Anova's newest sous vide cooker costs $400. That's not a typo... FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS! That's just crazy when there are so many excellent options in the $150 price range, but right now it's Prime Day so you know you're not going to have to spend anywhere close to that much. The KitchenBoss 1100W Sous Vide Cooker is a top-rated model that's a bargain at $100, but it's all the way down to just $58.19 for Prime Day. That's right, you can get an excellent sous vide cooker that rivals anything from top brands for just $58. If you'd rather get a Joule because it's more popular, don't worry because we've got you covered there, too. The $200 ChefSteps 1100W Joule Sous Vide is down to $139.30!
KitchenBoss Sous Vide Cooker
Make each meal more refined: Because our sous vide cooker allows water 3D circulate in the time and temperature range you set.This more refined operation can make your ingredients more delicious, rather than wasting your expensive ingredients. Our sous vide machine cleaning is more convenient and it has IPX7 certification.
IPX7 certification: The machine is designed to be IP7 Class waterproof. KitchenBoss sous vide cooker guarantees safer operation and much longer service,free from the risk of vapour permeating through the inner machine.
Countdown display light bar: In operating mode, before the water reaches the set temperature, the LED lights in the light bar will display the cooking progress in succession; when the water reaches the set temperature, the uppermost light in the light bar will be lit. Every time 10% of the set cooking time is passed, the previous LED light will go out and the next LED light will continuously flash. When the set cooking time is reached, the machine will automatically stop and enter standby mode.
Easier to use: just attach the sous vide cooker to any pot, add water, drop in your ingredients in a sealed bag, Simple interface on the device to set the time and temperature manually and hit "ON".
SECURE 2 YEAR WARRANTY: We offer 2-Year Warranty and excellent customer service, which makes your purchase absolutely risk-free and you can enjoy its quality and durability.
Smallest, sleekest sous vide tool available at just 11 inches tall and 1.3 pounds, with streamlined white body and solid stainless steel cap & base.
SAVES SPACE: Half the size of other sous vide machines, it’s small enough to slip into a top drawer. IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi compatible 2.4 Ghz only
HEATS UP FAST: 1100 watts of power for hyper-fast water heating. System requirements: iOS 8.0 or later, Android 4.4 or later, internet access required for some features
PERFECT RESULTS: Visual Doneness (TM) feature in the Joule app displays exactly how food cooks. Dinner comes out predictably perfect, every time.
WIFI AND BLUETOOTH READY: Works with iPhone or Android—connect with Bluetooth alone, or cook from anywhere with WiFi.
Voltage warning: Works with 120 V outlets only. Due to our precise heating technology, voltage transformers and converters can damage your Joule, and use outside of North America voids the warranty.
On Tuesday morning at the Television Academy’s Wolf Theatre in Hollywood, celebrity presenters Ken Jeong and D’Arcy Carden revealed all of the actors, actresses, and series that are nominees as part of the 71st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. The list of nominees includes plenty of familiar faces, along with a few surprises as well.
You can see the full list of nominees for this year’s show below, and remember to tune in to the awards ceremony on Sunday, September 22.
We have to be perfectly honest: we weren't expecting very much on Prime Day 2019 as far as Nintendo Switch deals go. Nintendo's awesome switchable video game console sells so well on its own, as do all the awesome games out there. Well wouldn't you know it, Amazon went ahead and launched some killer Switch sales anyway... and they're all still available!
This special bundle includes the Nintendo Switch gaming system and a $35 Nintendo eShop gift card (digital code).
The gaming system includes: Nintendo Switch console, Nintendo Switch dock, Joy-Con (L) and Joy-Con (R), Two Joy-Con strap accessories, One Joy-Con grip, HDMI cable, and Nintendo Switch AC adapter.
The digital eShop gift card can be redeemed on the Nintendo eShop only. This item cannot be redeemed on the Wii Shop.
The perfect gift for anyone who loves to play—including you. Use the $35 digital eShop gift card to choose from over 2,000 new, classic and indie games – delivered directly to your Nintendo Switch.
No returns and no refunds on eShop gift cards.
To access the digital eShop gift card on your Amazon account navigate to Orders -> Order Details -> Go to Your Games Library. This can also be found under Digital content and devices - > Games and software
One of the knocks on Pokemon Go when it launched, and one of the reasons many players lost interest, was its lack of traditional gameplay elements. There simply wasn't much to do in terms of actual interaction outside of swiping on the screen to throw a Poke Ball or tapping on the screen to battle Pokemon in an opposing gym.
Developer Niantic has made significant strides on that front in the years since the game arrived by revamping gyms, introducing trading, and allowing trainers to battle each other directly, but an update rolling out to iOS and Android this week might be the most substantial the game has seen in its three-year history.
When SanDisk's 200GB microSD cards drop to $29.99, people flock to Amazon and they typically sell out within a few hours. When SanDisk 256GB Ultra microSDXC UHS-I Memory Cards drop to $29.99... well, we have no idea how fast they're going to sell out because this has never happened before! It's a new all-time low and it's available right now for Prime Day 2019. There are also tons of other capacities on sale, so be sure to click around once this deal on 256GB cards inevitably sells out.
Ideal for Android smartphones and tablets, and MIL cameras
Capacities up to 512GB (1GB=1,000,000,000 bytes. Actual user storage less.) to store even more hours of Full HD video (Approximations; results and Full HD (1920x1080) video support may vary based on host device, file attributes and other factors.)
Up to 100MB/s transfer read speed (Based on internal testing; performance may be lower depending on host device, interface, usage conditions and other factors.) lets you move up to 1000 photos in a minute (Based on 4.1GB transfer of photos (avg. file 3.5MB) with USB 3.0 reader. Results may vary based on host device, file attributes and other factors.)
Load apps faster with A1-rated performance (A1 performance is 1500 read IOPS, 500 write IOPS. Based on internal testing. Results may vary based on host device, app type and other factors.)
Class 10 for Full HD video recording and playback (Full HD (1920x1080) video support may vary based upon host device, file attributes, and other factors.)
SanDisk Memory Zone app for easy file management (Download and Installation Required)
With a retail price of $375, the iRobot Roomba 690 Robot Vacuum is the most affordable Roomba out there that has strong suction and support for Amazon's beloved voice assistant, Alexa. That's right, you can speak a command and the Roomba 690 will do your bidding! This model is often on sale at an even better price, typically around $300. Right now for Prime Day 2019, however, it's all the way down to $229.99. That's an incredible deal, and there are pretty much only two reasons to pass it up. The first is that you'd prefer to pick up the mid-range iRobot Roomba 891 Robot Vacuum for $299.99 instead of $450 and the second is that you'd prefer the high-end iRobot Roomba 980 Robot Vacuum for $549.99 instead of $900!
iRobot Roomba 690 Robot Vacuum
Sleek, premium design complements your home décor; includes 1 Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barrier for more control over where your robot cleans
3-Stage Cleaning System and Dual Multi-Surface Brushes pick up everything from small particles to large debris
Patented Dirt Detect sensors alert Roomba to work harder on concentrated areas of dirt, such as high-traffic zones of your home
Full suite of intelligent sensors guide the robot under and around furniture to help thoroughly clean your floors
Clean and schedule from anywhere with the iRobot HOME App; compatible with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant
Runs for up to 90 minutes before automatically docking and recharging
Featuring these other Roomba robot essentials – Wi-Fi Connectivity, Edge-Sweeping Brush, Auto-Adjust Cleaning Head, Works on Carpets and Hard Floors
Power-Lifting Suction delivers 5X the air power* for improved pick-up performance
Premium 3-Stage Cleaning System loosens, lifts, and suctions dirt, dust, and pet hair. The Auto-Adjust Cleaning Head adapts its height to keep the Multi-Surface Brushes in close contact with different floor surfaces, directly engaging with both hard floors and carpets
Dual Multi-Surface Rubber Brushes instantly adjust and flex to stay in constant contact with floors
Patented Dirt Detect sensors alert Roomba to work harder on concentrated areas of dirt, such as high-traffic zones of your home
Clean and schedule from anywhere with the iRobot HOME App; compatible with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant
Runs for up to 90 minutes before automatically docking and recharging
Featuring these other Roomba robot essentials – Wi-Fi Connectivity, Edge-Sweeping Brush, Auto-Adjust Cleaning Head, Works on Carpets and Hard Floors
Power-Lifting Suction delivers 10X the air power* for improved pick-up performance. Automatically increases cleaning performance on carpets with Power Boost *(Compared to Roomba 600 Series and AeroVac System)
Patented iAdapt 2.0 Navigation with vSLAM technology allows the robot to map its surroundings to clean an entire level of your home, around objects, and under furniture.
Ideal for homes with pets. Premium 3-stage Cleaning System cleans the dirt and pet hair you see and the allergens and dust you don't.
Dual Multi-Surface Rubber Brushes adjust and flex to stay in constant contact with carpets and hard floors.
High-Efficiency Filter traps 99% of cat and dog allergens.
Runs for up to 120 minutes, then automatically recharges and resumes cleaning to complete the entire job.
Connect and schedule from anywhere. Use Alexa or Google Assistant voice commands to control cleaning. Use the iRobot HOME App to schedule & monitor cleaning sessions.
Toshiba 32LF221U19 32-inch 720p HD Smart LED TV - Fire TV Edition
Toshiba HD Smart TV – Fire TV Edition delivers 720p picture quality with deep blacks and rich colors.
With the Fire TV experience built-in, enjoy tens of thousands of channels, apps, and Alexa skills, including Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, Hulu, HBO, SHOWTIME, STARZ, and more
Fire TV Edition seamlessly integrates live over-the-air TV and streaming channels on a unified home screen (HD antenna required).
Easily control your TV with the included Voice Remote with Alexa—plus, launch apps, search for titles, play music, switch inputs, control smart home devices, and more, using just your voice.
Dimensions (W x H x D): TV without stand: 29” x 17.2” x 3.3”, TV with stand: 29” x 18.6” x 7.1”. Multiple device input/output options: 3 HDMI including 1 with ARC, USB, composite input, antenna/cable input, digital output (optical), audio output, Ethernet.
Insignia NS-39DF510NA19 39-inch 1080p Full HD Smart LED TV- Fire TV Edition
Insignia Full HD Smart TV – Fire TV Edition delivers 1080p picture quality for lifelike detail, rich contrast, and brilliant colors.
With the Fire TV experience built-in, enjoy tens of thousands of channels, apps, and Alexa skills, including Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, Hulu, HBO, SHOWTIME, STARZ, and more
Fire TV Edition seamlessly integrates live over-the-air TV and streaming channels on a unified home screen (HD antenna required).
Easily control your TV with the included Voice Remote with Alexa—plus, launch apps, search for titles, play music, switch inputs, control smart home devices, and more, using just your voice.
Dimensions (W x H x D): TV without stand: 34.8” x 20.6” x 3.2”, TV with stand: 34.8” x 22.3” x 8.9”. Multiple device input/output options: 3 HDMI including 1 with ARC, USB, composite input, antenna/cable input, digital output (optical), audio output, Ethernet.
Toshiba 43LF711U20 43-inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV HDR - Fire TV Edition
Fire TV Edition brings together live-over-the air TV, and your favorite streaming content on the home screen. Connect any HD antenna (sold separately) to watch live over-the-air TV, or stream movies and shows from Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, HBO and more.
Enhanced 4K Dolby Vision HDR picture with an expanded range of contrast and superior brightness.
Experience breathtaking 4K Ultra HD picture quality with over 8 million pixels for stunning clarity, deep contrast and vivid colors. Watch movies and TV shows come to life in ultra high definition.
Everything you'd expect from a remote - plus launch apps, search for TV shows, switch inputs, control smart home devices and more, using just your voice. With Prime Video, Netflix, HBO and PlayStation Vue buttons, instantly access your favorite apps.
Dimensions (W x H x D): TV without stand: 38.1” x 22.5” x 3.5”, TV with stand: 38.1” x 23.9” x 9.3”. Multiple device input/output options: 3 HDMI including 1 with ARC, USB, composite input, digital output (optical), antenna/cable output, audio output, Ethernet.
Insignia NS-55DF710NA19 55-inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV with HDR - Fire TV Edition
Insignia 4K UHD Smart TV – Fire TV Edition delivers true-to-life 4K Ultra HD picture quality with over 8 million pixels for stunning clarity, deep contrast, and vivid colors.
With the Fire TV experience built-in, enjoy tens of thousands of channels, apps, and Alexa skills, including Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, Hulu, HBO, SHOWTIME, STARZ, and more
Fire TV Edition seamlessly integrates live over-the-air TV and streaming channels on a unified home screen (HD antenna required).
Easily control your TV with the included Voice Remote with Alexa—plus, launch apps, search for titles, play music, switch inputs, control smart home devices, and more, using just your voice.
Dimensions (W x H x D): TV without stand: 48.9” x 28.6” x 3.3”, TV with stand: 48.9” x 30.3” x 10.4”. Multiple device input/output options: 3 HDMI including 1 with ARC, USB, composite input, antenna/cable input, digital output (optical), audio output, Ethernet.
Samsung UN55RU8000FXZA Flat 55'' 4K UHD 8 Series Smart TV with Echo Plus Bundle
Dynamic Crystal Color: Millions of shades of color reveal a vibrant, lifelike picture that HDTV can’t create
4K UHD Processor: A powerful processor optimizes your TV’s performance with 4K picture quality
HDR: See shades of color that reveal more detail than HDTV can deliver
Meet the Echo Plus - Echo Plus has a built-in Zigbee hub to easily setup and control your compatible smart home devices, and an improved sound for streaming music.
Enjoy premium sound - New premium speakers powered by Dolby play 360° audio with crisp vocals and dynamic bass response. You can also use your voice to adjust equalizer settings or pair with a second Echo Plus (2nd Gen) for stereo sound.
Alexa has skills - Ask Alexa to play music, answer questions, read the news, check the weather, set alarms, control compatible smart home devices, play Audible audiobooks, call almost anyone, and more.
The latest iOS 13 beta has a serious security bug that will allow access to your stored passwords by anyone with access to your device. For someone to get to your passwords, they need to know how the bug works, and they need to get their hands on your iPhone or iPad. The good news, however, is that this bug will almost certainly be fixed in the coming weeks, maybe as soon as the next iOS 13 beta release.
Qualcomm Technologies aims to push the speed limits of mobile gaming with the added features in its Snapdragon Mobile Platform. The Snapdragon 855 Plus Mobile Platform, its newest processor, performs graphics functions 15 percent faster. It will show up in new devices later this year. Snapdragon 855 Plus is an update to the flagship Snapdragon 855, released earlier this year. The 855 emphasized speed to support enhanced performance and deliver leading experiences in multi-gigabit 5G, gaming, AI and XR.
For Halloween, we buy all kinds of crap we shouldn't be eating and feed it to our kids. When Valentine's Day approaches, husbands and boyfriends live in fear of getting their significant other's card, gift or flowers wrong again. Fourth of July is when we buy expensive things we can burn and piss off our neighbors. Of course, there are the various gift-giving holidays that are linked to specific religious groups. I wonder -- if we got rid of the gift requirements for all these holidays, would U.S. retail collapse?
Ravelry, an online knitting community that has more than 8 million members, last month announced that it would ban forum posts, projects, patterns and even profiles from users who supported the Trump administration. "We cannot provide a space that is inclusive of all and also allow support for open white supremacy," the administrators posted on the site. "Support of the Trump administration is undeniably support for white supremacy," the post added. The administrators have maintained that they aren't endorsing Democrats or banning Republicans.
Every day we read stories about data breaches and cyberattacks on business and government websites, and the resulting the loss of personally identifiable information. Cybercrime is on the rise, and given the ever-evolving methods of attack, meaningful relief and reliable measures to fend off cybercriminals are unlikely in the foreseeable future. It would seem obvious that companies need to insure against cybertheft, but amazingly enough it appears that many businesses, likely the majority, do not have any cyber insurance.
Subscription sales have become a strong part of e-commerce. Everything from razors to dog toys to movies is being sold on the subscription model, and subscriptions don't show any signs of letting up. "Our customers tell us that opening their BarkBox with their dog is one of the best experiences they share every month," said Allison Stadd, vice president of marketing at Bark, about its monthly dog supply box. "Nothing makes true dog people happier than seeing their dog go nuts with excitement."
E-commerce checkout platform vendor Bolt has raised $68 million to help it increase its engineering team, invest in additional enterprise functionality, partner with best-in-breed e-commerce platforms, and build and expand advanced features and functionality. Bolt's platform combines checkout, payments and fraud detection to provide a better buying experience for shoppers and maximize conversions for retailers, according to the company. Bolt claims its checkout page is up to 10 times faster than the competition.
Cloud marketing company Signpost has raised $52 million in new funding to "increase the scale of our business and invest in our technology," CEO Stuart Wall announced. The company's Software as a Service platform for small and mid-sized businesses consists of artificial intelligence-based customer relationship management and marketing automation technology powered by automated data collection and cross-channel marketing. Signpost's latest round of fundraising follows a banner year.
In case wringing your hands over the tax man weren’t enough, criminals are out there trying to swipe your hard-earned cash and personal information from right under your nose.
Jeb Bush's love of Apple products has been widely documented, and the Republican presidential candidate continues to wear his Apple Watch on the campaign trail. Yesterday, in a meeting with The Des Moines Register editorial board documented by USA Today, Bush stumbled upon a feature he didn’t realize his smartwatch was capable of: taking phone calls. Somehow Bush managed to take a call without picking up his iPhone, and the sound of a person’s voice saying hello breaks through the meeting noise, to which Bush responds, “My watch can’t be talking.”
Pope Francis gets the social media treatment upon arriving in the U.S. Tuesday. As Pope Francis’s flight touched down in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, Twitter unveiled a new batch of emojis created for the highly anticipated papal visit. Until his departure from the United States on Sunday, Twitter users chronicling the Catholic leader’s East Coast journey will be able to include a cartoon image of the Pope’s face in front of the American flag on all Pope-related tweets by using the hashtag #PopeinUS.
A man has confessed to killing an American scientist on the Greek island of Crete, police said on Tuesday. The police said in a statement that a 27-year-old local ...
T-Mobile has a simple way to draw you into its stores: it's straight-up bribing you with free food. The carrier is partnering with Taco Bell on "T-MoBell" (yes, we know) pop-up stores at signature T-Mobile locations in Chicago, Los Angeles and New Y...
Ubisoft's game subscription service for PC and Stadia, Uplay+, will launch on September 3rd. When it was announced at E3 in June, we knew there would be more than 100 games included but we didn't know which ones. Thanks to today's update, now we do.
The successor to Sony's highly acclaimed A7R III has arrived. Today, at an event in New York City, the company introduced its A7R IV, a full-frame mirrorless camera that comes with a whopping 61-megapixel Exmor R sensor. Sony says his new shooter is...
The Netflix model doesn't work for video games. Neither does the Spotify plan, the HBO Go ecosystem or the Amazon Prime Video marketplace. Sure, digital distribution is king and subscription-based streaming services will absolutely become a dominant...
Last month earned the title of hottest June on record, and yes, you have heard that before. According to NASA, the global average temperature was 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit (0.93 Celsius) above the June norm. The tops the previous record, 1.5 degrees Fah...
Critter & Guitari has been pumping out interesting musical devices since at least 2008. But a few years ago the company streamlined its selection of instruments to focus on two products: the ETC video synthexxxxr and the Organelle music com...
Tesla may have broken its own records, manufacturing 72,531 Model 3 sedans in the three months that ended June 30th. But employees say in the push to ramp up Model 3 production, they were forced to cut corners and work in difficult, unsafe conditions...
Sony has again put its rivals on the back foot with the launch of the A7R IV full-frame mirrorless camera. It packs a 61-megapixel back-side illuminated sensor with 15 stops of dynamic range, delivering the highest resolution yet for a full-frame cam...
Amazon Offers $10 To Prime Day Shoppers Who Hand Over Their Data Amazon.com has a promotion for U.S. shoppers on Prime Day, the 48-hour marketing blitz that started Monday: Earn $10 of credit if you let Amazon track the websites you visit. From a report: The deal is for new installations of the
Amazon in EU Crosshairs as Vestager Fights Big Tech To the End Amazon.com faces a full-blown European Union antitrust probe as the bloc's competition chief Margrethe Vestager prepares for a summer finale to her five-year crackdown on U.S. technology giants. From a report: The Dane, who heads
How To Escape the 'Hyperactive Hivemind' of Modern Work An anonymous reader quotes a report from the BBC: Our workplaces are set up for convenience, not to get the best out of our brains, says Cal Newport, bestselling author of books including Deep Work and Digital Minimalism, and a Ge
Scientists Could Use Aerogel Sheets To Make Mars Surface Fit For Farming Scientists believe aerogel sheets could transform the cold, arid surface of Mars into land fit for farming. The Guardian reports: The "aerogel" sheets work by mimicking Earth's greenhouse effect, where energy from the sun is trapp
Elon Musk's Neuralink Will Detail Progress in Computer-Brain Interface Neuralink, Elon Musk's fourth and least visible company, will become a bit less secretive Tuesday with a livestreamed presentation about its technology to connect computers directly to human brains. From a report: Neuralink accept
U.S. senators grill Facebook on its plans for Libra cryptocurrency Facebook Inc is "delusional" to believe people will trust it with their money, a U.S. senator said on Tuesday as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle questioned the social media company on its plans for a digital currency at a h
Von der Leyen takes aim at U.S. tech giants' low tax bill in Europe Germany's Ursula von der Leyen, seeking to become the first female head of the European Commission, has said she wants U.S. tech giants to pay "fair taxes" in the EU instead of gaming the different systems across the bloc to cut t
Hackers steal millions of Bulgarians' financial records: tax agency Hackers have stolen the financial data of millions of Bulgarians from the country's tax agency, the government said on Tuesday, in an attack that one researcher said may have compromised nearly every adult's personal records.
Tesla drops cheapest Model X, S variants, cuts prices to simplify lineup Tesla Inc has dropped the standard-range variants of its Model X and Model S from its product lineup and adjusted prices across its range, in a sales push that comes days after the U.S. electric vehicle maker reported record deliv
Vodafone launches 5G in Germany, challenges D.Telekom on price Vodafone said on Tuesday it was launching 5G services in Germany, taking on Deutsche Telekom by offering cheaper deals and reaching more cities than the market leader that went live last week.
South Korea accuses Japan of 'lukewarm' stand on North Korea sanctions Relations between U.S. allies South Korea and Japan deteriorated on Tuesday with South Korea questioning Japan's commitment to U.N. sanctions against North Korea, while a South Korean legal case looked set to aggravate old wartime
It was the perfect storm when CEO and Founder Liam Reynolds finally decided to start TrueUp, a data-driven growth marketing agency/consultancy based in London. After decades of working for large creative advertising agencies, Liam quit his job right around the beginning of Silicon Valley’s growth hacking trend and plunged headfirst into running growth for early-stage startups.
TrueUp has since evolved from a one-man shop into an award-winning agency with a team of dedicated data, paid marketing and conversion specialists. Learn more about how they collaborate with clients and help them develop short- and long-term growth frameworks.
TrueUp’s approach to growth marketing:
“Rather than just saying ‘Look at these amazing results we’ve achieved,’ we would say, ‘Look, these are your growth opportunities, this is the process you need and here’s the framework unlock your true potential,’ We would build business models around this to show the opportunity in numbers, revenue and ROI.
Our approach to growth is anchored in delivering the right message to the right target audience in the right channel at the right time. It sounds simple but we’re amazed at how wrong people get this.
So we’ve created our own bespoke methodologies and frameworks to really explore and identify these hidden killer messages that drive action. We’ve built our own tools that allow us to do a lot of high-tempo, high-intensity testing.
It’s quite common that we have 500 to 600 tests running concurrently on Facebook for any given client. We’re continuously testing, learning, iterating, improving. As a result we’ve achieved some amazing results for our clients.”
Advice to founders:
“We approached True Up to help us establish and scale a UK paid marketing function. The team was highly professional from their initial pitch through the end of the project.” Maninder Saini, SF, International Operations Manager, Quizlet, Inc.
“For earlier stage startups, it’s to focus on achieving product-market fit and having awesome user experiences before worrying about growth. We worked with and mentored a lot of startups that immediately jump to, “Look I need to get X number of customers in X months.” However their products/services are often seriously lacking. This creates very weak foundations for growth. So their efforts would be better spent on creating products that genuinely meet a customer need. Once they’ve achieved product-market fit, it’s to communicate benefits not features. There’s always at least one killer message that cuts through but more often than not it’s hidden and not what the founders think it is. So a structured test program to explore this is also very much needed!”
Below, you’ll find the rest of the founder reviews, the full interview, and more details like pricing and fee structures. This profile is part of our ongoing series covering startup growth marketing agencies with whom founders love to work, based on this survey and our own research. The survey is open indefinitely, so please fill it out if you haven’t already.
Interview with TrueUp CEO & Founder Liam Reynolds
Yvonne Leow: Tell me about how you got into growth marketing and why you decided to start TrueUp.
Liam Reynolds: I started my career at a data marketing company called Dunnhumby. They were famous for managing the data science and intelligence behind TESCO’s Club Card, a very large loyalty program in the UK.
We’re less than two months out from our first TC Sessions: Enterprise event, which is happening in San Francisco on September 5, and did you know our buy 1 get 1 free sale ends today too! Among the many enterprise and startup executives that’ll join us for the event is Qualtrics’ Julie Larson-Green. If that name sounds familiar to you, that’s most likely because you remember her from her 25 years at Microsoft. After a successful career in Redmond, Larson-Green left Microsoft in 2017 to become the Chief Experience Officer at SAP’s Qualtrics.
In that role, she’s perfect for our panel about — you guessed it — customer experience management.
Larson-Green joined Microsoft as a program manager for Visual C++ back in 1993. After moving up the ladder inside the company, she oversaw the launch of Windows 7 and became the co-lead of Microsoft’s hardare, games, music and entertainment division in 2013. At the time, she was seen as a potential replacement for then-CEO Steve Ballmer.
Later, during a period of reshuffling at the company in the wake of the Nokia acquisition, became the Chief Experience Officer of Microsoft’s My Life and Work group.
Larson-Green joined Qualtrics before it was acquired by SAP for $8 billion in cash. Qualtrics offers a number of products that range from customer experience tools to brand tracking and ad testing services, as well as employee research products for gathering feedback about managers, for example. At the core of its product is an analytics engine that helps businesses make sense of their employee and customer data, which in turn should help them optimize their customer experience scores and reduce employee attrition rates.
Our buy one get one free ticket deal ends today! Book a ticket for just $249 and you can bring a buddy for free. Book here before this deal ends.
We’re still selling startup demo tables, and each package comes with 4 tickets. Learn more here.
Chinese startups continue to weather tough times as private investors, caught in a cash crunch, are concentrating money into fewer deals.
China’s deal-making activity for startups in the six months ended June halved from a year ago to 1910, according to data from consulting firm ChinaVenture’s research arm. The amount invested in domestic startups during the first half of 2019 plummeted 54% to $23.2 billion.
The slide in startup investment comes as the money behind the money shrinks amid a cooling economy in China that is exacerbated by a trade war with the U.S. Fundraising for investors was already showing signs of slowdown a year earlier. In the first half of this year, private equity and venture capital firms in China secured 30% less than what they had raised over the same period a year ago, amounting to a total of $54.44 billion. 271 funds managed to raise, down 52%.
That money from limited partners is also flowing to a small rank of investors. 12 institutions accounted for 57% of all the capital landed by VCs and PEs in the period. Investment coffers that have gotten a big boost include the likes of TPG Capital, Warburg Pincus, DCG Capital, Legend Capital, and Source Code Capital.
Healthcare was the most backed sector during the six months, although proptech startups scored the biggest average deal size. Some of the highest funded companies from the period were artificial intelligence chip maker Horizon Robotics, shared housing upstart Danke and China’s Starbucks challenger Luckin.
Facebook will only build its own Calibra cryptocurrency wallet into Messenger and Whatsapp, and will refuse to embed competing wallets, the head of Calibra David Marcus told the Senate Banking Committee today. While some like Senator Brown blustered that “Facebook is dangerous!”, others surfaced poignant questions about Libra’s risks.
Calibra will be interoperable so users can send money back and forth with other wallets, and Marcus committed to data portability so users can switch entirely to a competitor. But solely embedding Facebook’s own wallet into its leading messaging apps could give the company a sizable advantage over banks, PayPal, Coinbase, or any other potential wallet developer.
Other highlights from the “Examining Facebook’s Proposed Digital Currency and Data Privacy Considerations” hearing included Marcus saying:
The US should “absolutely” lead the world in rule-making for cryptocurrencies
The Libra Association chose to be headquartered in Switzerland “not to evade any responsibilities of oversight” but since it’s where international financial groups like the Bank For International Settlements, though Calibra will be regulated by the US Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
“Yes” Libra will comply with all US regulations and not launch until the US lawmakers’ concerns have been answered
“You will not have to trust Facebook” because it’s only one of 28 current and potentially 100 or more Libra Association members and it won’t have special privileges
“Yes I would” accept his compensation from Facebook in the form of Libra as a show of trust in the currency
It is “not the intention at all” for Calibra to sell or directly monetize user data directly, though if it offered additional financial services in partnership with other financial organizations it would ask consent to use their data specifically for those purposes.
Facebook’s core revenue model around Libra is that more online commerce will lead businesses to spend more on Facebook ads
But Marcus also didn’t clearly answer some critical questions about Libra and Calibra.
Unanswered Questions
Chairman Crapo asked if Facebook would collect data about transactions made with Calibra that are made on Facebook, such as when users buy products from businesses they discover through Facebook. Marcus instead merely noted that Facebook would still let users pay with credit cards and other mediums as well as Calibra. That means that even though Facebook might not know how much money is in someone’s Calibra wallet or their other transactions, it might know how much the paid and for what if that transaction happens over their social networks.
Senator Tillis asked how much Facebook has invested in the formation of Libra. TechCrunch has also asked specifically how much Facebook has invested in the Libra Investment Token that will earn it a share of interest earned from the fiat currencies in the Libra Reserve. Marcus said Facebook and Calibra hadn’t determined exactly how much it would invest in the project. Marcus also didn’t clearly answer Senator Toomey’s question of why they Libra Association is considered a not-for-profit organization if it will pay out interest to members.
Senator Menendez asked if the Libra Association would freeze the assets if terrorist organizations were identified. Marcus said that Calibra and other custodial wallets that actually hold users’ Libra could do that, and that regulated off-ramps could block them from converting Libra into fiat. Buthis answer underscores that there may be no way for the Libra Association to stop transfers between terrorists’ non-custodial wallets, especially if local governments where those terrorists operate don’t step in.
Perhaps the most worrying moment of the hearing was when Senator Sinema brought up TechCrunch’s article citing that “The real risk of Libra is crooked developers”. There I wrote that Facebook’s VP of product Kevin Weil told me that ““There are no plans for the Libra Association to take a role in actively vetting [developers]”, which I believe leaves the door open to a crypto Cambridge Analytica situation where shady developers steal users money, not just their data.
Senator Sinema asked if an Arizonan was scammed out of their Libra by a Pakistani developer via a Thai exchange and a Spanish wallet, would that U.S. citizen be entitled to protection to recuperate their lost funds. Marcus responded that U.S. citizens would likely use American Libra wallets that are subject to protections and that the Libra Association will work to educate users on how to avoid scams. But Sinema stressed that if Libra is designed to assist the poor who are often less educated, they could be especially vulnerable to scammers.
The hearing is ongoing and we’ll continue to update this article with more highlights
Amazon Prime members again snapped up loss leaders like the Echo Dot and Fire TV Stick with Alexa Remote on the first day of Amazon Prime Day 2019, which has now been stretched out to a 48-hour sale. This is the third year in a row that the entry-level Alexa smart speaker, the Echo Dot, has been a Prime Day bestseller. The Fire TV Stick was a top seller last year, too, and sold well in years past — including in 2016, when it emerged at the overall best-selling device globally on Prime Day.
Amazon never provides hard numbers on Prime Day sales, but claims “millions” of these devices — the Echo Dot and Fire TV Stick combined — were sold on Monday to customers worldwide during the first day of Prime Day 2019.
Last year, Amazon claimed customers bought “millions” of Fire TV Stick devices alone, for comparison’s sake.
The retailer also said this morning that U.S. shoppers saved “millions” on Prime Day sales on Monday. This includes other bestsellers like the Instant Pot DUO Plus 60 6 Qt, LifeStraw Personal Water Filter, and Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitening Strips. The Instant Pot and LifeStraw filter were also two of the non-Amazon top sellers last Prime Day, which says something about the consistency of this sales event as it enters its fifth year.
Though Amazon didn’t officially list the Echo Dot in its round-up of July 15 Prime Day sales, the smart speaker had already been discounted to its then lowest price ever of $24.99 (half off list) before Prime Day even started. As the event kicked off, it dropped again to $22.
Today, Amazon is keeping the Echo Dot at $22 but is sold out of Charcoal, leaving only the lighter sandstone color available for purchase.
Other notable Day 2 Prime Day deals include:
A $49.99 Echo Show 5 (the smaller, more compact revamp of the Alexa speaker with a screen); savings of up to $140 on Fire TV Edition smart TVs; the $14.99 Fire TV Stick with Alexa Remote; a $59.99 Fire 7 Kids Edition tablet (or 2 for $99.98); and the $139 Ring Video Doorbell 2.
CBT aims to lessen or stop harmful behavior by changing the way people think, stopping them from falling into established patterns of negatively distorting their reality to justify or account for unhelpful habits.
“CBT has 40 years of research behind it,” says CEO and founder Evan Conrad. “I’ve had severe panic attacks my whole life and saw different therapists who tried what I now know is CBT. I assumed it was a pseudo science. It wasn’t until 10 months ago that I re-discovered CBT on my own and learned about its efficacy. It’s the gold standard.”
The app helps users practice one of the most common exercises in CBT: the triple-column technique.
Here’s how it works:
Users jump into the app whenever they have anxiety or a depressive thought to record it. They then identify any distortions that apply to that thought, such as Catastrophizing, Magnification of the Negative, Fortune Telling, or Over-Generalization, among others. From there, the user can challenge the thought with reasons why that thought might have been illogical to begin with. Finally, the user replaces the thought with something more reasonable.
For example, if I was worried about not getting a response to a text, I might believe (irrationally) that it has something to do with how that person feels about me, rather than the more obvious explanation: they’re just busy.
The hope of CBT is that identifying thought distortions, and manually replacing them with beliefs grounded in reality retrains the brain to experience the world in a realistic way and relieves patients from their depression and/or anxiety.
Conrad says that he went from having two anxiety attacks a week to two every six months.
The problem that Quirk is trying to solve is two-fold. First, people may not know the benefits or the empirical data supporting CBT. Secondly, the process of manually recording this on pen and paper can be more tedious and feel less private out in a public space.
Quirk’s attempt to solve these problems is to make CBT accessible to more people and to make the process of doing CBT slightly more private.
We asked Conrad about the potential negative affects of practicing CBT without the oversight of a mental health professional.
“As for self-administered CBT, we’ve run this by a number of therapists and all of them have said it’s generally a net-benefit,” Conrad said via email. “What would be harmful is if someone with a severe condition decided that they should use Quirk instead of seeing a therapist. But in practice we’ve seen the opposite effect. People who would have otherwise done nothing about their condition use Quirk as ‘first step’ towards therapy or will use Quirk when they would otherwise have no option (either because their isn’t a treatment in their country/area or because they can’t afford it).”
Dr. Daniel A. Fridberg, a practicing CBT psychiatrist from the University of Chicago, says that the triple-column technique is a great CBT exercise, but that it’s just part of the whole package of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. He also said that the only way to know if a product like this can do harm is through a study, but that CBT itself is an evidence-based psychotherapy and has been proven effective.
“CBT is an effective, time-limited, reasonably cost-effective psychotherapy for things like depression, anxiety, substance abuse, etc,” said Dr. Fridberg. “The problem is that finding a good CBT therapist who delivers evidence-based treatment isn’t always easy in smaller communities where there isn’t easy access to a research hub. In some respects, an app that is packaged in an attractive way, gets people’s attention and promotes CBT as effective is a good thing.”
Dr. Fridberg also stated that anyone suffering from an issue that’s disrupting their day-to-day functioning should seek professional help.
Conrad says that he hopes Quirk can be a jumping off point for folks suffering from anxiety and depression, with the app suggesting that those suffering seek professional help in conjunction with using the app. He also shared that Quirk hopes to be able to connect users to professionals in their area as soon as they have the scale to do so.
A security lapse at a hotel management startup has exposed hotel bookings and guests’ personal information.
The security lapse was resolved Monday after TechCrunch reached out to Aavgo, a hospitality tech company based in San Francisco, which secured a server it had left online without a password.
The server was open for three weeks — long enough for security researcher Daniel Brown to find the database.
He shared his findings exclusively with TechCrunch, then published them.
Aavgo bills itself as a way for hotels to organize their operations by using several connected apps — one for use by guests using tablets installed in their hotel rooms for entertainment, ordering room service and checking out, and another for staff to communicate with each other, file maintenance tickets and manage housekeeping.
Several large hotel chains, including Holiday Inn Express and Zenique Hotels, use Aavgo’s technology in their properties.
The database contained daily updating logs of the back-end computer system. Although most of the records were logs of computer commands critical to the running of the system, we found within personal booking data — including names, email addresses, phone numbers, room types, prices, the location of the hotel and the room and the dates and times of check-in and check-out.
There was no financial information in the database beyond the credit card issuer.
The database also contained room service orders, guest complaints, invoices and other sensitive information used for accessing the Aavgo system, the researcher said.
Many of the records were related to its corporate hotelier customers.
One of those customers included Guestline, a property management company for hoteliers, which used Aavgo in two hotels. Guestline facilities 6.3 million bookings a year.
When reached, Guestline’s data protection officer James Padkin said data protection is of “paramount importance” and the company has “ceased our very limited trial of the AavGo housekeeping app.”
After the company failed to respond to the researcher’s initial email, Aavgo shut down the database a few hours after TechCrunch made contact with its chief executive, Mrunal Desai.
“We had no data breach; however, we did find a vulnerability,” said Desai. He said data on 300 hotel rooms was exposed. Brown said based on his review of the data, however, that the number is likely higher. Desai added that the company has “already started informing our customers about this vulnerability.”
Midway during our correspondence, Desai copied the company’s outside counsel, a Texas-based law firm, which threatened “immediate legal action” ahead of publishing this report.
Aavgo becomes the latest hospitality company embroiled in a hotel-related security incident in recent years.
In 2017, hotel booking service Sabre confirmed a seven-months long data breach of its SynXis reservation system, affecting more than 36,000 hotels globally and millions of credit cards.
A year later, Marriott-owned Starwood admitted a breach that affected up to 383 million hotel guests around the world. Earlier this month U.K. authorities said they would fine the company $123 million for the breach under the new GDPR regime, which affected about 30 million customers in the European Union.
Updated to clarify that Guestline’s use of Aavgo was limited to two hotels and one of many technologies used.
Does your company have what it takes to be part of an elite cadre of early-stage startups and exhibit for free at Disrupt San Francisco 2019? There’s only one way to know for sure, but time is running out. Apply to be a TC Top Pick now — before the application window closes for good at 5:00 p.m. (PT) on July 19.
Why should you apply? For starters, it doesn’t cost anything, and all TC Top Picks receive a free Startup Alley Exhibition Package good for one full day of exhibiting in Startup Alley, the heart of every Disrupt. It’s the intersection of tech present and tech future — where more than 1,200 pre-Series A startups and sponsors exhibit their products, platforms and services. It’s a breeding ground of opportunity, and you never know who you might meet and where that connection might lead.
TechCrunch editors vet all applications and choose up to five startups in each of these (and only these) tech categories: AI/Machine Learning, Biotech/Healthtech, Blockchain, Fintech, Mobility, Privacy/Security, Retail/E-commerce, Robotics/IoT/Hardware, SaaS and Social Impact/Education.
TC Top Picks also receive three Founder passes and plenty of other perks, starting with the VIP treatment. You’ll exhibit in a dedicated space within Startup Alley, and we promote the Top Pick startups in our pre-conference marketing. Everyone wants to see who made the cut, including journalists covering the show and investors looking to add to their portfolios.
In a classic “but wait, there’s more” moment, a TechCrunch editor conducts a live interview with each Top Pick on the Showcase Stage in Startup Alley. We record the interviews for posterity and promote them across our social media platforms. That’s the kind of marketing tool that keeps on giving.
Take a page from DiaMonTech’s playbook. The company, the maker of a non-invasive glucose monitoring device, earned a Top Pick designation for Disrupt Berlin 2018. Markus Teuber, head of strategic partnerships, had this to say about the Top Pick experience.
“Exhibiting as a TC Top Pick helped us build credibility right away, and it still pays off during pitches as an anchor point for further discussion. The interview and media coverage helped us generate awareness for our groundbreaking approach, and it also helped us identify leads and build substantial cooperation agreements.”
Pro Tip: Every startup that exhibits in Startup Alley has a shot to win a Wild Card entry to Startup Battlefield. Yet another great reason to apply to be a TC Top Pick.
Disrupt San Francisco 2019 takes place October 2-4. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to place your startup in the Disrupt spotlight. Apply to be a TC Top Pick before the deadline clocks out precisely at 5:00 p.m. (PT) on July 19. Show us what you’ve got!
Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at Disrupt San Francisco 2019? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.
On July 15, the Bank of England revealed Alan Turing, a pioneer of computer science and artificial intelligence, will be the face of the new £50 note. One thing the announcement didn’t touch on, however, is that there’s a witty easter egg permanently embedded in the note’s design. The note, which will be printed on polymer, has a ticker tape showing a binary code: 1010111111110010110011000. You can see the the code to the left of Turing’s photo. While the number might seem random at first, it actually contains a piece of information about Turing’s life, as spotted by eagle-eyed Twitter users. When converted,…
Welcome to Hard Fork Basics, a collection of tips, tricks, guides, and info to keep you up to date in the cryptocurrency and blockchain world. Google ‘cryptocurrency’ and the likelihood is you’ll see ‘exit scam’ somewhere in the results. But, what are they, how do they work, and more importantly, how can you spot one? What’s an exit scam? Put simply, an exit scam is a fraudulent operation orchestrated by unethical cryptocurrency promoters who disappear with investors’ funds during or in the aftermath of an initial coin offering (ICO). To do so, the scammers typically launch a new cryptocurrency based…
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Embattled cryptocurrency exchange Bitpoint has revealed that roughly half of its 110,000 users were affected by last week’s $3.02 billion yen ($28 million) hack, reports The Mainchi. Speaking at a Tokyo press conference, Bitpoint president Genki Oda noted that of the 3.02 billion yen stolen, customers owned 2.06 billion yen ($19 million), while 960 million yen ($8.9 million) consisted of the company’s own holdings. According to Oda, customer losses represented 13 percent of the total amount of cryptocurrency users had kept on Bitpoint. He also pledged to repay victims (in cryptocurrency) once standard trade resumes. The theft, which included sums of Bitcoin, Bitcoin…
Bulgaria has suffered what has been described as the biggest data leak in its history. The stolen data, which hackers emailed to local media on July 15, originates from the country’s tax reporting service – the National Revenue Agency (NRA). The breach contains the personal data of 5 million citizens, local outlet Capital reports. To put that into perspective, Bulgaria has a population of 7 million. Among other things, the trove includes personal identifiable numbers, addresses, and even income data. “The authorities are investigating a potential security breach in the systems of the National Revenue Agency,” the Bulgarian NRA wrote…
You can be the answer to a hiring manager’s prayers (and get paid like a godsend as well) with the instruction in The A to Z Cyber Security and IT Certification Training Bundle. The package is available now at a huge savings off the regular price, only $39 from TNW Deals.
For the ongoing series, Code Word, we’re exploring if — and how — technology can protect individuals against sexual assault and harassment, and how it can help and support survivors. Hollywood has us believing that spyware technology is only used by secret-agent hackers who plant tracking devices in car wheels or in the soles of shoes. But in reality, “stalkerware” isn’t as high-tech or inaccessible as we’re led to believe. It’s harnessed to become a dangerous weapon that strips people of their privacy all too often — especially women in abusive relationships. Today, stalkerware technology, also known as “spouseware,” takes…
Google appears to have a problem with stopping malicious apps from sneaking into the Play Store. In what appears to yet another case of malware disguised as a legitimate app, security researchers from Symantec have found a new app that advertised itself as an unofficial version of Telegram messaging app — only to push malicious websites in the background. Named MobonoGram 2019, the app used open-source code of the legitimate Telegram app, but was injected with malware before it was published on the Google Play Store. The malicious code on the infected device was used to spread “Android.Fakeyouwon” malware, and loaded…
T-Mobile has a simple way to draw you into its stores: it's straight-up bribing you with free food. The carrier is partnering with Taco Bell on "T-MoBell" (yes, we know) pop-up stores at signature T-Mobile locations in Chicago, Los Angeles and New Y...
Ubisoft's game subscription service for PC and Stadia, Uplay+, will launch on September 3rd. When it was announced at E3 in June, we knew there would be more than 100 games included but we didn't know which ones. Thanks to today's update, now we do.
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Tesla may have broken its own records, manufacturing 72,531 Model 3 sedans in the three months that ended June 30th. But employees say in the push to ramp up Model 3 production, they were forced to cut corners and work in difficult, unsafe conditions...
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