GadgetFreak

Hi! I’m Greg Kumparak. I’ll be heading up Week in Review for the foreseeable future, with your former host Lucas Matney diving into cryptoland with the launch of a newsletter and podcast called Chain Reaction . He’s not going too far, and I’m sure he’ll stop back in from time to time. If my name seems familiar, it might be because I took over Week in Review a few times while Lucas was AFK/touching grass/not staring at a screen. Or it could be because you’ve been reading TechCrunch for a long time. I’ve been around this place for over a decade; I’ve worn a lot of hats in that time. (Metaphorical hats. I’ve got a big ol’ head, most actual hats don’t fit right.) That’s all I’ll say about me, for now, because this isn’t the Greg in Review newsletter. But come say hi on Twitter . Tell me what you like most about Week in Review as it has existed so far. I don’t intend to change much about the format, but I’m always down to do more of what people like. the big thing Lucas always starte

For investors, one factor will almost always stand head and shoulders above the rest: Your TAM (total addressable market) needs to break at least $1 billion. But alongside a massive addressable market, investors are also looking to see that you have existing customers, even they’re few in number, who truly love your product. However, communicating the steps between your existing users (wedge) and your long-term potential as a company (TAM) can be incredibly tricky. At TechCrunch Early Stage this month, we sat down with Felicis Ventures partners Viviana Faga and Niki Pezeshki to talk about scaling, product-market fit, and why it’s crucial to be “10x better” than the incumbents. Product-market fit Startups must be able to demonstrate that they have users that love their product. But what does “love” really mean? Faga and Pezeshki believe that startups need a framework to measure their initial push into a niche audience. They suggest running a survey with your first cohort of users

Ever since Apple acquired Beats in 2014, it’s been obvious Apple wants to get more into the consumer audio space. The original AirPods were a hit despite being awful, but the AirPods Pro are among the best true wireless earbuds you can get. So naturally, we were excited yet skeptical when the AirPods Max were announced. Is this just another overpriced Apple product, or are they actually good? from Android Authority https://ift.tt/0PBqaw3 via IFTTT

Android and privacy haven’t always been natural companions. Google still makes the bulk of its profits from its data-fueled advertising business that relies heavily on user information, much of it derived directly from Android users. Nowadays, Google gives its users more authority over how and when the search giant taps into Android-associated data by baking a number of security features and privacy protections into the software. Many of the basics you already know. Setting a strong PIN — or better yet, an alphanumeric passcode — to lock down your device is a great start, and making sure you keep your device up-to-date with the latest security patches . Plus, protecting your Google account with two-factor authentication can save you from even the most well-resourced hackers. What’s more, a number of Android’s built-in security features are switched on by default, such as verified boot, a feature that ensures that the device’s firmware hasn’t been tampered with by malware, and Goog

Christopher Mims / Wall Street Journal : A look at the challenges Apple is facing as it develops its own wireless modem, expected to replace Qualcomm chips in 2023 iPhones   —  A series of moves by the tech giant, as well as signals from its suppliers, make clear that it aims to start designing the modems of the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/qywn0X5 via IFTTT

Credit: Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority I’ve experimented with a variety of remote work arrangements over the last decade. From a bedroom setup to a couch or a dining table, I’ve done it all. But when I recently started rebuilding my home office, I knew good lighting and enough of it was going to be essential. This was all the more important because despite having large windows, my apartment just doesn’t get enough natural light. It’s well documented that lighting can affect mood, productivity, and mental health. Our picks: The best smart bulbs | The best smart lamps from Android Authority https://ift.tt/GwXar5h via IFTTT

Welcome to Startups Weekly, a fresh human-first take on this week’s startup news and trends. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here. There’s a clash happening in the early-stage market. In one world, late-stage investors are reacting to tech stonk corrections by clamoring toward the early-stage investment world, forcing seed investors to go even earlier to defend ownership and potential returns. This trend was underscored by firms like Andreessen Horowitz launching a pre-seed program months after launching a $400 million seed fund . Even more, Techstars, an accelerator literally launched to help startups get off the ground, debuted a fund to back companies that are too early for its traditional programming. While all that is going on, early-stage investors are enduring a valuation correction and portfolio markdowns. Some are admitting that they’re telling portfolio companies to refocus on cash conservation, profitability and discipline, not just growth. Let’s pretend these tw

DoorDash announced today that it’s expanding its gas rewards program for delivery people on its platform. The program enables delivery people using their DasherDirect card to receive 10% cash back on their gas purchases, anywhere in the United States. The company announced the rewards program last month with the goal of offsetting rising gas prices. The program was originally supposed to last through April but has now been extended until the end of August. The company says that since the launch of the program, delivery people on the platform have saved an average of $0.42 per gallon on every visit. DoorDash also says that every hour, more than 8,600 delivery people are using their Dasher Direct cards to save with 10% cash back. In addition, DoorDash notes that delivery people have used the 10% cash back benefit through DasherDirect in over 8 million transactions   across gas stations. DoorDash says it will continue to monitor gas prices through the summer months and listen to feedba

When making a TikTok, adding text can give your viewers a title of what to expect or tell them to wait for a surprise at the end. More than that, you can time the appearance of text to add emphasis, such as for spoken word poems or step-by-step demonstrations. Here’s how to add and edit text on your TikTok videos. Read more:  A beginners guide to making TikTok videos from Android Authority https://ift.tt/zJ7hi5H via IFTTT

Update : Delayed again due to weather, right after I hit publish. Come back on May 1! We don't usually give mother nature quite so much power over launch timing, but for our first helicopter catch attempt we want to line up the best possible conditions to give us the highest chance of a successful catch. In time, we'll narrow those bounds. — Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) April 29, 2022 Rocket Lab will take a shot a making history today with its attempt to catch a spent booster midair with a helicopter. This (mostly) unprecedented technique is apparently the safest and most efficient the company could come up with, and this will be the first full-scale operation, aiming to catch the first stage of the “There and Back Again” mission before it splashes down. You can watch it live below this afternoon. Don’t worry, it’s not just a helicopter-mounted catcher’s mitt for the first stage to crash into at terminal velocity; they have a little more sense than that. The booster will

Airbnb today announced that it will soon no longer offer refunds for COVID-19-related circumstances, including cases where a guest or host becomes sick with COVID-19 — reflecting an update to the company’s extenuating circumstances policy. Beginning May 31, Airbnb hosts’ cancellation terms will apply “as usual,” Airbnb said, although certain reservations made before May 31 may still be eligible for a refund if they qualify under the company’s policy. Airbnb — which just yesterday committed to a fully remote workplace — said that the change was made in consultation with its medical advisers. “Some in the travel industry stopped this type of policy months ago, while others didn’t provide one at all,” the company wrote in a blog post . “[W]e feel the time is now right to take the same step.” Early in the pandemic, Airbnb extended its extenuating circumstances policy to cover risks pertaining to the novel coronavirus, allowing guests to cancel and receive a full refund as well as host

Less than a year ago, Anthropic was founded by former OpenAI VP of research Dario Amodei, intending to perform research in the public interest on making AI more reliable and explainable. Its $124 million in funding was surprising then, but nothing could have prepared us for the company raising $580 million less than a year later. “With this fundraise, we’re going to explore the predictable scaling properties of machine learning systems, while closely examining the unpredictable ways in which capabilities and safety issues can emerge at-scale,” said Amodei in the announcement. His sister Daniela, with whom he co-founded the public benefit corporation, said that having built out the company, “We’re focusing on ensuring Anthropic has the culture and governance to continue to responsibly explore and develop safe AI systems as we scale.” There’s that word again — scale. Because that’s the problem category Anthropic was formed to examine: how to better understand the AI models increasin

We’ve all been there. After posting a video to TikTok you realize you need to change the video or add something to the description. Unfortunately, there is no “Edit” button. Once you’ve posted your TikTok, swiftly deleting and re-uploading is the only way to change your captions. But don’t worry; you don’t have to lose all your effects and editing progress. Here’s how to edit a TikTok description and more after posting. Read more:  How to delete videos on TikTok from Android Authority https://ift.tt/z1pdueg via IFTTT

Huawei has released the Band 7, a diminutive smartwatch packed with features. The GT 3 Pro offers a classic aesthetic masquerading as a smartwatch. Both devices are in China only for now but should make their way to other territories soon. Huawei has released its latest round of smartwatches, including the Band 7 and the GT3 Pro. The two devices are exclusive to China at the moment. However, one or both of them should make it to other territories in the coming weeks and months. The Huawei Band 7 is a discrete smartwatch that’s ideal for individuals who want something small and light. The watch comes in at a mere 16g, and measures a svelte 9.99mm thick. The screen is a 1.47-inch AMOLED display with ultra-narrow bezels. Despite being thinner than many competitors’ watch bands alone, the Band 7 still provides enough power for two weeks of average use. from Android Authority https://ift.tt/T0nkSo9 via IFTTT

Credit: Apple Tablets haven’t replaced laptops like some predicted they would, but they’re still popular gadgets for work and play on the go. Apple keeps improving the iPad line, and Amazon’s Fire tablets are as affordable as ever. We’ve tracked down some of the best tablet deals available right now to help you choose. See also: Best tablet guide from Android Authority https://ift.tt/7nf8tw2 via IFTTT

Alex Hern / The Guardian : Snap CEO Evan Spiegel dismisses Meta's metaverse ambitions as “ambiguous and hypothetical” and says the word “metaverse” is never uttered in Snap's offices   —  Founder says his company is committed to augmenting the real world rather than replacing it from Techmeme https://ift.tt/529Sdho via IFTTT

If you own a home, Sealed has a heat pump to sell you. The Manhattan-based startup, which helps homeowners replace their oil- and gas-gulping heating systems via an unusual financing model, has secured an additional $29.5 million in a new deal led by property-tech investor Fifth Wall . Other investors, including Robert Downey Jr.’s FootPrint Coalition and CityRock, also chipped in. Heat pumps work by moving heat around, directing it inside or outside your home depending on whether you’re trying to cool down or stay warm. They’re more efficient than their fossil-fueled counterparts, but costly to install, which is where Sealed’s model kicks in. The firm covers   installation and weatherization costs upfront, billing homeowners monthly based on the energy they save. That means Sealed only gets paid if it succeeds in cutting down energy waste. The startup’s big bet is on its machine learning algorithms, which “really accurately predict a home’s future energy usage,” CEO Lauren Salz cla

So, yeah, kicking off another installment of the newsletter by talking a bit about our upcoming robotics event. Honestly, this panel is a special one, though. It’s one I’d been thinking about before I even knew if we’d be returning to an in-person event this year. Daniela Rus and Matthew Johnson-Roberson have both appeared on TC stages and in this newsletter over the years. Both are leading robotics voices at their respective world-class universities (MIT and CMU, respectively) who bring a lot of deep insight to the subject. And there really is a lot of ground to cover here, from the latest groundbreaking research their respective institutions are currently working on to the role universities can and should play in helping graduates develop startups. It’s going to be a good one. I also led with that topic because, well, I’m putting off the inevitable a bit here. But yes, we need to talk about Elon — but no, not that thing . Tesla Bot or Optimus or whatever we’re calling it this week

When Maren Bannon and Jennifer Neundorfer first launched their venture capital firm, Jane VC, they wanted to end the practice of “warm intros” in tech. The goal was to back female founders who weren’t based in Silicon Valley, didn’t have rapport with top investors from their Stanford days and were largely being left out from venture capital as an asset class. Fast forward to today, the firm has certainly delivered on its promise, backing 50 startups to date – 90% of which have a female founder. In 2020, the firm renamed itself to January Ventures to be more inclusive of women from diverse backgrounds. To get more of the above into the tech ecosystem, investors including The Kapor Foundation, Bain Capital Ventures, Marc Andreessen, Arlan Hamilton, Chris Dixon and many other investors have poured fresh millions behind the duo, who were previously entrepreneurs and Stanford business school classmates. Announced today, January Ventures has closed $21 million in a new fund, the firm’

At a special meeting today, Activision Blizzard stockholders approved Microsoft’s proposal to acquire the gaming company for $68.7 billion. This all-cash transaction values the creator of games like “Call of Duty,” “World of Warcraft” and “Candy Crush” at $95 per share. But investors have worried that FTC chair Lina Khan could pull the plug on the deal due to antitrust concerns , which could explain why shares have been trading consistently lower than Microsoft’s offer. Though today’s vote is a meaningful step towards a successful deal for Activision Blizzard and Microsoft, the deal is still subject to regulatory review. The proposed transaction is expected to close before July 2023. “Today’s overwhelmingly supportive vote by our stockholders confirms our shared belief that, combined with Microsoft, we will be even better positioned to create great value for our players,” said Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick. He added that the deal would provide “even greater opportunities fo

A couple of weeks ago yet another of my friends was a victim of identity theft, and I got yet another deep look into how fantastically broken the U.S. can be when it comes to security. “They have my social security number,” she said, and I was reminded of how a lot of systems in the U.S. are woefully poorly designed. To wit: This morning I called my bank and was asked for the last four digits of my SSN and they somehow accepted my identity because I knew those four digits. LOLWUT? If my bank was a startup, I’d call up the chairman of the board and demand its chief security officer be fired on the spot for gross incompetence. When I moved to the U.S. a couple of years ago, my friends made sure that I knew I had to keep my Social Security number (SSN) secret and hidden. When I started opening a bank account and set up a cell phone plan, it became obvious why: All sorts of institutions that really should know better are treating this string of numbers as a password. There’s a huge, glari

Mary Ann Azevedo / TechCrunch : Sources: PayPal is closing close its SF office, which housed its Xoom unit, as it evaluates its global footprint, and staff from the office will work virtually   —  PayPal is shuttering its San Francisco office as it evaluates its global office footprint.  —  Multiple sources say the payments giant … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/r4UuSBQ via IFTTT