Brian Heater
TechCrunch
New York, United States
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Recent articles by Brian:
Gift Guide: Gifts for the promising podcaster –
Spotify reportedly spent nearly $500 million on podcasts in 2019. The good news is that the rest of us can get into that world for considerably less. In fact, the low barrier of entry has always been one of podcasting’s primary selling points. Before we go any further, I’d recommend everyone check out our on-going series “How I Podcast,” in which top podcasters give a peek behind the curtain at… → Read More
Future iPhones could drop charging ports altogether –
Here’s a little early Christmas present for you. Apple analyst extraordinaire Ming-Chi Kuo is out with his latest Apple opus. Per usual, it’s got a lot of fascinating nuggets, this time projecting as far as 2021 in its look at iPhones to come. Let’s skip right to that bit, shall we? It seems that 2021 […] → Read More
What we know about Qualcomm’s next-gen Snapdragon 865 and 765 chips –
Qualcomm’s holding its big annual get-together this week in Hawaii, portioning off Snapdragon news, piece by piece. Yesterday’s event was the big unveiling of the Snapdragon 865 and 765, the chips that will power most of next year’s premium and mid-tier handsets, respectively. Today, the components came into sharper focus. Expect more from both tomorrow, […] → Read More
Nintendo’s Switch just had its best sales week in the US –
Nintendo today noted that the Switch just had its best-ever week of sales week in the States. Over the course of Thanksgiving week, the three-year-old console moved more than 830,000 units. That brings the system up to a combine 17.5 million units in the U.S., by Nintendo’s count. It’s pretty impressive momentum for a mature […] → Read More
Verizon and AWS announce 5G Edge computing partnership –
Just as Qualcomm was starting to highlight its 5G plans for the coming years, Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg hit the stage at AWS re:Invent to discuss the carrier’s team up with the cloud computing giant. As part of Verizon’s (TechCrunch’s parent company, disclosure, disclosure, disclosure) upcoming focus on 5G edge computing, the carrier will be […] → Read More
Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon 865 and 765 platforms –
This morning at its annual Snapdragon summit in Hawaii, Qualcomm offered a glimpse at two new Snapdragon chips. You know how this works: the chipmaker offers some insight into the components that will power the vast majority of Android flagships over the course of the coming year. The two headliners for the even are the […] → Read More
T-Mobile opens pre-orders on two 5G phones as low-band network goes live –
The 5G question has long been carts and horses. The next-generation wireless network has always been an inevitability, of course, but the rollout has always felt a bit piecemeal. T-Mobile, to its credit, is looking to flip the switch all at once (kind of), launching a “nationwide” deployment of 5G to a coverage area it […] → Read More
Alexa is about to be very disappointed –
A general lack of judgement has always been one of the strongest appeals of smart assistants. Whatever bad pop song or terrible online video you play for the 10,000th time — they don’t care. They’re simply there to help, judgement free. Amazon, however, has been working on some features behind the scenes to help make […] → Read More
Twitter will free up handles by deleting inactive accounts –
Those who’ve attempted to snag their preferred Twitter handle know what a pain the process can be. Users can squat on an account for years, holding onto handles in spite of long stretches of inactivity. As spotted by a BBC reporter, Twitter looks to finally be getting proactive about the situation. The service confirmed the […] → Read More
Gift Guide: 10 suitcase-friendly gifts for frequent flyers –
Once again, TechCrunch has asked me to put together a list of travel-friendly gadgets, and once again, I find myself between back-to-back international flights. If nothing else, all of the travel for this gig has made me much better at figuring out what to pack and what to leave behind. → Read More
New smartphone figures highlight continued struggles to grow market –
In some corners, the smartphone market is showing its first signs of life in some time. Recent figures from Canalys indicate a small but notable uptick in the European market as shipments grew 3%, year-over-year in Q3. The analyst firm put global growth at 1% globally in another recent report. Generally, such numbers wouldn’t warrant […] → Read More
The ACLU wants details about videos of Boston Dynamics robot in police exercises –
Back in April at our robotics event at UC Berkeley, Boston Dynamics head Marc Raibert showed off video of the company’s Spot robot in a number of different real world scenarios. Some, like construction and first responders, were familiar to anyone who has been following the company — and automation in general. Another scenario, which […] → Read More
European smartphone shipments grew in Q3, driven by Samsung –
Europe bucked global smartphone stagnation in the third quarter, marking an 8% year over year growth in device shipments. That number, provided by Canalys, puts the region at the top of smartphone growth figures, beating out Asia/Pacific’s six percent. Once again, Samsung was the biggest winner here. The Korean manufacturer saw a healthy 26%, year […] → Read More
Remrise raises $8.2M to deliver tailored, plant-based sleep solutions –
Sleep is big business. Casper, Leesa and a dozen other mattress companies have driven the point home in recent years. It’s something we all want, but none of us are getting enough of. In 2017, sleep aids generated $69.5 billion, globally. By 2023, that number is expected to blow past $101 billion. Remrise is the […] → Read More
Motorola throws back to the future with a foldable Razr reboot –
The rebirth of the Razr has been rumored for several months now. And honestly, such a product is a bit of a no-brainer. The Lenovo-owned company is embracing the burgeoning (if sputtering) world of foldables with the return of one of its most iconic models. While it’s true that Motorola’s kept the Razr name alive […] → Read More
Echo Studio is Amazon’s lower-cost answer to the HomePod –
Amazon’s kickstarted the smart speaker market with the original Echo, way back in late-2014. Like many of the company’s hardware offerings, it was very much a utilitarian device. The first Echo was smart first and speaker a distant second. Echo’s how slowly gotten better in the sound department over time, but the arrival Apple’s HomePod […] → Read More
Can a combined Google/Fitbit take on the Apple Watch? –
In January 2014, Google announced plans to acquire Nest for $3.2 billion; the acquisition was completed the following day, but since then, Nest’s integration has been a controlled burn. Initially, the company existed as a subsidiary of the newly-formed Alphabet Inc., but in early 2018, Google tightened its grip and integrated it directly into its […] → Read More
Google is acquiring Fitbit –
The rumors are true. A week after word surfaced that Google planned to buy Fitbit, the companies have confirmed the purchase. The match could ultimately prove beneficial for both parties. Google has struggled to make much of a dent in the wearables category, leading the software giant to purchase a large chunk of IP from […] → Read More
How I Podcast: I’m Listening’s Anita Flores –
The beauty of podcasting is that anyone can do it. It’s a rare medium that’s nearly as easy to make as it is to consume. And as such, no two people do it exactly the same way. There are a wealth of hardware and software solutions open to potential podcasters, so setups run the gamut […] → Read More
For the first time in two years, the smartphone market shows signs of life –
All is not lost for smartphone manufacturers. On the heels of two years’ of global stagnation, the category is finally showing some signs of life. Much of the bounce back comes as manufacturers are working to correct for dulled consumer interest. I wouldn’t put too much weight in the numbers right now, as they’re little […] → Read More