Theaters across the US have been closed since mid-March and blockbuster movies set for July like Warner Bros.' "Tenet" and Disney's "Mulan" have been pushed to August. With coronavirus cases surging in some states, it's likely that they will be delayed again.

Given the circumstances, movie studios face an unprecedented choice: resort to digital rentals and purchases via premium video-on-demand services (PVOD) or wait for theaters to reopen. Jeff Bock, the Exhibitor Relations senior media analyst, isn't confident about the latter.

"With this current COVID surge, it's obvious to me that most movie theaters won't be opening any time soon," Bock said. "Probably at the earliest fall, but if Broadway is any indication, maybe 2021."

Studios have already experimented with PVOD as an alternative, but mainly with smaller titles like family movies ("Trolls World Tour" and "Scoob!") and comedies or indie fare ("The King of Staten Island"). But if theaters remain closed for the foreseeable future, the pressure would be on to consider PVOD as a more viable option for bigger-budget titles like superhero movies.

A new study provided to Business Insider suggests that audiences would be willing to pay more for those titles than others from the comfort of their own homes.

TV tracking app TV Time surveyed 6,891 respondents who are active users of the app in the US from April 29 to April 30. The results were balanced to account for demographic differences between the US population and TV Time users. Respondents were asked what would be a reasonable amount to pay, between $0 and $50, for a PVOD release in several genres.

The superhero genre, typically the highest grossing at the box office, came out on top with an average amount of $14.17.

Action/adventure and drama followed at $13.49 and $12.38, respectively. Horror ($11.12) and art house movies ($9.45) were the genres respondents said they would pay the least amount of money for.

Below are the average prices respondents said they would pay for each genre:

While respondents were willing to pay nearly $15 for a superhero movie, digital releases are typically $20, which may be a steep price for many at-home consumers. 20% of respondents said they had bought a movie digitally after coronavirus safety guidelines were put in place at the time of the survey in late April.

51% of respondents cited "too expensive" as a reason they had not purchased a digital movie.

It would be difficult for studios to match the profits they make from superhero blockbusters at the global box office with $20 digital releases, let alone $15.

A more likely scenario is that studios would evaluate releases on a movie-by-movie basis. Disney moved "Artemis Fowl," originally set to hit theaters, to Disney Plus and is doing the same with the upcoming "The One and Only Ivan." But it's unlikely that a movie like Marvel and Disney's "Black Widow," which was pushed from May to November, would be released on PVOD services given Marvel's ability to attract audiences to theaters. 

A person familiar with Sony's thinking told Business Insider that the studio believes in the traditional theatrical window. Other studios have also recently expressed solidarity with theaters, even Universal, which has been the major studio to be the most aggressive in experimenting with PVOD.

After "Trolls World Tour" debuted on digital platforms in April, NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell said that movies would be released on both digital and to theaters once they reopen. AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron said that Universal's movies would not be shown at AMC venues in the future, prompting Universal to reiterate its commitment to the theatrical experience.

But Shell's comment could offer a preview of what's to come for the relationship between studios and theaters. Not releasing blockbusters to theaters would further anger exhibitors and would be a risk, as blockbuster releases bring in huge profits. But theaters also rely on these blockbusters to stay afloat. So it's hard to believe Universal and AMC wouldn't reach a compromise, as Universal will release sure-thing blockbusters next year like "Fast and Furious 9" and "Jurassic World: Dominion." Whatever course studios choose for PVOD will likely be temporary.

"PVOD has been and will remain part of the conversation so long as theaters aren't up and running, but it remains a worst-case scenario for the vast majority of high-profile releases," said Shawn Robbins, the Box Office Pro chief analyst. "Tentpoles, and the studios that depend on them, simply cannot thrive financially without the theatrical window."

It's set to be a long, hot antitrust summer for big tech, and no company is under the regulatory microscope more than Google.

The company is no stranger to these sorts of investigations. In the last decade, the European Union has launched three separate antitrust investigations into the company over violating competition rules. The US Federal Trade Commission also previously investigated allegations of search bias, which was resolved in 2013 after Google agreed to change some of its practices.

Now, the company is facing three potential cases in the US, focused on whether its search and advertising business have caused harm to competitors and consumers. And despite a pandemic upending almost everything, regulators are determined to forge ahead.

So far there have been no formal lawsuits but it's amping up to be a big fight. There are several different threads going on here, so we've laid out the various investigations to get you up to speed.

Latest news about Google investigations:

1. House Judiciary Committee investigation into the Big Four

The first time we'll see Google CEO Sundar Pichai testify this year will be part of a wider investigation by the House Judiciary Committee into the four big tech giants: Apple, Google, Amazon, and Facebook.

The investigation, which is being led by Subcommittee Chairman David Cicilline, is poking into whether the huge market power of these giants is hurting competition and consumers.

It's now been confirmed that all four CEOs – Sundar Pichai, Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos, and Mar Zuckerberg – will appear before lawmakers in a hearing on July 27, and it's ramping up to be quite a show. This will be the first time that all four of these tech CEOs have appeared before Congress together.

What we don't know is the format it will take, and this could be key to how effective the investigation is. Due to the pandemic it's likely that the execs will appear remotely, but will they be asked individual questions pertaining to their specific companies, or will it be an open floor format?

The latter could play to the tech CEOs' advantage by sharing the limelight across the four players and not putting the focus on any one individual company.

2. The Department of Justice investigation

In June 2019, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Justice Department had launched an antitrust probe into Google. This is separate to a wider investigation by the DOJ into online platforms, which is still ongoing.

Google's advertising business is said to be taking center stage, but the probe may go further.  Back in March, Senators Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal wrote to Attorney General William Barr urging the Justice Department to not limit its probe to Google's advertising business. Google's search practices, they argued, "warrants close scrutiny."

In an interview with CNN in June, DuckDuckGo's founder said that the Justice Department was inquiring about search on Android.

The Justice Department could file a case against Google very soon, according to a report in May from the Washington Post which claimed that both the Justice Department and a group of state attorneys general (more on them below) were preparing litigation.

3. State Attorneys General investigation

Last September, the attorneys general of 50 states and territories launched their own joint investigation into Google, led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The probe, which is running in parallel to another multi-state investigation into Facebook, set out to examine Google's advertising business. Paxton and co want to know: is Google's behavior harmful for the online advertising industry?

"They dominate the buyer side, the seller side, the auction side and the video side with YouTube," said Paxton in a press conference last year.

But in November, CNBC, citing familiar people with the matter, reported that the probe was expanding into Google's search and Android businesses.

The probe is currently running alongside the Justice Department investigation, but we could see some crossover. In fact, the two have already been conferring. The Wall Street Journal reported in June that the state attorneys general had met with the Justice Department to discuss their findings, and whether the two investigations could bring a joint lawsuit against Google.

But much is still unknown, including whether all of the states agree on how to bring a lawsuit against Google, and whether the two could ultimately team up to form a stronger case.

And finally, there's Fitbit

While the above three investigations are the big ones Google is facing right now, it's facing regulatory scrutiny elsewhere too. Its attempt to purchase smartwatch maker Fitbit is being carefully examined right now, and according to a report from the NY Post, AG William Barr – who's also overseeing the Justice Department investigation – is directly involved with reviewing the Fitbit case.

Meanwhile, the European Union is now demanding Google make a binding pledge to not use Fitbit data in advertising products, according to a new Reuters report. This confirms what experts previously told Business Insider: Google will need to offer up concessions if it wants to pass the deal, due to the huge amount of user data Fitbit already owns.

Shahin Farshchi thinks the industrial supply chain is about to see a rise of the robots.

The coming years will see a new wave of automation in factories and warehouses and at logistics companies, powered by intelligent machines, including a new generation of industrial robots and autonomous vehicles, Farshchi, a partner at Lux Capital, told Business Insider in a recent interview. Such intelligent automation is moving from being concepts under development to action items on corporate business plans, he said.

"Rather than it being a possibility, it's imminent for a lot of them," Farshchi said. "So incorporating automation has gone beyond something they can do or should do to something that they will do, and now it's just a matter of finding the right partners."

Looking back, Amazon's purchase of warehouse robot maker Kiva Systems eight years ago was just the initial indication of the oncoming wave, he said. Shopify's acquisition last year of warehouse automation company 6 River Systems and some of the recent large fundraising rounds by automation startups such as Covariant — one of Lux's portfolio companies — are evidence that the wave is starting to gain power, he said.

To this point, only a few companies have invested heavily in advanced automation. But not too long ago, the same was true of cloud computing, software sold as a subscription-based service, and mobile applications, Farshchi said.

"Just like how we saw cloud and [software as a service] and mobile go from kind of niche to mainstream, automation is going to go from niche to mainstream," he said.

Many of the new companies in the industry are developing robots to speed up warehouse operations or the packing and shipping of goods. Covariant, for example, is working on artificial intelligence software that's designed to help industrial robots discern particular items in a bin or on a conveyor belt to sort them or put them in boxes. 6 River Systems has developed a variety of devices, including an autonomous cart that can help workers collect goods in a warehouse and transport them to other areas for packing.

Lux has already been investing in the trend. In addition to Covariant, Farshchi's firm has backed Veo Robotics, which is developing computer vision and sensing technology for industrial robots that would allow people to work safely side-by-side with them. It's also invested in Aeva, which is working on a sensor for autonomous vehicles that would replace several separate sensors, including Lidar, radars, and cameras.

And the VC firm was an investor in Zoox, the self-driving car startup that Amazon has agreed to acquire. Observers speculate the ecommerce giant will eventually use Zoox's technology in its logistics operations to help deliver goods to consumers.

Farshchi declined to talk in specifics about Zoox or Amazon's agreement to acquire it, but said he sees that deal as part of this larger trend.

"These are representative of the broader automation movement and it becoming an inevitability," he said.

There are still plenty of opportunities ahead, Farshchi said. There's going to be demand for robots and other automated systems by industries that today require lots of labor or to replace jobs that have lots of turnover because few people want them, he said. Companies are also going to want technologies that they can integrate easily into their existing warehouses and factories, he said.

"I think the technology itself and the way it's adapted and integrated is something that represents the larger opportunity for the next 10 years," he said.

Got a tip about a startup or the venture industry? Contact Troy Wolverton via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., message him on Twitter @troywolv, or send him a secure message through Signal at 415.515.5594. You can also contact Business Insider securely via SecureDrop.

For book lovers, there's nothing like being gifted a new and long-awaited title. But with digital content on the rise, audiobooks are another great way to deliver the gift of reading.

Audible, the site that has hundreds of thousands of audiobooks available to purchase and share, makes it easy to gift an old favorite or an upcoming release. 

Whether you're looking for the perfect holiday item or a quick and easy last-minute gift, Audible's "gifting" feature is easy and seamless. 

Here's how to do it, using any browser on your Mac or PC.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Apple Macbook Pro (From $1,299.00 at Apple)

Lenovo IdeaPad 130 (From $469.99 at Walmart)

How to gift an Audible book

1. Sign into your Audible account on a Mac or PC and search for the book you want to gift.

2. On the title's landing page, select "Give as a gift."

3. Select how you wish to send the gifted title. 

You can't accuse Windows of not giving you enough ways to lock your computer. 

In addition to locking it from the Start menu, letting it lock automatically after a period of inactivity, and even using Bluetooth to lock when it senses you've left, there are two ways to lock Windows with quick keyboard shortcuts. 

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Windows 10 (From $139.99 at Best Buy)

Acer Chromebook 15 (From $179.99 at Walmart)

How to lock Windows from your keyboard 

Both keyboard shortcuts accomplish the same thing, so you can use whichever one is more convenient or easier for you to remember. 

Here's how to lock your Windows PC from the keyboard.

Press Ctrl + Alt + Del

You might know the Ctrl + Alt + Del shortcut as an old-fashioned way to interrupt Windows and reboot the computer. 

Its purpose has changed over the years, however. These days, this three-key shortcut has a variety of functions — including letting you lock Windows.

Press the Ctrl, Alt, and Del keys at the same time. A screen of options should appear. When it does, click "Lock."

Let's say you're about to ditch your current cell phone carrier for another. Before you make the switch, there are a few things to consider — like unlocking your iPhone.

When you buy a new iPhone, if you don't pay the entire price up front, it'll be "locked" to your carrier. This means that, until you pay it off, your phone can only connect to that carrier's network and no others.

And if you switch to a new carrier without unlocking it first, you might find yourself unable to send texts or make phone calls.

So if your iPhone is locked, but you need to switch carriers, here's what you'll need to do.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

iPhone 11 (From $699.99 at Apple)

How to request an unlock from your carrier

Before anything, make sure your iPhone is fully paid for. Most carriers can refuse to unlock your phone if you're still on a payment plan with outstanding payments, according to the FCC.

Once you're all paid up, head to Apple's support page to find out whether "unlocking" is a service your carrier offers. Most major carriers like AT&T, Boost Mobile, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, Virgin Mobile, and Xfinity do.

Once you're ready, call your carrier to request an unlock. Your request might take a few days to process, but you should be sent a confirmation email or letter once it's done.

If you're switching from AT&T to another carrier, you can use AT&T's convenient device unlocking portal to avoid calling customer service. This could take a few days to process. You'll be sent a confirmation once it's completed.

Once you're unlocked, feel free to cancel your old carrier contract.

How to unlock an iPhone with another SIM card

Once you have a SIM card from your new carrier, you can replace the card currently in your iPhone. Before you do this, backup your information to iCloud or your computer through iTunes and turn the device off.

1. Gently insert a paperclip or similar object into the hole of the SIM card slot on the side of your phone. A chipholder will pop out — gently remove it from the phone.

When you buy through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. Learn more.

 

"Palm Springs," Hulu's latest original film, is set to start streaming on Friday, July 10. The movie originally premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2020. Production company Neon and Hulu then purchased the distribution rights for the film.

Andy Samberg stars as Nyles in the film, alongside Cristin Milioti who plays Sarah. The two characters meet at a wedding in Palm Springs, and soon find themselves trapped in a time loop. No matter what they do, every morning they wake up in Palm Springs living the same day over and over again. 

The movie has received critical acclaim, and currently holds a 98% "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and a score of 82 out of 100 on Metacritic. Jason Guerrasio, senior entertainment reporter at Insider, gave the film an A- grade in his full review.

Below, we've detailed everything you need to know about watching "Palm Springs" on Hulu.

How to watch "Palm Springs" on Hulu

To watch "Palm Springs" you'll need a subscription to Hulu. The movie will start streaming exclusively through the service on July 10.

The cheapest way to subscribe to Hulu is via its ad-supported plan for $5.99 per month. This option gives you access to all of the platform's on-demand programs, including "Palm Springs." If you're sick of commercials, an ad-free Hulu plan is available for $11.99 per month. 

Meanwhile, cord-cutters looking for live TV streaming to go along with Hulu's on-demand library, can opt for Hulu + Live TV. This plan adds access to over 65 channels for a starting price of $54.99 a month.   

Finally, If you want even more on-demand streaming content, the ad-supported version of Hulu is also available as part of a discounted bundle with Disney Plus and ESPN+ for a total of $12.99 per month. That's about $5 less per month than you'd pay if you signed up for each service separately.

Once you subscribe to Hulu, you can watch "Palm Springs" through the Hulu app or website. Hulu is supported on most connected devices, including iOS and Android smartphones, Xbox One and PlayStation 4, smart TVs, and streaming players from Apple, Roku, Amazon, and Chromecast. You'll need an internet connection to stream "Palm Springs," and subscribers with a Hulu ad-free plan should also be able to download the movie to a mobile device for offline viewing.

What other exclusive movies and shows can I watch on Hulu?

Hulu features a sizable library of original films and series. Other exclusive movies recently released on Hulu include the thriller "Delivered", the comedy "Big Time Adolescence," and the horror film "Little Monsters."

Popular Hulu original series include "The Handmaid's Tale," "Little Fires Everywhere," "The Great," "Castle Rock," "Ramy", "Future Man," and more. In addition to exclusive titles developed just for Hulu, the streaming service also includes access to many current and classic network shows and Hollywood films. 

For more streaming recommendations, be sure to check out our guide to the best streaming services.

 

While Amazon Prime members get exclusive access to a library of free TV shows and movies, anyone with an Amazon account can rent videos on Prime Video using the website, mobile app, or any Prime Video TV app.

When you rent something on Prime Video, you have up to 30 days to start watching it. Once you click play for the first time, you have unlimited access for 48 hours to pause and resume playback or to watch it as many times you like, as long as you do it within the two-day rental window.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Amazon Prime Video ($8.99 from Amazon)

TCL 65" 6 Series 4K TV ($799.99 from Amazon)

How to rent videos on Amazon Prime Video

The process to rent a video is the same whether you're using the web site, a mobile app, or the Prime Video app on a smart TV or streaming device. And no matter where you rent it, you can watch the video on any device. 

1. Start by opening the Prime Video website and logging in or starting the Prime Video app on the device of your choice. 

2. Find the show or movie you want to watch. You can browse Prime Video's categories or use the search tool to find videos by name, genre, actor, or director. 

3. On the video's details page, choose the display quality you want to rent. You can sometimes select "More purchase options" to see additional choices, which might include standard definition (SD), high definition (HD), and 4K UHD. Higher quality rentals usually cost a little more. 

NOW WATCH:

London-based tech startup Farewill has raised $25 million from Highland Europe and existing investors Augmentum, Jam Jar Ventures, Kindred Capital. 

Farewill, a startup that makes it easier for people to write their will, has seen increased demand for its services during the coronavirus pandemic.  The company claims to have increased its revenues by 650% year-on-year. 

The company, founded in 2015, helps people write legal wills in as little as 15 minutes. Farewill's fundraise comes as the startup looks to onboard more staff and launch more products.

"Fundraising was a mad experience," Dan Garrett, CEO and cofounder of Farewill told Business Insider. "It was six weeks of back-to-back Zoom calls with fifty funds, that was very intense and really difficult with some funds where we had no prior relationship. I've done fifty to sixty calls with Stan Laurent [a partner at Farewill backer Highland Capital] in a very short period of time and we've not yet met." 

Garrett claims Farewill's services are significantly cheaper than traditional options because it doesn't have a bricks-and-mortar operation. It also has a tech stack which it says reduces it costs by as much as 25% versus competitors.

"Death and dying is the biggest consumer industry untouched by tech," Garrett said. "It's a $150 billion market worldwide but only 2% of it is online. It's not because the technology is unfeasible but humans don't want to talk about dying."

Alongside its UK product expansion, Farewill has helped raise over £260 million ($326 million) in pledged income for the likes of Macmillan Cancer Support, Cancer Research UK, Crisis, and Save the Children as part of a plan by the company to raise £1 billion ($1.3 billion) for charity by 2033. 

Farewill claims to write about one in 10 wills in the UK and now has "the third or fourth-largest funeral service in the country" after just seven months, according to Garrett.

Reducing the cost of will writing, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic, has been a priority for the company with Farewill data indicating that 94% of people who have lost a loved one to coronavirus said the resulting administrative tasks had a negative impact on them.

Check out Farewill's redacted pitch deck below:

Facebook still hasn't convinced civil rights groups that it's doing enough to combat hate speech on its platform.

On Tuesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, COO Sheryl Sandberg, and Chief Product Officer Chris Cox met with the leaders of the NAACP, Color of Change, Free Press, and the Anti-Defamation League in an attempt to address their concerns over its hate speech policies.

Following the hour-long virtual meeting, civil rights groups called it a "disappointment" and said in a statement that it was clear Facebook "is not yet ready to address the vitriolic hate on their platform."

"Today we saw little and heard just about nothing," ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a call with reporters Tuesday, adding: "We didn't get commitments or time frames or clear outcomes. we expected specifics and that's not what we heard."

Last month, the groups organized a massive Facebook ad boycott in response to its inaction on controversial posts by President Donald Trump that more than 500 companies have since joined. Multiple discussions with Facebook executives ultimately broke down, with the boycott organizers demanding that Zuckerberg personally attend because "he is the ultimate authority," Reuters reported.

But even with its top leadership in the room, Facebook wasn't able to persuade the groups that it's taking strong enough action.

The groups said in a statement that they discussed 10 demands with Facebook, which included items such as: a C-suite level executive with civil rights expertise, public and independent civil rights audits, changes to Facebook's  moderation policies around hate speech and misinformation, refunds to advertisers whose ads are shown next to hate speech, and live customer support for users experience hate or harassment.

Facebook only partially addressed hiring a civil rights expert and "offered no attempt" to address the other nine demands, the groups said.

"Instead of actually responding to the demands of dozens of the platform's largest advertisers that have joined the #StopHateForProfit ad boycott during the month of July, Facebook wants us to accept the same old rhetoric, repackaged as a fresh response," the groups said.

"This meeting was an opportunity for us to hear from the campaign organizers and reaffirm our commitment to combating hate on our platform. They want Facebook to be free of hate speech and so do we. That's why it's so important that we work to get this right," a Facebook spokesperson told Business Insider, adding that it has taken a number of steps, including investing people and financial resources into combatting hate speech, introducing new policies to address misinformation, and banning hate groups.

Facebook also plans to release its civil rights audit Wednesday — which began in 2018 — but Sandberg said in a post Tuesday that the company won't follow every recommendation.

Facebook is facing a growing chorus of critics who say it needs to do more to combat racism and hate speech on its platform. After CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended his decision not to take action on Trump's posts, employees at Facebook as well as Zuckerberg's philanthropic initiative revolted, and The Washington Post reported last week that Facebook has crafted exemptions for the president going as far back as 2015.

This is the latest installment of Business Insider's YouTube money logs, where creators break down how much they earn.

For many YouTubers, breaking the 1 million subscriber mark can really make them feel they've made it. And it often means they're earning a full-time living from the platform.

To start earning money from YouTube, creators must have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the past year. Once they reach that threshold, they can apply for the Partner Program. Creators who are part of the Partner Program can monetize their videos with Google-placed ads.

The CPM rate (cost per thousand views) varies from channel to channel (and video to video), and some top YouTubers have ad-placement strategies to maximize their earnings.

One key to earning more money from a particular video is placing ads before viewers typically "drop off" from the video. Viewers often drop off if an intro is too long or the creator stays for a long time on one subject, industry insiders have told Business Insider.

While direct ad revenue from Google isn't the only form of income for many of these digital stars — some of whom earn money from sponsorships or merchandise sales — it's often a big part of building a sustainable business.

Over the past few months, Business Insider spoke with dozens of YouTube creators about how much each of them earned from the platform.

Five YouTube creators we spoke with had between 1 million and 2 million subscribers. They shared insights on financial topics, like their average revenue per 1,000 views (CPMs), what they'd made per month, and the most they'd earned from a single video.

Here's a breakdown of what they said:

Cybersecurity startup PQShield just raised almost $7 million in a funding round backed by Kindred Capital and Crane Venture Partners. 

PQShield describes itself as a post-quantum cryptography startup, a field that has emerged alongside quantum computing.

Post-quantum, or "quantum-proof", cryptography consists of algorithms designed to protect systems from quantum computers. At present, even some of the best-designed systems could be vulnerable to quantum attacks as quantum computing moves closer to reality.

The post-quantum cryptography market is expected to see significant growth over the next decade, with analysts at Inside Quantum Technology predicting a value of $3.8 billion by 2028. 

Dr Ali El Kaafarani, a research fellow at Oxford University's Mathematical Institute and former engineer at Hewlett-Packard Labs, founded PQShield in 2018, saying he was struck by "the disconnect between the scale of the quantum threat and the current level of IT security" seen at most businesses.

"Too often, we see a huge gulf between academic theory and commercial reality," he said."Cryptographers know that quantum computers pose a real and devastating threat, yet most businesses fail to recognise the need to protect their information beyond today's security challenges.

"Whether cars, planes, or other connected devices, many of the products designed and sold today are going to be used for decades. Their hardware may be built to last, but right now, their security certainly isn't. Future-proofing is imperative, just as it is for the banks and agencies that hold so much of our sensitive data." 

The new £5.5 million ($6.9 million) round was led by Kindred Capital and Crane Venture Partners, alongside Oxford Sciences Innovation, and angel investor Andre Crawford-Brunt, a former global head of equities at Deutsche Bank.

Chrysanthos Chrysanthou, partner at Kindred Capital, said: "With some of the brightest minds in cryptography, mathematics, and engineering, and boasting world-class software and hardware solutions, PQShield is uniquely positioned to lead the charge in protecting businesses from one of the most profound threats to their future.

"We couldn't be happier to support the team as it works to set a new standard for information security and defuse risks resulting from the rise of quantum."

As the world adjusts to connecting over videoconferencing for work and leisure, some irritating issues have grown more pronounced.

For example, if you're on a video call using Zoom or Google Meet and you'd like to present content within a set of slides, you'll have to sacrifice your icon in order to share your screen. That can make an already impersonal interaction even more so.

A new service is trying to fix that annoyance. As The Verge first reported, Mmhmm's videoconferencing capabilities will eventually allow people to add a virtual camera to their video calls on Zoom and Google Meet, among other services. The idea is to cater to an ever-growing acceptance of remote work in the post-coronavirus era, one in which videoconferencing will likely play a central role.

"It's not trying to replace how you normally have meetings or talk about or stream content on video, it just tries to make it better," founder Phil Libin said in a demo video for the app.

Mmhmm will allow you to share your computer screen and display a presentation, a web browser, or even a live newscast behind you while also letting you remain in the picture. The company says you'll be able to maneuver your own image around the screen and can even shrink or disappear it.

You could also co-present and appear with someone else using the app on a different computer. The app will let you choose from a series of virtual backgrounds much in the same way that you can on Zoom.

It'll look a lot like Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update segment, according to Libin. He also said "it's important to have a name that you can say while eating," hence the onomatopoeia-heavy moniker.

The app was developed by All Turtles, a studio that Libin founded after spending eight years as CEO at productivity app Evernote. The company has raised $4.5 million in a seed round led by Sequoia Capital, a top VC firm that has backed the likes of Apple, Google, and PayPal. Mmhmm also found angel investors in Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, and Eventbrite co-founders Julia and Kevin Hartz, according to The Verge.

The app is currently in beta. You can sign up for the waitlist here.

Apple has always taken a distinctly different approach to its laptop and desktop computers compared to Windows rivals. While Windows PC makers have infused the qualities of both mobile and desktop computers into laptops they've launched over the past seven years or so, Apple has always maintained a stance that mobile and desktop operating systems should remain separate.

While it's true that iPhone and Mac products run on separate software — a decision Apple has no plans to change —Mac computers are on pace to evolve into something that looks a lot more like the iPhone than ever before. That's all thanks to Apple's new Mac software, and most importantly, the company's plan to transition away from Intel to its own homegrown chips.

Apple announced its decision to develop its own silicon for Macs during its Worldwide Developers Conference last month, saying that it expects the transition to take two years. Such a move will enable Macs to run iPhone and iPad apps since the chips powering these products will run on one common architecture.

It will also open the door for Apple to design specific Mac features based on the device's hardware and processing power, just as it's done for the iPhone, Apple Watch, and other products. Apple CEO Tim Cook hinted at as much during the company's presentation.

"When we look ahead, we envision some amazing new products," Cook said during the presentation. "And transitioning to our own custom silicon is what will enable us to bring them to life."

The Mac has gotten boring compared to Windows 

The shift to Apple silicon indicates there are some promising updates ahead for the Mac, which hasn't changed much over the last decade. While Windows computer makers such as Lenovo, Dell, and Asus among others have developed computers with detachable or flexible touch screens, multiple displays, or designs that take various forms, Apple's MacBooks largely look the same, save for the addition of the Touch Bar in 2016.

The most exciting change to come to Apple's newest MacBook Pro and Air laptops are their redesigned keyboards, an update that came in response to criticism of Apple's flatter and more typo-prone butterfly keyboard. Dell, meanwhile, showcased concept laptops with flexible displays and more than one screen at the CES tech conference in January.

Apple's decision to develop its own silicon for the Mac hopefully means we'll see new innovations come to its line of laptops and desktops. And that's a very good thing for Apple, which has largely ignored the biggest industry trend to unfold over the last decade: the rise of laptop-tablet hybrids.

Apple was never on board with the idea that mobile and desktop operating systems should be the same, but it recently began playing catch-up when it comes to this trend by building more desktop-like functionality into the iPad, especially the iPad Pro.

Despite bucking this trend, Apple is still one of the top five laptop and desktop vendors in the world when it comes to global market share. But it ranks behind PC giants like Lenovo, which placed in first, followed by HP, Dell, and Acer, according to figures from the International Data Corporation published in April.  

Having more freedom and flexibility to develop new features for the Mac that may help it stand out could be especially important now that PC makers are starting to think about what's next for the laptop — like the integration of 5G technology.

It would also give Apple an advantage in that it wouldn't be prone to issues impacting the rest of the industry, like Intel's chip shortage from 2019, which impacted rivals like Dell and HP. 

The Mac's future is starting to look a lot like the iPhone

Based on the company's announcements at WWDC, the Mac is taking a new direction that will more closely resemble the iPhone experience, possibly setting the stage for more significant changes to the Mac lineup.

Although Apple has yet to launch its first computer based on its own silicon, the company's  macOS Big Sur update already provides a glimpse at the growing similarities between the Mac and the iPhone. The update, slated to launch in the fall, has a slick new design that feels similar to the iPhone and iPad's interface. For example, Apple is bringing Control Center — the panel with quick settings for screen brightness, volume, media playback, and other controls that's accessible on the iPhone — to the Mac with Big Sur.

The dock is also getting a fresh redesign that resembles that of the iPad, and the Messages app for Mac will be updated with features that have long been available on the iPhone, like support for Memoji, the ability to insert GIFs, and special effects when typing certain phrases. 

When Apple starts launching computers powered by its own processors instead of Intel's, that shift will become even more apparent. Not only will iPhone apps be capable of running on the Mac natively, but it'll also allow Apple to make bolder and more dramatic changes to the Mac than what we've seen in recent years. 

The iPhone's biggest advantage is coming to the Mac: complete control

A large part of  what sets Apple apart lies in the fact that it controls almost every aspect of the product development process, from the hardware design to the software and silicon. That's what has separated Apple's iOS platform from Windows and Android. Because Apple designs its own chips for mobile devices like the iPhone and Apple Watch, it's able to tailor its products' performance, functionality, and power management in accordance with the device's software. 

Take the automatic handwashing detection in watchOS 7, Apple's next major software update for the Apple Watch. That feature is made possible by the neural engine found inside the Apple Watch Series 4 and Series 5.

There are many examples of this on the iPhone, among the most recent being Apple's deep fusion photography feature, which it announced last fall. Deep fusion uses machine learning enabled by the neural engine inside the A13 Bionic, the chip that powers the iPhone 11 lineup and iPhone SE, to process photos at the pixel level, optimizing shots for texture, detail, and noise.

Apple's announcement left many unanswered questions about Apple silicon, such as exactly how powerful its chips will be. But what's clear is that developing its own silicon will enable Apple to put its own stamp on the Mac just as it's done with other products.

Johny Srouji, Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies, said that this approach falls in line with Apple cofounder and former CEO Steve Jobs' vision when speaking with Bloomberg Businessweek in 2016. 

"Steve came to the conclusion that the only way for Apple to really differentiate and deliver something truly unique and truly great, you have to own your own silicon," Srouji said to Bloomberg Businessweek in 2016. "You have to control and own it."

In the hottest markets, finding the right apartment can feel like a full-time job, wading through fake listings and apartments that don't fit the needs of the renter. Even a rental broker, who can help with some of this, has a smaller, siloed view of the market because they're tied to a specific brokerage and a limited amount of listings.

That problem is what convinced long-time collaborators Omri Klinger and Hadar Landau to apply the AI-chatbot they had been building to the world of real-estate rentals in 2017 with the launch of RealFriend.

RealFriend first went live in 2018 in Tel Aviv. In 2019, the chatbot spoke to almost 54,000 renters in a city where 50,000 apartments are rented a year. The company also launched a beta run in New York last year, renaming the chatbot from Dooron, its Israeli name, to Luke, as it began to operate stateside. 

RealFriend raised $4.4 million in a seed round this March, with backing from Gaia, a NYC real-estate investment fund; Eyal Waldman, CEO and founder of Israeli-American computer hardware company Mellanox Technologies; Israeli venture capital firm F2; angel investor and former SVP of product at WeWork Ron Gura; and German media  company Axel Springer.

Now, RealFriend is launching more widely in New York, with the hope of helping renters navigate the famously challenging New York rental market as it rapidly changes due to the coronavirus.

Business Insider spoke to Klinger, the company's CTO; and Landau, the company's CEO about their pitch deck and why they think chatbots will massively change real estate. 

Here's the pitch deck RealFriend used to win over investors and raise its seed round.

(Disclosure: Axel Springer is Business Insider's parent company.)

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The PlayStation 4 is one of the best-selling video game consoles of all-time, with more than 100 million consoles sold around the world since its debut in 2013.

Sony has dominated the current console generation with PlayStation 4-exclusive games like "God of War," "Horizon Zero Dawn," and "Marvel's Spider-Man." Hit franchises like "MLB the Show" and "Uncharted" also continue to keep fans dedicated to the PlayStation brand.

Beyond a library of more than 2,500 video games, the PlayStation 4 also serves as the anchor for countless home theater systems, providing Blu-ray and DVD playback, digital movie rentals, and support for popular streaming apps like Netflix, Spotify, and Twitch.

The PlayStation 5 is due to launch in fall 2020, but Sony says it will continue releasing games for the millions of PS4 owners while gamers gradually adopt the new console. As an added bonus, the PS5 will support hundreds of the most popular PS4 games, so you can start building a library now and bring them over to the new console when you're ready to upgrade.

Below, we've collected the best deals on PlayStation 4 consoles, exclusive games, and accessories. These discounts should all come in handy whether you're picking up a PlayStation 4 for the first time, building your library of games, or trying to find the cheapest price on a PlayStation peripheral.

Prices and links are current as of 7/7/2020. Added new deals for PS4 games and HyperX Cloud Stinger headset. Removed deals that are no longer active. Updated by Kevin Webb.

Palantir, the secretive and controversial Silicon Valley data firm, is gearing up to go public in what could be one of the biggest IPOs in tech's history.

It was founded in 2003 by some of the "PayPal mafia," including now billionaire investor and Trump adviser Peter Thiel. He, along with the rest of the Valley's inner circle, harbors a deep-seated obsession with J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" — so much so that Palantir's founders opted for a moniker inspired by a magical object in the fantastical universe.

The palantiri are a collection of indestructible crystal stones used in Tolkien's fictional Middle Earth as a means of "far-seeing" communication.

The wizard Saruman uses one of the all-powerful seeing stones to surveil his foes and is ultimately corrupted by the unbounded knowledge that it provides him. Sauron — the main villain in the books and the films — reaches Saruman through the palantir and manipulates him into doing his bidding.

Critic and leading Tolkien scholar Jane Chance Nitzsche wrote that Saruman uses the stone to "seek Godlike knowledge by gazing in a short-sighted way" into the palantir. By opting for "mere knowledge" instead of actual wisdom, the wizard eventually met his downfall.

In the movie, you might also remember Peregrin "Pippin" Took mischievously snatching a palantir while Gandalf and the others are asleep. He and the rest of the story's heroes continuously dodge their enemies' line of sight in order to complete their main quest: destroying the One Ring and ridding Middle Earth of such a source of evil.

Palantir, the tech firm, creates software that gives its customers a wide-ranging, searchable database to find what they're looking for. So naming the company after an object that provides a broad scope of sight might seem fitting.

But Palantir has drawn criticism for partnering with law enforcement agencies including ICE. Its ICE contract came under scrutiny last week from 15 members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, who also questioned whether Palantir was sharing people's health data with ICE. Palantir denied that it shares data between the different federal agencies. An HHS spokesperson also denied that the data was being shared.

Palantir isn't the only tech company connected to Thiel that bears a LOTR-inspired name and has drawn criticism.

He was an early investor in military-contracting startup Anduril, which was named after the magical sword in the series that was wielded by the trilogy's hero, Aragorn. The company, founded by Palmer Luckey in 2017, was recently awarded a contract with US Customs and Border Protection to build a virtual "wall" as a means to prevent illegal crossings into the US. The system will utilize surveillance towers to detect movement.

Fans of the beloved books have taken issue with companies that have names inspired by "Lord of the Rings" and work with border authorities like CBP.

"It's really not even close to the point, but between this and [Palantir], wtf is up with tech bros using Lord of the Rings names for their big data services for the military?" a Twitter user said last year. "Did I miss some pro-war/surveillance message in Tolkien's work?"

Amazon has tapped Cem Sibay, a 15-year company veteran, to lead its efforts to build an in-house COVID-19 testing lab, according to people familiar with the matter.

Sibay, who most recently ran the day-to-day operations of Amazon's Prime membership program, became vice president of "Project Ultraviolet," the internal codename for the initiative, in April, the people said. The team's top priority is to roll out COVID-19 testing to every Amazon employee and build the infrastructure needed to ship testing results between the in-house lab and Amazon facilities across the country. 

Ultraviolet is likely a reference to the theory that UV light is an effective disinfectant for COVID-19. Amazon recently showcased a UV-light-emitting robot designed to kill the novel coronavirus in Whole Foods stores and warehouses.

Amazon's spokesperson declined to comment.

Sibay's appointment shows Amazon is assigning one of the company's most important COVID-19 response efforts to a trusted executive with a proven track record of success — but no background in healthcare. 

After he spent seven years on Amazon's corporate-development team, Sibay helped grow the company's European operations until 2016. Then he moved to the team in charge of the Prime program, helping expand it to over 150 million paid members worldwide. Sibay's experience in fast delivery and logistics while on the Prime team was a key consideration for his appointment, as test-result delivery is a big challenge for the team, one person said. Sibay recently updated his LinkedIn page to reflect the change in his role.

"Covid changed everything. It's time to fight back. Leading a team of passionate scientists, engineers, product managers and other subject matter experts that have put their 'day jobs' on hold to help make a difference and ultimately save lives. Testing, testing, testing," his Linkedin profile says.

Amazon previously said it planned to spend about $300 million on building the testing lab during the three months ending in June. Additionally, it said it expected to spend a total of $4 billion across a number of coronavirus-related initiatives during last quarter, such as increased wages and improved temperature checks for warehouse workers. CEO Jeff Bezos said in a statement in April that the company started "building its first lab and has begun a pilot to test front-line employees."

Sibay's team recently recruited several executives from other parts of the company, people said. The new additions include Liam Pingree, the former manager of the Prime Air drone-delivery team; Jack Sallay, most recently a senior manager of the Prime Benefits team; and Sarah Mathews, who was a director for Amazon Books. Pingree's LinkedIn profile now says he's part of "Amazon Laboratories."

The team is actively hiring both internally and externally. Many of the job openings linked to Sibay's team are in Hebron, Kentucky, where Amazon is building a new Air Hub for its freight service. In one job posting for a medical-technologist position, Amazon says it's looking for someone who can work a 24/7 shift and "perform all laboratory testing in a high complexity CLIA-certified laboratory covering all levels of complexity necessary for diagnosis and treatment."

Amazon's response to COVID-19 has been a hot-button issue for the company over the past few months. A number of employee demonstrations arose across the country over the company's safety measures, while several lawmakers demanded answers for the firing of activist employees. Amazon still hasn't disclosed the total number of infections among workers at its warehouses, but an unofficial employee tally has the count at over 1,500 cases.

In April, Bezos wrote in his annual shareholder letter that his time and thinking "continues to be focused on COVID-19 and how Amazon can help while we're in the middle of it."