News highlights for 26 October

REUTERS/George Frey/File Photo
Google halts Fiber rollout in some U.S. cities
(Reuters) – Alphabet Inc is halting the rollout of its much-talked about high-speed internet service, Google Fiber, in some cities in the United States. The company’s Google Access division, which provides the service, said its chief executive, Craig Barratt, would step down but stay on as an adviser. Read more…
Microsoft’s plan to create a bot search engine
This year, we’ve watched Apple, Google, Facebook, Samsung, Microsoft, and many other tech giants make acquisitions or launch products to get into the bot business. They’re building bot ecosystems around their chat app platforms — in SMS, web pages, and elsewhere — but they’re still facing one of the biggest problems in this age of artificial intelligence: How do you find the very best bots? Read more…
But are Chatbots ready to replace humans?
While chatbots show great promise as a more convenient and natural means of communication between brands and consumers, most don’t meet customer expectations. Read more…
Telefonica will not list this year, assesses impact of weak pound
LONDON (Reuters) – Telefonica will not list its British mobile business in 2016, the unit’s chief executive said, citing softer demand for initial public offerings and the impact of the weaker pound, and would only go ahead in 2017 if market conditions are right. Read more…
China’s mobile advertising market grew by nine times in a year
China is by some margin the world’s fastest growing mobile advertising market, according to data from mobile ad platform Smaato. Spend on mobile ads in China was up by nine times (931%) the level seen a year ago, while Japan more than tripled. Read more…
Apple slips as supply woes weigh on holiday sales forecast
(Reuters) – Apple Inc’s shares slipped as much as 4 percent after the company said it was struggling to keep up with demand for its large-screen, higher-margin iPhone 7 Plus, potentially reducing sales and profits in the Christmas shopping period. Read more…
Verizon executive says company needs more information about Yahoo hack
(Reuters) – A Verizon Communications Inc executive said the acquisition of Yahoo Inc still makes sense, but the telecommunications company needs more information about the email provider’s massive breach of accounts. Read more…
Microsoft announces Windows update with 3D features
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp on Wednesday announced a free update to its Windows operating system that lets users take photos and edit content in three dimensions, in an effort to bring excitement to its declining computing business. Read more…
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