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How tbh hit #1 by turning anonymity positive
The innovation of tbh, teen-speak for To Be Honest, was getting rid of the typing. Whether asking or answering questions, open text fields invite abuse when combined with anonymity. Even an innocuous question like “What do you think of me?” can lead to mean-spirited comments if responders don’t have their names, and therefore any accountability, attached. So tbh writes… Read More
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Preschoolers get their own Pokémon game with launch of Pokémon Playhouse
A new app called Pokémon Playhouse from the Pokémon Company, released this week, is bringing Pikachu and friends to preschoolers. Unlike the augmented reality game Pokémon Go, a collaboration between Niantic and Nintendo by way of the Pokémon Company, this latest game is not focused on capturing Pokémon, battling and raids. Instead, it’s filled with activities appropriate for… Read More
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ipsy launches its beauty product e-commerce business Shopper as hit hits 3M subscribers
ipsy, a subscription service that delivers a collection of products to its users every month, has spent the last six years building up a community with millions of people obsessed with beauty products. And now that the company has more than 3 million subscribers — with a $10 per month subscription cost — it’s ready to get a little bit more aggressive by getting directly… Read More
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Co-founder Brian Fenty becomes CEO at TodayTix
There’s a new CEO at TodayTix, though he’s definitely not new to the company — Chairman Brian Fenty is becoming chief executive, while his co-founder (and the previous CEO) Merritt Baer is becoming the Head of Europe. TodayTix sells theater tickets in cities across the United States (including New York, Chicago and San Francisco), but its European presence is currently limited… Read More
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Pinterest opens up more than 5,000 interests for advertiser targeting through its Taste Graph
Pinterest builds itself around visual discovery — the idea that you can come to the site or app, see something you like, and immediately dive down a rabbit hole. The company has built an extensive suite of tools internally to figure out which rabbit hole to divert users to, and now it’s opening up some of that knowledge to advertisers. Pinterest said today that it’s… Read More
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Polly’s teen polling app piggybacks on Snapchat
Snapchat doesn’t technically have a developer platform, but that hasn’t stopped other startups from taking advantage of its new feature for attaching links to your Snaps and Stories. Sarahah was the first, allowing people to ask fellow Snappers for open-ended anonymous feedback. But the problem is that those requests could be met with cyberbullying. Polly is a new teen… Read More
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Google brings the $399 Android One Moto X4 to Project Fi (and the U.S.)
Google today announced that the Android One Moto X4 is now available for pre-order on its Project Fi page. Like other Android One phones, the mid-range Moto X4, comes with a pure version of Android without any bloatware. This marks the first time an Android One phone is available on Project Fi, Google’s own virtual cell network, and it also marks the Moto X4’s arrival in the… Read More
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Snapchat’s new partners attach instant apps and games to ads
Snap wants its ads to open to something interesting rather than a boring mobile website. Today Snap announced 14 new ad Creative Partners that will help build custom games, interactive videos, gyroscope-powered epxeriences, lead generation campaigns, and pre-loaded Instant Apps as destinations for Snapchat ads. They’ll also help connect advertisers to influencers, despite Snapchat… Read More
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Wall Street dings Apple after some reported LTE connectivity issues on the new Watch
There are a lot of reports hitting the ‘net this morning in reviews of the Apple Watch Series 3, which indicate that there are some LTE connectivity issues — causing Apple to take a small dip this morning and a speed bump in its march to $1 trillion. Shares of Apple fell around 2.5% this morning, which for Apple is a pretty substantial ding for the company despite the deceptively… Read More
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Amazon is working on smart glasses to house Alexa AI, says FT
Amazon is working on building a pair of smart glasses to house its Alexa voice assistant, and a home security camera that could be linked to its existing Echo connected devices to further expand their capabilities, according to a report in the FT citing people familiar with the company’s plans. Read More
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Tomorrow looks to make it easier to draw up plans for a will and life insurance
Talking about filling out a will and setting up life insurance is probably one of the more sensitive subjects you’ll tackle as you get older — but Dave Hanley says it’s something that a lot of people end up dodging altogether. That’s why he started Tomorrow, a company that makes it easier to set up life insurance and how assets and guardianship are divvied up. Rather… Read More
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Does Siri sound different today? Here’s why
Did you notice that Siri sounds a little more sprightly today? Apple’s ubiquitous virtual assistant has had a little virtual work done on her virtual vocal cords, and her newly dulcet-ized tones went live today as part of iOS 11. Read More
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Google’s Pixel 2 XL leaks in two colorways, reportedly priced at $849
Google’s big Pixel 2 event is coming up very soon – it’s set for October 4. The Pixel 2 XL has leaked, however, with pictures of both a black and a white color option, and the Pixel 2 XL name is apparently going to be the official one, too, according to a new report from Droid Life. The smartphone looks like the original, but with a sleeker rear two-tone look, with what… Read More
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See what Facebook ads you actually clicked in ‘Recent Ad Activity’
You might think you’re impervious to Facebook’s ads, but you probably do get seduced every once in a while. But because ads aren’t always permanently available anywhere, it can be impossible to find a Facebook ad that led somewhere you want to revisit. Now Facebook has a solution called Recent Ad Activity for when (if) you click an ad and want to see it again. Read More
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Autonomous driving’s godfather and tech investors say the world is ready for flying cars
Autonomous driving is often considered the brainchild of Sebastian Thrun, among a few other technologists, but Thrun is already looking to move on to the next mode of transportation — and he isn’t alone. At TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2017, Thrun talked a lot about flying cars and how that was the future of transportation. So did GGV’s Jenny Lee. And so did Steve Jurvetson. Read More
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15 neat hidden features in iOS 11
After months and months of beta, iOS 11 is finally here — and it’s a huge update. In particular, Apple has tucked away many little features that you won’t see right away. If you want to impress all your friends with your mad iOS skills, here is a list of some of these features. I also wrote a short and sweet review of iOS 10 if you want to learn more about all the changes… Read More
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iOS 11 is a fresh start for the iPad
After reading back the preview I wrote back in June, the dominant tone was that iOS 11 is so different that it takes a while to get used to it: I’m not going to lie to you. It takes time to get used to those new gestures. I’m not there yet, and I often find myself thinking about what I’m supposed to do to pull up Spotlight, look at my Today widgets and find an app that I… Read More
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iOS 11 is now available to download
Apple has just released the final version of iOS 11. This update is packed with new features for the iPad and new core frameworks for the iPhone. The update is currently rolling out and is available both over-the-air in the Settings app, and by plugging your device into iTunes for a wired update. Many people try to download these major updates at the same time. Apple usually implements a… Read More
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GGV’s Jenny Lee says Xiaomi doesn’t need to come to the U.S.
Xiaomi is one of the most valuable startups in the world and has become a big icon in smartphone design, sometimes suggested as an analog to Apple in China. The company’s flagship phones receive a ton of press in the U.S., too, but they aren’t available in the U.S. just yet. Instead, Xiaomi is looking to emerging markets like India in addition to getting its phones into the hands… Read More
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