Machine intelligence startups are the black sheep of the startup world. The new kids on the block are challenging investors to do their technical homework and differentiate themselves in intentional ways. Y Combinator joined a growing list of investors offering exclusive services to these companies in a specialized AI track for its latest S17 batch
Last week, Amazon said that its massive $13.7 billion deal to acquire Whole Foods is wrapping up on Monday — giving it access to one of the strongest food brands in the United States, as well as hundreds of grocery stores in metropolitan areas. That means it’s going to be easier and easier for people to
The GameBoy Pocket remains one of the best-designed pieces of mobile gaming kit ever in my opinion, which is why I was intrigued by the BittBoy, a new third-party portable console that clearly owes a lot of inspiration to the GameBoy. The tiny handheld packs a library of “300” games built-in, controls that will feel
Keep your dogs close but your kitties closer, is I think the expression. Maybe. Whatever it is, pets are important to people. And keeping a close watch on them even when you’re not located in the same place has become increasingly possible thanks to the broad proliferation of tech like Wi-Fi connected cameras. Petcube Bites
The Defense Department’s research arm has officially kicked off its effort to create a modular computing framework, with pieces pulled from a mix-‘n-match set of “chiplets.” Producing something this weird will take a village, the agency suggested — in fact, “an enormous village rife with innovators.” DARPA did always have a way with words. The
Content management is about to undergo a foundational shift as artificial intelligence and machine learning bring long-sought order to enterprise content. As the volume of content has increased, the ability to manage it all seems to have alluded us. Ironic, since Content Management Systems were supposed to solve the enterprise content organization problem. The paradox
In this week’s wrap-up, Samsung’s acting head gets a five-year prison sentence after being found guilty of bribery and embezzlement. Meanwhile, Amazon …
Sometimes giving up something in the short-term can yield a big reward in the long-term. That’s the idea behind many of Amazon’s businesses, and that’s particularly true of the recent Whole Foods deal. Amazon’s purchase of the upscale Whole Foods grocery chain for $13.7 billion will go through on Monday, and already the online retailer has
Facebook says it’s looking to become more open and transparent about its decisions, and it’s hired Liz Spayd, a former public editor of The New York Times, to consult on the process. The hire comes as Facebook — or at least, parts of Facebook — seems to be wrestling with its role in the public
The Essential Phone started arriving in the hands of media and reviewers just last week, and as of today it’s now also shipping out to its first customers. Essential announced the news via its Twitter account, and told early buyers to keep an eye out for tracking info sent out via email. We’re beginning to
CarPlay and Android Auto can only really be described as what you’d call a “slow burn.” They both debuted quite a few years ago, but getting access to them via first-party infotainment systems didn’t happen with the pace early adopters might be accustomed to. Luckily, a variety of third-party aftermarket in-car audio and infotainment decks
Elon Musk wants to connect your brain directly to a computer, and investors are ready to make that science fiction a reality. Musk’s startup Neuralink has raised the $26.96 million of a technically still-open funding round that could grow to $100 million, according to a new SEC filing. However, Musk himself tweets that Neuralink is
Price comparison websites for insurance products have been around for many years. However, typically, people buy from these based just on price, with zero customization based on the person. What’s required is a much more tailor-made service, changing the culture from strictly price-only focused to the “best cover for you.” That’s the pitch of U.K.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is nearly here, with general availability set for September 15 and pre-orders on now. The smartphone was revealed with much fanfare during an event in NYC on Thursday, and Samsung drew particular attention to its new optically stabilized dual-camera system and improved S Pen stylus as the features that set
Apps are dominating consumers’ digital media habits, but getting people to try new ones is still a tough sell. That’s the latest from comScore’s newly released 2017 U.S. Mobile Apps Report, which finds that 57 percent of consumers’ time spent using digital media is now taking place in mobile apps. Of that, 50 percent is
Watch more from Tech Minute – http://cnet.co/2xjNlOf Don’t wait until it’s too late. Here’s how to set up emergency contacts on your Android or iPhone lock screen.
Read the Roadshow article here – http://cnet.co/2wFCroV Tesla’s electric big rig is reported to have a range for regional deliveries. Also, screenshots show more …
Click for the Extra Crunchy show links – http://cnet.co/2xk3G5y The iPhone 8 could be announced on Sept. 12. Bloomberg reports the new 4K Apple TV will be …
Google’s next-generation Pixel devices could arrive in a little over a month, according to prolific (and often accurate) leak source Evan Blass. The Pixel 2 (or whatever they end up being called) will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 836 mobile system-on-a-chip, Blass claims, and based on previous rumors, these devices look like a solid
If you believe the hype, homes in the US are already lousy with speakers containing embodied AI — the most high profile being Amazon’s Echo, in its various incarnations, whose Alexa voice assistant can be commanded to do things like play music, answer trivia questions or tap into third party apps (via an ever-expanding set
Wattpad, the social publishing platform behind apps for sharing original stories and chat fiction, is today venturing into video with the launch of a new app called Raccoon. Unlike its predecessors, Raccoon will focus on non-fiction video-based storytelling, with the goal of connecting people who want to create and watch stories that either entertain or
What if you could see if your Instagrams made people happy, surprised or disgusted? That’s just one of the innovative features of new photo-sharing social network Polygram. Using facial detection, Polygram gives you analytics about the emotional reactions people have to the photos you post. Polygram also has augmented reality makeup that lets you look
Go-Jek, the on-demand transportation company that rivals Uber and Grab in Indonesia, is getting close to pulling in its next huge funding round. That’s because JD.com, the China-based e-commerce firm that rivals Alibaba, has agreed to join Go-Jek’s upcoming $1.2 billion round, a source with knowledge of discussions told TechCrunch. The news was first reported
Real estate tech startup Amitree is making life easier for real estate agents, which it hopes will make life even easier for the homebuyers they work with. The company has raised $7 million to grow its Folio assistant for real estate agents. It’s been a long, strange trip for Amitree. The company originally launched with a consumer-facing
Facebook today is expanding on the popularity of its two-year old “On This Day” sharing prompt, with the addition of new features that let users revisit their memories, as well as celebrate milestones related to their friendships on the social network. While “On This Day” provides a look back in time, starting with memories from
Watch more from Tech Today – http://cnet.co/2tdXzNv In today’s top stories, Amazon announces its plans for various aspects of its Whole Foods deal. Also …
Welcome back to Equity, our podcast for all things venture capital and tech business. I host along with Matthew Lynley and Alex Wilhelm, who was out-of-town (how dare he). This week we were joined by Rob Coneybeer, who is co-founder and managing director at Shasta Ventures. We talked about Uber (what else?!), which shared its growing
Facebook is faced with yet another content-related scandal, after The Times newspaper reported that people traffickers and slave traders are using its platform to broadcast videos of migrants being tortured to try to extort money from their families. According to the newspaper’s report, footage showing Libyan gangmasters threatening the lives of migrants had remained on
Google Earth and boots on the ground are working hard to clear one of the most densely mined areas in the world. Subscribe to CNET: http://cnet.co/2heRhep …
Amazon has added the ability for UK users to pay for products and services on its ecommerce platform using cash. The service, called Amazon Top Up, lets shoppers load between £5 and £250 into their Amazon UK account in a single top-up transaction. There are no fees to use the service, and funds are available