Author: Akin Naphtal

DuckDuckGo, the privacy-focused search engine, has joined Microsoft and Google in launching an AI-powered summarisation feature. The feature, called DuckAssist, uses natural language technology from OpenAI and Anthropic, combined with active indexing of reference sites, such as Wikipedia and the Encyclopedia Britannia, to source answers to straightforward search queries. At present, the majority of the sources are drawn from Wikipedia, but the company is “experimenting with how incorporating other sources could work and when to use them”, according to founder Gabe Weinberg. The new feature is currently only available on the company’s apps and browser extensions, but will be rolled…

Humane, a startup founded by ex-Apple design and engineering team members Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, has raised $100 million in a Series C funding round led by Kindred Ventures. The funding round also saw participation from SK Networks, LG Technology Ventures, Microsoft, Volvo Cars Tech Fund, Tiger Global, Qualcomm Ventures and OpenAI CEO and co-founder Sam Altman, among others. Humane is building an “integrated device and cloud services platform” for AI and has so far raised $230 million from existing and previous investors, including Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. The company’s workforce has grown to 200 employees, with Humane promising…

Houseware, a Singapore- and California-based startup, has emerged from stealth with $2.2 million in funding led by Tanglin Ventures Partners, with participation from GTMfund, Better Capital and angel investors from prominent SaaS companies. Houseware’s platform allows startups to use data to improve product development, identify hidden market opportunities and complete work with fewer false steps, enabling them to compete in the growing SaaS market. The company offers an easy-to-use, no-code interface for operations and revenue teams, making it simpler for SaaS companies to use data more efficiently in their day-to-day use cases across businesses. Houseware was founded in 2021 by…

Netflix has announced an update that will allow TV users to customize the size and style of subtitles and closed captions. This new feature will be rolled out globally by the end of today, giving subscribers the option to choose from three different sizes and four styles/colors, including white text, drop shadow, light and contrast. Previously, Netflix members were only able to access these options via the web, making this update a welcome addition for TV users. This is particularly important given that streaming on large screens, such as connected TVs, smart TVs and gaming consoles, accounted for 77% of…

Noorvia, a leading distributor of audio-visual and collaboration technology in the Middle East and North Africa, has signed an agreement with Neat, a company that designs video devices for virtual meetings. The agreement grants Noorvia the right to deliver Neat’s solutions in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Egypt. Neat devices are designed to create an immersive virtual meeting experience that closely resembles an in-person meeting. With crystal-clear audio and video, these devices support an enhanced, engaging and safer hybrid working and learning environment across any meeting space. READ ALSO:TikTok blocks links to app stores in creators’ bios, affecting CPI…

TikTok has recently made a change to its platform that will have a significant impact on creators’ ability to redirect traffic to app stores. The popular video-sharing app is now blocking links to app stores in creators’ bios, including third-party link-in-bio solutions like Linktree. The change was first noticed by Sendit’s co-founder David Tesler, who tested the functionality across a range of accounts and found that the links no longer worked to redirect clicks to the App Store. A TikTok spokesperson confirmed that personal creator accounts will no longer be able to link to app store pages, but they will…

The UAE Cybersecurity Council and GISEC Global 2023, the largest cybersecurity event in the Middle East, have released a special position paper urging global CISOs and cybersecurity professionals to adopt a proactive approach to cybersecurity. Titled “A GISEC-first Strategy: Attack is the best form of Defence”, the paper co-authored by H.E. Dr Mohamed Hamad Al-Kuwaiti, Head of Cyber Security, UAE Government and Dr Aloysius Cheang, Chief Security Officer, Huawei Middle East & Central Asia, warns that cybercrime is highly financially rewarding and that businesses cannot afford to assume that they won’t be the targets of cyberattacks. The paper calls for…

Wattpad, a storytelling platform, has announced layoffs of 42 employees, which amounts to 15% of its workforce. The company has stated that the economic environment has resulted in cost-cutting measures that have impacted all of its divisions. The departing employees will receive at least 12 weeks of severance pay and six months of continued benefits. They will also be allowed to keep office-allocated devices, such as laptops. READ ALSO:VMware Cloud on AWS now available in Bahrain, supporting the country’s digitalisation plans and economic diversification goals Lyft partners with Ericsson and Deutsche Telekom to provide reliable connectivity for its growing micromobility…

VMware has expanded its cloud services to Bahrain, with the launch of VMware Cloud on AWS in the AWS Middle East (Bahrain) region in February. The service provides customers in Bahrain with optimised access to AWS services and enables them to move their workloads across VMware cloud environments. This will support organisations in Bahrain with their digitalisation plans and improve their ability to innovate. The service utilises VMware’s Software-Defined Data Center software on AWS bare metal infrastructure, which enables the secure and scalable running of enterprise workloads on virtual machines and containers. It also includes built-in Kubernetes and access to…

Ride-hailing company Lyft has partnered with Ericsson and Deutsche Telekom to manage connectivity for tens of thousands of its e-bikes and scooters. By utilising the Ericsson IoT Accelerator platform, Lyft can ensure reliable and secure global connectivity, allowing for real-time data transmission for efficient fleet management and reducing theft and loss. By mid-2023, the company aims to have over 20,000 connected micromobility vehicles through the collaboration. According to Ericsson’s Micromobility report, the shared bikes and scooters market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 16% between 2019 and 2027. Reliable and well-managed cellular connectivity is key…