Google is discontinuing its Pixel Pass subscription service, which allowed people to get a Pixel phone combined with premium services including YouTube Premium, Google Play Pass, and YouTube Premium for a monthly fee. The company said on its support page — spotted first by 9to5Google — that it will stop offering purchases or renewals for […]
Archives
PhonePe Launches Share.Market App, Expanding into Stock and Mutual Fund Investment
India’s PhonePe is getting into stock and mutual fund investment, the latest in a series of expansion by Walmart-backed payments app as it looks to leverage its 450 million-plus user base to win new categories. The Bengaluru-headquartered startup launched Share.Market, an app that allows users to open their trading accounts and invest in stocks, mutual […]
General Motors Collaborates with Google Cloud for Innovative OnStar Chatbot
General Motors has found a new way to get in on the generative AI buzz. The automaker is now using Google Cloud’s conversational chatbot, dubbed Dialogflow, to handle some non-emergency OnStar features. GM announced the collaboration alongside a keynote from Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai at the Google Cloud Next 23 event Tuesday. OnStar, GM’s in-car […]
Introducing SynthID: A Game-Changing Image Watermarking Tool by Google Deepmind
In partnership with Google Cloud, Google Deepmind, Google’s AI research division, is launching a tool for watermarking and identifying AI-generated images. But only images created by Google’s own image-generating model. The tool, called SnythID and available in beta for select users of Vertex AI, Google’s platform for building AI apps and models, embeds a digital […]
Starfish Space Triumphs Over Disaster, Regains Control of Tumbling Otter Pup Spacecraft
Against all odds, Starfish Space has managed to pull its first orbital mission back from the brink of catastrophe, with the startup saying Tuesday that it has re-gained control over the Otter Pup spacecraft that had been rapidly tumbling through space. The Kent, Washington-based startup said it will now move ahead with an “extensive checkout” […]
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Requests More Information from Tesla regarding Autopilot Safety
Once again, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is requesting more information from Tesla regarding the safety of Autopilot. In a special order dated July 26, the regulator shared concerns about a change to Tesla’s advanced driver assistance system that allows drivers to use the system for extended periods of time without prompting the […]
Meta Unveils Massive Chinese Law Enforcement Social Media Disinformation Campaign
A massive social media disinformation campaign linked to Chinese law enforcement is no more, according to Meta. In its latest report on what Facebook and Instagram’s parent company calls “coordinated inauthentic behavior” — usually covert state-sponsored social media campaigns designed to shape public opinion — Meta detailed the discovery of a huge network of fake […]
Meta Quest Headsets: Experience Bipedality on Virtual Reality
It’s time to beta test Meta’s greatest technological innovation since the News Feed: legs. Now on Meta Quest headsets, you can download an update that lets you walk on two feet, just like our ancient ancestor, the Ardipithecus ramidus, an early hominid that achieved bipedality 4.4 million years ago. Now, it comes full circle. When […]
The Explosive Evolution of AI: Unraveling the Unregulated and Thrilling Industry at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023
AI — the tech that’s everywhere and touching everything — keeps evolving at a pace that’s surprising even in an industry where change is just about the only constant. It’s complicated, unregulated, thrilling and unnerving all at once. At TechCrunch Disrupt 2023, we’re dedicating a day and a stage to this galloping industry — and […]
Grayscale Bitcoin Trust Lawsuit: Breaking Down SEC’s Denial of ETF Conversion
The ruling is in response to Grayscale’s lawsuit against the SEC, which denied the firm’s application to convert its Grayscale Bitcoin Trust into an ETF.