Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Amazon's Whole Foods vs. Walmart in price war. It's The Daily Crunch.

THE DAILY CRUNCH
TUESDAY, AUGUST 29 2017 By Darrell Etherington

Amazon takes on Walmart with Whole Foods pricing, Uber stops tracking post-trip and Amazon adds multi-speaker playback. All that and more in The Daily Crunch for August 29, 2017.

1. Amazon's Whole Foods price cuts compared to Walmart

Not content to just outclass Walmart in ecommerce, Amazon dropped prices at Whole Foods immediately after its deal closed. But how does that compare to Walmart's food prices? Sarah investigates.

Whole Foods actually wins out over Walmart in some price categories, which is surprising given the positioning of the brands. I'm sure Walmart is in panic mode right now.

2. Uber to end post-trip location tracking

Uber made a change to its app last year that requested access to a device's location info even when the app wasn't in use. The purpose, per Uber, was to help refine pickup and dropoff point data with more info pre- and post-trip, but now it's ending the controversial practice. Uber would do well to embrace a "don't be creepy" motto generally given its recent setbacks.

3. Amazon Echo now supports multi-room music synced playback

Echo now borrows a trick from Sonos, allowing multi-room streaming and synced playback. This is great news for Echo owners, who've been waiting for this feature for a long time now.

4. Meanwhile Sonos is adding voice agent support

Sonos is going to compete with Echo from the other direction, adding microphone and voice assistant support via a new device revealed in FCC filings. The big reveal for this will happen October 4 in NYC, and we'll be on hand to tell you all about it.

5. Ford and Domino's are delivering pizzas via self-driving car

The team-up is a research project located exclusively in Ann Arbor, Michigan for now, but regular Domino's Pizza customers who order via the app could get their delivery via autonomous Ford Fusion Hybrid car. The purpose of the project is to find out how people react to getting deliveries via autonomous vehicle, and to refine the user experience.

6. BMW's i3 gets a sport package

It's called the i3s, and it boasts sport-focused updates including a more powerful electric powertrain, sport-tuned suspension and wider wheels.

7. YouTube gets a new look and more

YouTube has changed its logo, taking the screen off the Tube and putting it up front. That's what happens when you become the destination, instead of an alternative for TV. There are more new features included, too.

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:

Get more stories at techcrunch.com 

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Monday, August 28, 2017

Who is Uber's CEO pick? It's The Daily Crunch.

THE DAILY CRUNCH
MONDAY, AUGUST 28 2017 By Darrell Etherington

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:

Get more stories at techcrunch.com 

Newest Jobs From CrunchBoard:

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