TechCrunch Industry News

Writing app Ulysses gets new document dashboard and advanced grammar and style check

14 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ulysses, a popular writing app for the Mac, iPhone and iPad, is receiving an update with some new features. The user interface has been slightly redes...

Tesla lowers the starting price of its Model Y electric SUV

14 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tesla has lowered the price of another vehicle. This time it’s the Model Y, an electric SUV the company started shipping in March. The long-range al...

Google makes education push in India

13 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Google said on Monday that it has partnered with CBSE, a government body that oversees education in private and public schools in India, to deliver a ...

PC shipments rebound slightly following COVID-19-fueled decline

13 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

PC shipments had a rough first quarter for all of the same reasons as everything that isn’t a Clorox wipe or N95 mask. People just weren’t ready t...

TikTok likes and views are broken as community worries over potential U.S. ban

10 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

TikTok likes and views are broken for some unknown portion of the video app’s user base this afternoon. The impacted users are seeing a “zero” l...

iOS 14 gets rid of the app grid to help you find the app you’re looking for

10 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Apple unveiled the next major version iOS a few weeks ago. I’ve been playing around with beta versions of iOS 14 and here’s what you should expect...

Data brokers track everywhere you go, but their days may be numbered

09 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Everywhere you go, you are being followed. Not by some creep in a raincoat, but by the advertisers wanting to sell you things. The more advertisers kn...

PopShop Live gets $3 million to bring live streaming to shopping

09 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Streaming video has become a huge part of our lives, whether it’s watching your favorite shows on Netflix or getting live TV through Hulu or YouTube...

Samsung will reveal the next Galaxy Note on August 5

08 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Samsung’s next big Unpacked event is scheduled for August 5. As is the trend these days, the unveiling will be online-only, following in the footste...

Instagram swaps out its ‘Activity’ tab for ‘Shop’ in new global test

08 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Instagram today is starting a small global test of the Instagram Shop tab, first announced this May, which allows Instagram users to shop from top bra...

High Earth Orbit Robotics uses imaging satellites to provide on-demand check-ups for other satellites

07 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Maintaining satellites on orbit and ensuring they make full use of their operational lifespan has never been more important, given concerns around sus...

Mercedes-Benz 2021 S-Class jumps on the giant touchscreen bandwagon

07 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Mercedes-Benz sent out a teaser image and video Monday of its upcoming 2021 S-Class that hints at a sleeker interior that forgoes the bevy of physical...

We need a new field of AI to combat racial bias

06 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Responsibly managing machine learning processes is no longer just a desirable component of progress but a necessary one. Learn more about your ad choi...

What ðŸ‘👄ðŸ‘.fm means for Silicon Valley

06 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

VCs should take note. These are the people who will build the next Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sprint 5G is no more, as T-Mobile focuses on its own network

03 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A day after formally completing the sale of Boost, Virgin and other Sprint prepaid networks to Dish, T-Mobile is pulling the plug on Sprint 5G. The mo...

Dish closes Boost Mobile purchase, following T-Mobile/Sprint merger

03 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

T-Mobile today announced that it has closed a deal that divests Sprint’s pre-paid businesses, including Boost and Virgin Mobile. The news finds Dish...

Google confirms US offices will remain closed until at least September, as COVID-19 spikes

03 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A few months back, Google announced plans to reopen some U.S. offices after the July 4th holiday. But the best laid plans, and all of that. Things hav...

Facebook is shutting down Lasso, its TikTok clone

02 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Facebook is no longer betting on Lasso, an app it launched a year and a half ago, to take on TikTok . The social juggernaut’s TikTok clone is shutti...

Facebook shuts down Hobbi, its experimental app for documenting personal projects

01 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Facebook’s recently launched app, Hobbi, an experiment in short-form content creation around personal projects, hobbies, and other Pinterest-y conte...

Global app revenue jumps to $50B in the first half of 2020, in part due to COVID-19 impacts

01 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Consumer spending on mobile apps and app installs grew significantly during the first half of 2020, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to...

Trump suspended from Twitch, as Reddit bans the ‘The_Donald’ and additional subreddits

30 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Two big new pieces of news today from the ongoing battle between social media and politics. Both Twitch and Reddit have made moves against political c...

All the tech in Ford’s most important vehicle: the 2021 F-150 truck

30 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ford rolled out all the stops Thursday evening for the reveal of its all-new F-150 truck, right down to the splashy videos dominated by electric guita...

Facebook expands its fan subscription program

29 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Facebook is expanding the availability of the tools it offers to help game streamers and other online creators make money. The social network first la...

Warner Bros. pushes back ‘Tenet’ release as COVID-19 cases surge in several states

29 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Set for a late-July release, Tenet has been viewed an important bellwether for Hollywood. After all, director Christopher Nolan has long been a surefi...

Google finally brings group calling to the Nest Hub Max

26 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Video chat has long been one of the chief selling points of smart screens like the Amazon Echo Show and Google’s Nest Hub Max (the regular Hub is st...

Apple Maps to tell you refine location by scanning the skyline

26 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

With iOS 14, Apple is going to update Apple Maps with some important new features, such as cycling directions, electric vehicle routing and curated gu...

Wyze launches its $50 wire-free outdoor camera

25 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In recent years, Seattle-based Wyze made a name for itself thanks to making a lot of smart home gadgets affordable. These days, the company sells ever...

Dell’s debt hangover from $67B EMC deal could put VMware stock in play

25 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When Dell bought EMC in 2016 for $67 billion it was one of the biggest acquisitions in tech history, and it brought with it a boatload of debt. Since ...

iOS 14’s App Clips will save you from always needing ‘an app for that’

24 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The App Store ecosystem today is home to nearly 2 million apps. That means finding new apps to download is now more challenging than ever. This, in tu...

MSCHF launches an internet-wide contest to see who can touch their phone the longest

24 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Whatever you do, don’t take your finger off your phone screen. MSHCF, a company striving to build a flashy brand by creating viral moments, is takin...

Apple unveils iOS 14 with home screen widgets

23 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

During the virtual keynote of WWDC, Apple shares the first details about iOS 14, the next major version of iOS that is going to be released later this...

Here’s how Apple’s stock fared during the WWDC keynote

23 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Apple held its WWDC keynote today, a virtual affair that managed to convince swaths of the technology industry to watch a pre-recorded video. While Te...

Ford Bronco debut date moved so it wouldn’t fall on O.J. Simpson’s birthday

22 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ford has changed the debut of its 2021 Bronco once again because its planned July 9 reveal falls on the birthday of O.J. Simpson, one of the iconic SU...

Apex Legends is heading to the Nintendo Switch, with PS4/Xbox/PC crossplay coming this fall

22 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Respawn just dropped a big ol’ bundle of news about its popular free-to-play Battle Royale shooter, Apex Legends, during a livestream event hosted b...

Somehow, Twitter does not have a team dedicated to accessibility

19 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Twitter does not have a team dedicated to accessibility, the company confirmed after a developer alluded to the fact. It’s a baffling omission for a...

Google brings Meet to Gmail on mobile

19 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Google today announced a deeper integration between Gmail on mobile and its Meet video conferencing service. Now, if you use Gmail on Android or iOS a...

All bets are off as Hertz pulls plan to issue $500 million in new stock

18 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Hertz, which filed for bankruptcy last month, halted its $500 million stock offering Wednesday after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission told ...

Software will reshape our world in the next decade

18 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This storm shall pass. However the choices we make now will change our lives forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adcho...

Drone-deployed sterile mosquitoes could check spread of insect-borne illnesses

17 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Drone deployment of sterile mosquitoes could accelerate efforts to control their populations and reduce insect-borne disease, according to a proof of ...

Apple adds new MacBook Pro graphics option and Mac Pro SSD upgrade kit

17 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A week before kicking off WWDC, Apple introduced a pair of upgrades to its pro-level hardware lines. Both the 16-inch MacBook Pro and the Mac Pro desk...

You can set up a Zoom call with Tony Hawk or Sinbad using Cameo’s latest feature

16 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

My birthday was last month (still accepting belated greetings in the comments below). I was sick and sheltering in place, and my sister kindly gifted ...

WarnerMedia tries to simplify HBO branding by sunsetting HBO Go and renaming HBO Now

16 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

WarnerMedia is hoping to make things simpler for anyone wondering whether to get HBO Max, HBO Go or HBO Now. Back in simpler times, there were only tw...

Forget the casino, bankrupt Hertz can now sell up to $1 billion in stock

15 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Hertz, the rental car company that is going through Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, can now sell up to $1 billion in stock as it seeks to tap into ...

Volkswagen launches home EV charging system sales ahead of ID.3 vehicle deliveries

15 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Volkswagen has started to sell a home-charging device as the automaker prepares to bring its new ID. family of electric vehicles to market. The ID....

OpenAI makes an all-purpose API for its text-based AI capabilities

12 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If you’ve ever wanted to try out OpenAI’s vaunted machine learning toolset, it just got a lot easier. The company has released an API that lets de...

Snapchat redesigns its app with new action bar

12 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Snap is unveiling some important changes for Snapchat at its Snap Partner Summit. The navigation has been rethought with a new action bar at the botto...

How to get your nice camera set up as a high quality webcam

11 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone needs a webcam these days, whether for business meetings or the distant socializing accomplished via video calling — but if you’re like m...

Tesla shares surpass $1,000 on Semi truck production memo

11 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in a memo its time to “go all out” and start volume production of the Tesla Semi, the all-electric Class 8 truck revealed...

Grow Credit, which builds credit scores by paying for online subscriptions, gets Mucker cash

10 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Grow Credit, the startup that launched last year to help customers build out their credit scores by providing a credit line for online subscriptions l...

The future ain’t what it used to be in first Bill & Ted Face the Music Trailer

10 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If there’s one lesson I’ve learned these last few months, it’s that life rarely works out as planned. One minute you’re the sole two members o...

Grammarly adds custom style guides for business users

09 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Grammarly, the popular tool that aims to help you avoid grammar and style gaffes, today announced that launch of custom style guides for its paying bu...

The Acura NSX: A great cell phone holder with wheels

09 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Acura NSX is a fun sports car with a hybrid powertrain that lays out an impressive amount of power. But I’m not here to talk about the car’s p...

Fast-growing Madison Reed is eyeing men’s hair next; “We’re going to blow the doors off that market”

08 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Amy Errett’s company, Madison Reed, sells in-home care color. It may not sound like a glamorous business but, as it turns out, it’s a very durable...

As Bandcamp waives fees again, labels donate their portion to justice programs

08 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a decent chance buying music is the furthest thing from your mind right now, and I can’t say I blame you. Here in the States, 108,000 peop...

Global PC shipments set to drop 7% in 2020

05 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

New numbers from Canalys project a 7% drop in global PC sales, owing to financial strains. The category is one of countless impacted by the COVID-19-r...

Slack drops 10%+ after its revenue growth, guidance fail to impress

05 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today Slack reported its earnings results for the three months ending April 30, 2020, the first quarter of its fiscal 2021. The well-known SaaS chat s...

Kitty Hawk ends Flyer program, shifts focus to once-secret autonomous aircraft

04 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Kitty Hawk is shutting down its Flyer program, the aviation startup’s inaugural moonshot to develop an ultralight electric flying car designed for a...

Remote work helps Zoom grow 169% in one year, posting $328.2M in Q1 revenue

04 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today after the bell, video-chat service Zoom reported its Q1 earnings. The company disclosed that it generated $328.2 million in revenue, up 169% com...

Tembici raises $47M Series B to expand its fleet of electric bikes

03 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tembici, which says it owns 80% of the market share in Latin America’s micromobility space, now has $47 million more in capital to double down on it...

Amid unprecedented growth on its platform, Acorns cuts roles and shuts down an office

03 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Acorns, which helps millions of people invest their spare change in the stock market, has laid off between 50 to 70 people, TechCrunch has learned fro...

Global smartphone sales plummeted 20% in Q1, thanks to COVID-19

02 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

More dismal numbers confirm what we already knew: Q1 2020 was real rough for an already struggling smartphone category. Gartner’s latest report puts...

Uber latest features lets riders book by the hour and make multiple stops

02 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Uber is bringing a new feature to the U.S. that lets users book rides for $50 an hour and make multiple stops as the ride-hailing company tries to res...

Pax launches desktop app, bypassing Apple’s vaping ban

01 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pax today is announcing a new app for its cannabis vaporizers. The service offers access to device controls, cannabis strain information, and safety f...

Google’s latest experiment encourages social distancing through AR

01 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Several months into this pandemic, you can no doubt already eyeball six feet/two meters with the best of them. But if you’re still having trouble —...

The Simpsons can now be watched in 4:3 aspect ratio on Disney+, as nature intended

29 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The greatest comedy in television history became a part of the Disney family when the mega-corporation gobbled up Fox last year, like so many forbidde...

2020 Lotus Evora GT Review: A thrilling, analog weekend racer

29 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Why’s this on TechCrunch? We hear that occasionally when posting things outside of our general programming. Generally, there’s a tech hook; there ...

Raspberry Pi Foundation announces Raspberry Pi 4 with 8GB of RAM

28 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has released a new version of its flagship model, the Raspberry Pi 4. In addition to the models that come with 2GB and 4GB...

Rise Gardens raises seed funding for an indoor hydroponic gardening system

28 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

You don’t need a green thumb and a big backyard to grow baskets of fresh produce. In fact, according to Chicago-based Rise Gardens, you probably jus...

You can now surf in Microsoft’s Edge browser

27 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Browser developers love to add small Easter Eggs to their apps to help you while away the hours when your Interent is down, for example. Chrome has lo...

Consumer hardware device shipments are on track for a 14% decline in 2020, courtesy of COVID-19

27 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

New numbers from Gartner show a sizable — if not unexpected — decline in device shipments for 2020. According to the analyst firm, the category (i...

A new Android bug, Strandhogg 2.0, lets malware pose as real apps and steal user data

26 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Security researchers have found a major vulnerability in almost every version of Android, which lets malware imitate legitimate apps to steal app pass...

IBM confirms layoffs are happening, but won’t provide details

26 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

IBM confirmed reports from over night that it is conducting layoffs, but wouldn’t provide details related to location, departments or number of empl...

Elon Musk: the Tesla Cybertruck isn’t getting any smaller

25 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the days and weeks after Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed the cybertruck — a post-apocalyptic inspired vehicle made of cold-rolled steel — there wa...

Netflix’s beloved animated series Tuca & Bertie is getting a second life on Adult Swim

25 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tuca & Bertie was wonderful. It was a hilarious and heartfelt examination of adult relationships, coupled with whimsical animated visuals. And like mo...

Magic Leap has apparently raised another $350 million, in spite of itself

22 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Magic Leap has reportedly received a $350 million lifeline, a month after slashing 1,000 jobs and dropping its consumer business. Noted by Business In...

Brex brings on $150M in new cash in case of an ‘extended recession’

22 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Fast-growing fintech behemoth Brex is raising big money as its customer base itself — high-growth and spendy startups — is struggling. The company...

How to decode a data breach notice

21 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Over the years I’ve seen hundreds, probably thousands, of data breach notifications warning that a company’s data was lost, stolen or left online ...

Twitter is testing a feature that limits who can reply to your tweets

21 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Twitter today acknowledged that it’s begun testing a new setting that let users limit who can reply to tweets. The setting was first noted earlier t...

Polestar to open first U.S. stores in the second half of 2020

20 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Polestar’s first U.S. retail stores will open in Los Angeles, New York City and two locations in San Francisco later this year — the latest milest...

The mystery of RGV2cw, Microsoft’s extremely nerdy secret message to developers

20 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When he was still running Microsoft, Steve Ballmer caused quite the stir in the tech world by screaming “Developers! Developers! Developers!” Sinc...

A smart highlighter and artificial window are among Samsung’s latest C-Lab spinoffs

19 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Samsung’s in-house incubator C-Lab has produced some of the more fascinating hardware devices in recent memory. Previous graduates have run the gamu...

As Jack Ma and SoftBank part ways, the open and globalized era of tech comes ever closer to an end

19 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It would be one of the greatest startup investments of all time. Masayoshi Son, riding high in the klieg lights of the 1990s dot-com bubble, invested ...

Hypnosis for health? Investors have placed a $1.1 million bet on Mindset Health that it can work

18 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Chris and Alex Naoumidis came to hypnotherapy through dresses. As The New York Times reported last year, the two brothers initially started their care...

Unemployed Americans can get a free year of Headspace

18 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Back in March, Headspace announced that it would offer free content to all COVID-19 frontline responders. Now the meditation app is expanding the offe...

Cruise lays off 8% of workforce amid COVID-19, puts resources towards engineering

15 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cruise, the self-driving car subsidiary of GM that also has backing from SoftBank Vision Fund, automaker Honda and T. Rowe Price & Associates, is layi...

France passes law forcing online platforms to delete hate speech content within 24 hours

15 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

France’s lower chamber of the parliament has voted in favor of a controversial law against hate speech on social networks and online platforms. As I...

Taika is building a better coffee through natural chemistry and adaptogens

14 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

So, an eight-year product veteran from Facebook and an internationally renowned barista walk into a coffee bar… It’s not a joke. It’s the origin...

NuraLoop buds deliver excellent customized sound in a portable profile

14 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

I’ve been following the Nura story since the Australian startup brought an unfinished prototype of its first headphones to our offices four years ba...

Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzenberg blames coronavirus for the streaming app’s challenges

13 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzenberg is admitting that the short-form video service’s launch hasn’t gone the way he’d hoped — and he knows what to...

Uber is reportedly in talks to buy GrubHub

13 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Uber is in talks to buy GrubHub in an all-stock deal, The Wall Street Journal reports. This comes a few months after reports emerged that GrubHub was ...

Spotify officially launches a shared-queue feature called Group Session

12 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Spotify is today introducing a new feature, Group Session, that will allow two or more of its Premium users in the same space to share control over th...

Yubico now lets enterprises ship security keys directly to their employees

12 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Yubico, a maker of security keys, has launched a new service that lets enterprise customers ship its YubiKey security keys directly to their employees...

Microsoft Surface Go 2 review

11 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The original Go was a mostly well-received addition to the Surface line when it arrived in late 2018. It was a nice, pint-sized alternatively, positio...

Boston Dynamics’ Spot is patrolling a Singapore park to encourage social distancing

11 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Since announcing the commercial availability of Spot, Boston Dynamics has presented a factotum of different gigs for the robot, from construction to t...

Lyft shares rally 14% after it reports Q1 revenue growth of 23% to $955.7M

08 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Fresh off of a large round of layoffs, Lyft reported its Q1 results this afternoon. The ride-hailing company disclosed that it generated revenue of $9...

Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch review

08 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

With the new MacBook, Apple closes one of the more unfortunate product chapters in its history. The upgraded 13-inch mercifully marks the end of the f...

Equinix just recorded its 69th straight positive quarter

07 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There’s something to be said for consistency through good times and bad, and one company that has had a staggeringly consistent track record is inte...

Uber is laying off 3,700, as rides plummet due to COVID-19

07 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In an SEC filing dating back to last week, Uber disclosed that plans to layoff 3,700 employees. The figure amounts to around 14% percent of the ride h...

Microsoft’s Surface Go 2 and Surface Book 3 are official

06 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The days of the big product event are on hold for the foreseeable future. Until then, a big blog post will have to do. A day after announcing that Mic...

Tumblr now removes reblogs in violation of its hate speech policy, not just the original posts

06 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tumblr is making a change to how it deals with hate speech on its blogging platform. The company announced today it will also remove the reblogs (repo...