Monday, April 30, 2018

T-Mobile and Sprint are teaming up. It's The Daily Crunch.

THE DAILY CRUNCH
MONDAY, APRIL 30 2018 By Anthony Ha

T-Mobile and Sprint reach a merger agreement, Blue Origin has a successful flight and we look at the legacy of Burning Man creator Larry Harvey. All that and more in The Daily Crunch for April 30, 2018.

1. T-Mobile and Sprint have finally announced a merger agreement

This comes after years of back-and-forth about whether or not the two telecom giants will come together. Now they just need government regulators to approve the deal.

T-Mobile argues that the merger will allow it to remain competitive with AT&T and Verizon (which owns TechCrunch) as they roll out next generation 5G networks.

2. Blue Origin's New Shepard skims space in successful 8th test launch

New Shepard isn't meant to deliver things into orbit, because Blue Origin has a different purpose and technology from the likes of SpaceX. It's focused on giving people a quick, safe lift into space followed by a period of weightlessness and a pleasant descent.

3. Fitbit will use Google Cloud to make its data available to doctors

For Fitbit, the deal means moving a step closer toward healthcare legitimacy.

4. Twitter also sold data access to Cambridge Analytica researcher

Twitter confirmed this weekend that Aleksandr Kogan's commercial enterprise GSR had purchased one-time API access to a random sample of public tweets from 2014 and 2015. Twitter told Bloomberg that the company did not find any access to private data about people who use Twitter.

5. Burning Man's Larry Harvey passes after opening tech's imagination

Even those of us who have never been to Burning Man have to acknowledge the impact that the event has had on our culture, particularly in Silicon Valley.

6. Walmart retreats from its UK Asda business to hone its focus on competing with Amazon

UK supermarket chain Sainsbury's has announced a deal with Walmart to buy a majority stake in Asda, Walmart's wholly-owned UK subsidiary.

7. Podcast-a-palooza

This week we've got the Equity podcast discussing a strong week for earnings and Original Content offering initial impressions on The Handmaid's Tale season two.

Get more stories at techcrunch.com 

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Friday, April 27, 2018

There's a new Windows 10 update on the way. It's The Daily Crunch.

THE DAILY CRUNCH
FRIDAY, APRIL 27 2018 By Anthony Ha

The next Windows 10 update is coming soon, Amazon quietly gets into the home security business and Square makes a big acquisition. All that and more in The Daily Crunch for April 27, 2018.

1. The next major Windows 10 update is launching on Monday

The big addition is a Timeline feature (originally scheduled for last fall), which gives users a view of their recent activity for the last 30 days across all Windows devices. For example, when you get home you can jump right back into a document you were working on in the office.

Microsoft's Aaron Woodman told us, "One of the big changes you see with Windows Timeline is that it embraces the end customer over the individual machine."

2. Amazon is now selling home security services, including installations and no monthly fees

Amazon has quietly launched a portal offering home security services — those services include all the equipment you would need, along with in-person visits from Amazon consultants. The packages are being sold in five price tiers, at a flat fee.

3. Square is acquiring website builder Weebly for $365M

Square says that by acquiring Weebly, it can create "one cohesive solution" for entrepreneurs looking to build an online and offline business. And because 40 percent of Weebly's 625,000 paid subscribers are outside the U.S., the deal will help Square expand globally.

4. Women alleging sexual assault by Uber drivers ask to be freed from forced arbitration

A group of women alleging sexual violence from Uber drivers have sent an open letter to the company's board, asking to be released from the mandatory arbitration clause in the Uber app's terms of service.

5. France's BlaBlaCar acquires carpool startup Less in ongoing ridesharing consolidation

The financial terms are not being disclosed, but BlaBlaCar is picking up all of Less' assets and its (around 20) employees.

6. Nintendo is releasing a mobile RPG this summer

Called Dragalia Lost, the Japanese-style action RPG will be a free-to-play game, though likely loaded with Loot Box-style mechanics that designed to result in a financial windfall for Nintendo and developer Cygames.

7. The 2017 TechCrunch Include Progress Report

This runs down TechCrunch's efforts to increase diversity at our events, support entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds and make our own workplace more diverse and inclusive.

Get more stories at techcrunch.com 

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© 2018 Oath Tech Network. All rights reserved.   TechCrunch is now a part of Oath and a part of Verizon. On May 25th 2018 we will be introducing a new unified Oath Terms of Service and Privacy Policy which will explain how your data is used and shared. Learn More.
                                                           

Meet the VC fund backing the Bluesky ecosystem

Plus, we round up Hollywood's most notable angel investors ...