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For the average American, the name SoftBank doesn’t mean much. It’s neither soft nor, technically, a bank. It’s a sprawling Japanese mobile carrier, ISP and holding company. And its investment arm has bankrolled some of the world’s largest and most successful upstart technology companies. So where does that cash go, and how is it doled out to startups across the globe? Read More
Source: Tech Crunch
Long the gold standard for bragging rights about your blazing broadband speeds, Speedtest.net has plenty of data to work with. Now, it wants to open up a new segment of that data to everyone, allowing users to compare aggregate speed reports from countries around the globe. The data will be compiled into a monthly report called the Speedtest Global Index, and the first one is available now.… Read More
Source: Tech Crunch
For the third installment of this season’s Founder’s Corner podcast, I sat down with Jessie Woolley-Wilson, the inspiring EdTech leader who is transforming the way students learn with DreamBox Learning. On this episode, you’ll hear Jessie share the lessons she’s discovered about setting mission and vision, the mentoring she gives young professionals about asking for… Read More
Source: Tech Crunch
Starcraft II has been a target for Alphabet’s DeepMind AI research for a while now – the UK AI company took on Blizzard’s sci-fi strategy game starting last year, and announced plans to create an open AI research environment based on the game to make it possible for others to contribute to the effort of creating a virtual agent who can best the top human StarCraft players in… Read More
Source: Tech Crunch
FaceApp, ignoring its own previous missteps and those of others, has wandered back into controversy with a new update launching today that adds “ethnicity change filters,” allowing users to see what it would look like if they were Caucasian, Black, Asian or Indian. When the company launched last year, there were some reports that filters designed to make users look… Read More
Source: Tech Crunch
The last few months saw some major malware moments, most notably the WannaCry and NotPetya (a.k.a. ExPetr/Nyetya/Petya) attacks. Kaspersky Labs’ quarterly report suggests that the trend is likely here to stay for now, as waves of increasingly sophisticated hacks further the veiled aims of shadowy individual actors and governments alike. Read More
Source: Tech Crunch
500 Startups is ramping up its next batch of companies in its early-stage startup program, which this time consists of 36 startups. The firm’s pitch to companies entering the accelerator has generally been that it can better help support growth and marketing efforts. So a lot of the companies in this batch are ones that align neatly with those needs. Read More
Source: Tech Crunch
Ahead of a white supremacist rally this Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia, Airbnb has deactivated the accounts of some people who are trying to attend the event, Gizmodo first reported. It’s not clear how many accounts Airbnb has deactivated (we asked and the company told us there are no numbers to share). Read More
Source: Tech Crunch
Audio is beginning to play an increasingly important role in how consumers connect with information, thanks to the popularity of podcasts and other short-form audio programming, improvements in voice technologies, and the growing consumer adoption of smart home devices like the Amazon Echo and Google Home. Today, a company called Audioburst is unveiling a new search engine designed to connect… Read More
Source: Tech Crunch
Microsoft is launching a new opt-in beta program for Outlook.com today that will give users access to a faster and more personalized email experience, as well as an overhauled design. Over the next few weeks, the Outlook.com team will roll out to all users a new toggle for opting into the beta. Those who don’t like the new look and feel can easily switch back to the old version. Read More
Source: Tech Crunch