Sarah Perez
Writer
The Latest from Sarah Perez
Online bank Simple makes things harder by removing bill pay
With a growing number of challenger banks taking on the U.S. market, one of the original startup banks, Simple — now owned by BBVA — has taken the unusual step of removing a core banking f
Microsoft’s new language learning app uses your phone’s camera and computer vision to teach vocabulary
Eight Microsoft interns have developed a new language learning tool that uses the smartphone camera to help adults improve their English literacy by learning the words for the things around them. The
Zero raises $20 million from NEA and others for a credit card that works like debit
Just ahead of the launch of the Apple Card, a startup that has its own take on modernizing the credit card industry, Zero, is announcing the close of its $20 million Series A. The new round of funding
FanDuel partners with fuboTV to bring sports betting data to the live-streaming service
Live sports-streaming service fuboTV today announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with daily fantasy sports provider FanDuel, which will see the latter’s betting data integrated into fuboTV&#
Vignette is a handy new app that keeps your iOS contact photos up to date
If there’s a special place in your heart for single-purpose utilities that solve a nagging problem, then you’re going to want to skip your daily Starbucks coffee and instead buy yourself a
Subscription fatigue hasn’t hit yet
U.S. consumers are still embracing subscriptions. More than a third (34%) of Americans say they believe they’ll increase the number of subscription services they use over the next two years, acc
Google’s new look for mobile search results puts site owners and publishers first
Google today unveiled a new look for its mobile search results, which gives sites a way to showcase their own branding instead of looking like every other blue link. Before, the search results were bl
Now at Google, Facebook’s former teen-in-residence launches new social game Emojishot
Facebook’s former teen-in-residence Michael Sayman, now at Google, is back today with the launch of a new game: Emojishot, an emoji-based guessing game for iOS, built over the past 10 weeks with
Stein Mart embraces the enemy with installation of Amazon Lockers in nearly 200 stores
Another brick-and-mortar retailer is turning to Amazon to help save its struggling business. Today, discount chain operator Stein Mart announced it will install Amazon Hub lockers in nearly 200 stores
Lyft adds more safety features, including in-app emergency assistance, reminders to check the plate
Earlier this spring, both Uber and Lyft introduced new safety features and policies following the death of a university student who was kidnapped and murdered after getting into a vehicle she believed
Amazon’s Alexa Fund invests in edtech startups Zoobean and Unruly Studios
Two edtech companies, Zoobean and Unruly Studios, are the latest to receive investment from Amazon’s Alexa Fund — Amazon’s corporate venture fund focused on fueling innovation in voi
Maisie Williams’ talent discovery startup Daisie raises $2.5 million, hits 100K members
Maisie Williams’ time on Game of Thrones may have come to an end, but her talent discovery app Daisie is just getting started. Co-founded by film producer Dom Santry, Daisie aims to make it easi
China overtakes US in smart speaker market share
The U.S. no longer leads the smart speaker market, according to new data from Canalys out this morning, which found China’s smart speaker shipments grew by 500% in Q1 2019 to overtake the U.S. a
Pandora’s new native Mac app streams music, not podcasts
Pandora is rolling out new desktop apps for its streaming music listeners, starting with Mac. This morning, the company announced the launch of a native desktop app for Mac, with a Windows version to
Facebook releases a trio of maps to aid with fighting disease outbreaks
Facebook this morning announced a new initiative focused on using its data and technologies to help nonprofit organizations and universities working in public health better map the spread of infectiou
Netflix takes on ‘Project Runway’ with new competition series co-hosted by Queer Eye star
Netflix is launching its own take on Project Runway, and it’s bringing in Queer Eye’s Tan France to host. While Project Runway has grown to become one of the most popular fashion-focused r
Winter is coming for HBO NOW subscriber growth
Fan reaction to Game of Thrones’ final season may be mixed, but the show has been undeniably good for HBO’s network — and for its over-the-top streaming service, HBO NOW. The Season
Microsoft aims to train and certify 15,000 workers on AI skills by 2022
Microsoft is investing in certification and training for a range of AI-related skills in partnership with education provider General Assembly, the companies announced this morning. The goal is to trai
Apple & Google celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day with featured apps, new shortcuts
With last fall’s release of iOS 12, Apple introduced Siri Shortcuts — a new app that allows iPhone users to create their own voice commands to take actions on their phone and in apps. Toda
Ticketmaster puts an end to screenshots with new digital ticket technology
Ticketmaster is turning to new technology to help fight ticket fraud. The ticketing giant today unveiled its next-generation digital tickets, “SafeTix,” which are tied to the ticket holder