Google announced that I/O will return to Mountain View’s Shoreline Amphitheater on May 10. The company will stream the keynotes for free, but the in-person event will be small, like last year’s. Pre-pandemic I/O was a multi-day event with keynotes and workshops. This scaled-down event appears to focus on public-facing …
Read More »Geniee of Japan purchases Zelto, an AdPushup operator, for $70 million
According to a person with knowledge of the situation, the Japanese marketing technology company Geniee, a member of the SoftBank Group, paid about $70 million in cash to acquire the revenue optimization platform Zelto (previously known as AdPushup), providing investors in the startup that started out in India with a …
Read More »According to a watchdog, the Secret Service and ICE engaged in warrantless stingray monitoring
A government watchdog found that the Secret Service and ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) section often broke the law when they spied on people’s cell phones in a snoopy way. Last week, the inspector general for Homeland Security, who is in charge of keeping an eye on the U.S. government …
Read More »The largest hydrogen fuel cell ever to fly takes to the skies thanks to Universal Hydrogen
Co-founder and CEO Paul Eremenko called it the start of a “new golden age of aviation” as a Universal Hydrogen-branded jet made its first test flight in eastern Washington using the largest hydrogen fuel cell ever used to power an aircraft. Even though the 15-minute test flight of the modified …
Read More »Renovate is building roof-shingle robots
Roofing isn’t glamorous. It meets the three Ds of automation—dull, dirty, and dangerous—with ease. Some smart roboticists could transform it. It’s always one of the most dangerous construction jobs, but there are a lot of roofs in the world, so everyone who wants one should have one. At launch, Renovate …
Read More »Amazon joins an India-backed e-commerce initiative to challenge the retail titan
Amazon is joining the Indian government’s e-commerce program to “democratize” online shopping in South Asia and, amusingly, challenge the dominance of companies like the American retail conglomerate. Amazon said on Friday that it will join India’s non-profit Open Network for Digital Commerce, which was started by the country’s commerce ministry …
Read More »Mercedes-Benz will introduce TikTok to automobiles
TikTok is everywhere. It’s even in cars, starting with the autumn 2023 Mercedes-Benz E-Class. MBUX, a forerunner of MB.OS, will be updated in the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. MB.OS will debut in Mercedes’ late 2024 automobiles. The Mercedes E-Class will have more than TikTok. Mercedes’ involvement in the Chinese market makes it …
Read More »Mercedes integrates Maps and YouTube with Google
Mercedes-Benz and Google formed a long-term partnership to give the German automaker control over its IP and marketplace while offering drivers navigation, maps, and YouTube. It’s a strange deal that aims to give consumers Google services without giving up control over the car’s operating system. Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius told …
Read More »European VC firms Amadeus and Apex form €80m early-stage “deep tech” fund
Amadeus Capital Partners of the U.K. and Apex Ventures of Austria are forming a deep tech startup fund. The Amadeus Apex Technology Fund has raised €28 million ($30 million) with plans to raise €80 million ($85 million). The fund’s first investment was $1 million in German space startup Okapi-seed Orbits’s …
Read More »Meta Verified doesn’t allow name, username, or profile photo changes yet
Mark Zuckerberg is putting guardrails around Meta Verified after seeing Twitter’s impersonation issues when Elon Musk relaunched Twitter Blue. The company announced its subscription plan for New Zealand and Australia this week. Meta Verified prevents profile name, username, date of birth, and photo changes. The company will stop them. Unsubscribe …
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