Savvy Tech

FCC cracks the whip on 5G deployment against protests of local governments The FCC is pushing for speedy deployment of 5G networks nationwide with an order adopted today that streamlines what it perceives as a patchwork of obstacles, needless costs, and contradictory regulations at the state level. But local governments say the federal agency is taking things too far.

Inside Facebook Stories’ quest for originality amidst 300M users There’s a secret Facebook app called Blink. Built for employees only, it’s how the company tests out new video formats its hoping will become the next Boomerang or SuperZoom. They range from artsy Blur effects to a way even old Android phones can use Slo-Mo. One exciting format involves…

Google launches its group planning feature for Maps Earlier this year, Google announced its revamped Google Maps, which puts a stronger emphasis on discovery. Some of the features the company announced back then have already launched, including many of the promised discovery and exploration tools, but the one feature that was still missing was group....

See the new iPhone’s ‘focus pixels’ up close The new iPhones have excellent cameras, to be sure. But it's always good to verify Apple's breathless on-stage claims with first-hand reports. We have our own review of the phones and their photography systems, but teardowns provide the invaluable service of letting you see the biggest changes with....

The new era in mobile A stagnating mobile app industry eyes automobiles and a driverless future as the path to much needed diversification and exponential revenue growth.

MetroPCS is now Metro by T-Mobile It’s been five years since T-Mobile picked up MetroPCS, and now the prepaid service is finally getting a fresh coat of paint. The “PCS” bit is getting the old heave ho, while the brand’s owners are letting you know who’s boss with the new Metro by T-Mobile brand name. The new name involves...

You can play Alto’s Adventure on your Mac now Everyone’s favorite endless, serene snowboarding game just made the leap from mobile to the Mac App Store. Available now for $9.99, Alto’s Adventure for Mac is a desktop port of the side-scrolling snowscape game that’s won hearts and accolades since it first hit iOS in 2015. Earli…

Snapchat lets you take a photo of an object to buy it on Amazon See, snap, sale. In a rare partnership for Amazon, the commerce giant will help Snapchat challenge Instagram and Pinterest for social shopping supremacy. Today Snapchat announced it’s slowly rolling out a new visual product search feature, confirming TechCrunch’s July scoop about this p…

Salesforce partners with Apple to roll deeper into mobile enterprise markets Apple and Salesforce are both highly successful, iconic brands, who like to put on a big show when they make product announcements. Today, the two companies announced they were forming a strategic partnership with an emphasis on mobile strategy ahead of Salesforce’s enormous customer conferen…

Happy 10th anniversary, Android It’s been 10 years since Google took the wraps off the G1, the first Android phone. Since that time the OS has grown from buggy, nerdy iPhone alternative to arguably the most popular (or at least populous) computing platform in the world. But it sure as heck didn’t get there without hit…

Instagram denies it’s building Regramming. Here’s why it’d be a disaster Instagram tells me Regramming, or the ability to instantly repost someone else’s feed post to your followers like a retweet, is “not happening”, not being built, and not being tested. And that’s good news for all Instagrammers. The denial comes after it initially issued a & #…

Instagram may divide hashtags from captions to end overhashing Geofenced sharing, Quiz stickers, Stories Highlight stickers, and a separate interface for adding hashtags to posts are amongst a slew of new features Instagram has prototyped or is now testing. The last one could finally that’s infected many of Instagram’s …