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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Online consignment shop thredUp takes on The RealReal with launch of Luxe
Online consignment shop thredUp is taking on The RealReal. The e-commerce site for secondhand items today announced the launch of a new luxury goods storefront, simply called Luxe, which is now available as a public beta. Via Luxe, consignment customers can request a “clean out kit” from thredUp, as per usual, and fill it with both their high-end and low-end items, which the… Read More
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‘Game of Thrones’ premiere sent HBO NOW half a million downloads, 3x increase in revenue
HBO’s “Game of Thrones” isn’t just a cultural phenomenon – it’s also a driving force for the company’s over-the-top service aimed at cord cutters, HBO NOW. According to new data from app store analytics firm App Annie, the HBO NOW streaming app was downloaded over 500,000 times in the first week following the Season 7 premiere. This translated into… Read More
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SnapTravel raises $8 million for a hotel booking service that works over chat
Chatbots – automated bots that let you interact with a service or brand via messaging apps or SMS – haven’t yet become breakout hits, as a group. But that hasn’t stopped investors from pouring in $8 million into a hotel booking startup called SnapTravel, which lets users find and book rooms via SMS texts and Facebook Messenger. The $8 million Series A round was led… Read More
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Hulu hires Google marketing veteran Kelly Campbell as CMO
Hulu announced this morning the appointment of Kelly Campbell, the current head of Global Growth Marketing for Google Cloud, as its new chief marketing officer. The strategic hire for the streaming service will see Campbell tasked with driving Hulu’s overall marketing strategy across both its subscription video on-demand business and its new Live TV service, the company says. Read More
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Amazon’s chat fiction app Rapids ties up with Amazon Studios with launch of ‘Signature Stories’
Today’s kids aren’t just reading books. They’re also tapping and playing with interactive stories on tablets as preschoolers, then delving into instant messaging-like chat fiction apps as teens. Amazon’s entry in this space, Amazon Rapids, was announced late last year as a way to bring this style of interactive fiction to readers in the 5 to 12 age range. The company… Read More
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Netflix was the top grossing app in Q2, with mobile revenue up 233% since last year
Netflix’s booming subscriber growth, announced in the company’s earnings last week, is also being felt on the App Store, where its app has again become the top earner in terms of revenue. According a recent report from app store analytics firm Sensor Tower, the app in Q2 saw 233 percent revenue growth year-over-year to $153 million in the most recent quarter. That’s up from… Read More
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Silent Echo lets you chat with Alexa over Slack
Want to chat with Alexa via Slack? A new bot called Silent Echo now makes that possible. The idea is that there are times when you want to interact with Amazon’s virtual assistant, Alexa, but you don’t want to do it by voice. For example, if things are too noisy in the room for Alexa to properly hear you, or, alternately, if you need things to be very quiet. The service… Read More
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Netflix drops the full trailer for ‘Bright,’ its $90M+ potential blockbuster hit
Netflix may have its first blockbuster movie on its hands. The new, full-length trailer for the upcoming Will Smith movie, “Bright,” from “Suicide Squad” director David Ayer, dropped during San Diego’s Comic-Con yesterday. The trailer gives viewers a longer look into the upcoming film, which takes place in a futuristic world where magical creatures like orcs and… Read More
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Hulu’s Live TV service arrives on Amazon Fire TV
Hulu’s Live TV service, the expanded version of Hulu launched in May which provides access to live television in addition to Hulu’s existing on-demand library, is now available on Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick. This is the first major platform expansion since the service’s debut, as it was initially available on iOS, Android, Chromecast, Apple TV and Xbox One. Amazon Fire… Read More
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Alexa is coming to the Amazon app on Android, starting this week
This spring, Amazon introduced Alexa to a wider audience by making the virtual assistant a feature that could be accessed within the retailer’s main shopping app. However, that integration – which allows you to ask Alexa about news, weather, basic facts, or use the assistant’s add-on “skills,” among other things – Â was available only for iPhone users. Read More
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YouTube TV triples its footprint with launches in 10 more U.S. markets
YouTube TV, Google’s entry in the crowded market of live TV streaming services, is now available in ten more U.S. metros, the company announced this morning. In nine of the ten markets, the service will include the live local feeds from all four major broadcasters – ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC. The ability to watch live television from major broadcasters has been one of YouTube… Read More
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PayPal expands partnerships with Citi and Chase to include reward points and more
PayPal today announced an expanded partnership with two of the largest bank issuers, Chase and Citibank. The agreements include a number of increased integrations between the companies, including easier access to Chase and Citibank cards in the PayPal wallet; permitting Chase and Citi customers to take advantage of cards’ rewards points anywhere PayPal is accepted; integrations with… Read More
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Google brings its GIF-making Motion Stills app to Android
Google last year introduced an app called Motion Stills that aimed to help iOS users do more with their Live Photos – including being able to crop out blurry frames, stabilize images, and even turn Apple’s Live Photos format into more sharable GIFs. Today, Google says it’s bringing Motion Stills to Android, along with a few changes. Obviously, Android users aren’t in… Read More
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Twitter claims its anti-abuse measures are helping, though many still disagree
Twitter today offered an update on how its improvements to user safety and its newer anti-abuse measures are having an impact. The company declined to share any hard numbers related to abuse on its network, including how many abuse reports have been filed, or the number of actions it’s taken, for example, noting instead across the board percentage increases on things like account… Read More
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Hulu’s new 20th Century Fox deal brings 3,000 more TV episodes to its streaming service
Hulu today announced a sizable content deal with 20th Century Fox Television Distribution that will allow Hulu to add nearly 3,000 more episodes of popular TV shows, including dramas and comedies, to Hulu’s streaming service. The deal will give Hulu the streaming rights to several well-known titles, such as “How I Met Your Mother,” “Burn Notice,”… Read More
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Amazon’s ‘Treasure Truck’ deals program is expanding nationwide
Amazon’s Treasure Truck, the retailer’s deal programs that offers discounts on select items paid for online then picked up in person from an actual truck, is expanding across the U.S. First announced back in 2015 in Seattle, then rolled out the following year, Treasure Truck initially appeared to be some sort of one-off marketing experiment, but its recently granted patent and… Read More
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Amazon Pay Places lets you pay for real-world shopping using your Amazon info, starting with TGI Fridays orders
Amazon is today introducing a new feature called Amazon Pay Places, that allows customers to pay for in-store and order ahead shopping experiences using their Amazon app. That is, instead of using cash, check, credit or debit while shopping out in the real world, you can just use your Amazon account information. The first implementation of Pay Places involves a partnership with the TGI… Read More
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NBC News launches ‘Stay Tuned,’ a twice-daily Snapchat news broadcast
NBC News is bringing news broadcasts to Snapchat, the company announced today, with the launch of a twice-daily headline news show it’s calling “Stay Tuned.” The show aims to connect with younger viewers who no longer get their news from traditional television, nor connect with a trusted anchor during a nightly broadcast as generations before them. Read More
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Apple now allows customer support reps to respond to your App Store reviews
Earlier this year, Apple finally introduced the ability for app developers to respond to customer reviews – a feature Google had in place for several years. Now, Apple is expanding this feature with the launch of a new “Customer Support” role available now in the iTunes Connect portal. This gives developers who have larger teams the ability to give others permission to respond… Read More
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Amazon launches Spark, a shoppable feed of stories and photos aimed at Prime members
Amazon today is launching Amazon Spark, a new feature aimed at improving product discovery, which is seemingly inspired by Instagram and its use of shoppable photos. Similarly, Amazon Spark users are encouraged to post stories, ideas and images of products they love, which others can react to with comments and “smiles” – Amazon’s own version of the Like or Favorite… Read More
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