Shedul raises $6 million for hair salon booking

 Beauty parlors manage a lot of appointments, but about half of them are still using pen and paper, estimates Shedul. The startup is trying to change that, by offering scheduling software for the the salon and spa industry. And it’s been catching on because it’s free. Now they’re raising $6 million led by Dubai’s Middle East Venture Partners (MEVP), with participation… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

Kickstarter hires Slack’s Erica Baker as director of engineering

 Erica Baker, an engineer and outspoken advocate for diversity and inclusion in tech, is leaving her job at Slack, and moving from the San Francisco Bay Area to Brooklyn to work in an engineering leadership position at Kickstarter. Baker, who worked at Slack for about two years, will begin work at Kickstarter in early August as director of engineering, working under the newly appointed VP… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

How Ethereum became the platform of choice for ICO’d digital assets

 For most of the history of blockchain-based currencies and assets, the story has been all about Bitcoin. At a market capitalization of around $40 billion, it remains the most valuable cryptocurrency. But with the rise of a new ‘chain on the — ahem — block, namely Ethereum, and new ways to fund the development of new crypto-platforms with ICOs, the narrative is shifting somewhat. Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

Brookstone’s all-weather Big Blue Party Wi-Fi Speaker sounds great and has Chromecast

 In case a certain recent product unveiling got you hankering for a connected speaker with impressive, room-filling audio performance, you’re in luck: The Brookstone Big Blue Party Indoor-Outdoor Wireless Wi-Fi Speaker is exactly that, and you can buy one right now. Plus, it’s currently available for $249, which is less than the price of that other speaker even when it does… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

Gunshot detection technology ShotSpotter soars 26% in public debut

 Investors greeted ShotSpotter with a warm reception on Wednesday, on its first day as a public company. After pricing the IPO at $11, the stock closed at $13.86, or up about 26%. ShotSpotter notifies police departments about gun violence by using sensors that ignore ambient noise. Their sophisticated technology alerts authorities within 45 seconds of the trigger being pulled. It’s… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

Intel agencies want to make the most controversial foreign surveillance rule permanent

 In a Senate Select Intelligence Committee hearing that often veered off route, two of the nation’s most powerful intelligence figures made their case for extending a controversial portion of the the Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Act (FISA) known as Section 702. Section 702, which allows the government to intercept the communications of foreign intelligence targets, is set to expire… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

Google’s Project Wing team takes a key step towards making drone delivery real

 Project Wing, the X project from Google (now housed under mutual parent Alphabet) that focuses on drone delivery, just shared a key update in its efforts to make everyday drone delivery a reality: The company completed a series of tests organized by the FAA and NASA to help test air traffic management capabilities for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), which will be necessary if we’re… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

Bragi’s Dash Pro is a sophisticated and smart AirPods alternative

 If you’re feeling AirPods envy but don’t want/can’t find/don’t have ears that work ergonomically with Apple’s white tube option, there’s a new top choice alternative – provided you’re willing to pay the price. Bragi’s Dash Pro is the latest set of fully wireless earbuds from the dedicated headset computing company, and its experience with… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

As the Surface line courts creatives, Apple pushes back with the iMac and iPad Pro

 Apple doesn’t really talk about the Surface, but was pretty clear from yesterday’s WWDC keynote that Microsoft’s line is beginning to have a direct impact on the company. Between the iMac Pro and a rethink of iOS dedicated, in part, to bringing more functionality to the iPad Pro line, the message is clear: Apple’s not giving up any of its market share without a fight.… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch