Category: Tech news

 App-based trivia sensation HQ Trivia is on its way to Android, as the company previously revealed, but a special group of users can access it right now — Canadians. The app is now live in the Canadian Google Play Store, though it’s an “Unreleased” beta version of the live trivia game (via MobileSyrup). HQ Trivia debuted on iOS earlier this year, featuring a twice… Read More

 Apple devices accounted for 44 percent of smartphone and tablet activations over the holidays, with nearly a third of those coming from new devices including the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X, according to new data from Flurry Analytics out this morning. However, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 6 actually took the top two spots in terms of Apple activations, at 15.1 percent and 14.9 percent… Read More

 Vehicles made by Korean carmakers Hyundai and Kia will include built-in virtual assistants with AI-powered smarts beginning in 2019 (via Engadget). The plan to build smart assistants into vehicles will make use of tech created by SoundHound, the music identification company that has recently been focusing more on building AI agent software more akin to things like Siri and Google Assistant.… Read More

 I find it truly sad the way Facebook has led us to reduce wishing friends a happy birthday to a meaningless, generic chore. It’s not Facebook’s fault. It gives us an open-ended comment box. But our laziness and sense of social obligation unfurl as a pile of “Happy Birthday!” or even “HBD!” wall posts. Read More

 Thanks to three parallel areas of development, we have the tools at our disposal which create potential for radical change in transportation — data about resources and demand, electric drivetrains, and Autonomous Vehicle (AV) systems– all of which can be used to dramatically transform the experience of living in cities. Read More

 Amazon’s claims that the Echo Dot was the retailer’s best-selling product all through this holiday season appear to be backed up by the rise of the Alexa app in the U.S. App Store. The companion app for Alexa-powered devices like the Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show and Echo Spot, grabbed the number one spot for the first time ever on Apple’s App Store on Christmas, and remains… Read More

 The Library of Congress announced today that it will no longer add every public tweet to its archives, an ambitious project it launched seven years ago. It cited the much larger volume of tweets generated now, as well as Twitter’s decision to double the character limit from 140 to 280. Instead, starting on Jan. 1, the Library will be more selective about what tweets to preserve, a… Read More

 On the heels of unveiling the Tesla all-electric semi-truck and a second-generation Roadster in November, Elon Musk took to Twitter today to ask his fans how Tesla can further improve. In response to someone who requested a Tesla pickup truck, Musk said, “I promise that we will make a pickup truck right after Model Y…Am dying to build it.” Read More

 The holiday shopping season is finally over, and that means Amazon has some shopping data for us. This holiday season, Amazon’s Echo Dot was the top-selling Amazon device, as well as the top-selling product available from any manufacturer across all categories on Amazon.com, with millions sold. Read More

 HQ Trivia is letting Android users pre-register for the live-streamed trivia game built by the makers of Vine, Rus Yusupov and Colin Kroll. Pre-registering means you’ll get notified the moment HQ Trivia is available for download. HQ, which opened up pre-registration on December 24, had previously marketed its Android app as being available “this Christmas.” Read More

 At-home health testing kits are all the rage now. You can get them to analyze your genetic makeup, test for STDs and food sensitivity and even tell you about your ovarian reserve. As TechCrunch’s in-house guinea pig, I decided to take EverlyWell’s ovarian reserve test for a spin. Read More

 Two opposing fears are holding back the move to token-networks: a fear of the absence of governance on one side and a fear of regulation on the other.
There is, however, a solution to both of these contradictory concerns when it comes to company creation in the token era. Read More

 Vice Media founders Shane Smith and Suroosh Alvi say they are “truly sorry” for not doing enough to stop inappropriate behavior at the company. In a public statement issued shortly before The New York Times published an article on Saturday that described multiple accounts of sexual misconduct by Vice employees, Smith, its chief executive officer, and Alvi said they are taking… Read More

 NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden is among the backers of a new surveillance app that helps guard against computer hijackings. Haven is an open source app that will run on any Android phone, particularly inexpensive and older devices. It operates like a surveillance system, using the device’s camera, audio recording capability and even accelerometer to detect movement and notify a user.… Read More

 he trip began just before the end of school. From the wood-shaving smell of third grade out into the clean fall air, sprung free by my mother who appeared at the little window in the classroom door like a treat. You were the one who got out early. You were the one walking down an empty hall toward the big triple doors of the school.
We were leaving school to drive to my grandmother’s house. Read More