TikTok stars got a judge to block Trump’s TikTok ban

TikTok has won another battle in its fight against the Trump administration’s ban of its video-sharing app in the U.S. — or, more accurately in this case, the TikTok community won a battle. On Friday, a federal judge in Pennsylvania issued an injunction that blocked the restrictions that would have otherwise blocked TikTok from operating […]
https://tcrn.ch/34KfVLz

Cough-scrutinizing AI shows major promise as an early warning system for COVID-19

Asymptomatic spread of COVID-19 is a huge contributor to the pandemic, but of course if there are no symptoms, how can anyone tell they should isolate or get a test? MIT research has found that hidden in the sound of coughs is a pattern that subtly, but reliably, marks a person as likely to be […]
https://tcrn.ch/3mFg9JT

Apple acknowledges AirPods Pro issues, will replace those that crackle and rattle

Are your AirPods Pro earbuds making weird noises? You’re not imagining it — and you’re not the only one. Just a few months after Apple started shipping AirPods Pro, some users started noticing that one or both of their earbuds were rattling or crackling. The noises would reportedly get worse whenever the user moved, and […]
https://tcrn.ch/320PFus

E.ventures opens new office in Paris

VC firm e.ventures is expanding its footprint in Europe with a new office in Paris, as well as a new Paris-based partner. Jonathan Userovici, who previously worked for Idinvest Partners, is joining e.ventures as partner and head of the Paris office. Originally founded in the U.S. 20 years ago, e.ventures has been expanding to new […]
https://tcrn.ch/3mEhyR6

Daimler invests in lidar company Luminar in push to bring autonomous trucks to highways

Daimler’s trucks division has invested in lidar developer Luminar as part of a broader partnership to produce autonomous trucks capable of navigating highways without a human driver behind the wheel. The deal, which comes just days after Daimler and Waymo announced plans to work together to build an autonomous version of the Freightliner Cascadia truck, […]
https://tcrn.ch/2HT1Y56

Uber Eats faces discrimination allegations over free delivery from Black-owned restaurants

Uber says it has received more than 8,500 demands for arbitration as a result of it ditching delivery fees for some Black-owned restaurants via Uber Eats. Uber Eats made this change in June, following racial justice protests around the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man. Uber Eats said it wanted to make […]
https://tcrn.ch/3jGIs96

Donut launches Watercooler, an easy way to socialize online with coworkers

If you miss hanging out with your coworkers but don’t want to spend a single second more on Zoom, the latest product from Donut might be the answer. The startup is launching its new Watercooler product today while also announcing that it has raised $12 million in total funding, led by Accel and with participation from […]
https://tcrn.ch/2HLGJ56

One-click housing startup Atmos raises another $4M from Khosla, real estate strategics, and TikTok star Josh Richards

Atmos wants to make designing a house as simple as a single click. Well, that vision is now getting a double click from VCs. The company, which we profiled back in July, announced today that it raised another $4 million, this time from Evan Moore at Khosla Ventures, real estate strategic investors like David Gerster […]
https://tcrn.ch/3kJqnIH

The Wanderlust Group raises $14.2M to double-down on getting folks outdoors

The Wanderlust Group, a Rhode Island-based startup focused on building software for the boating world, announced that it has closed a $14.2 million Series B round of capital this week. The new funds were provided by Allen & Company and the Alaris family office. (Post updated to amend investor list after publication.) Wanderlust had raised […]
https://tcrn.ch/3eaUmXm

Apple eyes the TikTok generation with an updated version of Clips

Apple is today rolling out an update to its video creation app, Clips, which brings much-needed support for vertical videos, allowing for sharing to TikTok and the “Stories” feature in other social apps. The addition is one of several arriving with the release of Clips 3.0, which also introduces support for horizontal video, as well […]
https://tcrn.ch/37PwBDp

Robust.AI raises a $15M Series A to improve problem solving for collaborative robots

Robust.AI today announced that it has raised a $15 million Series A, led by Jazz Venture Partners. Existing partners Playground Global, Liquid2, Fontinalis, Jaan Tallinn and Mark Leslie also participated in the round, which brings the Bay Area-based robotics AI startup’s funding up to $22.5 million. Founded mid-2019, the company counts Rodney Brooks among its […]
https://tcrn.ch/34ByBNq

Microsoft announces its first Azure data center region in Taiwan

After announcing its latest data center region in Austria earlier this month and an expansion of its footprint in Brazil, Microsoft today unveiled its plans to open a new region in Taiwan. This new region will augment its existing presence in East Asia, where the company already runs data centers in China (operated by 21Vianet), Hong […]
https://tcrn.ch/3e6onIb

Next-gen skincare, silk without spiders and pollution for lunch: Meet the biotech startups pitching at IndieBio’s Demo Day

Biotech can often, and sometimes literally, fly over our heads. However, the pandemic has shown an increased need for investment and focus on solutions that work on human and planetary health. For IndieBio, a science and biotech accelerator run by VC firm SOSV, this unprecedented year offered high stakes and new challenges. Today and tomorrow, […]
https://tcrn.ch/2TrF6Mo

Ubisoft’s subscription service comes to Stadia and Luna

Ubisoft originally announced its subscription service back in June. Today, the company is rebranding the service from UPlay+ to Ubisoft+. The service is also on its way to Amazon’s Luna and Google’s Stadia. Ubisoft is betting on a multi-platform subscription, which means that you’ll be able to subscribe once and play Ubisoft+ games on PC, […]
https://tcrn.ch/3oygGza

Hands-on: Sony’s DualSense PS5 controller could be a game changer

After spending a few hours with the PlayStation 5 and its completely redesigned DualSense controller, I can say with confidence that the new haptics and audio features certainly work — and could become integral to the gaming experience. But only if — and it’s a big if — developers truly embrace the tech. The DualSense […]
https://tcrn.ch/2J1Xrxx

Hubilo raises $4.5 million, led by Lightspeed, to focus on virtual events

Earlier this year, the founders of event analytics platform Hubilo pivoted to become a virtual events platform to survive the impact of COVID-19. Today, the startup announced it has raised a $4.5 million seed round, led by Lightspeed, and says it expects to exceed $10 million bookings run rate and host more than one million […]
https://tcrn.ch/3mvzb5D

NASA discovers water on the surface of the sunlit portion of the moon

NASA has made a groundbreaking discovery — confirming the presence of water on the surface of moon in the area that is exposed to sunlight. Previously, we knew that water was present as ice on the dark part of the moon, and that’s part of the reason that the next mission to the moon is […]
https://tcrn.ch/35Fdzg2

The No-Code Generation is arriving

In the distant past, there was a proverbial “digital divide” that bifurcated workers into those who knew how to use computers and those who didn’t.[1] Young Gen Xers and their later millennial companions grew up with Power Macs and Wintel boxes, and that experience made them native users on how to make these technologies do […]
https://tcrn.ch/3mnrazs

Reliance says its $3.4 billion deal with Future Group ‘fully enforceable under Indian law’ despite Amazon winning an arbitration order

Reliance Retail, India’s largest retail chain, said on Sunday evening that its proposed deal to acquire Future Group’s assets for a whopping $3.4 billion — against which Amazon has filed a legal proceeding — is fully enforceable under the Indian law and it intends to complete the deal “without any delay.” Mukesh Ambani’s firm issued […]
https://tcrn.ch/3jwu5E2

Original Content podcast: ‘Lovecraft Country’ is gloriously bonkers

As we tried to recap the first season of HBO’s “Lovecraft Country,” one thing became clear: The show is pretty nuts. The story begins by sending Atticus “Tic” Freeman (Jonathan Majors), his friend Leti Lewis (Jurnee Smolett) and his uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) on a road trip across mid-’50s America in search of Tic’s […]
https://tcrn.ch/35srK8g

Week in Review: Snapchat strikes back

Hello hello, and welcome back to Week in Review. Last week, I wrote about the possibility of a pending social media detente, this week I’m talking about a rising threat to Facebook’s biz. If you’re reading this on the TechCrunch site, you can get this in your inbox here, and follow my tweets here. And while I […]
https://tcrn.ch/3mmRERy

SpaceX launches 60 more satellites during 15th Starlink mission

SpaceX has launched another batch of 60 Starlink satellites, the primary ingredient for its forthcoming global broadband internet service. The launch took place at 11:31 AM EDT, with a liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. This is the fifteenth Starlink launch thus far, and SpaceX has now launched nearly 900 of the […]
https://tcrn.ch/3jkQzrG

This Week in Apps: Quibi dies, Snapchat soars, Halide upgrades for iPhone 12

Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the TechCrunch series that recaps the latest OS news, the applications they support and the money that flows through it all. The app industry is as hot as ever, with a record 204 billion downloads and $120 billion in consumer spending in 2019. People are now spending three hours and 40 minutes per day […]
https://tcrn.ch/35pTzhu

OnePlus’s 8T handset brings faster charging and a 120Hz display for $749

OnePlus continues its twice-yearly smartphone cycle with today’s arrival of the 8T. The latest device isn’t a huge upgrade over April’s OnePlus 8, but continues the company’s longstanding tradition of offering some of the most solid Android handsets at a reasonable price point. The cost has edged up a bit in recent years, but $749 […]
https://tcrn.ch/2Tnva6s

Here’s how fast a few dozen startups grew in Q3 2020

Earlier this week I asked startups to share their Q3 growth metrics and whether they were performing ahead or behind of their yearly goals. Lots of companies responded. More than I could have anticipated, frankly. Instead of merely giving me a few data points to learn from, The Exchange wound up collecting sheafs of interesting […]
https://tcrn.ch/34lerXP

Google removes 3 Android apps for children, with 20M+ downloads between them, over data collection violations

When it comes to apps, Android leads the pack with nearly 3 million apps in its official Google Play store. The sheer volume also means that sometimes iffy apps slip through the cracks. Researchers at the International Digital Accountability Council (IDAC), a non-profit watchdog based out of Boston, found that a trio of popular and […]
https://tcrn.ch/3joJiHd

Here’s why Intel’s stock just dropped 10% after reporting earnings

The third-quarter earnings cycle is just getting underway, but we’ve already seen a few companies post numbers that investors did not like. Netflix missed on several metrics yesterday and was punished, and today Intel is joining the video streaming giant in stock-market purgatory. Intel shares are off around 10% in after-hours trading after the chip […]
https://tcrn.ch/34ne4fC

E-bike subscription service Dance closes $17.7M Series A, led by HV Holtzbrinck Ventures

Three months on since the former founders of SoundCloud launched their e-bike subscription service, Dance they are today announcing the close of a $17.7 million (€15 million) Series A funding round led by one of the larger European VCs, HV Holtzbrinck Ventures. Founded by Eric Quidenus-Wahlforss (ex-Soundcloud), Alexander Ljung (still at Soundcloud as chairman) and […]
https://tcrn.ch/3klyFX5

Health insurance startup Alan lets you chat with a doctor

French startup Alan is building health insurance products. And 100,000 people are now covered through Alan . I caught up with the company’s co-founder and CEO Jean-Charles Samuelian-Werve so that he could give us an update on the product. Alan has obtained its own health insurance license and is a proper insurance company. It doesn’t […]
https://tcrn.ch/37sRWSQ

Coalition for App Fairness, a group fighting for app store reforms, adds 20 new partners

The Coalition for App Fairness (CAF), a newly formed advocacy group pushing for increased regulation over app stores, has more than doubled in size with today’s announcement of 20 new partners — just one month after its launch. The organization, led by top app publishers and critics, including Epic Games, Deezer, Basecamp, Tile, Spotify and […]
https://tcrn.ch/2FPyuEl

EU parliament backs tighter rules on behavioural ads

The EU parliament has backed a call for tighter regulations on behavioral ads (aka microtargeting) in favor of less intrusive, contextual forms of advertising — urging Commission lawmakers to also assess further regulatory options, including looking at a phase-out leading to a full ban. MEPs also want Internet users to be able to opt out […]
https://tcrn.ch/2Hd9pnL

Watch the trailer for ‘First Person,’ a climate-focused series shot on Snapchat Spectacles

Snapchat is about to launch “First Person,” the first of its original series to be shot on Snapchat Spectacles. The idea of filming a documentary using AR-centric eyewear might sound gimmicky, but “First Person” is tackling a weighty topic: climate change. The series is produced by journalist Yusuf Omar (who said he’s been wearing Spectacles […]
https://tcrn.ch/37mGTKW

Now may be the best time to become a full-stack developer

You may not have full knowledge, skills and understanding of everything immediately but you'll position yourself at the forefront of the world’s software development needs right off the bat.
https://tcrn.ch/3mbPvrJ

Adobe Illustrator launches on iPad and Adobe Fresco comes to the iPhone

Adobe today launched the first public version of its Illustrator vector graphics app on the iPad. That’s no surprise, given that it was already available for pre-order and as a private beta, but a lot of Illustrator users were looking forward to this day. In addition, the company also today announced that its Fresco drawing […]
https://tcrn.ch/359mV3m

Trilo lets merchants offer rewards to customers choosing bank-to-bank payments

Open banking enables bank-to-bank payments, meaning that (in theory) merchants should be able to accept payments without having to hand over fees to Visa or Mastercard or other payment providers, such as Stripe. The challenge, however, isn’t just implementing open-banking based payments as a checkout option — there are are already a host of open […]
https://tcrn.ch/2FNThbw

Who regulates social media?

Social media platforms have repeatedly found themselves in the United States government’s crosshairs over the last few years, as it has been progressively revealed just how much power they really wield, and to what purposes they’ve chosen to wield it. But unlike, say, a firearm or drug manufacturer, there is no designated authority that says […]
https://tcrn.ch/3m1yMrc

SpaceX successfully launches 60 more Starlink satellites, bringing total delivered to orbit to more than 800

SpaceX on Sunday launched another batch of 60 of its internet-beaming Starlink satellites, growing its constellation even further. That makes 835 Starlink satellites launched thus far, though not all of those are operational (some were test satellites that were intentionally decommissioned). The launch, from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, also included a successful controlled landing and […]
https://tcrn.ch/2FKc87i

Instagram’s handling of kids’ data is now being probed in the EU

Facebook’s lead data regulator in Europe has opened another two probes into its business empire — both focused on how the Instagram platform processes children’s information. The action by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC), reported earlier by the Telegraph, comes more than a year after a US data scientist reported concerns to Instagram that its […]
https://tcrn.ch/3dBReDU

Alibaba Group will spend $3.6 billion to take control of Chinese supermarket giant Sun Art

Alibaba Group said today it will spend about $3.6 billion to take a controlling stake in Sun Art, one of China’s largest big-box and supermarket chains. After the transaction is complete, Alibaba Group will own 72% of Sun Art. As in other countries, COVID-19 lockdowns increased demand for online food orders in China, drawing in […]
https://tcrn.ch/348Kmun

Solve the ‘dead equity’ problem with a longer founder vesting schedule

The four-year vesting schedule that the typical startup uses today is a problem waiting to happen. Here's how you can fix it forever.
https://tcrn.ch/37fW8oQ

This Week in Apps: Apple’s big event, lidar comes to iPhone, Android gets a new IDE

Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the TechCrunch series that recaps the latest OS news, the applications they support and the money that flows through it all. The app industry is as hot as ever, with a record 204 billion downloads and $120 billion in consumer spending in 2019. People are now spending three hours and 40 minutes per day […]
https://tcrn.ch/3lUfrbm

Pear hosted its invite-only demo day online this year; here’s what you might have missed

Pear, the eight-year-old, Palo Alto, Calif.-based seed-stage venture firm that has, from its outset, attracted the attention of VCs who think the firm has an eye for nascent talent, staged its seventh annual demo day earlier this week, and while it was virtual, one of the startups has already signed a term sheet from a […]
https://tcrn.ch/2T2bllh

Private equity firms can offer enterprise startups a viable exit option

Four years ago, Ping Identity was at a crossroads. A venerable player in the single sign-on market, its product was not a market leader, and after 14 years and $128 million in venture capital, it needed to find a new path. While the company had once discussed an IPO, by 2016 it began putting out […]
https://tcrn.ch/3nW6K21

Analogue takes on the TurboGrafx-16 with its Duo retro console

Analogue’s beautiful, functional retro gaming consoles provide a sort of “archival quality” alternative to the cheap mini-consoles proliferating these days. The latest system to be resurrected by the company is the ill-fated, but still well-thought-of TurboGrafx-16 or PC Engine. The Duo, as Analogue’s device is called, is named after a later version of the TurboGrafx-16 […]
https://tcrn.ch/37ksA9P

Marshall Major IV wireless headphones offer great sound, plus 80+ hours of battery life and wireless charging

Marshall’s new Major IV headphones ($149.99) combine lightweight comfort with wireless charging, and up to 80 hours of playback for an iconic headset that’s affordable and flexible. At home or on the go, these are a great option with unique features that you won’t find anywhere else in the headphone market. Basics This is the […]
https://tcrn.ch/2SYYyjc

Audio learning startup Knowable switches to a $9.99-per-month subscription model

Knowable, the Andreessen Horowitz-backed startup focused on audio learning, is switching business models. When the company launched last year, it charged users on a per-class basis. Starting today, it’s shifting entirely to a subscription model, where listeners pay $50 annually or $9.99 per month for unlimited access to the Knowable library. “This gets us closer […]
https://tcrn.ch/34XBOG4

Google launches a slew of Search updates

Google today announced a number of improvements to its core search engine, with a strong focus on how the company is using AI to help its users. These include the ability to better answer questions with very specific answers, very broad questions and a new algorithm to better handle the typos in your queries. The […]
https://tcrn.ch/31dYW1V

AirBuddy’s AirPod integration for the Mac gets updated with more iOS-style features

The AirBuddy app is celebrating another successful Apple week by opening up preorders on v2.0. The original, which arrived in early 2019, brought a pop-up to the Mac when a pair of AirPods were brought near — bringing simple ecosystem integration to the desktop before Apple did. The update, which is set to arrive arrive […]
https://tcrn.ch/352oiRn

Elon Musk tweets the Model S will be priced at $69,420, because he’s a child

The Tesla Model S is about to get a bit less expensive. Tesla CEO and resident meme maker Elon Musk just tweeted that the Model S sedan will soon be priced at $69,420. This pricing wasn’t done on a whim and a joint. The price cut is likely in response to Lucid undercutting Tesla on […]
https://tcrn.ch/2H5J5vi

Trump’s latest immigration restrictions are bad news for American workers

To shutter employment-based visa programs, even temporarily, is to shut out the innovation and entrepreneurialism our economy desperately needs.
https://tcrn.ch/3duu3vi

Spotify introduces a new music-and-spoken word format, open to all creators

Spotify today is launching a new feature that combines spoken word audio commentary with music tracks. The new format will allow Spotify to reproduce the radio-like experience of listening to a DJ or a music journalist offering their perspective on the music. But Spotify is also making it possible for anyone to use the format […]
https://tcrn.ch/2FsAtOI