Ride hailing app Lyft can now poll your calendar for suggested destinations right within the app itself, thanks to a new integration option being rolled out starting today. And coming soon, it’s going to let you specify your own shortcut destination options, in addition to “Home” and “Work,” letting you easily enter frequently visited spots so you don’t have… Read More
Dropbox today released Smart Sync, its tool that allows users to access files stored online in Dropbox accounts automatically on a desktop without having the file stored locally. Previously dubbed Dropbox Infinite, Smart Sync gives businesses a way to share and access files without needing to have massive ones stored on their desktop. The idea is that businesses regularly deal with piles… Read More
Getting locked out of your account sucks. Almost everyone has experienced the frustration of forgetting a password, losing the phone on which they receive two-factor authentication codes, or jumbling the answer to a security question. But as exasperating as it is to lose access to your account, none of the widely-available measures for account recovery are very secure. Major breaches like… Read More
Non-profit technology policy organization Tech:NYC has joined a rising chorus of companies responding to Friday’s sweeping immigration ban, penning a letter condemning President Trump’s actions. The note pulls together a wide range of top executives from tech companies, investment firms and the like, including Indiegogo, Greylock Partners, Casper, Birchbox, Foursquare, Warby… Read More
Apple is introducing a new billboard campaign today. The various “Shot on iPhone” ads have been quite effective. Somehow, seeing a giant photo on a billboard and thinking that it was shot with the phone you could have in your pocket works quite well. Of course, Apple works with professional photographers who know what they’re doing — my photos look nowhere as good. With… Read More
Lyft’s app has surged in the App Store thanks to the “Delete Uber” campaign which took place via social media over the weekend. People were angry that Uber appeared to be taking advantage of a taxi strike at JFK in order to promote its car-hailing service. The company had tweeted that surge pricing at JFK had been switched off, shortly after the NY Taxi Workers Alliance… Read More
Snap, the parent of Snapchat, will be listing on the New York Stock Exchange, TechCrunch has confirmed. The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. This means that you can expect to see a big Snapchat banner on Wall Street and that executives will probably be ringing the opening bell when the company debuts, likely in March. The move sends the message that Snap wants its IPO… Read More
Ford CEO Mark Fields and Executive Chairman Bill Ford have released a statement on Donald Trump’s immigration order, making them the first major U.S. automaker to offer an official comment or position. The statement reads as follows, and was shared internally with Ford employees as well as made available to the press: Respect for all people is a core value of Ford Motor Company, and we… Read More
Square partnered with Apple for a promotion when customers use Apple Pay. Starting today, Square merchants won’t pay any processing fee for the first $12,000 in Apple Pay transactions — that represents around $350 in fees. In addition to this promotion, sellers can also get a free marketing kit (with Apple Pay stickers probably) and training materials to tell employees how Apple… Read More
Automakers GM and Honda are teaming up on a new venture to jointly manufacture hydrogen fuel cells at scale, with plans to start mass production by 2020 and a combined investment of $85 million split evenly between the two companies dedicated to the effort. Both GM and Honda intend to use the resulting hydrogen fuel cell system in future products, according to the companies. The joint… Read More
Another eyebrow-raising change to the White House website under President Trump: it does not list nor provide details of the judiciary’s role in government the U.S. — naming only the Executive and Legislative branches, both of which are controlled by Republicans. Read More
Mobile calling app Viber is the latest tech company to offer help to those affected by President Trump’s immigration and travel ban. This morning, the company announced it would indefinitely waive the fees for calls to landlines or mobile numbers between the U.S. and the seven countries impacted by the travel ban, including Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Similar… Read More
Car2go is making a significant change to its car-sharing operation in North America, which will see its fleet of short-term rental vehicles made up of mostly Mercedes-Benz vehicles by the end of this year. The company is rolling out 2017 Mercedes-Benz CLA and GLAs in cities including Austin, Portland, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington, D.C. to begin with, with plans to expand to more… Read More
Starbucks is embracing the trend towards voice-based computing with the launch of a new feature in its mobile app called My Starbucks barista, which allows customers to order and pay for their food and drinks just by speaking. This includes being able to modify their drink order, as if they were speaking with a barista in real life. Additionally, the company is launching a skill for the… Read More
As anticipated, wearable leader Fitbit kicked off the week by announcing a six-percent reduction in global work force, following disappointing fourth quarter financials.
The company will go into greater detail on today’s earnings call, but a preliminary statement issued this morning details the loss of 110 jobs, as part of a “reorganization of its business” designed to… Read More
Google is celebrating civil rights leader Fred Korematsu with its Google Doodle today, on the day that would’ve marked his 98th birthday. Korematsu was born in Oakland, California, to Japanese immigrants. He went into hiding when U.S. President Roosevelt issued an executive order sending people of Japanese descent living in the U.S. to internment camps. Korematsu went into hiding instead… Read More
As the tech world continues its strong opposition to the executive order that has restricted entry to the U.S. from seven predominantly Muslim countries, it appears the Trump administration is gearing up for chapter two. According to a report in Bloomberg today, the Trump administration has drafted another immigration executive order, this one aimed at overhauling work visas such as… Read More
After spending 2016 in Brooklyn, TechCrunch is returning to Manhattan for Disrupt NY 2017. For this year’s show, we’ll be taking over the beautiful Pier 36, a massive, state-of-the-art sports and entertainment facility right on the East River. Pier 36 hosts 700,000 visitors per year, and has been home to some major events like the 2015 Pandora holiday concert, the 2012… Read More
SpaceX hosted a hyperloop pod design test competition at its Hawthorne headquarters this past weekend, where student teams got the chance to run their pod designs in low-pressure environments in a test track for the first time. There were a number of teams competing, with 30 in total selected to come down for the trials, but only three were actually able to perform runs this weekend, since… Read More
The world’s first coffee shop opened in Constantinople in 1555. Some 400 years later, Cafe X is putting a twist on that old barista model. Opening in San Francisco today, the startup is opting instead to have a large robotic arm craft your caffeinated potions. Founder Henry Hu noticed that baristas spent a majority of their time moving cups around while making espresso… Read More
