July 29, 2025

The Download: how to store energy underground, and what you may not know about Trump’s AI Action Plan

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. This startup wants to use the Earth as a massive battery Texas-based startup Quidnet Energy just completed a test showing it can store energy for up to six months by pumping water underground.…

Technology

Snapchat opens its AI chatbot to global users, says the AI will later Snap you back

April 19, 2023

Snapchat’s AI chatbot is now opening up to a global audience, the company announced today at its Snap Partner Summit. Initially launched in February, the feature originally allowed Snapchat’s paid subscribers to chat with an AI chatbot powered by OpenAI’s GPT technology directly in its app. Now it will be available for free. To date, […]

Snapchat opens its AI chatbot to global users, says the AI will later Snap you back by Sarah Perez originally published on TechCrunch

Snap is launching augmented-reality mirrors in stores

April 19, 2023
Snap is planning to launch augmented-reality mirrors that allow shoppers in stores to instantly see how clothes look on them without physically trying them on, the company announced today. The mirrors are going to appear in some US Nike stores later this year, and in the Men’s Wearhouse in Paramus, New Jersey. The mirrors are…

Snapchat launches AR Lenses powered by generative AI, starting with a new ‘Cosmic Lens’

April 19, 2023

Snapchat is introducing AR Lenses powered by generative AI, the company announced at its Snap Partner Summit today. To start, the platform is rolling out a new “Cosmic Lens” that turns you and your surroundings into an immersive, animated sci-fi scene. “Today, we’re introducing a new generation of Lenses powered by Generative AI,” Snap CTO […]

Snapchat launches AR Lenses powered by generative AI, starting with a new ‘Cosmic Lens’ by Aisha Malik originally published on TechCrunch

Snapchat’s AR technology comes to the real world with ‘AR Mirrors’

April 19, 2023

Snap today offered an update on its AR Enterprise Services (ARES), the company’s recently announced initiative focused on providing AR tools and expertise to businesses who want to leverage Snapchat’s technology in their own websites and apps. At its Partner Summit on Wednesday, the company showed partners its Shopping Suite, which includes features like AR […]

Snapchat’s AR technology comes to the real world with ‘AR Mirrors’ by Sarah Perez originally published on TechCrunch

Snap is expanding its AR features to 16 additional music festivals

April 19, 2023

Snap is expanding its partnership with events company Live Nation to bring AR-focused features to 16 new music festivals. These features include custom AR lenses, partnerships with artists for unique experiences, and using AR with 3D Maps of the venue to guide users to different stages. The company first inked a multi-year deal with Live […]

Snap is expanding its AR features to 16 additional music festivals by Ivan Mehta originally published on TechCrunch

Snapchat+ subscription now has more than 3 million users

April 19, 2023

Snap said today that its Snapchat+ paid plan has more than 3 million users. At its Snap Partner Summit event, the company added that in the coming days, Verizon users will have the option to buy Snapchat+ subscriptions through the carrier’s subscription store called +Play. The company launched the paid tier last June and expanded […]

Snapchat+ subscription now has more than 3 million users by Ivan Mehta originally published on TechCrunch

Dabbsson’s new Home Backup Power Station are here to keep your lights on

April 19, 2023

What do you do when the lights go out? When the snow became too much for the power lines as a kid, I remember candles and Primus stoves. In today’s world of high-tech electrification, we’re going in a slightly different direction and Dabbsson today announced its new Portable Home Backup Power Ecosystem, which harnesses the […]

Dabbsson’s new Home Backup Power Station are here to keep your lights on by Haje Jan Kamps originally published on TechCrunch

Opendoor alums raise $15M for Kindred, a home-swapping network

April 19, 2023

The concept of taking existing properties and repurposing them is not a new one. After all, Airbnb is a high-profile example of people turning vacation homes, for example, into revenue generators when they’re not using them. The end result is that travelers have far more options today than they used to when choosing where to […]

Opendoor alums raise $15M for Kindred, a home-swapping network by Mary Ann Azevedo originally published on TechCrunch

Unagi secures Best Buy as e-scooter subscription partner

April 19, 2023

E-scooter manufacturer Unagi has had a busy month. Just a couple weeks after bringing its Model One Voyager scooter to market, the company says it closed a large funding round and secured Best Buy as a scooter subscription partner. The $29.3 million round is a combination of equity and debt. The $17.3 million in equity […]

Unagi secures Best Buy as e-scooter subscription partner by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch