Gizmo maker Apple just launched its official Instagram account, @apple. But this isn’t your average corporate account as the company doesn’t want to showcase its own product ad nauseam. Instead, Apple is going to share photos shot with an iPhone. In many ways, this Instagram account feels like the natural extension of the “Shot on iPhone” billboard ad campaign.… Read More
The war between Airbnb and the hotel industry rages on, and it’s reaching new lows here in New York. A campaign, backed by the Hotel Association of New York City Inc. and the union that represents hotel workers, launched a 10-day, 30-second ad that links Airbnb’s short-term rentals to public security threats. The ad sets the stage for fear-mongering, stating that NYC remains the… Read More
AT&T’s live TV service DirecTV Now has just upped the ante for cord cutters debating their various options. The company announced this morning it has reached an agreement with CBS that will allow it to live stream from local CBS and The CW stations in nearly 25 U.S. markets. These stations will be available in all DirecTV Now packages, the company notes, while others, like Pop,… Read More
Katie Dill is the director of experience design at Airbnb. In this episode, she channels her inner Steve Jobs to explain how design is not just how it looks, but how it works, both in the workplace and on the screen. She also dives into the significance of using tools of design — intentionality, research, iteration, and collaboration — to help shape the internal structure and… Read More
FX this morning announced the launch of a new streaming service, FX+, that will offer commercial-free viewing of current seasons of both FX and FXX original series, in addition to all seasons of many other current and back catalog titles of other FX shows. However, there’s a catch. The service isn’t designed to cater to the growing number of cord cutters, but instead is being… Read More
Faraday Future recently abandoned plans to build its own tailor-made factory from scratch in Nevada, and now it’s signed a lease on a new ready-made production facility in Hanford, Calif. The switch in strategy reflects a broader shift in the electric carmaker’s approach, which has been scaled down for earlier ambitious and lofty goals based on the company’s economic… Read More
Apple’s HomePod firmware is the gift that keeps on giving. When the company shared an early build of the speaker firmware, many developers started digging around the strings in a library file to find hints about the next iPhone. And iHelp BR spotted an interesting reference to the facial recognition feature. A previous leak from the HomePod firmware revealed that the iPhone 8 (or… Read More
Following rumours that began circulating within London’s fintech community as far back as June, digital-only or so-called ‘challenger’ bank Tandem has announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Harrods Bank, the banking arm of the U.K.’s most famous luxury department store. Read More
Since founding the Techfugees non-profit two years ago, I’ve come acutely aware off the huge problems refugees face. With over 65 million refugees globally (according to the UN), and their ranks being swelled considerably by the civil war in Syria, it became clear to me that any solutions might help refugees would have to be scalable. Scaling solutions to problems is what the tech… Read More
Netflix has acquired Millarworld, the streaming media company announced on Monday. Millarworld is the independent comic publishing company founded by Mark Millar, a storied comic book creator who is behind a host of iconic characters and series, including Kick-Ass and Kingsman, as well as the creative force behind some of Marvel’s best story arcs, including The Ultimates and Old Man… Read More
Honeydue is a mobile app that aims to reduce money-related arguments between couples by offering tools to share information on respective account balances and spending. Read More
After weeks and months of leaks, the Galaxy S8 Active hasn’t left much to the imagination. We’ve already seen the phone from virtually every angle and got a sneak peek of a prematurely launched carrier page last week, to boot. The only thing left was for Samsung to officially make the thing official. The company’s doing just that this morning, a day before the rugged… Read More
HUUUURRRRRRK hurk HUUUURRRRRRK hurk HUUUURRRRRRK hurk HUUUURRRRRRK hurk HUUUURRRRRRK hurk HUUUURRRRRRK hurk HUUUURRRRRRK hurk HUUUURRRRRRK hurk… When you are pregnant, everyone tells you that nothing can ever prepare you for parenthood. What they should also tell you, however, is that nothing can ever prepare you for the distinctive sound of an electric breast pump. Read More
SoftBank has confirmed that its 4.9 percent stake in Nvidia is to be transferred to the Vision Fund, its colossal investment vehicle that’s targeting a $100 billion final close. The Japanese tech firm bought the position in chip-maker Nvidia, which has forayed into AI and self-driving car tech in recent years, back in May for a reported $4 billion. The Vision Fund held the rights to… Read More
SoftBank has been heavily linked with an investment in Uber in recent weeks, and today CEO Masayoshi Son confirmed his interest in pursuing a deal. However, in a twist, Son said that SoftBank is also considering buying into Uber’s arch-enemy in the U.S., Lyft, instead. Speaking to investors following the announcement of SoftBank’s Q1 2017 earnings, Son was candid about… Read More
I hate sexism; it can’t be eradicated fast enough. I’m frustrated that there’s still far too little diversity in Silicon Valley. Yet a newer form of discrimination is starting to greatly alarm me, and that’s discrimination against anyone with a point of view that’s deemed offensive to the tech majority. You know already what I’m talking about: people are… Read More
Less than two weeks ago, WeWork took the wraps off a new massive round of funding — $500 million from the Chinese private equity firm Hony Capital, the Japanese internet giant SoftBank, Greenland Holdings, and China Oceanwide. Now, the company is announcing that it’s pouring that exact amount — $500 million — into expanding into Southeast Asia and Korea. Interestingly,… Read More
How and to what extent the FCC should regulate the internet has been a hot question for years, and the present administration is proposing to eliminate the 2015 Order that created net neutrality rules. But Congress isn’t going to take that lying down: 10 Representatives who helped craft the law governing the FCC itself have submitted an official comment on the proposal ruthlessly… Read More
Fitbit’s Q2 earnings could have been worse. Unlike Q4 of last year, the company didn’t use the opportunity to announce that it would be laying off six percent of its staff. Still, things are bad. As we pointed out earlier in the week, the company’s stock price is little more than 10 percent of its 2015 high. Read More
Airbnb may have put its foot in its mouth before when it comes to communicating the benefits it brings to cities, but it’s hard to argue with raw, uncut science. A new study from the Internet Association, a trade group comprising many online properties including Airbnb, takes a hard look at housing stats in Seattle and bats away a few issues commonly brought up regarding the service. Read More
