12 Jan 2018

Original Content podcast: Looking into the dark future of Netflix’s ‘Black Mirror’

Black Mirror USS Callister Netflix has delivered another six glimpses into Black Mirror‘s often-bleak view of technology and humanity. On the latest episode of TechCrunch’s Original Content podcast, one of your regular hosts, Anthony Ha, is joined by Jordan Crook to discuss the fourth season of the science fiction anthology series. While we liked it — in fact, we both thought it might be Black… Read More
12 Jan 2018

Equity podcast: 2017’s top tech acquisitions and what’s in store for 2018

 Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week we took a look back at the year’s M&A market, which brought some big wins and some low lights. Equity this week was Katie Roof, Alex Wilhelm, and Jamie Leigh, a partner at Cooley, who joined us to go over the year’s receipts. What to… Read More
12 Jan 2018

New bill bans US government agencies using contractors with Huawei or ZTE tech

 There’s more misery ahead for Huawei, which just saw AT&T pull out of a deal to carry its first smartphone, and fellow Chinese tech firm ZTE. The duo are well known for their growing smartphone businesses worldwide, but it is their more established telecom networking and equipment units that are again under fire in Washington. A new bill introduced to Congress proposes a ban… Read More
12 Jan 2018

GM and Cruise reveal their fourth-generation, steering wheel-free Cruise AV

 GM and Cruise are making progress on their plan to deploy autonomous vehicles on roads for the public: Today, it’s showing off its fourth-generation Cruise Autonomous Vehicle (AV), which comes just a few short months after it first revealed its third-generation vehicle. The fourth generation car is production-ready, according to GM’s Dan Ammann, who discussed the new vehicle on a… Read More
12 Jan 2018

Snapchat’s big redesign bashed in 83% of user reviews

 Confusingly jamming Stories in between private messages has sparked backlash amongst the first users of Snapchat’s sweeping redesign. In the few countries including the U.K., Australia, and Canada where the redesign is widely available, 83 percent of App Store reviews (1,941) for the update are negative with one or two stars, according to data provided to TechCrunch by mobile analytics… Read More
12 Jan 2018

Source: Verizon to sharpen content strategy with OTT video service, IoT platform

 At CES, the big consumer electronics show underway this week in Las Vegas (when the lights are working), TechCrunch has learned that Verizon is working away on a couple of new services that will see the carrier once again trying to grow its business beyond basic broadband and mobile connectivity, as it gears up to compete with the likes of Amazon and other tech companies, as well as other… Read More
12 Jan 2018

Nuheara’s voice amplifying earbuds offer customizable hearing profiles

 Nuheara’s new IQBuds Boost headphones exist in a a strange sort of in-between spot. Like the rest of the company’s line, they’re clearly one of countless devices looking to compete in the crowded world of bluetooth earbuds. Like the standard IQBuds before them, however, they’re also designed to boost hearing. But the Boosts are an attempt to be even more, offering… Read More
12 Jan 2018

Blocks hopes to court enterprise customers with its modular smartwatch

 As we noted earlier this week, the mere fact that Blocks was able to bring its modular smartwatch system to market feels like a minor miracle. The company appears to have not taken the easy route in any respect. It could have launched an Android Wear device, but instead opted to skin a scaled down version of stock Android. And then there’s the modules — the company compares… Read More
12 Jan 2018

Mercedes-Benz’s new MBUX in-car assistant and smart UI rocks

 It’s rare that I pay much attention to automaker infotainment and multimedia system updates at CES – usually there’s too much going on with autonomy, electrification and mobility services to give it much thought. This year, however, Mercedes-Benz had one of the most interesting announcements at the show with its new MBUX smart multimedia system and in-car voice activated… Read More