Apple Music's latest feature lets artists create dedicated playlists for concerts and tours

Apple Music introduced a new feature for artists on Thursday to enable them to create playlists tied to their recent concert set lists.  Dubbed “Set List,” the feature acts as a promotional tool for musicians to engage with their fans. It allows artists to turn their set list from a single sh

Google’s NotebookLM now lets you guide AI-generated audio conversations, launches business pilot

Google Thursday updated the audio summarization feature of its AI note-taking and research assistant NotebookLM, which recently gained significant attention for its podcast-like audio conversations based on the content users share, with the ability to guide those conversations and focus on specific

With $11.9 million in funding, Dottxt tells AI models how to answer

As we’ve reported before, enterprise CIOs are taking generative AI slow. One reason for that is AI doesn’t fit into existing software engineering workflows, because it literally doesn’t speak the same language. For instance, LLMs (aka large language models) require a lot of cajoli

Subscription management firm Zuora agrees to be acquired for $1.7B

Zuora, a company selling software to help businesses manage their subscription-based services, has agreed to be acquired by private equity firms GIC and Silver Lake for $1.7 billion. The all-cash deal is expected to close in Q1 2025, subject to approvals and customary closing conditions. It’

Hackers are extorting Globe Life with stolen customer data

Insurance giant Globe Life, which provides life and health insurance policies to millions of Americans, says it is being extorted by a hacker that has stolen customers' sensitive data. In a regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday, the Texas-based conglom

Apple says support for redeeming rewards with more partners is coming to Apple Pay

On Thursday, Apple celebrated 10 years with Apple Pay and announced how the service will evolve in the future, including features like redeeming rewards and expanding installment loan options. In addition to Apple Pay’s newly added support for loan options from Affirm in the U.S., and Monzo F

UK digital ‘end-of-life’ services startup Farewill acquired for $16.8M

Farewill, a U.K.-based end-of-life services provider that offers online tools for writing wills, organizing probate, and arranging cremation, has been acquired by funeral service provider Dignity in an all-shares deal valuing the startup at £12.9 million ($16.8 million). The deal is a classic cas

From Elon Musk to cop car chases, how a software engineer launched a police AI startup

Earlier this year, Abel founder Daniel Francis was in a car going 135 miles per hour down a highway in Oakland, California. The driver, a police officer, had a gun in his lap.   Francis has made a habit of riding shotgun with policemen in the name of research for his company, which creates AI to

Hyperspectral imagery startup Wyvern looks to raise US presence with $6M raise

Canadian remote sensing startup Wyvern is expanding south of the border.  The Alberta-based company, which collects what it says is the highest-resolution hyperspectral imagery on the market, has raised $6 million to, among other things, expand into U.S. commercial and defense markets. 

Eclipse opens an NYC office with plans to bolster its presence on the East Coast

After nearly a decade, industrials-focused VC Eclipse expanded out of Silicon Valley. The firm opened its second office in New York’s Soho neighborhood, with plans to invest more on the East Coast. Eclipse backs startups in sectors including manufacturing, supply chain, healthcare, and infra

Can AI make us feel less alone? The founder of Manifest thinks so

Amy Wu, founder of the AI-based mental health app Manifest, has a bold prediction for the next wave of tech. “Separately from the AI trend, I think so many people are seeing this loneliness epidemic that's happening with Gen Z,” she said. “There is no doubt in my mind that there will be

Permira completes Squarespace acquisition after upping bid to $7.2B

Website builder Squarespace is no longer a publicly traded company, after private equity firm Permira procured all remaining common stock in the firm. Permira first revealed plans to acquire Squarespace back in May, offering shareholders in the NYSE-traded company $44 per share — this equate

Elon Musk’s X boosts DSA info for EU users as bloc’s probe of its complaint handling continues

An incoming privacy policy update to Elon Musk-owned X (formerly Twitter) will see the company making it clearer to users in the European Union that they have the right to appeal decisions under the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), such as account bans, content takedowns and shadowbanning

Casio says ‘no prospect of recovery yet’ after ransomware attack 

Japanese electronics giant Casio has confirmed that many of its systems remain unusable almost two weeks after it was hit by a ransomware attack.  Casio spokesperson Ayuko Hara told technewss on Thursday that the company sees “no prospect of recovery yet” as it struggles to bounce back f