Uber has a new CEO, learn all about him. Also, student Hyperloop Pods shoot for speed and Fitbit makes a risky bet. All that and more in The Daily Crunch for August 28, 2017. 1. Who exactly is Uber's new CEO? He was CEO of Expedia, the globe-spanning online travel giant, but he's hardly as familiar a name as Travis Kalanick in tech circles. Jon provides a bit of backdrop on who Khosrowshahi is and what he's accomplished. He may be the lower profile of the candidates that were in the final running, but he has a strong track record and helped Expedia achieve its current level of success. 2. SpaceX's 2nd Hyperloop Competition breaks speed records Elon Musk asked for speed from SpaceX's second Hyperloop Pod design competition, and speed is what he got: Winning team WARR's pod ran at over 200 mph. Musk isn't satisfied, though – he believes future pod designs could go between 500 and 600 km/h. 3. Fitbit's betting on an ugly smartwatch Fitbit has a lot riding on its New Ionic smartwatch, which is ugly as sin and competing in a market where even the very top sellers aren't really selling all that well. Best of luck to you though, Fitbit. 4. Sonos wants to get smart Sonos is said to be testing a smart speaker with built-in voice control capabilities, which is par for the course for connected speakers at this point. Can it come soon enough to help them remain relevant? 5. Coast Guard says to call, not tweet, rescue requests Harvey is one of the worst storms the U.S. has ever seen, and it's prompted an incredible volume of requests for help on social media. The U.S. Coast Guard says that calling via phone, rather than posting to Twitter and Facebook, is the best way to find rescue. 6. This home blood testing device could change diagnostics Being skeptical of blood testing tech is natural, given Theranos. But Athelas hopes people will still trust that its Athelas home blood testing kit, which can look for diseases including the flu, infection and cancer, will be met with some optimism. 7. Insta360's new consumer camera is a game changer 360 video is still a bit of an oddity, but the new Insta360 One could help change that with a range of smart features and a way to extract regular 1080p video from a 360 4K source, quickly and easily so that you can choose your perspective. It's very cool, and it's shipping next week. Also, TechCrunch Disrupt is right around the corner, and we'll have Human Utility Executive Director and Detroit Water Project co-founder Tiffani Ashley Bell on stage to talk about tech and social good. Meanwhile, you can donate to Human Utility and the Detroit Water Project using the link below to help do some social good yourself: |