nOCD gets $1M seed round to help people with obsessive-compulsive disorder

 nOCD, an app created to help people treat obsessive-compulsive disorder, will launch an Android version and add more features after raising a $1 million seed round from early-stage healthcare investment firm 7wire Ventures. Read More | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

‘Alto’s Adventure’ sequel ‘Alto’s Odyssey’ launches on iOS on February 22

 The “endless runner” genre of games seems inherently stress-generating to me, since it implies running, without end. But Alto’s Adventure, the 2015 game from Toronto developer Snowman, provided an endless runner that was actively and profoundly relaxing, thanks to a mellow, imme … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Traeger’s wi-fi connected grill is delicious overkill

 As a fan of both meat and fire, the Traeger Timberline 850 hits right in my rib zone. This powerful – and expensive – smoking grill is more like an outdoor oven than the chintzy charcoal or gas grill you’ve been using and the unique pellet system adds flavor, sear, and smoke to … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

WeWork Labs, startup-focused co-working space, relaunches

 In 2011, WeWork ran an accelerator-type program called WeWork Labs. That program was a bit neglected as the company began to focus on other initiatives, such as international expansion, Powered By We, and acquisitions. But today, WeWork is relaunching WeWork Labs, with 27 spaces … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

New project outfits Indonesia’s street vendors with free Wi-Fi and smart tech

 Investors in Indonesia have started a new project aimed at digitizing the kiosk shops that adorn the street of capital city Jakarta. Warung Pintar — ‘smart kiosk store’ — helps street vendors revamp their store with a bright and colorful design, and a range of tech that includes … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Former state Senator Jeremy Ring talks about the first days of Yahoo

 In this episode of Technotopia I talk to Jeremy Ring, a former Florida state senator and author of We Were Yahoo!, a meditation on his career as one of the first employees at Yahoo. Ring has a lot to say about the search giant – including plenty of complaints about how things we … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Apple joins LG and Valve investing up to $10.6M in OLED display maker eMagin

 Quietly, Apple has been bringing together a number of moving parts in its strategy around virtual and augmented reality hardware; and now one more element of that has come to light. eMagin, a maker of OLED miniature displays, says that Apple, along with LG, Valve, VR entertainme … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Alibaba signs deal with Disney to stream its animated shows in China

 Alibaba Group’s entertainment unit has signed a major licensing deal to show many of Disney’s animated series and movies on Youku, its streaming video service, and other platforms it selects. The agreement covers more than 1,000 episodes from Disney series, as well as many of it … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Oracle to expand automation capabilities across developer cloud services

 Last fall at Oracle OpenWorld, chairman Larry Ellison showed he was a man of the people by comparing the company’s new autonomous database service to auto-pilot on his private plane. Regardless, those autonomous capabilities were pretty advanced, providing customers with a self- … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Snapchat’s Snap Map comes to the web, including in embeddable form

 The Snap Map is a feature that received a mixed response when it landed in the Snapchat app, since it basically let you see where all your friends on the platform were at any given time – provided they were okay with sharing that info. Now, there’s a version of Snap Map availabl … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Uber to require a 6-hour break for every 12 hours of driving in the U.S.

 Uber has added a feature that will force a six-hour offline break whenever a driver on its platform reaches 12 hours of driving time. The feature is similar to one that Uber has in place in a few markets already around the U.S., which differs depending on local regulations, but … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Cryptojacking attack hits ~4,000 websites, including UK’s data watchdog

 An attacker injected a crypto mining script into a web plugin’s JavaScript library, and some 4,000 websites — a large number of them taxpayer funded — were co-opted into illegal crypto mining… oopsie… Read More | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Look out Berlin! TechCrunch Disrupt returns in November this year

 TechCrunch is bringing Disrupt back to Europe for the sixth time, and we’re delighted to announce that Berlin, the urban heartland of Europe’s startup scene, will once again be Disrupt’s host city in 2018. Save these Disrupt Berlin dates in your diary: 29-30 November 2018 If you … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Axel Springer is investing in Magic Leap for some reason

 Magic Leap is the gift that keeps on giving. The company has been working for years on augmented reality technologies and raised a gigantic pile of cash on the way. German media company Axel Springer is announcing today that it is investing an undisclosed amount in Magic Leap. T … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Online mortgage advisor Burrow pivots to B2B, cites unit economics issue

 Burrow, the U.K. startup founded by ex-VC Pradeep Raman and backed by Passion Capital, is shutting down its online mortgage brokerage service, TechCrunch has learned. The move is the result of a change in strategy as the nascent company pivots to a B2B model, offering software t … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

LimeBike is also getting into the e-scooter game

 On the heels of LimeBike’s expansion into e-bikes, as well as competitor Spin’s expansion into Razor-like electric scooters, LimeBike is unveiling its own take on e-scooters. LimeBike is also officially deploying its e-bikes in Seattle. “This is an exciting and competitive lands … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Alibaba invests another $1.3 billion into its offline retail strategy

 Alibaba has furthered its physical retail footprint after it invested another billion dollars into projects to develop its so-called “new retail” strategy which combines online and offline. The Chinese firm, the dominant e-commerce player in its country, gobbled up a 15 percent … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Chamillionaire is a presentation genius, has a new app

 You probably know Chamillionaire from the song “Ridin,'” but did you know the Grammy Award winner is also a successful startup investor? He has had several favorable outcomes, including Cruise, which sold to General Motors and Maker Studios, which was bought by Disney. Now he’s … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Instagram is testing screenshot alerts for stories

 Instagram is testing a feature that will show users when someone else takes a screenshot of their story. Users included in the test are getting a warning that the next time they take a screenshot of a friend’s story the friend will be able to see it, as shown below: Good bye fre … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

A group of industry insiders are putting Russian election meddling up for ad awards

 A small group of advertising industry insiders have developed a novel campaign for this years’ ad awards season — nominating Russia’s misinformation and manipulation efforts for an award. According to a report in The New Yorker, these ad insiders have already put the case study … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

The Trump administration is reportedly moving to privatize the International Space Station

 The Trump administration is planning to privatize the international space station instead of simply decommissioning the orbiting international experiment in 2024, according to a report in The Washington Post.  According to a document obtained by the Post, the current administrat … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

CTRL+T podcast: The future is flying cars, rockets and diabetes-detecting Apple Watches

 This week’s episode is all about the future. Thanks to technology, the highest capacity rocket platform ever, the Falcon Heavy, blasted into space. Meanwhile, down here on Earth, Uber is working to make urban air travel a thing, and companies are developing products and conducti … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Gillmor Gang: Dead Flowers

 The Gillmor Gang — Frank Radice, Denis Pombriant, Doc Searls, Keith Teare, and Steve Gillmor. Recorded live Saturday, February 10, 2018. G3: Promises Promises — Mary Hodder, Elisa Camehort Page, Lisa Padilla, and Tina Chase Gillmor. Recorded live Thursday, February 8, 2018. @ste … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

The Falcon Heavy backlash and the public trust

 I watched the Falcon Heavy launch this week. Not as an accredited journalist, from an observation tower, but as one of the masses on Alan Shepard Beach twelve miles south. Watched it arc across the sky; watched the two boosters return safely to the landing pads like a video game … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Here’s a video of Elon Musk watching the Falcon Heavy take off

 This past week, as we watched SpaceX launch its absolutely massive Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time, many of us wondered if it would make it off the launch pad. So did Elon Musk. National Geographic just posted some incredible behind-the-scenes footage of the launch, captu … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Teaching robots to understand their world through basic motor skills

 Robots are great at doing what they’re told. But sometimes inputting that information into a system is a far more complex process than the task we’re asking them to execute. A team of researchers at Brown University and MIT is working to develop a system in which robots can plan … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

How Reggie Brown invented Snapchat

 Why sexting and a Stanford class led a group of former fraternity brothers to create Snapchat. Read More | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

HR has lost the trust of employees. Here is who has it now

 Human resources has to be one of the greatest bait-and-switch professions one can join today. HR departments position themselves with a forward-facing fluffy image, whether improving the productivity of workers through training and development programs or perhaps righting the ya … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Raise softly and deliver a big exit

 In the world of venture capital, the prospect of a successful “exit” looms large in the minds of investors. A VC’s business model is less about the money that goes into a startup than it is about what comes out. It’s true that most companies fail to exit gracefully, and of those … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

What to expect from Samsung’s next Galaxy flagships

 It’s that time of year again. Samsung is getting ready to unpack some shiny new high end smartphones at the world’s biggest mobile confab. And Android fans are getting ready to cheer… Read More | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

This is Uber’s plan to deliver on flying ‘cars’

 elf-driving and electric flying cars are coming. What this means for our cities in the future is unclear, so I chatted with Uber Head of Policy of Autonomous Vehicles and Urban Aviation Justin Erlich to learn more. Erlich previously worked under Attorney General Kamala Harris, w … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Startups are (still) making weird name choices

 First names, foods and animals have been quite popular lately with founders choosing startup names. Meanwhile, other naming styles are getting more fashionable. We take a look at what’s hot now and what might be in vogue next. Read More | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Cardlytics up 3% following IPO, raised $70 million

 Atlanta-based Cardlytics made its public debut on Friday, closing the day at $13.37, just a little above the IPO price of $13. The company sold 5.4 million shares, raising $70 million. Cardlytics works with financial institutions like Bank of America and 2,000 others to run cash … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

YouTube adds more formal measures to sanction channels that post harmful videos, including discoverability downgrade

 After barring Logan Paul earlier today from serving ads on his video channel, YouTube has now announced a more formal and wider set of sanctions it’s prepared to level on any creator that starts to post videos that are harmful to viewers, others in the YouTube community, or adve … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

NBC exec Jennifer Salke named head of Amazon Studios

 Amazon Studios has finally found a replacement for Roy Price after the executive stepped down in mid-October over sexual harassment claims. Jennifer Salke will be filling in the top spot at the online studio after serving for six years as NBC’s Entertainment President. “We are t … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Understanding the Mendoza Line for SaaS growth

 “How fast do I need to be growing to be interesting to a venture investor?” This is a question we get asked all the time by CEOs, and we realize “it depends” is not the most actionable answer to give. Instead, we have come up with a simple model that allows us to give a clear nu … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Original Content podcast: ‘The Cloverfield Paradox’ is eating us alive

 The Cloverfield Paradox is the kind of movie where a character will straight-facedly declare: “This dimension is eating us alive!” The first trailer for the film hit during the Super Bowl, and Netflix released the movie itself as soon as the game was over. Paradox takes the vagu … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Azio’s Retro Classic typewriter-inspired Bluetooth keyboard is a luxurious treat

 Maybe you’re sitting at a MacBook or other modern PC right now, typing away in near silence on a keyboard that provides no real satisfying response to your human fingers. Maybe, once in the distant past, you remember when keyboards offered something in return: A “click clack” th … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Script’s app lets parents digitally sign school permission slips, pay for field trips

 Schools are often late to taking advantage of new technologies, so today still do much of their business over paper forms. One pain point in particular – for school administrators, teachers and parents alike – is handling permission forms for activities and field trips. A young … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

SpaceX aims to make history 3 more times in 2018

 Tuesday’s Falcon Heavy launch made history, not only becoming the highest capacity rocket platform since the Saturn V but accomplishing the first double autonomous booster landing. And that’s just the start of what could prove to be an epic year for SpaceX — if Elon Musk’s ambit … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Researchers discovered a new kind of stereo vision by putting tiny 3D glasses on mantises

 Researchers at Newcastle University, U.K. believe they’ve discovered a differently evolved form of stereo vision in mantises. The research team studied the phenomenon in the insects precisely as one would hope — by attaching a pair of tiny 3D glasses to their bug eyes. Read More | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Hulu’s ‘Hard Sun’ trailer definitely makes me want to watch the new series

 Hulu Original Hard Sun is streaming starting on March 7, and the show looks great based on this trailer. It’s a combination speculative fiction/detective show, based on a rare PRE-apoclaptic premise: The world is ending in five years, but it seems like much of the tension of thi … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Facebook picks up half-hour dramedy series starring Elizabeth Olsen

 Facebook isn’t one to be outdone by Apple’s recent big content spending: It’s purchasing a 10-episode, straight-to-series half-hour drama-comedy series produced and starring Elizabeth Olsen. The production also includes Lizzy Weiss on board as showrunner, Kit Steinkellner as cre … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Snapchat almost acqhired anonymous app Secret

 Evan Spiegel secretly tried to hire away the team at Secret, but the price was too high. That’s according to three sources familiar with the deal who spoke to TechCrunch. The information expands and clarifies a report from the new book about Snapchat’s origin story coming out ne … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Uber’s new CEO could probably win at 10 dimensional chess

 The courtroom has been cleared, the lights are off in the spillover room on the 19th floor and the initial takes are in on the Uber vs. Waymo trial. Uber will give Alphabet, the parent company of both Waymo and the search giant Google, some $244 million worth of stock, and agree … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Here’s what it was like to be there when SpaceX launched the Falcon Heavy

 SpaceX made history earlier this week with its Falcon Heavy launch: The Falcon Heavy is now the largest active rocket in terms of cargo capacity, and is able to propel over 140,000 lbs of cargo to lower Earth orbit, or smaller loads all the way to Mars and beyond. The launch was … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Whip the llama’s ass with this Javascript WinAmp emulator

 If you were an early Internet kid you’ll recall a little app called WinAmp that was, in short, the best MP3 player ever made ever. The little program looked like skeuomorphic stereo receiver with a full range of equalizer sliders and included an important MP3 that explained WinA … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago

Disney’s streaming service won’t have R-rated films

 A new report offers a few more details as to what Disney has in store for its upcoming Netflix rival. The company last August had announced plans to debut its own streaming service in 2019 with content like Star Wars and Marvel movies, Disney studio and Pixar films. This week De … | Continue reading


@techcrunch.com | 6 years ago