Lauren Forristal, Author at TechCrunch

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

Lauren Forristal — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 18:31:05 +0000

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. The platform is also working on speech-to-text software so creators can get a transcript of their entire stream and search for keywords. Powder has developed […]

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

Lauren Forristal — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 14:00:37 +0000

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 select authors can choose to monetize chapters. Instead of paying to unlock content, members are now given five Wattpad Originals each month at no additional cost. The […]

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

Lauren Forristal — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 17:00:42 +0000

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 upcoming immersive multiplayer game that combines trading card game (TCG) elements, tactical maneuvers and digital collectibles. The company was founded in 2019 […]

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

Lauren Forristal — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 15:00:42 +0000

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 anyone who wanted to use her voice in AI-generated songs. A week later, Grimes debuted Elf.Tech, an open-source AI […]

Anthym helps colleagues form workplace connections through music

Lauren Forristal — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 18:18:03 +0000

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,” the offering expands Anthym’s music-based team connection experience, launched last year at TechCrunch Startup Battlefield. Employees create “JamTracks,” five songs that correlate to important memories […]

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

Lauren Forristal — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 16:21:18 +0000

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 received two free years. Apple didn’t extend the free period for iPhone 15 users, who have until September 2024 when their two years are up. Apple’s […]

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

Lauren Forristal — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 15:00:54 +0000

“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 promoting healthy drinking habits, secured $11.5 million in Series A funding led by Motley Fool Ventures with major participation from Will Ventures, the company announced today. The funds will help […]

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

Lauren Forristal — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 18:29:05 +0000

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 ability to track Buy with Prime orders through Amazon’s website and mobile app as well as access to 24/7 live chats with customer service. Amazon […]

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

Lauren Forristal — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 15:00:51 +0000

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 — founded by musician Gabe Warshaw — launched its private beta in 2022, allowing artists, producers, managers, A&Rs (reps responsible for talent scouting) […]

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

Lauren Forristal — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 14:30:22 +0000

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 potential matches depicted as eggs, and the only way to see what they look like is by answering personality-driven questions, slowly opening the shell. […]

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

Lauren Forristal — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 15:15:57 +0000

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 told TechCrunch. This brings the total amount raised to $2 million — Ole secured $500,000 from Y Combinator last year. Ole makes it easy for […]

SiriusXM unveils new streaming app, set to launch next month

Lauren Forristal — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 20:36:53 +0000

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 customized “For You” page, an expanded library and more. Alongside the app announcement, the audio entertainment company revealed its new logo, replacing the radio waves next to the brand […]

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

Lauren Forristal — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 16:36:57 +0000

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 are saving $100 on One Medical’s 24/7 virtual care services as well as in-person visits at locations across the U.S., including Atlanta, Austin, Boston, […]

10 subscription boxes we recommend gifting this holiday season

Lauren Forristal — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 16:00:55 +0000

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 starting to panic — don’t worry. We’ve compiled a list of ideas that should help alleviate the stress. Subscription boxes […]

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

Lauren Forristal — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 16:14:47 +0000

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, which analyzes historical crash data as well as key characteristics of a road, such as its typical traffic levels, the elevation, whether it’s […]

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

Lauren Forristal — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 14:00:36 +0000

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 hottest tech trends. Earlier this year, the veteran tech entrepreneurs shifted their focus to the web3 and generative AI craze with […]

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

Lauren Forristal — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 17:21:47 +0000

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 their order arrives. When a customer orders from a restaurant on DoorDash yet inserts $0 in the tip amount, a pop-up will appear […]

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

Lauren Forristal — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 15:01:49 +0000

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 a range of AI tools, including text-to-video, image-to-video and video-to-video. Founded in 2022, Kaiber leverages various open source projects like AnimatedDiff, Automatic1111, […]

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

Lauren Forristal — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 21:45:03 +0000

Apple Music just shut down its cheapest option — the Voice Plan. The subscription, which launched in 2021 and cost $5 per month, featured a Siri-only experience; the only way to access Apple Music’s catalog is to request a song, genre, album or artist by using voice commands. While Apple didn’t formally announce that it […]

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

Lauren Forristal — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 14:56:01 +0000

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 allows you to type an equation into the Search bar or take a photo with Lens to get the correct answer and a step-by-step explanation. […]