Apple updates its Clips video app with fancy selfie backgrounds and iCloud support
Apple is releasing version 2.0 of Clips, its free application for easily editing mobile videos. When the app first launched earlier this year, it was clear that Apple wasn’t trying to replace more sophisticated editing software like FinalCut or iMovie. Instead, it’s trying to offer an easy way to stitch together video segments shot on your phone (you can shoot video directly in… Read More
Facebook will teach the unemployed digital/social media skills in 30 cities
Facebook today announced Community Boost. Facebook tells me it’s investing tens of millions of dollars into the program that will travel to 30 cities around the U.S. in 2018. It will teach digital job skills to the unemployed, internet literacy to those just getting online, startup methodology to entrepreneurs and customer growth to small business owners. Read More
Pinterest now lets you create sections within your boards to further tidy up ideas
Pinterest serves as a pretty good place for users who are looking to plan large-scale projects, like outfits for big events, home design or even life moments like a wedding or a 50th birthday party — and now the company is looking to make that even easier by introducing a more powerful way to keep those batches of ideas, well, tidy. Read More
Apple has acquired imaging sensor startup InVisage Technologies
As Apple continues to work on ever-smaller but more powerful computing devices, it has acquired a startup focusing on nanotechnology, and specifically as it relates to image sensors. TechCrunch has learned and confirmed that Apple has picked up InVisage Technologies, a startup that develops solutions to improve imaging capabilities on space-constrained devices, like smartphones.
An Apple… Read More
After leak, Google’s new file manager for Android, Files Go, launches into public beta
Google today decided to launch its new Files Go Android app into public beta to reach a wider group of testers. The company had been preparing to announce its new file manager for Android later in December, but those plans were thwarted earlier this week when the app was spotted in the wild during testing. While file management is Files Go’s focus, the app also includes other useful… Read More
Facebook expands its Marketplace section with housing rentals
Facebook today announced its expanding its Marketplace listings section to include “hundreds of thousands” of housing rentals in a move that seems clearly designed to take on Craigslist. While users before could post their own apartment listings to this section, Facebook says it’s now partnering with sources like Apartment List and Zumper to pull in listings. These partners… Read More
Square is continuing to make its bid to capture the payments of small businesses around the world, as well as tap into the momentum of peer-to-peer payments products with Square Cash, as its payments volume continues a steady and methodical rise — though, Wall Street still seems a little skeptical today as the stock is down slightly. Read More
Uber gives top riders a 24/7 ‘Premium Support’ hotline
If something scary or infuriating happens with your Uber, sending an email to support doesn’t always cut it. And if you’ve ridden thousands of miles with Uber and paid them boatloads over the years, you might expect better service. You’re always just a few taps away from switching to Lyft, right? This week, TechCrunch spotted Uber testing new “Premium Support”… Read More
Not content with merely launching its own take on Instagram and Snapchat’s Stories, Skype today is adding another copycat-like feature to its app: photo stickers. The company says it’s introducing new “Photo Effects” (as it’s calling these stickers), which include things like face masks, decorative borders, witty captions, and more. However, unlike the photo… Read More
Apple has updated its App Store support page with new metrics. As of November 6, 2017, iOS 11 is now installed on 52 percent of iPhones and iPads currently in use. 38 percent of devices still run iOS 10, and only 10 percent of people are using an earlier version of iOS. Apple usually updates this page quite quickly after the release of a major iOS update. This year, the company waited a bit as… Read More
Lyft is testing a new rider experience with a small percentage of users
Lyft is giving around 1 percent of its riders access to a different, beta user experience in its mobile app, starting today. The new look for passengers offers the same essential functionality, but is definitely a departure in terms of how the interface works for riders. Lyft says via a spokesperson that the new look and feel is “an exercise to learn more about our users” but… Read More
Niantic’s follow-up to Pokémon Go will be a Harry Potter AR game launching in 2018
Niantic Labs had tremendous success with Pokémon Go, which paired their expertise in building location-based augmented reality mobile experiences with a top-flight IP with a ravenous fan base. So, it stands to reason that we should expect a similar fan response to Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, an AR title set to launch in 2018, co-developed by Warner Bros. Interactive and its new sub brand… Read More
Spiegel hopes to save Snapchat with an algorithmic feed
Snap got destroyed by Wall Street today after a horrible Q3 earnings where revenue and user growth fell well under expectations. So to get things going in the right direction, CEO Evan Spiegel says Snapchat will make some bold moves not everyone will like. Read More
Ho boy — there are bad days and there are bad days in an earnings season, and this is definitely the latter for Snap. The company released its quarterly report for its financial performance in the third quarter this year, and as a result, the company’s stock is absolutely cratering. Read More
Snapchat share price craters on weak revenue and user growth in Q3 2017
Snap’s losing streak continued with today’s Q3 2017 earnings report that saw it miss financial expectations and add just 4.5 million users. Snap earned $207.9 million in revenue with a loss of $0.14 per share, compared to expectations of a $237 million in revenue and a loss of $0.15 EPS. Read More
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 talent and tech from a startup called Swng Technologies to give it some IP and talent in this department. Swng announced the news itself, and Microsoft’s VP heading up Skype, Amritansh Raghav, also made a little announcement, too. The amazing folks at… 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
