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From the team that brought you the weird and wonderful robot cat pillow comes an equally weird and wonderful breathing pillow. Japanese boutique robotics firm Yukai Engineering returns to CES with Fufuly, which follows in Qoobo’s footsteps, by quite literally breathing some life into a cushion. The hardware startup says the product utilizes “respiratory entrainment,” […] Breathe along with the robot pillow by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch... →

There are a lot of YouTube videos out there that we’d rather not smell, but Kyoto-based tech startup Aromajoin today showed off the option to add a multidimensional experience to the mix. Using its ‘Aroma Shooter’ technology and a programmable ‘AromaPlayer,’ a neck-wearable smell dispenser can add six different aromas to your video-watching shenanigans. We […] Aromajoin brings videos to life by squirting your face with smells by Haje Jan Kamps originally published on TechCrunch... →

Bosch is expanding its security footprint in the ride-hailing economy. The global supplier introduced Tuesday evening as CES 2023 kicked off in Las Vegas a new connected smart camera and accompanying 24-hour support line for drivers of ride-hailing apps. Bosch said it’s working with Gridwise, an app for rideshare and delivery drivers, to conduct user […] Bosch is rolling out a security dashcam designed for rideshare drivers by Kirsten Korosec originally published on TechCrunch... →

CES isn’t as consumer-focused as it once was, despite the overt branding. (CES stands for “Consumer Electronics Show.”) Indeed, automotive and enterprise vendors have encroached on the Las Vegas show floor in recent years as some major consumer brands pull back. But there’s still consumer tech news to be had, fortunately. Case in point: Nanoleaf, […] Nanoleaf debuts smart lighting for ceilings, TVs and more by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch... →

Icoma‘s Tatamal bike goes from a suitcase-sized square to a tiny electric motorcycle in a few seconds. Charge it for three hours, and it’ll zip you 18 miles or so. The price tag is $4,000, which puts it in the range of extremely high-end electric kick scooters (such as the Apollo Pro) without the portability […] Icoma shows off a suitcase-size electric Transformer-style motorbike by Haje Jan Kamps originally published on TechCrunch... →

The all-electric Volkswagen ID 7 sedan — the next EV in the German automaker’s lineup — was unveiled Tuesday at CES 2023 in Las Vegas. And the most exciting part of the debut wasn’t the vehicle’s multi-layered explosion of yellow, orange, red and blue camouflaged electroluminescent paint that lights up on command. (although it is […] The Volkswagen all-electric ID 7 sedan’s most interesting feature isn’t its light-up paint by Kirsten Korosec originally published on TechCrunch... →

Amazon has secured an $8 billion loan in anticipation of market headwinds. Provided by DBS Bank, Mizuho Bank and others, the loan — which will mature in 364 days (January 3, 2024), with an option to extend for another 364 days — will be used for “general corporate purposes,” Amazon said in a filing with […] Amazon secures $8B loan, anticipating market headwinds by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch... →

During the lull between last Christmas and New Year’s, New York State became one of the first in the country to enact a “right to repair” law — albeit with amended language that some advocates say make the law toothless. Called the Digital Fair Repair Act and set to go into effect on July 1, […] New York’s right-to-repair bill has major carve-outs for manufacturers by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch... →

Hello, friends, and welcome to Daily Crunch, bringing you the most important startup, tech and venture capital news in a single package. Daily Crunch: Reddit users discover Apple is raising its battery replacement service fees by Christine Hall originally published on TechCrunch... →

At the start of the year, a new law went into effect in Louisiana, which requires online publishers to conduct age verification checks if their site’s content is more than 33.3% pornography. In accordance with this law, Pornhub now requires visitors to verify their age with the LA Wallet app, a digital wallet for Louisiana […] You must now verify your drivers license to watch Pornhub in Louisiana by Amanda Silberling originally published on TechCrunch... →

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web...... →

Welcome back to Equity, the podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. As promised, I’m taking over Equity Monday for the beginning of this year as Alex is out on paternity leave. Big hugs to his growing family! We’re starting the year with big post-PTO energy, because […] Remember how this whole working thing works? by Natasha Mascarenhas originally published on TechCrunch... →

The majority of capital that did flow into Israel's cybersecurity industry poured directly into one area: seed rounds of early-stage startups. How well did Israel’s cybersecurity industry do in 2022? by Walter Thompson originally published on TechCrunch... →

The FTX founder and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to all eight counts of U.S. criminal charges on Tuesday. Bankman-Fried appeared before a judge in the U.S. District Court in New York City on Tuesday with his lawyers, Mark Cohen and Christian Everdell. Criminal charges against the 30-year-old former billionaire include wire […] FTX former CEO SBF pleads not guilty to U.S. criminal charges by Jacquelyn Melinek originally published on TechCrunch... →

At ZeniMax, a Microsoft-owned gaming studio, 300 quality assurance (QA) testers have voted to unionize. This marks Microsoft’s first official union in the U.S., as well as the biggest gaming union in the country. Union organizing has been on the rise in the video game industry, particularly among QA workers. In 2022, QA testers at […] Microsoft now has its first official union in the U.S. by Amanda Silberling originally published on TechCrunch... →

Welcome back to Found, where we get the stories behind the startups. This week Darrell and Becca are joined by Brex co-founder and co-CEO Henrique Dubugras to chat about his corporate credit card and expense management startup. Henrique talked about what made him and his co-founder (Pedro Franceschi) decide to launch the company and why […] Two CEOs is better than one with Henrique Dubugras from Brex by Rebecca Szkutak originally published on TechCrunch... →

The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, or HACLA, has confirmed it is investigating a cybersecurity incident shortly after the LockBit ransomware gang claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on the agency. HACLA, which provides affordable housing to more than 19,000 low-income families across Los Angeles, was added to LockBit’s dark web leak site on […] Hackers claim ransomware attack on Los Angeles housing authority by Carly Page originally published on TechCrunch... →

With so much dry powder, what are Union Square Ventures' plans for deployment? Here’s what USV plans to do in 2023 with its $200M climate fund by Tim De Chant originally published on TechCrunch... →

Intel is taking a more subdued approach to CES these days — forgoing a splashy event staged in a big hotel showroom in the wake of Covid-19, and a wider change in PR strategy after years of making bullish investments in next-generation tech like drones and moonshots like Volocopter and using them as showpieces at […] Intel unveils high-end 13th-gen 24-core processors plus N-series workhorse to fill the the Pentium and Celeron gap by Ingrid Lunden originally published on TechCrunch... →

Everyone gets wet when it rains, but accepting a down round allows founders to keep building their businesses. TechCrunch+ roundup: Normalizing down rounds, 2023 climate trends, term sheet basics by Walter Thompson originally published on TechCrunch... →