Category: Tech news

 Microsoft has a new Surface tablet/PC hybrid, and it’s a departure from their first- and second-generation versions of the Surface line, with an all-new design and a bigger, better display. The device is basically the perfect partner for Windows 8 and the Modern Windows UI, but your appreciation of this device (or lack thereof) will depend heavily on what you want to do with your computer. Read More

 JustReachOut, a new startup out of growth hacking consultancy firm Criminally Prolific, recently launched a service that makes PR easier and more affordable for startups by combining its web services with some basic consultancy services. Read More

 Amazon‘s Instant Video service has traditionally been thought of as both a rival to iTunes and Netflix, in terms of offering movies and TV shows for rent, purchase or for free streaming via the company’s Amazon Prime membership program. But you might want to add YouTube to that list of would-be competitors, as Amazon has now introduced a new section to Instant Video focused on… Read More

 Lyft has come to a bit of a resolution in the city and state of New York that will allow it to begin offering service in the city after two weeks of discussions with regulators there. But in striking a deal that will make it available in all five boroughs of the Big Apple, Lyft has agreed to pause its operations in two other cities in New York State. Read More

 It looks like Tapulous founder Bart Decrem is ready for his next act, as the gaming exec has raised some money for a new venture, one which is simply called “Hobby.” Read More

The Nokia Lumia 635 is among the first wave of handsets to launch with the latest update of Windows Phone 8.1 software out of the box. At only $130 or less, it’s one of the best options for low-priced 4G phones.

With the Fire Phone, everything around you exists to be bought on Amazon. The phone deconstructs and decentralizes the entire concept of a store. It’s essentially Amazon’s brick-and-mortar strategy.

 While Apple today reported its quarterly earnings, another group seized the moment to push out another bit of Apple-related news. The company is being sued in a class-action suit over a series of alleged violations of the California Labor Code, including the “timely” granting of meal and rest breaks as well as final paychecks. The case potentially affects some 20,000 current and… Read More

 Here’s a weird confession: Until last week, I’d never been to a company hackathon.
Obviously, I’ve been to hackathons, including the ones TechCrunch hosts before our Disrupt conference. But I’ve never made it to one of those company-wide events that large organizations like Facebook hold as a way to develop new ideas and stay connected to their startup roots. Read More

 Independent ad network InMobi is touting a new solution for developers to take advantage of gamers’ emotional states to producer high click-thru rates on advertisements in their games. Along with tools for including interstitials that look like part of the game experience and ads that give you gameplay bonuses for watching videos, the company’s SDK now includes playable ads powered… Read More

 Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen is the founder and president of the Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen Foundation, a private operating foundation that functions as a philanthropic innovation lab. The foundation’s mission is to inspire, educate and empower people to give in a way that matters more. Arrillaga-Andreessen is trying to radically change the way we give, and we’re thrilled to… Read More

 A quick update for those keeping track of how well the iOS developer money train is chugging along: As of its earnings call this morning, Apple has paid out over $20 billion to iOS developers. More surprising than the overall amount, however, is the rate at which the money is coming in. Of the $20 billion paid out since the App Store launched in 2008, “nearly half” of it has been… Read More

 Remember the Surface Mini, a device that got axed at the last minute? Microsoft gave it a shout out in its earnings report today.
The company noted in its hardware section that its “[c]urrent year cost of revenue included Surface inventory adjustments resulting from our transition to newer generation devices and a decision to not ship a new form factor.” Ding. Read More

 Today in its fiscal fourth quarter, Microsoft reported that it sold 5.8 million Windows Phone-based Lumia handsets. Last year, in the second calendar quarter — Microsoft’s then fiscal fourth quarter, welcome to the world of finance — Nokia sold 7.4 million Lumia handsets. However, Lumia sales didn’t fall 22 percent as those figures appear to indicate.… Read More

 Apple‘s earnings are out, and there’s a narrative contained therein of the emerging importance of China and BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries in general – the company revealed to the FT that iPhone sales are up 55 percent year over year in the BRIC nations, and Chinese iPhone sales are up 48 percent, with the iPad sales in that country rising 51 percent year… Read More