Samsung Galaxy S10 5G on Pre-Order; NSA Says Phone Surveillance Unworkable; Facebook’s $3-5 Billion Fine; Microsoft Beats Street-Thanks, Cloud

With the terrible issues with their model F folding screen phablet, Samsung needed some good news. The Galaxy S10 5G is now open for pre-orders at Verizon. According to engadget.com, the 256 Gig base model starts at a whopping $1300, and it’s $1400 for 512 Gigs. Kind of makes the $999 iPhone sound like a quaint bargain. You can opt for $54.16 or $58.33 a month for 24 months on Verizon Device Payment plans to ease the pain. Also, if you act quickly, you can pick up a free set of Galaxy Buds and a Samsung Wireless Charging Battery Pack. Verizon now has 5G AREAS in Chicago and Minneapolis, and will add 20 more cities this year.

The NSA has reportedly told the White House that their phone surveillance program is no longer worth the effort. 9to5mac.com reports that legislation is needed to continue the program, and the NSA has instead recommended dropping it…saying the logistical and legal burdens outweigh the intelligence benefits. The secret spy agency has been doing it since at lest 2006, and it became known in 2013 when Ed Snowden leaked classified documents.

Facebook announced total 1st quarter revenue of $!5.1 billion, but warned that it could face between $3-5 billion in fines but the FTC over its data sharing practices. Engadget.com says the revenue was up 26%, and that such a fine won’t put too much of a dent in their revenue…although it drops the overall net profit by 51% year to year. The fines flow from the Cambridge Analytica deal in the runup to the 2016 election.

Microsoft beat the Street’s expectations, but it wasn’t on the back of Windows 10, Office, or Xbox. Redmond reported $30.6 billion in revenue, mainly on growth of their cloud computing operations. Geekwire.com also notes that the Surface division was also up nicely, 21% first quarter, after a strong holiday season.