THE NEWS WRAP: Sony goes for style over tech with electronic paper watch

Sony is developing a watch made out of electronic paper for release as soon as next year in a trial of the company’s new venture-style approach to creating products, Bloomberg reports.

The watch’s face and wristband will be made from a patented material that allows the entire surface area to function as a display and change its appearance, sources say.

The watch will focus on style, rather than trying to outdo products like Apple Watch and Sony’s own SmartWatch technologically.

Twitter to track user app downloads

Twitter is set to start tracking which apps its users have downloaded, Re/code reports.

The social media giant says it will only be collecting a list of applications users have installed, not any of the data contained within those applications.

The feature will be opt-out, meaning Twitter will begin collecting the data from users unless they explicitly say otherwise.

“To help build a more personal Twitter experience for you, we are collecting and occasionally updating the list of apps installed on your mobile device so we can deliver tailored content that you might be interested in,” the company says.

Lyft experiences best week yet

Transportation network Lyft says it had record usage last week in the wake of the Uber controversy, VentureBeat reports.

While the company isn’t releasing specific figures, it says it experienced its biggest week in terms of number of rides, beating a previous record week during Halloween.

Overnight

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 12.10 to 17,802.84. The Australian dollar is currently trading at US85 cents.