Microsoft today announced that it has acquired Cycle Computing, a twelve-year-old Connecticut-based company that focuses on helping enterprises orchestrate high-performance computing jobs, large data workloads and other “big computing” jobs in the cloud. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Read More
In this episode of Technotopia I talked with Rabbi Abe Cooper, Associate Dean, Director Global Social Action Agenda of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Rabbi Cooper doesn’t use many online services, but he knows how to remain human in a time of great digital upheaval and he shared some of the tactics he uses to help online services keep hate groups off of the Internet. He turned this… Read More
Google’s consumer-facing chat application Allo, a successor of sorts to Gchat, is today available on the web for desktop users. The service, which lets you chat with friends while taking advantage of features like stickers, “smart replies” for one-tap responses, and Google Assistant integration, among other things, has been in the works for some time. In February 2017, Google… Read More
Dan Blackman’s father was a well-known man in the community of his small Pennsylvania town. He was a lawyer, ran a good business and everyone liked him and liked drinking with him. His dad died a few years ago from a combination of liver and lung cancer. His dad was what they call a functioning alcoholic. “It wasn’t until I started talking to my family a bit more that I… Read More
Bucketfeet wants to allow any artist to create an interesting shoe design. And it’s take one more step in that direction, by moving its production fully on-demand and opening up its site to support hundreds of new designs submitted by its artist community. Read More
Push notifications are one of the main ways we connect with our apps — but according to OneSignal CEO George Deglin, most of the tools for managing those notifications are too expensive without offering the features that developers need. Deglin’s company started out as a Y Combinator-backed mobile developer called Hiptic Games. It was as a game developer that he said he… Read More
If content is king these days, then everyone really wants to wear the crown. The latest business to throw itself into the media melee is Grindr, the popular gay social networking app which has just launched a new media site called INTO. Pitching itself as the millennial response to Out Magazine, INTO features a similar mix of culture, lifestyle, entertainment, news and features … and… Read More
From smart assistants like Alexa and Siri to the latest bleeding edge advancements in robotics, there’s no buzzier buzzwords in the tech world than artificial intelligence. The topic of AI has been a primary focus for Intel’s Brian Krzanich, as he works to expand the chipmaker’s scope from PCs to the next generation of technology breakthroughs. Intel’s Chief Executive… Read More
A day after Target announced the acquisition of transportation technology company Grand Junction, the retailer this morning is expanding its next-day delivery service, Target Restock. Announced this spring, and then opened to select customers in June, the new service is now available in its first markets outside the reach of Target’s Minneapolis headquarters with launches in both… Read More
Amazon’s latest physical retail foray is called “Instant Pickup,” and it works as the name implies: Amazon shoppers can pick up orders for certain items within two minutes of making their purchase. The program is live at five college campuses including the University of California at Berkeley for now, and will expand to additional sites, including neighborhood spots within… Read More
Google’s latest virtual reality video series for Daydream is all about fashion and jumping into the closets of celebrities known for their bold choices in clothing. Supermodel Closets, which Google is releasing in partnership with Vogue, drops you into the wardrobes of models like Cindy Crawford and Kendall Jenner to see what they wear and hear their perspectives on fashion. Virtual… Read More
Minibar Delivery , a marketplace for wine, beer and spirits, has today announced the close of a $5 million funding round led by Corigin Ventures, with participation from Female Founders Fund, Winklevoss Capital, LaunchCapital and RiverPark Ventures.
Minibar Delivery launched back in 2013, trying to give liquor stores an ecommerce outlet and users the ability to buy booze with the click of a… Read More
You can’t swing a cat these days without hitting some incubator or accelerator, or a startup touting its artificial intelligence chops — but for some reason, there are few if any incubators focused just on the AI sector. Seattle’s Allen Institute for AI is doing just that, with the promise of connecting small classes of startups with the organization’s formidable… Read More
UPS drivers preparing to get behind the wheel will soon be using virtual reality to do so. The company’s new VR training program will be rolling out next month at nine of the company’s training facilities, simulating some of the uncertainties and challenges of delivering packages on city streets. Trainees will interact with the content using voice commands to identify obstacles… Read More
HomeLight was founded in 2012 to connect home owners looking to sell with real estate agents in their area who are likely to close quickly and get the best price for their homes. With its business quickly growing, the company has raised $40 million in new funding led by Menlo Ventures. Read More
GoDaddy may be best known for its web domain registry (a business that’s been in the headlines recently), but it’s also moving into the voice and telephone business, starting with last year’s acquisition of FreedomVoice.
Today the company is launching a new app called SmartLine, aimed at addressing a basic need of small businesses — more and more of them (86 percent… Read More
Casper is unveiling a new mattress that co-founder and Chief Product Officer Jeff Chapin said responds to your body’s shape, combining the best elements of soft and firm mattresses. The Wave mattress comes with a higher price tag, starting at $1,000 for a twin and extending up to $1,850 for a queen and $2,250 for a California king. (The price for Casper’s regular mattress ranges… Read More
For a basic baby item, picking the right pacifier is surprisingly daunting. Many new parents have no idea how many different pacifiers are on the market until they are staring bleary-eyed at store shelves. Babies are also notoriously picky about their soothers and often reject several brands before finding their favorite, but it’s also important to use pacifiers that won’t hinder… Read More
Qualcomm’s Spectra Module camera program is getting a few key new members set to arrive in the latest generation of Android handset. Most notable among the new options are depth sensing and biometric authentication, letting users unlock their phones with an iris scan. The Spectra system essentially gives manufacturers a way to swap out different sorts of camera functionality during… Read More
Apple continues to be locked out of China’s massive mobile payments space. The latest reminder came this week when Beijing’s transportation system opened up to smartphone payments… via an Android app. Already Tencent’s WeChat Pay and Alibaba’s Alipay services dominate China’s mobile payment space, which is estimated to have processed $3 trillion last year,… Read More
