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As tech automates, Blinkist keeps its book summary service very human
When I first heard of Blinkist, a service that breaks down recent nonfiction books to easily digestible snippets and audio, I was afraid it would turn out to be some machine-learning-driven auto-summary thing. But in talking to co-founder Niklas Jansen at Blinkist’s headquarters in Berlin, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the company is…
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Snap CEO Evan Spiegel basically says the Snapchat redesign is here to stay
Despite a lot of backlash over a big redesign for the Snapchat app — which to be sure is a very big deal for a product-centric company like Snap — Snap CEO Evan Spiegel vigorously defended the redesign and basically said people need to get used to it. Spiegel said at the Goldman Sachs Internet…
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France’s telecom regulator thinks net neutrality should also apply to devices
The ARCEP, France’s equivalent of the FCC in the U.S., wants to go beyond telecommunications companies. While many regulatory authorities have focused on carriers and internet service providers, the French authority thinks Google, Apple, Amazon and all the big tech companies also need their own version of net neutrality. The ARCEP just published a thorough…
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Google launches a lightweight ‘Gmail Go’ app for Android
Google has added a notable addition to its line of “Go” edition apps – the lightweight apps designed primarily for emerging markets – with the launch of Gmail Go. The app, like others in the Go line, takes up less storage space on users’ smartphones and makes better use of mobile data compared with the…
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This new text bomb crashes most Mac and iOS apps with a single Unicode symbol
TechCrunch has learned of a potentially serious new bug affecting a wide range of Apple devices. During their development work on an international news feed, software engineers at Aloha Browser discovered two Unicode symbols in a non-English language that can crash any Apple device that uses Apple’s default San Francisco font. The bug instigates crashes…
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LiveLike raises $9.6M to get more broadcasters streaming in VR
LiveLike, a startup that powers VR streaming experiences for broadcasters like FOX Sports and Sky, has raised a $9.6M Series B round led by Greycroft Partners and Lepe Partners. This brings total funding raised to just over $23M. As a refresher, LiveLike’s VR experience let you select different camera angles, sit in and look around…
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London sets out safety-first plan for regulating ride-sharing
After London sent ripple’s of shock through Silicon Valley last year by denying Uber a renewal of its private hire vehicle license, the city’s transport regulator is doubling down on its scrutiny of the impact of app-based ride operators. Today it’s published a policy statement setting out its intentions for adopting transport regulations to fit the…
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Chat app Kakao’s games business lands $130M from Tencent and others ahead of IPO
Korea’s dominant messaging firm Kakao is back raising funds after its games business, a standalone unit that is headed for an IPO, pulled in $130 million (140 billion KRW) from Tencent and a range of other strategic investors. The company, which owns Korea’s top mobile messaging app and one of the country’s largest internet portals,…
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Senator calls on Tinder to fix a security flaw that lets randos snoop through your dates
Oregon Senator Ron Wyden is nervous about Tinder. He may not be swiping on the service this Valentine’s Day, but with a new letter demanding that Tinder resolve some security issues, Wyden is looking out for everyone who is. Last month, a security report surfaced what it deemed “disturbing vulnerabilities” in the dating app. Wyden’s…
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Facebook should actually be Tinder too
There’s beauty in the double-blind opt-in. That’s the way you match with someone on Tinder. You like them, they like you, you both find out and get connected. But to date, the feature’s largely been trapped in dating apps that match you with randos or that not everyone wants to be on. That means this…