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A series of policy changes at Amazon that detail how advertising will be supported within Alexa’s voice-enabled apps, called “Skills,” have now had their first casualty: VoiceLabs. The startup was the leading way for third-party developers to make money from their Alexa applications, through the use of VoiceLab’s “Sponsored Messages.” Unlike traditional… Read More
Source: Tech Crunch
The potential for VR truly boggles the mind. In the future, it’s easy to imagine the various use-cases in education, entertainment, business, and social. But like any new technology, VR needs a ‘gateway drug’, and thus far that initial use-case has been gaming. Sony is pushing PlayStation VR hard with a handful of new games, some existing and others brand new. Nintendo is… Read More
Source: Tech Crunch
Live TV streaming service Sling TV is today rolling out an improved DVR feature, while also making the option to record TV shows available on more devices and channels. The DVR is one of the key selling points for Sling TV, given the increased competition in the live TV space from newcomers like YouTube TV, Hulu (which recently added live TV), and AT&T’s DirecTV Now. According to… Read More
Source: Tech Crunch
We have another filing for a tech IPO today, this one from a company called CompuLab coming in amid a continued flurry of IPOs. But, really, the story here is just that — it’s just another small tech IPO amid a flurry of filings. Snap started off the year with a bang, rattling off a highly successful IPO (though its continued performance is not so great) and opening up the… Read More
Source: Tech Crunch
Though Facebook is rarely mentioned alongside Apple, Microsoft and Amazon in discussions about conversational AI, the company has published a hoard of papers that underscore a deep interest in dialog systems. As has become clear with Siri, Cortana and Alexa, dialog is hard — it requires more than just good speech recognition to deliver a killer experience to users. From the sidelines… Read More
Source: Tech Crunch
Personal media player software maker Plex says it’s now easier for mobile users on Android to play any video file saved on their device within its app. The move will enable it to better challenge VLC, an app users have historically turned to in order play a wider variety of video file formats. The new feature is entering a public beta today, and will support local playback of a number… Read More
Source: Tech Crunch
There are few feelings worse than returning to the spot you locked up your bike after a fun evening and seeing nothing. As a San Francisco cyclist, I’ve had my stomach sink more than once at that discouraging sight. Bikeep, a startup founded in Estonia, is looking to bring its connected locking tech to the States to address the bike theft epidemic. This morning at San Francisco’s… Read More
Source: Tech Crunch
Any technology that only works in English neglects 75% of the world. That problem is especially severe for Facebook with its global userbase. Yet most languages are being left out by the advances in artificial intelligence centered around natural language processing led by researchers in the U.S. and China. But today marks a milestone for AI accessibility. Facebook Messenger’s… Read More
Source: Tech Crunch
Chicago-based Snapsheet has raised $12 million to streamline the process after car accidents. The company has built a mobile application that surveys the vehicle damage and serves as a virtual appraiser. The latest round of funding is led by Tola Capital and comes just months after a $20 million Series C. “Snapsheet’s virtual claims platform streamlines and simplifies… Read More
Source: Tech Crunch
I’m in Columbus this week and I thought we could have a quick meetup in advance of Disrupt SF in September. We’ll be meeting on Thursday at 5pm at the Wolf’s Ridge Tap Room. You can RSVP here. There is limited space so please pick up a ticket early. We’ll have a quick pitch-off in preparation for Disrupt SF and 10 companies will have 90 seconds to pitch and then have a… Read More
Source: Tech Crunch