July 3, 2025

The Download: AI agents hype, and Google’s electricity plans

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. Don’t let hype about AI agents get ahead of reality —Yoav Shoham is a professor emeritus at Stanford University and cofounder of AI21 Labs. At Google’s I/O 2025 event in May, the company…

Technology

Scoot lands $12M to inject customization into videoconferencing

February 22, 2023

While much of the white-collar workforce has adjusted to the new norm of videoconferencing from home, that doesn’t mean that they — or their bosses — necessarily like it. According to a poll from Showpad, 76% of employees report becoming more distracted on video calls versus in-person meetings. In a separate survey, staffers — especially […]

Scoot lands $12M to inject customization into videoconferencing by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch

Spotify launches ‘DJ,’ a new feature offering personalized music with AI-powered commentary

February 22, 2023

Ahead of Spotify’s upcoming Stream On event, where the company is expected to announce a redesigned home feed and other updates, the company today launched a new AI feature called “DJ” to better personalize the music listening experience for its users. Similar to a radio DJ, Spotify’s DJ feature will deliver a curated selection of […]

Spotify launches ‘DJ,’ a new feature offering personalized music with AI-powered commentary by Sarah Perez originally published on TechCrunch

Amazon Fire TV devices can now directly stream audio to Cochlear hearing implants

February 22, 2023

Amazon teamed up with hearing implant company Cochlear to launch Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids (ASHA) support to compatible Cochlear devices, the company announced today. Now, select Fire TV devices –such as Fire TV Omni Series, Fire TV Omni QLED Series, Fire TV 4-Series, Fire TV Cube (2nd Gen) and Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen) […]

Amazon Fire TV devices can now directly stream audio to Cochlear hearing implants by Lauren Forristal originally published on TechCrunch

The Download: introducing The Design Issue

February 22, 2023
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. Introducing: The Design issue —Allison Arieff, editorial director of print Good design has a habit of making things simple—sometimes too simple. You may look at the first iPod, for example, and marvel at…

Microsoft brings the new AI-powered Bing to mobile and Skype, gives it a voice

February 22, 2023

Barely two weeks after launching the new AI-enabled Bing on desktop (and a few ups and downs during that time), Microsoft today announced that the new Bing is now also available in the Bing mobile app and through Microsoft’s Edge browser for Android and iOS. With that, you can now also use voice input to […]

Microsoft brings the new AI-powered Bing to mobile and Skype, gives it a voice by Frederic Lardinois originally published on TechCrunch

EV batteries are the next point of tension between China and the US

February 22, 2023
China Report is MIT Technology Review’s newsletter about technology developments in China. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Tuesday. It’s the perfect moment to talk about EV batteries and China: yesterday, I published a story unpacking the country’s two decades of investment into becoming a world leader in the EV industry. It’s about how…

If design is everything, is it anything?

February 22, 2023
Good design has a habit of making things simple—sometimes too simple. You may look at the first iPod, for example, and marvel at its minimalist elegance without having to consider who designed it, where it was made and by whom, what materials it required, or even how long it would work.  The ease of use…

Why the definition of design might need a change

February 22, 2023
It was drawing, or disegno, as deployed in the making of Italian buildings during the Renaissance, that gave us the word “design”—or such was the enthusiastic explanation I received as an architecture student at the end of the 1990s. History, of course, tells a more complex story. Though there was indeed a key shift in…

Meta Verified won’t let you change name, username or profile photo for now

February 22, 2023

After looking at Twitter’s struggle with impersonation problems when Elon Musk relaunched Twitter Blue, Mark Zuckerberg is putting guardrails before launching Meta Verified. Earlier this week, the company announced its subscription plan, which is set to be available for users in New Zealand and Australia in the next few days. If you pay for Meta […]

Meta Verified won’t let you change name, username or profile photo for now by Ivan Mehta originally published on TechCrunch

European VC firms Amadeus and Apex partner for €80m early-stage ‘deep tech’ fund

February 22, 2023

U.K.-based Amadeus Capital Partners and Austria’s Apex Ventures are pooling their collective venture capital (VC) resources for a new fund specifically targeted at early-stage deep tech startups.  The duo have raised an initial €28 million ($30 million) for the Amadeus Apex Technology Fund, with plans to close it out at €80 million ($85 million). The […]

European VC firms Amadeus and Apex partner for €80m early-stage ‘deep tech’ fund by Paul Sawers originally published on TechCrunch