Daily Crunch: Facebook announces Portal TV
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Category: Hardware
North now offers Focals smart glasses fittings and purchases via app
North’s Focals smart glasses are the first in the category to even approach mainstream appeal, but to date, the only way to get a pair has been to go into… Read more »
The portable $399 Sonos Move is like having two great speakers in one
Sonos has released their first ever portable speaker with a built-in battery: The $399 Sonos Move, which starts shipping to customers on September 24. After spending a few days with… Read more »
FarmWise and its weed-pulling agribot harvest $14.5M in funding
Automating agriculture is a complex proposition given the number and variety of tasks involved, but a number of robotics and autonomy companies are giving it their best shot. FarmWise seems… Read more »
After conquering smartphones, PopSocket sets its sights on beverages
In its first half-decade of existence, PopSocket has grown into one of the most popular — and imitated — smartphone accessories on the market. In 2018 alone, the company generated… Read more »
This prosthetic arm combines manual control with machine learning
Prosthetic limbs are getting better every year, but the strength and precision they gain doesn’t always translate to easier or more effective use, as amputees have only a basic level… Read more »
Another high-flying, heavily funded AR headset startup is shutting down
While Apple and Microsoft strain to sell augmented reality as the next major computing platform, many of the startups aiming to beat them to the punch are crashing and burning…. Read more »
Nintendo shows off exercise-powered RPG for Switch, Ring Fit Adventure
Nintendo has been at the crossroads of video games and fitness since the famous Power Pad for the NES, and the Switch is the latest to receive a game powered… Read more »
The mainframe business is alive and well, as IBM announces new Z15
It’s easy to think about mainframes as some technology dinosaur, but the fact is these machines remain a key component of many large organization’s computing strategies. Today, IBM announced the… Read more »
Razer made a case for cooling iPhones while gaming
Razer’s efforts to build a game-centric smartphone haven’t exactly caught the world on fire just yet. Still, mobile gaming is a huge business poised to get even bigger, with services… Read more »
What the iPhone 11 says about Apple’s present — and future
No matter how much polish and Apple magic the company put on today’s big event, there was one unshakable truth that colored the goings-on: phones just aren’t selling like they… Read more »
FDA says Juul ‘ignored the law’ and warns it may take action
The Food and Drug Administration has put vaping giant Juul on notice with a pair of letters calling out the company for misleading statements about its products and ongoing targeting… Read more »
Google Nest Hub Max review
There were two standout features I really appreciated off the bat about the original Nest (nee Google Home) Hub: its compact size and its lack of camera. The new Nest… Read more »
Roku expands its TV licensing program to Europe
Roku TV today represents more than 1 in 3 smart TVs sold in the U.S. Now, the company is bringing its TV licensing program to European markets. At the consumer… Read more »
CDC says stop vaping as mystery lung condition spreads
Vape lung is spreading and the CDC is warning people not to use vaping products while they are investigating the cause. In a media briefing, the public health agency said… Read more »
Tile teams up with Google to bring its lost item finding technology to Google Assistant
As rumors swirl about Apple’s plans to launch a Tile competitor, Tile today announced it’s teaming up with Google to make it easier for users to locate their lost items… Read more »
Samsung’s Galaxy Fold arrives in Korea September 6, US in ‘coming weeks’
Five months after its planned launch, the Samsung Galaxy Fold is finally here. Well, almost. After offering a broad September time frame a few months back, the electronics giant just announced… Read more »
Amazon unveils a new Fire TV Cube, soundbar and over a dozen Fire TV Edition products
At the big European tech trade show, IFA 2019, Amazon today announced more than 20 new Fire TV-branded devices, including a next-generation Fire TV Cube, Fire TV Edition soundbar from… Read more »
Starship Technologies CEO Lex Bayer on focus and opportunity in autonomous delivery
Starship Technologies is fresh off a recent $40 million funding round, and the robotics startup finds itself in a much-changed market compared to when it got its start in 2014…. Read more »
Apple will unveil the next iPhone September 10
Invites for the next big Apple event have just landed in press mailboxes everywhere, confirming the rumored September 10 date. Invites for the event, which is set for Steves Jobs… Read more »
ZTE tries for a US return with an affordable flagship
ZTE’s U.S. government dealings have never been as high-profile as fellow Chinese smartphone maker Huawei, but it has had its fair share of scuffles. Last summer, the company got smacked… Read more »
Behold, the shark-fin selfie camera on Oppo’s latest
You would, of course, be completely forgiven for not recognizing Oppo’s name here in the States. In its native China, however, the company is a powerhouse, regularly capturing around 20%… Read more »
Carbon’s next partnership is a 3D-printed bike seat from Specialized
Carbon has been a kind of shining beacon in the world of 3D printing. In June, the company raised $260 million, bringing its valuation just shy of $2.4 billion. The… Read more »
Sphero has acquired LittleBits
Sphero and Little Bits have long been kindred spirits in the world of entertaining STEM toys, and soon they’ll be one and the same. Sphero this morning announced plans to… Read more »
Silicone 3D printing startup Spectroplast spins out of ETHZ with $1.5M
3D printing has become commonplace in the hardware industry, but because few materials can be used for it easily, the process rarely results in final products. A Swiss startup called… Read more »
Xiaomi launches Mi A3 Android One smartphone with 48MP rear camera in India for $181
Google has found a committed Android One partner in Xiaomi. The Chinese electronics giant today announced the launch of the Mi A3, an Android One smartphone, in India as the… Read more »
Timbuk2’s Parker is a commuter backpack made for the long haul
It’s finally Bag Week again! The most wonderful week of the year at TechCrunch. Just in time for back to school, we’re bringing you reviews of bags of all varieties: from backpacks… Read more »
The five technical challenges Cerebras overcame in building the first trillion transistor chip
Superlatives abound at Cerebras, the until-today stealthy next-generation silicon chip company looking to make training a deep learning model as quick as buying toothpaste from Amazon. Launching after almost three… Read more »
The headphone jack dies not with a bang, but a Note
Next month marks three years since Apple unceremoniously murdered the headphone jack. Courage. The company was roundly mocked for the its own hype, and the interviewing product cycles have been… Read more »
Samsung’s Galaxy Note gets even larger (and smaller)
The first Note was a spectacle. It wasn’t just the reintroduction of the stylus. In 2011, the idea of a 5.3 inch phone was laughable. Around the same time, Steve… Read more »