Google’s Android Phone app now identifies spam callers

Google’s Android Phone app now identifies spam callers

There’s nothing worse than answering a call from a number you don’t recognize and getting locked into an awkward sales or marketing call. Well, those incidents may be less frequent for many after Google added spam call detection to its phone app for Android. The Android phone app received a major update in 2013 when it added caller […]

Nat Geo Launched a Free Website for Printing Detailed Topographical Maps

Nat Geo Launched a Free Website for Printing Detailed Topographical Maps

The opening ceremony hasn’t even kicked off yet, and olympic photographers are already having a hard time in Rio. Case in point: News Corp photographer Brett Costello recently had $40,000 worth of camera gear stolen… in broad daylight… in a crowded cafe… in 10 seconds flat. Capturing a solid rocket booster test on video is […]

Amazon wants more people to develop speech-based adventure games for Alexa

Amazon wants more people to develop speech-based adventure games for Alexa

Amazon’s plucky little voice assistant already has a fairly broad skill set – but gaming has never really been Alexa’s strong suit. Granted, the AI is no Xbox, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some potential for a little gaming fun. A few developers have already created titles for the platform, adventure games that are […]

Facebook snatches up team from Eyegroove, a musical selfie app

Facebook snatches up team from Eyegroove, a musical selfie app

The team from a startup called Eyegroove, a “musical selfie” app, has joined Facebook. According to a message on the company’s website, most of the small team who worked on the app will now be focused on building new experiences for Facebook users that will help them to “create, share and connect.” Founded in late […]

Google’s self-driving car CTO departs the project

Google’s self-driving car CTO departs the project

Google’s self-driving car project is losing Chris Urmson, who served as the unit’s CTO and lead technical resource after going the company from Carnegie Mellon. Urmson has considerable status among roboticist in the world of autonomous vehicles, but said in a Medium post announcing his departure that he was “ready for a fresh challenge,” without […]

Why Microsoft’s Satya Nadella equates LinkedIn with Minecraft

Why Microsoft’s Satya Nadella equates LinkedIn with Minecraft

You could make a case that Minecraft is the professional network of 10-year-olds, but you’d have to work pretty hard at it. That’s not what Satya Nadella means when he uses Minecraft as an example of why LinkedIn was a great acquisition target for Microsoft, speaking to Bloomberg today in an interview reflecting on Microsoft as […]

Christoph Waltz gets goofily patriotic in Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 7 spot

Christoph Waltz gets goofily patriotic in Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 7 spot

He’s won a couple of Oscars, he’s worked with some of the best directors in the biz, and he’s even played a Bond villain. So, where does Christop Waltz go from here? Phone commercials, obviously. The acclaimed Inglourious Basterds actor has signed on with Samsung for a silly new ad touting the company’s eagerly anticipated […]

Airbnb raising a reported $850M at a $30B valuation

Airbnb raising a reported $850M at a $30B valuation

Tech unicorn and sharing economy darling Airbnb has informed the State of Delaware that it’s raising another heap of cash. TechCrunch independently verified that Airbnb indicated in a 28 page filing on July 28th that it has plans to bring in additional late-stage capital. Almost a year after its last raise of $1.6 billion, the company is said to be adding […]