Avatar photo

Ava Patel

Ava Patel is a cultural critic and commentator with a focus on literature and the arts. She is known for her thought-provoking essays and reviews, and has a talent for bringing new and diverse voices to the forefront of the cultural conversation.

“Targus Suffers Cyberattack: Operational Outage Ensues”

Targus Image Breach Cyberattack
Mobile gadget and bag maker Targus says it is experiencing a “temporary interruption” to its business operations following a cyberattack on Friday. In a notice with regulators on Monday, Targus’ parent company, B. Riley Financial, said it discovered “a threat actor gained unauthorized access to certain of Targus’ file systems,” and shut down much of its network to isolate the incident. “The incident has been contained and Targus systems recovery efforts are in process,” the statement said. B. Riley acquired Targus in a 2022 deal worth approximately $250 million. When reached by email, a spokesperson for B. Riley did not immediately comment.

Threads: Your Next Big Competitor – Unlock API Access & Explore Documentation with Meta

Threads Gettyimages 1524134312
For instance, those who want to track analytics around Threads’ posts can use an Insights API to retrieve things like views, likes, replies, reposts, and quotes. There are also details on how to publish posts and media via the API, retrieve replies, and a series of troubleshooting tips. So far, Threads API beta testers have included social tool makers like Sprinklr, Sprout Social, Social News Desk, Hootsuite, and tech news board Techmeme. Instead, users still have to visit their settings in the Threads app itself to publish to the fediverse. Meta says the new documentation will be updated over time as it gathers feedback from developers.

“Breaking News: Google Expands Find My Device Network to US and Canada”

Gettyimages 1207206237
Google is launching its upgraded Find My Device network in the U.S. and Canada, the company announced on Monday. Find My Device’s crowdsourced network of over a billion Android devices can help users find their misplaced Android devices and everyday items. The Find My Device Network, which is similar to Apple’s Find My network, works with devices running Android 9+. The new Find My Device network also integrates with Nest smart home gadgets and shows a lost device’s proximity to home Nest devices. “Multi-layered protections built into the Find My Device network help keep you safe and your personal information private, while keeping you in control of the devices connected to the Find My Device network.

Discover New Eateries with Uber Eats’ Latest Video Feed, Inspired by TikTok!

Uber Eats Icon Ios
Uber Eats is launching a TikTok-like short-form video feed to boost discovery and help restaurants showcase their dishes. With this launch, Uber Eats now joins numerous other popular apps that have launched their own short-form video feeds following TikTok’s rise in popularity, including Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and Netflix to name a few. The new Uber Eats short-form videos are visible in carousels placed across the app, including the homescreen. Verma also shared that in order to further support merchants, the company has revamped its Uber Eats Manager software and added personalized growth recommendations. Uber Eats announced today that it now has more than one million merchants around the world on its platform, across 11,000 cities in six continents.

The triumphant comeback of Paddy Cosgrave as CEO of Web Summit, following his resignation amidst the Israel/Gaza controversy.

43965968860 0f0b8699b9 C
Paddy Cosgrave, the co-founder of the Web Summit tech conference, is returning to his role as CEO after resigning in October over controversial statements he made about the Israel/Gaza war last year on social media. “As Web Summit becomes bigger, our aim should be to make it smaller for our attendees. More opportunistically, as with Facebook, the emphasis on community is a counterweight to Web Summit’s bigger business aim: scale, in Web Summit’s case growing its conference empire by getting as many people and companies as possible paying to attend its events. Web Summit runs a number of global tech conferences, the best known and biggest of which is in Lisbon, which in recent years attracted upwards of 70,000 attendees. Scrambling in the lead-up to the Lisbon event, Web Summit quickly appointed Wikimedia CEO Catherine Maher as Cosgrave’s CEO replacement, even as Cosgrave retained an 80% ownership of the business.

TechCrunch’s Mobility Report: Apple Job Cuts, EV Pricing Analysis, and Tesla’s Continued Promises of Robotaxis

Tesla Model Y 1
TechCrunch Mobility: Apple layoffs, an EV price reckoning and another Tesla robotaxi promise Plus, more Fisker problems and a Waymo-Uber Eats tie-upWelcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. The average price of an EV in 2023 was $61,702, while all other vehicles stood at $47,450. This downward pressure has forced automakers like Ford to delay future EV launches and put more resources toward hybrids. Even Tesla, a bellwether in the EV world, fell well below analysts’ expectations with deliveries down 20% from Q4 2023. What vehicles — including the two-wheeled variety — are you interested in reading about?

Achieving Success: The Key to Building Startups in Boston

Gettyimages 173866054
Just last year, Klaviyo went public, adding to the parade of startup success stories. But they all showed what’s possible for the many people who dream of building a successful business in the Boston area. When you put it all together, Lyman says, you get some of the primary building blocks for a successful startup ecosystem. And what Boston may lack in nightlife, it surely makes up for in brain power and long history of startup success. As Seseri says, success begets success.

“Revolutionary Insights from the Women Shaping the AI Movement”

Women In Ai Cover
The AI boom, love it or find it to be a bit more hype than substance, is here to stay. That means lots of companies raising oodles of dollars, a healthy dose of regulatory concern, academic work, and corporate jockeying. For startups, it means a huge opportunity to bring new technology to bear on a host of industries that could use a bit of polish. But if you read the news, you might notice that men are the far and away most cited, and discussed players in AI today. So, TechCrunch’s Dominic-Madori Davis and Kyle Wiggers decided to go out and talk to women working in AI to learn more about their work, how they got into the world of artificial intelligence, and more.

“The Reincarnation of Spotify’s Live Audio Technology: Introducing the Listening Party Feature”

Spotify App Gettyimages 1689920063
Spotify’s live audio app is no longer active, but the company has been using the tech to connect fans and artists better with the “Listening Party” feature. A Listening Party is listed under the events section of an artist’s profile. Spotify said that while typically top fans of a band receive a specific invitation, any Spotify Premium user can join the Listening Party through the listing. Plus, each listening party has a live chat room during the event. Now it is trying to bring parts of group listening and live audio interactions together with the Listening Party feature.

California-based Apple terminates 600 workers following cessation of electric vehicle venture

Apple Ghost Logo
Apple is laying off 614 employees in California after abandoning its electric car project. According to the WARN notice posted by California, Apple notified the affected employees on March 28 and the changes will go into effect on May 27. Affected employees worked at eight locations in Santa Clara, roughly 45 miles south of San Francisco. The company first started working on its car project, known internally as “Project Titan,” in 2014, and told employees that it was cancelling it on February 27. Bloomberg reported at the time that some remaining employees who were working on the car project would be shifted to Apple’s generative AI projects.