Lauren Forristal

Lauren covers media, streaming, apps and platforms at TechCrunch.

The Latest from Lauren Forristal

Powder, an AI clipping tool for gaming, can detect when a creator yells during a stream

Powder, AI-powered clipping software that takes highlights from gaming streams and turns them into short-form videos, will soon be able to detect shouting for gamers to create even better montages. Th

Wattpad Premium subscribers now have access to 5 free monthly Wattpad Originals

Wattpad announced today “Premium Picks,” a new offering that gives Premium and Premium+ subscribers monthly access to five free Wattpad Originals — the recently launched freemium model where sel

Bazooka Tango nabs $5M to develop tactical collectible card game ‘Shardbound’

Bazooka Tango — a gaming studio founded by former Rockstar and Riot developers — raised $5 million in a funding round led by BITKRAFT Ventures. The proceeds will be put toward Shardbound, the upco

CreateSafe, the company behind Grimes’ voice cloning tool, launches new AI tools

After a song using AI deepfakes of Drake and the Weeknd’s voices was taken down after becoming a viral hit, Grimes shocked the public when she tweeted that she would split 50% of the revenue with an

Anthym helps colleagues form workplace connections through music

Anthym, a platform for employees to connect through personal memories and music taste, launched its latest product to make the onboarding process feel more personable for new hires. Dubbed “Welcome,

iPhone 14 users get an additional free year of Apple’s Emergency SOS via satellite feature

Apple today announced it’s giving iPhone 14 users one more free year of its satellite-based Emergency SOS features. When the company initially announced the safety service, iPhone 14 customers r

Mindful drinking app Sunnyside lands $11.5M to launch its AI-powered coach

“Sober curious” and “mindful drinking” have become popular terms in recent years, with 47% of the U.S. adult population wanting to cut back on alcohol. Sunnyside, the app promo

Amazon introduces new Buy with Prime perks, such as tracking and returns

Amazon’s Buy with Prime, a service that lets Prime members shop directly from third-party merchants and get Prime benefits like free shipping and returns, launched today new features, including the

Baton, a music collaboration platform for unreleased material, raises $4.2M

Music startup Baton secured $4.2 million in funding, the company announced today. Baton will use the new capital to further develop its product, grow its team and roll out new features. Baton —

Dating app Hatched brings its hidden profile concept to the East Coast, launches new paid features

Sometimes, online dating isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Hatched wants to scramble it up with its unique gamified user experience. Instead of using profile pictures, the dating app shows potentia

Y Combinator-backed Ole delivers luxury fashion items in 50 minutes

Ole (pronounced “o-lay”), an on-demand fashion app that promises to deliver designer clothing to you in less than an hour, recently closed a $1.5 million funding round, the company exclusively tol

SiriusXM unveils new streaming app, set to launch next month

During SiriusXM’s “Next Generation” event in New York, the company announced its revamped SiriusXM streaming app, which features an upgraded media player, improved search capabilities, a customi

Prime members can now get a One Medical membership for $9/month

Amazon announced today a new One Medical membership benefit for Prime members, giving them access to affordable healthcare services for $9 per month or $99 annually. Originally $199 a year, members ar

10 subscription boxes we recommend gifting this holiday season

It’s that time of year again when we feel pressured to come up with new and exciting ways to surprise our friends and family with gifts they’ll appreciate. If you’re reading this and are already

Waze gets a new safety feature that warns you if a road has a history of crashes

Waze announced today the launch of crash history alerts, designed to notify you if a road you’re approaching has a history of crashes. The new feature is powered by proprietary AI technology, wh

Former Myspace founders introduce a text-to-video generator that uses your selfie to personalize content

For almost two decades, Chris DeWolfe and Aber Whitcomb — the minds behind social network platform Myspace and gaming company Jam City — have made it their mission to be on top of the hott

DoorDash tests warning non-tippers that their order could be slow to arrive

Shame on the non-tippers. As Americans tip customer service workers less and less, per a Bankrate survey, DoorDash is testing a new feature that aims to convince customers to tip their drivers before

Kaiber’s new app helps artists create music videos using generative AI tools

Kaiber, the generative AI creative studio behind the music videos of popular artists Kid Cudi and Linkin Park, announced today the launch of its new mobile app to give creators, musicians and artists

Apple Music shuts down its Siri-only Voice Plan nearly two years later

Google Search can now help you solve geometry, physics and calculus problems

Google updated its search engine and Lens tool with new features to help you visualize and solve problems in more difficult subjects like geometry, physics, trigonometry and calculus. The update allow
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