Bike-share platform Spin poaches Seattle transit regulator and launches in a dozen new cities
Spin, one of several bike-sharing companies now vying for dominance in a number of U.S. cities, has a new weapon to wield against its competitors: Kyle Rowe, the architect of Seattle’s permissive and apparently successful bike-share permit system, who is joining the company to work on government partnerships. In addition, Spin is gearing up to launch in a dozen or so new cities. Read More
Uber ‘Express POOL’ offers the cheapest fare if you’ll walk a little
Uber’s found a way to shave another 25 percent or so off the price of a ride. Uber Express POOL asks you to walk up to a few blocks to your pickup and destination before and after the ride in exchange for the cheapest fare out of all of Uber’s options. Read More
Mysterious ‘green line of death’ appears on some iPhone X displays
It wouldn’t be the launch of a first-generation Apple product without a few hiccups — who can forget Antennagate and Bendgate? — and the iPhone X is no different. A handful of users report that a mysterious and inextinguishable green line has appeared on their device’s display. Read More
Apple’s iOS App Store adds weekend deals to boost app downloads
With the introduction of iOS 11, Apple redesigned the App Store with a heavier focus on editorial content, including articles, interviews, how-to’s, lists and other round-ups with app recommendations. Now, it’s adding another feature, as well, called “This Weekend Only.” The new section lists deals that can be found inside apps, as opposed to discounts on downloads of… Read More
Facebook relaunches Events app as Facebook Local, adds bars and food
Bad news for Yelp and good news for nightlife lovers. When you want to go out, it doesn’t necessarily have to be to an event. So to help you discover bars, restaurants, and nearby attractions, Facebook is rebranding its standalone Events app as “Facebook Local”. Launching in the U.S. today on iOS and Android, Facebook Local combines events and permanent places to a single… Read More
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
