to your tastes. The playlist, which is available for people who pay a $10-a-month Premium subscription, adds tunes to the top as they’re released, sort of like a news feed of fresh songs algorithmically picked for you.   Pandora is widening its roster of personalized …

This year has brought the introduction of not just one reinvented breast pump but — now — two. The latest is Elvie Pump, a wearable, all-in-one device. Since the advent of the electronic breast pump, women haven’t enjoyed much choice in pumps — you could rely on strapping on air horn-shaped flanges and dangling bottles from your chest, as tubes leashed …

Apple‘s newest iPhones are using recycled tin in their logic boards, and cover glass that’s 32 percent bio-based plastic, the company said Wednesday during an unveiling event for the smartphones. The news marks the company’s latest attempts to mitigate the effect its products have on the environment.  Lisa Jackson, Apple’s executive who oversees environmental issues, made the announcements as she …

Twitter returned to its role of punching bag Wednesday over suggestions of partisan bias, at a US House hearing grilling CEO Jack Dorsey. A Senate hearing earlier in the day, which also questioned Facebook‘s Sheryl Sandberg, barely mentioned political censorship, but the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee opened its session with words about bias and “shadow banning.” “We hope you can …