WSJ Tech News Briefing

Amazon.com has cut the prices for its Echo smart speaker line, including the smallest device, the Echo Dot. The Wall Street Journal's Tripp Mickle says this has forced the hand of rivals including Apple and Google.

This holiday season, gaming kids will encounter one of the industry's most contentious moneymaking tactics in years -- the "loot box," an in-game reward that is also for sale. The Wall Street Journal's Sarah E. Needleman has what parents need to know.

Smartphones take photos so easily they're often overwhelmed with useless, repetitive shots. The Wall Street Journal's "Gear and Gadgets" has a beginner's guide to de-cluttering space and saving your best pictures. Sara Clemence breaks it down.

Disappointing "Star Wars: Battlefront II" sales have left video-game publisher Electronic Arts in need of a boost from the new "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" movie. The Wall Street Journal's Dan Gallagher has more.

Apple has announced it has acquired Shazam Entertainment, giving it ownership of one of the popular song-recognition apps at a time the iPhone maker is looking to boost its music-subscription service. The Wall Street Journal's Tripp Mickle has more.

Winning a slot in one of Amazon.com's short-term promotions can not only skyrocket a merchant's ranking but also trigger sales for the rest of the season. The Wall Street Journal's Laura Stevens has more on how Amazon picks its seemingly random "Deal of the Day."

Leading workplace tech firm Crestron is joining forces with Amazon Web Services to make meetings more productive. Crestron's Head of Enterprise Innovation, Dan Jackson, discusses how voice control is changing productivity.

The Wall Street Journal's Katie Bindley discusses how she went on a week long "Amazon diet" to find out how much life one person can live through Amazon products and services.

With Google pulling YouTube from some Amazon devices in retaliation for Amazon refusing to sell many Google products, the Wall Street Journal's Jack Nicas talks the growing battle between two tech giants as their businesses increasingly overlap.

Facebook rolled out a new messaging app for its youngest audience yet -- children between the ages of 6 and 12 -- but experts are questioning whether kids are ready for social-media access. The Wall Street Journal's Betsy Morris has more.

With a new app from Apple enabling its smartwatch to test and track irregular heart rhythms, the Wall Street Journal's Tripp Mickle talks the company's big new health ambitions.

As tech companies in Silicon Valley seek to bolster diversity in their workplace, some employees say their politics are unwelcome in an industry dominated by liberal views. The Wall Street Journal's Georgia Wells has more.

Google is reportedly thinking of folding its Nest Labs home-automation unit back into the hardware team. Plus, Amazon.com has unveiled Alexa as a business tool for booking conferences and launching meetings.

Snapchat has redesigned its app to make it more user-friendly and less complicated. Plus, Domino's Pizza has a smartphone tracking app that lets users track every step, from production to delivery. But some customers question its accuracy.

A federal judge has ordered a delay in a trial in which Google's Waymo unit has accused Uber of stealing trade secrets. Plus, Nike is using augmented reality to reinvent the old art of sneaker scavenging.