You know you’ve been wanting to play around with that new version of Microsoft Paint — if only to see if it is, indeed, that big of an update to the long-maligned drawing application that’s been shipping with Windows since the mid-1980s. Paint 3D is unquestionably one of the biggest refreshes in the application’s history. In fact, it’s really a complete rethink,… Read More
It might be time for movie lovers to add another streaming service to their monthly subscriptions — FilmStruck, a new service created by Turner Classic Movies. Services like Amazon and Netflix are building up libraries of originals (starting with TV, but also including films), and they’re striking deals to get high-profile new releases. But if you’re a particular kind of… Read More
Intel’s spent the last few years betting on wearables, but things just aren’t paying off. According to sources close to the company, there are major changes afoot at the chipmaker’s New Devices Group, including some major job loss. From the sound of it, some key projects will likely never see the light of day either, including the Ruby, a new fitness watch developed in-house… Read More
Update 11/19: Intel is denying that the company is stepping back from wearables, though has not directly commented on the layoff news. Here is the company’s statement in full, Intel is in no way stepping back from the wearables business. In fact, we have several products in the works that we are very excited about, as well as prior launches that highlight our wearable technology such… Read More
Hyperloop One tells TechCrunch it has just settled an ongoing lawsuit brought against the company by its former co-founder Brogan BamBrogan and several former employees. BamBrogan, David Pendergast, William Mulholland and Knut Sauer filed the lawsuit against the company this summer, claiming the technology they built was being “strangled” by the venture capitalists who had… Read More
Tesla’s focusing on its work on autonomous driving as a huge potential gain for driver safety, but a video from a Tesla Model S P85D shows that some current features not related to self-driving are actually already helping prevent accidents. Tesla owner Jason Hughes captured a narrow miss in his car using a rear-mounted dash cam, showing the moment a Prius coming up from behind… Read More
This fall saw Google introduce its Pixels, the Chromecast Ultra and the Daydream View VR headset, and to help sell those devices and show customers what they can do, the company is launching a store-within-a-store debuting in North America at select Best Buy locations in Canada. When it launched the Pixel at an event that also gave the first look at Google Wifi, Google Home and Daydream… Read More
It seems everyone is interested in big data these days. From social scientists to advertisers, professionals from all walks of life are singing the praises of data science. In the social sciences, many scholars apparently believe it will lend their subject a previously elusive objectivity and clarity. However, when it comes to the social sciences, big data is a false idol. Read More
Facebook today said it is authorizing a $6 billion stock buyback that will go into effect in the first quarter next year. Facebook in its last earnings call also said that its growth would likely slow as a result of the company reaching its maximum advertising load. While Facebook has historically grown at a very fast clip, the company is now in a position that it needs to find additional… Read More
Play-Doh has come to the iPad. With the newly launched toy set for kids, Play-Doh Touch Shape to Life Studio, Hasbro has made a solid attempt at bringing the joy of Play-Doh to digital through an iOS app that brings kids’ creations to life. But the combination of physical play and digital is not a skill set that’s easily mastered even by top kids’ brands — just ask… Read More
Facebook’s fake news frenzy continued as the company came under scrutiny for its debated influence on the U.S. election, LinkedIn was blocked in Russia and a human CRISPR-ed for the first time. Also, the human species has about 1,000 years left according to Stephen Hawking. But do we deserve survival? The existence of Coca-Cola’s selfie bottle points toward no. Read More
I’m not trying to brag or anything (I am), but I comfortably ran a half marathon wearing the first version of the 42mm Apple Watch with a classy, stainless steel band. So, when I heard about Nike’s version of the Apple Watch, it’s not like I thought, “Finally! I totally need this because running with the regular Apple Watch sucks.”
That’s not to say I… Read More
Cogito, a real-time feedback platform for customer service agents, added $15 million to its coffers today in the form of a Series B. This brings the company’s total fundraising to $22.5 million.
The MIT Media Lab spin-off is applying the principles of behavioral science to call centers around the world to improve customer experiences. Cogito compares the characteristics of a current… Read More
HTC had a pretty good PR moment this week as Conan donned a Vive VR headset on his show and got up to some antics during a tour of YouTube’s VR studio. After testing his artistic hand with a self portrait in Google’s Tilt Brush, Conan immersed himself in the world of Job Simulator and things got a bit crazy. Upon being plunged into an office environment, Conan tosses objects at… Read More
Here’s an object lesson on the poor state of the so-called Internet of Things: Robert Stephens plugged a Wi-Fi-connected security camera into his network and it was compromised in… 98 seconds. Read More
A Delaware filing has confirmed that BuzzFeed authorized $200 million in Series G financing. At $45.04, this is the same share price as their round last year, which valued the digital media company at $1.5 billion. Recode reported last month that NBCUniversal was talking about making another investment and it’s possible that this is what the filing is in reference to. The filing does… Read More
Silicon Valley has been lampooned as the place where entrepreneurs like to declare they’re “making the world a better place” when they’re actually just trying to make money. But now a new, nonpartisan initiative called Debug Politics is encouraging the tech industry to live up to the catchphrase — by helping to fix the political system.
Jesse Pickard, CEO of… Read More
It’s getting harder to get people to try new mobile applications, according to a new state of the industry report out now from Adobe, as consumers are sticking to what they know when it comes to the apps on their smartphones. App abandonment is also climbing, and app installs are only up 6 percent year-over-year, the report states. Meanwhile, launches of existing apps are much higher,… Read More
San Leandro-based Airspace Systems is making a business out of solving the toughest problems facing the emerging drone industry. The company designed a drone of its own, jam-packed with sensors and machine intelligence, to autonomously intercept threatening drones at high speeds and carry them away from large crowds. If you think this sounds difficult, you would be right.… Read More
