Huawei on Friday announced the upcoming release of its first 5G handset in its home market. Following on the heels of its UK debut, the Mate 20 X is currently up for pre-order, with an expected China arrival of August 16. The handset beats the foldable Mate X to market, in spite of that handset
Mobile
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo — sometimes described as “the most accurate Apple analyst in the world” — has written a new note to investors saying that the three iPhones expected to launch in 2020 will feature support for 5G. In previous Kuo reports, it’s said the 2020 iPhones could be available in new sizes: a
At an event this week in Nigeria, Google introduced Gallery Go, a photo management and editing tool designed for offline use. The new offering joins a suite of Google apps created specifically for users in development markets, where solid online connections aren’t always a given. Gallery Go works with devices running Android 8.1 (Oreo) and
The U.S. Department of Justice this morning gave the green light to T-Mobile US and Sprint for their proposed $26 billion merger. The deal, which would combine the nation’s third and fourth largest carriers (by subscriber number) has been greenlit on the condition that Sprint sell its prepaid assets (including Boost Mobile) to Dish Network.
Apple has joined the dubious company of Google and Amazon in secretly sharing audio recordings of its users with contractors, confirming the practice to The Guardian after a whistleblower brought it to the outlet. The person said that Siri queries are routinely sent to human listeners for closer analysis, something not disclosed in Apple’s privacy
The Daily Crunch is TechCrunch’s roundup of our biggest and most important stories. If you’d like to get this delivered to your inbox every day at around 9am Pacific, you can subscribe here. 1. Apple acquiring most of Intel’s smartphone modem business in $1B deal Apple has entered into a deal to acquire a majority
WhatsApp has amassed more than 400 million users in India, the instant messaging app confirmed today, reaffirming its gigantic reach in its biggest market. Amitabh Kant, CEO of highly-influential local think-tank Niti Aayog, revealed the new stat at a press conference held by WhatsApp in New Delhi on Thursday. A WhatsApp spokesperson confirmed that the
In a post on RED’s message board, founder Jim Jannard reasserted the company’s commitment to the disappointing Hydrogen One handset. It’s a distant memory now, but the pricey niche device was teased and delayed for months, only to be generally run through the ringer in reviews. The camera module was one of various complaints with
A new security feature rolling out on Tinder will help to protect LBGTQ+ users who travel to dozens of nations, which still criminalize same-sex acts or relationships. As part of the update, users who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer on the app will no longer automatically appear on Tinder when they arrive
The promise of 5G is staggering. With its ultra-high bandwidth and low latency, it has the potential to alter how consumers interact with technology. However, questions remain around its deployment, use cases, and marketing. We’re excited to have Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg sit down for a fireside chat at Disrupt SF to talk about the
When it was unveiled on stage, the Galaxy Fold was heralded as the next big thing. Samsung seeded units to reviews and prepared for launch. And then a funny thing happened on the way to a smartphone paradigm shift: it started breaking. Multiple review units were sent back to Samsung with busted screens. It was
Netflix wanted to upheave India’s internet ecosystem. Market reality in the country left it with little choice but to adapt like most other Silicon Valley company. Manish Singh 7 hours At a conference in New Delhi early last year, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings was confronted with a question that his company has been asked many
Netflix has a new plan to win users in India: make its service incredibly cheap. The streaming giant today introduced a lower-priced mobile plan in India that costs Rs 199 ($2.8) per month — a price point that for the first time would see Netflix compete directly with local players. The announcement comes days after
The TwelveSouth StayGo is a new USB-C dock from a company that makes a ton of great and unique Mac and iOS device accessories. True to the company’s track record, it offers a slightly different take on a popular accessory category – and ends up excelling as a result. The StayGo’s unique twist is an
Huawei this week cut 600 positions from its Futurewei Technologies U.S. research arm, which operates out of Silicon Valley, Chicago, Washington State and Dallas. The move, which represents 70 percent of the division’s 850 roles, follows the hardware giant’s blacklisting by the U.S. government. Reuters initially reported the news via a source from the company
A new report could ultimately prove another bombshell in Huawei’s on-going conflicts with the U.S. government. New documents obtained by The Washington Post tie the Chinese hardware giant to North Korea’s commercial 3G wireless network. If proven, the ties would be yet more fodder for the U.S., which has already dinged the company over charges
Amid ongoing concerns about security risks posed by the involvement of Chinese tech giant Huawei in 5G supply, the UK government has published a review of the telecoms supply chain which concludes that policy and regulation in enforcing network security needs to be significantly strengthened to address concerns. However it continues to hold off on
While iOS 13 is right around the corner with a ton of new features, it isn’t quite ready just yet. Apple has just released iOS 12.4, a new stable update. There aren’t many radical changes, but this is the first version that supports the Apple Card. Apple has been testing its credit card for a
The UK’s next prime minister must prioritize a decision on whether or not to allow Chinese tech giant Huawei to be a 5G supplier, a parliamentary committee has urged — warning that the country’s international relations are being “seriously damaged” by ongoing delay. In a statement on 5G suppliers, the Intelligence and Security committee (ISC)
Seems Hongmeng isn’t the Android replacement it’s been pitched as, after all. The initial story certainly tracked, as Huawei has been preparing for the very real possibility of life after Google, but the Chinese hardware giant says the operating system is primarily focused on industrial use. The latest report arrives courtesy of Chinese state news
Facebook is leaning on fears of China exporting its authoritarian social values to counter arguments that it should be broken up or slowed down. Its top executives have each claimed that if the U.S. limits its size, blocks its acquisitions, or bans its cryptocurrency, Chinese company’s absent these restrictions will win abroad, bringing more power
Smartphones have become a creative playground thanks to cameras and innovative apps, such as PicsArt. With PicsArt, anybody can add filters, stickers and tweak photos and videos in many different ways. It has been a massive hit with 130 million monthly active users. And that’s why I’m excited to announce that PicsArt founder and CEO
It’s been hard to get away from FaceApp over the last few days, whether it’s your friends posting weird selfies using the app’s aging and other filters, or the brief furore over its apparent (but not actual) circumvention of permissions on iPhones. Now even the Senate is getting in on the fun: Sen. Chuck Schumer
Netflix said on Wednesday that it will roll out a cheaper subscription plan in India, one of the last great growth markets for global companies, as the streaming giant scrambles to find ways to accelerate its slowing growth worldwide. The company added 2.7 million new subscribers in the quarter that ended in June this year,
Facebook will only build its own Calibra cryptocurrency wallet into Messenger and Whatsapp, and will refuse to embed competing wallets, the head of Calibra David Marcus told the Senate Banking Committee today. Calibra will be interoperable so users can send money back and forth with other wallets, and Marcus committed to data portability so users
Apple has disabled the Apple Watch Walkie Talkie app due to an unspecified vulnerability that could allow a person to listen to another customer’s iPhone without consent, the company told TechCrunch this evening. Apple has apologized for the bug and for the inconvenience of being unable to use the feature while a fix is made.
Alphabet’s Waymo autonomous driving company announced a new milestone at TechCrunch Sessions: Mobility on Wednesday: 10 billion miles driving in simulation. This is a significant achievement for the company, because all those simulated miles on the road for its self-driving software add up to considerable training experience. Waymo also probably has the most experience when
Snapchat just announced that it’s making shows with big names like Serena Williams, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kevin Hart, as well as online stars like Emma Chamberlain, Loren Gray, Rickey Thompson, Baby Ariel and FaZe Banks. Snapchat launched its original content efforts two years ago, and today it’s unveiling a new program called Creator Shows. As
European fintech startup N26 is now accepting customers in the U.S. The company is launching a bank account with a debit card that should provide a better experience compared to traditional retail banks. If you’re familiar with N26, the product that is going live today won’t surprise you much. Customers in the U.S. can download
A UK parliamentary committee has concluded there are no technical grounds for excluding Chinese network kit vendor Huawei from the country’s 5G networks. In a letter from the chair of the Science & Technology Committee to the UK’s digital minister Jeremy Wright, the committee says: “We have found no evidence from our work to suggest