Tech

I love losing myself in a good book, and I’m not the only one. Finding great gifts for book lovers isn’t just about testing for the best e-reader (which we have!) or rounding up all the accessories worth adding to your Kindle (we’ve done that too), but rather it’s about setting up your favorite reader to keep enjoying stories. You …

In the world of professional spirits reviews, “smooth” is something of a dirty word. Consumers, on the other hand, absolutely love to use it. The implication of “smooth” is simple; it suggests a product doesn’t hurt when you drink it. It’s such a sought-after quality that the distilling industry will do just about anything to achieve it. Some methods are …

Target has set itself apart from big box retailers like Walmart by having trendy clothes, homegoods branded by reality TV stars and, of course, in-store Starbucks. With malls and traditional department stores in decline, Target has even become the go-to destination for stay-at-home parents who need to get out of the house (and maybe get a Frappuccino). In recent years, …

1Password has long been one of our favorite password managers. It’s our upgrade pick for all the extra features it offers compared to other password managers. 1Password has apps that work just about everywhere, including on macOS, iOS, Android, Windows, Linux, and ChromeOS. There are plug-ins for your favorite web browser too, which makes it easy to generate and edit …

Lovable, the Stockholm-based AI coding platform, is closing in on 8 million users, CEO Anton Osika told this editor during a sit-down on Monday, a major jump from the 2.3 million active users number the company shared in July. Osika said the company — which was founded almost exactly one year ago — is also seeing “100,000 new products built …

SoftBank and OpenAI announced a new 50-50 joint venture this week to sell enterprise AI tools in Japan under the brand “Crystal Intelligence.” On paper, it’s a straightforward international expansion deal. But SoftBank’s role as a major investor in OpenAI is raising questions about whether AI’s biggest deals are creating real economic value or just moving money in circles.  On TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and …

January Ventures co-founder Jennifer Neundorfer stopped by the Equity podcast during TechCrunch Disrupt to chat about fundraising in this very AI-driven market.   Founders and investors alike are obsessed with AI, and even Neundorfer said her firm is looking at ways to use AI to make their work more efficient, such as helping to do due diligence on the market and …

People often think about tech bubbles in apocalyptic terms, but it doesn’t have to be as serious as all that. In economic terms, a bubble is a bet that turned out to be too big, leaving you with more supply than demand.   The upshot: It’s not all or nothing, and even good bets can turn sour if you aren’t careful about how you make them.  What makes the question of …

Rad Power Bikes has informed its employees that it will shut down in January if it is unable to find new funding or get acquired, according to an internal staff email viewed by TechCrunch. The company’s leadership is “still fighting to find ways to continue,” and “the cessation of Rad’s operations is not a forgone conclusion,” according to the email, …

Kaltura, a New York-headquartered AI video platform company, is acquiring eSelf.ai, an Israel-based startup behind conversational avatars — AI-generated digital humans that can talk with users — for about $27 million. Kaltura announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire eSelf, a platform supporting more than 30 languages and featuring a user-friendly studio for creating, customizing, and …