June 20, 2025

The Download: talking dirty with DeepSeek, and the risks and rewards of calorie restriction

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. It’s pretty easy to get DeepSeek to talk dirty AI companions like Replika are designed to engage in intimate exchanges, but people use general-purpose chatbots for sex talk too, despite their stricter content…

Google is rolling out fall detection to all Pixel Watch users

February 28, 2023

Google has announced that its highly anticipated fall detection feature is rolling out to all Pixel Watch users today. Fall detection uses motion sensors and on-device machine learning to identify if a user has taken a hard fall and connect them with help if needed. The feature is similar to Apple’s fall detection feature, which […]

Google is rolling out fall detection to all Pixel Watch users by Aisha Malik originally published on TechCrunch

Bonusly, a startup aiming to help employees get recognized for quality work, raises $18.8M

February 28, 2023

Employee recognition is a key retention tool in a competitive jobs market. According to a recent SurveyMonkey poll, 82% of staffers consider recognition an important part of their happiness at work, while an equal percentage — 82% — report feeling happier overall as a result of receiving (presumably deserved) work recognition. It’s not just employees […]

Bonusly, a startup aiming to help employees get recognized for quality work, raises $18.8M by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch

Google says Chrome won’t drain your MacBook battery as much

February 28, 2023

Google said that it is rolling out under-the-hood improvements to the latest version of Chrome that makes it less of a battery hog on MacBooks. The company said that version 110, which is rolling out to all users this week, will provide a performance boost on both new Macs with Apple processors and even older […]

Google says Chrome won’t drain your MacBook battery as much by Ivan Mehta originally published on TechCrunch

Microsoft brings the new Bing to Windows 11 and launches Phone Link for iOS

February 28, 2023

Microsoft is wasting no time bringing its new AI-powered Bing to all of its products. After introducing it in its Edge browser and then bringing it to the Edge, Bing and Skype apps on mobile, today it’s Windows 11’s turn to welcome the new Bing to its taskbar. This is part of a major Windows […]

Microsoft brings the new Bing to Windows 11 and launches Phone Link for iOS by Frederic Lardinois originally published on TechCrunch

TikTok launches ‘Sounds for Business’ to help marketers create engaging content

February 28, 2023

TikTok announced today that it’s launching Sounds for Business, a collection of sounds that are designed as templates for easy marketing content creation. The collection includes a mix of music, voice over and other sound cues to help small businesses create quick and engaging content. The company has partnered with Elias Audio Branding, a subsidiary […]

TikTok launches ‘Sounds for Business’ to help marketers create engaging content by Aisha Malik originally published on TechCrunch

EU antitrust regulators target Apple’s ‘anti-steering’ developer restrictions, but drop in-app purchases case

February 28, 2023

The European Commission (EC) has confirmed a previously-issued preliminary view that Apple’s so-called “anti-steering” practices, which prevent developers from informing users about alternative payment options, constitutes unfair trading practices. However, in a refined Statement of Objections sent to Apple and published for the public today, the EC also said that it’s dropping an additional anti-trust charge […]

EU antitrust regulators target Apple’s ‘anti-steering’ developer restrictions, but drop in-app purchases case by Paul Sawers originally published on TechCrunch

The Download: making Bitcoin greener, and Elon Musk’s chatbot plans

February 28, 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. Ethereum moved to proof of stake. Why can’t Bitcoin?  Last year, Ethereum went green. The second-most popular crypto platform transitioned to proof of stake, an energy-efficient framework for adding new blocks of transactions,…

Bitwise Industries lands $80M to expand its sprawling software dev business

February 28, 2023

In 2013, Irma Olguin Jr. — a third-generation Mexican American and the first in her family to go to college — was working on making coding instruction available to disadvantaged members of her community. During her work, she met Jake Soberal, an intellectual property lawyer, who shared Olguin’s desire to leverage the tech industry to […]

Bitwise Industries lands $80M to expand its sprawling software dev business by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch