Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro and Redmi Note 5 Pro both get stable Android 9 Pie updates

Back in March, Xiaomi started sending out beta builds of the Android 9 Pie update for both the Redmi 6 Pro and the Redmi Note 5 Pro to interested testers in India. And now it looks like all the bugs have been ironed out, because the stable update is rolling out for both devices. It's arriving over-the-air in India, as MIUI 10.3.2.0.PDMMIXM for the Redmi 6 Pro, weighing in at 1.6GB. This release includes the May 2019 security patch level. You also get face unlock support for App lock, the ability to stay on the lock screen after using face unlock, and to restrict the opening of the...

from GSMArena.com - Latest articles http://bit.ly/2MjYnyF

Samsung Galaxy A80 could launch in India next week

Samsung made the Galaxy A70 official in March and the Galaxy A80 in April, but while the former has already gone on sale in some markets, including India, the A80 with the unique rotating pop-up camera is still nowhere to be found in stores. That may change very soon. The Korean company is apparently going to hold some exclusive preview events of the Galaxy A80 for interested customers in India next week. Samsung fans in Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad will be able to see and experience it on Saturday, June 8, while people in Bangalore and Kolkata will have the same opportunity on Sunday,...

from GSMArena.com - Latest articles http://bit.ly/2XiTV49

Samsung Galaxy M40 full specs leak reveals smaller battery than previously rumored

Samsung is launching the Galaxy M40 in India on June 11. To build up the hype it's already released some teasers, and an official has even outed some information about the handset. Thus, we found out it would be priced around INR 20,000 ($287 or €257 according to the current exchange rates), that its main rear camera would be a 32 MP snapper, and on the front the selfie shooter would have 16 MP resolution. Today more specs of the highest-end Samsung M-series smartphone have been leaked, and despite what past rumors claimed, it looks like it's not getting a 5,000 battery (like the M30),...

from GSMArena.com - Latest articles http://bit.ly/311sFt9

Apple bumps the App Store cell connection download cap up to 200 MB

Good news: Apple now allows you to download bigger apps over a cellular connection than it used to.

Bad news: there’s still a cap, and you still can’t bypass it.

As noticed by 9to5Mac, the iOS App Store now lets you download apps up to 200 MB in size while on a cell network; anything bigger than that, and you’ll need to connect to WiFi. Before this change, the cap was 150 MB.

And if you’ve got an unlimited (be it actually unlimited or cough-cough-‘unlimited’) plan, or if you know you’ve got enough monthly data left to cover a big download, or you just really, really need a certain big app and WiFi just isn’t available? You’re still out of luck. That 200 MB cap hits everyone. People have found tricky, fleeting workarounds to bypass the cap over the years, but there’s no official “Yeah, yeah, the app is huge, I know.” button to click or power user setting to toggle.

The App Store being cautious about file size isn’t inherently a bad thing; with many users only getting an allotment of a couple gigs a month, a few accidental downloads over the cell networks can eat up that data quick. But it really does suck to open up an app you need and find it’s requiring some update that exceeds the cap, only to realize you’re nowhere near a friendly WiFi network. At least give us the choice, you know?

On the upside, most developers seem to be pretty aware of the cap; they’ll hack and slash their app install package until it squeaks under the limit, even if it means downloading more stuff through the app itself post-install. Now, at least, they’ve got 50 more megabytes of wiggle room to start with.

from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2Z0SpnS

Sony infographic brags about its mobile innovations, records and world firsts

Sony's smartphone business is anything but a beacon of hope and huge sales and profitability. Still, the company is in it for the long haul and doesn't plan on exiting this market, even if it is retreating from certain areas. While its sales numbers might not be great, Sony wants to remain relevant, and its latest effort to do that is an infographic. This was shared today on the official blog of its mobile arm, and it's all about the various innovations, records, and world firsts that can be attributed to its past in the mobile business. From the first 4K display in a smartphone (the...

from GSMArena.com - Latest articles http://bit.ly/2IeGmfK

Microsoft warns users to patch as exploits for ‘wormable’ BlueKeep bug appear

Microsoft has issued its second advisory this month urging users to update their systems to prevent a re-run of attacks similar to WannaCry.

The software giant said Thursday that the recently discovered “wormable” vulnerability in Remote Desktop Services for Windows can allow attackers to remotely run code on a vulnerable computer — such as malware or ransomware. Worse, the vulnerability allows it to spread to other computers on the same network “in a similar way as the WannaCry malware,” which spread across the globe in 2017 causing billions of dollars in damage.

A patch was released earlier this month on Microsoft’s usual patch release day — its so-called Patch Tuesday. And though there’s no signs of an active attack yet, “this does not mean that we’re out of the woods,” the company said.

Microsoft said it’s “confident” that an exploit exists for the vulnerability, putting close to one million computers directly connected to the internet are at risk.

But that figure could be far higher if servers at the enterprise firewall level are hit — with the potential of every other computer connecting to it facing a similar fate.

“Our recommendation remains the same. We strongly advise that all affected systems should be updated as soon as possible,” said Microsoft.

The bug, CVE-2019-0708 — better known as BlueKeep — is a “critical” vulnerability that affects computers running Windows XP and later, including its server operating systems. The vulnerability can be used to run code at the system level, allowing full access to the computer — including tis data. Worse, it is remotely exploitable, allowing anyone to attack a computer connected to the internet.

Microsoft said only Windows 8 and Windows 10 are not vulnerable to the bug. But the bug is so dangerous that Microsoft took the rare step of issuing patches to its long outdated and unsupported operating systems, including Windows XP.

So far, several security firms — including McAfee and Check Point — have claimed to have developed working proof-of-concept code that can at very least create a denial-of-service condition, such as shutting down a computer. But fear remains that hackers are close to creating code that could spark another major ransomware attack.

Independent malware researcher Marcus Hutchins said in a tweet it took him “an hour” to develop code to exploit the vulnerability, but declined to post the code because the bug is “dangerous.”

The universal message seems clear: patch your systems before it’s too late.

Two years after WannaCry, a million computers remain at risk

from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2W9Fgak

Goodbye BlackBerry Messenger

Just over a month ago, Emtek announced the end of BlackBerry Messenger for consumers. The once mighty messaging service had a good run, outstripping the popularity of its hardware namesake.

Launched in 2005, licensing rights for the service were acquired by Indonesia-based tech conglomerate Emtek 11 years later. For many years, BBM was considered BlackBerry’s (nee Research in Motion) strongest product, with some loyalists eschewing Android and iOS devices before it was finally ported over to those operating systems in 2013.

But competition ultimately proved too much. Technology and the world moved away from BBM and BlackBerry at large. The rewards, it seems, weren’t worth the resources.

“We poured our hearts into making this a reality, and we are proud of what we have built to date,” Emtek wrote in a blog post last month. “The technology industry however, is very fluid, and in spite of our substantial efforts, users have moved on to other platforms, while new users proved difficult to sign on.”

Loyalists can still download files, photos and videos from the service today, before they vanish forever. Notably, BBM Enterprise will live on for business users, but the death of the consumer version should be regarded as the end of an important era for smartphones nonetheless.

So long, and thanks for all the messages.

from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2YZNQu4

Is the tech press too positive in its coverage of startups?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.

It’s our first week in the new TechCrunch podcast studio, or it was for Kate Clark and Chris Gates. Alex Wilhelm will be back around SF next week. For now, we fired up the mics and dug into what was a veritable barrage of news.

First, Paul Graham’s contentious comments. The co-founder of Y Combinator tweeted some criticism of the tech press on Thursday; naturally, Kate and Alex had a few thoughts. In summary, Graham doesn’t seem to understand what it is we tech journalists do and that’s a problem.

When a startup is small, it seems cute and the press writes encouragingly about it. When it reaches the size where they can get attention by attacking it, they do that instead.

— Paul Graham (@paulg) May 30, 2019

Next up was Uber’s first quarter numbers. Given how strongly the company had signaled this set of results, the earnings report was a bit anticlimactic. Until you dug into the numbers, and things got stickier. Uber’s operating loss more than doubled from the year-ago quarter. Its adjusted EBITDA tripled, from -$280 million to -$869 million. Adjusted revenue growth compared to the year-ago quarter was just 14%.

Naturally, Uber’s shares rose in after-hours trading.

Next, we turned from public decacorn to private unicorn, working our way through the latest mega-round from American fintech shop SoFi. The new $500 million round is either an up round or a down round (we really aren’t sure) and comes at a time when the business was not at all in need the money. Following accounts of the fresh funds, news leaked that SoFi intends to snag naming rights to the Rams impending stadium. What a great use of venture funding, lol. Don’t look over here at this bubble-shaped object.

After that, it was on to Brex, which is in the process of raising even more money (Kate’s piece here, some notes from Alex here), which is a bit of a headscratcher unless, like SoFi and Slack before it, it’s raising the money simply because it can.

And last and actually least, CrowdStrike set a price range for its IPO. If you are into S-1/A dives, head here.

Equity drops every Friday at 6:00 am PT, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Downcast and all the casts.

from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2Xh9dX5

Huawei nova 5i visits Antutu

After appearing on Geekbench yesterday, the upcoming Huawei nova 5i made its way over to Antutu. The phone is expected to be announced in June and is expected to arrive alongside the Huawei nova 5, which will allegedly feature 40W fast charging support. The Antutu scorecard confirms the Kirin 710 chipset and 4GB RAM for the 5i, along with 64GB storage. It managed to push out 131,715 points which is in line with other midrange offerings. We also got confirmation of the screen resolution which will be 2310 x 1080. The nova 5i will also feature a punch hole in its LCD for the selfie...

from GSMArena.com - Latest articles http://bit.ly/2Mjke9q

Following US Huawei ban, China threatens own blacklist for foreign firms

Odds of the U.S. and China cooling off their trade war further diminished on Friday after the world’s most populous nation said it would create a list of “unreliable” foreign firms of its own.

Gao Feng, a spokesman of China’s commerce ministry, said today that the nation will create an “entity list” that will include, in part, foreign companies that have stopped or curtailed their businesses with Chinese firms.

“Foreign enterprises, organisations or individuals that do not comply with market rules, deviate from a contract’s spirit or impose blockades or stop supplies to Chinese enterprises for non-commercial purposes, and seriously damage the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises, will be included on a list of ‘unreliable entities’,” he was quoted as saying (in Chinese) by state-owned local media.

The retaliation comes weeks after the U.S. Commerce Department enlisted Huawei and 68 affiliates in an entity list over national security concerns, thereby requiring American companies to take approval from the government before conducting business with Chinese firms. A 90-day reprieve has been granted to allow companies such as Google to offer critical support to Huawei, however.

In the aftermath of that direction, several American firms including Google, Intel, and Qualcomm have curtailed their business agreements with the Chinese giant. Huawei executives have said in recent weeks that such ban on the company in the U.S. will significantly impact its business and hurt its reputation worldwide.

Even as details remain sparse at the moment, much of Silicon Valley giants appear to fit the bill of the companies that China wants on its blacklist.
Over the weekend, China will increase tariffs on $60 billion in U.S. goods in response to U.S. duties on $200 billion in Chinese products earlier this month. The two nations have shown little signs of reaching a resolution.

Huawei, in the meantime, has filed a legal motion to challenge the U.S. ban on its equipment, calling it “unconstitutional.” The company has also sent its American employees deployed at R&D functions at its Shenzhen headquarters home. It has also asked its Chinese employees to limit conversations with overseas visitors, and cease any technical meetings with their US contacts.

from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2wwusbS

Samsung Galaxy S10 Cardinal Red variant coming next month

The Cardinal Red variant of the Samsung Galaxy S10 that surfaced last week is coming next month, starting with Switzerland. Samsung Galaxy S10 in Cardinal Red This new color model has been listed on a Swiss retailer's website with a price tag of CHF899 ($895/€803). The listing also reveals that this new version will be only available with 128GB storage. And, apart from the new paint job, the hardware will remain the same as other color variants of this smartphone. Samsung Galaxy S10+ in Cardinal Red The Galaxy S10+ will also be arriving in Cardinal Red, and it...

from GSMArena.com - Latest articles http://bit.ly/2WyIUyp

Realme 2 Pro Android Pie update rolling out with Chroma Boost and HAL3 support

As promised, Oppo spin-off Realme has started rolling out the stable build of Android Pie for the Realme 2 Pro. The new firmware carries build number RMX1801EX_11.A.20 and weighs 2.71GB in size. It comes with ColorOS 6 and bumps up the Android security patch level to May 5, 2019. The update also brings in Chroma Boost and HAL3 support for the camera, while adding an app drawer to ColorOS launcher. You can check out the full change-log of the update below: System Updated to ColorOS 6 based on Android Pie Added notification icons in status bar Added...

from GSMArena.com - Latest articles http://bit.ly/2EIW3eo

Flyme OS 7.3 hits 14 Meizu phones

Following yesterday's Meizu 16Xs announcement, the Chinese manufacturer is officially bringing the latest rendition of its Flyme OS to 14 of its existing phones. Flyme OS 7.3 brings an improved system-wide optimization algorithm, camera night mode alongside visual and security improvements. The update will be the last in the Flyme 7 series before Flyme 8 comes out. One Mind 3.0 is the highlight of the new firmware. It brings a system-wide background management process and will optimize device performance based on the usage patterns. Meizu said the reworked AI enhancements should...

from GSMArena.com - Latest articles http://bit.ly/2QCWdsh

Redmi Note 7S goes on open sale in India

The Redmi Note 7S that debuted in India last week is now on open sale in the country, meaning you can now buy it anytime from Mi.com, Flipkart, and Mi Home stores without having to wait for the flash sales. The Redmi Note 7S is offered in Ruby Red, Onyx Black, and Sapphire Blue colors. It's priced at INR10,999 ($157) for the 3GB/32GB variant and INR12,999 ($186) for the 4GB/64GB model. The Note 7S is powered by Snapdragon 660 SoC and comes with a 6.3-inch FHD+ LCD. It's actually a re-branded version of the Chinese Redmi Note 7, and it will replace the Indian variant of the Note 7...

from GSMArena.com - Latest articles http://bit.ly/2Z0HVop

Huawei bars staff from having technical meetings with US contacts

Reeling from the ongoing U.S.-China trade war, Chinese technology giant Huawei has found itself in yet another dilemma: How to pursue internal communications with its own U.S. employees? For now, the company has ordered its Chinese employees to bar technical meetings with their U.S. contacts and sent home the American workers deployed in Shenzhen headquarters.

Dang Wenshuan, Huawei’s chief strategy architect, told the Financial Times that the company has also limited general communications between its Chinese and U.S. workers. The move comes as the Chinese technology giant scrambles to comply with the murky laws after its weeks-long tension with the U.S. government sees no signs of resolution in the immediate future.

The Chinese giant is also controlling the subjects of interactions workers in its campus have with overseas visitors. The conversations cannot touch topics related to technology, the FT report said. Dang said the company was just trying to ensure it was on the right side of the law.

It remains unclear exactly how export controls could mandate disruption of internal communications within an organization. Huawei could be using this tack as a bargaining chip, showing the U.S. that its own citizens are being hurt by its policies. A Huawei spokesperson declined to comment on queries sent by TechCrunch.

Earlier this month, Huawei and 68 affiliates were put on an “entity list” by the U.S. Commerce Department over national security concerns, forcing American companies to take approval from the government before conducting any business with the Chinese giant. In the aftermath, a range of companies including chipmakers, Google and Microsoft have made significant changes to their business agreements with Huawei.

In recent weeks, several Huawei executives have spoken out about the significance of the U.S. government order on its business. In the meantime, the company has also explored ways to fight back the order. Earlier this week, Huawei filed a legal motion to challenge the U.S. ban on its equipment, calling it “unconstitutional.”

At stake is the future of one of the largest suppliers of smartphones and networking equipments. A significant portion of the company’s business comes from outside of China. For smartphones, one of its core businesses, the company says it is already working on an operating system that does not rely on technologies sourced from the U.S. companies. But it is yet to provide any evidence on how — and if — that operating system would function.

The U.S. government earlier this month offered some relief to Huawei by granting a temporary general export license for 90 days, which allows companies such as Google to continue to provide critical support to the Chinese company for three months.

from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2Z4hE8V

Less than two weeks left: apply to Startup Battlefield at Disrupt SF 2019

Would you like $100,000 to fatten the bottom line of your early-stage startup? Could your company benefit from global media coverage and investor attention? Do you have what it takes to compete against the very best early-stage startup founders?

Take your resounding “yes” and act quickly, because you have less than two weeks to apply to Startup Battlefield at Disrupt San Francisco 2019 on October 2-4.

Since 2007, our epic Startup Battlefield pitch competition has launched 857 companies that have raised more than $8 billion in funding and generated 109 exits. If you make the cut, you’ll follow in the footsteps of some pretty legendary companies, including Vurb, Dropbox, Mint, Yammer and more.

It won’t cost you a thing to apply to or participate in Startup Battlefield. And that includes free pitch coaching from Battlefield-tested TechCrunch editors. But first things first. Those editors will vet every application looking for roughly 15-30 exceptional startups. That elite Battlefield cohort receives the VIP treatment at Disrupt, including exhibit space in Startup Alley for all three days.

The free coaching will come in handy once the Big Day arrives. You’ll walk confidently onto the Disrupt Main Stage in front of an audience of thousands to deliver your six-minute pitch to a panel of judges experienced in the ways of tech and investing. Then you’ll answer whatever questions they put to you.

Survive that and you’ll move to the second, final round — the same pitch delivered to a new set of experts. All the judges will confer and then declare one champion. Those founders receive $100,000 in equity-free cash, the Disrupt Cup and a bright media and investor spotlight.

We also live-stream the whole shebang to the world on TechCrunch.com, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Plus, it’s available later on-demand. Yes, Startup Battlefield is intense, stressful and challenging. It’s also a lot of fun, and the benefits and the exposure — for all competitors — are well worth the effort.

Don’t miss your chance to launch your startup to the world at Disrupt SF 2019 on October 2-4. Do you have what it takes to be the champ? You have less than two weeks to find out. Apply to compete in Startup Battlefield.

While you’re at it, why not apply for our TC Top Picks program? If you make the cut, you’ll receive a free Startup Alley Exhibitor Package and plenty of media and investor exposure.

Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at Disrupt SF 2019? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.

from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2wu2mxN

Tibbits are colorful pre-programmed modules for building IoT devices

At first glance, Tibbits look like building blocks, but each one is a module or a connector that makes it easier to build connected devices and systems. Tibbits were created by Tibbo Technology, a Taipei-based startup that exhibited at Computex this week (it showed off a humanoid robot built from various Tibbits).

Pre-programmed Tibbit modules from Tibbo

The heart of the Red Dot Award winning Tibbo Project System (the company used bright colors to make its modules stand out from other hardware) is the Tibbo Project PCB, which includes a CPU, memory and Ethernet port. Then you pick Tibbits, with pre-programmed functionality (such as RS232/422/485 modules, DAC and ADC devices, power regulators, temperature, humidity or pressure sensors or PWM generators), to plug into your PCB. Once done, you can place your project in one of Tibbo’s three enclosure kits (custom enclosures are also available).

Tibbo also offers an online configurator that lets you preview your device to see if it will work the way you want before you begin building, and its own programming languages (Tibbo BASIC and Tibbo C) and app development platform.

from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2EKAcTM

TCL starts flexible OLED production in Q4 2019

TCL promised back in February to introduce phones with foldable displays and is already making the first crucial step. The company purchased LTPS equipment from Japan and South Korea for its plant in Wuhan, China, where it is expected to start producing AMOLED panels by Q4 2019 through its display division called Huaxing Optoelectronics. The TCL management said it is confident in Huaxing reaching double-digit growth both in annual sales and profit. The LTPS-LCD production for Q1 2019 reached $27.2 million, ranking third in the world among companies with a single plant. The...

from GSMArena.com - Latest articles http://bit.ly/2YWCkzp

Muro is a retro-style cylinder music box you control with an app

The light twinkle of an old-fashioned cylinder music box evokes many things: nostalgia, childhood memories, sometimes even horror (they are a trope in scary movie soundtracks). Most music boxes play one tune, but with the Muro Box, which exhibited at Computex this week, you can use an app to pick different songs or even compose your own. It even doubles as a smart alarm clock.

Created by Tevofy Technology, a Taiwanese startup, the Muro Box’s components are mounted on a wooden base and visible underneath a glass cover, so you can watch as a 20-note steel comb creates music by plucking pins on its cylinder. The key difference between Muro and traditional music boxes, however, is that Muro’s cylinder is programmable.

The Muro Box is a music box with a programmable cylinder

Instead of a fixed pattern of pins, Muro’s patented convertible cylinder features 20 stainless steel gears, to correspond with each tooth on the comb. Each gear is attached to an electronic magnet and commanded by an embedded microcontroller, which means Muro can play almost any melody.

A 2018 Golden Pin Design Award winner, the Muro Box is getting ready to launch its Indiegogo campaign, after completing a successful campaign on Taiwanese crowdfunding site Zec Zec last year.

from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2Xq5jLu

Tesla’s new China-made Model 3 opens for pre-order with a 13% price cut

Tesla’s big bet on China-based production is key to a new effort to lure Chinese consumers with cheaper prices. Today the U.S. firm revealed that its incoming Model 3, which will be produced in China, will sell from 328,000 RMB — that’s around $47,500 and some 13 percent cheaper than its previous entry-level option.

The company opened pre-orders for the vehicle today, although it only broke ground on its Shanghai-based factory in January of this year. Customers who do plonk down cash for a pre-order this week — deposits start from 20,000 RM — can expect to receive their vehicle in 6-10 months, according to Tesla.

Despite the competitive prices, the higher spec Model 3 will continue to be shipped from the U.S, according to Reuters. The publication added that it isn’t clear if the made-in-China Tesla will qualify for EV subsidies from the government.

Shanghai Giga will produce affordable versions of 3/Y for greater China. All Model S/X & higher cost versions of Model 3/Y will still be built in US for WW market, incl China.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 7, 2019

The Shanghai plant is expected to produce 500,000 vehicles per year when it reaches full production. The factory began hiring workers this month after job listings were published online, while videos and photos of the factory taken by Tesla enthusiasts suggest that it is nearing completion.

While it isn’t clear what margins the China-produced vehicles will bring Tesla, local manufacturing will help it avoid challenges around shipping and pricing, an issue that has been exacerbated by the ongoing U.S-China trade war.

Trump’s tariffs could knock Tesla’s Autopilot off course

from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2MfRoGS

ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G hits Northern Europe

ZTE was having some troubles in 2018 with breaching embargoes and following orders, but it appears the company is back on track for the 5G revolution. After the Axon 10 Pro 5G smartphone was announced at MWC in Barcelona and 2,5 months later launched in China, now the phone made its way outside its home market. The first country that will receive the 5G flagship is Finland, where ZTE is partnering with local carriers on the 5G switch, expected to happen later this year. The Axon 10 Pro 5G is available for purchase in the Northern European country, but so is the non-5G variant...

from GSMArena.com - Latest articles http://bit.ly/2WwYzyh

BlackBerry KEY2 LE available for Verizon Business customers

Back during CES, TCL and Verizon announced that the more affordable BlackBerry KEY2 LE will be available to purchase for business and enterprise accounts. That was back in January, but the carrier is finally revealing pricing and availability for the BlackBerry. The KEY2 LE will be available starting today on Verizon for corporate customers who want to offer their employees the classic @ work device. The BlackBerry will only be available from Verizon in the Slate color and is going for $450 outright or $100 with on a 2-year contract with Verizon. The KEY2 LE is a lower-cost variant...

from GSMArena.com - Latest articles http://bit.ly/2EMajTs

Foursquare buys Placed from Snap Inc. on the heels of $150M in new funding

Foursquare just made its first acquisition. The location tech company has acquired Placed from Snap Inc on the heels of a fresh $150 million investment led by the Raine Group. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Placed founder and CEO David Shim will become President of Foursquare.

Placed is the biggest competitor to Foursquare’s Attribution product, which allows brands to track the physical impact (foot traffic to store) of a digital campaign or ad. Up until now, Placed and Attribution by Foursquare combined have measured over $3 billion in ad-to-store visits.

Placed launched in 2011 and raised $13.4 million (according to Crunchbase) before being acquired by Snap Inc. in 2017.

As part of the deal with Foursquare, the company’s Attribution product will henceforth be known as Placed powered by Foursquare. The acquisition also means that Placed powered by Foursquare will have more than 450 measureable media partners, including Twitter, Snap, Pandora, and Waze. Moreover, more than 50 percent of the Fortune 100 are partnered with Placed or Foursquare.

It’s also worth noting that this latest investment of $150 million is the biggest financing round for Foursquare ever, and comes following a $33 million Series F last year.

Here’s what Foursquare CEO Jeff Glueck had to say about the financing in a prepared statement:

This is one of the largest investments ever in the location tech space. The investment will fund our acquisition and also capitalize us for our increased R&D and expansion plans, allowing us to focus on our mission to build the world’s most trusted, independent location technology platform.

That last bit, about an independent location technology platform, is important here. Foursquare is ten years old and has transformed from a consumer-facing location check-in app — a game, really — into a location analytics and development platform.

Indeed, when Glueck paints his vision for the company, he lists five key areas of focus:

1. Developer Tools to build smarter apps and customer engagement, using geo-context;
2. Analytics, including consumer insights for planning;
3. Audiences, so businesses can reach the right consumer segments for their message;
4. Attribution, to test and learn which messages, segments and channels work best;
5. Consumer, where through our own apps and Foursquare Labs’ R&D efforts we showcase what’s possible and inspire developers via our innovations around contextual location.

You’ll notice that its consumer apps, Foursquare and Swarm, are at the bottom of the list. But that’s because Foursquare’s real technological and strategic advantage isn’t in building the best social platform. In fact, Glueck said that more than 90 percent of the company’s revenue came from the enterprise side of the business. Foursquare’s advantage is in the accuracy of its technology, as afforded by the decade of data that has come from Foursquare, Swarm, and the users who have expressly verified their location.

The Pilgrim SDK fits into that top item on the list: developer tools. The Pilgrim SDK allows developers to embed location-smart experiences and notifications into their apps and services. But it also expands Foursquare’s access to data from beyond its own apps to the greater ecosystem, yielding the data it needs to power analytics tools for brands and publishers.

With this acquisition, Placed will be able to leverage Foursquare’s existing map of 105 million places of interest across 190 countries, as well as tap into the measured U.S. audience of over 100 million monthly devices.

Foursquare and Placed share a similar philosophy of building against a truth set of real consumer responses. Getting real people to confirm the name of their location is the only way to know if your technology is accurate or not. Placed has leveraged over 135 million survey responses in its first-party Placed survey apps, all from consumers opted-in to its rewards app. Foursquare expands the truth set for machine learning exponentially by adding in our over 13 billion consumer confirmations.

The hope is that Foursquare is accurate enough to become the de facto location analytics and services company for measuring ad spend. With enough scale, that may allow the company to break into the walled gardens where most of that ad spend is going, Facebook and Google.

Of course, to win as the “world’s most trusted, independent location technology platform,” consumers have to trust the platform. After all, one’s location may be the most sensitive piece of data about them. Foursquare has taken steps to be clear about what its technology is capable of. In fact, at SXSW this year, Foursquare offered a limited run of a product called Hypertrending, which was essentially an anonymized view of real-time location data showing activity in the Austin area.

Here’s what Chairman of the Board and cofounder Dennis Crowley had to say at the time:

We feel the general trend with internet and technology companies these days has been to keep giving users a more and more personalized (albeit opaquely personalized) view of the world, while the companies that create these feeds keep the broad “God View” to themselves. Hypertrending is one example of how we can take Foursquare’s aggregate view of the world and make it available to the users who make it what it is. This is what we mean when we talk about “transparency” – we want to be honest, in public, about what our technology can do, how it works, and the specific design decisions we made in creating it.

With regards to today’s acquisition of Placed, Jeff Glueck had this to say:

Both companies also share a commitment to privacy and consumers being in control. Our Foursquare credo of “data as a privilege” only deepens as our company expands. We believe location should only be shared when consumers can see real value and visible benefits driven by location. We remain dedicated to elevating the industry through respect for transparency, user control, and instituting layers of privacy safeguards.

This new financing brings Foursquare’s total funding to $390.4 million.

from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2wEgdBX

Galaxy Note10 won't have a headphone jack or physical buttons

Remember the buttonless abomination that was the HTC U12+? Samsung apparently took a long hard look at that concept and decided it's something it needs to get into. Seriously, a new rumor today, claimed to originate at "a source familiar with the company's plans", says the Galaxy Note10 will be devoid of any actual physical buttons. Those will be replaced by capacitive or pressure-sensitive areas, which will probably be highlighted by raised bumps or special textures along the edge. Read: faux buttons. Read: HTC U12+ redux. Let's hope Samsung manages to pull this off more than HTC could,...

from GSMArena.com - Latest articles http://bit.ly/2QyYdlr

Samsung sells over 2 million Galaxy M10, M20, and M30 devices in India

Earlier this month Samsung triumphantly announced that it sold 5 million Galaxy A-series phones in India in just 70 days of availability, and today it's time for the company to tout another big number. This time it's related to the M-series, namely the Galaxy M10, M20, and M30, handsets which are exclusively sold online in the subcontinent. And they are selling quite well, as it turns out. Samsung has already managed to move over 2 million units. The M-series will help the company double its market share in India when it comes to handsets sold online this year, according to Asim Warsi,...

from GSMArena.com - Latest articles http://bit.ly/2I7tHev

Huawei sales in India still strong despite uncertain future

While some carriers and retailers in Europe are reevaluating their relationship with Huawei following its US ban, which made the future of its smartphone business uncertain, sales in India are going as usual with indications of change in the near future. Croma, one of the leading retail giants in India, stated that Huawei users aren't particularly worried about incoming updates and are confident they will be getting new software features pretty soon. Ritesh Ghosal, the Chief Marketing Officer at Croma, said that "with its innovative and differentiated technology offerings, Huawei...

from GSMArena.com - Latest articles http://bit.ly/2KdbuPj

Once poised to kill the mouse and keyboard, Leap Motion plays its final hand

The company sought to completely change how we interacted with computers, but now Leap Motion is selling itself off.

Apple reportedly tried to get their hands on the hand-tracking tech which Leap Motion rebuffed, but now the hyped nine-year-old consumer startup is being absorbed into the younger, enterprise-focused UltraHaptics. The Wall Street Journal first reported the deal this morning, we’ve heard the same from a source familiar with the deal.

The report further detailed that the purchase price was a paltry $30 million, nearly one-tenth of the company’s most recent valuation. CEO Michael Buckwald will also not be staying on with the company post-acquisition, we’ve learned.

Leap Motion raised nearly $94 million off of their mind-bending demos of their hand-tracking technology, but they were ultimately unable to ever zero in a customer base that could sustain them. Even as the company pivoted into the niche VR industry, the startup remained a problem in search of a solution.

In 2011 when we first covered the startup, then called OcuSpec, it had raised $1.3 million in seed funding from Andreesen Horowitz and Founders Fund. At the time, Buckwald told us that he was building motion-sensing tech that was “radically more powerful and affordable than anything currently available” though he kept many details under wraps.

As the company first began to showcase its tech publicly, an unsustainable amount of hype began to build for the pre-launch module device that promised to replace the keyboard and mouse for a PC. The device was just a hub of infrared cameras, the magic was in the software which could build skeletal models of a user’s hands and fingers with precision. Leap Motion’s demos continued to impress, the team landed a $12.8 million Series A in 2012 and went on to raise a $30 million Series B the next year.

In 2013, we talked with an ambitious Buckwald as the company geared up to ship their consumer product the next year.

 

The launch didn’t go well as planned for Leap Motion, which sold 500,000 of the modules to consumers. The device was hampered by poor developer support and a poorly unified control system, in the aftermath the company laid off a chunk of employees and began to more seriously focus its efforts on becoming the main input for virtual reality and augmented reality headsets.

Leap Motion nabbed $50 million in 2017 after having pivoted wholly to virtual reality.

Leap Motion nabs $50M for its VR/AR hand-tracking tech

The company began building its own AR headset all while it was continuing to hock tech to headset OEMs, but at that point the company was burning through cash and losing its lifelines.

The company’s sale to UltraHaptics, a startup that has long been utilizing Leap Motion’s tech to integrate its ultrasonic haptic feedback solution, really just represents what a poor job Leap Motion did isolating their customer base and its unwillingness to turn away from consumer markets.

Hand-tracking may still end up changing how we interact with our computers and devices, but Leap Motion and its later investors won’t benefit from blazing that trail.

from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2Ml8vqR

Huawei nova 5i benchmarked with Kirin 710, docs show 4/128GB memory

A couple of leaks from multiple sources have revealed details about the Huawei nova 5i. Some suggest that this will launch as the Huawei P20 lite (2019) in some regions, however, several of the rumored specs don't line up. The nova 5i was certified by Taiwan's NCC with 4GB of RAM and 128GB storage, plus up to 512GB extra with a microSD card. There will be a version will 64GB storage as well. The phone has passed through Geekbench as well, showing a Kirin 710-level score. Huawei may announce the Kirin 720 any moment now and we thought a nova phone will introduce it, but that doesn't...

from GSMArena.com - Latest articles http://bit.ly/2W3MyfA

Uber Eats, micromobility services are growing faster than Uber’s core ride-hailing business

Uber’s ride-hailing business is growing more slowly than its newer bets. In Uber’s Q1 2019 earnings, the company reported gross bookings growth of 230 percent for its other bets, while ridesharing grew just 22 percent compared to the same quarter last year.

Gross bookings are the revenue earned minus things like taxes, tolls, fees, wages paid to drivers, restaurants and so forth.

Other bets, with gross bookings of $132 million for Q1 2019, includes freight and new mobility, which entails bikes and scooters. Uber did not break out specifics for new mobility, but Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said on an investor conference call that gross bookings for new mobility “grew strong quarter over quarter.”

Meanwhile, Eats continues to be a revenue driver for Uber, with gross bookings growth of 108 percent to $3.07 billion.

Slowing growth of Uber’s core business is to be expected. At TC Disrupt last year, Khosrowshahi said ride-hailing will make up less than 50 percent of Uber’s business transactions.

Uber lost another $1B last quarter

from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2EJtddD

Maine lawmakers pass bill to protect ISPs from selling browsing data

Good news!

Maine lawmakers have passed a bill that will prevent internet providers from selling consumers’ private internet data to advertisers.

The state’s senate unanimously passed the bill 35-0 on Thursday following an earlier vote by state representatives 96-45 in favor of the bill.

The bill, if signed into law by state governor Janet Mills, will force the national and smaller regional internet providers operating in the state to first obtain permission from residents before their data can be sold or passed onto advertisers or other third parties.

Maine has about 1.3 million residents.

The Republican-controlled Federal Communications Commission voted in 2017 to allow internet providers to sell customers’ private and personal internet data and browsing histories — including which websites a user visits and for how long — to advertisers for the biggest buck. Congress later passed the measure into law.

At the time, the ACLU explained how this rule change affected ordinary Americans:

Your internet provider sees everything you do online. Even if the website you’re visiting is encrypted, your ISP can still see the website name, how frequently you visit the website, and how long you’re there for. And, because you are a paying customer, your ISP knows your social security number, full legal name, address, and bank account information. Linking all that information can reveal a lot about you – for example, if you are visiting a religious website or a support site for people with a particular illness.

In its latest remarks, the ACLU — which along with the Open Technology Institute and New America helped to draft the legislation — praised lawmakers for passing the bill, calling it the “strongest” internet privacy bill of any state.

“Today, the Maine legislature did what the U.S. Congress has thus far failed to do and voted to put consumer privacy before corporate profits,” said Oamshri Amarasingham, advocacy director at the ACLU of Maine, in  a statement.

“Nobody should have to choose between using the internet and protecting their own data,” she said.

Congress just voted to let internet providers sell your browsing history

from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2EJqKQH

What to expect from Apple’s WWDC 2019

Last year’s WWDC was a rare step away from hardware for the company, without a single device announcement. In fact, Apple’s gadget lines have largely been the subject of quiet releases over the past year. Ahead of the big Apple TV unveil, the company issued several press releases highlighting minor updates to flagship lines.

Just last week, it did the same for the MacBook, with a quiet announcement around the latest attempt to resolve longstanding issues with the malfunctioning keyboards. Next week’s developer show, on the other hand, is shaping up to be something altogether different. All signs point to a load of big announcements, including, potentially, some Pro hardware.

After a fairly slow I/O and Build, Apple could really make a splash here. The company’s not immune from larger industry trends, and is at a kind of crossroads at the moment. Its last financial call highlighted a shifting focus away from hardware, toward services and content. It makes sense — after all, smartphone sales have slowed across the board, just as the company started making massive investments in content through Apple TV+.

Of course, WWDC is, at its heart, a developer show. And while Monday’s kick-off keynote is very much for the public at large, the true nature of the show is highlighting what’s new with Apple’s various operating systems. Let’s start with the biggie.

iOS 13

The leaks have already started, and the big news so far is system-wide Dark Mode, following in the footsteps of MacOS. Easier on the eyes and battery, expect the update to take much the same form as it did on desktop, starting with Apple’s own apps, with more third-party partners arriving in the following months. Given how much more aggressive and engaged the iOS development community tends to be, however, I’d anticipate them falling in line a lot quicker this time out.

Bloomberg’s got a bunch of additional features for iOS 13, which has reportedly been operating under the codename “Yukon” (apparently Apple’s already at work on iOS 14, Azul, as well, which will have a 5G and AR focus).

Unsurprisingly, the Health app is getting a makeover. In fact, expect health to be a big focus for the company yet again at the event (see also: Apple Watch). Native support for Duet Display, like second screen iPad functionality, has been rumored to be in the works for a while. On a personal note, I can say it’s been a game changer for me, and native support will only make things better.

Mail, Maps and Home are said to be receiving updates as well. There will be bug fixes throughout, as well, said to make the system operate better on new and old systems alike. It’s a nice upgrade and, perhaps, tacit acknowledgment of the fact that consumers are simply holding onto their devices for longer these days.

MacOS 10.15Much like the smartphone, the PC is very much in a transitional space — though its identity crisis has been ongoing since it was completely overshadowed by the smartphone. For many Windows PC makers, that’s meant novel approaches like second screens, which were all the rage at Computex in Taipei this week.

For Apple, however, that means definitively reclaiming the throne of king of the creative professionals, after an influx of competition from the likes of Microsoft and Samsung. But to start things off, the company’s going to once again borrow liberally from iOS.

Last year the company showed off a trio of apps — News, Stocks and Voice Memos — as a preview of the upcoming ability to port iOS apps to the desktop. That attempt to foster Mac app development, codenamed Marzipan (Apple’s all in on the fun codenames this year) will take center stage. Other iOS cribbed features include Screen Time, iMessage effects and Siri shortcuts, along with updates to a handful of existing Mac apps.

Mac hardware

What’s really exciting here, however, is the long-awaited arrival of Mac Pro. I’m going to tell you to take this one with a grain of salt, just because, well, we’ve all been burned before. As previously noted, Apple hit pause on the category, which plans to completely revamp the high-end desktop. The iMac Pro has addressed the need for some, but for many pros with demanding workflows, there’s been a trash can-shaped hole in their heart.

Just about all signs appear to point to the the long-awaited refresh arriving next week. Ditto for a recently rumored 31.6-inch, 6K pro display, which would fit nicely alongside the Pro and the smoldering ashes of your checkbook.

Also

Apple’s most recent event was all about Apple TV. The company had a LOT to show off on that front, and while the redesigned app has already arrived, expect the company to continue talking up Apple TV+, the forthcoming billion-dollar, cable-killing, premium-content offering from the company.

Last time Apple talked up the Apple Watch, it had some transit news to discuss. That goes live in New York tomorrow, by the way. This time out, expect a lot on the health front. That’s been the company’s focus for a while now, both as a way to distinguish the product from a flood of fellow wearables and to get it taken more seriously by the FDA and, by extension, healthcare providers. Menstrual tracking and a feature for keeping track of medications appear to be in the works.

So, too, are new Voice Memos, Calculator and Apple Books apps.

The party gets started Monday at 10AM PT / 1PM ET. We’ll be there with a live blog, breaking news and unicorn skull shards in tow.

from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/30QPLCV

Uber lost another $1B last quarter

Uber posted losses of $1 billion on revenue of $3.1 billion for the first quarter of 2019 in what was the company’s first earnings report as a public company.

Amid both positive and negative stock predictions, NYSE: UBER fluctuated ahead of the news, ultimately closing down .25 percent at $39.90 per share.

Analysts anticipated an adjusted net loss per share of 76 cents on earnings of about $3.1 billion, according to FactSet. Uber, in its IPO paperwork, said it expected first-quarter losses to fall between $1 billion and $1.1 billion.

Uber has traded below its IPO price in the three weeks since its rocky debut on The New York Stock Exchange. The company priced its IPO at $45 per share in early May, raising $8.1 billion in the process. The following morning, the business opened at a disappointing $42 a share, sending shockwaves through the tech ecosystem, which had predicted an IPO pop on par with Lyft’s, at least.

Uber’s performance on the public market has been a letdown. Investors, even Wall Street experts, had anticipated an initial market cap in the ballpark of $100 billion. Instead, Uber currently sits at a valuation of about $67 billion, or $5 billion lower than the $72 billion valuation it earned with its last private financing.

Uber’s competitor Lyft, for its part, is trading well below its IPO price of $72 per share, closing down 2.5 percent Thursday at $56 apiece. Its market cap today is approximately $16 billion, or just above its $15.1 billion Series I valuation. Lyft posted its first earnings report just days before Uber completed its historic IPO earlier this month.

Lyft lost $1.14B in Q1 2019 on $776M in revenue

Lyft posted first-quarter revenues of $776 million on losses of $1.14 billion, including $894 million in IPO-related expenses. The company’s revenues surpassed Wall Street estimates of $740 million while losses came in much higher than expected.

“The first quarter was a strong start to an important year, our first as a public company,” Lyft co-founder and chief executive officer Logan Green said in a statement. “Our performance was driven by the increased demand for our network and multi-modal platform, as Active Riders grew 46 percent and revenue grew 95 percent year-over-year. Transportation is one of the largest segments of our economy and we are still in the very early stages of an enormous secular shift from personal car ownership to Transportation-as-a-Service.”

Lyft said adjusted net losses came in at $211.5 million compared to $228.4 million in the first quarter of 2018. It expects revenue of more than $800 million on adjusted EBITDA losses of between $270 million and $280 million for the second-quarter of 2019. For the entire year, Lyft projects roughly $3.3 billion in total revenue on adjusted EBITDA losses of about $1.2 billion.

Pinterest, another well-known unicorn to recently IPO, shared tepid financials it what was also its first earnings report as a public company. The visual search engine posted revenues of $202 million on losses of $41.4 million for the three months ending March 31, 2019. The numbers surpassed Wall Street’s revenue estimates of about $200 million and represented significant growth from last year’s Q1 revenues of $131 million. Losses, however, came in roughly three times higher than estimates of 32 cents per share.

Pinterest went public in April, rising 25 percent during its first day trading on the NYSE. The company is now trading well below its $45 IPO price, however, closing Thursday at $25.5 per share with a market cap of about $14 billion.

Uber and Lyft’s lukewarm IPOs have shed light on Wall Street’s uncertainty toward highly priced unicorns. Many are now questioning how future venture-backed companies, particularly those in unproven industries like ride-hailing or autonomous vehicles, will fare as public companies.

This post is updating.

Pinterest delivers first earnings report as a public company

from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2Qzcaj9

Our Asus Zenfone 6 video review is up

Asus is far from a major player in the smartphone industry. As far as the wider tech world is concerned, however, the Taiwanese company is a behemoth, with its expertise in computer hardware earning it many fans. That position seems to be key in understanding the occasional Asus dabble in the phone world. Historically, Asus handsets tend to be different than the mainstream. The company's PC pedigree shines through, be it through the use Intel mobile chipsets when that was a thing, convoluted PC-style model numbering or bold design and functional decisions all around, like on the ROG...

from GSMArena.com - Latest articles http://bit.ly/2HJVhiV

‘Gato Roboto’ and ‘Dig Dog’ put pixelated pets to work in gleeful gaming homages

Drawing inspiration from games of yore but with dog and cat protagonists that signal light adventures rather than grim, dark ones, Gato Roboto and Dig Dog are easy to recommend to anyone looking to waste a couple hours this weekend. Not only that, but the latter was developed in a fascinating and inspiring way.

Both games share a 1-bit aesthetic that goes back many years but most recently was popularized by the inimitable Downwell and recently used to wonderful effect in both Return of the Obra Dinn and Minit. This is a limitation that frees the developer from certain concerns while also challenging them to present the player with all the information they need with only two colors, or in Dig Dog’s case a couple more (but not a lot).

In the latter game, you play as a dog, digging for bones among a series of procedurally generated landscapes populated by enemies and hazards. Dig Dug is the obvious callback in the name, but gameplay is more bouncy and spontaneous rather than the slower, strategic digging of the arcade classic.

On every stage you’re tasked with collecting a bone that’s somewhere near the bottom, while avoiding various types of enemies and traps or, if you so choose, destroying them and occasionally yielding coins. These coins can be traded with a merchant who appears on some stages, offering various gameplay perks like a longer dash or higher jump.

Get it! Get the bone!

The simple controls let you jump, dig, and do a midair dash that kills enemies — that’s pretty much it. The rest is down to moment-to-moment choices: dig around that enemy or go through them? If I go this way will I trap myself in this hole? Is it worth attacking that bat nest for a coin or will it be too hard to get out alive?

Collected bones contribute towards unlocking new stages with different, more dangerous enemies and devious traps. It gives a sense of progression even when you only get a bone or two, as does your dog rocketing back upwards in a brief but satisfying zoomies celebration every time. So even when you die, and you will die a lot, you feel like you’re working towards something.

It’s a great time-waster and you won’t exhaust its challenges for hours of gameplay; it’s also very easy to pick up and play a few stages of, since a whole life might last less than a minute. At $4 it’s an easy one to recommend.

Interestingly, Dig Dog was developed by its creator with only minimal use of his hands. A repetitive stress condition made it painful and inadvisable for him to code using the keyboard, so he uses a voice-based coding system instead. If I had been told I couldn’t type any more, I’d probably just take up a new career, so I admire Rusty Moyher for his tenacity. He made a video about the process here, if you’re curious:

Gato Roboto, for Switch and PC, is a much more complicated game, though not nearly so much as its inspirations, the NES classics Metroid and Blaster Master. In Gato Roboto, as in those games, you explore a large world filled with monsters and tunnels, fighting bosses and outfitting yourself with new abilities, which in turn let you explore the world further.

This one isn’t as big and open as recent popular “metroidvanias” like Hollow Knight or Ori and the Blind Forest — it’s really much more like a linear action-adventure game in the style of metroidvanias.

The idea is that you’ve crash-landed on a planet after tracking a mysterious signal, but the spaceman aboard the ship is trapped — you play his cat, Kiki, who must explore the planet in his stead.

At first (or shall I say fur-st) you really are just a cat, but you’re soon equipped with a power suit that lets you jump and shoot like any other action game. However, you frequently have to jump out of it to get into a smaller tunnel or enter water, in which the suit can’t operate (and the cat only barely). In this respect it’s a bit like Blaster Master, in which your pilot could dismount and explore caves in top-down fashion — an innovation that made the game one of my favorites for the system. (If you haven’t played the Switch remake, Blaster Master Zero, I implore you to.)

Gato Roboto isn’t as taxing or complex as its predecessors, but it’s not really meant to be. It’s a non-stop romp where you always have a goal or an obstacle to overcome. The 1-bit graphics are so well executed that I stopped noticing them after a minute or two — the pixel art is very clear and only rarely does the lack of color cause any confusion whatever.

Like Dig Dog and Downwell before it, you can pick up color schemes to change the palette, a purely aesthetic choice but a fun collectible (some are quite horrid). The occasional secret and branching path keeps your brain working a little bit, but not too much.

The game is friendly and forgiving, but I will say that the bosses present rather serious difficulty spikes, and you may, as I did, find yourself dying over and over to them because they’re a hundred times more dangerous than ordinary enemies or environmental hazards. Fortunately the game is (kitty) littered with save points and, for the most part, the bosses are not overlong encounters. I still raged pretty hard on a couple of them.

It’s twice the price of Dig Dog, a whopping $8. I can safely say it’s worth the price of two coffees. Don’t hesitate.

These pleasant distractions should while away a few hours, and to me they represent a healthy gaming culture that can look back on its past and find inspiration, then choose to make something new and old at the same time.

from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2JM9sq8

Ferrari’s first plug-in hybrid is here. And it’s faster than ever.

Ferrari has finally cracked open the door for electrification. The Italian supercar manufacturer unveiled the SF90 Stradale, its first plug-in hybrid.

Purists might turn their noses up to Stradale’s mere 15.5 miles of all electric range. But it’s a milestone for Ferrari nonetheless and marks a shift in the company’s views and portfolio.

Now, some of the important nuts and bolts. The Stradale has a V8 turbo engine that produces 780 cv (or about 769 horsepower), which the company says is the highest power output of any 8-cylinder Ferraris in its history. Another 216 hp is produced by three electric motors. The motors are located between the engine and 8-speed dual clutch transmission on the rear axle, and two on the front axle.

When combined, the vehicle can travel from 0 to 62 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds.

You can check out the video below to see the supercar in action. Wait — and listen — for the moment when the driver switches to electric power.

The driver can place the Stradale in eDrive mode — Ferrari’s branding for all-electric mode. When the internal combustion engine is turned off, the two independent front motors can deliver a maximum speed of about 83 mph. That’s slow compared to car’s top speed of 211 mph, which is achieved when the combustion engine is activated. Reverse only uses eDrive mode.

The #FerrariSF90Stradale marks a new chapter in #Ferrari history with the introduction of our first series production PHEV delivering 1,000 cv and a maximum speed of 340 km/h.

Discover more at https://t.co/oGC6j9Yemf pic.twitter.com/O3D7yN8WNe

— Ferrari USA (@FerrariUSA) May 29, 2019

The default setting for the Stradale is to run as a hybrid. The vehicle can also has a performance setting, a mode that keeps the internal gas engine running because the priority is more on charging the battery than on efficiency. This mode gives the driver instant and full power.

Then there’s the tech inside the vehicle. The aeronautically cockpit has a head-up display unit that projects information on the front windscreen and in driver’s field of view. Ferrari has adopted a “hands on the wheel” philosphy in its design. The touch controls are on the steering wheel, which includes a small touch pad on the right hand. Voice and cruise controls are on the left-hand spoke of the wheel.

Ferrari has also taken design cues from Formula 1. For instance, the rotary switch for cruise control is a solution derived directly from the Formula 1 car

Ferrari hasn’t released details on the price yet, nor has it provided information on when the Stradale is coming to market.

from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2WbnsjT

Audi works with Fleetonomy to monitor and manage fleet utilization for its on demand program

Audi just completed a trial with Israeli company Fleetonomy as part of a potential wider rollout of the Israeli company’s fleet monitoring and management services designed to improve utilization.

Using Fleetonomy’s tools that provide predictive analytics of fleet utilization, Audi was able to improve the overall efficiency and utilization of its on-demand services.

“Audi has always aspired to provide a great experience by advancing through innovation and technology. By taking an innovative multi-service approach, Fleetonomy’s platform showed great success in improving fleet efficiency while simultaneously reducing costs associated with utilization and operation according to fleet constraints,” said Nils Noack, Mobility Strategy, Audi Business Innovation GmbH. “We’re looking forward to exploring further the opportunity to leverage Fleetonomy’s AI-based fleet management platforms and to pushing Audi’s vision of innovative mobility services.”

Car companies around the world are rolling out on-demand or rental programs for their fleets as a way to replace traditional car ownership. Audi launched its on demand program back in 2015 and has a new version, Audi Select, which rolled out in 2018.

Using data from Germany and San Francisco,  Fleetonomy was able to predict demand and move supply of the Audi fleet around to rebalance vehicle availability in real-time, the company said.

“As the industry transforms, automotive manufacturers are expanding their role as providers of on-demand transportation services and are looking for efficient ways to manage their fleets according to dynamic demand and supply,” said Fleetnomy Co-Founder & CEO Israel Duanis, in a statement. “Fleetonomy provides unique fleet management solutions that help fleet operators automate, optimize and manage smart transportation services that meet current and future industry needs. We are very excited to have taken part in this project and are confident that Fleetonomy can positively influence overall efficiency, as well as enhance Audi’s smart transportation management capabilities in the future”.

Late last year, Fleetonomy snagged $3 million from investors including Vertex Ventures, with participation from Kardan Ventures and VectoIQ.

Now the company will look to expand on its success with other automakers as well as deepen its relationship with Audi.

from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2WxGWhW

Huawei P30 and P30 Pro update enables DC dimming

DC dimming is being enabled on the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro via a software update that is currently rolling out in China. This means that Huawei's flagships have joined the growing number of phones with OLED screens that ditched PWM for DC dimming. What's the difference? In short, PWM rapidly turns the pixels on and off to lower the brightness - hence the name "pulse width modulation". This leads to a flicker that some people are sensitive to and causes headaches for them. DC dimming reduces the current sent to each pixel, which reduces its brightness while keeping it on constantly (so,...

from GSMArena.com - Latest articles http://bit.ly/2wsCan9

Google Play cracks down on marijuana apps, loot boxes and more

On Wednesday, Google href="https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/29/following-ftc-complaint-google-rolls-out-new-policies-around-kids-apps-on-google-play/"> rolled out new policies around kids’ apps on Google Play following an FTC complaint claiming a lack of attention to app’s compliance with children’s privacy laws, and other rules around content. However, kids’ apps weren’t the only area being addressed this week. As it turns out, Google also cracked down on loot boxes, marijuana apps, while also expanding sections detailing prohibitions around hate speech, sexual content, and counterfeit goods, among other things.

The two more notable changes include a crackdown on “loot boxes” and a ban on apps that offer marijuana delivery — while the service providers’ apps can remain, the actual ordering process has to take place outside of the app itself, Google said.

Specifically, Google will no longer allow apps offering the ability to order marijuana through an in-app shopping cart, those that assist users in the delivery or pickup of marijuana, or those that facilitate the sale of THC products.

This isn’t a huge surprise — Apple already bans apps that allow for the sale of marijuana, tobacco, or other controlled substances in a similar fashion. On iOS, apps like Eaze and Weedmaps are allowed, but they don’t offer an ordering function. That’s the same policy Google is now applying on Google Play, too.

This is a complex subject for Google, Apple, and other app marketplace providers to tackle. Though some states have legalized the sale of marijuana, the laws vary. And it’s still illegal according to the federal government. Opting out of playing middleman here is probably the right step for app marketplace platforms.

That said, we understand Google has no intention of outright banning marijuana ordering and delivery apps.

The company knows they’re popular and wants them to stay. It’s even giving them a grace period of a 30 days to make changes, and is working with the affected app developers to ensure they’ll remain accessible.

“These apps simply need to move the shopping cart flow outside of the app itself to be compliant with this new policy,” a spokesperson explained. “We’ve been in contact with many of the developers and are working with them to answer any technical questions and help them implement the changes without customer disruption.”

Another big change impacts loot boxes — a form of gambling popular among gamers. Essentially, people pay a fee to receive a random selection of in-game items, some of which may be rare or valuable. Loot boxes have been heavily criticized for a variety of reasons, including their negative effect on gameplay and how they’re often marketed to children.

Last week, a new Senate bill was introduced with bipartisan support that would prohibit the sale of loot boxes to children, and fine those in violation.

Google Play hasn’t gone so far as to ban loot boxes entirely, but instead says games have to now disclose the odds of getting each item.

In addition to these changes, Google rolled out a handful of more minor updates, detailed on its Developer Policy Center website. 

Here, Google says it has expanded the definition of what it considers sexual content to include a variety of new examples, like illustrations of sexual poses, content depicts sexual aids and fetishes, and depictions of nudity that wouldn’t be appropriate in a public context. It also added “content that is lewd or profane,” according to Android Police which compared the old and new versions of the policy.

Definitions that are somewhat “open to interpretation” is something that Apple commonly uses to gain better editorial control over its own App Store. By adding a ban of “lewd or profane” content, Google can opt to reject apps that aren’t covered by other examples.

Google also expanded its list of examples around hate speech to include: “compilations of assertions intended to prove that a protected group is inhuman, inferior or worthy of being hated;” “apps that contain theories about a protected group possessing negative characteristics (e.g. malicious, corrupt, evil, etc.), or explicitly or implicitly claims the group is a threat;” and “content or speech trying to encourage others to believe that people should be hated or discriminated against because they are a member of a protected group.”

Additional changes include an update to the Intellectual Property policy that more clearly prohibits the sale or promotion for sale of counterfeit goods within an app; a clarification of the User Generated Content policy to explicitly prohibit monetization features that encourage objectionable behavior by users; and an update the Gambling policy with more examples.

A Google spokesperson says the company regularly updates its Play Store developer policies in accordance with best practices and legal regulations around the world. However, the most recent set of changes to err on the side of getting ahead of increased regulation — not only in terms of kids’ apps and data privacy, but also other areas now under legal scrutiny, like loot boxes and marijuana sales.

 

 

from TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2XgNjTY