-
Avast CEO on why it’s just spent $1.4BN to absorb security rival AVG
Security firm Avast has today confirmed the completion of a $1.4 billion acquisition of fellow Czech-based antivirus company AVG. The deal will see Avast’s customer base nearly double — swelling from 230 million to more than 400 million in total, 160M of whom are mobile users. Read More
-
Shazam is finally profitable after a billion downloads
Shazam, the mobile and desktop app that acts as a digital ear and song identifier, crossed the 1 billion download mark recently, according to a report from Billboard on Thursday. The London-based company, Shazam Entertainment Ltd., also announced that it has achieved profitability, at long last, thanks to a new focus on advertising sales, alongside revenue from commissions on digital… Read More
-
Spotify could out-dance Apple if it does acquire SoundCloud
SoundCloud as a company is a disaster, but its the only streaming service with the DJ sets and remixes kids love. So it makes perfect sense that Spotify is in advanced talks to acquire SoundCloud, the Financial Times reports. Spotify already declined to buy it twice over the past year and a half, but talks broke down over pricing. But since then, SoundCloud has hammered out deals with the… Read More
-
MightyTV’s Tinder-style TV recommendation app comes to Android
MightyTV, an app that helps you figure out what to watch next, is now available on Android. The startup is led by AdMeld co-founder Brian Adams, and it presents users with a stack of movie and TV recommendations which you swipe through, Tinder-style. If you’ve seen something already, you can say whether or not you liked it, which will influence the recommendations you see next. If… Read More
-
Beyoncé becomes a tech startup investor
Joining celebrity investors like Snoop Dogg, Ashton Kutcher, and Justin Bieber, Queen Bey is bringing her supreme business skills to the tech world. Beyoncé and the management company she started called Parkwood Entertainment have invested $150,000 into Sidestep, an app for buying concert merchandise and skipping the line to pick it up at the show. Sidestep originally started selling… Read More
-
Luna Launcher turns your Android phone into a kid-friendly device
On the fence about whether your child is old enough for their own smartphone? A new app called Luna Launcher can help you warm to the idea, by offering a simple way to limit access to select apps and actions, including who they can call or text – a list you can restrict to family members, for example. Of course, because of the way it needs to interact with your phone’s… Read More
-
CodeSpark raises $4.1 million for games that teach kids how to code
A Los Angeles startup called codeSpark has raised $4.1 million in seed funding for web and mobile games that teach kids how to code, even before they know how to read and write effectively. CodeSpark’s games were developed for kids 4 to 9 years old, and with a goal of not just teaching them STEM concepts, but engaging boys and girls equally well. The games feature characters who are… Read More
-
Grow launches its app for socially responsible investing
Amid an increasing number robo-investors like Betterment, Stash, and Robinhood, a new San Francisco-based fintech startup called Grow is entering the fray to compete based on investment type, not only financial returns. While the app operates much like its rivals in terms of making it easier for novice investors quickly build their portfolios, its biggest differentiator is that it focuses… Read More
-
Free stock trade app Robinhood monetizes with $10/month to buy on credit
Robinhood says it will never charge commissions to trade stocks, but the $66 million-funded startup is finally ramping up monetization with the launch of “Robinhood Gold” premium features. For $10 per month, users can skip the three-day waiting period with instant deposits and reinvesting, trade 30 minutes before and 2 hours after the market is open, and borrow up to double the… Read More
-
Simple rolls out shared bank accounts that work for anyone, including roommates
Online banking service Simple is today rolling out a new product: shared accounts. However, unlike joint checking accounts typically shared by spouses, Simple’s shared accounts work differently. They allow customers to maintain their own accounts, but quickly fund then switch over to shared accounts to collaborate with each other on financial planning by tracking shared expenses… Read More
-
Lose It launches Snap It to let users count calories in food photos
Boston-based Lose It! (incorporated as FitNow Inc.) has released a new beta feature today called Snap It within its weight loss and calorie tracking app. As is easily guessed by the name, Snap It beta lets users take photos of their daily meals and snacks to automatically log them and derive approximate calorie counts. For now, users will be able to open the Lose It! app, pick a meal-type… Read More
-
Meetup redesigns its mobile apps to focus on your personal interests
Meetup is giving users a new way to find the meetups that give the company its name. The New York City-based company is launching new smartphone apps and a (partially) redesigned website with new branding, as well as a new way to browse meetup listings. “We killed the calendar,” CEO and co-founder Scott Heiferman said. Instead, Meetup will recommend listings for you based on your… Read More
-
GoTenna Mesh keeps people connected even when they’re miles apart and off-grid
Today, goTenna is taking pre-orders for their new product, a device called the goTenna Mesh that lets smartphone users text and share their GPS locations, off-grid and across miles of terrain. The new device works like goTenna’s flagship product did in that it can be used where normal cellular, satellite or wifi services are not available. And like the company’s flagship goTenna… Read More
-
This crazy iMessage app lets you prank friends by putting words in their mouth
Got iOS 10? Want to mess with your friends? A hilarious new iMessage App called Phoneys lets you prank others by sending stickers that look exactly like iMessage text bubbles. And thanks to the new layering feature in the updated version of iMessage, you can place these stickers – which say things like “My political views are totally wrong” or “I have terrible taste… Read More
-
Where Pokémon Go is going, and Tesla’s trajectory: Listen to TCBC Episode 4 with Greg Kumparak
On this week’s episode of TCBC, after a brief Disrupt-induced hiatus, longtime TechCruncher Greg Kumparak dishes on Pokémon Go – what made it so appealing at launch, what’s going on with product development, and where he’d like to see it go in the future. Greg and I are both big Pokémon fans, so it’s a subject about which we have no shortage of things to say. Read More
-
Tink Labs raises $125M to put its free-to-use smartphone in more hotel rooms worldwide
Tink Labs offers a free-to-use smartphone for hotel guests that lets them enjoy free services, and gives hotels a powerful channel to engage their guests. Read More
-
Airbnb revamps its app with new tools for hosts, improved messaging
Airbnb may not be ready to unveil its new travel services app, Airbnb Trips, just yet, but in the meantime the company is giving its flagship application a big makeover. The upcoming version of the main Airbnb app will introduce a number of new features for hosts, including things like message templates for quicker replies and a calendar that lets them easily see who’s staying when… Read More
Message Us