Technology has come a long way in 2021. There’s widespread mRNA vaccines! An asteroid-deflecting space mission! A very powerful laptop with a very controversial notch! But it’s unfortunately easier to think about the cringiest moments of the year than it is to remember times when we marveled at indoor farming robots. So hop aboard the choo-choo-cheugy […]
Not every creator economy startup is built for creators
The inherent tension within the creator economy lies between the promise of financial freedom and the realization this freedom comes at a cost.
Ari’s Top Ten Games Of 2021
Last year, when allocating my top 10 games of 2020, I thought I’d be cheeky. See, Hades, which officially hit PC and Switch in September 2020, was so transcendent I simply had to give it all ten spots. Supergiant’s eternally popular roguelike saw a Pla…
Spotify acquires podcast tech company Whooshkaa which turns radio broadcasts into on-demand audio
Spotify is continuing its investments in podcasts with today’s news that’s it’s acquired another podcast technology company, Whooshkaa, an Australia-based all-in-one platform for hosting, managing, distributing, promoting, monetizing and measuring podcasts. The deal follows Spotify’s earlier acquisitions in the podcast technology market, including last year’s deal for hosting and ad company Megaphone, and, more recently, […]
Spotify is launching Apple-like ratings for podcasts
If you’ve ever listened to a podcast, you’ve probably heard a host ask you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts in their end credits. Now, that script might flip to “leave a review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.” Spotify announced today that it’s implementing a five-star rating system, similar to Apple’s, in an attempt […]
Silent Hill Creator Is Working On A Spooky New Horror Game
It might not be the Silent Hill announcement that fans have been waiting for, but the trailer for Slitterhead revealed at The Game Awards looks just as spooky and dreadful as its spiritual successor. Read more…
Facebook and Instagram roll out personalized ‘Year in Review’ features
Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has rolled out “Year in Review” features for both Facebook and Instagram. On Facebook, users can share their personalized “Year Together” card, which highlights the friends, feelings, places and people that mattered most to them in 2021. The new in-feed experience reflects on people’s year on the platform and curates […]
This Week in Apps: Apple and Google’s best apps of the year, Amazon Appstore fails, Twitter’s new CEO
Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy. The app industry continues to grow, with a record 218 billion downloads and $143 billion in global consumer spend in 2020. Consumers last year also spent 3.5 trillion minutes […]
Let’s Pick Winners For The 2021 Game Awards
It’s December, the month when little children’s thoughts turn to presents and big children’s thoughts turn to Geoff Keighley’s annual celebration of world-premiere trailers. And those trailers come with awards between them, bestowed upon the best games…
This Week in Apps: Twitter launches livestream shopping, Netflix snags new games, Tile gets acquired
Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy. The app industry continues to grow, with a record 218 billion downloads and $143 billion in global consumer spend in 2020. Consumers last year also spent 3.5 trillion minutes […]