The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL have one of the best features introduced on a smartphone in recent memory: That button. Admittedly, it’s just a superficial design decision, but it’s actually one of the most interesting, and most bold design decisions make in smartphones by a major consumer hardware company in a long time. Maybe that’s a depressing commentary on the state of… Read More
We’re excited to be premiering a new mockumentary series about the startup world; watch the first four episodes of Bubbleproof right here on TechCrunch. Read More
Google’s latest Daydream View build is by no means a major departure from the previous iteration. While it’s sturdier, more thought-out and a bit more expensive, it encapsulates much of the same features of the headset from last year. This View looks almost identical to its previous iteration but the changes to its build materials are substantial and give the device a feeling that… Read More
Once upon a time, Microsoft had a whole line of gaming hardware under the Sidewinder brand, and while they never really put a dent in Razer or Logitech, they put out some decent mice (the X3 “might serve as a good introduction to multiple DPI settings for your mom or dad,” I wrote in 2010). I’m glad to see they’re returning to that advanced-mousing heritage with the… Read More
Here’s a surprise: Google’s Pixel 2 phones include a custom system-on-a-chip (SoC) that’s optimized for image processing — but it currently just sits there, doing nothing. Google says it’ll turn this chip on in the coming weeks as a developer option in the preview of Android Oreo 8.1. Read More
Google’s Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL have a number of strengths to recommend them, but what makes them really unique is that they offer two versions of phone that finally, for Android, will provide everything anyone really needs in a smartphone. Other device makers have realized that different sizes appeal to different customers, but Google’s Pixel lineup offers a true choice, instead of… Read More
It’s well past time to put to rest any doubt surrounding Microsoft’s hardware ambitions. Over the past few years, the company has transformed the Surface line from boutique proof of concept to one of the more innovative and forward-looking PC brands on the market. The Surface Book is one of the best examples of the line — Microsoft took the wraps off the Surface Book 2… Read More
Google wanted to announce more than just a boatload of products at its event the other week. The company hoped to foster a new conversation around consumer hardware, moving from a narrative about specs to one about artificial intelligence and machine learning. The Pixel 2 is the centerpiece of that idea. Read More
Announced roughly this time last year, Creators Update was Microsoft’s attempt to capture the creative types who have long been considered a core part of the Mac ecosystem’s userbase. The update brought simple 3D content creation tools to Windows 10 and additional gaming functionality, among other things. The new Fall Creators Update, which is set to roll out to all users today,… Read More
Google’s changes to the Pixel cameras are mostly on the software side, but they gain some excellent additional abilities, including a new Portrait mode, as well as optical image stabilization to complement Google’s digital anti-shake for photos and video. Google spent a lot of time during its presentation crowing about the Pixel 2 (and Pixel 2 XL, since their cameras are the… Read More
In the earliest days of the Surface, it was hard to shake the notion that the line was something of a reference design for Windows 8. Things have evolved quite a bit. The line has grown to include two convertible tablets, a pair of laptops, a 28-inch all-in-one and a high-tech whiteboard, while the devices themselves have become some of the most capable and compelling in their respective spaces. Read More
Polkadot is a project which has emerged from the Blockchain world, and was designed to do something increasingly important. In effect, Polkadot is the interchange and translator between multiple blockchains which creative people developing on the Ethereum blockhain have been looking for in order to build a wealth new projects and infrastructure. As companies develop their own side-chains,… Read More
The global adoption of blockchain technology is starting to feel like an inevitability. Following on the news that Moscow is launching a cryptocurrency (creatively called the CryptoRuble… because of course it is), a consortium comprised of the top technology officers at some of Spain’s largest companies in finance, energy, and telecommunications has launched to develop a… Read More
GM’s Cruise Automation will expand its test pool, while keeping a focus on city driving, something it has said gives it an edge in the autonomous driving space. What better city to use for testing, then, than New York, one of the densest and most hectic traffic nightmares in North America. Cruise will test its self-driving fleet in New York in a five mile square section of Manhattan,… Read More
PayPal this morning announced its mobile payments service Venmo is now available at over 2 million online U.S retailers, allowing Venmo users to shop on the mobile web at almost everywhere PayPal is accepted today. This includes popular retailers like Lululemon, Forever21 and Foot Locker via the mobile web, the company says.
As with PayPal, eligible purchases bought using Venmo online will… Read More
Feedzai is announcing a $50 million Series C this morning led by an unnamed VC with additional capital from Sapphire Ventures. The six year old startup builds machine learning tools to help banks and merchants spot payment fraud. In today’s rapidly maturing world of fintech, Feedzai is trying to thread the needle between turnkey solution and customizable platform. With 60 clients… Read More
Mercedes-Benz Arocs trucks are an autonomous means to an end: The industrial vehicles can work without drivers, and without requiring a bevy of expensive sensors equipped on the truck itself. The service vehicles work by following the leader, along GPS mapped routes, providing high accuracy from a lead vehicle with control over the followers. The Arocs version of autonomous transportation… Read More
Apple has now responded to a letter from Senator Franken last month in which he asked the company to provide more information about the incoming Face ID authentication technology which is baked into its top-of-the-range iPhone X, due to go on sale early next month. Read More
As LinkedIn ads in video and other features to look a little more like Facebook, Facebook continues to take on LinkedIn in the world of social recruitment services. In the latest development, Facebook is testing a feature to let users create resumes — which Facebook calls a “work histories” feature — and share them privately on the site as part of their job hunt.… Read More
Indiez is an up-and-coming freelance service that aims to bring a higher standard to a world that is dominated by the likes of Gigster, Upwork and Fiverr by taking a different, team-led approach. There are already plenty of options for developers who opt for freelance work perhaps because they don’t like the shackles of a single day job, want to moonlight outside of office hours, or… Read More
