X is getting closer to launching its payment service

X (formerly Twitter) appears to be making progress on its upcoming payments system, bringing it closer to Elon Musk’s vision of turning X into an “everything app.” According to a recent finding by app researcher Nima Owji, the company is working on adding a “Payments” button to the navigation bar …...Read More

Dawn Aerospace's rocket-propelled aircraft takes flight

Dawn Aerospace’s rocket-powered aircraft soared to new heights in its latest test campaign, as the company looks to build what could be the highest-performance aircraft to take off from a runway. The series of three flights, which were completed in late July, saw the Mk-II Aurora vehicle achieve a maximum …...Read More

Made by Google 2024: Pixel 9, Gemini, a new foldable and other things to expect from the event

Google’s next big hardware event is set for August 13 at 10 a.m. PT. That’s roughly a two-month head start for the Made By Google event, which has traditionally occurred mid-fall. It also, notably, will find the company announcing its latest flagship, the Pixel 9, ahead of the iPhone 16. …...Read More

Waymo expands robotaxi coverage in Los Angeles and San Francisco

Waymo, the Alphabet-owned self-driving car company, is adding another 10 square miles to its robotaxi service area to include cities surrounding San Francisco. The move, which adds Daly City, Broadmoor and Colma, pushes its total commercial service territory to about 55 square miles. Waymo said Tuesday it is also adding …...Read More

Europe’s most valuable fintech, and which startups became unicorns this year

Welcome to TechCrunch Fintech! This week, we’re looking at Revolut’s reported valuation hike, fintech unicorns, the Disrupt Fintech Stage, and more. To get a roundup of TechCrunch’s biggest and most important fintech stories delivered to your inbox every Tuesday at 8 a.m. PT, subscribe here. The big story Revolut reportedly …...Read More

Bluesky adds Techdirt founder Mike Masnick to its board

Decentralized X competitor Bluesky, a startup offering a social network where users can choose their own algorithm and moderation services, announced on Monday the addition of a new board member, Mike Masnick. Best known as the founder of tech blog Techdirt, Masnick is also credited with inspiring the Bluesky project …...Read More

Amazon Music's new AI feature lets you browse podcast episodes by topic

Amazon Music announced Tuesday the launch of its new AI-powered feature, “Topics,” which allows users to explore podcast episodes by specific topics discussed in the episode. When you visit the page of a podcast episode, look for new Topic tags below the episode description. You can tap on a tag …...Read More

Apple Intelligence's writing tools stumble on swears and controversial topics

Apple gave users the first real taste of its Apple Intelligence features with the release of the iOS 18.1 developer beta last month. Writing Tools, which lets you reformat or rewrite text using Apple’s AI models, is one of the new always-available services in this update. But the tool will …...Read More

Flighty's popular flight-tracking app can now predict delays using machine learning

Popular flight tracking app Flighty is releasing a new version on Tuesday that uses machine learning and aviation authority data to provide early warnings of delays and give users the exact reason behind delays. With the launch of Flight 4.0, the app tracks the two biggest causes of delays—late aircraft …...Read More

Chromecast is dead. Meet Google TV Streamer

Along with a long-awaited update to the Nest Learning Thermostat, Google on Tuesday unveiled its latest set-top streaming box. Google TV Streamer’s arrival marks the end of the Chromecast line. With more than a 100 million sold over an 11-year life, it was a good run. Along with a new, …...Read More