Silicon Beach Report Dec. 26: SpaceX Launch Lights Up L.A. Skies

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A SpaceX launch of 10 Iridium satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base lit up the Los Angeles sky on Dec. 22; WhatsApp is ending support for BlackBerry and Windows Phone 8.0 at the end of the year; and Fair.com is acquiring Uber’s Xchange Leasing and picking up 150 employees.

SpaceX Launch Lights Up L.A. Skies

SpaceX’s Dec. 22 launch of 10 Iridium satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base using a Falcon 9 rocket lit up the skies over Los Angeles prompting calls to the Los Angeles Fire Department about a “strange light in the sky,” SoCal Tech reports.

WhatsApp Ends Support for BlackBerry OS, Windows Phone 8.0

WhatsApp, the messaging app owned by Facebook, announced plans to end support for BlackBerry OS and Windows Phone 8.0 by the end of the year, VentureBeat reports. Existing WhatsApp accounts on the two platforms will continue to work but users will no longer be able to create new accounts on either platform. “Some features may stop functioning at any time,” the company warned.

Fair.com Picks Up Xchange Leasing, 150 Employees from Uber

Santa Monica auto leasing startup Fair.com is acquiring Xchange Leasing from Uber for an undisclosed amount, according to The Verge. The ride-hailing company announced earlier this year that it planned to shutter the auto-leasing business, but instead Uber will take a stake in Fair.com and offer Uber users access to the Fair.com website through the Uber app. The Verge reports Fair.com will offer jobs to approximately 150 Xchange Leasing workers.

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