Audio is beginning to play an increasingly important role in how consumers connect with information, thanks to the popularity of podcasts and other short-form audio programming, improvements in voice technologies, and the growing consumer adoption of smart home devices like the Amazon Echo and Google Home. Today, a company called Audioburst is unveiling a new search engine designed to connect… Read More
Pro.com started out as a marketplace that wanted to connect homeowners with home improvement and renovation professionals. Today, however, the company is a tech-centric general contractor with licenses in Washington state and California — and it’s also probably one of the best-funded general contractors. The company today announced that it has raised a $10 million growth… Read More
Everyone should be saving for retirement, but not everyone has an employer that offers a 401(k) plan. Guideline wants to change that, and the company has raised $15 million to grow its base of small business customers making retirement more attainable for employees. Read More
Swarm has been through a lot of changes since it launched in May 2014. The app, which originally debuted as a social utility to let people check-in to locations and meet up with their friends, has since shifted to a gamified location-sharing app. Today, the company is looking to revamp the app once again, with a new focus on lifelogging. So much of our lives is now contained within… Read More
The launch of iOS 10 and its iMessage Store has launched emojis and stickers into mainstream communication. In fact, 6 billion emoticons are sent every day. And a new startup called MojiLaLa is looking to capitalize, both figuratively and literally. MojiLaLa is a marketplace that lets artists submit their sticker packs to the iOS store with zero hassle, for free. The company has just raised… Read More
Verizon Ventures and R/GA are kicking off the first round of their digital media “venture studio” and unveiling the first lineup of startups. The program was announced back in March, with the goal of helping Verizon find innovation in media and advertising. The company says startups will be connecting — and potentially partnering with — its teams at Oath (the digital… Read More
Spin, a company focused on bringing the stationless bike sharing model to the U.S. after its continued success in Asia, is launching in South San Francisco today (as it planned to last month), making it the first ever to get official city approval in the Bay Area to launch a dockless bike share program. Spin already launched in Seattle earlier this year, and will now put an initial fleet of… Read More
For car owners, getting their vehicle repaired or even dealing with routine maintenance can be a pain. Launching today, a company called CarDash wants to make auto service less painful and more transparent. Read More
Apple's forthcoming tenth anniversary iPhone will reportedly have a face scanner, and the company wants to make it work so that the user doesn't have to look directly at it, according to a report from iHelp BR (which we saw via AppleInsider).
Face-scanning technologies have been around for some time now, but even advanced devices (like Samsung's Galaxy S8) require that users hold the device in front of their eyes, which can be impractical most of the time.
Developers have continued to dig inside the leaked code of the HomePod speaker's software, which contained information about the "iPhone 8," and found references to things such as "AXRestingPearlUnlock" and "com.accessibility.resting.pearl.unlock" (Apparently, "PearlID" is the technology's code name).
Developers found various "Pearl"-related references in iOS' code.iHelp BR
The new iPhone will reportedly ditch Touch ID, Apple's signature fingerprint scanner, so the company obviously wants its replacement to be as accurate as possible, and these new lines of code suggest that the device's face scanner may be able to securely identify its owner no matter where they are looking.
Other code strings developer found include "APPS_USING_PEARL" as well as "PEARL_AUTOLOCK"; the former suggests that some apps may become only accessible through face detection, while "Pearl Autolock" may simply refer to a feature that keeps unrecognised users out.
The price of Bitcoin is hovering at a record high on Monday, following a surge over the weekend.
Bitcoin is up 0.96% against the dollar to $3,260.80 at 10.07 a.m. BST (5.07 a.m. ET). It follows a rally for the cryptocurrency on Saturday that saw it break through $3,200 per coin for the first time ever. It reached an all-time high of $3,344 per coin over the weekend.Markets Insider
Meanwhile, the price of Bitcoin Cash, the rival cryptocurrency that was split-off from Bitcoin at the start of the month, has been diving. The price is recovering on Monday, up 28% to $271.71, according to CoinMarketCap.com.
Mati Greenspan, an analyst at trading platform eToro, says Bitcoin Crash's dip and Bitcoin's rally are likely related.
Greenspan writes in an email on Monday morning: "All that money that seemingly came out of thin air to pump up the value of Bitcash is now being fed right into Bitcoin. Bitcash has fallen from its peak of $12 Billion all the way down below $4 Billion this morning.
"Bitcash sought to replace the original form of digital money but the miners never embraced it. As it was seen by many as something for nothing, many users are now dumping." (You can read more about why Bitcoin Cash was split out of Bitcoin here.)
Here's how Bitcoin has performed over the last year, showing we're firmly in record territory:Markets Insider
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iFly is an indoor skydiving experience which you can do at three centres in the UK â Basingstoke, Manchester, and Milton Keynes.
It works by using a vertical wind tunnel which pushes out a column of air, allowing you to fly. Wind speeds in the tunnel can reach 165 mph.
As a first-timer, the aim is to try and hold the correct body posture for the time you are in the tunnel. As you become more experienced, you can learn specialist tricks â such as flying upside down.
Produced and filmed by Leon Siciliano. Additional camera by Joe Daunt
Looking to spruce up your lounge?
An Apple TV top box starts at $149 (£139).
A PlayStation 4 is currently $269 (£227).
A smart TV will set you back hundreds.
Forget all of them â Google sells a gadget for just $35 (£30) that will transform how you watch TV.
It certainly did for me.
A Deliveroo Editions cluster. Business Insider/James Cook
London startup Deliveroo is toying with the idea of putting games consoles into huts that it provides for some of its food delivery couriers.
The rider huts can be found in car parks and on industrial estates where Deliveroo has launched its pop-up restaurant parks, known as Deliveroo Editions.
Deliveroo Editions include six or seven portable kitchens and they allow restaurants to split up their in-house dining and delivery services.
Rohan Pradhan, head of Deliveroo Editions, told Business Insider at the company's office launch that Deliveroo is considering kitting out the rider huts with gaming equipment so that riders can have some fun while they're waiting for jobs.
Deliveroo has raised approximately $474 million (£358 million) from investors so a few games consoles for riders are unlikely to put too much of a financial strain on the company.
Pradhan did not specify what kind of gaming equipment Deliveroo could provide to riders but it could be PlayStations, Xboxes, or Nintendos.
Deliveroo and other food delivery companies like UberEats have faced criticism from riders and trade unions since they launched over pay and how they choose to classify their couriers. Providing riders with games consoles could be interpreted as a sign that Deliveroo is keen to get riders on side.
"Deliveroo Editions is the biggest development in the market since Deliveroo first launched," said Pradhan in a follow up statement provided by Deliveroo. "Editions is a relatively new focus for the business and one we will continue to innovate in, striving to provide the best service for customers, restaurants and of course our riders."
A Deliveroo spokesperson added that putting computer games in the huts is "just an idea for now" before going on to say "as Editions grows, I'm sure we will see further developments around this."
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LONDON â Companies that expose their customers information in data breaches could face far harsher penalties â including fines of up to 4% of their global annual turnover.
On Monday, the British government announced plans to strengthen UK data protection law with the a new Data Protection Bill.
Among the plans laid out in the bill is to give the ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) regulator the power to fine companies up to £17 million, or 4% of global turnover, in the "most serious data breaches."
It's a significant increase â the maximum fine that the ICO can currently levy is for £500,000.
It's likely that these powers would be used in major breaches like the 2015 hack of British telecoms firm TalkTalk that saw more than 150,000 customers' data compromised. Hackers were able to gain access using a rudimentary attack that has been known about for more than 15 years, and in its aftermath a parliamentary report called for businesses breached in similar ways to face "significant fines."
The Data Protection Bill will also make it easier for people to withdraw consent for the use of their personal data, and expand the definition of "personal data" so that it includes DNA, internet cookies, and IP addresses, among other changes.
In a statement, secretary for digital Matt Hancock said: "Our measures are designed to support businesses in their use of data, and give consumers the confidence that their data is protected and those who misuse it will be held to account.
"The new Data Protection Bill will give us one of the most robust, yet dynamic, set of data laws in the world. It will give people more control over their data, require more consent for its use, and prepare Britain for Brexit. We have some of the best data science in the world and this new law will help it to thrive."
Attendees pose with the Faraday Future FF91 at the company's new manufacturing site in Hanford, CA. Faraday Future
Faraday Future, the electric-car startup that is developing a 1,000-horsepower, self-driving SUV, has signed a lease on what it says will be its future assembly plant.
The site, a one-million square-foot building located about 40 miles south of Fresno, California, in the city of Hanford, was one of several sites Faraday had been scouting after it pulled the plug on its original proposed manufacturing project in North Las Vegas, Nevada last month.
âWe know there is a lot of work and risks ahead," said CFO Stefan Krause, who was recently appointed as COO of the company. He said the new site "represents a major step forward" for Faraday after a year of executive departures, lawsuits from suppliers, and an impending cash drought.
"Investors invest in people, and our employees continue to be Faraday Futureâs strongest asset," Krause said.
Business Insider first reported that Faraday was close to signing the deal on its new facility.
The Hanford site, nicknamed the "Sequoia Plant" for its proximity to Sequoia National Park, is not quite ready for primetime, Faraday representatives said. A contingent of employees traveled to the site on Saturday for a day-long clean-up effort. Some employees â including Faraday's new chief technology officer and BMW veteran, Ulrich Kranz, could be seen painting inside the facility as the company's inaugural vehicle, the FF91, sat parked nearby.
A rendering of Faraday Future's new Central California manufacturing facility. Faraday Future
Faraday's vice president of global manufacturing, Dag Reckhorn, said the new factory represents their commitment to getting the FF91 on the road by late 2018.
The challenges for Faraday remain steep. Krause is courting multiple investors in search of at least $1 billion in new funding. Some of those investors, Krause told Business Insider in an interview last month, have indicated their readiness to move forward with Faraday if it secured a factory.
The company recently put up its Los Angeles-area headquarters as collateral to secure a $14 million loan from Innovatus Capital, and more money will be needed to finish vehicle development and get its new California site up and running.
Lady Gaga in a recent Supreme ad.SupremeThe teens have spoken: Companies like streetwear brand Supreme and aerospace startup SpaceX are officially cool.
Business Insider spoke to a dozen teens from across the US, and asked them: "What companies and products are cool to you and your friends?"
Their answers ranged from clothing brands to social media giants.
Check them out below.
National ArchivesOn August 6, 1945, the US dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, following up three days later with another bomb on Nagasaki.
The bombs, known as "Little Boy" and "Fat Man," were loaded onto bombers at the North Field airbase on Tinian Island in the Northern Mariana Islands, which are south of Japan.
Until recently, few photographs of the run up to the attacks were available.
But declassified pictures shed light on the preparations for the bombings â the first and only wartime nuclear bombings in history.
While seemingly mundane, these photos show us what it was like to prepare for one of the most important moments in modern history.
First seen on AlternativeWars.com. An earlier version of this post was composed by Christian Storm.
Policy progress from Trump could derail the tech trade, which has benefited from the lack of successful legislation. AP/Kathy Willens
Investors in red-hot tech companies are heavily exposed to political risk, and they may not even realize it.
After all, one of the main selling points for tech stocks last year was how disconnected they were from macro drivers. Traders shied away from energy because they were puzzled by oil, and stayed away from financials and utility stocks because of uncertainty around interest rates. This led to investment funds crowding into tech stocks, for lack of better options.
But now, in an ironic twist of fate, tech-heavy investment funds have become beholden to the macro risk that they sought to avoid, says Wells Fargo. The surging popularity of tech stocks â which are up 23% this year, more than double the S&P 500 â have made them a proxy for market risk.
And that's been fine so far this year as traders have chased returns in the industry, which is growing earnings hand over fist. But what's been underappreciated is how much of a boost the sector has gotten from the macro picture â most notably the slow implementation of President Donald Trump's economic agenda and a series of dovish comments from Fed Chair Janet Yellen.
Wells Fargo warns that as soon as these dynamics shift, tech bulls could be in for a rude awakening. They recommend cutting exposure to the industry.
"There seems to be an implicit belief that Yellen and Trump are the gifts that keep giving and itâll only continue," said Christopher Harvey, a senior analyst at the firm. "Fundamental investors are being lulled into a false sense of security. They are failing to appreciate the correlation between âthe macroâ and the relative performance of tech. Our recommendation is to reduce portfolio risk by taking some tech profits."
Tech stocks have closely tracked an investment strategy built around macro drivers. Wells Fargo
For evidence of this, consider the close correlation between tech performance and a strategy built to bet on a dovish Fed and the ongoing futility of Trump policies. They've traded in close lockstep in 2017, especially in the last few months.
While Wells Fargo thinks the possible downside risk in tech is being ignored to a degree, Bank of America Merrill Lynch has already started to notice flagging enthusiasm around the tech trade.
After reaching a bull market high earlier this year, flows into tech funds have slowed sharply, on a 16-week rolling basis, according to the firm's data.
However, it's important to note that neither Wells Fargo nor BAML are calling for the end of the scorching-hot tech trade â they're simply stressing caution. More than anything, it's hard to argue with the profit expansion being seen in the sector.
Tech stocks are expected to grow earnings by 18% this year, a full six percentage points more than the benchmark S&P 500, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg.
So even if investors become more aware of the macro risks in the market, it may be difficult for them to turn their back on the wildly successful tech trade, which looks so good on a fundamental basis. And therein lies the critical tug-of-war over what actually drives the market â one that is far from being settled at this point.
Inflows to tech funds have taken a dip recently. Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Nothing makes me feel more connected to the rest of the human race than seeing images of Earth from space, especially those taken at night.
National borders vanish, and rivers of light unite our towns and cities into a single glowing tapestry. It makes the planet resemble a giant, glowing, orb-shaped spaceship drifting through the void of space.
Just look at this incredible view of Europe, sparkling with artificial light:
Er, wait a minute.
If you've seen enough images of Earth from space at night, or you care to look closely enough, this image looks funny â and yet it has been shared all over the internet as a legitimate NASA photograph.
Seeing is believing, though. Compare it to this photograph of the Iberian Peninsula, taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station in July 2014:
As it turns out, the first â and arguably more breathtaking â image is actually a computer rendering created by Russian graphic artist Anton Balazh (ÐнÑон Ðалаж).
Scroll to see more of Balazh's mind-boggling views of Earth and learn how he pulled them off.
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