Author: TechBrunch

Prior to Google I/O, at the Android show on Tuesday, Google announced new security and privacy features for Android. These new features include new protection for calls, screen sharing, messaging, device access and system-level access. With these features, Google aims to prevent users from falling into scams, keep details safe in the event that devices are stolen or taken over by an attacker, and to enhance device-level security for various attacks. Phone scammers often ask users to take actions such as tapping an unsafe link or downloading unknown apps. To protect users, Google has blocked several actions and warned of…

Amazon's audiobook service Audible announced Tuesday it is partnering with some publishers to convert print and e-books into AI Narrasing audiobooks. The initiative aims to rapidly expand the catalogue as it competes with Apple, Spotify and others in the rapidly growing audiobook market. Audible uses Amazon's AI capabilities to help publishers create audiobooks. Publishers can choose multiple accents and dialect options from over 100 AI-generated voices available in English, French, Spanish and Italian. The company plans to expand these options over time. Additionally, Audible plans, which will roll out a beta version of AI translation later this year, will offer…

The email notification system used by US federal and state government departments to alert residents of important information is used to send fraudulent emails, TechCrunch learned. US state of Indiana said Tuesday that it “recognizes fraudulent messages allegedly sent by state agencies.” After seeing one email message sent from the Indiana Government Department, TechCrunch claimed that the recipients had a good toll balance, and contained a disguised link redirected to a malicious site. An Indiana Institute of Technology statement said it was “working with the company that was used to deliver these messages to stop further communication.” Indiana said the…

Meet transcription is a hot commodity of all productivity suites. Companies like Clickup and Zoom have added transcriptions that include AI summaries to undertake this vertical other startup, such as Read AI, Zoom assistants, Circleback, Granola, and Otter. The latest participant in the race to build meeting transcription tools is concept. The company deploys AI-powered meeting note-taking capabilities to transcript meetings and provide a talk point overview later. You can also take notes while Notion's AI is transcribing the meeting. This is a very similar feature to Granola. This feature represents another step towards concepts that can compete with high-tech…

On Tuesday, Apple announced a range of accessibility features that will be coming to the devices later this year. The new Accessibility Nutrition Labels provides detailed information on App Store apps and games, while the new Braille access tool will turn your iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro into Braille Notetakers. Additional enhancements include Accessibility Leader, a system-wide reading mode designed with accessibility in mind. New Apple TV Accessibility App, Support Access. Shareable accessibility settings. Live listening, background sounds, personal voices, and updated clues to vehicle movement. The upgrade arrives to allow Apple to partner with Startup Synchron to…

To make AI DJs feel more interactive, Spotify updates this feature to allow users to request music using music commands and change the mood of their playlists. The company is deploying this feature, initially supported in English only, but is supported in more than 60 markets with premium subscribers. Previously, users could only listen to AI DJ play songs with comments added between specific tracks. Now this feature is becoming more interactive. Users can instruct AI DJs to change mood and genre, or to play tracks from specific artists. Image credit: Spotify To use AI DJ, you can enter “DJ”…

To make AI DJs feel more interactive, Spotify updates this feature to allow users to request music using music commands and change the mood of their playlists. The company is deploying this feature, initially supported in English only, but is supported in more than 60 markets with premium subscribers. Previously, users could only listen to AI DJ play songs with comments added between specific tracks. Now this feature is becoming more interactive. Users can instruct AI DJs to change mood and genre, or to play tracks from specific artists. Image credit: Spotify To use AI DJ, you can enter “DJ”…

Robinhood announced Tuesday it was buying Canadian crypto leader Wonderfi for around $250 million (approximately $178.56 million). Wonderfi operates two regulated cryptographic platforms, BitBuy and Coinsquare, detaining assets of more than $2.1 billion. The transaction is offered to Wonderfi shareholders at $0.36 per share at around $0.36, accounting for a 41% premium over our recent closing price. (Wonderfi was released in Canada in 2021 through a reverse acquisition.) The partnership is bolstering its global expansion strategy following the $200 million purchase of Robinhood's European Exchange Bit Stamp last year. The Wonderfi team, including CEO Dean Skurka, will join Robinhood Crypto,…

British retail giant Marks & Spencer confirmed that hackers stole customer identity during a cyber attack last month. In a brief statement with the London Stock Exchange on Tuesday, the retailer said an unspecified amount of customer information was obtained in the data breaches. The BBC, which first reported the company's submission, cited an online letter from Marks & Spencer, stating that the stolen data includes the customer's name, birth date, home and email address, phone number, home information and online order history. The company also said it has reset its online account passwords for its customers. Marks & Spencer…

AllTrails, a hiking and cycling companion named the 2023 iPhone App of the Year, will launch a new premium membership called “Peak” that includes an upgraded feature set. This $80 annual subscription introduces AI tools to build custom routes and provides real-time trail condition prediction, trail traffic heat maps and the ability to identify trees and plants using mobile phone cameras. The new options will be rolled out in the coming weeks to select members first, and will be available globally to all users by June. AllTrails users can sign up for early access on the website. Alltrails, a long-standing…