Microsoft is rolling out a new display feature for its native Mail app in Windows 10. The new feature will allow users to enable dark mode for the Mail and Calendar app, if they prefer to view their emails with a black background.
The post Microsoft rolls out new dark mode feature for its Windows 10 Mail app appeared first on Digital Trends.
Source: Digital trends
That was unexpected, including by the FDA, apparently.
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb resigned today, an administration official tells The Washington Post, adding that Gottlieb will relinquish the office in one month.
Unlike many people who leave the Trump administration, the resignation wasn’t sought or expected, reports the Post, which notes Gottlieb has recently hired senior staff and has been actively and aggressively diving into new initiatives.
In fact, while Gottlieb has since tweeted a statement from U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, commending Gottlieb as an “exemplar public health leader,” he was earlier today retweeting a morning interview he’d given on air with CNBC in which he said the FDA was putting 15 national retailers on notice for allegedly selling tobacco products and e-cigs to minors.
He also today pointed his Twitter followers to newly released guidance by the FDA around new steps it’s taking to protect Americans from intentionally adulterated food products.
Following the Post report, Gottlieb issued a statement saying: “I’m immensely grateful for the opportunity to help lead this wonderful agency, for the support of my colleagues, for the public health goals we advanced together, and the strong support” of Donald Trump and Health Secretary Azar. “This has been a wonderful journey and parting is very hard.”
Trump subsequently tweeted that Gottlieb had “done an absolutely terrific job” as commissioner, adding, “He and his talents will be greatly missed!”
According to the official who spoke with the Post, Gottlieb, 46, has tired of commuting to Washington from his home in Westport, Conn., and wants to spend more time with his family, including his wife and three young daughters.
Still, the timing seems odd, particularly given Gottlieb’s very public, and unfinished, fight against vaping, which has become one of the hallmarks of his time as FDA Commissioner. Indeed, beginning last spring, Gottlieb began ringing the alarm bells on e-cigarettes and their fast spread among underage users after earlier delaying regulations that could have removed many of their products from the market.
At a public hearing in January, Gottlieb warned that levels of e-cig use among young people is reaching new heights, with vaping rates nearly doubling among high school students between 2017 and 2018.
Tobacco stocks have already risen on the news. One suspects that execs at the privately held company Juul — which has been a specific target of Gottlieb given its popularity with young users and that in December sold a 35 percent stake in its business to tobacco giant Altria Group — are also breathing a sigh of relief at news of his resignation.
Gottlieb was nominated by Donald Trump to serve in his current post almost exactly two years ago, though he’d worked as the FDA’s Deputy Commissioner for Medical and Scientific Affairs from 2005 to 2007. In between, Gottlieb, a trained physician, was a venture capitalist focused on healthcare investing with the firm New Enterprise Associates, which happens to be closing its biggest fund ever right now.
Previous FDA commissioners, each of whom has been appointed by the U.S. president with the consent of the Senate, have served varying lengths of time.
Gottlieb’s immediate predecessor, cardiologist Robert Califf, served the Obama administration for less than a year, after taking office in February 2016. He left after Trump was elected. Califf’s predecessor, physician Margaret Hamburg, was the commissioner from May 2009 through April 2015.
Source: TechCrunch
Some MacBook owners had been complaining of an issue where thin cabling on the insides of laptop would give out and eventually cause a distortion effect the display. Apple addressed this with longer cables inside the MacBook Pro 2018.
The post Apple may have quietly fixed flexgate issue with the 2018 MacBook Pro appeared first on Digital Trends.
Source: Digital trends
Bitcoin miners can breathe a sigh of relief. While profits aren’t far from their lowest in the past year and a half, they appear to be on the rise again. That may be thanks to the introduction of newer, more efficient mining hardware.
The post Bitcoin mining profits are on the rise. But don’t buy your own hardware just yet appeared first on Digital Trends.
Source: Digital trends
Speaking at the RSA Conference, Wray acknowledges the topic is “provocative.”
Source: CNET
Kobalt, a 19-year-old, London-based music services company that operates as both a music publisher and a service-based music company — among other things, it helps artists collect the royalties owed them — is reportedly raising a new round of funding that could surpass $100 million.
Music Business Worldwide (MBW) reported on the round yesterday, with Kobalt founder and CEO Willard Ahdritz confirming that the news is directionally correct without divulging precisely how much capital Kobalt is closing on currently.
The new funding comes about one year after Kobalt closed on its most recent funding, which valued the company at roughly $800 million, as TC had reported at the time.
A large part of Kobalt’s appeal to investors, as well as the artists, publishers and labels that are among its customers, is the content management system it has created and that makes it far easier and more transparent to capture the millions of incremental plays happening across streaming platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, and Soundcloud — then to collect money where it is due.
The company is made up of numerous parts, however, including Kobalt Music Publishing; Kobalt Neighbouring Rights; a recorded music division called AWAL (Artists Without a Label) into which Kobalt sunk $150 million last year to expand the business; and a collection agency that Kobalt acquired in 2015 AMRA. That’s short form for what was previously called the American Mechanical Rights Agency.
Kobalt also oversees Kobalt Capital, an acquisitive fund managed by KMG.
Kobalt’s investors to date have included GV; Section 32, whose founder, Bill Maris, was previously the CEO of GV; Hearst Entertainment; Balderton Capital; and MSD Capital, a private investment firm that exclusively manages the capital of Michael Dell and his family.
According to MBW, Kobalt is currently talking with investment banks to pull together its mega round. Though Ahdritz would not state the express amount that Kobalt is targeting, he told the outlet that the fresh capital will be used to grow Kobalt’s presence in each of its verticals.
He added that its record vision, AWL, is particularly eager to challenge traditional and, as he sees it, outdated, record labels that tend to benefit a limited number of artists at the expense of so many others.
AWAL, as described last year by the Financial Times, offers musicians marketing and promotional services but lets them keep the copyright to their material, and has already drawn both new and established artists, including Nick Cave and De La Soul. Though they maintain ownership of their royalties, they share revenue with Kobalt in return for its services.
Source: TechCrunch
Microsoft and Sony have considered building an all-digital Xbox and PlayStation for years. Now it might be happening.
Source: CNET
Have some spare gift cards? Just looking to treat yourself? Here are some great ideas that won’t break the bank.
Source: CNET
Plus, Alexa now works with Roku, and Netflix vs. Spielberg.
Source: CNET
Disrupt San Francisco 2019 — the epic, three-day conference celebrating early-stage startups — may not take place until October 2-4, but it’s never too soon for serious savings. Want to shave $500 off the price of admission? Heck yeah, you do!
Here’s the deal. Registration officially opens later this month. Simply sign up for our mailing list before registration opens, and you’ll keep five Benjamins in your pocket. Cha-ching.
It’s the easiest way to experience everything Disrupt SF 2019 has to offer and save a bundle in the process. Need a reminder of what you’ll find at TechCrunch Disrupt? Let’s start with the speakers. We’re building an outstanding line up of leading founders, technologists, investors and tech icons. Past speakers have included people such as Whitney Wolfe-Herd, founder of Bumble, Tristan Walker, CEO of Walker & Company Brands and Aileen Lee, founder of Cowboy Ventures.
For a pure adrenaline rush, you can’t beat Startup Battlefield, the world-famous pitch competition. Only the best startups get to compete head-to-head for a $100,000 equity-free cash prize, the Disrupt Cup and potentially life-changing investor and media attention. Last year, Forethought took home the title and the cash infusion. Think your startup has what it takes to make the cut? Apply here to compete in Startup Battlefield.
Don’t forget to take a deep dive in Startup Alley — a networking paradise ripe with inspiration and opportunity. You’ll find hundreds of early-stage startups showcasing their products, tech and talent. It’s also where you’ll find the TC Top Picks. This cohort of startups — selected by TechCrunch editors following a thorough vetting process — represents the very best in these tech categories: Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Blockchain, Biotech/Healthtech, Fintech, Mobility, Privacy/Security, E-commerce, Robotics/IoT/Hardware and more!
Looking for more excitement? Look no further than the TechCrunch Hackathon. This event takes place right alongside Disrupt. Several hundred developers, engineers, students and makers will form ad-hoc teams. Over the course of two days, they’ll code, crack and hack non-stop to create a new product. It’ll require focused determination and mad skills to win best overall hack — along with plenty of coffee, Red Bull and pizza. Come strut your dev stuff and compete in sponsored contests for cash, prizes and TechCrunch swag.
Disrupt SF 2019 offers so much more — workshops, demos, Q&A sessions and killer parties. It all goes down October 2-4 at the Moscone Convention Center. You can experience it all and save $500 — if you sign up for our mailing list before registration officially opens. Click and save, and we’ll see you in October!
Source: TechCrunch