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Javed, a middle-aged man, worked as a driver before losing that job earlier this year as coronavirus spread across India, prompting New Delhi to enforce a nationwide lockdown and temporarily curb several business activities. There are millions of people like Javed in India today who have lost their livelihood in recent months. They are low-skilled workers and are currently struggling to secure another job. An Apple alum thinks he can help. Through his app startup Apna , Nirmit Parikh is helping India’s workers learn new skills, connect with one another, and find jobs. Parikh’s app is already changing lives. Javed, who could barely speak a few words in English before, recently posted a video on Apna app where he talked about his new job — processing raisins — in English. In less than one year of its existence, Apna app — available on Android — has amassed over 1.2 million users. The startup announced on Tuesday it has raised $8 million in its Series A financing round led by Lights

Bloomberg : Sources: Apple is building ~75M 5G iPhones for later this year, along with two new Apple Watch versions, iPad Air with edge-to-edge screen, and smaller HomePod   —  - Headphones, new Watch models, iPad Air, smaller HomePod coming  — Supply chain, consumer interest hold up in pandemic, recession from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3jy3XJv

This one is unusual: Laird Superfood , a five-year-old, 100-person, Sisters, Ore.-based startup that was cofounded by famed surfer Laird Hamilton and which makes plant-based packaged beverage products, filed today to raise up to $40 million in an IPO. We’d reported on this company early last year in large part because it had attracted backing from WeWork, the co-working company that famously made a number of bets that were very afield from its business (including a maker of wave pools ) before suffering a major meltdown last fall. In fact, according to Crunchbase, WeWork Labs provided Laird Superfood with a whopping $32 million — the bulk of the $51 million it has raised altogether, per Crunchbase. (WeWork founder Adam Neumann has said that he surfed with Hamilton in Hawaii.) At that time, WeWork’s investment was the strangest thing about the business, a largely direct-to-consumer business that makes “superfood” coffee creamers, beverage supplements like “performance mushroom

Walmart today officially unveiled its new membership service and Amazon Prime rival, which it’s calling “Walmart+.” The $98 per year service will combine free, unlimited same-day delivery on groceries and thousands of other items, with additional benefits, like fuel discounts and access to a new Scan & Go service, similar to Walmart-owned Sam’s Club, that will allow members to check out at Walmart stores without having to wait in line. The service will be available starting on September 15, 2020 nationwide, reaching over 4,700 Walmart stores, including 2,700 stores that offer delivery. Members can choose to pay the $98 per year after a 15-day free-trial period, or they can pay $12.95 on a month-to-month basis. At launch, the new program promises more than 160,000 items for same-day delivery with no per-delivery fee on orders totaling $35 or more. This is the same value proposition that Walmart’s existing “Delivery Unlimited” program offers today. With the launch of Walmart+, “D

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch : Walmart unveils its new membership service Walmart+, launching Sept. 15 for $98 per year, will offer free, unlimited same-day delivery, fuel discounts, and more   —  Walmart today officially unveiled its new membership service and Amazon Prime rival, which it's calling “Walmart+.” from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2QL1Fdq

Thomas Macaulay / The Next Web : Stanford launches Cable TV News Analyzer, a free AI-powered online service for querying the screen time of public figures or specific topics on cable TV news   —  A new AI-powered tool can show you how much screen time different public figures and topics are getting on TV. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3lDFTqz

Allison Schiff / AdExchanger : Google quietly updates its AdMob Help Center with iOS 14 information, says it will use Apple's ATT API for triggering the IDFA opt-in notice   —  Like all companies invested in the mobile ecosystem, Google is getting ready for iOS 14.  But the company is playing its cards close to the vest. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3biFqVN

Katy Stech Ferek / Wall Street Journal : US hotel operator MCR Development to buy StayNTouch, a cloud platform for hotels, for $46M, after Trump said StayNTouch's Chinese owners threaten US security   —  MCR Development's planned acquisition comes after Trump said ownership of StayNTouch by Beijing Shiji Information Technology threatens U.S. security from Techmeme https://ift.tt/34OP5Cf

Kirsten Korosec / TechCrunch : Reinvent Technology Partners, a new SPAC formed by Reid Hoffman, Zynga founder Mark Pincus and hedge fund manager Michael Thompson, have filed for a $600M IPO   —  Reinvent Technology Partners, a new special purpose acquisition company formed by famed investor and serial entrepreneur Reid Hoffman … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/34QjU9S

  Much was made during the Republican Convention of the lack of a party platform. The media characterized this as a capitulation to the Cult of Trump phenomenon, but the questioned begged was: so what? If you’re running as a candidate to disrupt the status quo…. But beneath the media framing, an important question emerges. What exactly is the platform we need to emerge from the toxic situation we find ourselves in? For months, if not years, the technology industry has been working on a new platform to succeed the previous one. Mobile would seem to be that fundamental shift from the desktop world of Windows and PCs. The twin dominance of powerful phones by Google and Apple has created a new language of notifications and streaming video perfectly timed for the devastating pandemic. Our devices are now the front lines for managing the struggle to stay alive for our loved ones, the economy, and our future. Zoom is of course the poster child for all that it enables, and certainly what

New York Times : Facebook warns it will block Australian users and news organizations from sharing news stories on Facebook and Instagram if the ACCC's proposal passes   —  The move, a response to pressure to pay publishers when their stories are posted on the social network, could add to internet silos springing up around the world. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3lCzPOQ

Monica Chin / The Verge : Lenovo announces a new flagship laptop line, the Yoga 9: convertible 14" and 15" Yoga 9i starts at $1,399, while non-convertible Yoga Slim 9i starts at $1,599   —  A slim device with a leather cover  —  Lenovo has announced a new flagship consumer laptop line, the Yoga 9 series. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2DcsFzs

Jules Wang / Android Police : Lenovo unveils two new tablets: $130 Smart Tab M10, shipping in October, and $499 Tab P11 Pro, shipping in November, both with Android 10   —  Android tablets might have long become passé, but there are people out there that want them.  Some of those people might not even want to turn … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2Ey7R6s

Monica Chin / The Verge : Google launches Kids Space, a mode for Android tablets with kid-friendly features and content as well as parental controls, coming first to Lenovo's new tablets   —  It's coming to Lenovo tablets first  —  Google has announced Kids Space, a new mode for Android tablets that includes kid-friendly features … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/31ICY7R

Bloomberg : Tech IPOs could raise $57B+ this year, the highest since 1999, as Ant Group aims to raise $30B+ in its October IPO in Hong Kong and Shanghai   —  - Ant's $30 billion gambit caps an unusual year for tech debuts  — Investors are piling into tech despite global uncertainty from Techmeme https://ift.tt/32KJJoW