For a while, Google, Amazon and Microsoft were constantly undercutting each other’s cloud computing prices, but lately, it’s been pretty quiet on that front. Today, however, Google is firing a new salvo by reducing the price of its preemptible virtual machines (VMs) by up to 33 percent. Preemptible VMs are Google’s version of Amazon’s spot instances […]
Along with today’s rollout of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, Microsoft is also debuting a new version of its Skype Windows application, which the company says has been redesigned from the ground up. In addition to the new app’s look, Skype is also now integrated with Windows 10, which means it can work more seamlessly […]
Good-enough goes a long way when combined with network effect. You don’t always need to be better to win, you just have to rob your competitor of its appeal. Why would people stray if you provide convenience, even without quality? This is the strategy behind Instagram Stories. Snapchat invented a brilliant format for sharing day-to-day […]
The used car industry is an interesting business. The market is huge – 45 million used cars are bought each year in the U.S. But the biggest player, CarMax, only controls about 2% of the market – but is still valued at about $12 billion by Wall Street. So that makes the market not only ripe for disruption, but […]
September 7 is going to be a busy day. Sony sent out invites for a press event in New York. The company will likely unveil the successor to the PlayStation 4. On the same day, Apple could also hold its usual iPhone launch event for the rumored iPhone 7. The event is called “PlayStation Meeting,” […]
Plenty of people still like to read their comics on paper, but increasingly, phones and tablets are the devices of choice for keeping up with the Justice League. Last year, Google introduced a new reading experience for comics in its Play Books store for Android that makes it easier to follow along with the story. […]
Apple’s entire lineup feels old, stale, and is in desperate need of a refresh. I remember when Apple’s hardware lineup was full of cool, shiny, and most importantly, new stuff. Now it’s entire lineup feels old, stale, and is in desperate need of a refresh. See also: Why Apple doesn’t care that flagship Android smartphones […]
Brad Smith has spent a career editing sports photography. First as a sports editor at Sports Illustrated, then as a senior sports editor at The New York Times, and most recently a return to SI as its Director of Photography. But for the next two weeks, he is editing the 2016 Rio Olympic Games photography […]
UK robotics startup and TechCrunch Disrupt London 2015 battlefield alum Emotech has closed more than $10 million in Series A funding to continue working on its prototype robot assistant. It’s building a personality adapting AI-powered robot called Olly. The team intended to demo their robot on stage at TC Disrupt last December (pictured above) but had some technical difficulties with the […]
Twitch has been expanding its video content beyond gaming for some time, thanks to classic shows featuring Bob Ross and Julia Child, as well as its own “Creative” channel where artists and musicians can showcase their work. Now, the Amazon-owned streaming video platform will soon offer a few more reasons for non-gamers to tune in: Amazon Video […]