Apple’s newly published update to its App Store policies officially designates voluntary tipping via virtual currency as in-app purchases that Apple taxes 30 percent. By taking tipping out of the grey area, more app developers might institute digital tip jars as an alternative way to get creators paid without having to offer ad revenue sharing. Read More
If you’ve ever contributed to a charitable fundraising campaign online in the last seven years, chances are that one of those campaigns have been through GoFundMe, a web platform where people can set up and donate to campaigns for charitable causes. The site and the company that created it have been on a long-term growth tear — and now it’s gearing up for the next step. Read More
Microsoft’s digital assistant Cortana will now be able to save you money when you’re shopping online. The company announced today that it will begin a pilot test of a new Cortana feature that will pop up the best price and availability of similar products, when you’re shopping the websites of over a dozen top retailers in the U.S., including Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Best Buy,… Read More
“Everyone should take a chill pill” raged Russian President Vladimir Putin during his session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum last week. He was of course referring to the storm of controversy surrounding the alleged ties between Russia and the Trump Whitehouse. But Putin’s outburst reflects a wider Russian frustration. The narrative about Russia’s… Read More
Another high-profile Yahoo executive, SVP of Mobile and Emerging Products Adam Cahan, will leave the company as the acquisition by VerizOath: comes to a close. This news via multiple sources comes amid cuts of as much as 15 percent of the combined Oath/Yahoo staff. Read More
OwnLocal has acquired Wanderful Media, bringing together two companies focused on local advertising and deals. OwnLocal works with local newspapers to turn traditional print ads into digital campaigns. Wanderful, meanwhile, operates Find&Save, a website and app that brings the newspaper deals and coupons online. Read More
In what turned out to be a surprising SFW podcast Future of Sex podcast creator Bryony Cole joined us to talk about the future of sex, teledilonics and sex robots. Not content to let the media and the world stay squeamish about the topic of sex robots Cole expects many of us to have had sex with a robot by 2047 and believes many of our children will first experience sex with a robot before… Read More
Target’s mobile app strategy will undergo a significant change, starting this summer. The retailer announced this week it will soon combine the functionality of its Cartwheel savings app with its main shopping app, in preparation for an eventual Cartwheel shutdown. The Target app will also receive a notable upgrade this year, adding support for an indoor map that shows your location in… Read More
According to our sources, Yahoo’s chief information security officer, Bob Lord, is losing out to AOL’s Chris Nims for the security chief’s chair of new umbrella entity, Oath. Read More
TechCrunch Sessions: Robotics will feature the industry’s best roboticists, technologists and investors. But what about the next generation? Everyone knows that there are not enough robotics engineers to go around, and the demand will only increase. We’ve enlisted the help of three amazing educators at the forefront of STEM and engineering education who will discuss their views on… Read More
In a slightly surprising move, Pinterest raised $150 million from private investors this week. Why the firm may have wanted the cash isn’t too hard to understand. When the markets offer you lots of cash on good terms, you tend to say yes. But let’s explore the round for a minute. Read More
Microsoft announced today it will retire its older file-sharing site Docs.com on December 15, 2017, as a result of its LinkedIn acquisition. With LinkedIn, Microsoft also gained access to SlideShare, a top file-sharing network on the web – and one’s that’s now far more heavily used than Microsoft’s own Docs.com. SlideShare “represents the ideal platform for… Read More
Seed investment firm Lerer Hippeau Ventures is planning to write more later-stage checks, thanks to a new $28 million fund that it’s calling LHV Select. “Since the very beginning, going back to 2010, we’ve always had the same strategy,” said Managing Partner Eric Hippeau — a strategy that’s focused on making seed investments in New York startups. (The firm… Read More
Just in time for Disrupt SF I’d like to invite you all to a micro meet-up in Warsaw on July 4. We’ll be holding it at Campus Warsaw, 33C Ząbkowska, 03-736 Warszawa, Poland. The fun starts at 6pm and ends at 8pm with some after-event drinks nearby. The winner of the pitch-off will get a table at Disrupt SF and the second-place winner will get two tickets to Disrupt SF. There are… Read More
Welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s weekly podcast focused on the world of venture capital. Katie Roof, Matthew Lynley and I — Alex Wilhelm — were joined by Indy Guha from Bain Capital Ventures. Indy has worked in the venture world for some time, but has taken time off from investing to work at growing companies. He has experience on both sides of the table, as the… Read More
Troubled streaming music service Pandora has finally found a white knight of sorts to boost it with a cash injection as it looks to improve its business: SiriusXM has just announced it will be investing $480 million in cash into publicly traded Pandora. Pandora also is selling Ticketfly to Eventbrite for $200 million. Read More
Samsung is updating its curved gaming monitor lineup with a slew of new technologies. Coming in 27, 31.5 and 49-inch versions, they’re called the C27HG70, C32HG70 and C49HG90, respectively. They blend the best current monitor technologies, into a package that at first glance seems pretty ideal. All three monitors come equipped with HDR (high dynamic range) for increased light range,… Read More
The next version of the Apple TV automatically adds AirPods to the available speakers. According to reports, Apple is making the process as easy as possible. Clearly someone on the Apple TV team shares Doug’s late night Wheel of Fortune viewing habit. This function makes sense. Sometimes you want to watch Veep but your partner cannot stand Jonah. Pop on the show, select your AirPods… Read More
A man in Thailand has been sentenced to 35 years in prison after he was found guilty of insulting the country’s royal family on Facebook. Identified only as Wichai, he is alleged to have published 10 photos, videos and comments on the social network that violate Thailand’s strict lèse majesté regulations which outlaw criticism of the royal family, according to free speech… Read More
There’s good news for Airbnb in Japan where the government has approved legislation that legalizes its service, and others like it, in the country. The law, which was passed by Japan’s upper house on Friday, will allow home-owners to let out their property to paying guests for up to 180 days per year. They are subject to registering with local authorities who, in turn, have license… Read More
