This Week in Apps: TikTok viral hit breaks Spotify records, inauguration boosts news app installs, judge rules against Parler

Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy. The app industry is as hot as ever, with   218 billion downloads and $143 billion in global consumer spend in 2020. Consumers last year also   3.5 trillion minutes using apps on Android devices alone. And in the U.S., app usage surged ahead of the time spent watching live TV. Currently, the average American watches 3.7 hours of live TV per day...
Tags: Iphone, Apple, Google, Amazon, Android, Food, Mobile, Facebook, Apps, Asia, South Korea, Twitter, Spotify, Europe, Real Estate, London

Pebble founder launches Beeper, a universal chat app that works with iMessage and others

Decades ago, a software program called Trillian introduced a way for internet users to interact with multiple IM networks, like ICQ, AIM and MSN Messenger, in a single window. Now, Pebble founder and Y Combinator Partner Eric Migicovsky is revisiting this concept, but this time with a focus on centralizing access to modern-day chat applications. Through the newly launched app, Beeper, users can connect with 15 different messaging services, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Instagram and Twit...
Tags: Apple, TC, Apps, Messenger, Y Combinator, Craigslist, Imessage, Messaging, Tech, Sms, European Commission, Messages, Pebble, Chat, Chat Apps, Messaging Apps

All-in-One Chat App 'Beeper' Brings iMessage to Android and Windows Using Workaround

New universal chat app "Beeper" combines 15 different chat platforms into a single inbox and offers iMessage on Android and Windows (via The Verge). The app comes from a team including former Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky, and enables users to integrate a range of messaging services, including WhatsApp, SMS, Signal, Telegram, Slack, Twitter, Skype, Hangouts, Discord, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger, into a single, searchable inbox. Most striking is support for Apple's iMessage, as it is only o...
Tags: Apple, Google, Messenger, Twitter, Instagram, Imessage, Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, Pebble, Skype, Telegram, Signal, Slack, Eric Migicovsky, Migicovsky, Discord

It's Done—the Google-Fitbit Deal Is Complete

Over a year since announcing the deal and after months of regulatory scrutiny, the Google-Fitbit merger is finally official. Read more...
Tags: Google, Android, Science, Fitbit, Pebble, Google Fitbit

The Watchy Is an Open-Source Smartwatch for Those Who Miss the Pebble

There are gadgets you like, and then there are gadgets you love. For many, the Pebble smartwatch fell into that latter category. It was simple, affordable, and the first smartwatch that made everyone realize smartwatches weren’t just a gimmick. The company deserved better than having its corpse picked apart by Fitbit,…Read more...
Tags: Gadgets, Wearables, Science, Tech, Smartwatches, Pebble, Consumer Tech, Tindie, Watchy

Right Now

 PEBBLE GONE ?? COE Denies Permit near impossible revival   Remote Location . . . courtesy new York Times -------   .. On the same day as John Kerry was slated for the position of "climate czar" (encompassing a carbon footprint including a private jet and giant boat,) the Corps Of Engineers just denied a permit for the Pebble Mine. .. Mixed messages are pretty well standard coming out of Washing D.C. Neither now, nor in the past or, in the future can we expect any change...
Tags: Sport, Cnn, Fishing, Npr, John Kerry, Pebble, Coe, York Times, Corps of Engineers, Yellowstoner

Fitbit Sense review

The Versa helped Fitbit reverse its fortunes after a long, gradual slide. The company was slow to embrace the smartwatch, and stumbled somewhat out of the gate with the Ionic. But the Versa found a perfect sweet spot that build atop generations of wearable health knowhow, key acquisitions like Pebble and a pricing sweet spot at $200. In fact, other big-name smartwatch makers like Apple and Samsung have since followed suit, offering up more budget-friendly approaches to the category. The moves...
Tags: Reviews, Apple, Google, Wearables, Hardware, Smartwatch, Samsung, Tech, Fda, Fitbit, Pebble, Brian Heater, Versa, Fitbit Sense, Brian Heater While Fitbit

THE PEBBLE TAPES

While everyone was high-fiving a few weeks ago with the latest Army Corps decision on the Pebble Mine permitting process thinking the whole thing was all but dead, Ronald Thiessen, the CEO of Northern Dynasty Minerals, and Tom Collier, CEO of Pebble Limited Partnership, were both boasting that this was nothing more than a hiccup to who they both thought was a potential investor.  Instead, it was EIA investigators.These tapes are damning, and Collier has already resigned (he's a bad penny that I ...
Tags: Sport, Fishing, Pebble, EIA, Bristol Bay, Northern Dynasty Minerals, Pebble Mine, Army Corps, COLLIER, Pebble Limited Partnership, Tom Collier, Cameron Mortenson, Ronald Thiessen

Smitten McIlroy gives Winged Foot the thumbs up

Rory McIlroy hits balls on the practice range during the practice round at the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club (West Course) in Mamaroneck, N.Y. on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020. (Robert Beck/USGA) Rory McIlroy declared it love at first sight as he gave Winged Foot a massive thumbs up as he bids to end his six-year Major drought in the US Open.Jus...
Tags: US, Sport, Golf, Rory Mcilroy, Poppy, Pebble, Pebble Beach, Majors, Mamaroneck, McIlroy, Erica, USGA, Oakmont, Shinnecock Hills, Rory McIlroy Rory McIlroy, Erin Hills

'Rebble Alliance' Unveils Grants for New Pebble Smartwatch Projects

AmiMoJo quotes SlashGear: Remember the Pebble smartwatch? Despite being officially discontinued and several years old at this point, there are still some diehard fans out there keeping the hardware alive, and a team called Rebble Alliance plays an important part in this. Whereas the web services for Pebble watches used to come from Pebble Technology Corp., they now come (unofficially) from Rebble, which has announced a new initiative called Rebble Grants... Rebble Alliance is, as explained by ...
Tags: Tech, Pebble, Berry, Rebble, Rebble Alliance, Pebble Technology Corp, Katharine Berry

Hear Y Combinator’s Eric Migicovsky and Chrysalis Cloud’s Kate Whitcomb talk hardware at Disrupt 2020

As has been said so many times before: “Hardware is hard.” But has building a hardware company gotten any easier over the years? Or has 2020 introduced all new challenges of its own? At Disrupt 2020 — our first ever entirely virtual Disrupt! — we’ll be joined by two people who have tons of insight into everything that goes into making something real: Eric Migicovsky of Y Combinator and Kate Whitcomb of Chrysalis Cloud. As the founder of Pebble, Eric Migicovsky led the team behind the first sma...
Tags: Apple, TC, Tech, Kickstarter, Pebble, Kate, Startup Alley, Eric Migicovsky, Eric, Jennifer Doudna, Digital Startup, Chrysalis, Kate Whitcomb, Startup School, Disrupt 2020, Chrysalis Cloud

Bid to save Alaskan wild salmon receives surprise boost from Trump Jr

President’s eldest son opposes controversial Pebble mine at headwaters of Bristol Bay, home to world’s largest wild salmon runA surprise intervention from Donald Trump Jr has breathed life into efforts to protect the biggest remaining wild salmon run on the planet.Earlier this week, Trump Jr expressed his opposition to the controversial Pebble mine at the headwaters of Alaska’s Bristol Bay. The move breaks with the Trump administration’s efforts to advance the mine’s development. Continue readin...
Tags: Environment, US news, Fish, Alaska, Pebble, Bristol Bay, Trump, Donald Trump Jr, Trump Jr

Board Question #93090: In an attempt to learn new skills, I started looking ...

Q: Dear 100 Hour Board,In an attempt to learn new skills, I started looking at whether typing in Dvorak was 1) Easy to accomplish and 2) Actually better than QWERTY. I found that both points are true, to a certain extent ("certain extent" meaning "negligibly"), and decided to do so. Are there any other roughly-easy-to-learn skills that you suggest picking up (especially for those who have more time due to the quarantine) that don't serve any big purpose, but are fun to have/learn?-Run On Sentenc...
Tags: Youtube, Pebble, Lucid, Dvorak, Morse

Board Question #93080: My oven broke and I can't get it repaired until ...

Q: Dear 100 Hour Board,My oven broke and I can't get it repaired until after the quarantine because maintenance is only responding to emergencies. What are your favorite recipes that don't involve an oven?-Ovenless in Orem A: Dear Ovenless in Orem, Here are my 5 recipes I've pinned that I've made multiple times.  Crispy Southwest Wraps - I ix-nay the sour cream and cheese. But this is a favorite with my family. I love how I can just use leftover rice and throw it together super quick. I just u...
Tags: Cook, Pebble, Alta, Orem, Cashew Chicken, Fagioli Soup Olive Garden Dupe, Ham Soup You

Board Question #92998: Are you social distancing? What are you doing to stay ...

Q: Dear 100 Hour Board,Are you social distancing? What are you doing to stay sane?- Martin A: Martin, Social distancing is no longer hip, but I am only now getting to finish my answer. When it was cool, I wrote these words to the Primary song "Family History: I am doing it!". Enjoy. Social distancing- I am doing it,My social distancing. And the joy I feel as I'm doing itIs very sweet to me. I heed warning signs from the governmentWe work as one big team. I keep germs off of my loved onesThroug...
Tags: Walmart, Netflix, Pebble, BYU, Mom, Luciana, Trump, Martin, Carl Jr, Martin Social

Board Question #93067: Did any of you move to Utah from another state ...

Q: Dear 100 Hour Board,Did any of you move to Utah from another state during your childhood / teenage years? What was it like culturally? Was it easy or hard to integrate into your neighborhood, school, ward (assuming you were LDS), etc.? I only lived in Utah as a BYU student, so that’s the only perspective I have. -In Utah but not of Utah A: Dear friend,  Pebble moved a lot as a kid. Though he lived here as a small child while his dad got his MBA, he spent the vast majority of his youth ...
Tags: Utah, Texas, California, Indiana, Salt Lake City, Pebble, West Coast, BYU, Midwest, PNW, Kaysville, Utah Indiana, California Mormons, Midwest Utah

Board Question #93037: If you could choose a name for yourself other than ...

Q: Dear 100 Hour Board,If you could choose a name for yourself other than the one you were born with, what would you choose and why?-My Name Here A: Dear Aziraphale, I absolutely love my name. It's not weird at all, but it's also uncommon enough that I haven't run into very many other people with the same name. My parents found the perfect balance of a name that is beautiful, traditional, yet not very common. I can't think of a first name I would prefer to have. However, my parents did not giv...
Tags: United States, Pebble, Rose, Olivia, Michelle, Emma, Margaret, Viola, Mila, Georgie, Georgiana, Viola Vye, Lucy Meg

Board Question #93019: I know you get a lot of questions about relationships, ...

Q: Dear 100 Hour Board,I know you get a lot of questions about relationships, but as I’ve read through past answers, I have some questions that are slightly different from what I was able to find in the archives. If there was a past answer that I missed that would address my questions, feel free to send it my way! Without further ado, here is some background. Last summer I was in a serious relationship with a guy for over a year and we were engaged to get married last September. This was our fir...
Tags: Amazon, Idaho, Pebble, Don

Board Question #93070: I have a question for Cerulean. How did you decide ...

Q: Dear 100 Hour Board,I have a question for Cerulean. How did you decide on that moniker and does it have anything to do with The X-Files episode "Pusher" (Season 3, Episode 17) where a guy who calls himself Pusher puts a mind freak on a police officer, who is the driver of the police car in which Pusher is riding in the back seat, causing the officer to pull out in front of a cerulean blue tractor/trailer by saying, "Cerulean blue is a gentle breeze."-M.F. Luderaka X-Files nerdaka I
Tags: Wikipedia, Pebble, David Duchovny, Fox Mulder, Cerulean, Guesthouse

Board Question #93054: How are you all doing during this social isolation time? ...

Q: Dear 100 Hour Board,How are you all doing during this social isolation time? What are you all up to?-also quarantined A: Dear Clementine, I did the isolation thing and cut my hair. Not that any of you would know the difference. But also...  I GOT MARRIED.  Exhibit 1: I am very much in love (with Pebble... and my dress)  (tragically the quality of the photos is lost on the Board. Alas.)  Exhibit 2: Pebble is TOO PRECIOUS and kisses are awesome Exhibit 3: I required my photographer to take...
Tags: Washington, Oregon, Wikipedia, Hawaii, Reddit, Pebble, BYU, Kitchenaid, Provo, Chick

Apple Watch designer reveals the device’s origins on its fifth birthday

In his two decades at Apple, Imran Chaudhri worked on many of the company’s most iconic product lines, including the iPhone, iPad and Mac. The designer left the company back in 2017 (landing on Microsoft’s HoloLens team two weeks back), but today he’s offering up some fun insight into Apple Watch’s beginnings on the wearable’s fifth birthday. The thread is a treasure trove of fun facts about the device’s early days. One interesting tidbit that might not be a huge surprise to those following ...
Tags: Apple, Wearables, Hardware, Microsoft, Tech, Apple Watch, Pebble, Imran Chaudhri, Per Chaudhri

Board Question #93016: What's a niche interest you have that you really want ...

Q: Dear 100 Hour Board,What's a niche interest you have that you really want to share with people, but hardly get the chance to because it's too niche?-Tipperary A: Dear Tipperary, Interactive fiction! You know, like, Zork? They're essentially Choose Your Own Adventure books that you play over a terminal. But they're way cooler, because the worlds are generally much bigger and more developed, and you aren't limited to just two or three options - you can command your character to do almost anyt...
Tags: Youtube, Pebble, Hgtv, Palpatine, Skywalker, Scott Bradlee, McConkie, Talmage, Zork, Blake Ostler, Skywalker Adam

Board Question #92955: What do you find meaning in doing? -finally have free ...

Q: Dear 100 Hour Board,What do you find meaning in doing?-finally have free time, but not when others do A: Dear Free Time,  I love to spend quality time with Pebble, in the rare moments when we aren't swamped in schoolwork. Being engaged is both awesome and incredibly sucky... so I try to balance the anxiety/fear I feel (thanks, Satan) with beautiful moments of bonding, laughter, and conversation. The more I work on establishing positive, loving communication with him as we prepare for our ma...
Tags: Pebble, Christ, Phoenix, Don, Carl, Isaiah, Henry B Eyring, Richard G Scott, Goldie Rose, Carl Jr Peterson

2026 and the Case for Co-location of Biorefineries with Advanced Nuclear

By Ross Mazur and Joel Braden of Sustainable Fuels Consulting LLC, and graciously edited by Nick Touran Special to The Digest Intro Advanced nuclear has made significant inroads over the past decade. Nearly 50 startups now occupy the space. Advanced nuclear is no longer a dream for the future, this sector has already broken ground. According to the most recent round of press releases, many advanced nuclear technology hopefuls portend that zero-carbon electricity, hydrogen, and copious qua...
Tags: Asia, Japan, UK, Indonesia, Russia, India, US, Georgia, Eu, Ukraine, New Brunswick, Idaho, Switzerland, Belgium, John, Kazakhstan

A New Bath Collection from the Architect of the Moment

We’re always on the lookout for architect-designed functional objects, so we took notice when we came across the Pebble collection of bath fixtures. Designed by Copenhagen, London, and New York-based architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) for Danish design brand d line, the Pebble series includes a toilet roll holder, towel rail, coat hook, soap dispenser, toilet brush, and shower shelf, as well as a matching lever handle. sustainably produced in Europe. Each item is handmade from 50 to 70 ...
Tags: Europe, Books, UK, New York, Uncategorized, Pebble, Bjarke Ingels Group BIG, Minima, Megan Cassidy, Casson Hardware, Copenhagen London, Jane Son Above

Board Question #92968: What do you do to make yourself feel better after ...

Q: Dear 100 Hour Board,What do you do to make yourself feel better after a REALLY crappy day?-A very tired Goldie Rose A: Dear golden Goldie, I'm sorry you've had such a bad day. Bad days are the worst. Depending on how crappy the day has been, I have two different methods of feeling better: For an anxiety and stress filled day, I get outdoors. I go running or on a hike while blasting music in my ears. I try to exercise the anger and stress away until I can actually enjoy being outdoors and l...
Tags: Pebble, Board

Board Question #92951: What are some simple things you do that give your ...

Q: Dear 100 Hour Board,What are some simple things you do that give your life meaning? Interpreted however you like (hobbies, daily habits, etc).-depressed and stressed A: Dear quadruple gulp,Something I've previously discussed in Board Question #92491 is food, specifically, cooking. I really like how Tipperary explains this below--it's accessibility, practicality, share-ability, way to explore other cultures from the comfort and budget of your own dang dwelling, and opportunities to improve. ...
Tags: Italy, Pebble, Dslr, Ardilla, Tipperary

Board Question #92937: What are you doing for Valentines? -Red

Q: Dear 100 Hour Board,What are you doing for Valentines? -Red A: Dear Dark Pink, We had a potluck at work to celebrate the last day of everyone on the team being together, since one of our members is transferring to a different team. People actually brought amazing food, and I had a lot of fun making up a new recipe for chocolate cupcakes with a white chocolate and cream cheese filling, topped off with white and dark chocolate ganache.  Now I'm just babysitting my niece and nephew while my br...
Tags: India, Pebble, BYU, Shutterfly, Valentine, Cafe Rio, Carl, Carl Jr, Guesthouse, Amazon Sleep, Provo Bros, Catana Comics, Goldie Rose, Carl Jrs, Corner Street Bakery Cafe

Extra 30% Off at Dooney & Bourke + Free Shipping – Pebble Grain Ashton Tote $75.04 (Reg.$268)

Do you love Dooney & Bourke? Check out their Spring Ahead sale! Still available! With this deal, you can get a designer bag at a knockoff price! Get an Extra 30% Off Sitewide at I Love Dooney, even on sale items! Use code CARRIEDAWAY Check out this Pebble Grain Ashton Tote for only $75.04 (on... Read More Read more about Extra 30% Off at Dooney & Bourke + Free Shipping – Pebble Grain Ashton Tote $75.04 (Reg.$268)
Tags: Deals, Pebble, Coupons, Online Deals, Dooney, Dooney Bourke, Bourke Free Shipping, Ashton Tote, Pebble Grain Ashton Tote