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Showing posts from January, 2020

Global tablet shipments declined 1.5% YoY to 144.1M units in 2019; Apple's shipments grew 15.2% YoY to 49.9M units during the year (IDC)

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IDC : Global tablet shipments declined 1.5% YoY to 144.1M units in 2019; Apple's shipments grew 15.2% YoY to 49.9M units during the year   —  The worldwide tablet market declined 0.6% year over year during the fourth quarter of 2019 (4Q19) as global shipments fell to 43.5 million units … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2OiUvMT

FCC approves $20.4B Rural Digital Opportunity Fund to deploy rural broadband but Democratic FCC commissioners warn it won't help many areas that need internet (Andrea Noble/Route Fifty)

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Andrea Noble / Route Fifty : FCC approves $20.4B Rural Digital Opportunity Fund to deploy rural broadband but Democratic FCC commissioners warn it won't help many areas that need internet   —  In this April 30, 2015 photo, Sylvia Fonseca, 16, works in the computer lab at Cuyama Valley High School in California. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2UquAqD

Roku says it has settled its carriage dispute with Fox to distribute Fox channels on the Roku platform ahead of the Super Bowl (Jason Gurwin/The Streamable)

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Jason Gurwin / The Streamable : Roku says it has settled its carriage dispute with Fox to distribute Fox channels on the Roku platform ahead of the Super Bowl   —  At midnight tonight, it was expected that Roku would remove the FOX Now, FOX Sports, FOX News, FOX Business, FOX Nation, Big 10 Network, and FOX Soccer apps from the Roku Channel Store and existing devices. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/38YMgO0

The Bouqs, a US-based flower delivery startup, raises $30M from Japanese company Yamasa to expand in Japan, bringing its total raised to $74M (Sarah Buhr/TechCrunch)

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Sarah Buhr / TechCrunch : The Bouqs, a US-based flower delivery startup, raises $30M from Japanese company Yamasa to expand in Japan, bringing its total raised to $74M   —  The Bouqs plans to take a slice of Japan's $6 billion flower market this year with a $30 million strategic growth round from Japanese enterprise business investor Yamasa. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2GJF8sA

A Russian law requiring all smartphones to pre-install Russian-made software, which goes into effect in July 2020, could force Apple to quit the country (Josh Nadeau/Fast Company)

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Josh Nadeau / Fast Company : A Russian law requiring all smartphones to pre-install Russian-made software, which goes into effect in July 2020, could force Apple to quit the country   —  In November 2019, Russian parliament passed what's become known as the “law against Apple.”  The legislation will require … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/36L6c5i

One Medical, a concierge-like primary healthcare startup, closes up 58% on its first day of trading, after raising $245M in its IPO, and is now valued at $2.7B (Bloomberg)

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Bloomberg : One Medical, a concierge-like primary healthcare startup, closes up 58% on its first day of trading, after raising $245M in its IPO, and is now valued at $2.7B   —  - Listing values tech-driven health clinic firm at $2.7 billion  — Company's One Medical clinics expanding to Atlanta, Portland from Techmeme https://ift.tt/31gyVxD

One Medical, a concierge-like primary healthcare startup, closes up 58% on its first day of trading, after raising $245M in its IPO, and is now valued at $2.7B (Tara Bannow/Modern Healthcare)

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Tara Bannow / Modern Healthcare : One Medical, a concierge-like primary healthcare startup, closes up 58% on its first day of trading, after raising $245M in its IPO, and is now valued at $2.7B   —  Membership-based primary care platform One Medical's stock price jumped nearly 60% on its first day of trading Friday … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2GJkY1S

Founding president of the Internet Association, Michael Beckerman, to step down after eight years and join TikTok as VP of US public policy in March (Margaret Harding McGill/Axios)

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Margaret Harding McGill / Axios : Founding president of the Internet Association, Michael Beckerman, to step down after eight years and join TikTok as VP of US public policy in March   —  The president of tech trade group the Internet Association is stepping down to run TikTok's Washington policy shop, the organizations said Friday. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3aTQmZo

Ajit Pai: Carrier sales of phone-location data is illegal, FCC plans punishment

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Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Nakhorn Yuangkratoke/EyeEm) Mobile network operators who sold their customers' real-time location data violated US law and the Federal Communications Commission will try to punish carriers that did so, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai wrote today. "[T]he FCC's Enforcement Bureau has completed its extensive investigation and... it has concluded that one or more wireless carriers apparently violated federal law," Pai wrote in a letter today to Democratic members of Congress who asked for an update on the probe. "I am committed to ensuring that all entities subject to our jurisdiction comply with the Communications Act and the FCC's rules, including those that protect consumers' sensitive information, such as real-time location data," Pai's letter continued. "Accordingly, in the coming days, I intend to circulate to my fellow Commissioners for their consideration one or more Notice(s) of Apparent Liability for Forf...

Gabi, which lets users upload their home, car, or renters insurance policies to compare them with other providers and find better offers, raises $27M Series B (Dean Takahashi/VentureBeat)

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Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat : Gabi, which lets users upload their home, car, or renters insurance policies to compare them with other providers and find better offers, raises $27M Series B   —  Gabi Insurance has raised $27 million in funding to disrupt insurance brokers and get you better rates for car, homeowner's, or renter's insurance. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2RLqMOR

Elon Musk just dropped an EDM track on SoundCloud

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Friday typically brings a bunch of new music releases, but this Friday’s new drops includes a new track from an unlikely source – Elon Musk . The SpaceX and Tesla CEO said earlier this week he had written a new song called “Don’t doubt yer vibe,” to be released on “Emo G Records,” but as usual it was hard to tell if Musk was being serious or just having his evening internet fun. Turns out, he was serious, and we didn’t have to wait long to hear the track. The lyrics probably didn’t take him too long to write – the whole song consists of “Don’t doubt your vibe / because it’s true / don’t doubt your vibe / because it’s you” repeated over and over. Musk says he performed the lyrics, which are modified and distorted to an airy electronic, supernatural sounding final product. The track itself is backed by a pulsing, ambient kind of EDM arrangement, and all in all it’s not a bad representation of the genre. Listen for yourself and judge: Musk also tweeted photos of himself in the stud...

Indian ride-hailing firm Ola to launch in London on February 10

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After opening an office in the city last year, Indian ride-hailing firm Ola said it would officially begin operations in London on February 10. London is one of the world’s biggest markets for ride-hailing services, and the expansion is a key development in Ola’s international strategy as the company widens its competition with Uber, another SoftBank portfolio firm. Ola said it will be “fully operational from day one” in London, where it has signed up over 20,000 drivers since late November . The company, which has raised about $3.5 billion to date, emphasized that its platform offers a range of security features such as a 24/7 helpline for drivers and customers and an in-app emergency button. Safety is a sensitive subject around the globe, especially in the UK capital, which might explain why it took Ola additional months to launch in the city after securing the license in July last year and entering the region in 2018. In November, TechCrunch obtained a pitch to Ola from a PR f...

Harvey Nash hires first female CEO

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AWS downplays risk of competitors threatening its public cloud dominance during Q4 results

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UK’s Tier 1 visa system ‘does not work well’, says MAC

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Amazon: Christmas sales soar as other retailers struggle

Sales were up 20% over the festive season in sharp contrast to weakness at other retailers. from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8290670 https://ift.tt/2Ubwifk

Twitter suspends notorious UK hate preacher for violating abuse rules

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Twitter has confirmed it has temporarily suspended the account of controversial rightwing commentator, Katie Hopkins. The move was reported earlier by the BBC . Hopkins, a former MailOnline columnist and presenter on LBC radio, is a veteran of the social media platform, joining Twitter just under a decade ago — and using it amplify her brand of far-right leaning, liberal-baiting politics. She regularly tweets anti-immigration and anti-Islam sentiments, and has claimed that white British people are now a discriminated against minority. It’s not clear which of Hopkins’ tweets led Twitter to finally pull the trigger, although she had recently targeted black British rapper Stormzy for a series of abusive tweets. In a statement confirming the account suspension, Twitter told us: Keeping Twitter safe is a top priority for us — abuse and harassment have no place on the service. We take enforcement action against any account that is violative of our rules – which includes violations ...

Skymind Global Ventures launches $800M fund and London office to back AI startups

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Skymind Global Ventures (SGV) appeared last year in Asia/US as a vehicle for the previous founders of a YC-backed open-source AI platform to invest in companies that used the platform. Today it announces the launch of an $800 million fund to back promising new AI companies and academic research. It will consequently be opening a London office as an extension to its original Hong Kong base. SGV Founder and CEO Shawn Tan said in a statement: “Having our operations in the UK capital is a strategic move for us. London has all the key factors to help us grow our business, such as access to diverse talent and investment, favorable regulation, and a strong and well-established technology hub. The city is also the AI growth capital of Europe with the added competitive advantage of boasting a global friendly time zone that overlaps with business hours in Asia, Europe and the rest of the world.” SGV will use its London base to back research and development and generate business opportunities...

Facebook Gaming launches a toolkit for creators, letting them remove comments, mute viewers for short periods, or ban people from the stream, in real time (Dean Takahashi/VentureBeat)

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Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat : Facebook Gaming launches a toolkit for creators, letting them remove comments, mute viewers for short periods, or ban people from the stream, in real time   —  Facebook is launching a dashboard and toolkit for streamers and video makers so they can more easily manage their communities, including viewers who don't follow the rules. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/390S8q5

Censorship claims emerge as TikTok gets political in India

A TikTok influencer says his videos on Hindu-Muslim unity have triggered censorship on the app. from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8290670 https://ift.tt/31axGQK

Making beautiful colours without toxic chemicals

Dyeing clothes uses a lot of water and chemicals, but new tech is drawing on nature for colours. from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8290670 https://ift.tt/2RHL2kv

Social Captain, which helps boost follower counts on Instagram, exposes thousands of Instagram passwords in its web page source code (Zack Whittaker/TechCrunch)

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Zack Whittaker / TechCrunch : Social Captain, which helps boost follower counts on Instagram, exposes thousands of Instagram passwords in its web page source code   —  A social media boosting startup, which bills itself as a service to increase increase a user's Instagram followers, has exposed thousands of Instagram account passwords. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2Uc2kI8