Month: May 2020

It offers unlimited calls for unlimited participants. If there’s one thing we’re all painfully familiar with these days it’s video calling. What was once an activity generally reserved for the occasional remote team get-together or long-distance family catch-up has become a daily occurrence for many, and companies in this area are thriving. Privacy-focused browser Brave, … Continue reading Brave’s browser now includes a privacy-focused video calling app Continue Reading →

Simple: Amazon offers up the content free of charge. The company has been on the offensive in recent weeks when it comes to how it has handled the COVID-19 pandemic. Amazon’s offered all sorts of blog posts, public statements and made the subject a centerpiece of its recent shareholder letter and earnings report. It also … Continue reading How do several local news stations air virtually identical Amazon COVID-19 segments? Continue Reading →

GE started with lighting, but today it’s more of an “industry and debt” firm. General Electric has finally found a buyer for its lighting business and will be selling off its last consumer-facing business after more than 120 years of operation. Boston-based GE said today it would divest the lighting business to Savant Systems, a smart home … Continue reading GE switches off light bulb business after almost 130 years Continue Reading →

Anyone who followed the space shuttle program will remember a lot of scrubs. 4:20pm ET Wednesday: SpaceX scrubbed the launch of its Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft Wednesday a little less than 17 minutes before liftoff. Although weather conditions were improving at the launch site—thunderstorms rolled through earlier in the day, and a … Continue reading Poor weather scrubs SpaceX’s historic launch attempt Continue Reading →

It helps you get going twice as fast, the company said. Bird has introduced a new feature that will help scooter renters get off the blocks more quickly. Quick Start uses the Bird app and your smartphone’s Bluetooth to detect when a scooter is within range, then gives you the opportunity to unlock it with the tap of … Continue reading Bird’s electric scooters can now be unlocked with Bluetooth Continue Reading →

A growing number of tech companies is telling their employees they can work from anywhere, even after this pandemic has passed. A looming question, however, is how. Last week, Facebook  CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees that Facebook will adjust the pay of those who choose to move out of the Bay Area and work in different, presumably … Continue reading How Automattic pays its remote employees across different geographies Continue Reading →

But is it gone for good, or just temporarily? Don’t expect to buy Google’s original Home speaker straight from the source. Android Police has noticed that the Google Store in the US lists the Home as “no longer available.” That’s also the case in Japan, while Canada’s store asks you to “join waiting list.” Other countries are still offering the Home, and you … Continue reading The original Google Home is ‘no longer available’ in the company’s US store Continue Reading →

Singapore-based fintech  startup GoBear has raised $17 million from returning investors Walvis Participaties, a Dutch venture capital firm, and Aegon N.V., a life insurance and asset management provider. The funding brings GoBear’s  total funding so far to $97 million, and will be used to expand its consumer financial services platform, which is available in seven Asian markets: Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, … Continue reading GoBear raises $17 million to expand its consumer financial services for Asian markets Continue Reading →

Only works at UV wavelengths, but it might point the way toward general approach. Solar energy is currently dominated by photovoltaic devices, which have ridden massive economies of scale to price dominance. But these devices are not necessarily the best choice in all circumstances. Unless battery technology improves, it’s quite expensive to add significant storage … Continue reading New material releases hydrogen from water at near-perfect efficiency Continue Reading →