The Latest
Cabs Cause Gridlock At SFO To Protest Uber, Lyft And Sidecar
11:16 pm PST • November 17, 2014
At San Francisco International Airport this evening, a large group of Bay Area taxi drivers has decided to make picking passengers up nearly impossible in an effort to protest the…
Uber Won’t Investigate Journalists, Company Says After Exec Suggests It Investigate Journalists
10:13 pm PST • November 17, 2014
Uber today said that it hasn’t and won’t investigate journalists in an effort to dig up dirt that could be used against them. That’s great, except that the company’s stand…
With $5M In Funding, Tinder-Like Paktor Wants To Get Southeast Asia Using Dating Apps
8:57 pm PST • November 17, 2014
Paktor, a Singapore-based company, believes it has the answer for Tinder in Southeast Asia, and it has just announced a $4 million-plus funding round to build out its vision for…
Google Play Services 6.5 Adds New Features To Maps, Drive, Wallet, And Fit APIs
8:34 pm PST • November 17, 2014
The latest version of Google Play services will include several interesting new features in Google Maps, Google Drive, Google Wallet, and the recently launched Google Fit. The rollout will be…
Startups
Alibaba’s Ant Financial Takes Minority Stake In Security Software Maker V-Key To Beef Up Alipay
7:33 pm PST • November 17, 2014
V-Key, a security software maker for mobile apps, has raised $12 million from Alibaba Group affiliate Ant Financial Services and IPV Capital, a venture capital firm based in China. The…
Source: Facebook Is Testing ‘Facebook At Work’, Separately Hosted Version To Roll Out In A Few Months
5:54 pm PST • November 17, 2014
This afternoon an industry source confirmed for me that Facebook is indeed piloting ‘Facebook at Work’ a product aimed at enterprise collaboration and the source told me such a product…
Startups
Snapcash Could Bring Real Identity And Ad Targeting Data To Snapchat
5:22 pm PST • November 17, 2014
Snapchat doesn’t ask for your real name, but its on the debit card you use for its new peer-to-peer payments feature Snapcash. That could prove very lucrative for the ephemeral…
Media & Entertainment
inMarket Says Its Beacon Platform Reaches 18% Of US Mobile Shoppers
5:22 pm PST • November 17, 2014
Looks like I might have to revise my perception of in-store beacons as technology that won’t matter until a year or two or three from now (at best). I don’t…
Students Build Objects With Metal Using A MIG Welder And An Off-The-Shelf 3D Printer
5:03 pm PST • November 17, 2014
Today in the Department of Overkill Department we present students from the University of Delft who have built a metal printer using a basic Prusa 3D printer – essentially a…
Hardware
The Drop Connected Kitchen Scale Is Not As Easy As Apple Pie, Yet
4:37 pm PST • November 17, 2014
The next frontier of hardware is in your kitchen. Drop hopes to be a part of that connected experience with a kitchen scale and an iPad app that uses Bluetooth…
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White House Says It “Strongly Supports” The Senate’s NSA Reform Bill
4:25 pm PST • November 17, 2014
The White House issued a statement this afternoon saying that it “strongly supports” the Senate’s USA FREEDOM Act, which could see a vote this week. The bill would curtail some practices of the United…
Later this week, Nintendo launches Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the fifth game in the wildly popular fighting game franchise that brings together all the company’s biggest characters. We’ve…
Media & Entertainment
Goat Simulator Satirizes World Of Warcraft With An MMO Expansion
4:00 pm PST • November 17, 2014
On Thursday, Goat Simulator’s developers are releasing a new expansion that will give fans of the game a whole new world to explore (and completely destroy) as one of the…
For Windows 10, A Feedback Test
3:11 pm PST • November 17, 2014
Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system is a large project, and one that is being built partially in plain sight. The software company, leaving behind its former ways, is working to integrate…
Media & Entertainment
EyeEm’s Algorithms Are Learning What Makes A Photo Great
3:01 pm PST • November 17, 2014
With its collection on Getty Images, photosharing startup EyeEm has blurred the line between professional photography and the casual shooting we all do that most smartphones have decent cameras and…
Hardware
Intel’s MICA Smart Bracelet Will Be In Stores Before Christmas For $495
2:03 pm PST • November 17, 2014
Intel today debuted the Intel MICA bracelet (short for “My Intelligent Communications Accessory), which was developed in collaboration with Opening Ceremony, the CFDA and sold exclusively at Barneys. The company…
Media & Entertainment
Built In Brooklyn: HowAboutWe Is An Online Dating Service With An Offline Focus
1:33 pm PST • November 17, 2014
There’s a good chance you’ve already heard about HowAboutWe, the latest startup featured in our TechCrunch TV series Built in Brooklyn — not just if you use the service yourself,…
SourceLair Lets You Code Right In Your Browser
12:42 pm PST • November 17, 2014
Editing code isn’t that hard. A terminal, a little Vim, a little PHP, some beer, and maybe a few Google searches and you’re off and running. But what if you…
Startups
RealScout Raises $6 Million Series A For Better Real Estate Search Technology
12:35 pm PST • November 17, 2014
When consumers are home shopping these days, they tend to be drawn to consumer-friendly portals like Zillow, Trulia, Redfin and others, which offer simple, user-friendly tools to take on what’s otherwise…
Startups
Snapchat Now Lets You Send Money To Friends Through Snapcash Deal With Square Cash
12:34 pm PST • November 17, 2014
While Venmo, Google Wallet, and more try to take a business approach to peer-to-peer payments, Snapchat today swooped in from the consumer side. It just added a “Snapcash” payments option to…
