Category: Tech news

 FireChat, Disrupt alum Open Garden’s popular off-the-grid messaging app, is getting a major update today that introduces private messaging that can even bridge local networks. The major innovation of FireChat was that it allowed users to chat in groups even when there was no Internet connection available. Read More

 The frattiest startup in recent memory just released its latest revenue-building attempt to woo investors, the “Official Snapchat Beach Towel.”
The Venice-based ephemeral messaging app has obviously left its Amazon Prime account in the hands of the startup’s weed dealer, given the copious Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Read More

 Michael Lopp’s job at Pinterest is to basically make sure he doesn’t have anything to do all day. As head of the company’s engineering efforts, Lopp, a compulsive counter who has been at Pinterest for a year and 30 days, has to ensure like the rest of the leadership that all of the teams building Pinterest are meshing and that he can effectively delegate certain tasks. Read More

 With both the Shopify and Etsy IPOs, the last year has been a big one for tech companies catering to independent online retailers. Now Tictail, a Swedish company that has migrated to the United States, is hoping to make its mark with a product that’s somewhere between those two platforms. They’ve just raised $22 million in funding from their existing investors, including… Read More

Windows 10 fixes what ailed Windows 8, and tries some big new things too.

The post Review: Windows 10 appeared first on WIRED.

Motorola came ready to impress with two powerful new phones.

The post Hands On With Motorola’s Stunning New X and G Phones appeared first on WIRED.

 If you have a physical product that you want to sell in more than one country, determining the price in different markets can be challenging. You might have to open an office in each country, or at least hire a consultant to assess local demand and analyze the competition. But if you have a virtual product — say an app for a mobile phone — setting the price for it in different… Read More

 Varied explanations for the growing herd of unicorns — and predictions of their imminent demise — abound. But all can agree: Those who invest in unicorns are chasing returns they can’t get elsewhere. And while venture capital is widely perceived to be fueling the unicorns’ growth, a closer look reveals that not all venture capital is really venture capital. Read More

 Stop me if you’ve heard this one. Founder of company leaves to start another company. Comes back a few times. Takes role of “Interim CEO” and starts personally doing customer support for celebrities. Haven’t heard that one? OK, well then check this out. The other day, one Kim Kardashian (powerhouse app developer) PERSONALLY emailed Twitter and complained about the lack… Read More

 The internet’s ugliness has been revealed in so many different ways these past few months, it almost makes you want to pull the plug on all of it (I can’t of course, because Apple already removed my Ethernet port before I could get the satisfaction). Blow up(s) at Reddit over whether we can post pictures of fat people. Terrorists using Twitter and other social media to call for… Read More

 U.K.-based members-only luxury travel site, Secret Escapes, has pulled in a $60 million funding round, with investment coming from new investor Google Ventures, along with existing investors including Index Ventures and Octopus Investments. Read More

 How do birds communicate? By singing. And now it’s the turn of the machines. A new crop of businesses are now creating what’s referred to as the Internet of Sound. Read More

 Tweeted a great joke lately? Was it A) a brilliantly original observation all of your own? Or B) a funny tweet you saw on Twitter and pilfered, sans credit?
If the answer is B) your joke theft might result in your tweet being blocked on copyright grounds — if the original composer of the joke reports your theft as copyright infringement to Twitter. Read More

 How much do mobile users hate interstitial screens blocking their mobile browsing by urging them to down the native app instead? An overwhelming amount, judging by a study conducted by Google in July last year. Well, that and common sense when you think about the contrast between the aim of mobile computing (speed, convenience) and the point of interstitials (slow, distract). Read More

 The history of software is dominated by companies that automated how the biggest companies in the world did business. IBM automated clerical tasks, SAP unified corporate financials, and Siebel digitized Rolodexes for relationship-driven salespeople. With that focus in mind, it’s no wonder that many of the world’s largest technology companies survive based on their ties to IT… Read More