Even with double the subscribers, Spotify says Apple will always have an edge owning the app store

 Spotify just filed for a direct listing in the U.S., sidestepping the traditional IPO process, and now we’re starting to see some of the true financial guts of the company — and some of the significant risks it faces from challenging services from Apple and Google. Apple, for example, charges apps a percentage of revenue for subscriptions processed through the App Store. Apple… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

Spotify has filed to go public

 Music streaming service Spotify is going public and they’ve just unveiled their filing. The documents state that it is targeting a $1 billion IPO, but the company actually plans to go public without the fundraising event. The filing shows that Spotify had 4.09 billion Euros in revenue last year, compared to 2.95 billion Euros the year before. 2015 saw 1.94 billion Euros in revenue.… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

Pagedraw UI builder turns your website design mockup into code automatically

 For years, one of the holy grails of web design has been trying to automate turning front-end design into clean back-end code. Early attempts included tools like Dreamweaver and FrontPage. Pagedraw, a member of the Y Combinator Winter 2018 class, has developed a tool to fulfill that vision in a modern context. Typically, a web design team sits down and creates a mockup of the user interface,… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

Facebook Watch to live-stream ‘The Oscars: All Access’

 Awards season might be coming to a close, but there is still one awards show left, and it’s a big one. The Academy Awards airs Sunday, March 4. The awards show will air live on ABC, but Facebook users will also have the ability to tune in to “The Oscars: All Access” via Facebook Watch. The Academy’s show page, ABC Television Network’s Facebook page, Oscar.com… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

Rhino is getting rid of security deposits for rental apartments

 Arguably the most frustrating part of renting an apartment, especially in an expensive city like New York, is dealing with the security deposit. One startup wants to make renting easier by getting rid of security deposits, with a solution that is beneficial for both renters and landlords. Here’s how it works: For a monthly fee Rhino provides your landlord with an insurance policy which… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

These will be the first cities getting 5G from Sprint and T-Mobile

 Just last week, AT&T announced the first handful of cities where it’ll roll out its 5G network later this year. Today at Mobile World Congress, T-Mobile and Sprint did the same. Sprint’s first 5G networks will go live in Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, Washington, DC and Houston. T-Mobile will fire up 5G in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Dallas first. Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

Uber’s SVP of leadership is leaving her day-to-day role

 Frances Frei, who joined Uber last June as the company’s first-ever SVP of leadership and strategy, is leaving the company, Recode first reported. Frei’s plan is to remain as an advisor at Uber while moving on to create a new leadership development program for people of color and women at other companies. Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

Netflix to have around 700 original movies and shows available in 2018

 Netflix’s original content ramp is showing no signs of slowing own – in fact, if anything, it’s speeding up. Netflix CFO David Wells says that the streaming company wants to have somewhere around 700 original shows and movies on the service in 2018, using that previously revealed budget of around $8 billion earmarked for original content. Wells, speaking at Morgan… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

Chinese smartphone maker Doogee shows off its vision for the smartphone camera


 Doogee’s Mobile World Congress press conference is mostly what you’d expect from a company you’ve never heard of: small, low key, in the second basement meeting room at a hotel across from the convention center. It’s a bit like the smartphone farm system, the company’s hoping it can gin up enough awareness to rise above the din of news from the world’s… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch