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Plus: Microsoft patches over 60 vulnerabilities, Mozilla fixes two Firefox zero-day bugs, Google patches 40 issues in Android, and more. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Two climate journalists decided to decarbonize their home. Here's what happened. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

An AI chatbot released by the New York City government to help business owners access pertinent information has been spouting falsehoods, at times even misinforming users about actions that are against the law, according to a report from The Markup. The report, which was co-published with the local nonprofit newsrooms Documented and The City, includes numerous examples of inaccuracies in the chatbot’s responses to questions relating to housing policies, workers’ rights and other topics. Mayor Adams’ administration introduced the chatbot in October as an addition to the MyCity portal, which launched in March 2023 as “a one-stop shop for city services and benefits.” The chatbot, powered by Microsoft’s Azure AI, is aimed at current and aspiring business owners, and was billed as a source of “actionable and trusted information” that comes directly from the city government’s sites. But it is a pilot program, and a disclaimer on the website notes that it “may occasionally produce incorrect, ...

Keeping up with an industry as fast-moving as AI is a tall order. So until an AI can do it for you, here’s a handy roundup of recent stories in the world of machine learning, along with notable research and experiments we didn’t cover on their own. This week in AI, I’d like to turn the spotlight © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

X is funding a lawsuit filed by Chloe Happe against her former employer Block, which was founded by Jack Dorsey, the same person who founded the website formerly known as Twitter. In her lawsuit, Happe said Block had wrongfully fired her in retaliation for two posts she made on what she called her "pseudonymous, satirical account" on X while on her personal time. One of the posts made after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel referenced refugees fleeing Gaza and and coming to the region of Kurdistan. In another, she used ableist language and a slur against transgender people while referencing the use of a "gender neutral restroom in the office." Happe repeatedly stressed that she "expressed her political views, opinions, or beliefs in the form of satire." She said she did not mention Block in any post on her anonymous account and that she did not make those posts during her work hours. Happe also said that she "voluntarily deleted" the post on ...

One of the talks at GDC was Baldur's Gate 3 director talking about how the game has changed and how the developers accounted for iteration. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Google is shutting down its Podcasts app in the U.S. in a matter of days. The company has begun warning the app’s users they will need to migrate their subscriptions to YouTube Music by April 2 to follow and stream their favorite shows going forward. Users who don’t make the move immediately will still have © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

LinkedIn is testing a new feed of TikTok-like vertical videos. The feature hasn’t been publicly announced but it’s been spotted by users in recent days and the company confirmed the tests to TechCrunch. According to a screenshot shared by Instagram employee Jenny Eishingdrelo and a video posted to LinkedIn by influencer marketing exec Austin Null, the new feed will appear in a separate “video” tab in the LinkedIn app. Users will be able to scroll vertically to move between clips, much like TikTok or Instagram Reels. It’s not the first time the company has hopped on a trendy format. LinkedIn previously experimented with a Stories feature for disappearing posts. That feature lasted less than a year, though the professional network hinted at the time that it wasn’t done with its video experiments, saying it was working “to evolve the Stories format into a reimagined video experience across LinkedIn.” Presumably, LinkedIn is hoping the feed will showcase content from its ranks of professi...

Byju Raveendran, the founder of embattling edtech group Byju’s, has made a last-ditch attempt to placate the Indian startup’s disgruntled investors, informing them that the board is weighing an offer of renounced shares to prevent dilution of their holdings. In an email to shareholders Friday morning, a copy of which TechCrunch has reviewed, Raveendran said © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

The bigger concern for Bumble is user fatigue. People aren't downloading dating apps as enthusiastically as they once were, which means less subscription revenue. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Apple will finally launch new iPads in early May, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Expected are a new iPad Pro with an OLED display and a faster iPad Air, including a 12.9-inch model for the first time in that lineup. The details of the upcoming iPad models have been consistent, circulating through the rumor mill since last year. The new iPad Pro models will reportedly add OLED displays (offering deeper blacks and richer colors) and run on the new M3 chip, already found in several Macs. The new tablets are said to launch alongside a redesigned Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard. Other than a white color option, the latter has remained unchanged since its arrival four years ago. Meanwhile, the iPad Air will supposedly run on a new processor. Bloomberg didn’t specify which, but — considering the current model uses the M1, and Apple likely wants to reserve the M3 for the more expensive Pro — the M2 sounds like a safe bet. The 12.9-inch screen option would mark the first time the iPad Ai...

Even though X seems to be working on this NSFW Communities feature, that doesn't mean it'll come to fruition. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Enterprises and other large organizations have long been a lucrative and obvious target for cybercriminals, but in recent years — thanks to more sophisticated breach techniques and the rise of AI — small and medium businesses are now also very much on the map. Now, Coro — one of the startups building tools specifically for © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

StealthMole, an AI-powered dark web intelligence startup that specializes in monitoring cyber threats and detecting cybercrime, announced Thursday that it has raised a $7 million Series A funding round. The Singapore-headquartered startup with an R&D office in South Korea will use the fresh capital to establish additional R&D centers and support more commercial uses of © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Snowflake, which has seen Observe evolve closely for years, plans to tap the startup’s observability capabilities. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Troy Sheets began making music at 15 years old in his home studio with a keyboard synthesizer, drum machine and four-track cassette recorder — an impressive setup for a high school sophomore. However, it’s rare for young, up-and-coming musicians to have access to advanced equipment (other than a free app on their phone). And most © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

According to Zscaler's report, manufacturing generates the most AI traffic, accounting for 20.9% of all AI/ML transactions, followed by finance and insurance (19.9%) and services (16.8%). Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The question of who gets to regulate crypto has some answers, as a judge has ruled the Securities and Exchange Commission’s securities lawsuit against Coinbase can continue. US District Judge Katherine Failla ruled that under federal securities laws, “the SEC has sufficiently pleaded that Coinbase operates as an exchange, as a broker, and as a clearing agency under the federal securities laws, and, through its Staking Program, engages in the unregistered offer and sale of securities.” While the judge ruled against most of Coinbase’s attempts to have the case dismissed, she found the SEC’s arguments “fall short of demonstrating that Coinbase acts as a ‘broker’ by making Wallet available to customers.” Having now carefully considered the parties’ arguments, as well as the many amicus curiae submissions in this case,1 the Court concludes that because the well-pleaded allegations of the Complaint plausibly support the SEC’s claim that Coinba...

PayPal Ventures’ latest investment is in an Indonesian startup that provides personal insurance products covering a variety of risks, including accidents, phone screen damage, and ticket cancellations. Qoala has secured $47 million in a new round co-led by PayPal Ventures and MassMutual Ventures, the five-year-old startup said Wednesday. MUFG Innovation Partners, Omidyar Network as well © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

xAI's Grok chatbot, the Elon Musk-helmed company's answer to OpenAI's ChatGPT, will be available to X's Premium subscribers later this week. Musk has announced Grok's expanded availability in a tweet, along with an instructional video on how to post a conversation with the chatbot directly on the X website. Grok has been available to X's Premium+ subscribers since it exited early beta, but that paid tier on the social network costs $16 a month or $168 for the full year when billed annually. Since the Premium tier costs half that much at $8 a month or $84 a year, this rollout makes Grok a bit more accessible.  Later this week, Grok will be enabled for all premium subscribers (not just premium+) https://t.co/4u9lbLwe23— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 26, 2024 Musk's xAI open sourced its Grok-1 model, which powers its chatbot, in mid-March. Just a couple of weeks before that, the executive sued OpenAI and Sam Altman, accusing them of chasing profits and abando...

Vinyl reigns when it comes to physical media. | Image: RIAA People bought 43 million vinyl records last year, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). That’s 6 million more than the number of CDs sold in 2023, marking the second time since 1987 that’s happened and reflecting the steady 17-year-running growth of vinyl sales. Vinyl, which tends to be pricier than the newer format, also far outstripped CDs in actual money made, raking in $1.4 billion compared to $537 million from CDs. The RIAA’s report shows that CD revenue was up, too, but in terms of physical products sold, people actually bought about 700,000 fewer CDs in 2023 than the year before. (If you’re curious, nearly half a million cassettes sold last year, too, according to Billboard.) Image: RIAA Streaming may be the music champ, but physical media is stubborn. That doesn’t come close to touching streaming, of course — paid subscriptions, digital radio service...

The snake robot form factor has existed for decades. In addition to the diversity it adds to the world of automation, the design has several pragmatic attributes. The first is redundancy, which allows for the system to keep chugging even after a module is damaged. The second is a body that makes it possible for © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Canva, the high-flying Australian design and visual communication startup, announced today it was acquiring Affinity (formerly Serif), a creative tools company based in the U.K. Bloomberg reported that the deal was worth several hundred million pounds (approximately $380 million U.S.), and the company confirmed to TechCrunch that the number was accurate. Canva has typically targeted © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Eight months after acquiring credit card startup X1 for $95 million, Robinhood announced today the launch of its new Gold Card, with a list of features that could even give Apple Card users envy. Robinhood, better known for its brokerage app aimed at the everyday investor, is touting all sorts of benefits with its new © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Amazon’s Big Spring Sale has officially ended but a few deals are still going strong. While this latest event wasn't on the level of a Prime Day or a Black Friday sale, over the past week we found decent savings on some of the gadgets and devices we recommend. Now that the sale is done, the pickings are a little slimmer, but that doesn't mean you're out of luck completely. If you didn't take advantage of the sale while it was live, or if you've still got some shopping left to do, consider this list your last chance to reap the discounts from Amazon's latest sale. (Of course, if you miss out now, Prime Day typically comes back around in July every year.) Here are the best Amazon Spring Sale discounts on tech we love that you can still get today. Best Spring Sale deals under $50 Best Spring Sale deals on Amazon devices Best Spring Sale deals on Apple devices Best Spring Sale deals on headphones, earbuds and speakers Best Spring Sale deals on smart...

A cybersecurity startup called Cyera is betting that the next big challenge in enterprise data protection will be AI, and it’s raising a big round of funding as demand picks up for it. The company — which builds AI-enhanced tools to create accurate pictures of where and how data is being used in organizations’ networks © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Affinity’s professional design software could give Canva the edge it needs to seriously compete against Adobe. | Image: Canva Web-based design platform Canva has acquired the Affinity creative software suite, positioning itself as a challenger to Adobe’s grip over the digital design industry. Canva announced the deal on Tuesday, which gives the company ownership over Affinity Designer, Photo, and Publisher — three popular creative applications for Windows, Mac, and iPad that provide similar features to Adobe’s Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign software, respectively. Official figures for the deal have not been revealed, but Bloomberg reports that it’s valued at “several hundred million [British] pounds.” Nevertheless, the acquisition makes sense as the Australian-based company tries to attract more creative professionals. As of January this year, Canva’s design platform attracted around 170 million monthly global users. That’s a lot of people who probably aren’t using eq...

The Amazon Big Spring Sale isn't over yet, and new deals are still popping up all over the site on everything from outdoor cameras to smartwatches—including our favorite budget Apple Watch for 2024. The second-generation Apple Watch SE is 24 percent off, dropping to $189 from $249. It's not the device's record-low price, but the $60 off brings it pretty close. The second-gen Apple Watch SE garnered an 89 in our review thanks to the comprehensive features it offers for much less money than the company's alternatives. The smartwatch has all the usual options, like heart-rate monitoring, crash detection, and emergency calling. The retina display offers up to 1,000 nits brightness, and the battery lasts 18 hours.  If you're considering buying an Apple Watch SE, one thing to keep in mind is that it's not IPX6 rated for dust resistance like the Series 8 and Ultra. However, it is water resistant up to 50 meters.   Your Spring Sales Shopping Guide: Spring sales are in ...

Helldivers 2 has dethroned Call of Duty from the top of the Circana sales charts, dominated both best-seller lists for February. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Much like the ubiquitous Instant Pot that trended before them, air fryers can be a useful addition to your kitchen. While they excel at making things super crispy without excess oil, many of them are true multicookers with different cooking modes like bake, broil and dehydrate. Regardless of if you get a traditional pod-style air fryer or a larger air fryer toaster oven machine, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to use your new appliance for more than just crisping up chicken or french fries. If you’re still on the fence about buying one, or don’t know where to start looking for the best air fryer for you, we at Engadget can help. We’ve detailed our top picks below, along with buying advice that will help you decide which air fryer model is right for you. What does an air fryer do? Let’s clear one thing up first: it’s not frying. Not really. Air fryers are more like smaller convection ovens, ones that are often pod-shaped. Most work by combining a heating element and fan, which mean...

According to Rabbit, the first batch of US pre-orders will ship on March 31. But stay patient, as it’ll take a few weeks for the devices to get to their destinations. The company estimates the first R1 orders will be in customers’ hands “around April 24.” The Rabbit R1 generated equal amounts of hype and questions regarding next-gen AI hardware and whether it can deliver on the heady demos and press releases. I will say, though, the R1, co-designed by Teenage Engineering, is a pretty piece of tech. — Mat Smith The biggest stories you might have missed Studio Ghibli Fest will bring 14 movies back to theaters this year, so start planning The 4 best air fryers for 2024, tested and reviewed China bans Intel and AMD processors in government computers Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 review ​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here! Apple Silicon has a hardware-level exploit that could leak private data The odds are fairly low that you’ll hav...

Welcome to TechCrunch Fintech (formerly The Interchange)! This week, we’re looking at some hot fintech startups in Africa, how Mint’s closure has been Copilot’s gain and why VCs have doubled down on a particular expense management startup. To get a roundup of TechCrunch’s biggest and most important fintech stories delivered to your inbox every Sunday © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

A new study suggests that sudden jumps in LLMs’ abilities are neither surprising nor unpredictable, but are actually the consequence of how we measure ability in AI. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

GKIDS and Fathom Events have announced the lineup for Studio Ghibli Fest 2024, and it’s absolutely stacked with gems. This year’s run includes 14 films and isn’t limited only to the works of Hayao Miyazaki, also featuring movies directed by Isao Takahata, Yoshifumi Kondo, Hiroyuki Morita and Hiromasa Yonebayashi. Studio Ghibli Fest 2024 will start with Spirited Away on April 27 and continue through December, when it ends with My Neighbor Totoro. The movies are playing in select AMC and Regal theaters across the US, with a few dates for each title in both Japanese and English dubbed. The full list is: Spirited Away (April 27-May 1), Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (May 19 and 21), Castle in the Sky (May 20 and 22), The Secret World of Arrietty (June 9 and 11), When Marnie Was There (June 10 and 12), Princess Mononoke (July 13-17), Ponyo (August 3-7), Whisper of the Heart (August 25 and 27), The Cat Returns (August 26 and 28), Howl’s Moving Castle (September 26-October 3), Kiki’s Deli...

The US government's antitrust suit argues that Apple's sticky ecosystem keeps hold of customers by penalizing those who leave. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Here’s some advice for safely experiencing the total solar eclipse on April 8 as the moon casts a slender shadow across Mexico, the United States, and eastern Canada. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Discussing growth, profit, customer acquisition and the five metrics you need to know to be an exceptional CEO and operator. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Without standards and public education, AI watermarking will serve as little more than a plaster, failing to address issues of misinformation Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

If you're in the US, you might see a new shaded section at the top of your Google Search results with a summary answering your inquiry, along with links for more information. That section, generated by Google's generative AI technology, used to appear only if you've opted into the Search Generative Experience (SGE) in the Search Labs platform. Now, according to Search Engine Land, Google has started adding the experience on a "subset of queries, on a small percentage of search traffic in the US." And that is why you could be getting Google's experimental AI-generated section even if you haven't switched it on.  The company introduced SGE at its I/O developer conference in May last year, shortly after it opened up access to its ChatGPT rival Bard, now called Gemini. By November, it had rolled out the feature to 120 countries with more languages other than English, but it still remained opt in. Search Engine Land says Google will start showing you the experi...

Join us on Greenground as Alvin takes you through the shadowy corridors of "The Veil," the newest espionage thriller. Dive into a world of secrets, lies, and international intrigue with Elisabeth Moss leading the charge. What truths lie beneath the surface? Engage with us in uncovering the mysteries of "The Veil." #TheVeilFX, #EspionageThriller, #ElisabethMoss, #InternationalIntrigue, #SecretsAndLies, #TVSeriesReview, #Greenground, #SpyDrama, #ThrillerSeries, #UncoverTheTruth Remember, if you want to stay updated with the latest trends, news, and tech reviews, don’t forget to like and subscribe to Greenground! Follow up on our website https://www.greenground.it or follow up on our social #fyp, #foryou, #love, #explorepage, #trending, #reviews, #news #YouTube: https://youtube.com/@LivioAcerbo #TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greengroundit #Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greengroundit/ #X(Twitter): https://x.com/greengroundit #Instagram: https://www.instagram.com...

Threads, the Twitter-like app from Instagram, is adding live scores for sports games. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Friday that Threads has started testing live scores for NBA games, and that the platform plans to add support for additional leagues in the future. The launch of the feature comes as Threads continues to take © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

The company has faced two main issues related to communications and the spacecraft rotation rate — and it’s largely solved both those problems. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

The Department of Justice and more than a dozen states have filed a lawsuit against Apple in the US federal court, accusing the company of violating antitrust laws. It says Apple’s hardware and software products are largely inaccessible to competitors, making it difficult for rivals to compete and for customers to switch to other companies’ products. The lawsuit comes after the European Commission fined Apple €1.8 billion ($1.95 billion) for stopping music-streaming developers from “informing iOS users about alternative and cheaper music subscription services available” outside the App Store. And all this while US lawmakers chase another tech company, TikTok, with a lot of enthusiasm. The DOJ suggests Apple used its control over iOS to block innovative apps and cloud streaming services from the public. (Look at cloud gaming services, like Google’s now-gone Stadia and Microsoft’s xCloud). The suit also suggests Apple has obstructed rival payment platforms, made it harder for Android mes...

Cath Virginia / The Verge It’s all about Apple’s vise grip over the smartphone market and its locked-down ecosystem. Continue reading… Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

DoorDash is expanding its partnership with Alphabet’s Wing to bring its drone delivery pilot to the U.S., the company announced on Thursday. Select users in Christiansburg, Virginia will be able to order eligible menu items from their local Wendy’s. DoorDash first launched its drone delivery pilot program in Australia in 2022, where it is operating © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Green bubbles are actually a big part of the DOJ’s case against Apple. | Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge It’s no secret that Apple products work best if you stick with an iPhone. It turns out that’s a big reason why Apple landed in hot water today with the US Department of Justice, which alleges that the company went too far in locking down messaging, smartwatches, and digital wallets to intentionally hobble its rivals. This won’t be a surprise to most consumers. We’ve all known for years about green bubbles and that you can’t bring your Apple Watch to an Android phone. What the DOJ is saying is that, altogether, this series of protective policies makes it extremely difficult for an iPhone user to leave its walled garden, limiting competition so much that it breaks the law. Messaging Green bubbles make a key appearance in the lawsuit. It’s... Continue reading… Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

The Coalition for App Fairness (CAF) released a statement on Thursday cheering on the Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit against Apple. The group includes a number of key app makers, including Epic Games, Spotify, Deezer, Match Group, Proton and others. “With today’s announcement, the Department of Justice is taking a strong stand against Apple’s stranglehold © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

The Amazon Big Spring Sale features deals on many fun products but also some important, practical devices. Take TP-Link's Deco XE75 AXE5400, far from a flashy new tech toy but one of the best mesh Wi-Fi router systems of 2024. The three-pack Wi-Fi 6E system is currently down to $310 from $351 — a 12 percent discount and a record-low price for the trio. A single TP-Link Deco XE75 is also on sale, with a 24 percent discount cutting its price to $130 from $170.  We gave the TP-Link Deco XE75 an 87 in our review thanks to its nice balance between quality and affordability. The three-pack covers up to 7,200 square feet and provides up to 5,400Mbps for 200 devices. It doesn't just cover that space but does so reliably and with a fast connection. Plus, it offers basic security and parental controls at no extra cost. We found the setup to be pretty easy overall. You just have to plug in one of the TP-Link Deco XE75 routers to get started. From there, you just set up your Wi-Fi name an...

At the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, LG officially unveiled a curious little box-like projector that comes with a handle that kinda looked like a crank. Well that model, called the CineBeam Q, is now available for pre-order for $1,299 and will come with some extras and freebies if you make your purchase on or before April 7. LG called the CineBeam Q "one of the smallest projectors available" and one that was designed to be portable so that you could easily take it outdoors or indoors, depending on where you want to hold your projector watch party. As long as there's a power source, of course, since it does need to be plugged in.  Its display has a 4K UHD resolution, can go as big as 120 inches and has an RGB laser light source. The model comes with LG's webOS software, which means you can easily stream movies and shows from Netflix, YouTube, Apple TV, Prime Video and Disney+. You can also use it to play media from your other devices, since it's comp...

Join Alvin on GreenGround as we unravel the thrills of “The Fall Guy,” a cinematic journey through daring stunts and unforgettable performances by Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, and more. Discover... Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Social network X (formerly Twitter) launched new top-up packs for its developer API program on Tuesday. These paid upgrades will allow developers to fetch roughly 10,000 posts for $100 if they hit their existing tier’s limit midway through the month. Last year, Elon Musk curtailed free API access and released new paid tiers with the © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Nvidia shared how it is evolving its work with several industry giants by taking its newly announced AI computing infrastructure, software and services to their tech stack. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

SpaceX is in the final stages of certifying a second pad for astronaut launches, which should ease launch site congestion and help the company scale the number of humans it sends to space. SpaceX has performed 13 crewed missions, and all of them launched from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. It’s the © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Saga announced its Saga Origins game publishing arm will publish games for the Saga Layer-1 blockchain protocol. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Join Alvin on Greenground as we take a deep dive into the captivating world of “Shogun,” the series that transports us to 17th-century Japan with its intricate tales of power,... Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Dyson is finally bringing its latest robot vacuum to the US and Canada, after launching in other regions. The Dyson 360 Vis Nav is now available to order in the US for a heady $1,199 from both Dyson’s online store and retailers like Amazon. I tested Dyson’s first attempt almost a decade ago, but the new model is more powerful, smarter and apparently capable of cleaning for longer. It also looks like what would happen if a GameCube married a fighter from Robot Wars. Dyson On paper, the technology could set the 360 Vis Nav apart from rivals with raw suction power — but we’ll have to review it to test that. — Mat Smith The biggest stories you might have missed ASUS Zenbook Duo review: The first dual-screen laptop worth buying The best deals in Amazon’s Big Spring Sale (no Prime sub needed) Overwatch 2 players won’t have to pay or grind to unlock new heroes How to clean your AirPods Cowboy reveals its new all-road e-bike with suspension ​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct...

Amazon's Big Spring Sale officially starts tomorrow, but many tech deals are already live. Take the Google Pixel Buds Pro — our choice for 2024's best wireless earbuds for Android — down to $139 from $200. The 30 percent discount doesn't bring the earbuds to their all-time low, but this is the cheapest we've seen the Google Pixel Buds Pro so far this year. The Google Pixel Buds Pro scored an 87 in our review thanks to the addition of solid active noise cancellation (ANC), a punchy base, and reliable touch controls. This generation is the first to include ANC, which can be reason enough to consider an upgrade. The earbuds are a good choice for working out, too, as they offer IPX4 water resistance. The Pixel Buds Pro also offer wireless charging and a quick-charge feature that juices the earbuds up to one hour of ANC listening in five minutes. Speaking of charging, Google's earbuds can hold 11 hours of charge and 31 in total with the case's boost.  However, there...

The Pokemon Company said it detected hacking attempts against some of its users and reset those user account passwords. Last week, an alert was visible on Pokemon’s official support website, which said that “following an attempt to compromise our account system, Pokemon proactively locked the accounts of fans who might have been affected.” As of © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Threads, the Twitter-like app from Instagram, is rolling out its “trending now” feature widely to all users in the U.S. The official rollout comes a month after the app started testing the feature with a select number of users in the country. Trending topics are available on the search page and in the app’s For © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

If you have been laid off this year, what can you do to smooth that transition from work to unemployment -- and back again? Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Moove, an African mobility fintech that offers vehicle financing to ride-hailing and delivery app drivers, has raised $100 million in a funding round as it plots expansion into new markets. Moove did not say who is leading the round, but sources close to the deal confirmed to TechCrunch that Uber led the Series B round, © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Monday's keynote was, in a way, a return to the company's original mission. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Caller ID app Truecaller today blocks between 38 and 40 billion spam calls annually for its 374 million+ users. Now, in hopes of getting more people to sign on to its premium tiers, it’s turning up the dials on its filtering tech. A new “Max” update for Android premium subscribers uses AI to block every © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

It's shaping up to be a busy spring for Microsoft, which has multiple events lined up over the next few months. Not only is there a work and Copilot-centric event this Thursday and almost certainly an Xbox showcase coming up in early June, but Build is on the horizon. The company's major developer conference is set to run from May 21 until May 23. However, three days apparently isn't long enough to cram in everything Microsoft wants to talk about. The company sent Engadget an invite to a private event taking place on May 20, the day before Build starts. Details are scant, but Microsoft says CEO Satya Nadella will dig into its "AI vision across hardware and software." There won't be a livestream of the briefing, but reporters who attend in person will learn the news first and get hands-on demos. Microsoft having an "AI vision" that spans across hardware and software lines up with recent reports that the company is gearing up to release its first ...

The Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association (LACERA) voted to decrease its allocation range to venture capital at a March 13 meeting. The board of investments voted to decrease its allocation range to venture capital and growth equity from between 15% and 30% of the pension system’s private equity portfolio, to between 5% and 25%. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Those sounds you hear when you’re alone in a Huddle aren’t canned. They’re uncanny. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Following Hertz's disastrous misadventure with EVs, CEO Stephen Scherr is stepping down, Bloomberg reported. He'll be replaced by the former COO of GM's robotaxi Cruise division, Gil West, who will also join the board of directors.  A year after emerging from bankruptcy in 2020, Hertz said it would transform its car rental business by purchasing 100,000 Tesla EVs. "The new Hertz is going to lead the way as a mobility company, starting with the largest EV rental fleet in North America," the company said at the time. The announcement helped send Tesla's value soaring to a $1 trillion valuation.  Scherr joined Hertz after that decision was made, but increased Hertz's bet on EVs by placing orders with Polestar and GM as well. The company didn't purchase many EVs from those automakers, but by the end, it had around 60,000 from the three automakers.  Things went sideways after that, though. Tesla drastically cut prices of its Model 3 and Model Y EVs, scorchi...

Last year’s iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Apple is reportedly in “active negotiations” with Google to bring its Gemini generative AI technology to the iPhone, Bloomberg reports, and has also considered using OpenAI’s ChatGPT. CEO Tim Cook has already confirmed that Apple is spending “a tremendous amount of time and effort” on artificial intelligence features, and plans to release them to its customers “later this year.” Bloomberg’s report suggests that the AI features built into Apple’s products could eventually be powered by a mix of first- and third-party AI models. Apple’s models could power on-device generative AI with iOS 18, releasing later this year, while cloud-based AI features like text- and image-generation could come via partnerships with the likes of Google. If a... Continue reading… Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

The open sourcing of Grok is also clearly a helpful ideological stance for Musk in his lawsuit and general criticisms of OpenAI. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

SpaceX has been contracted by the Department of Defense’s National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to build a network of hundreds of low-orbiting spy satellites capable of operating as a swarm and tracking targets on the ground, according to Reuters. The Reuters report, which cites five sources with knowledge of the program, builds on earlier reporting by The Wall Street Journal that revealed SpaceX had signed a $1.8 billion contract in 2021 with an unnamed agency. This network, called Starshield, would reportedly be able to gather continuous imagery all over Earth for US intelligence, using a mix of large imaging satellites to collect data and relay satellites to transmit information. According to one source who spoke to Reuters, it has the potential to make it so “no one can hide.” Neither SpaceX nor the NRO directly confirmed the company’s involvement in the project, but an NRO spokesperson told Reuters, "The National Reconnaissance Office is developing the most capable, diverse, a...

Amazon’s Big Spring sale is on the way, running from Mach 20 to 25, and it will include a variety of discounts on "seasonally relevant items." However, don’t confuse it for another Prime Day; according to the retail giant, some offers will be Prime-exclusive, but most will not. We don’t expect the spring sale to be heavy on tech deals either, but rather focus on things like seasonal fashion, outdoor gear and home goods.Nevertheless, if you're hoping to grab a good gadget at a discount, we'll be sorting through the noise and picking out the handful of tech deals that are actually worth your time. Amazon has put up a landing page for the Big Spring Sale already, so below we've rounded up the best early deals we could find. Currently, the standouts include price drops on Sonos speakers, Apple's AirPods Pro and Sony and Bose headphones. To be clear, not everything is explicitly tied to Amazon's Spring sale — we're still seeing good PS5 and Nintendo Switch...

Welcome to TechCrunch Fintech (formerly The Interchange)! I’m filling in for Mary Ann, who is on a much deserved break. This week, we look at Griffin Bank getting its license ahead of some heavy hitters, and we go inside Stripe’s annual letter, some funding rounds, and more! The big story A top story for this © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

HoYoverse has opened sign-ups for a closed beta test for Zenless Zone Zero, an urban fantasy action role-playing game. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Google offers 15 GB of free storage with every account, but many users are hitting the limit. Use these tips to clear some room, and tidy your inbox while you’re at it. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Owen Diaz's lengthy court battle against Tesla is officially over, now that both parties have agreed on a settlement. Attorney Lawrence Organ, Diaz's lawyer, told CNBC that that the "parties have reached an amicable resolution of their disputes," but that the "terms of the settlement are confidential." If you've been following this case for a while now, that means you won't get to find out how much Diaz is getting after the massive $137 million in damages he was originally awarded got dramatically lowered to $3.2 million.  The former elevator operator famously sued the automaker for enabling a racist workplace, saying that he faced discrimination "straight from the Jim Crow era" as a Black individual. He said his fellow workers left left drawings of swastika and racist graffiti, such as ones of Inki the Caveman, on his workspace and around Tesla's Fremont assembly plant. Diaz also said that he and other Black workers were subjected to r...

LinkedIn, the Microsoft-owned social platform, has made a name for itself primarily as a platform for people looking to network and pick up knowledge for professional purposes, and for recruitment — a business that now has more 1 billion users. Now, to boost the time people are spending on the platform, the company is breaking © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Why navigating the intricacies of data deletion requires a strategic approach around legal, cybersecurity and financial implications. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

VentureBeat spoke with Krebs about the recent TikTok legislation, AI and what companies can do to be vigilant about cybersecurity. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Gumroad, an e-commerce company for creators, updated its rules to more strictly limit NSFW content, citing restrictions from payment processors like Stripe and PayPal. For creators who sell adult art, like explicit comic books or lewd cosplay photos, these sudden policy changes can be detrimental, resulting in an unforeseen loss of income. “I’m concerned on © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Apple researchers achieve state-of-the-art results in multimodal AI with MM1 models, combining text and images for breakthroughs in image captioning, visual question answering, and few-shot learning, as the company invests heavily in AI to enhance Siri, Messages, and future products. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

India’s Paytm has secured a vital license it needed to survive and maintain continuity of several core features of its eponymous payments app, a day before the firm’s banking unit is scheduled to cease operations because of regulatory clampdown. The National Payments Corporation of India, the firm that built the eponymous UPI rail in the © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Pilot season has officially begun for the world of humanoid robotics. Last year, Amazon began testing Agility’s Digit robots in select fulfillment centers, while this January, Figure announced a deal with BMW. Now Apptronik is getting in on the action, courtesy of a partnership with Mercedes-Benz. According to the Austin-based robotics startup, “as part of © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Meta is facing a call from lawmakers in the European Union to scrap its controversial “consent or pay” tactic on Facebook and Instagram. Currently, the company demands a per-account fee of €9.99/month on web or €12.99/month on mobile for users in the region wanting to avoid its tracking. No other choice is offered — meaning © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

A new ad from Under Armour featuring boxer Anthony Joshua has come under fire from creatives on Instagram after its director claimed it as the “first Ai-powered sports commercial” — but critics in the industry say it blatantly reused others’ work without credit as part of an AI hype cycle cash grab. Director Wes Walker © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .