GadgetFreak

Credit: Apple General Motors and Google are working on designing onboard navigation and infotainment systems for future GM electric vehicles. Future GM EVs will no longer offer Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will still be offered on GM’s combustion vehicles. The biggest manufacturer of cars in the US, General Motors (GM), is thinking about the future of its electric vehicles (EV). And it looks like Apple CarPlay nor Android Auto will play a part in that future. As reported by Reuters , GM is planning to halt support of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in its future EVs. Instead, the automaker will design onboard navigation and infotainment systems with the help of Google. This change is expected to start with the launch of the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer. from Android Authority https://ift.tt/Ubmjs1t via IFTTT

Jeffrey Rousseau / GamesIndustry.biz : Roblox will now hide advertisements from users 13 and younger, nearly a year after nonprofit Truth in Advertising filed an FTC complaint against it   —  Changes come nearly a year after advertising watchdog filed an FTC complaint over company's ad policies  —  Roblox will now hide advertisements … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/nZ21YJT via IFTTT

Nintendo 3DS is an excellent console. It houses some undisputed classics like Mario Kart 7, several Pokemon games, The World Ends With You, Bravely Default, the very underrated Etrian Odyssey series, and more. As it turns out, it is possible to emulate the handheld on your Android phone. Citra is the top dog here, and it’s included in our best emulators for Android list . Every emulator on this list uses Citra in some form or another, so that’s your best bet. In fact, if you find another 3DS emulator that doesn’t use Citra, we might not recommend it as of this writing. In any case, here are the best Nintendo 3DS emulators for Android. The best Nintendo 3DS emulators for Android Citra (and Citra MMJ) Lemuroid RetroArch Citra Emulator Price: Free / $4.99 from Android Authority https://ift.tt/2KQ7tZB via IFTTT

Netflix is restructuring its film units and vowing to make fewer but better movies, according to a new report from Bloomberg , which Netflix partially confirmed. The report said the streaming giant is combining film units that produce small and midsize films, resulting in a handful of layoffs, including two longtime executives. Netflix told TechCrunch that these changes were made to simplify its structure and set it up for the next phase of its growth, but declined to comment on how many people were being let go. Scott Stuber, chairman of Netflix Film, has been looking to scale back the company’s output of films to ensure that more of them are high quality, according to the report. It appears that this change has already been implemented, as the report comes as Netflix recently revealed its 2023 original films lineup , which consists of 49 titles. In comparison, the company had 85 original films in its lineup last year. For context, a Netflix original refers to both the content that

New York Times : Document: Twitter plans to exempt its top 500 advertisers and 10K most-followed orgs that have been previously verified from paying $1K/month for a checkmark   —  Mr. Musk requested a meeting with Lina Khan, the chair of the F.T.C., which has been investigating Twitter's privacy and data practices. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/CDBPUQf via IFTTT

Audible is testing ad-supported access to select titles for non-members, the Amazon-owned audiobook company revealed on a help page on its website. The company confirmed to TechCrunch that the test is very limited and does not apply to paid members. The news was first reported by Marketing Brew . The move indicates that the company may be exploring the possibility of an ad-based membership option. Audible declined to comment on any specific plans. The test includes audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals. Audible says the test applies to a limited subsection of titles on its platform. Content providers were informed of the change and given the chance to opt out of ads. Users who are part of the test will hear a total of eight ads within a 24-hour period. Audible says it has taken additional measures to make sure that ads won’t be heard too frequently within a short time span. “Audible is dedicated to continuously optimizing how we deliver audio programming to listeners everywher

Blake Brittain / Reuters : Apple wins a US appeal to uphold a patent tribunal's ruling over two of VirnetX's VPN patents, invalidating a $502.8M patent infringement verdict from 2020   —  Apple Inc (AAPL.O) convinced a U.S. appeals court on Thursday to uphold a patent tribunal's ruling that could imperil a $502 million verdict … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/hQKJBqH via IFTTT

Chloe Xiang / VICE : Some signatories of the open letter to pause AI training walk back their positions, others turned out to be fake, and many experts disagree with its proposal   —  The letter has been signed by Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak, Andrew Yang, and leading AI researchers, but many experts and even signatories disagreed. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/EwGinjD via IFTTT

Anton Shilov / AnandTech : Synopsys says it is launching the first full-stack AI-powered EDA suite covering all stages of chip design, including architecture, design, and manufacturing   —  Synopsys has introduced the industry's first full-stack AI-powered suite of electronic design automation tools that covers all stages … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/IMTmR1N via IFTTT

Back in February, Northspyre announced it had raised $25 million to bring costs under control for big building projects. (TechCrunch’s Mary Ann Azevedo mentioned the fundraise in her fintech newsletter.) It’s a huge industry with powerful potential — so how does a company like that tell the story of what it’s building? We’re lucky enough to be able to share Northspyre’s pitch deck with you today. Get the crowbar; let’s break this thing open to see what’s inside. We’re looking for more unique pitch decks to tear down, so if you want to submit your own, here’s how you can do that .  Slides in this deck The company tells me it removed a few of the most financially sensitive slides from the deck before sharing it with us; what is left behind is a spectacularly well-designed, clean and clear deck. Cover slide Problem slide 1 Problem slide 2 Product slide Market size slide Solution slide Value proposition slide KPI slide (marked as “financials” slide) “The ask” slide  Team

Sarah E. Needleman / Wall Street Journal : EA plans to lay off ~6% of its workforce and cut its office space, incurring $170M to $200M in restructuring charges; EA had nearly 13,000 employees in mid-2022   —  Publisher of ‘Madden NFL’ and other videogame series is also making office-space reductions  —  White-Collar Recession: Why Job Cuts Are Hitting Professional Workers from Techmeme https://ift.tt/Mej2lzy via IFTTT

Credit: Tech Deals Learning a new language in your free moments can be a joy if you have the right guidance. Babbel revolutionizes language learning to make it feel, well, less like learning. This Babbel deal means there’s never been a better time to sign up, with a recent price drop on the app giving you a chance to subscribe for life for just $149.97 ( $450 off ). Whether it’s for improving your resume or immersing yourself on your next trip, Babbel can get you from fumbling to fluent in a new lingo. Developed by over 100 expert linguists, the learning tool can teach you any of 14 languages, including Spanish, French, German, Italian, and more. Over 10 million subscriptions will testify to that. from Android Authority https://ift.tt/68oEYZv via IFTTT

If you think embedded insurance is the only hot thing in insurtech these days, we’ve got a surprise in store for you: While it’s true that startups that help sell insurance together with other products and services are enjoying tailwinds, there are plenty of other opportunities in the space, several investors told TechCrunch+. You see, insurtech startups often need to take into account the myriad rules and regulations in place when they seek to innovate and embed insurance into products, which might make it difficult to pull it off. And given the current emphasis on achieving cost efficiency to extend runways in the broader startup ecosystem, it appears investors are open to insurtech startups that can build a sustainable business model, regardless of it including embedded insurance. “Insurtech startups that do not offer embedded insurance, and rather provide other innovative solutions will still attract VC funding this year, especially if they can show cost-efficient and sustainabl

Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority T-Mobile has made it possible for its customers to make and receive calls through Alexa. The feature arrives as a new T-Mobile Alexa Skill that links your number to your Alexa account. Hands-free calling on Alexa will be free for T-Mobile customers. Amazon’s virtual assistant, Alexa , has the ability to make and receive calls. However, this feature wasn’t available to people who subscribe to T-Mobile. But that’s changing as Amazon is now teaming up with the US carrier. In a blog post , Amazon announced that it’s partnering with T-Mobile to enable hands-free calling. The feature arrives as a new T-Mobile Alexa Skill that customers can use to link their mobile number to Alexa. Once a phone number is linked to an Alexa account, hands-free calling will be possible on all Alexa-enabled devices connected to the account. from Android Authority https://ift.tt/m2ytco0 via IFTTT

Justin Ling / Wired : Docs: investments in 4chan include $5.6M from owner Hiroyuki Nishimura and his company plus $2.4M from Japanese company Good Smile, which makes toys for Disney   —  Documents obtained by WIRED confirm that Good Smile, which licenses toy production for Disney, was an investor in the controversial image board. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/XUZ2fWa via IFTTT

Online used vehicle retailer Shift Technologies cut its workforce by 30% in the first quarter as the company sought to reduce costs and eliminate duplicate positions following its merger with CarLotz, CEO Jeff Clementz said during an earnings call. The layoffs came as the company saw its revenue plummet in the fourth quarter and its operating losses expand. Shift closed its merger with CarLotz in December and immediately eliminated duplicate costs and roles, Clementz said during Tuesday’s earnings call. In early February, the company decided to exit CarLotz’s presence on the East Coast and shut down the Downer Grove, Illinois location in order to focus on core West Coast markets. One remaining CarLotz location in Pomona, California remains open. Shift also has three locations in Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area and Portland. “While difficult, we reduced headcount by approximately 30% in the first quarter,” Clementz said on the call. “In addition to corporate roles, the majority

As U.S. lawmakers move forward with their plans for a TikTok ban or forced sale, the app’s Chinese parent company ByteDance is driving another of its social platforms into the Top Charts of the U.S. App Store. ByteDance-owned app Lemon8 , an Instagram rival that describes itself as a “lifestyle community,” jumped into the U.S. App Store’s Top Charts on Monday, becoming the No. 10 Overall app, across both apps and games. Today, it’s ranked No. 9 on the App Store’s Top Apps chart, excluding games. This is a dramatic move for the little-known app and one that points to paid user acquisition efforts powering this surge. Prior to yesterday, the Lemon8 app had never before ranked in the Top 200 Overall Charts in the U.S., according to app store intelligence provided to TechCrunch by data.ai . The firm confirms that such a fast move from being an unranked app to being No. 9 among the top free apps in the U.S. — ahead of YouTube, WhatsApp, Gmail and Facebook — implies a “significant” and “r

It’s a confusing time to be a crypto company. The markets are volatile and trading activity is shaky right now, but the biggest problem for crypto firms seems to be that there’s no clarity at the moment around the laws they’re supposed to be in alignment with. Take, for instance, what the U.S. Commodity Futures and Trading Commission (CFTC) considers crypto to be: In its lawsuit against the crypto exchange Binance and its CEO, the CFTC alleged the firm violated trading and derivative rules, and referred to the two largest cryptocurrencies, bitcoin and ether, as commodities . Per the CFTC’s filing against Binance, the regulator said certain digital assets, including bitcoin, ether, litecoin and “at least two fiat-backed stablecoins,” tether and the Binance USD, “as well as other virtual currencies as alleged herein, are ‘commodities.’” The complaint also alleged that Binance and the respective parties charged “solicited and accepted orders, accepted property to margin and operated

Lena Masri / Reuters : Review of 2K+ court cases: Russia uses facial recognition and surveillance systems to find and arrest scores of protesters and even prevent them from protesting   —  A Reuters review of more than 2,000 court cases shows how Russia uses facial recognition to identify and sweep up the Kremlin's opponents. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/djIXz94 via IFTTT

Google is introducing new ways for users to verify information on Search, the company announced on Tuesday. The search giant is launching new features called “Perspectives” and “About this author,” while also expanding some of its current tools, including “About this result.” The new Perspectives feature is a carousel that will appear below Top Stories and showcase insights from a range of journalists, experts, and other relevant voices on the topic you’re searching for. The idea behind the feature is to give users a variety of noteworthy voices on a news topic to broaden their understanding of the subject matter. The carousel will launch soon in English in the U.S. and will be available on desktop and mobile, Google says. Image Credits: Google Google is also launching a new feature called “About this author” that lets users easily learn more about the authors behind the content they are reading. With this new feature, users will be able to find more information about the backgr

BBC : Clearview AI's founder says the company has run nearly 1M searches for US police and now uses 30B images scraped without users consent from sites like Facebook   —  Facial recognition firm Clearview has run nearly a million searches for US police, its founder has told the BBC from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3hqCZlc via IFTTT

Credit: AppleToolBox Google is bringing a variety of fact-checking tools to Google Search. The new “Perspectives” feature will add a carousel right below Top Stories. Perspectives will present a range of journalists, experts, and other relevant voices to the user. Google Search may look a little different in the near future. The search engine is getting a few new features, including a carousel aimed at broadening your understanding of a topic. In a blog post , Google announced that it is rolling out tools that will help with fact-checking information when using Search. One of the more notable features the company is introducing is a feature called “Perspectives.” from Android Authority https://ift.tt/qfE0kls via IFTTT

If the past few years, and even the past week , has reminded us soundly of anything – it’s that the startup world will never be predictable.  To meet the changing startup landscape, we’re refreshing and re-imagining TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 in a big way with more of what you love and new ways to accelerate your growth. What’s new at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023? Industry Days TechCrunch has created 6 new programming days around the most groundbreaking industries in the startup world. In these salon-like sessions, industry leaders will share their deep expertise, insights and trends within your sector. At these shows-within-our-show, you’ll engage with smart, driven founders, investors and members of your community, and the opportunity to cross-collaborate with leaders from other industries. Here are the big new stages spread out across this year’s Disrupt: The Artificial Intelligence Stage: Explore the rapidly expanding capabilities and potential of artificial intelligence; dig i

Credit: Oliver Cragg / Android Authority The model number of the Nothing Phone 2 may have been spotted on a certification website. This appearance suggests that the Nothing Phone 2 could launch sooner than later. The phone is expected to launch in the US later this year. We may not have to wait that much longer to finally see the follow-up to the Nothing Phone 1. The Nothing Phone 2 was reportedly recently seen in a certification listing. According to 91Mobiles , the model number of the Nothing Phone 2 may have made an appearance on the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification website. If this is true, it would mark the first time the device has appeared in any certification database. from Android Authority https://ift.tt/xYh0UJw via IFTTT