Latest and Hotest Technology Updates

Happy Monday

Facebook’s latest VR play faces stiff competition, Spotify adds more support for podcasts and a new hardware Kickstarter campaign makes some bold claims.

Here’s your Daily Crunch for September 30, 2019.

Not all is predictable on Facebook's social Horizon

Last week, Facebook unveiled Horizon, a massively multiplayer VR world that’s scheduled to launch in 2020. This might seem to play to Facebook’s software strengths, but Lucas Matney argues that the social networking giant may not actually have much of an advantage against smaller game studios.

For example, the team at Against Gravity has already built a network inside VR called Rec Room that's been maturing over the past few years, with rich environments and toolsets for multiplayer interactions. (Extra Crunch membership required.)

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Combining the best of project management, collaboration and database software

Sponsored by Airtable

Any project, any team, any size. The most powerful work happens when your teams align – Airtable gets you there.

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Spotify now lets you add podcasts to playlists

Users can create their own custom playlists of their favorite podcasts, or even those that combine music and audio — similar to Spotify's newly launched playlist "Your Daily Drive."

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Kickstarter darling EcoFlow Delta battery generator is not what it seems

The EcoFlow Delta is a new battery generator available on Kickstarter with incredible features claimed. Most are true, some are not.

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YouTube TV is now available on Fire TV devices

Earlier this year, Google and Amazon reached an agreement to bring their streaming video apps to each other's platforms. The YouTube app launched on Fire TV in July, and now Google is adding its live TV streaming service.

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Amboss, the knowledge platform for medical professionals, scores €30M Series B

Launched in 2014 as a study platform for medical students, Amboss has since evolved to offer what it claims is the "most comprehensive and technologically-advanced" knowledge platform for medical professionals.

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Learn everything you can about mobility at Disrupt SF

We're bringing some of the industry's leaders onstage at Disrupt SF — including Bird founder and CEO Travis VanderZanden, Kitty Hawk CEO Sebastian Thrun and Zoox CEO Aicha Evans.

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This week's TechCrunch podcasts

The latest episode of Equity kicks off with the reemergence of the much-criticized startup Bodega, which is now known as Stockwell and has raised a total of $45 million in funding. Meanwhile, Original Content reviews “Between Two Ferns: The Movie” on Netflix.

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• Quality Assurance Analyst at Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (Middletown, PA, United States)
• Data Analyst, Financial Planning and Analysis at Fordham University (Bronx, NY, USA)
• System Administrator / Level 3+ Support at Cartwheel (New York, NY, USA)
• Senior Writer at NFX (San Francisco)
• Senior IT Security/Privacy, CCPA Tools at Genentech, Inc. (South San Francisco, CA, USA)

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Happy Friday

Facebook tests a new way to resist the lure of Likes, DoorDash admits that it had a big security breach and we have a little problem with the Galaxy Fold. Here’s your Daily Crunch for September 27, 2019.

Facebook tries hiding Like counts to fight envy

It looks like Facebook wants to end the terrible game of chasing Likes, and then the equally terrible feeling of failing.

The experiment starts today in Australia. A post's author can still see the count, but everyone else will only be able to see who Liked a post, not how many Likes total it received.

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Enter to win Airpods by Registering for Zendesk Showcase

Sponsored by Zendesk

It's not too late to join us at the Zendesk Showcase San Francisco on October 3rd. Register now and be entered to win Airpods. This free, one-day event features inspiring sessions with brands like Logitech, Getaround and Pinterest. Register now.

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DoorDash confirms data breach affected 4.9 million customers, workers and merchants

The breach happened on May 4, the company said, but added that customers who joined after April 5, 2018 are not affected. It's not clear why it took almost five months for DoorDash to detect the breach.

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My Galaxy Fold display is damaged after a day

Samsung's new rebooted Galaxy arrives this week with one job: it just needs to not break. And yet …

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25+ launches from Uber's big event

The company unveiled a slew of changes across all its products, designed to promote Eats and micromobility, make life easier for drivers, keep riders safe and make transportation more accessible. The big highlight? Two new visions for the future of Uber's home screen.

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'We are seeing volume and interest in Peloton explode,' says company president on listing day

Despite dropping more than 10% in its first day of trading, the IPO was a bona fide success. Peloton, once denied (over and over again) by VC skeptics, now has hundreds of millions of dollars to take its business into a new era. (Extra Crunch membership required.)

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Director Ang Lee explains why he built a digital Will Smith in 'Gemini Man'

Lee made things even harder for himself by shooting the movie in 3D, at 120 frames per second. In that format, everything looks more clear and detailed than in traditional film, so an unconvincing effect would be even more obvious.

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Tesla V10.0 car software update adds Smart Summon, Netflix/YouTube, Spotify, karaoke and more

The new "Smart Summon" feature will allow cars equipped with the optional full self-driving package to automatically drive themselves from a parking spot and collect you in a parking lot.

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• Data Analyst, Financial Planning and Analysis at Fordham University (Bronx, NY, USA)
• System Administrator / Level 3+ Support at Cartwheel (New York, NY, USA)
• Senior Writer at NFX (San Francisco)
• Senior IT Security/Privacy, CCPA Tools at Genentech, Inc. (South San Francisco, CA, USA)
• Vice President and Chief Information Officer (13064) at American University (Washington D.C., DC, USA)

See more jobs on CrunchBoard

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Happy Thursday

Amazon reveals even more Alexa-powered devices, Facebook says it will launch a new VR world next year and Verizon’s 5G comes to New York City. Here’s your Daily Crunch for September 26, 2019.

Everything Amazon announced at its Alexa event

Amazon held a big shindig yesterday to announce a whole bunch of new hardware ahead of the holidays. Naturally, the lineup includes new Echo smart speakers, as well as Alexa-powered earbuds, glasses, a smart ring and even an oven.

Oh, and Alexa is also getting celebrity voices — starting with Samuel L. Jackson, whose smooth tones you can purchase for just 99 cents.

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What keeps you from expanding into new ventures?

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Facebook announces Horizon, a VR massive-multiplayer world

Facebook Horizon is a virtual reality sandbox universe where you can build your own environments and games, play and socialize with friends or just explore the user-generated landscapes. Basically, it’s Facebook's take on Second Life, and it’s launching in private beta next year.

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Verizon lights up 5G in (parts of) NYC

Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn are the carrier’s first focus in New York City, bringing the total number of cities with Verizon 5G to 13. (Obligatory reminder: Verizon owns TechCrunch.)

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Summer wants to vanquish student loans for borrowers, and now has $10M to do it

Through Summer’s platform, borrowers can get a full 360-degree view of their current student loan situation, and begin exploring options for how to repay it in the most financially efficient way possible.

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Nigeria's CcHub acquires Kenya's iHub to create mega Africa incubator

Two of Africa's powerhouse tech incubators will join forces: Nigerian innovation center and seed-fund CcHub has acquired Nairobi-based iHub.

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Founders, get to Disrupt SF for answers to the really hard questions

Yes, it’ll be fun to see all the celebrities (Will Smith! Steph Curry!) at Disrupt SF, but be sure to check out the agenda for the Extra Crunch stage, where we’ll get more in-depth about  the challenges that every founder faces.

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How Amazon is closing out competitors by opening up voice

More Amazon news: The company announced the formation of a new consortium called the Voice Interoperability Group, which aims to create a set of standards and technology for voice-enabled hardware, with users able to trigger one voice over another with the right set of “wake words.” (Extra Crunch membership required.)

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• System Administrator / Level 3+ Support at Cartwheel (New York, NY, USA)
• Senior Writer at NFX (San Francisco)
• Senior IT Security/Privacy, CCPA Tools at Genentech, Inc. (South San Francisco, CA, USA)
• Vice President and Chief Information Officer (13064) at American University (Washington D.C., DC, USA)
• Senior Corporate Counsel, Privacy & Product at Okta (San Francisco, CA, USA)

See more jobs on CrunchBoard

Post your tech jobs and reach millions of TechCrunch readers for only $200 per month.