With improvements added in iOS 6, Apple’s mobile voice assistant Siri can now tell you sports scores, reserve a seat at a restaurant, list the latest movies in theaters, and launch apps. While these new features are welcome, there’s still a lot of room for Siri’s capabilities to expand in ways that would make...
Rumors are swirling that the federal government is about to sue Google over claims that the company rigs its search results. Google has responded by invoking its right to free speech — but not everyone is buying this. Tim Wu, a prominent law professor at Columbia, is not convinced that Google is invoking its...
In the modern era, information overload has become an even larger problem than information scarcity. Data is generated by the ton, and most of it is not remotely relevant or useful. The way we search has even created a gray market in this thin veneer of content, often referred to as “faux content.” Estimates...
I speak with little fear of contradiction when I tell you this is the first TechCrunch article posted from Myanmar aka Burma. Only a few years ago the Internet here was both tightly censored and insanely slow. But now that this country is “on the path to democracy,” according to Daw Aung Sun Suu...
There are any number of good reasons why Windows 8 will do just fine in the work world. But in today’s market, success is not guaranteed, especially as PC sales continue to slide. Gartner Research reports that third quarter shipments for PCs are down 8% compared to last year. Still, even with the...
On eBay’s earnings call this past week, CEO John Donahoe revealed that the company’s Square competitor, PayPal Here, had landed its first U.S. retail deal. PayPal Here is now being sold at 1,800 ATT stores across the US. Previously, PayPal only had an international retail deal in Japan with Softbank. PayPal Here, which allows...
A while back we asked for your nominations for New York City’s most influential techie. Now we’re, ready to announce a list of finalists — one of whom we’ll name our top Silicon Alley tech influencer later this month. The group of finalists all embody the energy and passion that we’re finding so remarkable...
This post was contributed by entrepreneur and crowdfunding evangelist Jonathan Sandlund. When investment crowdfunding becomes legal in the U.S. in 2013, it will democratize access to capital for startups and small businesses. For investors of all economic classes, crowdfunding represents the right to accept risk and invest in the businesses they believe in. We’re at...
While Apple’s forthcoming Oct. 23 event is dominated by speculation of new iPads, new information suggests that the company might also unveil an update to its native ebook application iBooks. The news comes from French Apple blog iGen.fr, which noticed that some books are now referencing iBooks 3.0 as a requirement in Apple’s digital...
When Microsoft revealed its first ever computer, the Surface, CEO Steve Ballmer said, “Windows is the heart and soul of Microsoft from Windows PCs to Windows Servers to Windows Phones and Windows Azure.” And while that’s certainly accurate, the Windows division was not the company’s heart and soul as far as profits go, last...