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Read more…More about Apple, Iphone, Mashable Reels, Sn Reels, and Tech
Source: Mashable | Are You an Apple Expert? Test Your Knowledge
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The time has finally come for Facebook to start making money off WhatsApp.
The messaging app will expand its business-focused service in a major way, WhatsApp announced Wednesday.
Since last year, WhatsApp has been testing WhatsApp Business, which lets companies message customers with things like boarding passes, shipping information, and responses to customer service inquiries. But the service is now expanding with a dedicated API for larger companies to start using the tools.
This should make it easier for larger organizations to take advantage of WhatsApp. Companies will now be able send customized notifications to people and run News Feed ads that redirect to WhatsApp chats. Read more…
More about Tech, Facebook, Whatsapp, Social Media Companies, and Tech
Source: Mashable | Facebook is ready to start making serious money off WhatsApp
Tech News
To learn to juggle, this AI-powered hand had to accumulate 100 years’ worth of experience
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OpenAI, an Elon Musk–backed AI research company, developed a robot hand that is able to teach itself how to manipulate objects with a human-like dexterity. Read more…
More about Mashable Video, Artificial Intelligence, Elon Musk, Ai, and Robotics
Source: Mashable | To learn to juggle, this AI-powered hand had to accumulate 100 years’ worth of experience
Tech News
Airbnb offers to renovate a room in the Riverrun Castle from 'Game of Thrones'
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If you have enough money to purchase the castle of your dreams, or any castle really, you probably don’t need to Airbnb your home. But, Airbnb is here to let you know that it’s still very much an option.
It was announced Tuesday that the Riverrun castle that appeared on Game of Thrones — known in real life as the Gosford Castle in Northern Ireland — is currently up for sale. Now, the popular home sharing site Airbnb has offered whoever ends up buying the castle a Game of Thrones room renovation, if they plan on Airbnbing it.
“Whoever has enough Lannister gold to buy this castle, let us know,” Airbnb tweeted Wednesday. “We’ll help you renovate a room to look like Riverrun if you’d like to list it on Airbnb.” Read more…
More about Airbnb, Game Of Thrones, Castle, Culture, and Web Culture
Source: Mashable | Airbnb offers to renovate a room in the Riverrun Castle from 'Game of Thrones'
On-demand delivery is painfully difficult. The margins are usually razor thin, each market is wildly different, and the business can be largely dependent on retailers’ willingness to jump into the digital age.
But DoorDash, which launched in 2013 out of Y Combinator, has been a dominant force in the space.
That’s why we’re absolutely thrilled to have DoorDash CEO Tony Xu join us at Disrupt SF in September.
In the five years since it’s launched, DoorDash has expanded to hundreds of markets in the U.S. The company, which offers delivery services for restaurants, liquor stores, and even gadget retailers like b8ta, has also penned partnerships with big retailers like Walmart for grocery delivery.
In fact, DoorDash has raised more than $700 million and has achieved unicorn status in its relatively short life.
Much of that success can be attributed to founder and CEO Tony Xu. The son of immigrants, Xu worked in his parents’ restaurant before heading off to Stanford. He then worked at McKinsey, eBay, and Square before bringing his knowledge and experience into the entrepreneurial realm.
This isn’t the first time we’ve hung out with Xu on the Disrupt stage. In 2016, Xu’s biggest focus was balance.
“Hardest part is keeping everything in balance,” he said. “There’s a couple dimensions to this: how do you invest the company’s capital effectively; how do you best serve the marketplace of three audiences, consumers/merchants/dashers; and how do you keep that in check. If you have too many of one, it’s a challenge, and we have the unique challenge where we have to solve product market fit across three audiences.”
While that challenge will always be a factor in DoorDash’s business, we’re particularly interested to hear about the company’s move into the evolving world of grocery delivery. There is plenty to discuss with Xu, and we hope you will join us at the conference, which runs September 5 to September 7.
The full agenda is here. Passes for the show are available at the Early Bird rate until midnight tonight here.
Source: Tech Crunch Startups | DoorDash CEO Tony Xu to deliver startup lessons at Disrupt SF
Tech News
Facebook's ’Time Management' tool shows it hasn’t stopped treating users like psychological guinea pigs
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Facebook is evolving to tackle problems the company itself unwittingly enabled, like election meddling and screen addiction. But the fast-paced nature of Silicon Valley is ultimately holding it back from true accountability.
On Wednesday, Facebook launched “Time Management,” or what are essentially tools that allow users to see how much time they’re spending in the app, mute notifications, and to set a notification to limit how much they use the app.
Time Management is part of Facebook’s overarching goal to improve “wellbeing” on Facebook. Or, to make people enjoy the time they spend on Facebook again, and reverse users’ perception of it as an addictive, time-sucking venue for spam and endless flame wars. Read more…
More about Facebook, Instagram, Social Media, Addiction, and Tech
Source: Mashable | Facebook's ’Time Management' tool shows it hasn’t stopped treating users like psychological guinea pigs
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Jennifer Aniston is a creeper. Her words, not mine.
InStyle has a delightful new profile of her, and the piece, written by Molly McNearney (Jimmy Kimmel’s wife and co-head writer), tackles a myriad of topics. They touch on the constant tornado of rumors that surround her personal life (no, she’s not heartbroken) and the #TimesUp and #MeToo movements (yes, she’s experienced sexism in the industry).
But one of the most revealing tidbits is her discussion of social media platforms like Instagram — and how despite her negative feelings, she still finds ways to lurk like the rest of us.
SEE ALSO: ‘Friends’ co-creator has an air-tight reason why the reunion is ‘never’ happening Read more…
More about Instagram, Jennifer Aniston, Culture, Web Culture, and Celebrities
Source: Mashable | Jennifer Aniston admits she's secretly lurking on Instagram
World News
Nationals designate Shawn Kelley for assignment, cite 'disrespect' after his glove slam
August 1, 2018
Source: Google News | Nationals designate Shawn Kelley for assignment, cite 'disrespect' after his glove slam
Today WhatsApp launches its first revenue-generating enterprise product and the only way it currently makes money directly from its app. The WhatsApp Business API is launching to let businesses respond to messages from users for free for up to 24 hours, but will charge them a fixed rate by country per message sent after that.
Businesses will still only be able to message people who contacted them first, but the API will help them programatically send shipping confirmations, appointment reminders or event tickets. Clients also can use it to manually respond to customer service inquiries through their own tool or apps like Zendesk, MessageBird or Twilio. And small businesses that are one of the 3 million users of the WhatsApp For Business app can still use it to send late replies one-by-one for free.
After getting acquired by Facebook for $19 billion in 2014, it’s finally time for the 1.5 billion-user WhatsApp to pull its weight and contribute some revenue. If Facebook can pitch the WhatsApp Business API as a cheaper alternative to customer service call centers, the convenience of asynchronous chat could compel users to message companies instead of phoning.
Only charging for slow replies after 24 hours since a user’s last message is a genius way to create a growth feedback loop. If users get quick answers via WhatsApp, they’ll prefer it to other channels. Once businesses and their customers get addicted to it, WhatsApp could eventually charge for all replies or any that exceed a volume threshold, or cut down the free window. Meanwhile, businesses might be too optimistic about their response times and end up paying more often than they expect, especially when messages come in on weekends or holidays.
WhatsApp first announced it would eventually charge for enterprise service last September when it launched its free WhatsApp For Business app that now has 3 million users and remains free for all replies, even late ones.
Importantly, WhatsApp stresses that all messaging between users and businesses, even through the API, will be end-to-end encrypted. That contrasts with The Washington Post’s report that Facebook pushing to weaken encryption for WhatsApp For Business messages is partly what drove former CEO Jan Koum to quit WhatsApp and Facebook’s board in April. His co-founder, Brian Acton, had ditched Facebook back in September and donated $50 million to the foundation of encrypted messaging app Signal.
Today WhatsApp is also formally launching its new display ads product worldwide. But don’t worry, they won’t be crammed into your chat inbox like with Facebook Messenger. Instead, businesses will be able to buy ads on Facebook’s News Feed that launch WhatsApp conversations with them… thereby allowing them to use the new Business API to reply. TechCrunch scooped that this was coming last September, when code in Facebook’s ad manager revealed the click-to-WhatsApp ads option and the company confirmed the ads were in testing. Facebook launched similar click-to-Messenger ads back in 2015.
Finally, WhatsApp also tells TechCrunch it’s planning to run ads in its 450 million daily user Snapchat Stories clone called Status. “WhatsApp does not currently run ads in Status though this represents a future goal for us, starting in 2019. We will move slowly and carefully and provide more details before we place any Ads in Status,” a spokesperson told us. Given WhatsApp Status is more than twice the size of Snapchat, it could earn a ton on ads between Stories, especially if it’s willing to make some unskippable.
Together, the ads and API will replace the $1 per year subscription fee WhatsApp used to charge in some countries but dropped in 2016. With Facebook’s own revenue decelerating, triggering a 20 percent, $120 billion market cap drop in its share price, it needs to show it has new ways to make money — now more than ever.
Source: Tech Crunch Mobiles | WhatsApp finally earns money by charging businesses for slow replies
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If there’s one brand that could give Kyle Jenner a run for her Kylie Cosmetics money, it’d be the Olive Garden. (Have you seen the highlight on those breadsticks?)
On Tuesday, the suburban purveyor of mediocre Italian food and legendary breadsticks appeared to take a small step into the world of makeup and the results were kind of hilarious.
The company tweeted a photo of a makeup palette and a set of brushes, asking fans for their thoughts on an Olive Garden-branded makeup product.
The palette pictured includes “Breadstick Bronzer” and “Marinara Rouge” blush, plus highlighters and eyeshadows with names like “Lasagna Lush,” “Royal Ravioli,” and “Spaghetti Sparkle.” Yum. Read more…
More about Makeup, Olive Garden, Culture, and Web Culture
Source: Mashable | We desperately wish this Olive Garden makeup palette was real