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TALKING TECH
Steve Jobs

Tech rewind: iPhone @10, Lily, YouTube DMs

Jefferson Graham
USA TODAY

LOS ANGELES — The iPhone at 10. A new way to direct message your favorite YouTube performer. The perils of backing a kickstarter project.

It's time for Tech Rewind, your look back at the biggest tech headlines of the week.

Steve Jobs at the iPhone launch in January 2007.

Let's start with iPhone.

It was 10 years ago, Jan. 9, 2007, when then-Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced iPhone, and our lives haven’t been the same since. The iPhone is the most ground-breaking device of our generation, our Model T Ford, our airplane. I weigh in on the above video, as did Jon Swartz and Ed Baig. (Anniversary alert: The iPhone was announced in January, but released on June 29, 2007.)

In other news:

—  YouTube announced a way to contact your favorite performer for a fee. Super Chat launches at the end of the month, and lets fans pay money to send direct messages to their faves. The performer’s get a cut of the action.

— Speaking of live, Facebook said you’ll soon be able to make live broadcasts without your smartphone. In other words, we’ll be able to go on Facebook from home, from a desktop or laptop and start recording. This may sound minor, but it’s actually a big deal. It’s hard to have a steady shot when you’re holding the phone in front of you for a long period of time. In front of a desktop or laptop, the computer rarely moves.

— Yahoo, the beleaguered former tech giant, announced some big changes as it prepares to be sold, piece-meal to Verizon for $4.8 billion. CEO Marissa Mayer and others will resign from Yahoo's board of directors and the company will change its name to Altaba once (if) the takeover goes through.

— Google's making it way easier and simpler to hail an Uber with Google Maps. The company announced the latest version of Google Maps on Android and iOS lets users request a car directly with the app. (You'll need to have the Uber app already installed and be registered.) Beyond Uber in the United States, Google is working with other ride-hailing companies globally, including 99Taxis in Brazil, Ola Cabs in India, Hailo and Gett in the UK, and mytaxi in Germany and Spain.

— Finally, the perils of pre-orders. Would-be drone manufacturer LIly was a huge hit of the 2016 CES, winning a coveted "Innovation Award," for its different approach to a flying camera that sounded too good to be true. Just throw the "flying camera" in the air, and the LIly could operate, without you directing it. It would just follow you.

It turns out the dreams couldn't become a reality. After many delays, Lily, which brought in 60,000 pre-orders (worth $34 million) from customers, announced this week that it was sending refunds to all whose sent in money to the company. Meanwhile, the San Francisco District Attorney filed a civil law enforcement action against the company for false advertising and unfair business practices.

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