Amazon received over 200 applications for its second headquarters, Kaspersky is opening up its software to third party review, and the Pixel 2 XL is already running into problems with its LED display.
From Facebook, Amazon revealed that it received 238 proposals from cities and regions across North America to host its second headquarters. The company announced it would be opening up a second location in addition to its Seattle headquarters just a few weeks ago, and competition for the $5 billion dollar project has been intense. While Amazon didn’t disclose any of the bidders, Canadian cities like Toronto, Ottawa, and Calgary have been vocal about their interest. The project is expected to generate 50,000 high paying jobs over 20 years. Amazon’s wishlist includes the availability of talent, transportation options, a good cultural fit, a metro area of more than one million people, tax incentives, and the possibility of moving in as early as 2019. It will choose a winner in 2018.
From Reddit, Kaspersky Labs has announced it will be asking independent parties to review the security of its anti-virus software as a way to overcome mistrust and establish its commitment to protecting people around the world. The Moscow-based cyber security giant says it will submit the source code of its software and future product updates to a wide range of computer security experts and government officials for review starting in the first quarter of next year. The US government is not happy about this, however, citing concerns over Kremlin influence, hijacking by Russian spies, and that this move could jeopardize national security. Kaspersky has responded saying this could help alleviate concerns about future security gaps.
And last but not least, from Google, the company’s newly released Pixel 2 XL smartphone is already having problems with its display. Despite being out for only two weeks, some devices have reportedly experienced burn-in on their LED screens, which is when images on the screen linger despite being turned off. Specifically, there have been complaints of image retention around the navigation bar, even after the phone is locked. Google has issued a statement saying its investigating, but there’s been no action yet. Our very own Alex Radu is currently reviewing the Pixel 2 XL and he hasn’t had any issues with burn-in yet, but we’ll keep you updated.