Apps

New York City is the latest city to ban TikTok to prevent Chinese security threats. The Verge reported the immediate ban, which requires agencies to remove the app from city-owned hardware within 30 days. NYC Cyber Command, which tracks cyber threats for the NYC Office of Technology and Innovation, recommended …

A few weeks ago, Uncork Capital announced that it had closed on $400 million in capital commitments for two new funds: $200 million for a seed-stage vehicle and $200 million for an opportunity-style fund that mostly supports startups in its portfolio. The funds are twice what Uncork raised in 2019 …

Peacock has lagged behind streaming competitors. On Thursday, the streaming service reported a 9% increase in subscribers to 24 million from 22 million in its second quarter. Peacock trails Netflix, which added 5.9 million subscribers in the same quarter. Disney+ lost four million subscribers in Q2 2023, but its total …

Mastodon, an open-source decentralized social network and one of many Twitter, er X, competitors, has traditionally shunned advertising. According to founder and CEO Eugen Rochko, Patreon has funded the company mostly. Mastodon announced on Wednesday that it will sell merchandise to raise funds for development. Dopatwo will design Mastodon t-shirts, …

Today, WhatsApp introduced short personal video recording and sharing in chats. The messaging app says voice messages changed how people communicate by providing a quick and secure way to share their voice, so it’s adding instant video messages. WhatsApp wrote that video messages are a real-time way to respond to …

According to a new Reuters report, Tesla overstated its EVs’ range estimates, causing owners to flood its service center. Elon Musk ordered algorithms to boost range numbers, according to anonymous sources and industry experts. Service requests skyrocketed with sales. Tesla created a “diversion team” to handle “range cases”—owners complaining of …

Twitter’s X rebrand has failed. The company didn’t secure the intellectual property rights to the X brand, Reuters reported, and the site’s haphazard rollout had parts referencing “X” while others still encouraged you to “search Twitter” or “Tweet.” Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters sign was removed without a permit, prompting police …

Meta announced today that it will offer Instagram subscriptions to eligible creators in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and the UK in the coming weeks. Meta introduced US Instagram subscriptions in January 2022. Instagram subscriptions let creators sell exclusive posts, Live videos, Stories, reels, highlights, and …

Amazon vs. the world: retail. That’s always been true and always will. Many factors have made the company seem unstoppable. Amazon’s smart purchase and construction of global fulfillment centers is one. Last count, it operated 305 in the U.S., each 800,000 square feet. Local warehouses help the company set the …

Twitter now uses “X” instead of the bird logo. Musk announced the change over the weekend. Website changes are live. Musk tweeted that x.com redirects to twitter.com. Musk called this logo “interim,” so it may change again. https://t.co/bOUOek5Cvy now points to https://t.co/AYBszklpkE. Interim X logo goes live later today. — …