Deezer, the Paris-based music and other audio streaming service with 6.3 million users that planned but ultimately cancelled an IPO last year, has now tapped existing investors for more funding. Today the company is announcing that it has raised another €100 million ($109 million), led by Warner Music Group owner Access Industries and with participation also from French carrier Orange.… Read More
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The slowdown in hardware sales continues apace. Gartner today published its latest forecasts for device sales — covering PCs, tablets, ‘ultramobiles’ and smartphones — and it predicts that while end-user sales overall will continue to grow to 2.4 billion units in 2016, it will be at a snail’s pace, up just 1.9% on 2015. On top of that, those who are in the… Read More
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Plans to construct the beginnings of Elon Musk’s Hyperloop are now underway in Quay Valley, California. Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) announced plans for a 5-mile test track late last year and is about to break ground on an initial framework for what HTT CEO Dirk Ahlborn hopes will become the U.S. transportation infrastructure of the future.
Musk first proposed… Read More
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With its latest update, Magzter is unveiling a more article-centric way to browse its library of digital magazines.
Seems like a pretty obvious move, right? Sure, there are people who still read magazines cover to cover (says the guy whose apartment is filled with back issues of Wired and The New Yorker), but as Magzter co-founder and President Vijay Radhakrishnan put it, most of us… Read More
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Google confirmed it’s now running a limited promotion in the U.S. dubbed “Tap 10,” which is aimed at increasing usage of its Android Pay mobile payments service, a rival to Apple Pay and others. Some Android users are being gifted rewards like a free Chromecast or free songs, movies, or subscriptions on Google Play in exchange for using Android Pay at local stores. The… Read More
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The shift to smartphones as a preferred means of online shopping is continuing to have an impact on the e-commerce industry, according to new data released by Adobe this morning. During the 2015 holiday sales season, including both November and December, smartphones nearly doubled their share of sales over the year prior, accounting for 17 percent of sales versus tablets’ mere 11 percent. Read More
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Microsoft is further expanding on its investment in Minecraft, bought in 2014 for $2.5 billion, by acquiring a learning game called MinecraftEdu for an undisclosed sum. The game, produced by a company called Teacher Gaming LLC, allows teachers to use Minecraft in the classroom, and includes a library of lessons and activities used to teach subjects including STEM, history, language, and art. Read More
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Meituan-Dianping, China’s largest group deals site, confirmed that it has closed a colossal $3.3 billion round at a valuation of $18 billion. The company claims that this is the largest single funding round ever raised by a venture-backed Internet startup in China. 
“Sure, that looks great on a model, but how will it look on me?” Now you can find out thanks to ModiFace, an augmented reality startup that’s quietly grown to power apps for 55 of the top makeup brands like Sephora, P&G and Unilever. 
ChatWork, a Japanese company that provides a business messaging service aimed at eliminating email and helping teams to work more efficiently, has raised $12.5 million in fresh funding to grow its presence in the U.S. and other markets.