From CNET: Google's parent company Alphabet agreed to purchase Fitbit in a deal that values the wearable maker at approximately $2.1 billion, it announced Friday. In announcing the transaction the company seemingly confirmed a Monday report that Alphabet "made an offer" to buy the wearable company.

Fitbit is behind fitness trackers like the Versa 2 smartwatch and the Charge 3 band, which are compatible with both Apple's iOS and Google's Android operating systems (the Apple Watch is iOS-only).

From The Verge: iFixit has completed its traditional teardown of Apple’s latest AirPods and, just as Apple promised, it’s bad news for repairs. The organization awarded the noise-canceling buds a big fat zero repairability score, noting that their “non-modular, glued-together design and lack of replacement parts makes repair both impractical and uneconomical.” That’s the same score as both versions of the original AirPods.

From PC Mag: SiriusXM and its full array of channels will soon stream on any Google Assistant-enabled device. Just use your voice, and the digital assistant will tap into channels for music, news, sports, comedy, and more.

As they do in vehicles or with other connected devices, SiriusXM subscribers can access around-the-clock, ad-free content anywhere. Audio content will be offered first, but SiriusXM and Google say they'll add video content on smart displays like the Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max later this year.

From CNET: A new app is looking to revive one of the creepiest Instagram's features and encouraging people to spy on their significant others through social media. Critics said the app's offerings make it resemble stalkerware.

In early October, Instagram killed off its "Following" tab, which told people what posts and accounts their friends were interacting with. It would let you know whose posts they liked, and comments they left on other people's feeds. The tab was widely regarded as a stalking tool.

From The Verge: Spotify is launching a new app called Spotify Kids that’s meant to provide a safe space for kids to explore and listen to music — and finally get “Baby Shark” out of their parents’ Discover playlists.

From PC Mag: An Israeli company that sells spyware to governments recently tried to hack into 1,400 users' devices by exploiting a vulnerability in WhatsApp, according to a new lawsuit from the messaging app.

WhatsApp is suing the company, NSO Group, for a barrage of high-profile attacks that occurred in May involving a scary (but now patched) vulnerability in the iOS and Android versions of the messaging app. The flaw was so bad it let an attacker send spyware to a WhatsApp-enabled phone simply by using a voice call to the victim. No pickup of the call was required.

From CNET: It feels like we've been talking about Fiat Chrysler and the PSA Group -- which is made up of Peugeot, Citroen and ex-GM brands Opel and Vauxhall -- merging forever now, to the point where it's all starting to feel a bit like a bad romantic comedy.

From The Verge: Lyft is rolling out a new membership plan for riders who want discounts on car trips, bike and scooter rides, and other exclusive perks. Dubbed “Lyft Pink,” the membership plan costs $19.99 a month and comes with a 15 percent discount on all car rides.

From PC Mag: Apple today introduced a Pro version of its AirPods wireless earbuds, which come with active noise cancellation and adjustable eartips for $249.

AirPods Pro promise to fit in more people's ears by swapping out the hard plastic design of the originals for flexible silicon ear tips that you can change to fit your ear size. These silicon ear tips, which will come in three sizes, will also provide a "superior seal" to deliver better sound, Apple says.

From CNET: AMD's aggressive strategy for its latest Navi-generation graphics cards like the Radeon RX 4700 and RX 5500 lines has been the best thing to happen to Nvidia fans in years: It's pushed Nvidia into upping its mainstream game. The latest in the leapfrogging are the GeForce GTX 1650 Super and GTX 1660 Super, which, like the RTX Super cards before them, bump the 1650 and 1660 up a performance class while keeping them in the same price class.