With the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) authorizing what’s believed to be the first time a company can provide solar panels and batteries on a subscription model — without subscribers needing to pay a lump sum upfront — the stage could be set for a new boom in solar subscription services. This will provide useful…
Multi-platform messaging startup Beeper, founded by YC and Pebble alum Eric Migicovsky, delivered an iMessage experience for Android that doesn’t use any intermediaries and, as such, should be (always a big caveat here since we’re relying on the company’s word) private and secure. It has the potential to illuminate just how much lock-in value iMessage…
In 2014, investor and entrepreneur Peter Thiel infamously posed the distinction between companies that deal in “atoms” versus those that deal in “bits.” In its crudest terms, the former category includes businesses focused on things like hardware and manufacturing; the latter, software and financial services. Just shy of 10 years on, the distinction now strikes…
Smartphone sales will mount a comeback starting in 2024, defying growing warnings of a prolonged slump across the mobile sector, according to separate projections by Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley reviewed by TechCrunch. Morgan Stanley’s report predicts global smartphone shipments will rebound by nearly 4% in 2024 and by 4.4% in 2025, shrugging off comparisons…
For the past decade, three companies have been building full-fledged e-book ecosystems with devices, apps and digital bookstores all working perfectly together — Amazon, Rakuten and a tiny company called Vivlio. While Amazon’s Kindle is the clear leader and Rakuten’s Kobo the obvious challenger, Vivlio has been building an open European alternative to these two…
The global energy spare parts market is valued at over $90 billion, with the Middle East representing about 35% of this sector. This sector remains largely untapped by existing additive manufacturing and digital inventory platforms that have spread footprints across medical, aviation, automotive and jewelry industries. Unlike these industries, which have embraced additive manufacturing and…
Nvidia has long been involved in the development of autonomous vehicle technologies, providing the industry with graphic processing units that can perform millions of calculations simultaneously. Now the semiconductor powerhouse is stepping up its AV game by seeking a talent boost in China. The firm is recruiting two dozen roles for an autonomous driving team…
Teenage Engineering’s new $300 groovebox has no business being this cute. That’s the whole point. The EP-133 K.O.II (we’ll just call it Knock Out II) is a combination drum machine, synthesizer and sampler. It’s a supersized upgrade to Teenage Engineer’s pint-sized PO-33 K.O., which offers many of the same features for a fraction of the price….