Good news for fans of Kindles and Taylor Swift, plus the winner of TechCrunch's very first Startup Battlefield Africa. All that and more in The Daily Crunch for October 11, 2017. 1. Amazon introduces a waterproof Kindle Oasis with a seven-inch screen and Audible playback This announcement comes just ahead of the Kindle's 10th anniversary, and a year-and-a-half after the release of the first Oasis. The new iteration is the first Kindle to get waterproofing, so you should be able to read safely at the beach and in the bathtub. The new Oasis is available for preorder today, with prices starting at $249. 2. Taylor Swift's new Glu Mobile app is a dedicated social network for her fans Glu Mobile was responsible for hits like Kim Kardashian: Hollywood and bombs like Nicki Minaj: Empire. The new app, due for release in "late 2017," seems to be less game-like and more of a social network. 3. Amazon introduces a way for teens to independently shop its site, following parents' approval The new service is meant to give teenagers ages 13 through 17 a bit more autonomy. 4. PornHub uses computer vision to ID actors, acts in its videos They say porn adopts new technologies first and PornHub is proving that old adage true. 5. Mattel releases biologically inspired foldable robot bugs Mattel's been taking great pains to update its product lines for a plugged-in generation of kids. Last month, the toy maker teamed up with Osmo for an iPad-ready update to its popular Hot Wheels line, and now the company is enlisting the help of another tech startup, Dash Robots. 6. eShares raises $42 million to manage equity compensation and investments From cap table management to secondary transactions, eShares' software helps businesses like Slack, Flexport and Funding Circle keep tabs on their shares. 7. Lori Systems wins Best of Show at Startup Battlefield Africa Lori Systems is a local startup based in Nairobi. It has been building a logistics platform to optimize cargo transportation across Africa. |