Lauren Forristal

Lauren covers media, streaming, apps and platforms at TechCrunch.

The Latest from Lauren Forristal

Live selling startup CommentSold uses AI to generate shoppable, social-ready clips

The “AI ClipHero” feature creates short clips from livestreamed selling events, which often last for hours.

Amazon brings its ‘Amazon Live’ shoppable livestreams to Prime Video and Freevee

Amazon is trying to keep live shopping relevant with the launch of an “Amazon Live” FAST (free ad-supported TV) channel on Prime Video and Freevee. Previously only available as a feature on deskto

Meta thinks it’s a good idea for students to wear Quest headsets in class

Meta continues to field criticism over how it handles younger consumers using its platforms, but the company is also planning new products that will cater to them. On Monday, the company announced in

eBay enters trading card commercial agreement with Collectors, acquires Goldin

As eBay continues to invest in the trading card space, the e-commerce company announced Wednesday three significant commercial transactions with Collectors, the parent company of PSA (Professional Spo

Roku’s Pro Series TVs are now available

Announced earlier this year, Roku revealed today that its Pro Series TVs, the lineup of high-end televisions, are now available for purchase in the U.S. Starting today, Roku Pro Series TVs are being s

Rooms, a 3D design app and ‘cozy game,’ gets a major update as users jump to 250K

Five months ago, Rooms, a 3D design platform made by ex-Google employees, launched its beta version on the App Store. Today, the free iOS app is getting a big update that will bring a wave of new disc

Storiaverse launches a short-form storytelling app that combines video and written content

Agnes Kozera and David Kierzkowski, the co-founders of podcast sponsorship marketplace Podcorn, today launched their newest app — Storiaverse, a short-form entertainment platform that offers a multi

GV invests in Home From College, a career platform for Gen Z

Home From College, a career platform for young professionals and college students looking for their first job or internship, announced Wednesday that it raised $5.4 million in a seed round led by GV (

Meta now requires users to verify their age to use its Quest VR headsets

During the congressional online safety hearing in January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg argued that mobile app store providers like Apple and Google should be the ones to implement parental controls for s

Amazon One launches new app to scan your palm for checkout

Amazon announced Thursday the launch of its new app for Amazon One, its contactless palm recognition service that allows customers to hover their palm over a device in order to purchase from select pl

ChowNow snaps up YC-backed POS platform Cuboh and is laying off staff

ChowNow acquired Cuboh, a point-of-sale platform that consolidates all orders from delivery apps into one place.

Musical toy startup Playtime Engineering wants to simplify electronic music making for kids

Troy Sheets began making music at 15 years old in his home studio with a keyboard synthesizer, drum machine and four-track cassette recorder — an impressive setup for a high school sophomore. Howeve

Apple’s Vision Pro is here: These are some of the most exciting indie apps and games

With the Vision Pro finally available, many consumers are curious about Apple’s AR/VR headset and the apps that come with it. While some are from companies you recognize — Disney+, Max, TikTok

Threads opens beta to let users connect their accounts to the fediverse

Threads has officially entered the fediverse. Meta announced on Thursday that its beta experience of sharing Threads accounts to the fediverse is now open to users ages 18 and up with public profiles.

NBCUniversal’s Peacock will let you watch 4 livestreams at once for 2024 Paris Olympics

Today, during NBCUniversal’s annual technology conference, One24, the company revealed a slew of features coming to its streaming service Peacock ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics in July. The most n

Watchworthy will now tell you which streaming services to cancel and which to keep

TV recommendation app Watchworthy released two new features to give viewers access to more personalized recommendations, including a new recommendation category for streaming services and a collaborat

ShopMy lands $18.5M to help influencers earn more money from promoting products

ShopMy, a marketing platform for content creators to connect with brands and monetize their content, announced that it raised $18.5 million. The company will use the money to help scale its network of

Volley’s AI-enabled ball machine for racquet sports can simulate gameplay

A new sports tech startup, Volley, aims to revolutionize the way racquet sports players (platform tennis, tennis, padel and pickleball) train with its AI-enabled sports training machine. Unlike tradit

DoorDash’s new AI-powered ‘SafeChat+’ tool automatically detects verbal abuse

DoorDash hopes to reduce verbally abusive and inappropriate interactions between consumers and delivery people with its new AI-powered feature that automatically detects offensive language. Dubbed “

Ready Player One creator debuts ‘Open,’ a metaverse battle royale experience

Earlier this year, Readyverse Studios — co-founded by blockchain tech company Futureverse and Ernest Cline, the mind behind the sci-fi franchise Ready Player One — announced “The Readyve
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