Snapchat is stifled by its un-algorithmic feed

 Snapchat invented its best products by being the anti-Facebook. Its disappearing chats made visual communication quick and casual compared to Facebook’s email-esque text messages. Stories ditched the likes and permanacy so you could share your raw moments in the now, instead of just the life highlights that define you forever on your Facebook Timeline. Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2ph4Ix7 Snapchat is stifled by its un-algorithmic feed Josh Constine http://ift.tt/2qiXnfa
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Snapchat is stifled by its un-algorithmic feed

{rss:content:encoded} Snapchat is stifled by its un-algorithmic feed http://ift.tt/2qiXnfa http://ift.tt/2ph4Ix7 April 29, 2017 at 07:02PM  Snapchat invented its best products by being the anti-Facebook. Its disappearing chats made visual communication quick and casual compared to Facebook’s email-esque text messages. Stories ditched the likes and permanacy so you could share your raw moments in the now, instead of just the life highlights that define you forever on your Facebook Timeline. Read More

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Giant companies that won’t buy your startup

 Huge companies in fast-changing, technology-intensive businesses buy startups. After all, they have the money and need fresh entrepreneurial talent to tap new markets and stay abreast of disruption. That’s the collective wisdom about M&A in venture capital and startup circles. It’s also how the venture business survives. But what if the common wisdom isn’t true? Read More

https://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/acquisitive_companies.png?w=680 Giant companies that won’t buy your startup http://ift.tt/2oJpzuq

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How Echo Look could feed Amazon’s big data fueled fashion ambitions

 This week Amazon took the wraps off a new incarnation of its Alexa voice assistant, giving the AI an eye so it can see as well as speak and hear. The Echo Look also contains a depth sensor that’s being used, in the first instance, to create a bokeh effect for a hands-free style selfies feature that Amazon is hoping will sell the device to fashion lovers, by making their outfits pop… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2oII56k How Echo Look could feed Amazon’s big data fueled fashion ambitions Natasha Lomas http://ift.tt/2oVLfzu
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How Echo Look could feed Amazon’s big data fueled fashion ambitions

{rss:content:encoded} How Echo Look could feed Amazon’s big data fueled fashion ambitions http://ift.tt/2oVLfzu http://ift.tt/2oII56k April 29, 2017 at 01:56PM  This week Amazon took the wraps off a new incarnation of its Alexa voice assistant, giving the AI an eye so it can see as well as speak and hear. The Echo Look also contains a depth sensor that’s being used, in the first instance, to create a bokeh effect for a hands-free style selfies feature that Amazon is hoping will sell the device to fashion lovers, by making their outfits pop… Read More

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City of Portland may subpoena Uber for details on Greyball program

 The Rose City isn’t happy with Uber… again. After the company failed to turn over details on its deeply sketchy “Greyball” software by Portland’s deadline, the city may seek to compel Uber to hand it over with a subpoena. Those intentions, reported by the Oregonian, were articulated by Portland Commissioner Dan Saltzman, who oversees the city’s Bureau… Read More

http://ift.tt/2ox0ijS City of Portland may subpoena Uber for details on Greyball program http://ift.tt/2oUoNqC

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Amazon is shutting down its “Underground Actually Free” program that gives away free Android apps

{rss:content:encoded} Amazon is shutting down its “Underground Actually Free” program that gives away free Android apps http://ift.tt/2peEziD http://ift.tt/1Vavu2b April 29, 2017 at 02:11AM  Late on Friday, Amazon announced it will be shutting down its “Underground Actually Free” program which offers customers free versions of Android apps that would typically cost money, including those that relied on in-app purchases but were otherwise free downloads. Though it promised long-term support when it debuted back in August 2015, Amazon today says the “Actually… Read More

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Jack Dorsey just spent $9.5M buying more Twitter stock

 Jack Dorsey is at it again — after purchasing $7 million in Twitter stock back in February, the Twitter CEO bought another $9.5 million today. After making his purchase, Dorsey posted the news on Facebook Twitter, sparking a one percent gain in the company’s after share price in after-hours trading. According to an SEC filing, Dorsey purchased 574,002 shares of Twitter stock… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2qgK4vK Jack Dorsey just spent $9.5M buying more Twitter stock John Mannes http://ift.tt/2oH3yMH
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Someone scraped 40,000 Tinder selfies to make a facial dataset for AI experiments

 Tinder users have many motives for uploading their likeness to the dating app. But contributing a facial biometric to a downloadable dataset for training convolutional neural networks probably wasn’t top of their list when they signed up to swipe. Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2oGZVXm Someone scraped 40,000 Tinder selfies to make a facial dataset for AI experiments Natasha Lomas http://ift.tt/2pedZGo
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Yik Yak shuts down after Square paid $1 million for its engineers

{rss:content:encoded} Yik Yak shuts down after Square paid $1 million for its engineers http://ift.tt/2peb8gr http://ift.tt/2kqpN2M April 29, 2017 at 12:56AM  Yik Yak cofounders Tyler Droll and Brooks Buffington published a farewell note to users on Friday, announcing they would shut down their once-popular anonymous social network this week. The app allowed people to connect with other users within a certain radius, and was widely marketed in and used on college campuses. According to an SEC filing issued on April 16th, Square, has agreed to… Read More

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Yik Yak shuts down after Square paid $1 million for its engineers

 Yik Yak cofounders Tyler Droll and Brooks Buffington published a farewell note to users on Friday, announcing they would shut down their once-popular anonymous social network this week. The app allowed people to connect with other users within a certain radius, and was widely marketed in and used on college campuses. According to an SEC filing issued on April 16th, Square, has agreed to… Read More

http://ift.tt/2kqpN2M Yik Yak shuts down after Square paid $1 million for its engineers http://ift.tt/2peb8gr

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Tumblr just added a switch in the iOS Settings that lets you turn the porn back on

 Here’s an interesting change: Tumblr’s iOS application just received an update which now lets you turn on or off adult-oriented, NSFW search results just by toggling a switch in iOS’s Settings. That’s right: you can now switch on or off the Tumblr porn with ease. Weirder still, Tumblr’s note about the change in the App Store update text says this was… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2pqnjpf Tumblr just added a switch in the iOS Settings that lets you turn the porn back on Sarah Perez http://ift.tt/2qfjohB
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Tumblr just added a switch in the iOS Settings that lets you turn back on the porn

{rss:content:encoded} Tumblr just added a switch in the iOS Settings that lets you turn back on the porn http://ift.tt/2qfjohB http://ift.tt/2pqnjpf April 28, 2017 at 09:23PM  Here’s an interesting change: Tumblr’s iOS application just received an update which now lets you turn on or off adult-oriented, NSFW search results just by toggling a switch in iOS’s Settings. That’s right: you can now switch on or off the Tumblr porn with ease. Weirder still, Tumblr’s note about the change in the App Store update text says this was… Read More

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Exploring Virtualities, a Utah VR arcade and theater startup taking over a dying mall

 VR theaters and arcades like Virtualities are starting to pop up in warehouses and other empty spaces around the U.S., including Burningham’s startup, located in what used to be a Hot Topic on the second floor of the Gateway Mall on Salt Lake City’s west side. The mall was built specifically to show off the fine dining and retail offerings of Utah as the world came to visit during… Read More

http://ift.tt/2oQDQRm Exploring Virtualities, a Utah VR arcade and theater startup taking over a dying mall http://ift.tt/2oQx6Tw

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Deep Sentinel raises $7.4M to bring deep learning to home security

 Deep Sentinel, a home security startup, today announced that it had closed a $7.4 million Series A led by Shasta Ventures with participation from Bezos Expeditions, Lux Capital and UP2398. Founded by serial entrepreneur David Selinger, Deep Sentinel is betting that its emphasis on user experience can provide needed differentiation in the crowded space. Over tea in the… Read More

http://ift.tt/2oFOcbr Deep Sentinel raises $7.4M to bring deep learning to home security http://ift.tt/2oTCZQr

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Plug and Play launches a fintech accelerator in Paris

 Plug and Play is launching a new accelerator based in Paris. This time, the company is partnering with French bank BNP Paribas and focusing on fintech startups. The first batch of startups has just been picked. Plug and Play has launched multiple accelerators with a different business model than most accelerators. Instead of taking some equity in exchange of what you get from the… Read More

http://ift.tt/2oFkKCt Plug and Play launches a fintech accelerator in Paris http://ift.tt/2oFBnOq

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Rollout.io’s Rox lets app developers deploy new features safely – just like the big guys do

{rss:content:encoded} Rollout.io’s Rox lets app developers deploy new features safely – just like the big guys do http://ift.tt/2oQdJtD http://ift.tt/2oFieMg April 28, 2017 at 06:00PM  Rollout.io, a company that had developed technology that allowed mobile app developers to update their apps without having to go through the App Store approval process, is now entering a new business after Apple cracked down on apps using its software. Today, the former TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield finalist has transitioned to a new product that allows developers to selectively roll out… Read More

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Rollout.io’s Rox lets app developers deploy new features safely – just like the big guys do

 Rollout.io, a company that had developed technology that allowed mobile app developers to update their apps without having to go through the App Store approval process, is now entering a new business after Apple cracked down on apps using its software. Today, the former TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield finalist has transitioned to a new product that allows developers to selectively roll out… Read More

http://ift.tt/2oFieMg Rollout.io’s Rox lets app developers deploy new features safely – just like the big guys do http://ift.tt/2oQdJtD

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Equity podcast: Earnings clown car and the profitable-ish Dropbox with Hunter Walk

 Welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture-capital focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the narrative. Homebrew’s own Hunter Walk joined us for this episode along with co-hosts Katie Roof, Matthew Lynley and myself. This week has been a delightful clown car of technology earnings, so we dove into Twitter’s surprisingly strong report that drove its share… Read More

http://ift.tt/2m6li35 Equity podcast: Earnings clown car and the profitable-ish Dropbox with Hunter Walk http://ift.tt/2pckbP8

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Meet four of the startups in the Founder Spotlight at TC Disrupt NY

 At Disrupt NY in May, we’re launching the Founder Spotlight, where startup founders will be able to tell the human story behind their company. We’ve already revealed a handful of those companies, and today we’re excited to tell you about the rest of them. Bowery Farming Bowery Farming is a startup looking to change the way we grow food. With the global population growing,… Read More

http://ift.tt/2nh5xle Meet four of the startups in the Founder Spotlight at TC Disrupt NY http://ift.tt/2oET7JC

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