Sarah Perez
Sarah currently works as a writer for TechCrunch, after having previously spent over three years at ReadWriteWeb. Prior to becoming a professional blogger, Sarah worked in I.T. across a number of industries, including banking, retail and software.
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Latest from Sarah Perez
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Google Play adds Android Instant Apps via a ‘Try it Now’ button, among other changes
Google today is announcing a number of changes to its Google Play app store, the most notable being a new way to try apps immediately without having to first install them on your mobile device. The new feature takes advantage of “Android Instant Apps” technology – Google’s attempt at bridging the mobile web world with that of native applications. Instant Apps were… Read More
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Streaming service VidAngel declares bankruptcy after losing legal battles with studios
VidAngel, a streaming service that altered copyrighted works to edit out adult language, nudity and violence, has declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the company announced on Wednesday. The Utah-based service had been sued by major studios, including Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, Disney, and others, who said VidAngel was operating as an unlicensed streaming service, and was offering films to… Read More
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Flickr exits the photo book business, shuts down wall art orders
Flickr, the once Yahoo-owned photo-sharing site that’s now a part of Verizon*, is getting out of the photo book printing business, and is shutting down the feature that allowed users to turn photos into professional-quality wall art. In an email sent to users this week, Flickr said that it was turning over photo books to publishing service Blurb as of October 16, 2017, but the wall… Read More
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Verizon delays its live TV service until spring 2018, report says
Verizon’s* plans to launch a streaming service of its own to compete with the likes of Dish’s Sling TV, AT&T’s DirecTV Now, Sony’s PlayStation Vue, and others, have been pushed back to spring 2018, according to a report from Bloomberg on Wednesday. Citing unnamed sources, the report indicates the timing of the launch is still tentative and could be postponed… Read More
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Gmail launches its first public iOS beta to test support for third-party accounts
Google wants to make Gmail the place where you check all your email accounts, not just your Google accounts. The company announced this week it’s testing a new version of the Gmail app on iOS that will allow users to add their non-Google accounts, including those from Outlook (including Hotmail or Live), Yahoo, and elsewhere. The announcement, which was sent out via a tweet from the… Read More
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Facebook officially rolls out its discovery-focused ‘Explore Feed’
Facebook’s tests of an alternative News Feed dubbed the “Explore” feed have progressed to a full rollout, the company now confirms. Previously available on mobile devices in the main navigation, Facebook’s new Explore Feed is now appearing for users on the desktop, as well. Facebook tells TechCrunch this is the beginning of the official rollout of the Explore feed. On… Read More
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Nielsen will now measure TV audiences on Netflix
Nielsen is hoping to make the viewership numbers for the shows airing on streaming services a little less of a mystery. The company is today announcing a new service, Nielsen Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) Content Ratings, to measure streaming services’ programs in a way that’s comparable to linear TV. That includes ratings, reaches, frequency and segmentation reporting… Read More
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Wattpad’s storytelling app, now with 60M monthly users, adds a subscription service
Wattpad, the company behind a suite of apps for reading and sharing stories – including a fairly popular “chat fiction” app Tap, a rival to Hooked – is today adding its first ever subscription plan for its flagship application. The option, called Wattpad Premium, will remove the ads from Wattpad’s otherwise free app – a feature users have been requesting… Read More
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Alexa adds support for custom lists
Amazon today announced it’s improving one of Alexa’s most-used features: lists. The company is expanding both the Shopping list and To-Do list functionality to allow Alexa device owners to create their own lists for any purpose – beyond just things they need to pick up at the store, for example, or their everyday tasks. Instead, Alexa will now allow users to name their own… Read More
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Free streaming TV service Pluto TV raises $8.3M, in new round led by Samsung
Free streaming TV service Pluto TV announced today it has received a new $5 million investment from Samsung Venture Investment Corporation, the VC arm of the Samsung Group. Combined with other investors, the full round totaled $8.3 million, the company says. Pluto TV declined to disclose the other investors in the round, but said they’re a mix of both new and prior investors. The… Read More
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Venmo users can now shop online anywhere PayPal is accepted in the U.S.
PayPal this morning announced its mobile payments service Venmo is now available at over 2 million online U.S retailers, allowing Venmo users to shop on the mobile web at almost everywhere PayPal is accepted today. This includes popular retailers like Lululemon, Forever21 and Foot Locker via the mobile web, the company says. As with PayPal, eligible purchases bought using Venmo online… Read More
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Google revamps its Security Checkup feature with personalized suggestions for your account
Google today is rolling out a revamped version of its longtime Security Checkup feature – a service that helps users make sure their Google accounts are safe by checking those items that could impact your account’s security. This includes connected apps, connected devices, account permissions and other things. Now, Security Checkup will be improved by offering more personalized… Read More
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Google Photos gets more pet-friendly
If you’re a pet owner who uses Google Photos, you’ve probably typed in “dog” or “cat” before in order to surface photos of your furry pal – like anytime someone asks you about your pet, for example, which clearly means they would like to see a picture of Mr. Fluffypants. Today, Google is introducing an easier way to aggregate your pet photos in its… Read More
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Spanish bank launches money-transfer app focused initially on US-Mexico remittances
BBVA, Spain’s second-largest bank that snatched up mobile banking startup Simple for $117 million back in 2014, is now entering the mobile money transfer business with today’s launch of a new app called Tuyyo. The app, which is available on both iOS and Android, is focused on the $73 billion annual market for remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean from the U.S. However… Read More
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eBay takes on The RealReal and other fashion resellers with launch of authentication program
eBay is going after high-end clientele in search of luxury goods with today’s launch of eBay Authenticate, a new program that will allow sellers to opt in to have their goods verified as authentic. Initially, the service will focus on luxury handbags and wallets across 12 high-end brands, including Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermes, Gucci, Prada, Burberry, Dior, Fendi, Balenciaga… Read More
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We Heart It says a data breach affected over 8 million accounts, included emails and passwords
We Heart It, an image-sharing site used by 40 million teens as of a couple of years ago, is informing users their personal data may have been compromised. The company was alerted to a possible security breach last week that involved over 8 million accounts, it said on Friday. The breach took place a few years ago and includes email addresses, usernames and encrypted passwords for We Heart… Read More
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Fandango is acquiring rival online ticketer MovieTickets.com
A consolidation in the advance movie ticketing space is happening today, with Fandango’s announcement that it’s acquiring rival MovieTickets.com for an undisclosed sum. The deal, which is expected to close before year-end, will help Fandango expand its international footprint, particularly in Latin America, as well as bring new cinemas to its ticketing platform. Read More
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PartyWith’s new app is part event-finder, part friend-finder
I can’t quite wrap my head around the need for a dedicated app for travelers wanting to meet locals to hang out with — doesn’t this just happen naturally? But that, at least in part, is the premise behind today’s official launch of PartyWith, a revamped version of the app previously known as Party with a Local. Read More
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iOS and Samsung market share now tied in the US
iOS and Samsung’s U.S. market share is now tied, following growth for Apple’s smartphone OS over the three months ending in August, based on new data from Kantar Wordpanel, which tracks smartphone market share by way of sales data. According to its analysis, iOS is up 3.7 percentage points year-over-year, to achieve 35 percent market share, while Samsung only grew 0.8 points… Read More
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Facebook’s ‘Order Food’ feature officially launches across the US
Facebook today formally announced its new feature that allows users to order food from local restaurants using its app. Instead of competing directly with other food ordering services, Facebook is partnering with several industry players on this effort, including EatStreet, Delivery.com, DoorDash, ChowNow, Olo, Zuppler and Slice. It’s also working with restaurant chains directly. Read More
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