TechCrunch

Fitbit throws Pebble owners a bone with six more months of support

It’s probably little consolation for Pebble devotes who’ve slowly watched the hardware startup sink into oblivion, but Fitbit’s offering up a good will gesture by extending support for the smartwatch’s ecosystem for another six months.<p>Those who’ve been clutching onto their crowdfunded wearable for …

Facebook to roll out global privacy settings hub — thanks to GDPR

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has said major privacy changes are coming to the platform later this year, as it prepares to comply with the European Union’s incoming data protection regulation.<p>Speaking at a Facebook event in Brussels yesterday, she said the company will be “rolling out a new privacy …

Here acquires Micello to add indoor mapping as part of its IoT business unit

Here Technologies, the mapping company that counts a consortium of car makers, Intel and others among its shareholder/owners, today announced a move that underscores the company’s intention to add more than just data to enhance its outdoor navigation business. The company has acquired Micello, a …

Construction startup Katerra gets $865M in Softbank’s latest mega-round

There’s another big financing round led by Softbank’s mammoth vision fund today, with the firm this time pouring $865 million into a construction startup called Katerra that’s a one-stop shop for getting a building up off the ground.<p>Katerra is creating a full-stack provider for, well, buildings. …

Berlin's Blacklane in the fastlane

Top subscription video on demand apps boosted revenue 77% last year to reach $781 million

The cord cutting trend is having an outsized impact on subscription video apps’ revenue, it seems. According to a new market analysis from Sensor Tower, U.S. consumer spending in the top 10 subscription video on demand apps grew 77 percent last year, to reach approximately $781 million across the …

Mo’Nique calls for a boycott of Netflix

Mo’Nique, legendary comedian and Academy Award winner, is calling out Netflix for allegedly offering her $500,000 for a stand-up comedy special while offering millions to Amy Schumer, Dave Chapelle, and Chris Rock.<p>In a tweet, Mo’Nique called for a boycott of Netflix on the grounds of color and …

Front raises $66 million to replace Microsoft Outlook

Front is raising a $66 million Series B round led by Sequoia with DFJ and existing investors also participating. There are now 2,500 companies using Front to manage shared inboxes and collaborate. The startup now wants to go one step further and become the definitive email product.<p>“I decided that I …

Building a point of sale service for big business, Appetize rings up $20 million

After getting its start in theme parks and event centers in Southern California, Appetize, the developer of point of sale technologies for big stadiums and college campuses, has raised $20 million to expand.<p>The new capital came from Shamrock Capital Advisors, which had served as the financial …

Mophie’s Powerstation AC is the only backup battery you’ll ever need

Mophie’s been a solid, consistent maker of external batteries and backup power sources, but its new Powerstation AC just might top them all. The large, 22,000 mAh powerhouse has ample output options – including a crucial one that most backup batteries lack: a standard AC plug, just like you’d find …

AWS beefs up threat detection with Sqrrl acquisition

AWS has purchased Sqrrl, a Cambridge, Massachusetts security startup with roots in the NSA. The company helps analyze a variety of sources to track and understand security threats quickly using machine learning.<p>The announcement appeared on the Sqrrl home page in note from company CEO Mark …

Apple wants to gather all your medical records in the Health app

Apple announced a new health effort as part of iOS 11.3. The new Health Records section in the Health app lets you gather and view all your medical records. The company is partnering with hospitals and clinics.<p>Apple released the first beta version of iOS 11.3 today. While the new version of iOS is …

Plex gets into VR with a new app for Daydream-ready Android phones

As part of its broader, long-term strategy to appeal to content producers by offering them more exposure, media software maker Plex today is unveiling its new VR experience, Plex VR. The addition will allow Plex users to not only watch videos in VR, but also co-watch with friends – a social …

Fleet raises $10M Series A to make international logistics speedier and more transparent

Fleet, a startup focused on making international logistics less onerous for small companies, announced that it has raised a Series A of $10 million. The round was led by Lufthansa Cargo, the German airline’s air cargo subsidiary, with participation from new and returning investors Hunt Technology, …

Apple previews iOS 11.3’s new Animojis and battery service warnings

More big news out of Apple this morning. The company’s offering up a preview of what’s to come in the latest version of its mobile operating system. The biggest updates here are coming to power management, its augmented reality platform ARKit, Animoji and the company’s Health app.<p>You can check out …

Rocket Internet’s Carmudi raises $10M to refocus on Asia following global retrenchment

Carmudi, a Rocket Internet-backed company that sells cars online in emerging markets, has raised $10 million to develop its business in Southeast Asia after reducing its global footprint.<p>The company was formed in 2013 and, at peak, it grew to cover over 20 markets across Asia, the Middle East, …

Apple’s augmented reality tool kit can now detect walls and 2D images in beta

Apple is rolling out an upgrade to its augmented reality toolbox, ARKit, to developers in a beta version today. ARKit 1.5 adds a few marquee features including one big one: wall detection.<p>Up until this point, ARKit has been focused on offering horizontal plane detection, allowing developers to know …

PrecisionHawk raises $75M for its commercial drone analytics tech

Drones may still be having a tough time dispelling the notion that they’re just expensive toys for the consumer space, but when it comes to commercial applications, the autonomous aircraft are having a much easier time proving their worth.<p>PrecisionHawk, a Raleigh, North Carolina-based startup, has …

Timescale raises $12.4M to build a new breed of time series database software

Businesses are gathering more and more information than they ever have before, whether it’s a manufacturer or a bank, and to Timescale CEO Ajay Kulkarni the existing database software soon won’t provide the horsepower they need.<p>That’s why he and CTO Mike Friedman started Timescale, a new open …

Nexar gets $30M Series B for its AI-based road safety dashcams and network

Nexar, a startup that makes an AI-based dashcam app to monitor road safety, announced today that it has raised a $30 million Series B led by Ibex Ventures. Participants included Alibaba Innovation Ventures (the venture capital investment arm of Alibaba Group), Nationwide Insurance and returning …

UK to set up security unit to combat state disinformation campaigns

The UK government has announced plans to set up a dedicated national security unit to combat state-led disinformation campaigns — raising questions about how broad its ‘fake news’ bullseye will be.<p>Last November UK prime minister Theresa May publicly accused Russia of seeking to meddle in elections …

EU slaps $1.23B fine on Qualcomm over LTE chip dominance in the iPhone

Qualcomm’s longstanding dominance in LTE chipsets for smartphones, and specifically with Apple’s iPhone, is getting a major hit today. The European Commission today announced that it would be fining the company €997 million, or $1.23 billion, for abusing its market position between 2011 and 2016, …

TeacherGaming, a startup from MinecraftEdu team, raises $1.6M to put games into the classroom

TeacherGaming, a new startup from the team behind MinecraftEdu, a company that helped teachers use Minecraft in the classroom that was subsequently acquired by Microsoft, has picked up $1.6 million in seed funding.<p>Leading the round is Makers Fund (a relatively new U.S. and U.K. VC firm specialising …

US-China biotech startup XtalPi lands $15M from Google, Tencent and Sequoia

Google continues to increase its presence in China after it joined Sequoia China and Tencent in a $15 million investment for XtalPi, a U.S.-China biotech firm that uses artificial intelligence and computing to accelerate the development of new drugs.<p>The search giant remains blocked in China, but …

Indonesia’s BeliMobilGue raises $3.7M to let consumers sell their cars quickly and easily

A new startup in Indonesia wants to car owners in Southeast Asia’s country sell their vehicle with more security and reliability.<p>BeliMobilGue — meaning ‘Buy My Car’ — was quietly started last year as a joint venture from Berlin-based Frontier Car Group and Intudo Ventures. It acts as a middleman …

Berlin’s Blacklane raises $40-45M for its high-end transport on demand service

Transportation-on-demand startups betting on growth by honing in on specific market segments continue to play strong with both investors and customers looking for alternatives to traditional taxis and Uber.<p>Today, Blacklane, a Berlin-based business that offers limousines and other high-end cars for …

Facebook appoints a new AI research head

Facebook has a new executive coming on to unify its research efforts in the field of artificial intelligence.<p>Former IBM exec Jérôme Pesenti will be taking the lead at Facebook’s AI research (FAIR) arm, Quartz reports. Yann LeCun, who previously held the lead role, will be shifting to a more …

DJI unveils new Mavic Air

<b>Today’s Stories</b><p>DJI’s $799 ‘smartphone-size’ Mavic Air drone starts shipping January 28<br>• Twitter COO Anthony Noto resigns to become SoFi CEO<br>• The Apple HomePod ships February 9 for $349, available to order this Friday<p><b>Credits</b><p><b>Written by:</b> Tito Hamze <b><br>Hosted by:</b> Tito Hamze <b><br>Filmed by:</b> Tito Hamze <b><br>Edited by:</b> Tito …

Nike just released its first shoe with an all-foam bottom

Nike just announced their first shoe with an all-foam sole powered by a new foam technology called React.<p>The shoe is called the Nike Epic React Flyknit and is a running shoe, which will release on February 22nd. The bottom is a solid piece of foam with a knitted upper, making it lightweight for …

Facebook and Twitter face a short deadline on Russian bot #ReleaseTheMemo reports for Congress

Two leading Democrats in Congress are calling for new disclosures from Facebook and Twitter about Russian disinformation campaigns on their platforms.<p>In a letter, Rep. Adam Schiff and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, minority leads on the House Intel and Senate Judiciary committees respectively, called for …