blogger better: 2016-12-11

Saturday, December 17, 2016

Silicon Valley is a state of mind

Photo: Getty Images/Carlos Alkmin/Moment

“Silicon Valley is a state of mind,” said Ambassador Pedro Borio, Consulate General of Brazil in San Francisco, during a recent address at the annual BayBrazil Conference. Borio spoke of the major growth in ties and similarities between Silicon Valley and Brazil over the last decade, a stormy tide of a national political scandal starting to ease and his prediction that Brazil… Read More

http://ift.tt/2gWzk4A Silicon Valley is a state of mind http://ift.tt/2hGbY2E

Facebook Messenger strikes at Skype with desktop group voice calling

We might finally get to stop asking, “Wait, what’s your Skype name” thanks to a test of new Facebook group audio calling on desktop. Facebook launched group voice calls on its mobile Messenger app in April, and now it’s working out the kinks to bring the feature to your home and office. It could become a useful alternative to traditional conference calls by piggy-backing… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2hGQIHr Facebook Messenger strikes at Skype with desktop group voice calling Josh Constine http://ift.tt/2gTCExx
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Facebook Messenger strikes at Skype with desktop group voice calling

{rss:content:encoded} Facebook Messenger strikes at Skype with desktop group voice calling http://ift.tt/2gTCExx http://ift.tt/2hGQIHr December 16, 2016 at 10:27PM facebook-party-call

Managed By Q, a service that automates office management, has raised $30 million in Series C funding, according to SEC filings. Managed By Q started off as a NY-based platform that let office administrators more efficiently deal with the tedious housekeeping of an office, from cleanings to supplies to IT to handy work. Upon signing up with the service, Managed By Q drops by to install a… Read More

http://ift.tt/2gUcWaf Managed By Q lands $30 million in Series C funding http://ift.tt/2h9M8Rg

In October, Twitter announced it was shutting down Vine, its app that let users create and share 6-second looping videos. Today, the company says it won’t actually pull the Vine app from the app store as it had earlier implied, but will rather transition to a new, low-maintenance app called Vine Camera. From this new app, you’ll still be able to record Vine videos, but the larger… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2hPJOTj Vine won’t be removed from the app stores, will instead relaunch as “Vine Camera” Sarah Perez http://ift.tt/2gK2I93
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Let’s face it, if you’re an investor, you were probably priced out of these insanely large rounds. If you’re a founder, you’re swooning at the mere prospect of making such a statement. But no matter who you are, a lot can be gleaned from analyzing investment trends. Looking at B rounds provides a nice balance between the somewhat predictable success stories of… Read More

http://ift.tt/1zTe3M3 The ten largest Series B rounds of 2016 http://ift.tt/2hGmG6F

Google brings its upgraded keyboard app Gboard to Android

{rss:content:encoded} Google brings its upgraded keyboard app Gboard to Android http://ift.tt/2gSYmBx http://ift.tt/2hCTsZ7 December 16, 2016 at 07:24PM screen-shot-2016-12-16-at-1-18-23-pm

Google today officially announced that it’s rebranding its Google Keyboard application for Android users to “Gboard,” the name sported by its newer keyboard app that sports a fully integrated Google Search engine, emoji and GIF search, and more. The keyboard’s Android launch had been spotted earlier this week by a number of media sites and blogs, who had… Read More

For a metrics powered company, Facebook is pretty bad at metrics. The company just announced its third metrics-related issue in the past two months with today’s reveal that it also experienced problems providing accurate numbers to publishers on its Instant Articles platform. Instant Articles are those that fast-loading, interactive articles that can be loaded directly in the Facebook… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/1Xtz6Nh Facebook admits to another metrics mistake affecting Instant Article publishers Sarah Perez http://ift.tt/2gJzR53
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Facebook's drone Aquila can beam connectivity down to remote areas

The right wing of Facebook’s solar-powered drone Aquila failed, causing a crash landing of its first test flight, according to a new report on the June incident from the National Transportation Safety Board. In response, Facebook says the next version of its Internet access-spreading drone will have a spoiler or airbrake, and will prioritize safe airspeed over altitude tracking. The… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2gfHK3v To prevent another crash, Facebook’s solar drone will get an airbrake Josh Constine http://ift.tt/2h8IUx6
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As a fan of banks – I like the lollipops they give out – I’m slightly disturbed by services like TalkBank. This Russian company replaces one-on-one teller interaction with a chatbot that can tell you your balance, offer on the spot advice, and even send you cool deals related to your credit cards. Founded by Mikhail Popov, Alexander Popov, and Vladimir Kozhevnikov the company… Read More

http://ift.tt/2hFQbVY TalkBank lets you chat with your bank http://ift.tt/2h8R9JC

For better or worse, 2016 was another year of bots. I probably got more pitches for bot startups than anything else. And yet, bots are far from hitting their stride. If we hope to break beyond the rigid functionality of today’s tools, a prerequisite is going to be giving bot developers a bit more open source love. RASA NLU, a new open source API from… Read More

http://ift.tt/2gJ7LXC RASA NLU gives developers an open source solution for natural language processing http://ift.tt/2hWoGaf

Twitter last year ditched its iconic star button in favor of hearts for favorites, and now it is considering a revamp for its famous retweet button. Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2gSGYLA Twitter tests design that ditches retweet icon for “sharing” Ingrid Lunden,Jon Russell http://ift.tt/2hFlRLm
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After launching on iOS, all the way back in February, London fintech startup Curve has finally brought its its wares to Android. Read More

http://ift.tt/2gIEUCP London fintech startup Curve brings mobile wallet and all-your-cards-in-one app to Android http://ift.tt/2gIEP1S

It’s nearing the end of the year, but 2016 isn’t finished with us yet: Soylent powder has gone back on sale. Read More

http://ift.tt/2hCjwBd 2016 isn’t done yet as Soylent powder goes back on sale http://ift.tt/2hCqE08

Next Entertainment wants to make it possible to live stream for a living

{rss:content:encoded} Next Entertainment wants to make it possible to live stream for a living http://ift.tt/2hznRYk http://ift.tt/2hB5cZv December 16, 2016 at 12:03AM The MeMe app allows livestreamers to get paid with virtual goods and gifts by followers.

The MeMe app allows livestreamers to get paid with virtual goods and gifts by followers.

A Taiwan-based startup called Next Entertainment has raised $25 million in an outsized Series A round of funding for apps that make it possible to live stream for a living. The company’s founder and CEO, Andy Zhong, is no stranger to tech and new media. He previously started FunPlus, a social gaming company acquired by a Chinese conglomerate, Zhongji, in 2014 for $960 million. In… Read More

A Taiwan-based startup called Next Entertainment has raised $25 million in an outsized Series A round of funding for apps that make it possible to livestream for a living. The company’s founder and CEO, Andy Zhong, is no stranger to tech and new media. He previously started FunPlus, a social gaming company acquired by a Chinese conglomerate, Zhongji, in 2014 for $960 million. In fact… Read More

http://ift.tt/2hB5cZv Next Entertainment wants to make it possible to livestream for a living http://ift.tt/2hznRYk

Keith McCarty, founder of the well-funded pot delivery startup Eaze is stepping down from his position as CEO. Instead, the startup’s chief product and technology officer Jim Patterson will take on the role and McCarty will remain on the board of directors “as a strategic advisor on company growth” says a blog post on the site announcing the change of roles. McCarty… Read More

http://ift.tt/2gQ2qRi Eaze CEO steps down http://ift.tt/2hAHgFH

Mario arrives as Pokemon Go peaks, with declining downloads, falling revenue

{rss:content:encoded} Mario arrives as Pokemon Go peaks, with declining downloads, falling revenue http://ift.tt/2hpwbsU http://ift.tt/2bk10Kl December 15, 2016 at 08:39PM LookOut-pokemon-go

The phenomenal mobile hit Pokémon Go has peaked, just as the anticipated Nintendo title Super Mario Run hits the App Store, vying for mobile users’ attention and the chance to best Pokémon’s record-breaking numbers. According to new data from App Annie, Pokémon Go has seen declines in both downloads and revenue over the past several months, though it’s still highly… Read More

Watch Plug and Play’s winter summit demo days here

{rss:content:encoded} Watch Plug and Play’s winter summit demo days here http://ift.tt/2h5gK6k http://ift.tt/2hSYkpn December 15, 2016 at 08:29PM Plug and Play Tech Center

Plug and Play, the international corporate innovation and venture capital firm, is holding its Winter Summit Demo Day this week in Silicon Valley. At the two-day event, dozens of startups that have come through one of Plug and Play’s many accelerator programs will pitch their products and services to executives at corporations and early-stage investors who may be interested in working… Read More