blogger better: 2018-02-04

Saturday, February 10, 2018

How Reggie Brown invented Snapchat

Why sexting and a Stanford class led a group of former fraternity brothers to create Snapchat. Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2q6FoZs How Reggie Brown invented Snapchat Billy Gallagher http://ift.tt/2EirtGb
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How Reggie Brown invented Snapchat

{rss:content:encoded} How Reggie Brown invented Snapchat http://ift.tt/2EirtGb http://ift.tt/2q6FoZs February 10, 2018 at 08:18PM

How weed, sexting and Stanford’s “Design and Business Factors” class led a group of former Kappa Sig fraternity brothers to create Snapchat. Read More

What to expect from Samsung’s next Galaxy flagships

{rss:content:encoded} What to expect from Samsung’s next Galaxy flagships http://ift.tt/2BRiUEE http://ift.tt/2BQ94CW February 10, 2018 at 07:00PM

It’s that time of year again. Samsung is getting ready to unpack some shiny new high end smartphones at the world’s biggest mobile confab. And Android fans are getting ready to cheer… Read More

First names, foods and animals have been quite popular lately with founders choosing startup names. Meanwhile, other naming styles are getting more fashionable. We take a look at what’s hot now and what might be in vogue next. Read More

http://ift.tt/2BlDbRz Startups are (still) making weird name choices http://ift.tt/2G1PrG2

YouTube will remove ads, downgrade discoverability of channels posting offensive videos

After barring Logan Paul earlier today from serving ads on his video channel, YouTube has now announced a more formal and wider set of sanctions it’s prepared to level on any creator that starts to post videos that are harmful to viewers, others in the YouTube community, or advertisers. As it has done with Paul (on two occasions now), the site said it will remove monetization options on… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2ES3DC6 YouTube will remove ads, downgrade discoverability of channels posting offensive videos Ingrid Lunden http://ift.tt/2G0GLje
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“How fast do I need to be growing to be interesting to a venture investor?” This is a question we get asked all the time by CEOs, and we realize “it depends” is not the most actionable answer to give. Instead, we have come up with a simple model that allows us to give a clear numerical answer to this question. Read More

http://ift.tt/1Kzzdoj Understanding the Mendoza Line for SaaS growth http://ift.tt/2BTlFW2

Script’s app lets parents digitally sign school permission slips, pay for field trips

{rss:content:encoded} Script’s app lets parents digitally sign school permission slips, pay for field trips http://ift.tt/2H2f62J http://ift.tt/2nQulUn February 09, 2018 at 08:45PM

Schools are often late to taking advantage of new technologies, so today still do much of their business over paper forms. One pain point in particular – for school administrators, teachers and parents alike – is handling permission forms for activities and field trips. A young startup called Script aims to help. Schools can use Script’s app to manage the entire trip… Read More

Evan Spiegel secretly tried to hire away the team at Secret, but the price was too high. That’s according to three sources familiar with the deal who spoke to TechCrunch. The information expands and clarifies a report from the new book about Snapchat’s origin story coming out next week called “How To Turn Down A Billion Dollars” by former TechCrunch writer Billy… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2BOoibG Snapchat almost acqhired anonymous app Secret Josh Constine http://ift.tt/2H2k3Zr
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Evan Spiegel secretly tried to hire away the team at Secret, but the price was too high. That’s according to three sources familiar with the deal who spoke to TechCrunch. The information expands and clarifies a report from the new book about Snapchat’s origin story coming out next week called “How To Turn Down A Billion Dollars” by former TechCrunch writer Billy… Read More

http://ift.tt/2BOoibG Snapchat almost acqhired anonymous app Secret http://ift.tt/2H2k3Zr

Snapchat almost acqhired failed anonymous app Secret

{rss:content:encoded} Snapchat almost acqhired failed anonymous app Secret http://ift.tt/2H2k3Zr http://ift.tt/2BOoibG February 09, 2018 at 06:33PM

Right now if you want financial guidance and planning help you basically have two options – shell out thousands (or more) a year for an old-school Wall Street-affiliated advisor, or test your luck with one of the free financial planning chatbot startups that have been popping up over the past few years. Neither of these are ideal for most people; traditional advisors give good advice but… Read More

http://ift.tt/1L3TFZS Grove raises $2.1M to find the sweet spot between old-school financial advisors and chatbots http://ift.tt/2nULD1X

Facebook will award up to $1 million to five community leaders and $50,000 to 100 more to fund their ideas for how to strengthen people’s online and offline connections. Facebook will also hire double the number of engineers currently working on safety-related causes in its London office. These were a few of the big announcements made at today’s Facebook Communities Summit Europe.… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2BQwbgR Facebook’s plan to build community with hiring and $10M in grants Josh Constine http://ift.tt/2H12glv
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More problems and controversy for Logan Paul, the YouTube star who caused a strong public backlash when he posted a video of a suicide victim in Japan. Google’s video platform today announced that it would be pulling advertising temporarily from his video channel in response to a “recent pattern of behavior” from him. This is in addition to Paul’s suspensions from… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2CDaSg4 YouTube suspends ads on Logan Paul’s channels after “recent pattern” of behavior in videos Ingrid Lunden http://ift.tt/2nTuhlW
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Facebook confirms test of a downvote button for flagging comments

How can Facebook promote meaningful interaction between users? Apparently by letting them downvote inappropriate, offensive, or misleading comments to hide them. Facebook is now testing a downvote button on a limited set of public Page post comment reels, the company confirms to TechCrunch. A Facebook spokesperson tells us “We are not testing a dislike button. We are exploring a feature… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2G1kjGJ Facebook confirms test of a downvote button for flagging comments Josh Constine http://ift.tt/2C4YRhL
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Facebook confirms test of a downvote button for flagging comments

{rss:content:encoded} Facebook confirms test of a downvote button for flagging comments http://ift.tt/2C4YRhL http://ift.tt/2G1kjGJ February 09, 2018 at 02:01AM

The blockchain is the buzziest thing on the internet these days and now MIT professor and godfather of the Human Genome Project George Church wants to put your genes on it. His new startup Nebula Genomics plans to sequence your genome for under $1,000 (the current going rate of whole genome sequencing) and then add your data to the blockchain through the purchase of a “Nebula… Read More

http://ift.tt/2EPahZQ Human sequencing pioneer George Church wants to give you the power to sell your DNA on the blockchain http://ift.tt/2C5d7qJ

The world needs more emojis. Ever since emojis became a cultural phenomenon, tech companies have been working together to add new smileys, animals and objects. And the Unicode consortium just published this year’s list of new emojis. While many glaring omissions have been fixed in recent years, the Unicode consortium has accepted 157 new emojis. But who are these people who get to… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2aKSmIM Get ready for a bunch of new emojis (yes, including a partying face) Romain Dillet http://ift.tt/2nP2lAs
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Apple addresses iOS source code leak, says it appears to be tied to three-year-old software

{rss:content:encoded} Apple addresses iOS source code leak, says it appears to be tied to three-year-old software http://ift.tt/2E8uhtk http://ift.tt/2EbVWFU February 08, 2018 at 07:36PM

Earlier this week, iOS source code showed up on GitHub, raising concerns that hackers could find a way to comb the material for vulnerabilities. Apple has yet to confirm or deny the legitimacy of the posted material, but all signs point to it being the real deal — a fact seemingly confirmed by a DMCA takedown notice issued to the platform. Read More

WhatsApp has launched person-to-person payments into beta in India

{rss:content:encoded} WhatsApp has launched person-to-person payments into beta in India http://ift.tt/2Ecowqq http://ift.tt/2uQuwRz February 08, 2018 at 06:35PM

WhatsApp has begun testing a new payments feature in India that will allow people to send money to other WhatsApp users, excluding merchant accounts. The feature is currently in beta, according to sources familiar with the company’s plans, but hasn’t been publicly announced because it’s not widely available at this time. The company has been working on support for a… Read More

By combining augmented reality with your customizable captions, Snapchat hopes you’ll share more from birthdays and weddings while earning it a little money. Today Snapchat launches Custom Lenses, expanding its 2016–launched on-demand geofilter program so you can make temporary, geofenced AR effects that people can add to their Snaps at a special event. The Create-Your-Own-Lens… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2Ebj5fC Snapchat starts selling $10+ captionable AR masks for events Josh Constine http://ift.tt/2sk3jcI
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Twitter’s fourth-quarter results: The TechCrunch Review

{rss:content:encoded} Twitter’s fourth-quarter results: The TechCrunch Review http://ift.tt/2EQBA5Y http://ift.tt/1QZ2jfL February 08, 2018 at 05:06PM

Here at TechCrunch, we cover company earnings on a pretty regular basis. And we promise it’s for a good reason: The success and failure of these publicly-traded companies tends to give us at least one more data point when it comes to calibrating which technologies are exciting to investors, as well as the trajectory of those technologies. One of our favorite companies to cover,… Read More

Snapchat starts selling $10+ captionable AR masks for events

{rss:content:encoded} Snapchat starts selling $10+ captionable AR masks for events http://ift.tt/2sk3jcI http://ift.tt/2Ebj5fC February 08, 2018 at 05:00PM

PAX Labs has a new CEO. The company, which makes loose-leaf vaporizers, has brought on Bharat Vasan as Chief Executive Officer. Vasan has spent the last 15 years in consumer hardware, serving as the President and COO of August Home, which was acquired by Swedish lock maker Assa Abloy in 2017. Before August, Vasan was the cofounder of Basis (a fitness-based wearable company), which was acquired… Read More

http://ift.tt/2sh3CoH PAX Labs brings on Bharat Vasan as new CEO http://ift.tt/2EaleEf

Twitter is now worth more than Snap

{rss:content:encoded} Twitter is now worth more than Snap http://ift.tt/2BKRpfS http://ift.tt/2Esuw1K February 08, 2018 at 03:52PM

Adding to what’s already a Very Weird 2018, Twitter now has a bigger market cap than Snapchat maker Snap after posting a thoroughly interesting earnings beat for its fourth quarter this morning. Shares of Twitter rocketed more than 25% this morning following the report, which showed the service is actually able to generate a profit on a GAAP basis. Twitter already wrapped up 2017 with a… Read More

Android smartphone maker Wileyfox confirms it has entered into administration in the UK

{rss:content:encoded} Android smartphone maker Wileyfox confirms it has entered into administration in the UK http://ift.tt/2BOrtjA http://ift.tt/2C43k48 February 07, 2018 at 05:39PM

It’s been more than a year since the well-funded startup Cyanogen announced that it would shut down its mobile OS development, and since pivoted to self-driving technology. Yet we’re still seeing some fallout among the companies that had pinned their hopes on the original plans of that shooting star. Wileyfox, a smartphone maker that was one of the earliest companies to build a… Read More