Signal tests usernames so you can avoid sharing your phone number
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Signal is publicly testing letting users add usernames to their accounts so they don’t have to share their phone number to connect via the encrypted messaging service. The test was announced via a post on the Signal forums by VP of engineering Jim
Read MoreInvestors double down on Snaptrude in challenging legacy building design platforms
Snaptrude — a startup aiming to compete against traditional platforms in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) design sector, including Autodesk, Trimble and Nemetschek — with its modern approach and cloud-based offering, has raised $14 million in a Series A round, just 10 months after announcing its seed funding. With
Read MoreUK-based Ooodles raises $12M to scale up its device-leasing services
While refurbished device marketplaces like Back Market have raised substantial amounts in funding (Back Market reached a $5.7B valuation last year after a D round) and Raylo in the UK provides leases for electronics (it’s raised raised $180.6M from the likes of Octopus Ventures and Channel 4 Ventures), the device
Read MorePopular video chat service Omegle shuts down
Omegle, an online service that allowed individuals to connect and chat with strangers, has shut down after 15 years citing growing misuse of the platform, including in committing “unspeakably heinous crimes.” The site, founded in 2009 by a then 18-year-old programmer and high school student Leif K-Brooks, was bootstrapped throughout
Read MoreBoosting SMEs: 7 Wise Tech Investments for Competitive Edge
South Africa’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are facing some of the most challenging economic conditions in recent history. As they strive to recover from the pandemic, they must grapple with daily load shedding, high-interest rates, low consumer confidence, and a volatile exchange rate. Yet these challenging times also present
Read MoreBob Iger says Disney would like to stay in India amid Hotstar’s subscriber dip
Bob Iger said Wednesday that Disney “would like to stay” in India and is considering its options in the world’s most populous country even as its crown jewel streamer Hotstar struggles to contain subscribers loss. Hotstar lost 2.8 million subscribers in the quarter ending September, widening its overall loss to
Read MoreUK’s online safety regulator puts out draft guidance on illegal content, saying child safety is priority
The U.K.’s newly empowered Internet content regulator has published the first set of draft Codes of Practice under the Online Safety Act (OSA) which became law late last month. More codes will follow but this first set — which is focused on how user-to-user (U2U) services will be expected to respond
Read MoreLyft picks comfort over sharing in bid to compete with Uber
Lyft is introducing a “more affordable sort of higher-end ride” in an attempt to offer ride-hail products that customers actually want, CEO David Risher said Wednesday during the company’s third-quarter earnings call. The move comes after Lyft has been successful, by some metrics, in regaining market share from Uber by
Read Moremogul club raises $3.6M toward its effort to make real estate investing more accessible
While the idea of owning rental properties is appealing to many Americans, the ability to vet and afford such investments in single-family homes is out of reach for a large part of the population. mogul club is a new startup that wants to help more people achieve their dreams of
Read MoreRocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle ‘fully’ booked next year, will resume flight as early as November-end
Rocket Lab is best known for the Electron launch vehicle, but the company’s earnings results continue to show that it is much more than a rocket company. The company reported $68 million in revenue for the third quarter, with $46.3 million of that figure coming from its space systems division.
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