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☆ Here's an exclusive look at the 12-slide pitch deck three siblings used to raise $17 million in funding from Coatue for their mobile app performance startup
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The four Liberman siblings have been building companies together for nearly two decades. Their latest venture, Product Science, just raised $17 million in Series A funding. Here's an exclusive look at the pitch deck that scored the startup millions from Coatue and others. Although app delays aren't noticeable to most users, there's a long tail of consumers on older devices whose experiences can be significantly hindered by poor app performance, Liberman said. Here's an exclusive look at the 12-slide pitch deck Product Science used to raise $17 million of Series A funding from Coatue, K5 Global, and Peter Fenton from Benchmark:

☆ AT&T seeks to shed cybersecurity division, sources tell Reuters
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

AT&T Inc , the second-biggest U.S. wireless carrier, is exploring a sale of its cybersecurity division, potentially undoing an acquisition it completed five years ago, according to people familiar with the matter. The sale of the cybersecurity business would add to a string of divestments AT&T has turned to in order to pay down debt following its $108.7 billion acquisition of Time Warner Inc in 2018, a deal it has since also unwound. The sources cautioned that no deal is certain and requested anonymity because the matter is confidential. AT&T's cybersecurity division helps small-to-medium-sized businesses keep their information technology networks, including laptops, desktops, servers and mobile devices, secure. The acquisition of Alienvault was aimed at giving AT&T an edge in signing up and retaining corporate clients, but the deal's rationale has eroded as cybersecurity startups that offer cheap alternatives mushroomed.

☆ AT&T seeks to shed cybersecurity division -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Milana Vinn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, Feb 21 (Reuters) - AT&T Inc (T.N), the second-biggest U.S. wireless carrier, is exploring a sale of its cybersecurity division, potentially undoing an acquisition it completed five years ago, according to people familiar with the matter. The sale of the cybersecurity business would add to a string of divestments AT&T has turned to in order to pay down debt following its $108.7 billion acquisition of Time Warner Inc in 2018, a deal it has since also unwound. AT&T has been working with Barclays Plc (BARC.L) to solicit potential bids for its cybersecurity business, which was called Alienvault when it was acquired in 2018 in a roughly $600 million deal, the sources said. The sources cautioned that no deal is certain and requested anonymity because the matter is confidential. AT&T's cybersecurity division helps small-to-medium-sized businesses keep their information technology networks, including laptops, desktops, servers and mobile devices, secure.

☆ Horror juggernaut Blumhouse to launch video game division
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The world of video games is about to get scarier. Blumhouse, the powerhouse horror movie and TV production company, said Tuesday that it is launching Blumhouse Games. Blumhouse Games will partner with independent game developers and target indie-budget games of under $10 million. To lead Blumhouse Games, the company tapped video game industry veterans Zach Woods as the group's president and Don Sechler as chief financial officer. Wood has been a video game producer for more than 25 years and published games on every platform including Game Boy, Playstation and Xbox.

"Star Trek: Picard" is back for its third and final season. Stewart previously played the character on seven seasons of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and in four theatrical Star Trek films. Check out the trailer for 'Picard' season 3In the third season, Picard reunites with many of his former crewmates from "The Next Generation," including characters played by Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, and Michael Dorn. How to watch 'Star Trek: Picard' season 3You can watch "Star Trek: Picard" season 3 exclusively on Paramount Plus. You can watch "Star Trek: Picard" for free if you sign up for a trial to Paramount Plus.

☆ Meta's cold war with Apple over privacy is coming to a critical moment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Paayal Zaveri | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Meta's ads unit will only recover if it continues to innovate so it doesn't need to track user data to sell ads. In 2021, Apple changed its iOS operating system to limit the abilities of apps to track user behavior. Apple CEO Tim Cook, for his part, has criticized Facebook's business model several times over the years, with Apple going so far as to declare privacy a "human right." It's clear from Meta's most recent earnings report, and its drive for efficiency and cost-cutting, that this cold war with Apple is taking its toll on the bottom line. "It's forced Meta to move so quickly to building the workarounds, not just to accommodate Apple's changes, but really where it sees the state of digital advertising data use going," Shmulik said.

"Wu-Tang: An American Saga" is back for its third and final season on Hulu. How to watch 'Wu-Tang: An American Saga'"Wu-Tang: An American Saga" is available to watch exclusively on Hulu. You can stream "Wu-Tang: An American Saga" for free if you sign up for a Hulu trial. How many episodes are in 'Wu-Tang: An American Saga' season 3? "Wu-Tang: An American Saga" will end with season 3; it is the final season of the series.

☆ Super Bowl showdown to provide betting bonanza
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Frank Pingue | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Feb 11 (Reuters) - The Super Bowl has long been the single biggest sports betting event of the year in the United States and Sunday's showdown in Glendale, Arizona could reach new heights as wagering on the NFL's championship game has exploded in popularity. "The fact that the Super Bowl is being played in a state where you can legally bet on sports was almost unthinkable five years ago," American Gaming Association (AGA) President and CEO Bill Miller told Reuters. "There is important symbolism and economics around the fact that a Super Bowl is being held in a state where sports betting is legal, no question about that." A survey by the AGA, a trade group for the U.S. casino industry, showed a record 50.4 million American adults, or about 20% of the population, are expected to bet $16 billion on the Super Bowl. "It isn't necessarily something new as far as the Super Bowl but I think we are paying more attention to it now because more people have access to bet."

Led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs are playing in their third Super Bowl in the past five seasons. How to watch Super Bowl LVIIYou can watch Super Bowl LVII on Fox starting at 6:30 p.m. Matt Sayles/APRihanna headlines the Super Bowl LVII halftime show with her first live televised performance since the 2018 Grammys. There's no set time for the Super Bowl halftime show, as it depends on the pace of the game. Who's singing the national anthem at Super Bowl LVII?

☆ 'The Last of Us' is a critically acclaimed show based on the hit video game series — here's how to stream new episodes of the HBO drama
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Jordan Williams | Freelance Writer | Read More | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"The Last of Us" premiered January 15 exclusively on HBO and HBO Max. The series is an adaptation of the 2013 post-apocalyptic video game of the same name. The series is based on the critically acclaimed post-apocalyptic video game series of the same name. How to watch 'The Last of Us'You can watch "The Last of Us" exclusively on HBO and HBO Max. Critics praise the HBO series' deep dive into the game's story, the cast's performances, and the writing.

☆ SoftBank tumbles to loss as Vision Fund in red for fourth straight quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Kiyoshi Takenaka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Vision Fund, which upended the world of technology with its big bets on startups, reported an investment loss of 730.36 billion yen ($5.52 billion) in the fiscal third quarter. At SoftBank itself, the net loss totalled 783.42 billion yen, compared with a 29.05 billion yen profit a year earlier. SoftBank said the Vision Fund unit had significantly curtailed new investments and was continuing to sell some older ones as part of "prudent defensive financial management" amid the challenging market environment. GOOD ARMThe bulk of the loss at the Vision Fund unit came from a steep decline in the valuation of investments in unlisted companies. Son invested heavily in artificial intelligence and other high-tech startups through the Vision Fund in recent years, delivering both record profits and heady optimism about future valuations.

☆ Microsoft packs Bing search engine, Edge browser with AI in big challenge to Google
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Jeffrey Dastin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Microsoft is staking its future on AI through billions of dollars of investment as it directly challenges Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google. “This technology is going to reshape pretty much every software category," Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella told reporters in a briefing at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington. On Monday it unveiled a chatbot of its own called Bard, while it is planning to release AI for its search engine that can synthesize material when no simple answer exists online. PRACTICAL USESAt the event, Mehdi demonstrated how the AI-enhanced search engine will make shopping and creating emails much easier. For the quarter ending Dec. 31, Alphabet reported $42.6 billion in Google Search and other revenue, while Microsoft posted $3.2 billion from search and news advertising.

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☆ Bright lights and snazzy mannequins: Walmart rolls out sleek new store designs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Melissa Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

In company surveys, he said nearly every shopper said the store's displays and mannequins encouraged them to browse longer. Walmart's new store design includes displays that show off how a customer could decorate a nursery or kitchen. Melissa Repko | CNBCWashington declined to share data about Walmart's store traffic and sales at its Springdale store and other flagships that have opened in recent months. Visits to its Walmart store in Springdale, Ark. Victor Millan, of Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, makes weekly shopping trips to the Walmart in Teterboro for groceries and other items.

The 2023 NFC Championship game will air January 29 at 3 p.m. Philadelphia finished the season with the best record in the NFC and reached the NFC Championship game with an impressive win over their division-rival New York Giants. How to watch the NFC Championship game without cableYou can watch the NFC Championship game on Fox at 3 p.m. You can also subscribe to a live TV streaming service like YouTube TV, Sling TV, FuboTV, or Hulu + Live TV to watch the NFC Championship game on Fox. If you only want to stream the NFC Championship on your phone or tablet, NFL+ offers streaming on mobile devices for $5 a month.

The 2023 AFC Championship game will air January 29 at 6:30 p.m. ET on January 29, with the winner moving on to Super Bowl LVII in Arizona next month. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has yet to lose against the Chiefs and successfully led a comeback in last year's championship game. How to watch the AFC Championship game without cableYou can watch the AFC Championship game on CBS at 6:30 p.m. If you don't have a TV provider, the cheapest option available to stream the AFC Championship game is via Paramount Plus.

☆ Factbox: The sun never sets on Google's antitrust woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 24 (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google (GOOGL.O), whose clout in search, the Android smartphone operating system and online advertising upended those markets, faces antitrust fights in the United States, Europe and India. The order, for example, requires Google to allow users to delete apps like its YouTube subsidiary from Android phones. The U.S. Justice Department first sued Google in 2020 for violating antitrust law to maintain dominance in search and to extend its dominance into other areas. SOUTH KOREA: The antitrust regulator fined Alphabet's Google 207 billion won ($176.64 million) in September 2021, saying it abused its dominant market position to restrict competition in the mobile operating system market. These include allegations Google imposed unlawful restrictions on manufacturers of Android mobile devices and mobile network operators to consolidate the dominant position of its search engine.

"How I Met Your Father" season two hits Hulu on January 24. Check out the trailer for 'How I Met Your Father' season 2Hilary Duff ("Lizzie McGuire") stars in "How I Met Your Father" season two as present-day Sophie. How to watch 'How I Met Your Father' season 2You can watch "How I Met Your Father" season two exclusively on Hulu starting January 24, with new episodes set to follow every Tuesday. How many episodes will 'How I Met Your Father' season 2 have? "How I Met Your Father" season two will have 20 episodes in total.

☆ Longer Battery Life, Better Screens: New Display Tech From Apple, Google, Others Is Just Around the Corner
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Christopher Mims | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

American adults spend the majority of their waking hours looking at screens—and yet most of those screens, including the one you’re probably reading this on now, are based on the same LCD display tech that made its debut in the 1980s. Soon, however, all that could change. A raft of new display technologies are on the way and promise a variety of benefits, from significantly extending the battery life of our wearables, mobile devices and laptops to making them slimmer, lighter and easier to read in full sunlight. At least one of these new types of displays could also enable future technologies that are impossible now, like lightweight augmented-reality smart glasses that project digital interfaces on top of what we see.

☆ New Display Tech Is Coming From Apple, Google, Meta and Others
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Christopher Mims | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Guitar Center Details Cloud Move
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Belle Lin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Guitar Center Chief Technology Officer Ravi Balwada Photo: Guitar Center Inc. Such downtimes can result in losses of more than $5 million for retailers like Guitar Center, Mr. Balwada said. Guitar Center had filed for bankruptcy in November 2020, citing Covid-19-related store closures and looming debt maturity, and emerged from bankruptcy in December of that year. Guitar Center has also reduced its cost per transaction by about 1.5% and increased its online shopping conversion rates by an estimated 1.6%, Mr. Balwada said. PREVIEWMr. Balwada said he aims to more fully integrate Guitar Center’s offerings so that customers are interacting with a single, common platform that is built on Oracle’s cloud.

Bills to block the app on state devices in California, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont have also been proposed. University of IdahoSchool’s policy: TikTok must be removed from university equipment "regardless of funding source," according to the school's help page. South Dakota University SystemSchool’s policy: The South Dakota Board of Regents, which governs six universities including Black Hills State University, University of South Dakota, Northern State University, Dakota State University, South Dakota State University and South Dakota Mines, told employees they could not use, download or access TikTok on university devices. University of Texas — AustinSchool’s policy: On Dec. 16, university officials announced that TikTok would be banned on state-issued devices. Texas Tech UniversitySchool’s policy: University employees are prohibited from using TikTok on school-issued devices and official university TikTok accounts must be deactivated.

☆ Global IT Spending Decreased in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Angus Loten | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Companies worldwide made deep cuts in enterprise technology spending last year, with tighter information-technology budgets likely to stretch well into the year ahead. Global IT spending contracted 0.2% in 2022, dropping to $4.38 trillion—a rare instance of corporations spending less on digital business tools than in the previous year, according to IT consulting and research firm Gartner Inc.Gartner had initially estimated that IT spending had increased 0.8% last year. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CIO Journal The Morning Download delivers daily insights and news on business technology from the CIO Journal team. Spending on business software and IT services is expected to remain steady year-over-year, together accounting for more than $2.16 trillion in projected spending in 2023, Gartner said. Within IT services, spending on consulting services alone is projected to reach $264 billion, up 6.7% from 2022, Gartner said.

"Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre" comes to Netflix on January 19. The 12-episode anime series brings 20 of Ito's horror manga tales to life. How to watch 'Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre'You can watch "Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre" exclusively on Netflix starting January 19. "Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre" is based on 20 of Junji Ito's horror stories from a handful of his manga. Junji Ito is a horror manga artist with something of a cult following.

☆ Gen Z loves the flip phone
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Now, Gen-Z’s latest “vintage” obsession is the flip phone – that mid-1990s era phone that has suddenly become oh so popular with millennials. “I’m team flip phone revolution,” singer Camila Cabello tweeted Thursday, posing with a TCL flip phone, vintage. Maybe I can write the theme song guys 💪💪💪💪 pic.twitter.com/yOJgCdAgNq — camila (@Camila_Cabello) January 13, 2023“I found a little 90s, Matrix-y flip phone,” Cameron said. “At parties people will say, ‘oh my goodness, is that a flip phone?,’” Palazzolo said. And yes, new Nokia flip phones are still available – the Nokia 2760 Flip is sold at Walmart from prepaid brands such as Verizon for $19.99.

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