Facebook introduces a Messenger plugin for business websites
Facebook Messenger is coming to businesses’ own websites. The social network announced today the launch of a new customer chat plugin into closed beta, which will allow customers to talk directly with businesses on their websites using Messenger, and continue those conversations across web, mobile and tablet devices. While there are already plenty of customer support and chat plugins… Read More
Google to add restaurant wait times to Google Search and Maps, followed by grocery stores
Google announced today it will soon roll out a new feature to Google Search, followed by Google Maps, that will show you the estimated wait times for area restaurants. The addition is an expansion on Google’s existing feature which shows businesses’ busy times, but with a tweak that helps diners better decide where and when they want to eat. For over a couple of years now, Google… Read More
Proofpoint acquires Cloudmark for $110M in cybersecurity consolidation play
As malicious groups continue to become more sophisticated in their hacking techniques, cybersecurity efforts are attempting to expand in their reach, and that is leading to some consolidation in the field. Today, cybersecurity firm Proofpoint — which provides SaaS products to protect businesses’ email, social media and other services — announced that it would pay $110 million… Read More
Microsoft acqui-hires cinemagraphic photo app Swng
Computer vision and clever imaging technology remain hot areas in consumer and enterprise apps, and today Microsoft is picking up a startup called Swng Technologies to give it some IP and talent in this department.
Swng Technologies had developed a cinemagraph app called Swng (originally called Polaroid Swing) that lets you take impressionistic, GIF-like short videos that you can then… Read More
Tests give iPhone X display top honors, but camera is merely competitive
Lab tests on the recently released iPhone X put Apple’s new flagship in the highest tiers of quality when it comes to the display and camera, but it’s only in the former category that it truly leaves the competition behind. Of course, what’s the point of having great images if your screen can’t show them properly? Read More
Broadcom confirmed this morning that it would offer to acquire Qualcomm in one of the largest tech deals of all time, and one that would consolidate two storied semiconductor companies into a single unit as the chip world has begun a course shift in the past year. But it’s as much a story of a potential consolidation as it is one of the performances of two companies. Read More
iPhone X first weekend adoption tops the iPhone 8 models
The iPhone X is already showing strong consumer adoption, according to a new report from Localytics out today, despite the fact that long shipping delays for pre-orders mean many customers have yet to receive their devices. That said, iPhone X managed to grab 0.93 percent of the overall market share for iPhones after the first weekend of sales, the firm found. To be clear, this data… Read More
B&O’s Beoplay E8 totally wireless earbuds really are the total package
Bang & Olufsen’s headphones tend to stand out from the crowd, and their new fully wireless mode, the Beoplay E8, is no exception. The E8 is easily the best totally wire-free headphone I’ve used thus far, with comfortable earbuds that should fit regardless of your ear shape, good battery life of around four hours per charge and the best sound quality of any true wireless buds… Read More
Album+ organizes photos with AI that runs on your phone, not in the cloud
A new iOS app, Album+, is taking advantage of the increased AI capabilities and GPUs in modern iPhones to help people better manage their photos. It can de-duplicate photos, for example, as well as categorize the people, places and objects it finds in your images. Album+ organizes and ranks photos using on-device, offline machine learning — there’s no need to connect with the cloud. Read More
IDC forecast predicts strong demand for iPhone X in China
Apple’s return to growth in the saturated China smartphone market was echoed by a report from IDC, which attributes the rise in Apple’s market share to the strong sales of the new iPhone 8/8 Plus. Apple’s rebound indicates there’s still pent-up demand for iPhones in China, the report also noted. And it forecast the launch of the iPhone X will lead to especially high… Read More
Broadcom offers to acquire Qualcomm for $70 per share
Following rumors over the weekend, chipmaker Broadcom has today confirmed it has approached wireless chipmaker Qualcomm with an acquisition offer that values the company at $130BN (including $25BN of net debt). Read More
SoftBank increasing Sprint stake after T-Mobile deal called off
The proposed tie-up between two American telecom giants was formally called off this weekend. Sprint and T-Mobile had been negotiations for months but ultimately decided not to go forward with a deal. “The companies were unable to find mutually agreeable terms,” the businesses announced in a joint press release Saturday. Last week, reports suggested that the deal was on the verge… Read More
4 TechCrunch writers bought the iPhone X. Here are our thoughts
Happy iPhone X day! A few of us over here at TechCrunch received our new toys today and wanted to share some initial thoughts with y’all. Leggo. Read More
iPhone X teardown finds major changes inside the gleaming exterior
The iPhone 8 may have been filled with the expected kit, but we’ve all been looking forward to finding out what fun Apple’s engineers had putting together the all-new iPhone X — and it doesn’t disappoint. iFixit’s excellent-as-always teardown finds a wealth of strange new components inside the biggest redesign of the device in years. Read More
Niantic acqui-hires Evertoon to add a social network to Pokémon Go and other apps
Niantic, the company behind the hit mobile game Pokémon Go and its predecessor, Ingress, announced today it has acquired the team from the startup Evertoon to help it further build out its mobile products. Deal terms were not disclosed, but from how it’s described, the move seems to be more of an acqui-hire focused on gaining access to talent, rather than Evertoon’s IP. Launched… Read More
Snapchat fell out of the iOS top 10 for first time this year in Q3
Snapchat’s mobile app fell out of the top 10 for the first time this year during Q3 2017, according to a recent report from Sensor Tower. The app, which had been ranked at #8 during Q2 2017 dropped to #18 on iOS during the quarter, but remained ranked at #2 on Google Play. Combined, that gave the app an overall ranking of #5 for the quarter, the report noted. Sensor Tower’s data… Read More
Query friends or fans with new GIF and photo Facebook Polls
Facebook Questions first launched in 2010 as a Quora wannabe before shifting into lighter-weight polls, but Facebook shut down the feature in 2012. Apparently it was just ahead of its time, as Facebook went poll-crazy this year. Now the social network is launching Facebook Polls, with the options of using photos or GIFs as answers. Polls are coming to people and Pages today. Read More
Qualcomm sues Apple, alleging it shared chip code with Intel
Qualcomm has levied another lawsuit against Apple, this time alleging that the iPhone maker took advantage of its “unprecedented access” to Qualcomm’s code to aid Intel, Bloomberg reports. The news lends credence to a report in Reuters that Apple has designed iPhones bereft of Qualcomm technologies that it could ship as early as next year. Read More
YouTube Kids update gives kids their own profiles, expands controls
YouTube Kids, the kid-friendly, more filtered version of YouTube first introduced in 2015, is getting a notable upgrade. The updated app is adding several new features designed to reflect the app’s now aging user base, including profiles that are customized based on the kid’s date of birth, as well as additional security controls for parents and kids. Read More
Apple is continuing its run toward $1 trillion today, as a huge fiscal fourth quarter sent the stock to new highs and helped its market cap briefly hit $900 billion — though it’s since leveled off just a bit and is now resting just a hair below that. Read More
