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The Fusion bot shares and teaches skills by transferring body motions from one person to another. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2PC2ne8

By KATE CONGER, DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI and KATIE BENNER from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2qk5SaW

Google boss has message to employees planning walkout over treatment of sex-harassment cases Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Wednesday said that employees who plan to walk out of the company in protest — following accusations leadership covered up claims of sexual harassment — have Google's support.

Plans to impose a new tax on tech giants risks US retaliation and could hurt trade relations. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2AEFMVW

Fitbit is slowly righting its financial ship, courtesy of a successful push into smartwatch category. The wearable company reported a profit (when adjusted for items such as stock-based compensation) thanks to growing sales in the new category.    Total revenues rose slightly to $393.6 million in the third quarter compared with the same period last year. The company did report a loss this quarter under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). But it was rosier than in previous quarters and showed that Fitbit is moving in the right direction. Net losses narrowed considerably to $2.1 million from $113.4 million this time last year. A good deal of the company’s revenue is being driven by the shift to smartwatches, which now comprise around half of Fitbit’s total revenue. It’s a gamble that’s finally starting to pay off for the company. Fitbit launched its first smartwatch in August of last year. The Ionic was the result of three high-profile acquisitions: Pebble, Coin and Vect

Last year, the top subscription video apps like Netflix and Hulu raked in a combined $781 million , and that trend is showing no sign of slowing down in 2018. In the third quarter of 2018, U.S. consumers spent an estimated $329 million in the top 10 subscription video-on-demand apps across the App Store and Google Play — a figure that’s up 15 percent from the $285 million spent in Q1. The data is the latest in a new report from app intelligence firm Sensor Tower, which has been following the growth of subscription video apps for some time. Last year, for example, it found that Netflix’s app topped the charts in terms of revenue, when compared with all the other non-game apps on the market. Netflix hasn’t fallen from its top-ranked position, the new data shows. In fact, it’s continuing to grow. The app pulled in an estimated $132 million in consumer spending across the app stores in Q3, which is up 78 percent from the $74 million spent in the third quarter of 2017. However, Hulu

Mavrck has raised another $5.8 million in funding, bringing its total raised to $13.8 million. When the company raised its Series A back in 2015, it was focused on helping brands work with “micro-influencers” who were already using their products. Now it describes itself as an “all-in-one” influencer marketing platform, offering a number of tools to automate and measure the process. Last month, Mavrck announced new features for Pinterest , where it’s now an official marketing partner. It also says it’s been doing more to improve measurement and detect fraud — on the fraud side, it promises to analyze a “statistically significant sample” of an Instagram account’s followers, and of the accounts that engage with their content, to determine if they’re bots. Customers include P&G, Godiva and PepsiCo, and the company says recurring revenue has grown 400 percent year-over-year. “Everything that we have done at Mavrck this year has been done with the intention to drive the influence

Local newspapers may be shuttering and people may be consuming most news on social media, but don’t tell Alex Mather that a subscription news publication can’t grow like a unicorn startup. His 2-year-old sports publisher The Athletic  has gained over 100,000 paid subscribers (60% under age 34) and has a 90% retention rate. Having already raised $30 million in its short life, the company announced a new $40 million Series C yesterday, led by Founders Fund and Bedrock Capital . It reportedly values The Athletic around $200 million. I interviewed Alex Mather ( The Athletic’s CEO) and Eric Stomberg (Partner at Bedrock Capital) to understand what’s behind the breakout success and why they think this publishing startup can scale to become a multi-billion dollar company. EP: Bedrock makes concentrated, contrarian bets. Explain how The Athletic fits that. ES: I first met Alex and Adam in 2016 during Y Combinator. The popular view then, as it remains now, was that people just aren’t will

TechCrunch has an exclusive look at the companies participating in 500 Startups ‘ 24th startup accelerator batch, which kicked off last week. Through its four-month seed program, the Silicon Valley seed fund invests $150,000 in exchange for 6 percent equity. The companies below include a mix of industries from cryptocurrency to digital health to e-commerce. 500 Startups says 40 percent of the companies have a female founder, 50 percent have a black, mixed-race or Latinx founder and 31 percent are headquartered outside the U.S. Here’s a closer look at the 22 companies, which will demo their tech to investors on February 28 : Alba : A Santiago, Chile-based mobile marketplace for babysitters in emerging markets. Assemble : A Los Angeles-based digital platform for automating video content production. Back Office : A Palm Beach, Florida-based financial software provider focused on streamlining personal bookkeeping. BlockVigil : A San Francisco-based platform for building and scaling

Hundreds of robots are starting to deliver packages to addresses across Milton Keynes. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2Szqf0H

By KEVIN ROOSE from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2P5dEUT

Fraudsters are using lax ID checks at phone shops to commit identity theft, a BBC investigation finds. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2ql0xQR

The FlexPai phone offers a tablet-sized screen when open or three separate displays when folded up. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2SzW75h

Bitcoin turned 10 years old, a milestone for a technology that few have used and even fewer understand. Ultimately, the blockchain it wrought could be the biggest change to banking, finance, and politics ever or it could be a dud. The jury is still out, but let’s take a walk down memory lane and see just how the product grew from White Paper to world beater. from Startups – TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2ACTBUU

Titan could put an end to stock market FOMO. The app choose the best 20 stocks by scraping top hedge fund data, adds some shorts based on your personal risk profile, and puts your money to work. No worrying about market fluctuations or constantly rebalancing your portfolio. You don’t have do anything, but can get smarter about stocks thanks to its in-app explanations and research reports. Titan wants to be the easiest way to invest in stocks for a mobile generation who want an affordable coach to guide them through the market themselves. “Our goal is to take things that aren’t accessible [in wealth management] and make them accessible, starting with hedge fund” says Titan co-founder Joe Percoco. That potential to democratize one of the keys to financial mobility has won Titan a $2.5 million seed round from Y Combinator’s co-founder Paul Graham, president Sam Altman, and partners including Gmail creator Paul Bucheit. The rest of the capital comes from Maverick Ventures, BoxGroup, and

French startup Lendix is changing its name to October . The company is using this opportunity to redesign its branding assets and refresh the design of the website for new users. The product remains the same — a lending platform connecting individual and institutional investors with small and medium companies. From what I’ve heard, October had to change its name due to some trademark issue. But the company used this opportunity to move away from its original, pretty boring name. Lendix is a straightforward name that suggests that it’s all about lending money. But there are so many companies with “lend” in their names that it quickly became a disadvantage — Lendopolis, Unilend, Lendosphère, LendingClub… October is easy to understand and to write down in a casual conversation. If the company wants to branch out and start offering other financial products, it won’t be awkward. That’s about it. I just wanted to note the change given that I’ve covered October a few times over the year

The rail firm reset passwords after detecting efforts to break into some accounts earlier this month. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2Q9IZlU

In 2015 Switzerland was fucked. This blunt belief, grunted out by Apple’s Jony Ive and repeated by the media as a death knell for the watch industry, seemed to define a sad truth: that the Swiss watch was dead and Apple pulled the trigger. Now, three years and four Apple Watches later , was Ive right? Did Apple change the world? And, most importantly, did Switzerland survive? Yes, but… As you might have noticed the Swiss watch industry is still standing. The major Swiss houses – LVMH, Richemont, and Swatch Group – are seeing a major uptick in sales, especially in the US. According to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry , sales are up 5.5% year-over-year, a bit of news that was, amusingly, almost buried by the onslaught of Apple Watch Series 4 reviews. This increase of US sales bucked a major trend this year and one market insider, who preferred to remained anonymous, noted that all of his sales contacts are seeing increased sales in the $3,000 and above watch category. Whi

The New York Times reported the executive had been accused of sexual harassment in 2013. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2EU06XR

Uber launches $14.99 ride pass monthly subscription Uber really wants you to use its service exclusively for your transportation needs, but in order for that to happen the ridesharing service realized consumers need a little more control over the prices they pay per ride.

Google CEO 'deeply sorry' about sexual harassment incidents as Alphabet exec quits Google CEO Sundar Pichai apologized for the company's handling of past sexual harassment incidents in an email to employees, promising that the tech giant would take a "much harder line" on inappropriate behavior.

With Apple’s AirPower still missing in action , the Apple accessory ecosystem has been attempting to fill the need with similar products. Some of these third party products are better than others, and the new Base Station from Nomad looks to be the best of them all. The Base Station does two things. One, it wireless charges up to three mobile devices. Two, it charges an Apple Watch through an integrated Apple MFi-certified Magnetic Apple Watch charger. More so, it looks great. A padded leather surface covers three charging coils allowing the unit to recharge up to three devices — or one device laying horizontally across the pad. Each of the coils are Qi-certified and output at 7.5W. As for the Apple Watch, it can only be recharged using the included magnetic charger unless Apple activates Qi-compatibility through a software update. The Nomad Base Station is available now for $120. Don’t have an Apple Watch? The same charging base is available for $20 less and still supports up to

The couple who fell to their deaths had blogged about their love for travel and each other. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2RosceX

This is clever. Made by HyperDrive, the USB-C Hub slips onto an Apple USB-C power adapter and adds two USB 3.0 ports. That’s all. I love it and it addresses a major shortcoming of Apple’s current notebook lineup. Apple ditched full size USB ports in favor of the versatile USB-C. It makes sense on some levels. USB-C supports nearly every bus format available but there are still a bunch of devices that ship with the older USB plug. Like the iPhone. If a person walks into an Apple store and buys the latest iPhone and the latest MacBook Pro, the iPhone will need a dongle to recharge off the MacBook Pro. Why not make it this dongle? Similar devices have long been on the market but tend to use the power port to add a USB port. This one uses the power of USB-C, which results in an adapter that’s a touch smaller than the alternatives. The HyperDrive USB-C Hub comes in two flavors to match the two versions of Apple’s power adapters. The USB-C Hub for the 61W power adapter costs $39.99 while

Satanic Temple claims Netflix show stole statue design, vows legal action Lucien Greaves, cofounder and spokesperson for The Satanic Temple, said the self-described religious organization is taking legal action regarding the new Netflix show "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" for what Greaves claims is copyright infringement.

Football's world governing body Fifa says information was hacked from its IT systems earlier this year. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2Sz5ZfB

Facebook sees slower growth as it revamps Facebook Inc. recorded lower third-quarter revenue than expected and warned that it is in the early stages of a transformation in its core businesses that will lead to slower growth and higher costs in the short term.

Apple has withdrawn a software update after complaints that it "bricked" some owners' smartwatches. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2qmE5H2

The bogus advert purports to be for the BeLeave Brexit campaign and received more than 1,000 views. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2Ssdfdn

PSA: If you’re an Apple Watch owner who is having trouble finding the shiny new WatchOS 4.1 update that Apple just shipped, it isn’t quite ready yet. Apple initially shipped the update on Tuesday alongside iOS 12.1 , but it quickly pulled it hours later following reports that it bricked some Series 4 watches. A number of customers affected took to Reddit and Twitter to warn of the issues, which were first reported by 9to5Mac  and caused some watches to be stuck on the loading screen. The update is no longer available, but Apple told those who did download it and now have bricked a watch that it is working on a fix that’ll ship as soon as possible. “Due to a small number of Apple Watch customers experiencing an issue while installing watchOS 5.1 today, we’ve pulled back the software update as a precaution,” it said in a statement. “Any customers impacted should contact AppleCare, but no action is required if the update installed successfully. We are working on a fix for an upcomin

By J. D. BIERSDORFER from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2Q8fJMp

Google offers $25M for AI projects that benefit society Google is already using artificial intelligence to study floods, famine, and whales.

A tech skills shortage means some Welsh workers receive daily job offers, and salaries are increasing. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2RpoaD5

The social media firm is seeing users shift from its most profitable business amid rising costs. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2OgIHI9

Brex , the corporate card built for startups, unveiled its new rewards program today. The billion-dollar company, which announced its $125 million Series C three weeks ago, has partnered with Amazon Web Services, WeWork, Instacart, Google Ads, SendGrid, Salesforce Essentials, Twilio, Zendesk, Caviar, HubSpot, Orrick, Snap, Clerky and DoorDash to give entrepreneurs the ability to accrue and spend points on services and products they use regularly. Brex is lead by a pair of 22-year-old serial entrepreneurs who are well aware of the costs associated with building a startup. They’ve been carefully crafting Brex’s list of partners over the last year and say their cardholders will earn roughly 20 percent more rewards on Brex than from any competitor program. “We didn’t want it to be something that everyone else was doing so we thought, what’s different about startups compared to traditional small businesses?” Brex co-founder and chief executive officer Henrique Dubugras told TechCrunch.

By RAYMOND ZHONG from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2JsBLqq

By DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2CQPSES

Alongside today’s announcements of new iPads and Mac, Apple also rolled out an updated version of its Siri Shortcuts app. The app, first introduced at WWDC , arrived with iOS 12 as a way to unlock Siri’s potential by allowing users to create their own custom voice commands and workflows. Now, it can do a few new things, too – including setting alarms and timers, getting the latest weather, and more. The weather actions should be especially useful for those who have created custom morning routines with Siri Shortcuts, as you’ll now be able to use the latest weather in your shortcuts with the new “Get Current Weather” and “Get Weather Forecast” actions. Being able to ask for this sort of information is already among the top use cases for voice assistants, like Alexa and Google Assistant, so it makes sense to offer these sorts of commands to Siri Shortcuts users, as well. With these options, you can now ask for current conditions, forecasts (hourly, daily or 10 days out), or for any s

Everything is already big. The iPhone SE died. The iPad Mini was last upgraded in 2015. The 11-inch MacBook Air died years ago. The smaller Series 4 Apple Watch has a bigger display than the larger Series 3 Apple Watch. Apple’s smallest devices are slowly getting bigger and the company’s events don’t suggest those ambitions are going to stop. While the release of the truly monstrous 6.5” iPhone XS Max last month embodies this trend in the most readily apparent way, the way Apple has emphasized external displays on its new iPad Pro and its MacBook Pro line are perhaps more telling of the company’s future ambitions, a world where displays are boundless. If you’re thinking that Apple can only make displays so much bigger while reducing the sizes of the device, there’s a lot further they can take this. Apple’s wants bigger displays. The old iPad Pro was perhaps too big; it’s massive form factor was great for creative tasks but it was one of the most niche devices Apple had released i

Gmail users on iOS are getting a notable upgrade today: a unified inbox. While Android users have had the option to see multiple inboxes in a single view, iOS users – until now – have had to switch accounts by tapping between them in the app’s navigation. Many people today have more than one email account, often using one for work, another for personal, and one to give out more publicly – their “junk” inbox, so to speak. Some have multiple inboxes for multiple jobs or job roles. And some access a shared inbox along with others on a work team. But moving among accounts has required a bit of tapping around, if you used Gmail on iOS. With today’s iOS update, there’s instead the option to use the new “All Inboxes” view from the left-hand side drawer. This will show all your emails in a single list, Google says. The option works with both G Suite and non-G Suite accounts, including third-party IMAP accounts, the company notes. Though a unified inbox is a seemingly minor feature, it’s

Apple’s newest MacBooks include a new feature that makes it far more difficult for hackers or spies to eavesdrop on your microphone. Buried in Apple’s latest range of MacBooks — including the MacBook Pro out earlier this year and the just-announced MacBook Air  — is the new T2 security chip, which helps protect the device’s encryption keys, storage, fingerprint data and secure boot features. Little was known about the chip until today. According to its newest published security guide , the chip comes with a hardware microphone disconnect feature that physically cuts the device’s microphone from the rest of the hardware whenever the lid is closed. “This disconnect is implemented in hardware alone, and therefore prevents any software, even with root or kernel privileges in macOS, and even the software on the T2 chip, from engaging the microphone when the lid is closed,” said the support guide. The camera isn’t disconnected, however, because its “field of view is completely obstruct

This is a public service announcement. The latest and greatest iPad, namely the 12.9-inch iPad Pro , will cost you $2,227 to buy in its best configuration and with the basic accessories that make it worth having in the first place. Plus tax, of course. I’m not making a value judgment here, just stating the facts. Tablets are getting pretty damn expensive. To be clear, here’s what you’d be getting for that price. iPad Pro base cost $999 Upgrade from 64GB to 1TB storage: $750 (!) Cellular chip: $150 New Apple Pencil: $129 Smart Keyboard Folio: $199 Tax varies. Shipping’s free, at least. To me the cost of the base tablet is actually not bad, though I personally wouldn’t buy it. It really does look like a fine device, if you can get over the curved screen edges and minuscule bezels that will probably make you drop it. I can really see how the 12.9-inch iPad Pro could be a great tool for some artists, assuming they’re already successful enough to afford it. Good stylus surfaces ar

Monzo , the U.K. challenger bank that now boasts more than a million customers, has raised £85 million in Series E funding. The round is led by U.S. venture capital firm General Catalyst, and Accel. Existing backers Passion Capital, Goodwater, Thrive Capital, Orange Digital Ventures, and Stripe also participated. The latest funding was at a pre-money valuation of £1 billion (~$1.27b), meaning that Monzo is now a bonafide member of the U.K. fintech unicorn club, joining recent entrant Revolut. Meanwhile, the bank upstart is also planning to launch a large crowdfunding round later this year. Like a lot of other fintechs — and before it was fashionable — Monzo has historically opened up its fundraising to its passionate community and other armchair investors. In a brief call earlier today with Monzo co-founder and CEO Tom Blomfield, he told me the new funding will be primarily used for increasing headcount to further develop the Monzo product line and to cover other operational cost

Oxford University researchers have created a simulation designed to help prevent religious conflict. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2zeK8Bw

By MIKE ISAAC from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2CNfUZL

Apple  (NASDAQ: APPL) has had a great 2018. Even as the other FAANG stocks slumped, the trillion-dollar electronics company has continually satisfied Wall Street with quarter-over-quarter revenue growth. But will Apple’s momentum continue after it reports its fourth-quarter earnings on Thursday? The consensus, so far, is yes. Apple is expected to post revenue of $61.43 billion (earnings per share of $2.78), an increase of 17 percent year-over-year and GAAP EPS of $2.78, according to analysts polled by FactSet . Investors will be paying close attention to iPhone unit sales, which account for the majority of Apple’s revenue, as well as Mac sales, which accounted for roughly 10 percent of the company’s revenue in Q3. The company reported its Q3 earnings on July 31, posting $53.3 billion in revenue, its best June quarter ever and fourth consecutive quarter of double-digit revenue growth, the company said . At today’s hardware event in Brooklyn, Apple’s chief executive officer Tim