Author: TechBrunch

The increasing consumerization of medical technology: Amsterdam-based startup Lapsi Health just won FDA approval for its first clinical support tool, a digital stethoscope. The U.S. medical device regulator, the Food and Drug Administration, has approved the product as a Class IIA (intermediate risk) medical device. The startup's debut sensing gadget is called Keikku, which means child in Finnish. This is a reference to the company's original focus on supporting the discovery of childhood asthma. But the slick puck-shaped touch-sensitive sensing hardware is intended as the first in a portfolio of devices and wearables that will initially be marketed to general…

Last year, many subreddits opposed Reddit's API changes, going from public to private or going NSFW (Not Safe for Work) to affect advertising on the platform. To prevent this type of change, Reddit is introducing a new rule that requires moderators to submit a request when updating a community type's public or private, or SFW (Safe for Work) or NSFW maturity rating. I'm doing it. The social networking site said these changes will take effect from today and primarily affect large communities. The company says that if a community has been established for less than 30 days or has fewer…

VPNs exist virtually everywhere. Get featured by influencers from your favorite YouTube shows in editorials and ads. VPN ads can be found on websites, in TV commercials, on billboards, and on subway ads. There may also be VPN ads currently displayed somewhere on this web page. VPNs (virtual private networks) are a booming industry that claims to keep you anonymous and protect your privacy on the internet by hiding your browsing history. Please don't believe it. VPN providers are usually bad for your privacy. Many people have focused on VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) and how these companies can help control…

It's impossible to spend an hour or two on YouTube without seeing ads or paid promotions for VPN subscription services like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark. Companies offering these services typically use VPNs to safely and privately browse the web, watch geo-restricted content, bypass censorship, and explore the Internet without revealing your location. This is a great way to do things like: Some VPN providers claim to help protect your internet data. But in reality, VPNs are only useful in a few very specific use cases. A VPN is like a tunnel that connects two digital locations. VPNs were originally designed…

Ello, an AI reading companion aimed at supporting children who struggle with reading, launched a new product on Monday that allows children to participate in the story creation process. This new AI-powered feature, called “Storytime,” helps kids choose from settings, characters, and plots to create personalized stories. For example, there's the story of a hamster named Greg who performs in a talent show in space. Children can choose from dozens of prompts, resulting in thousands of combinations. Similar to Ello's regular read-aloud service, the AI ​​companion (a bright blue, friendly elephant) listens to your child read aloud, evaluates your child's…

We're officially less than a month away from TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, which will be held at Moscone West in San Francisco from October 28th to 30th. We are currently looking for dedicated and motivated volunteers to support our event team and help make this amazing experience possible. If you dream of becoming a startup founder, marketer, or event coordinator, this experience is a unique opportunity to learn how to run a top-notch technology startup conference. volunteer activities Volunteers help with many fun tasks, including but not limited to: Registration check-in. line or traffic regulation. Direction/Customer Support. Expo setup support. General…

Microsoft has joined an exclusive club of tech giants that are subject to a special anti-corruption regime in Germany. The country's Federal Cartel Office (FCO) acknowledged on Monday that the software giant could face restrictions if competition authorities decide intervention is necessary. This designation is valid for five years and is important because it allows German authorities to pay close attention to how Microsoft wields influence through its activities around generative AI. But the regulator said it had not yet made a decision on “potential litigation.” Microsoft's influence over OpenAI has brought the two companies to the attention of antitrust…

Beta Technologies on Monday announced the next generation of electric aircraft in its lineup, a passenger-carrying version of its ALIA vertical takeoff and landing aircraft and fixed-wing aircraft. Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles are runway-independent, while fixed-wing aircraft are runway-dependent. The Vermont-based startup, which has raised more than $860 million in equity to date from leading companies such as Amazon's Climate Pledge, is doing things a little differently than others in the industry. It is pursuing electric aircraft more carefully. Unlike competitors Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation, Beta does not intend to operate its own urban air taxi…

Alternatives to the neural network architectures at the heart of AI models are emerging, such as OpenAI's o1. This AI, called symbolic AI, uses rules related to specific tasks, such as rewriting lines of text, to solve larger problems. Symbolic AI can deftly tackle some of the problems that neural networks struggle with. And recent research shows it's scalable. (Historically, symbolic architectures have not been computationally efficient.) Breakthroughs in scalability have enabled companies like Orby, TekTonic (which builds enterprise automation tools), Symbolica, and Unlikely AI (founded by Alexa co-creator William Tunstall-Pedoe) to apply symbolic AI to a variety of fields.…

At first glance, Qodo, the startup formerly known as CodiumAI, may seem like yet another AI code generation tool. But the team, which today announced a $40 million Series A round led by Susa Ventures and Square Peg, is as focused on code generation as it is on testing and overall code quality. The service was launched in secret 18 months ago, and the company says more than 1 million developers have tried its solution and many Fortune 100 companies have adopted its enterprise platform. One of Qodo's key differentiators is that while the company offers the usual Visual Studio…