Sunday 12 May 2019
Square Enix says Final Fantasy VII Remake will still feature ‘multiple parts’
Square Enix confirmed that the long-awaited Final Fantasy VII Remake will still be released in multiple parts. It remains unclear what this exactly means, but hopefully it will be explained in further detail at the upcoming E3 2019.
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Sony’s Days of Play will still happen this year, with a steel gray PlayStation 4
Sony will be bringing back Days of Play this year, despite the absence of the PlayStation at E3 2019. The annual sales event is expected to offer discounts, and will also launch sales for the limited edition, steel gray PlayStation 4.
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Google is ending its “Works with Nest” system. Here’s what that means for you
Google is making some big smart home changes. Google is ending its Works with Nest system, and that means a lot of compatibility with Nest devices may not be available for long. Take a look at all the facts you need!
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Here’s why you’re not getting Netflix in HD or 4K, and how to fix it
Are you having trouble watching your favorite movies or TV shows on Netflix in HD or 4K? We explain why loading takes so long, why the picture quality fluctuates, and what you can do about it.
The post Here’s why you’re not getting Netflix in HD or 4K, and how to fix it appeared first on Digital Trends.
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Apple reportedly won’t roll out iOS 13 to iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone SE
Apple is rumored to be dropping support for the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and iPhone SE with the release of iOS 13. If true, owners of the iPhone SE would only have three years on the latest version of the mobile operating system.
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Control4 assures customers that its products will still work with Nest
Smart home product maker Control4 is promising its users that its line of products will continue to work with Nest and Google devices through the "Works with Google Assistant" program.
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The best shows on Hulu right now (May 2019)
It's often overwhelming to navigate Hulu's robust library of TV shows. To help, we put together a list of the best shows on Hulu, whether you're into frenetic cartoons, intelligent dramas, or anything in between.
The post The best shows on Hulu right now (May 2019) appeared first on Digital Trends.
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Google Play Store feature suggests unused apps to uninstall from Android phones
A new Google Play Store feature informs people that they can free up space by uninstalling unused apps. After tapping on the alert, a list of unused apps on the Android device will be brought up.
The post Google Play Store feature suggests unused apps to uninstall from Android phones appeared first on Digital Trends.
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This soft and flexible leech-inspired robot can climb walls
A robot called the Longitudinally Extensible Continuum-robot inspired by Hirudinea (LEeCH) is made from a shower hose with two suction cups attached and can elongate and bend its body to climb walls, just like a leech.
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Faith in superior abilities of machines is key to accepting self-driving cars
A survey into what affects people's acceptance of self-driving cars has found the biggest factor is whether people believe that a machine can perform the task of driving more effectively than a human could.
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Audi touts fast charging capability of its oft-hyped (and much delayed) e-tron
While you might have trouble buying one thanks to lithium-ion battery shortage, that's not stopping Audi from promoting the fast charging capabilities of the e-tron. Audi says the e-tron can charge to 80% in as little as a half hour.
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The best indie games on the PS4
While big budget games rely on practical innovation, indie games dive head first into new, unexplored territories. If the quirky and unusual appeal to you, take a look at our list of the best indie games on PS4.
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Amazon’s unheard-of price cut on Klipsch R5 Neckband earbuds is for today only
For Saturday only, Amazon has reduced the price of the comfortable and great-looking Klipsch R5 by 58%, saving lucky buyers $69. Whether you're buying a gift or upgrading for yourself, don't wait because this deal ends at 11:59 P.M. PST.
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These are the best Pixel 3a XL cases and covers to protect your Google phone
If you want to change up the look or feel of your new Google phone, you want some decent drop protection, or both, then we have you covered with this list of the best Google Pixel 3a XL cases and covers.
The post These are the best Pixel 3a XL cases and covers to protect your Google phone appeared first on Digital Trends.
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The best HDTV antennas for 2019
When transitioning away from cable and satellite, finding the best HDTV antenna for your area can be tricky. To aid in your cord-cutting quest, we've compiled our picks of the best indoor HDTV antennas you can buy.
The post The best HDTV antennas for 2019 appeared first on Digital Trends.
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The best PlayStation 4 exclusives you can get right now
The PlayStation 4's game library and incredible selection of exclusive games could make anyone with an Xbox One or Nintendo Switch think twice. Here's our list of the latest and greatest PS4 exclusives.
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Sign up for ESPN+ and take 50% off the UFC 237: Namajunas vs. Andrade PPV
UFC 237: Namajunas vs. Andrade is coming Saturday to Rio de Janeiro. This highly anticipated pay-per-view event will air exclusively on ESPN Plus, and new members can score a discount by taking advantage of this ESPN Plus/PPV bundle deal.
The post Sign up for ESPN+ and take 50% off the UFC 237: Namajunas vs. Andrade PPV appeared first on Digital Trends.
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InSight’s solar panels get a spring cleaning from Martian winds
Winds on Mars might have caused the demise of the Opportunity rover, but they could also extend the life of the InSight mission. Scientists are now studying the way wind can blow dust off solar panels and affect power generation.
The post InSight’s solar panels get a spring cleaning from Martian winds appeared first on Digital Trends.
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Google has 15 million subscribers for its music streaming services
Google is chasing its competitors in the world of music streaming services, according to subscriber numbers. Google's two paid music services, YouTube Music and Google Play Music, have reportedly passed a total of 15 million subscribers.
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Historic SpaceX Falcon 9 core to go on public display in Houston
Soon visitors to the Space Center Houston will be able to see one of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets that was used twice for NASA-commissioned missions. The Falcon 9 core will go on display later this summer.
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The best PS4 games (May 2019)
Looking for the best PS4 games out there? Out of the massive crop of titles available, we selected the best you should buy. No matter what your genre of choice may be, there's something here for you.
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Looking for podcasts? Google lets you find and play them in its web search
Not content to simply have its own dedicated podcasts app, Google is now letting people find podcasts from within its web search, and play the most recent episodes inside a dedicated web-player.
The post Looking for podcasts? Google lets you find and play them in its web search appeared first on Digital Trends.
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Best new podcasts
Feel like you’re drowning in podcasts? In this weekly series, we’ll help you pick out the best of the new and returning shows. This week’s picks include Americans in Paris, Muslims just being themselves, and love stories in Italy.
The post Best new podcasts appeared first on Digital Trends.
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Photography News: An upside-down camera, app secretly uses photos to train A.I.
In this week's photography news, take a look at Polaroid's special edition Stranger Things camera; see what a photo storage app is being criticized over how they handled user images; find the latest firmware updates for Nikon DSLRs.
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AAA Survey: Americans lack the full story about EVs, so buying lags interest
An AAA survey of American consumer attitudes about electric-powered vehicles found that even though many expressed interest in EVs and 16% are likely to buy an EV next, few buy electric vehicles today.
The post AAA Survey: Americans lack the full story about EVs, so buying lags interest appeared first on Digital Trends.
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The best new music this week: Jamila Woods, Logic, and more
Looking for the best new music? Each week, we find the most compelling new releases just for you. This week: New albums from Jamila Woods, Logic, and Mac Demarco will have you listening.
The post The best new music this week: Jamila Woods, Logic, and more appeared first on Digital Trends.
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How to annotate a PDF on a Mac
Have a lot of work to do on PDF files? Here's how to annotate a PDF on a Mac - the perfect tool for collaborating work, editing, and filling out PDFs. We go over a couple of the most common methods.
The post How to annotate a PDF on a Mac appeared first on Digital Trends.
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New leaks suggest Ecobee is working on a smart home security system and more
There's new evidence that indicates Ecobee could be preparing to broaden its smart home device product lineup. Purported leaked images of an Ecobee camera and a contact sensor may point to future smart home devices and systems.
The post New leaks suggest Ecobee is working on a smart home security system and more appeared first on Digital Trends.
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All-electric Birò 02 concept car made from 80% recycled plastics
Design studio Mandalaki introduced the Birò O2, an 80% recycled plastics version of Estrima's Birò 4-wheel, all-electric city car. The Birò two-seater parks in scooter spaces. Estrima and Mandalaki plan sell the Birò O2 starting in July.
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FCC Blocks Chinese Company's Bid For International Phone Services In The U.S.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said it would "seriously jeopardize" national security, law enforcement and economic interests. The agency is also looking into authorizations granted to other Chinese firms.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Putting The 'Art' In Artificial Intelligence
AI paintings are a new — and lucrative — phenomenon in the art world. But what do they tell us about the nature of AI, and what it means to create something?
(Image credit: TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
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This Company Says The Future Of Nuclear Energy Is Smaller, Cheaper And Safer
An Oregon company plans a new kind of nuclear power plant that many consider the future of the industry. It's smaller and cheaper and could work well with renewable energy.
(Image credit: NuScale Power)
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How Computer-Assisted Telepathy Helps Humans Communicate
The next phase of human evolution seems headed toward merging biological bodies with machines, and in the first video of Future You, Elise Hu gets connected to a network and plays a game her thoughts.
(Image credit: NPR)
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How Mind-Controlled Robot Suits Could Enhance Our Limbs
In Episode 2 of Future You, Elise Hu explores mind-controlled exoskeletons that could let paralyzed people walk or the able-bodied gain super strength.
(Image credit: NPR)
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Artificial Intelligence Can Make Our Lives Easier, But It Can Also Go Awry
NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Kate Crawford of AI Now about the guardrails to make sure artificial intelligence won't do harm as it creeps into more aspects of daily life.
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If Drones Had 'Claws,' They Might Be Able To Fly For Longer
Small drones have a problem — their battery life runs out relatively quickly. A team of roboticists says it has created special landing gear that can help conserve precious battery life.
(Image credit: Dr. Kaiyu Hang/Yale University)
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VIDEOS: Future You, with Elise Hu
"Future You" is a monthly video series exploring how today's emerging science and technology could change what it means to be human by the year 2050 with NPR's Future Correspondent Elise Hu.
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Tech Fix: Google Pixel 3A Review: The $400 Smartphone You’ve Been Waiting For
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As Saudi Arabia Builds A Nuclear Reactor, Some Worry About Its Motives
Saudi Arabia is building a small civilian nuclear reactor, the nation's first. Nuclear power is an important part of its energy plans. Arms control experts ask if its intention is entirely peaceful.
(Image credit: Planet Labs Inc)
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Travel Tips: The Pros and Cons of Noise-Canceling Headphones
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Ahead Of 2020, Microsoft Unveils Tool To Allow Voters To Track Their Ballots
The tech giant unveiled a software toolkit Monday that would allow voters to confirm that their votes were cast and counted and provide transparency for tabulation.
(Image credit: Steve Karnowski/AP)
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Don't Buy a 5G Phone Yet
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Tech Columnist Farhad Manjoo Laments Uber's Rise As Company Goes Public
Farhad Manjoo, an opinion columnist for the New York Times, talks with NPR's Aarti Shahani about the upcoming Uber IPO.
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9 home security systems you can install yourself - CNET
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Let the Roborock S50 sweep and mop your floors for $400 (save $170) - CNET
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Amazon Device Deals - CNET
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Naim ups its high-end music-streaming game with the Mu-so 2nd Generation
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Startups Weekly: Venture capitalists are crazy for cannabis
Lately, my inbox has been chock-full of pitches for weed businesses.
A couple of years ago it was bitcoin/blockchain startups, then came scooters; now, it seems “CannTech” is hitting an all-time high thanks to support from venture capitalists. By the way, I didn’t make up the term CannTech, but it seems just as good as anything else, so I’m rolling with it.
According to data collected by PitchBook, VCs have put $1.2 billion in U.S.-based cannabis companies so far in 2019. That’s significantly more than last year’s record high of $836 million, and we aren’t even halfway through 2019.
At this rate, we can expect roughly $2.5 billion invested in CannTech in 2019, i.e. more capital invested in the space in a single year than has been funneled into the space in the last decade.
What’s going on? A few things. Of course, states are increasingly legalizing medical and/or recreational marijuana. That’s allowed companies like Eaze, a marijuana delivery company, to grow at unprecedented rates. The startup, for example, closed its Series C in December on $65 million and is already fundraising again, this time at a $500 million valuation.
In addition to legalization, VCs, and more importantly, limited partners, have woken up to the business opportunity of cannabis. Soon, gone will be the days of strict morality clauses that dissuaded VC firms from supporting startups focused on weed. The firms that were early to understand the space, like DCM Ventures or Snoop Dogg’s Casa Verde Capital, will reap the benefits.
Speaking of DCM, the firm put on a huge, first-of-its-kind summit this week focused on CannTech: “For three years I was struggling with a lot of pain issues,” DCM co-founder David Chao told the audience. “One day I was playing Xbox with Blake Krikorian [co-founder of Sling Media] and I said ‘you know Blake, I have this pain problem’ and he said, ‘oh, you should try pot.’ And I said ‘why should I do that? I haven’t smoked since college?’ “
Long story short, Chao can thank his friend Blake for making him aware of an exploding market, and he can thank DCM’s scrappy partner, Kyle Lui, for helping the firm score some major investments in the space, like Eaze.
“We were the first Sand Hill VCs to invest in cannabis and everyone started calling me saying ‘you’re crazy, why are you doing this?’ ” Lui said.
It’s still very early days in the CannTech space, but the market is expected to be worth as much as $80 billion by 2030. That can only mean interest will soar from here.
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Uber: It was a disappointing debut, to say the least. The ride-hailing business (NYSE: UBER), previously valued at $72 billion by venture capitalists, priced its stock at $45 apiece for a valuation of $82.4 billion on Thursday. Then it began trading Friday morning at $42 apiece, only to close even lower at $41.57, down 7.6% from its IPO price.
Slack: Not a whole lot of news to share here yet, other than that the workplace messaging business will host its investor day on Monday. It’s invite-only, though Slack, like Spotify, will live-stream the event to the public. More details on that here.
Luckin Coffee: The Chinese upstart going after Starbucks is set to debut on the Nasdaq under the symbol “LK.” In a new filing, Luckin said it plans to sell 30 million shares at an initial range of $15-$17. That gives an estimated raise of $450 million to $510 million, but it could be bumped up if underwriters take up the additional allocation of 4.5 million shares. So, as a grand total, the listing could raise $586.5 million if the full offering is bought at the top of the range.
Lyft: Not an IPO update but the company did release its first-ever earnings report. Here’s the TL;DR: revenues of $776 million on losses of $1.14 billion, including $894 million of stock-based compensation and related payroll tax expenses. The company’s revenues surpassed Wall Street estimates of $740 million, while losses came in much higher as a result of IPO-related expenses.
Harry’s razors are crappy, I’m told. Alas, the brand is worth $1.37 billion to Edgewell Personal Care, the company behind Schick and Banana Boat. Founded in 2013, Harry’s had raised about $375 million in venture capital funding. Edgewell says its $1.37 billion payment will break down to roughly 79% cash and 21% stock, giving Harry’s shareholders an 11% stake in Edgewell.
- VCs value Carta at $1.7B with $300M round
- Gett raises $200M at $1.5B valuation
- BigBasket becomes a unicorn with $150M investment
- Unity has filed to raise up to $125M at $6B valuation
- Sumo Logic gathers $110M at $1B valuation
- Tourlane raises $47M from Sequoia and Spark Capital
- Cybersecurity insurance startup Coalition raises $40M
- K-Zen Beverage, a cannabis-infused drink brand, nabs $5M
- Recent YC-grad MedCrypt raises $5M
- Sextech company scorned by CES scores $2M
Meet Beat Saber, an eight-person startup with no funding that’s turned into VR’s biggest success story. Venture capital isn’t always the answer, folks.
Our premium subscription service was loaded with A+ content this week. TechCrunch contributor Jon Evans wrote a piece titled “Against the Slacklash,” wherein he makes the case that Slack isn’t inherently bad. “Rather, the particular way in which you are misusing it epitomizes your company’s deeper problems.” Plus, Eric Peckham asked nine top VCs, including Cyan Banister and Charles Hudson, to share where they are putting their money when it comes to media, gaming and entertainment.
If you enjoy this newsletter, be sure to check out TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, Equity. In this week’s episode, available here, Crunchbase News’ Alex Wilhelm, TechCrunch’s Connie Loizos and I chat with blogging pioneer and True Ventures partner Om Malik about the on-demand economy, Carta’s big raise and more.
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An Action Scene in John Wick 3 Was Almost Derailed By an Army of Cats
Considering John Wick’s origins in its protagonist’s love of his dog, it makes sense that the sequel’s biggest nemesis would be a bunch of cats.
via Gizmodo http://bit.ly/2VVc8aK
Report: Apple's A13 Chips for Next Generation of iPhones Are Now in Production
Gather round, consumers, for yet another Apple rumor.
via Gizmodo http://bit.ly/2W49saU
Ant-Man & The Wasp Concept Art Shows the Quantum Realm City We Never Got to See
What all is hiding in the mysterious Quantum Realm? If Ant Man & The Wasp had given us a more detailed glance, it might have looked something like this.
via Gizmodo http://bit.ly/2VYvuvx
Saturday's Best Deals: FreeSync Monitors, Dyson V7, Star Wars Comics, and More
A great Dyson for pet owners, a 10-function multitool, and Star Wars digital comics lead off Saturday’s best deals from around the web.
via Gizmodo http://bit.ly/2Jyb7yM
Facebook Argues Against Breaking Up Facebook
On Thursday, Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes penned an editorial in the New York Times calling for the company to be broken up, its subsidiaries Instagram and WhatsApp spun off, and future acquisitions banned for several years. Hughes argued that Facebook, and by extension its all-powerful CEO Mark Zuckerberg,…
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Krypton’s Second Season Is Nearly Upon Us, So Say Hello to Lobo in This New Clip
In the last trailer, we got a brief look at the galactic bounty hunter dujour. Now, it’s time to let him introduce himself.
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