Hot takes: How TechCrunch+ covered climate tech in 2022

Climate became an increasingly popular topic in 2021, perhaps best showcased in pieces like this interview with Eric Dean Wilson on why air conditioning, one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century, is killing the 21st, which we featured in our Best of TechCrunch 2021 list. But this year came in waves — heat waves, that is. New records were chalked on the board as hotter-than-normal summer days led to power grids failing and disastrous hurricanes devastated coastlines.

Take a look at some of our hottest TechCrunch+ climate 2022 coverage:

Manchin’s ultimatum may turn the US into a battery powerhouse

In August 2022, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin spoke with the automotive industry to ensure that the lucrative tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act that made EVs more affordable for U.S. consumers go toward the purchase of cars manufactured in the United States.

EV battery leases could be a boon for manufacturers, a bust for consumers

Did you know that you could lease an EV battery? Vietnamese automaker VinFast tested the waters of selling EVs and leasing their batteries. Our own Tim De Chant noted that this model could help lower the barriers to EV ownership.

Meet 5 startups working to harness the Earth’s heat to save the planet

Name five geothermal startups. You probably can’t, but Tim can. Geothermal energy is being harnessed as a carbon-free source of power, and startups are looking to take it from a niche market to one that could transform the way we think of energy. I’ve been captivated by geothermal energy and its uses since being part of a research project about two-phase flow in a hydrothermal (a subset of geothermal) vent system. In this article, Tim highlights five startups working to unlock geothermal’s potential, including QHeat, which aims to use geothermal energy for heating and cooling in dense urban areas.

EV charging sucks because it hasn’t found the right business model

While I don’t drive an EV, I do imagine that road trips with one must be quite difficult — finding charging stations and taking the time to charge instead of just filling up your tank — but that may soon no longer be the case. Tim says, “Today’s EV charging business models fall into three main categories — networks run by manufacturers to spur EV sales, networks that focus on consumers directly and networks run as a service for property owners or managers. (That’s a bit of an oversimplification since some use elements of all three, but it’s close enough. There are also attempts to use advertising to support EV charging, but I’m skeptical that’s a standalone model — advertising is a cutthroat business and highly cyclical, a combination that doesn’t jibe with long-term infrastructure investments.)” (Tim then rented a Tesla over the Thanksgiving holiday period and accepted the EV road-trip challenge.)

Laid off? Climate tech is looking for talent and founders

Looking for a job? The paywall is below the key links in this article. Best of luck with your job hunt!

While layoffs swept across the tech industry this year, it could be climate tech’s chance to grow. In the first half of this year, climate tech raised $5.6 billion. “Five years from now, PitchBook expects the climate tech market to be worth $1.4 trillion, a compound annual growth rate of 8.8%,” Tim writes.

Hot takes: How TechCrunch+ covered climate tech in 2022 by Miranda Halpern originally published on TechCrunch

from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/oTAbD7X

Oppo Reno10 Pro+ schematics reveal new design

The Reno9 phones were announced in China in late November, and the company is already working on the next series, Reno10. The leakster Digital Chat Station posted the schematics of a smartphone, claiming to be the Oppo Reno10 Pro+ - the mightiest of the eventual lineup. The image, if true, reveals the Oppo midranger series will have a smartphone with a periscope lens, while the overall design will move away from the square-ish island in the top left corner. The image reveals a flat screen with a single punch hole for the selfie camera. On the back, there are three cameras on an oval...

from GSMArena.com - Latest articles https://ift.tt/a2ZTK0P

Pakistan cracks down on sketchy digital lending

Pakistan’s markets regulator issued new guidelines for digital lending in the country, cracking down on several sketchy practices that it said have become prevalent in the South Asian market.

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan said Wednesday evening that non-banking finance companies that disburse loans through digital channels including mobile apps will be required to disclosure key fact statements such as the credit amount they are granting to consumers, annual percentage rates, duration of the loan, and “all fee and charges.”

The non-banking finance firms will be required to share these key facts with consumers through audio or video and emails and text messages in both English and Urdu languages. “Any fee not included in key fact statement will not be charged to the borrower,” the regulator said (PDF) in a press release.

These firms will also not be able to access borrower’s phone book or contacts lists or pictures on the device “even if the borrower has given consent in this regard,” the regulator said. (You can read the full-guidelines here {PDF}.)

“The lender shall also not be allowed to contact the persons in the borrower’s contact list, other than those who have been specifically authorized by the borrower as guarantors and who have also provided their consent to the digital lender at the time of loan approval,” it added.

The move follows the regulator noticing rise in mis-selling, breach of data privacy and “coercive” recovery practices of licensed digital lending companies” and to safeguard public interest, it said.

Neighboring nation India also introduced strict rules surrounding digital lending in a move that has toppled the local fintech industry.

Pakistan cracks down on sketchy digital lending by Manish Singh originally published on TechCrunch

from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/vQa01dX

Poco C50 rumored to launch on January 3, X5 5G gets certified

Last month, Poco's Indian branch announced that it would launch the Poco C50 in India in the last week of November, but that didn't happen for some reason. And while there's no update from the Chinese brand about the C50's India launch, a media report claims the smartphone will debut in India next week - on January 3. Poco previously said the C50 will be a "budget disrupter" and an "overall package" that will deliver "stellar camera performance, immersive multimedia experience," and "long battery life with a sleek design." You can expect Poco to start teasing the C50 on social media in a...

from GSMArena.com - Latest articles https://ift.tt/MIBO09V

Movano’s new smart ring is focused on women’s health

Movano’s getting a week’s jump on what might well prove a banner CES for the smart ring. Today the Bay Area-based firm debuted Evie, a smart ring focused on women’s health set to hit the market later next year. The device capitalizes on the recent popularity of the unobtrusive form factor, led by the likes of Oura and Circular.

It is, however, among the first to be focused on a specific market segment (insofar as roughly 51% of the population can be considered a segment, I suppose). Women’s health certainly makes sense as a target. Companies like Fitbit and Apple have found some success with the addition of cycle tracking and related features.

That is, of course, included out of the box here. Evie’s top-level features include:

[R]esting heart rate, heart rate variability, SpO2, respiration rate, skin temperature variability, period and ovulation tracking, menstrual symptom tracking, activity profile, including steps, active minutes and, calories burned, sleep stages and duration, and mood tracking.

The “mood” bit here is the main selling point of the as of yet unreleased Happy Ring, which puts its data to use in hopes of helping users manage things like stress and sleep a bit better. The rest of Evie’s details are still fairly foggy — Movano is promising a better look at the product at the show next week. Of course, you can’t really blame the company for wanting to get out ahead of the scrum.

Image Credits: Movano

On top of that, Movano says it’s “planning to seek FDA clearance” for the product. Obviously no firm time line on that. It notes:

The Company plans to file for pulse oximetry metrics after having completed a successful hypoxia trial in October 2022, where accuracy for clinical SpO2 and heart rate commensurate with FDA’s consensus standard was demonstrated. While a few wearables are only FDA cleared for specific software, such as ECG and Afib, Evie is designed per regulatory standards and built in a medical device manufacturing facility that meets ISO13485 and cGMP standards. The clearance will offer women trusted and personalized insights that can help them draw connections between cause and effect, so they can better understand the “why” behind what they’re feeling. Additionally, Evie will deliver data that clinicians can deem reliable for patient care.

That’s clearly the end game for a lot of these firms, moving from the consumer space to something that’s taken a bit more seriously among medical professionals, insurance companies and the like.

“As a medical device, Evie will go beyond the status quo of other wearables on the market, and we believe it has the power to transform women’s lives and overall health,” CEO John Mastrototaro says in a release. “We are bringing together medical grade biometric data and insights in a comfortable and contemporary wearable that allows women to take ownership of their unique health journey.”

The product is expected to run around $300 and, unlike Oura, it won’t charge an additional subscription fee.

Movano’s new smart ring is focused on women’s health by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/hvIr0y2

Samsung Galaxy A13 with Helio G80 and Xcover Pro now receive One UI 5

Yesterday Samsung released the Android 13-based One UI 5.0 stable update for the Exynos 850-powered Galaxy A13 (SM-A135F), and now it's the MediaTek variant that's getting a taste of the latest version of Android and Samsung's custom interface. We are talking about the Samsung Galaxy A13's SM-A137F model, powered by the Helio G80 SoC. It gets the usual One UI 5.0 goodies and November 2022 Android security patch, which comes with firmware version A137FXXU1BVL1. The update is rolling in Europe, and if you haven't received it on your Helio G80-powered Galaxy A13 yet, you can check for it...

from GSMArena.com - Latest articles https://ift.tt/mi0tFVG

2022 Winners and Losers: Honor

After a solid bounce-back year, Honor doubled down on its strategy to regain market space across Europe and China with a strong push of smartphones, tablets, laptops and wearable devices. The brand released its first foldable with the Magic V in China which was later followed by the Magic Vs, which will make its way to markets outside of China eventually. Honor Magic4 Pro was one of the most feature-packed flagship offerings while the Honor 70 and Honor 80 were the key phones in the midrange segment. We also got solid laptops with the likes of the MagicBook 14 2022, which impressed us with...

from GSMArena.com - Latest articles https://ift.tt/2CrehZx