Month: February 2023

Cape Town-based Lulalend, which uses its proprietary credit scoring algorithm to offer short-term loans to SMBs, raised a $35M Series B and launches a neobank (Tage Kene-Okafor/TechCrunch)

Tage Kene-Okafor / TechCrunch: Cape Town-based Lulalend, which uses its proprietary credit scoring algorithm to offer short-term loans to SMBs, raised a $35M Series B and launches a neobank  —  In most African countries, access to credit remains limited for many small businesses, with the reasons ranging from the inability …

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Sources: UMG is in talks with Tidal and others to overhaul streaming economics to pay artists more; ideas include a “bonus pool” and “superfan” subscriptions (Anna Nicolaou/Financial Times)

Anna Nicolaou / Financial Times: Sources: UMG is in talks with Tidal and others to overhaul streaming economics to pay artists more; ideas include a “bonus pool” and “superfan” subscriptions  —  Group looks into options such as cracking down on bots and adding ‘superfan’ subscriptions

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Netflix adds spatial audio to its $20 per month Premium plan, available for over 700 of its most popular titles; Standard and Basic will get limited support (Todd Spangler/Variety)

Todd Spangler / Variety: Netflix adds spatial audio to its $20 per month Premium plan, available for over 700 of its most popular titles; Standard and Basic will get limited support  —  Listen to this: Netflix is hoping audiophiles will upgrade to the $20-per-month Premium tier to gain access to the streamer’s full collection …

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Sources: a US judge rejects the FTC’s bid for a preliminary injunction to block Meta’s Within acquisition, giving the FTC one week to decide whether to appeal (Leah Nylen/Bloomberg)

Leah Nylen / Bloomberg: Sources: a US judge rejects the FTC’s bid for a preliminary injunction to block Meta’s Within acquisition, giving the FTC one week to decide whether to appeal  —  Meta Platforms Inc. won court approval to buy virtual reality startup Within Unlimited, defeating an effort to block the deal …

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Indiana-based blockchain startup SIMBA Chain, which has worked on various US military projects, raised $30M from the US Air Force, after raising $1.5M in 2020 (Jamie Crawley/CoinDesk)

Jamie Crawley / CoinDesk: Indiana-based blockchain startup SIMBA Chain, which has worked on various US military projects, raised $30M from the US Air Force, after raising $1.5M in 2020  —  The USAF has granted SIMBA Chain a $30 million funding increase as part of its aims of “identifying and advancing technologies …

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Netflix lists its rules and exemptions to prevent password sharing, including that all devices should be on the same “primary” Wi-Fi at least once every 31 days (David Satin/The Streamable)

David Satin / The Streamable: Netflix lists its rules and exemptions to prevent password sharing, including that all devices should be on the same “primary” Wi-Fi at least once every 31 days  —  After months of warning subscribers that anti-password sharing measures were coming to Netflix, the company appears to be finally set to unleash

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Garmin’s newest hybrid smartwatch is right on trend

Credit: Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority Garmin announced its newest hybrid device, the new Garmin Vivomove Trend. The stylish smartwatch features ticking watch hands, a hidden display, and a variety of Garmin’s health and fitness tracking tools. The Vivomove Trend is available now in multiple colorways starting at $269. Garmin’s latest addition to its complex

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Meta’s Ready at Dawn studio plans to shutter Echo VR, one of the best-rated and most popular free Quest games, after layoffs, to focus on “our next project” (Ben Lang/Road to VR)

Ben Lang / Road to VR: Meta’s Ready at Dawn studio plans to shutter Echo VR, one of the best-rated and most popular free Quest games, after layoffs, to focus on “our next project”  —  As a parting gift, players can claim lots of premium cosmetic items for free  —  The Entire VR Industry in

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A report by the White House’s NTIA describes Apple and Google as “gatekeepers” of mobile app stores and suggests legislation to improve competition and choice (Ashley Gold/Axios)

Ashley Gold / Axios: A report by the White House’s NTIA describes Apple and Google as “gatekeepers” of mobile app stores and suggests legislation to improve competition and choice  —  A new Biden administration report describes Apple and Google as “gatekeepers” of mobile app stores and suggests legislation …

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