blogger better: 2017-09-10

Saturday, September 16, 2017

‪Instagram now autoplays video sound once turned on until you close the app

Autoplay audio can be annoying or convenient depending on the situation. Luckily Instagram has found a happy medium between defaulting autoplay video sound on or off. This weekend TechCrunch spotted that some Instagram videos in the feed were autoplaying with audio. Now Instagram has confirmed to us “this new update rolled out recently” and here’s how it works for all… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2wkzBpF ‪Instagram now autoplays video sound once turned on until you close the app Josh Constine http://ift.tt/2xHim2a
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‪Instagram now autoplays video sound once turned on until you close the app

{rss:content:encoded} ‪Instagram now autoplays video sound once turned on until you close the app http://ift.tt/2xHim2a http://ift.tt/2wkzBpF September 17, 2017 at 03:21AM

A brief recent history of Apple’s product swerves

{rss:content:encoded} A brief recent history of Apple’s product swerves http://ift.tt/2x7AEqj http://ift.tt/2y5DIlR September 16, 2017 at 07:00PM

Apple did not make the first personal computer, nor the first tablet computer, nor the first smartphone. Measuring it against what comes first is — to paraphrase Steve Jobs — a boneheaded way of looking at the company… Read More

FutureFuel.io adds new features to make paying off student loans easier

FutureFuel.io, the company offering student loan payment management services as an employee benefit, is adding new features to make it easier for companies to manage the loan repayment process. The company is offering real time account linking and updates on loan repayments through the fintech company Quovo. And through a partnership with Credible, will provide information on the lending… Read More

http://ift.tt/1f1WeBi FutureFuel.io adds new features to make paying off student loans easier http://ift.tt/2jy0ArE

What a difference one year makes. Since showing noteworthy signs of a maturing tech ecosystem last summer, corporate venture in Latin America has begun to crescendo in just 12 months, led by Brazil. Read More

http://ift.tt/2atZGFS Corporate venture in Brazil gains steam as giants amp up startup investments http://ift.tt/2y4wfU8

Oh, Bodega. The newly launched startup’s insensitivity hit some pretty tender nerves during a time when cultural and societal tensions are high. The first article published about Bodega read almost like a Silicon Valley parody. Read More

http://ift.tt/2yd6ou7 How startups can avoid Bodega’s PR disaster http://ift.tt/2xFrlky

As artificial intelligence creeps deeper into each and every industry vertical, demand for experienced technical talent only continues to increase. Now online education tools like Udacity and Coursera are being thrust into the spotlight as potential solutions to the problem. But even as course enrollment in AI classes balloons, Fortune 2000 companies are still paying an unsustainable premium… Read More

http://ift.tt/2ethw12 The AI ecosystem to be on display at Disrupt SF http://ift.tt/2ycMAHl

Entrepreneur First (EF), the company builder and “talent first” investor, has just held Demo Day for its eighth London cohort, seeing 14 newly-formed startups pitch their wares onstage to investors, press and other actors in the European tech scene. What’s particularly interesting about EF is that it backs individuals “pre-team, pre-idea” — meaning that, as… Read More

http://ift.tt/2y42J0V Meet the startups that just pitched at EF’s 8th Demo Day in London http://ift.tt/2x5Zzup

Credit Karma said it will add Equifax to its credit monitoring service as part of its free product, which proactively notifies members of significant changes to their credit report. It includes a whole suite of notifications for significant changes in credit queries, such as opening new accounts, a change in the status of an account, new personal information or a hard inquiry or application… Read More

http://ift.tt/2eN1RGf Credit Karma says it will offer credit monitoring for Equifax following this month’s huge breach http://ift.tt/2y3rFpi

The U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC) has voted to seek public views on whether there should be a change to the rules for political ads that extends disclaimer requirements to ads shown on digital platforms, such as Facebook and Google. Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/1VpOZF0 US election agency seeks views on rule change for digital ad platforms Natasha Lomas http://ift.tt/2x2ajMz
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In a swift response to the news that advertisers were able to target anti-Semitic phrases on Facebook, the social network has shut down “self-reported targeting fields” in the ad system until further notice. Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2v9KW6Z Facebook halts ad targeting of profile details abused by users Devin Coldewey http://ift.tt/2xDqssn
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Patreon raises big round at ~$450M valuation to get artists paid

In an era where art is shared and streamed for free, Patreon offers new hope for turning content creation into a career. Illustrators, comedians, game makers, and musicians use Patreon to let fans pay a monthly subscription fee for special access to their work. In exchange, Patreon takes only a tiny 5% cut. With 50,000 creators and 1 million subscribers on board paying an average of $12 per… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2h5kx8v Patreon raises big round at ~$450M valuation to get artists paid Josh Constine http://ift.tt/2x5rkVf
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In an era where art is shared and streamed for free, Patreon offers new hope for turning content creation into a career. Illustrators, comedians, game makers, and musicians use Patreon to let fans pay a monthly subscription fee for special access to their work. In exchange, Patreon takes only a tiny 5% cut. With 50,000 creators and 1 million subscribers on board paying an average of $12 per… Read More

http://ift.tt/2h5kx8v Patreon raises big round at ~$450M valuation to get artists paid http://ift.tt/2x5rkVf

Over $10 billion is wasted every year due to fraudulent e-commerce charges and that number is growing. This is not only costly and time-consuming for the businesses, but also the credit card companies and customers. But now there are several startups including Signifyd that believe they can use technology to cut down on some of this fraud before it occurs. Another is CashShield, which has… Read More

http://ift.tt/2gOeTE5 CashShield raises $5.5 million to prevent credit card fraud http://ift.tt/2x3x6VG

The wireless chargers at Starbucks will get updated to support iPhone X and 8

{rss:content:encoded} The wireless chargers at Starbucks will get updated to support iPhone X and 8 http://ift.tt/2x5iZBf http://ift.tt/2ohzt5k September 14, 2017 at 10:27PM

Yes, you should be able to charge your new iPhone X or iPhone 8 at Starbucks. Apple announced earlier this week that its new iPhones will include support for wireless charging through the Qi standard. But as far as charging in Starbucks is concerned, there seemed to be a catch: Starbucks’ charging pads from Powermat support a different standard, PMA. This is a solvable problem, according… Read More

Essential Phone is getting a ‘high-end’ audio accessory with a headphone jack

{rss:content:encoded} Essential Phone is getting a ‘high-end’ audio accessory with a headphone jack http://ift.tt/2flSWfG http://ift.tt/2wgnysX September 14, 2017 at 09:52PM

While plenty of smartphone features have been sunsetted on the way to thinner profiles and sexier bezels, none have garnered the ire of consumers quite as much as the removal of the aged and distinguished 3.5mm headphone jacks. The iPhone was first to axe the port, and while Andy Rubin’s Essential phone followed suit, a lot of consumers took issue with the move. Essential seems to be… Read More

We stopped by HAX’s demo day at the San Francisco Mint to check out all the hardware startups in the accelerator’s 10th batch. Many of the startups showcased creative combinations of hardware and software, particularly machine learning, to improve upon legacy services and outdated business models. HAX is known for its expertise in prototyping and manufacturing in China. The… Read More

http://ift.tt/2y1OgCL Here’s all the crazy hardware presented at HAX’s 10th demo day http://ift.tt/2h4o5rJ

Healthy, well-aligned teeth shouldn’t just be for the wealthy. Candid, a direct-to-consumer teeth alignment company, aims to make straight teeth more accessible and more affordable than braces and Invisalign. Candid, which 3D prints its FDA-approved aligners, is designed for people who need mild to moderate orthodontic work. It costs $1,900 upfront or $99 per month over two years,… Read More

http://ift.tt/2wsuxea This dental startup will straighten your teeth for less than Invisalign http://ift.tt/2wcT2k7

Facebook Messenger continues its ascent, entrenching itself as the top cross-OS messaging app in the West. Messenger now has 1.3 billion monthly users, up from 1.2 billion in April and 1 billion in July 2016. That’s the same count as Facebook’s other chat product, WhatsApp. Messenger’s growth rate has slowed slightly over the years. It took just six months to go from 800… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2x2KYjf Facebook Messenger hits 1.3 billion monthly users, up from 1.2B in April Josh Constine http://ift.tt/2xBNxvH
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Facebook Messenger hits 1.3 billion monthly users, up from 1.2B in April

{rss:content:encoded} Facebook Messenger hits 1.3 billion monthly users, up from 1.2B in April http://ift.tt/2xBNxvH http://ift.tt/2x2KYjf September 14, 2017 at 07:18PM