We’re back. Hardware Battlefield is TechCrunch’s premier hardware startup event and is returning to the world’s largest consumer electronic show. Applications are now open until November 3 at 9pm PT. Submit your application here to compete for free demo space at the Consumer Electronics Show, a $50,000 prize and the Metal Man trophy.
Hardware Battlefield is part of… Read More
It’s important for tech companies to have at least one voice at the senior leadership table that advocates for issues around equality, diversity and inclusion. Unfortunately, that’s just not the case for many companies in the tech industry. Salesforce, a company that said a year ago that a major focus for it was “the women’s issue,” recently became an… Read More
Our next president will take office during a period of seismic change across the education landscape. Policymakers, students and employers increasingly question the cost — and return — on a college degree, as a profusion of new pathways from education-to-employment emerge. Read More
There’s going to come a time when not every mention of Samsung will elicit some snarky comment about exploding smartphones. Now is not that time. And the Galaxy TabPro S Gold Edition is certainly not the product to serve as catalyst. In fact, it will probably be a little while before the company has an offering compelling enough to shift the public consciousness back to the next… Read More
In the latest instalment of Samsung’s ongoing Note 7 saga, the U.S. Department of Transportation has issued an official, blanket ban against bringing the Galaxy Note 7 on airplanes. The ban applies to all Note 7 devices, and covers both carry-on and checked baggage, as well as prohibiting anyone from carrying the phone onto a plane on their person. The ban will go into effect… Read More
Reflective displays like those found on e-readers are great for black-and-white text, but color has yet to make a compelling play on them. That may change with the serendipitous discovery of a full-color e-paper material that’s also flexible and power-efficient. Read More
Under pressure from shoppers complaining about losing the ability to receive tips last month as the company looked to smooth out the earnings curve, Instacart said it is re-introducing customer tipping. “After announcing this change, we heard a lot of feedback from our shopper community,” the company said in a blog post. “While our shoppers liked most of the changes, they did… Read More
Things were pretty bleak for tech companies this week as the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was officially recalled and Yahoo’s securities woes reportedly drove Verizon to request a $1 billion discount on its pending acquisition. Here are the top stories from around the tech universe to get you up to speed. Read More
Salesforce wants to make things super clear for everyone — no, the company won’t buy Twitter. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff gave an interview to the FT and said that the company ruled out the acquisition. “In this case we’ve walked away. It wasn’t the right fit for us,” Benioff told the FT. If you were looking for an official confirmation, it can’t get… Read More
The final episode of this six-part series explores the future implications of Bitcoin and blockchain technology. The episode describes the divide between Wall Street’s preferred closed use of the blockchain and Silicon Valley’s vision of an open system. Will the technology ever be integrated into our world’s mainstream economy? Whose vision will prevail, Wall Street or… Read More
Earlier this year, it was reported that Naspers, the media and internet holding company, was planning to sell off Allegro, its online auction business based in Poland, and today the deal finally came to pass. A consortium of private equity firms that includes Cinven, Permira and Mid Europa have bought the firm for $3.253 billion. The deal was made after earlier reports pegged eBay, Alibaba… Read More
PayPal, the giant digital payments company that was spun off from eBay last year, has had an up-and-down relationship with the business of crowdfunding over the years, but there are some indications that this could change. We’ve been hearing that PayPal was interested in buying GoFundMe — the crowdfunding site that lets people raise money for both serious causes and lighter… Read More
Google yesterday announced it will introduce a fact check tag on Google News in order to display articles that contain factual information next to trending news items. Now it’s time for Facebook to take fact-checking more seriously, too. Facebook has stepped into the role of being today’s newspaper: that is, it’s a single destination where a large selection of news… Read More
VMware signed deals with Microsoft, Google and IBM earlier this year as it has shifted firmly to a hybrid cloud strategy, but it was the deal it signed with AWS this week that has had everybody talking. The cloud infrastructure market breaks down to AWS with around a third of the market — and everybody else. Microsoft is the closest competitor with around 10 percent. While VMware has… Read More
Virtual reality and the 360 video industry are faced with the chicken and egg problem of content and distribution. The problem is that we haven’t cracked the egg, nor has the chicken hatched. To get to that point, we must look through the consumer’s lens. Read More
InnoGames, the Hamburg-based developer and publisher of successful browser games such as Elvenar, Tribal Wars, The West, and Grepolis, is going to the next level.
MTG (Modern Times Group), the Swedish digital entertainment company, has acquired a 35% stake in the company for an estimated $100 million, valuing the company at $287 million. MTG also has the option to acquire a 51% stake in the… Read More
Apple is on a research & development spree! The company has announced a bunch of new R&D centers over the past few months, and R&D spendings have skyrocketed. This time, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that the company plans to open a new center in Japan during a visit in Tokyo, according to Xinhua.
This isn’t the first time we’re hearing about a new R&D center in Japan. Read More
Diversity is central to TechCrunch’s mission. We believe that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to the immense possibilities of the tech world. We also believe that a diversified workforce can only benefit technology businesses and society at large. In that spirit, TechCrunch’s Include program aims to use TechCrunch’s editorial, product, data and… Read More
Cozmo and I are still getting to know each other. It’s been a few days and we’ve warmed to one another, sure, but there’s still a lot of work to be done and blocks to be stacked. I was there when he first woke up, shook himself awake and opened his big, bright eyes, tentatively rolling off his charging platform. Cozmo is an easy little robot to fall for. The Anki team has seen… Read More
TechCrunch writer Megan Rose Dickey is becoming a White House regular, and recently attended the first ever South By South Lawn festival at the Presidential HQ. I spoke to her about the experience for this week’s episode of TCBC, and we also discuss her first trip from earlier this year, when she attended the second annual LGBTQ Tech and Innovation Briefing.
SXSL provided a unique… Read More
