Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Welcome to TC PM! Today we are looking at a new FTC rule that will make it easier to cancel subscriptions; we learn about the latest company making a nuclear energy deal; and we finally get a positive Fisker update. Let's go!

TechCrunch Top 3

Image Credits: Bryce Durbin / TechCrunch

Thank you, FTC: The Federal Trade Commission announced a "click to cancel" rule today that will require companies to make it as easy to cancel subscriptions to their services as it is to sign up. This is very welcome news. Read more

Going nuclear: Amazon is the latest company looking to tap nuclear energy sources as companies scramble for power amid the rise of AI. Amazon announced three energy deals today. Google and Microsoft have also announced deals. Read more

Good Fisker news? Today, Fisker's bankruptcy plan was accepted by its bankruptcy court. This news clears up a lot of loose ends for the company regarding the sale of its remaining inventory and who will pay for its vehicles' recall repairs. Read more

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Afternoon must-reads

Image Credits: Paladin

Drones to the rescue: Paladin was started to help public safety departments better respond to 911 calls using drones. The company is growing rapidly and has since been able to help assist Asheville's police department during Hurricane Helene. Read more

Kindle's Wizard of Oz moment: Amazon is refreshing its Kindle line and releasing a new model, the Kindle Colorsoft. Getting color into an e-reader has been a heavily requested feature but has proven to be tough to get right. Read more

Mistral goes mobile: French AI startup Mistral has released new AI models that are designed to be used on "edge devices" like phones and laptops. These models can generate basic text and can work in conjunction with larger models. Read more

Smart robots: Yesterday Boston Dynamics and the Toyota Research Institute (TRI) announced they were pairing up to bring the work TRI has done with large behavior models to Boston Dynamics' electric Atlas humanoid robot. Read more

Social snacking: Spanish food delivery startup Glovo is experimenting with adding social features to its platform that would allow users to find and connect with friends on the app. Why does every app think it needs features like this? Read more

Low to high: Google announced today that it is adding a new tab to Google Flights that will show the cheapest options. As someone who once joked that I'd fly Spirit Airlines to India if I could, this is very welcome news. Read more

Beefing up business features: Apple announced that it is expanding its Apple Business Connect tools, which allow businesses to control how they appear on products like Apple Maps and Siri. Now companies can integrate with other Apple products as well. Read more

Around the web 🌐

Far out fashion: Spacesuits are not exactly fashion-forward — until now? Prada teamed up with Axiom Space to design their new spacesuit, which really looks like any other spacesuit I've seen but luxury. Read more

More chip blocks: Earlier this week we learned that the U.S. may curb exports of chips, and today we learned that lawmakers are pressing the Biden administration to block Huawei from buying American chipmaking gear. Read more