Author: TechBrunch

TikTok may be going through the App Store to save on fees. The ByteDance-owned social video app is offering some users a link to a website to buy coins used to tip digital creators, according to new findings. Usually these coins are purchased through in-app purchases and require paying Apple his 30% commission. This feature may be hidden from most users, either by design or only visible to certain groups of users, such as testers or high spenders. Either way, those with access to the new option will be shown a screen prompting them to “recharge”, or buy more coins,…

Twitch will officially roll out a new TikTok-like discovery feed to all users this week, the company announced Tuesday. The new feed launches as a tab within the Twitch iOS and Android apps, allowing viewers to scroll through bite-sized content and discover new streamers. The official launch follows an initial test of Twitch's feed that began in August 2023. With this release, Twitch joins a number of other popular apps (including Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Uber Eats, and LinkedIn, to name a few) that have launched their own short-form video feeds in response to TikTok's growing popularity. It will be. Discovery…

Pour one into CodeWhisperer, Amazon's AI-powered assisted coding tool. As of today, it's kaput — in a way. CodeWhisperer is now Q Developer and is part of Amazon's Q family of business-oriented generative AI chatbots, which also extends to the newly announced Q Business. Q Developer, available through AWS, like CodeWhisperer, helps developers with some of the tasks they do in their day-to-day work, such as debugging and upgrading apps, troubleshooting, and running security scans. In an interview with TechCrunch, Doug Seven, general manager and director of AI developer experience at AWS, hinted that CodeWhisperer is a bit of a…

The European Commission is again under pressure to more fully disclose its dealings with private technology companies and other stakeholders in relation to controversial technology policies. The technology policy could make it mandatory for European Union citizens to have their private messages scanned by law. Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM). The issue is notable because concerns have been raised that lobbying by the technology industry is influencing the European Commission's drafting of the controversial CSAM scan proposal. Some of the information being withheld relates to communications between the EU and private companies that could be potential suppliers of CSAM scanning…

While improving the lives of people with disabilities is a laudable goal, accessibility technology has traditionally been unpopular with venture capitalists. In 2022, disability technology companies attracted about $4 billion in early-stage investment, which was only a fraction of the amount invested in fintech. One reason for this is that disability technology startups are often considered too niche to achieve business viability, at least at the scale that venture capital requires. By definition, these are supposed to be built for minorities. However, some startups in this space are starting to serve more people, and throwing in AI is always helpful.…

After many users complained about alarms going off silently on their iPhones, Apple said it was aware of the issue and was working on a fix. wall street journal reporter joanna stern and NBC correspondent Emily Ikeda Apple said it has confirmed that it is working on an issue where some users' alarms were not making a sound. NBC's Today Show aired a segment on issues with Apple's Clock app. If your alarm hasn't gone off lately, you're not alone ⏰ Apple said it is aware of an issue with some iPhone alarms not playing the expected sound and is…

OpenAI has signed a new content deal with the FT. But rather than a simple deal where OpenAI gets the word and FT gets the funding, the two sides are partnering a little deeper. Look forward to seeing FT.com links on ChapterGPT in the future. But the FT's partnership with OpenAI tells us more than just that one media company will soon have a few more Ducketts in its pocket. No, this is yet another of his OpenAI deals, further strengthening the Microsoft-backed AI shop's ability to pull in training material without legal risk, and pay some of the providers…

Despite a 43% funding slump recorded in the global off-grid solar power sector last year, investment in productive use of renewable energy (PURE) technologies, particularly in the solar irrigation and cold chain sectors, continues to grow. Interest in the house increased. PURE Technologies raised $65 million in 2023, double the previous year, due to increased investor interest in the sector, according to GOGLA, the global association for the off-grid solar energy industry. Among the startups that raised funding in this space last year is his Figorr, which provides storage and transportation for temperature-sensitive products. PURE technologies primarily include home appliances…

Harvesting fish is an inherently messy job, with slippery creatures crawling around on the water. Shinkei is working on improvements with automated systems that ship fish more humanely and reliably, potentially resulting in a completely different seafood economy. On many fishing boats, fish are left to suffocate on deck, where they flop around and get injured, increasing the chance of bacterial infection, shortening their shelf life, and making them taste bad. A Japanese technique called Ikejime is one such alternative, essentially equivalent to a spike penetrating the brain rather than a long, dirty death. However, this requires a certain degree…

Amazon may scale back its AI-powered “Just Walk Out” no-checkout technology in its stores in favor of smart shopping carts, but Walmart's Sam's Club plans to roll out its fast exit technology in favor of smart shopping carts. He says he is turning to AI to help make the world a better place. Instead of requiring store staff to check members' purchases against their receipts when they leave the store, Sam's Club customers who pay through the register or their Scan&Go mobile app can check their purchases without being double-checked. You can now leave the store. The technology was first…