Mobile cryptocurrency wallet BRD is announcing that it’s raised $15 million in Series B funding.
The funding comes from SBI Crypto Investment, a subsidiary of Japanese financial services company SBI Holdings (formerly a subsidiary of SoftBank). BRD said the funding will allow it to grow its product and engineering teams, and to expand in Japan and across Asia.
“SBI Group’s investment in BRD allows us to firmly cement ourselves in the Asian market,” said BRD co-founder and CEO Adam Traidman in a statement. “It shows incredible support for the foundation that we have built in North America and reinforces our proven ability to scale the success we have achieved in the past 4 years. The new investment will ensure our long-term global growth, and we are incredibly excited about collaborating with SBI as a strategic investor and business partner to make that happen.”
It’s surprising to see a crypto startup raising money now, given the broader crypto downturn. After all, BRD bills itself as the simplest way to start buying and storing cryptocurrencies — but does that mean anything if consumers are being scared away from investing?
When I asked Spencer Chen, the company’s vice president of global marketing (and an occasional friend of mine), about the industry’s recent challenges, he argued, “The need for a single, global currency still exists.”
“That’s what all got lost in 2018 as the fast-money, traders, and speculators came piling into the crypto space,” Chen told me via email. “It really convoluted the core mission of a natively digital currency. Money that worked just like the open internet. As a company that’s built-to-last and committed to the core mission of crypto currency, there was nothing more frustrating than to witness the many steps backwards the industry at large took in 2018.”
In fact, BRD says it doubled its total install base in 2018, ending the year with 1.8 million users globally. It also says it’s currently being used to store the equivalent of $6 billion —mostly in Bitcoin and Ethereum — with a 24 percent increase in monthly active users between in November and December, after it starting accepting stablecoins (namely, cryptocurrencies that are pegged to the value of a fiat currency).
BRD has now raised a total of $55 million. It’s also announcing a partnership with Coinify, allowing users to make cryptocurrency purchases using bank accounts in the European market.
The North American market can be a tough one to crack for a number of reasons, not the least of which is consumers’ continued reliance on carriers. Without their distribution channels, most handset makers just can’t get a foothold here. In a meeting earlier this week, HMD told me that North America is going to be its primary focus for 2019, a push that starts with a trio of carrier deals.
This morning, the Finnish smartphone maker announced that it will be bringing its Nokia-branded Android handsets to a trio of key carriers — Verizon and Cricket in the U.S. and Rogers in Canada. The U.S. devices are arriving this month, with Rogers’ arriving “very soon” through its Chatr brand.
Cricket users will get access to the Nokia 3.1 Plus, which focuses primarily on battery — it’s 3500mAh, which the company optimistically puts at two days of life. It’s a budget device, of course, priced at $160, sporting a 5.99 inch screen, a middling Snapdragon 439 and dual rear-facing cameras.
Verizon users will get access to the Nokia 2 V, which sports an even larger 4,000mAh battery and a 5.5 inch screen. That one will be available through Verizon stores on January 30. Rogers, meanwhile, will be getting the Nokia 2.1.
HMD’s already had pretty solid growth in its first few years of existence, bucking the trend of an otherwise stagnate mobile market. That growth comes thanks in part to its out of the gate brand recognition from acquiring Nokia IP, some buzzy early retro handsets, a focus on budget devices and its continued commitment to the oft-neglected feature phone market.
French startup Lydia now lets you share your Lydia sub-accounts with other people. The company wants to make it easier to manage money when you’re traveling with friends, sharing an apartment with someone and more.
When Lydia introduced its premium offering back in March 2018, the company completely rethought the way Lydia accounts worked. Users had a single Lydia account and were basically limited to sending, receiving and withdrawing money — it was all about peer-to-peer payments. Now, you can create as many Lydia accounts as you want, move money around, set money aside and top up each account separately.
That was just the first step as you can now share those accounts with other people. This way, you don’t have to create a Splitwise group and track who owes what to whom. Instead of getting your money back after a while, people chip in and top up the shared account directly. Anybody can then safely spend that money.
As always, Lydia is all about getting money in the app and out of the app as seamlessly as possible. When you create a shared account, each user can top up the account using other Lydia sub-accounts, a traditional bank account that you have already connected to the app or a debit card if it’s a small amount.
If your bank account isn’t compatible with Lydia, you also get an IBAN number for this sub-account in particular. So you can initiate a traditional bank transfer from your bank account as well.
Once the account is up and running, anybody can spend money. You can generate a virtual card, add it to Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay, and associate it with the shared account. If you’re on a ski trip and buying raclette cheese for your group of friends, you can then pay with your phone and debit the shared account.
If you’re a premium user and have a good old plastic Lydia card, you can also use it in any card reader and associate transactions with your shared account. Some websites already let you pay with your Lydia account directly as well. You can select your sub-account when confirming the transaction on your phone.
You can imagine multiple different use cases for such a feature. This is a good way to share an account with your significant other without switching to the same bank. This could be a way to pay for utility bills with your roommates.
“I use it with my son for instance. I created a shared account, I set up a virtual card and he added it to his Google Pay,” co-founder and CEO Cyril Chiche told me. He can then send him money that he can use instantly whenever he needs to.
This feature will become more valuable over time, when you can pay with your Lydia account in more places. Mobile payment systems, such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, are slowly becoming more widespread. And Lydia has also been working with popular payment service providers to add support for more e-commerce websites.
It’s a radical way of sharing expenses with friends and family members, but it could become the obvious way if Lydia becomes ubiquitous.
Yamaha just announced the rather cool Sonogenic SHS-500 keytar (a musical keyboard that can be held like a guitar), which aims to be a device that can appeal to anyone from dedicated musicians to someone who can barely hold a rhythm at all.
The company says this new device is designed to let it enter into a whole new space in musical instruments. Typically, Yamaha releases keyboards, drums, and other instruments to people who are really trying to learn to become musicians, but this one is aimed to let anyone have fun playing regardless of skill level.
As Yamaha puts it, the Sonogenic SHS-500 is “smashing the barrier to entry and turning passive enjoyment into active creativity.”
What Makes The Sonogenic SHS-500 Stand Out?
The key to this keytar is the Chord Tracker application, which is meant to go hand-in-hand with the actual device itself. It sounds like it’s actually quite powerful. Basically, it’s able to analyze the music library on your device and actually send cord data to the SHS-500. From there, the player enters Jam mode, which causes the keys to only trigger the correct cords from the song they’re playing along with.
The perfect phrase Yamaha uses to describe what the keytar and app are doing is “instrumental karaoke.” Like real karaoke, you don’t need to be a skilled musician to play along, and that could turn a whole slew of people onto music who might have been too intimidated otherwise.
Of course, the device can also function as a standard MIDI controller and it can connect with all of Yamaha’s educational apps. That means not only can this device serve as a fun party trick, but it can easily transition into a real music instrument that could be a valuable learning tool for anyone who wants to get into playing the keyboard.
Here’s a quick look at some of the key features of this exciting new keytar:
Cord tracker and Jam mode allows anyone to play along to their favorite songs
3.5mm stereo mini input
Bluetooth MIDI support
Full-featured MIDI controller and audio interface
Thirty high-quality Yamaha Voices (instruments and sounds)
Keys on neck provide pitch-bend, modulation, octave shifting, key transposition, playback control, and more
How Much is The Sonogenic SHS-500?
Yamaha intends to release its cool new keytar for $499. That’s pretty reasonable for a full-featured MIDI controller that can also be used at parties and for fun. It’s scheduled to hit stores before January wraps up, so you won’t need to wait too long to get your hands on one!
When you think about 2-in-1 laptops, you probably don’t imagine a 17.3-inch monster with high-end gaming specs, but that’s exactly what the ASUS ROG Mothership GZ700GX is.
Unlike other convertible laptops, which tend to aim at buyers looking for ultra-light devices, this one is actually designed to be a gaming desktop replacement with a detachable 2-in-1 design.
ASUS ROG Mothership GZ700GX
Everything about this laptop is high-end. Starting at the top, it comes with a 17.3-inch G-Sync display with a maximum refresh rate of 144 Hz. That screen is powered by GeForce RTX 2080 graphics technology with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory that’ll handle anything a PC gamer could want to throw at it.
In the processor department, there’s the latest overclockable Core i9-8950HK processor. That will feature up 4.3 GHz of processing power when all six cores are activated.
ASUS has designed a special cooling system that features four large heatsinks that’ll help keep this monster of a portable computer running as cool as possible. Obviously, with that kind of power packed into such a small space, there’s bound to be some serious heat built up, but hopefully, this specially-designed system will keep things running cool enough.
Of course, the system is customizable in terms of things like RAM and the amount of storage. Buyers can elect to get as much as 64 GB of RAM in their system, and there’s support for up to four PCIe 3.0 SSDs.
Here are the rest of the specs you need to know about this monster of a laptop:
802.11ac/802.11ax Wi-Fi
Bluetooth 5.0
Three USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A headers
USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C/VirtualLink connector
Thunderbolt 3 port
SD card slot
3.5 mm jack
Four speakers
Programmable RBG lights
While this is technically a laptop, it’s really more like an all-in-one desktop, because it’s actually quite large. It comes in at 16.14 × 12.6 × 1.17 inches. It also weighs in at a whopping 10.36 pounds, meaning it’s something you’re not going to want to carry around in a backpack for any serious length of time.
When You Get a ROG Mothership GZ700 GZ
ASUS hasn’t announced an exact release date for its upcoming desktop replacement, but it has said that it will hit the market in the second quarter of 2019.
Unfortunately, ASUS has not announced the final list of configurations that will be available, nor has the company announced how much one of these will cost, but we’d expect even the base model to sell for a pretty penny when you consider how powerful the device is relative to its size.
If you can’t wait, check out this gaming computer you can get build right now and get to playing! Sure, it won’t rival the specs of this new ASUS, but it’ll run Fortnite perfectly!
Southeast Asia-based ride-sharing firm Go-Jek is making progress with its plan to raise up to $2 billion in fresh capital to fund its battle with close rival Grab.
Indonesia-headquartered Go-Jek has closed an initial chunk of that round after a collection of existing investors, including Google, Tencent and JD.com, agreed to invest around $920 million towards it, three sources with knowledge of the investment told TechCrunch.
The deal, which we understand could be announced as soon as next week, will value Go-Jek’s business at around $9.5 billion, one source told TechCrunch. With existing investors on board, the company is now actively soliciting checks from other backers to take it to its target. The capital is likely to go towards deepening its presence in new markets and furthering its fintech push.
A Go-Jek representative declined to respond when contacted by TechCrunch for comment on its fundraising efforts.
This incoming round excluded, Go-Jek has raised more than $2 billion from investors to date, including a $1.4 billion round that closed last year and valued its business at $5 billion.
Founded in 2015, Go-Jek began in motorbike taxis before expanding to four-wheels, service on demand and fintech. It decided to go after a $2 billion raise last year — having seen Grab gobble up Uber’s local business in Southeast Asia — but it has taken some time to make progress. That’s partially down to an effort to ‘clean the cap table’ by buying out some early investors and longer-serving or former staff with equity, two sources told TechCrunch.
Likewise, there has also been discussion around including the acquisition of JD.com’s local JD.id business, valued at over $1 billion, in the deal. As far as we know, a resolution hasn’t been found despite lengthy talks.
Why all the huge checks? At stake is a dominant position within a fast-growing online market.
Ride-hailing in Southeast Asia is poised to grow from an $8 billion annual business in 2018 to $31 billion by 2025, according to a report from Google and Temasek. Indonesia alone is tipped to account for nearly half of that figure.
The report from Google and Temasek forecasts major growth for ride-hailing in Southeast Asia
With a cumulative population of more than 620 million people and increasing internet access, Southeast Asia has emerged from the shadows of China and India to become an attractive market for startups and tech companies. Chinese giants like Tencent and Alibaba have stepped up investment areas in recent years, with e-commerce, fintech and other ‘ground zero’ infrastructure services among their targets as the region begins to turn digital in the same way China has.
That’s where Grab and Go-Jek get interesting because, beyond simply catering to transportation, both companies have expanded to offer services on-demand, like e-groceries, as well as payments and financial services such as loans, remittance and insurance. The goal is to become the region’s one-stop ‘super app’ like WeChat, Alipay and Meituan in China.
Already, though, it is making plans for the Philippines after it acquired Coins.ph, a fintech startup that is likely to be the base for a local push into payments and financial services. The deal was officially undisclosed, but sources told TechCrunch that Go-Jek has paid around $72 million — that potentially makes it the company’s largest acquisition to date. That shows how serious Go-Jek is both about its expansion efforts and its fintech business.
Go-Jek CEO Nadiem Makarim worked at McKinsey for three years before starting the companyn[Photographer: Wei Leng Tay/Bloomberg]
In the here and now, Go-Jek claims more than 125 million downloads in Indonesia, over a million drivers and some 300,000 food merchants. It claims to process 100 million transactions per month, while Aluwi told Reuters that total transactions on its platforms crossed $12.5 billion last year. That doesn’t mean net income, however, since the company takes only a slice of customer’s ride-sharing fares and payment volumes.
Grab, meanwhile, operates in eight markets in Southeast Asia. It claims over 130 million downloads and more than 2.5 billion completed rides to date. Grab is assumed to not yet be profitable but it has said that it made $1 billion in revenue in 2018. It projects that the figure will double this year.
The company has raised around $6.8 billion from investors, according to data from Crunchbase, and Grab was last valued at $11 billion.
It’s a weird quirk of the current generation of AirPods: they support Siri, but only if you double-tap one of the earbuds first. Unlike with iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and HomePods, you can’t just say “Hey Siri” and babble out your request.
Rumors have been floating around for a while suggesting that a new iteration of AirPods — AirPods 2, the rumor mill is calling them — would bring “Hey Siri” functionality. Now a screen hiding in the latest iOS beta seems to suggest the same.
While it’s not a publicly accessible screen, Guilherme Rambo of 9to5mac managed to trigger the following prompt in the just-released iOS 12.2 beta:
“Talk to Siri with your AirPods or iPhone by saying ‘Hey Siri’,” it reads.
Its absence from the current generation of AirPods presumably boils down to a matter of battery life. Apple figured out how to make “Hey Siri” work with minimal impact on battery life with the iPhone 6s, then broke down how it all works in a post on its Machine Learning Journal in April of 2018. But to pull off the same trick in a tiny earbud — each having a battery capacity of 93 milliwatt hours, or roughly 1 percent of that of an iPhone — is an entirely new challenge. For the first gen, it was just easier to let the headphones wait for that double-tap, queueing it up as a new selling point whenever Apple figured out how to pull it off.
Rumors have also hinted at other features for the eventual AirPods sequel, from waterproofing to sensors that help track health data. Alas, no sneaky hidden prompts hinting at any of that have been found yet.
Smartphone numbers are down. In 2018, global shipments dropped 3 percent, and while the long-promised arrival of 5G will help numbers get back into the black, IDC predicts that even then growth will be in the low-single digits.
With a few exceptions, handset makers are starting to feel the pain of stagnation, due to a confluence of different forces. There’s slowed economic growth in China and internationally, prolonged upgrade cycles and price hikes as tariffs are levied amid a looming trade war.
For many consumers, however, it comes down to one simple thing: most phones today are already quite good and manufacturers are offering fewer compelling reasons to upgrade every one to two years. Unlike many of the aforementioned external factors, this is something phone makers can actually do something about.
Of course, this could be the year that changes that. After years of minor upgrades, far-off concept designs and being backed into a corner by diminishing returns, handset makers are coming out swinging. Less than a month in, 2019 is already shaping up to be one of the most innovative years for smartphones in recent memory.
Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi and Royole all have folding phones in the works, and Motorola may be joining their ranks with a new Razr. Google, meanwhile, has promised to support the new wave of foldables with updates to Android. 5G phones are set to start trickling in this year, as well.
This week we saw a pair of handsets from Meizu and Vivo that take advantage of a handful of trends (wireless charging, Bluetooth headphones, etc.) to offer handsets fully devoid of ports. And then there’s whatever this LG thing is.
Not all are great or guaranteed hits, but with Mobile World Congress just over a month out, it already seems safe to declare that 2019 will be a good year for intriguing devices and concepts. Sales have been flagging, so companies are scrambling to stand out — heck, even HTC is going all-in on crypto with the Exodus One.
All of this should serve to make my job more interesting. But will far out concepts really drive growth? Foldables are already proving to be something of a mixed bag. Take Royole, which contorted its way into the spotlight by being the first company to make the long-promised folding screen a reality. The product ultimately left something to be desired. Early glimpses at devices like the dual-folding Xiaomi, however, have offered hope for the space’s potential.
5G, meanwhile, is going to have trouble living up to its own prolonged hype cycle. Those who pay attention to the industry have been hearing about its unlimited potential for years. The mainstream media has picked up on it in the intervening months, courtesy of CES and promises from handset makers and carriers alike.
But carriers have already done a lot to cloud the definition of 5G — take AT&T’s 5G Evolution. The carrier calls it its “first step on the road to 5G,” when really it’s more of a souped-up LTE. It has led to a whole lot of snipping between carriers, further muddying the waters for an already nebulous technology. There will be a number of 5G devices on the market before year’s end, but actually getting 5G coverage with your carrier in your city is another issue entirely.
Price will also be major a factor. Companies like OnePlus have shown just how good inexpensive handsets can be, all while prices have continued to rise on flagships. Models from Samsung and Apple now regularly start around $1,000, and the average price for a foldable looks like it will be more in the neighborhood of $1,500. At that price, it’s going to be difficult to attract anyone beyond early adopters with money to burn. Real mainstream adoption is going to require lower price points and a genuinely useful feature set that expands the products beyond sheer novelty.
The mobile industry is at a crossroads. It has hit maturation and, in some markets, saturation. 2019 will be a key year in determining the fate of the smartphone going forward, whether this space continues to have life in it, or if the stagnation will continue while we wait for the next big thing in consumer electronics.
There’s good and bad news for Hulu users, and it all depends what tier you’re on. For those on the lowest tier, watching shows with ads, Hulu is getting cheaper. However, for anyone subscribed to Hulu + Live TV, the price is increasing instead.
Hulu Drops One Price and Raises Another
Hulu is dropping the price of its entry level streaming tier from $7.99/month down to $5.99/month. This tier is supported by ads, hence the low asking price. Hulu is promising not to increase the number of ads to make up any shortfall from the drop in price.
Thanks @hulu for lowering my monthly bill by $2! You rock.
Hulu (No Ads), which removes the ads, will remain at its current price of $11.99/month. However, Hulu + Live TV, which adds live news, sports, and entertainment channels to the mix, is increasing in price from $39.99/month to $44.99/month.
In its press release announcing the price changes, Hulu spells out how its streaming service has improved over the last 12 months. In terms of its lowest tier, Hulu now boasts 85,000 TV episodes, and thousands of movies, some of which are Hulu Originals.
Hulu also boasts of having added a dozen popular live TV channels to Hulu + Live TV. This includes The CW, Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, and ABC News. It’s important to note, however, that Hulu has competition in this area, especially from YouTube TV.
When Netflix Goes High, Hulu Goes Low
For new Hulu subscribers, this new pricing will go into effect on February 26. It’s the same date for existing subscribers too, who will see the price they pay go up or down (depending on what tier they’re on) the first time they’re billed after February 26.
This comes just days after Netflix put its prices up again. We’re guessing the timing isn’t coincidental, and that Hulu announced this now for maximum impact. The problem is that, Hulu is only available in the U.S. and Japan, so the rest of the world will stick with Netflix.
Around the world, ebook sales continue to increase at a rapid rate. And because so many of us are turning to digital content, it is more important than ever to make sure your ebook reader meets your needs. In this article, we’ll help you decide whether to buy an Amazon Kindle or Barnes & Noble Nook.
Nook vs. Kindle: Cost
Let’s be honest, the majority of all our buying decisions boil down to one thing: price.
Barnes & Noble (which makes the Nook) and Amazon (which makes the Kindle) both offer a variety of different models under the same brand name.
The entry-level Kindle is available on Amazon for $79.99. The mid-range Kindle Paperwhite costs $129.99, while the highest spec device—the Kindle Oasis—sells for $249.99.
Unsurprisingly, the three devices all have very different spec sheets. We’ll look at them in more detail shortly.
Similarly, there are several Nook products. However, only one of them—the Nook GlowLight 3—is a true e-reader. The other devices are all Android tablets, akin to Amazon’s Fire tablets. Yes, you can use them to read ebooks, but for committed bookworms, the brighter screen and shorter battery life makes them inappropriate options.
The Nook GlowLight is available for $119.99, thus putting it into competition with the Kindle Paperwhite.
Nook vs. Kindle: The Specs
Given the two most direct competitors are the GlowLight and the Paperwhite, let’s run through how they compare from a specs standpoint.
Both devices have a six-inch screen with a 300 DPI resolution.
The Nook only comes in an 8GB version, whereas the Paperwhite offers 8GB and 32GB models. In truth, 8GB should be enough for almost all users, especially considering you can store content in the cloud.
The most significant difference from a usability perspective is the presence of a physical button on the Nook. When reading, you can use the button to turn the pages. Although I personally own a Kindle, I would actually prefer to use a physical button for page turning—but ultimately, it comes down to your personal preference.
And finally, there’s one massive advantage that the Paperwhite has over the Nook—it is waterproof. You can submerge it for up to one hour in two meters of water. That’s a massive boon for anyone who likes to read in the bath every night, as well as for people who want to use their device by a pool or on a beach while on vacation.
Nook vs. Kindle: Screen Size and Resolution
If you’re the type of person who spends all day reading ebooks, it’s quite easy to argue that six-inch devices do not provide enough screen real estate.
The only model that offers a bigger screen is the seven-inch Kindle Oasis. Like the Nook GlowLight and the Kindle Paperwhite, the Oasis provides a screen resolution of 300 DPI.
On the other end of the scale, you might be happier with a lower resolution, especially if you’re only an occasional reader. In that case, you should consider the entry-level Kindle. You can save $50 by accepting a resolution of 167 DPI. The screen size is still six inches.
Nook vs. Kindle: Battery Life
The battery life on a Nook and Kindle is so good that it shouldn’t form a meaningful part of your decision. Nook’s creators claim the devices last for 50 days; Amazon suggests a vaguer “Weeks” on its three Kindle models.
Nook vs. Kindle: Audiobooks
Audiobooks also have experienced rapid growth in popularity over the last few years. So much so that it’s now estimated that more than a quarter of the U.S. population has listened to an audiobook in the last 12 months.
If you’re an audiobook addict who’s trying to decide between a Kindle or Nook, the Kindle is the clear winner.
The latest generation of all three devices support audiobook playback via Bluetooth and through the headphone jack.
The Nook GlowLight 3 does not support audiobooks. It’s worth noting, however, that the other tablet devices in the Nook range can download and play them.
The Kindle supports Amazon’s proprietary AZW format, as well as MOBI, DOC, TXT, RFT, and HTML. The elephant in the room is the lack of EPUB support.
Nook devices support EPUB files and PDF files.
Despite the differences, it is possible to read books on both devices regardless of format if you’re willing to use one of these online ebook converters.
Nook vs. Kindle: Online Stores
An ebook reader isn’t much use without some ebooks to put on it. Kindle owners will do their shopping in Amazon’s Kindle Books store. Nook users have access to the Nook Books store.
Of the two competing stores, Amazon’s is more extensive and often cheaper. Furthermore, Nook Books adds DRM to its ebooks; you’ll need to remove it if you want to use the EPUB file on other readers.
Nook vs. Kindle: Other Features
The two devices each come with their own array of additional apps and features.
On a Kindle, users have access to in-book dictionary definitions, the Word Wise vocabulary builder, and the X-Ray scanner. The scanner allows readers to quickly skim through a book to find references to characters, events, references, and other information.
Nook devices have a night mode (to prevent eye strain) and an automated content discovery program called B&N Readouts.
Both products provide a slew of usability settings such as different font, text sizes, and a backlight option.
As you’d expect, you can also find plenty of third-party accessories—such as cases and sleeves—for both Kindles and Nooks.
Nook vs. Kindle: Which Is Right for You?
So, to come full circle, which is the best e-reader for you? In our mind, there’s only one winner: the Amazon Kindle. The Barnes & Noble Nook has some nice touches, but the Amazon Kindle is faster, easier to use, and has access to a larger store. The three different Kindle models also mean there’s a device out there for everyone.
Of course, you don’t need to use an ebook store to find content. So once you’ve purchased your e-reader of choice here’s how to download free ebooks online and save a few dollars.
Picasa is now just a distant memory. For many years, Google’s photo management software was the best-in-class, but in 2016 the company decided to kill Picasa.
The app that replaced Picasa—Google Photos—left a lot to be desired. Sure, it has lots of cool features, but for people who like a more hands-on approach in their photo organizing software, it’s not powerful enough.
Amazingly, even after all this time, there’s not an app that you can definitively call the best Picasa replacement. So instead we’ve compiled a list of the best Picasa alternatives.
Online Options
Picasa had both a desktop and an online component, and Google is pushing its users towards moving everything online. You might be understandably hesitant to do this, but some of the best options out there are cloud-based. Here are a few of the better ones.
This is, of course, the most obvious choice. Google Photos certainly offers some advantages over Picasa; it’s integrated with other Google services (including Google Drive), you don’t need to open a new account, it’s free, it offers basic editing options, it supports photographers who use RAW files, and the interface is really easy to use.
Unfortunately, it also has a number of drawbacks. The editing tools that are currently available are extremely limited, especially compared to Picasa. Photos that you upload from your mobile device are automatically scaled down to save room in your Drive, and you only have a limited amount of storage space for non-scaled photos.
Basically, you’ll be making a lot of compromises. That said, it’s not a bad option. The automatic uploader makes sure that all of your photos are backed up in the cloud, and because it’s a Google product, sharing is made very easy. There are also both web-based and mobile options, which is really nice if you do a lot of smartphone photography.
While it’s generally thought of as an image-sharing site to host photo albums for free, Flickr is also great for photo storage and organization. Sadly, its usefulness has been tempered slightly by the decision to limit free users to 1,000 photos rather than 1TB of space.
You also get editing tools powered by Aviary; they’re not the best, but you can do all of the basics that you’re likely to need, like adjusting brightness and contrast, and getting rid of red-eye.
The paid-for Flickr Pro removes the limits and ads, allows you to upload unlimited photos in any resolution, and offers advanced stats and metrics.
Dropbox is extremely versatile, making it a useful cloud storage app. And although it doesn’t offer any editing options, Dropbox still gets a mention here for its ease of use and simplicity. Whip up a set of folders for organizing your photos, upload them, and you’re good to go. That’s all there is to it.
And while $100/year isn’t cheap, it’s not too bad for 1TB of space. The biggest advantage here is that extra space can be used for anything else, as well. You could store music in the cloud or for workplace collaboration.
Desktop Options
The best thing about Picasa was that it was great for organization and also had capable editing tools as well. Unfortunately, that’s a bit of a rarity in the photo management software scene, so many of the apps listed here will only perform one of those functions. You may have to start using two different pieces of software to manage and edit your photos.
4. XnView MP
XnView MP includes a few editing tools, but it’s best used as an image organizer. The interface isn’t particularly pleasing, but it does provide a lot of information about your photos at a glance, like filename, size, date taken, and lens details. One of the most useful things you can do with XnView MP is tag your photos so you can easily keep track of groups that don’t occupy the same location.
This software is actually meant as a media browser, and not only a photo browser, so you can get all the same sorts of information for videos, audio files, and any of over 500 file formats that it recognizes.
XnView’s software is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. And it’s free, which is definitely a selling point. The company also publishes a mobile photo editing app, so it’s possible that more desktop editing capabilities will appear in the future.
FastStone Image Viewer is like XnView MP in that it has some minor editing capabilities, but is best used as a photo organizer.
Its features include image viewing, management, comparison, red-eye removal, emailing, resizing, cropping, color adjustments, and even a musical slideshow.
More advanced users can benefit from RAW support, curves, levels, noise reduction, sharpening, lighting adjustment, and clone and heal tools.
The Photoshop family of software has been the industry standard in photo editing and management for a long time, and there’s a good reason: it’s really good at what it does. Elements is like a stripped-down version of Photoshop that helps you organize and edit all of your photos.
It includes a number of features that users liked about Picasa, such as facial recognition (though this is reported to not work as well), easy uploading for sharing, and the ability to create scrapbook pages, calendars, and other fun printables. And it has the photo-editing power of Photoshop behind it, which means you can be confident that your photos will come out looking perfect.
If you’re on a Mac, you already have a pretty decent photo organization and editing system ready to go: the aptly (though boringly) named Apple Photos. It doesn’t have a whole lot of editing power, but the auto-enhance, color, and light adjustments are easy to use, and you can include extensions from other apps.
The biggest benefit to using Photos is that the interface is very clean, it’s really easy to work with, and if you have a Mac, you already have it (in fact, it probably opens automatically when you plug in your camera). The biggest drawback here is the lack of editing abilities, but most people will be happy with the number of tools that are provided.
8. Microsoft Photos
Like the Photos app on macOS, this is a native app available for Windows users from the Microsoft Store. It offers both basic editing features and organizational functionality.
Interestingly, the app also has a video editor. You can use it to create videos out of your photo collection and make tweaks to your existing videos.
If your needs are simple, and you just want a program that will help you organize your photos and do the most basic of edits, JetPhoto could be a contender. The Studio version of the app is free (though you’ll need to upgrade to the Pro version to work with RAW files), and provides a good-enough interface to keep your photos organized.
The editing tools are about as basic as they come, so you’ll want to rely on an image editor for making any tweaks. JetPhoto is definitely best at organizing and is a decent lightweight app for what it provides. It’s also available for both Windows and macOS.
If you’re going to use an app like FastStone or JetPhoto that’s great at organization but doesn’t provide a whole lot in the way of editing, you’re going to need an app that will help you turn your photos into masterpieces. Paint.NET has been gaining market share and has turned into a very popular and capable editor.
Features like layers, curves, levels, and a whole library of brilliant Paint.NET extensions are usually reserved for more expensive photo-editing apps, but Paint.NET boasts all of these for free. It’s not the prettiest editor out there, but it gets the job done, and won’t cost you a dime. Unfortunately, however, it’s only available on Windows.
Picasa has gone for good, and is never coming back. Google has moved onto Google Photos, and the sooner you choose an alternative the better.
You may be wondering whether you can still download a copy of Picasa. While there are undoubtedly ways and means to do so, we don’t recommend that course of action. As Picasa is no longer updated, using it becomes more of a security risk with every passing day.
While the price of Bitcoin has dipped in recent times, the underlying technology is still red hot. Around the world, blockchain developers are working on the next generation of decentralized apps. The 2019 Blockchain Developer Mastery Bundle can help you get into this forward-thinking niche, with eight video courses for just $19 at MakeUseOf Deals.
Blockchain Future
Blockchain technology has several key benefits. Cryptocurrencies can be exchanged across borders with ease, and it’s almost impossible for hackers to take down a decentralized app. In addition, every transfer of data is verified by a network of third-party machines.
This bundle helps you understand the potential of blockchain and even make a living as a developer. Through 30 hours of video tutorials, you learn how the technology works, and master the technical side.
The training includes step-by-step instructions for building your own cryptocurrencies, along with an introduction to JavaScript and a tour of key blockchain frameworks. You also get 10 hours of tutorials on cryptocurrency investing and finance. The lessons cover everything from wallet options to smart contracts.
Ready to build a new PC, but don’t have much space and a limited budget? It’s time to consider the Mini-ITX form factor. Compact motherboards measuring just 170mm by 170mm can revolutionize how you use a computer.
As with any PC build, you need to have the right components, carefully matched for compatibility. Here’s everything you need to know about building a powerful, compact PC using the Mini-ITX form factor.
Uses for an ITX Form Factor PC
Building a small, Mini-ITX PC is ideal for several uses.
The steps below show you how to build a standard, low power, compact desktop computer. For a dedicated HTPC or a gaming computer, you may opt to add a dedicated graphics card. Similarly, if you’re building a server, you’ll probably opt to max out the storage options.
What You’ll Need for a Mini-ITX PC
Whatever the size, building a PC has the same basic requirements: making sure the hardware is compatible.
For a Mini-ITX PC, you’ll need a suitable motherboard of 170mm x 170mm, along with low profile heatsink and fan. Looking for a more graphic intensive gaming experience? Look for a suitably powerful GPU that will fit the case.
The PC demonstrated in this guide features the following components:
The total cost for this low-cost build was under $500. Your build might be more elaborate.
Building a Mini-ITX PC in 10 Steps
Before you proceed, it’s imperative that read the documentation that accompanies your motherboard and case. Understanding what device connects where, what jumpers to use, and how to correctly configure the BIOS will overcome most issues encountered when building a new computer.
You’re about to build a small computer, but the general principles for building a standard desktop apply. Our downloadable guide on how to build your own PC provides a more detailed approach.
Step 1: Order Parts, Check for Compatibility
You’ve already settled on an Mini-ITX case, so now you need to choose hardware that meets your requirements and budget.
Beware: it’s easy to order the wrong parts. The motherboard, CPU, and RAM modules need to be totally compatible for the computer to work. As such, you should use an online tool to ensure compatibility.
Crucial offers a RAM and motherboard compatibility “Advisor” tool
Intel dedicates a portion of its website to hardware compatibility
PC Part Picker is an excellent independent resource for ensuring you buy compatible components
Once you’ve checked, check again. Only place your order once you’re satisfied the hardware is correct and you’ve researched satisfactory reviews.
Step 2: Prepare Your Anti-Static Workspace
Before you unpack your parts, take the time to clear your work area. Wipe it free of fabrics and loose metal. Then ground yourself with an anti-static wrist strap.
Next, unpack the motherboard, putting the anti-static bag to one side.
Place the motherboard on the foam anti-static packaging (NOT the anti-static bag) that it shipped with before proceeding.
Step 3: Install the CPU
Here’s how to safely install a CPU:
Release the catch on the CPU socket. This will either be an arm, or a cover that pivots over the CPU and locks it in place.
The CPU will only sit one way. The pins on the underside each have their own individual socket, so it is vital that the CPU is correctly oriented. You’ll probably notice a small triangle in one corner of the CPU; this will match a similar symbol on the motherboard’s CPU socket. Ensure the CPU is sitting flat on the socket before proceeding.
Lock the CPU in place using the arm or cover. If you have seated the CPU correctly, no force should be required.
This three-step process ensures safe and accurate installation. CPU installation will differ depending on the socket type.
Step 4: Attach the Heatsink and Fan
It’s vital for the CPU to remain cool, which means adding a heatsink and fan to draw heat away.
There is another element to this, however: thermal paste. In most cases, the heatsink and fan will ship together with the thermal paste pre-applied. This means that you shouldn’t need to worry about applying the right amount to your CPU, and the complications that can lead to.
Follow the provided instructions to mount the heatsink and fan on the CPU, locking them in place safely.
Step 5: Install the RAM
Installing the RAM correctly is vital. Without it, the computer cannot run. Incorrect installation can short out the RAM module, as well as the motherboard.
When installing RAM, ensure that the entire module is fully pushed into the slot. Everything should be level; you don’t want to see any of the contacts above the slot. Additionally, the clasps at either end of the module will lock in place when the module is fully inserted.
If you’re using multiple RAM modules, they should both be the same type and size for the best performance.
Step 6: Prepare the Case
You’re almost ready to mount the motherboard in the case. Begin by screwing four risers (also known as stand-offs) into the case where the motherboard should sit.
Once this is done, you’ll need to fit the motherboard’s input/output (I/O) shield. This is the metal surround for the ports on the back of the case. It needs to be snapped into place before the motherboard is installed.
Step 7: Install the Motherboard in the Case
With everything installed on your motherboard, it’s time to install it in the Mini-ITX compatible case.
Carefully lift the board, and slot it into the case, taking care to line it up with the risers and the I/O shield. The back of the case should line up with the ports on the motherboard.
With the board in place, secure it into position using the dedicated screws.
Step 8: Add the Power Supply Unit
If the case doesn’t have its own PSU, you’ll need to install one. This can be troublesome for Mini-ITX cases, which is why you need to choose either a compact PSU, or a case with extra space for a standard PSU.
Once the PSU is fitted, connect the cables to the motherboard as directed in the board’s manual. It should be obvious where to connect the cables. The motherboard receives power from a ribbon of cables, while the CPU and fans have separate power cables.
Remaining PSU cables are for storage devices.
Step 9: Test Boot the Mini PC
At this stage, it’s a good idea to check that everything is working. You should have already double-checked the connections, so plug in the PC, and power it up. Remember to switch the PSU on before you hit the button on the front of the case!
With your computer hooked up to the monitor, you should see the initial POST (power-on self-test) screen. Part of this is a scan for the storage drive, which you haven’t hooked up yet. If you’ve made it this far, you should see that the CPU is correctly displayed, along with the RAM total.
Hold the power button to shut down the computer and unplug from the mains. You’re ready to install your storage device and operating system.
Step 10: Attach a Hard Drive
Connecting a storage drive (SSD or HDD) to your motherboard is relatively straightforward. You simply need to connect the SATA data cable from the motherboard to the drive; then, connect the power cable to the drive. You’ll also need to secure the drive in a suitable slot.
However, if your motherboard supports bootable M.2 SSD storage, you may prefer to use this. While this will increase the price of your build slightly, it delivers far greater data speeds, and improved performance.
Note: Any Blu-ray (or other optical device) drive you plan to use should be installed at this stage. Optical drives are connected in the same way as storage drives.
Modern cases typically have a locking mechanism to keep the drive secure, rather than screws.
Installing an Operating System
Your chosen operating system should be downloaded in advance and written to a USB flash device.
Whether you use Windows, Linux, or another operating system is up to you. However, be aware of compatibility issues with modern hardware.
For example, Windows 7 will not run with Ryzen CPUs. For example, in this test build I had to choose between Windows 10 and Linux (specifically Linux Mint).
It’s this sort of surprising compatibility issue that you should be aware of before starting. It could result in you actually building a Linux PC.
Mini-ITX PCs: Multipurpose, Compact Computing
Building a Mini-ITX PC is no tougher, or easier, than building a traditional ATX tower system. Although if you have large hands, it may be difficult to access the motherboard once it’s mounted in the case.
By this point, you should have a brand-new working PC. If not, it’s time to check over the documentation. Have you set up your motherboard correctly? Is the RAM correctly inserted? Does your HDD need configuring with a jumper setting?
What if instead of just accepting Uber rides, gig workers could pick from higher paying skilled tasks around town like stocking shelves, checking inventory, or driving a forklift at a local grocer? When they work quickly and accurately or learn new trades, they get to choose between more complex jobs. That’s the idea that’s racked up $400 million in staffing contracts for Jyve, an on-demand labor platform that’s coming out of stealth today after 3.5 years.
“I believe the skill economy is way bigger than the gig economy” says CEO Brad Oberwager. He sees Uber driving as just the low-expertise beginning of a massive new job type where people with specializations or experience are efficiently matched to retail work. Jyve’s secret sauce is the work quality review system built into its app for managers and stores that lets it know who got the job done right and deserves even better opportunities.
Jyve’s potential to become the skilled labor marketplace has quietly attracted $35 million in funding across a seed and Series A round raised over the past few years led by SignalFire and joined by Crosscut Ventures and Ridge Ventures. “Jyve is one of the fastest-growing companies we’ve seen, having already reached $400 million in bookings in three short years” writes Chris Farmer, CEO of SignalFire. “They are creating a new economic class.”
It’s all because Safeway hasn’t touched a bag of Doritos in 50 years, CEO Brad Oberwager tells me. Grocery stores have long outsourced the shelving and arrangement of products to the big brands that make them, which is why the retail consumer packaged good industry employs 10 million people in the US, or over 10% of the country’s workforce. But instead of relying on one person to drive goods to the store, load them in, and shelve them, Jyve can divide those tasks up and match them to neraby people with sufficient skills to cut costs.
“Retail isn’t dying, it’s changing, and brands that are thriving are the ones investing in their in-store experience as well as owning their e-commerce initiatives,” observed Brad Oberwager, CEO and founder of Jyve. “The question we must ask then is how do we fill this labor shortage and also enable people to refine special skills that are multi-dimensional and rewarding.”
Oberwager knows the tribulations of grocery shelving well. He built online drugstore More.com before the dot com boom, then started making his own food products. He created True Fruit Cups, one of the country’s largest importer of grapefruit, and founded and sold his Bare apple chips company. Competing for shelf space with big brands paying workers to setup elaborate displays in grocers, he saw a chance to reimagine retail labor.
But it was when his daughter got sick and he realized the surgeon who performed the operation was essentially a high-skilled mercenary that he seized on the opportunity beyond grocers. “He walks in, does the surgery, walks out. He’s a gig worker, but it’s a skill I’m willing to pay a lot for” says Oberwager.
He created Jyve to aggregate the demand from different stores and the skills from different workers. When somene signs up for Jyve, they start with easier tasks like moving boxes in the backroom. If they do that well, they could unlock higher paying shelf stocking and display arrangement, then product ordering and brand abassadorship. At each step, they take photos and leave comments about their work that are reviewed by a combination of store and brand managers, as well as Jyve’s machine vision algorithms and human quality control team. It can quickly tell if someone puts the Cheerios box on the shelf the wrong way, and won’t give them public-facing tasks if they don’t improve
“70% of our market managers were originally drivers, and they become w2 workers” Oberwager says proudly. Jyve even makes it easy for brands and retailers to hire its top giggers for full-time jobs. Why would the startup allow that? “I want to put it on billboard, “Work hard, get promoted” he tells me. The fact that Oberwager’s last name could be interpreted as “higher wages” in German makes Jyve seem like his destiny.
But to fulfill that prophecy, Jyve will have to out-tech oldschool staffing firms like Acosta, Advantage, and Crossmark. It’s also hoping to ween grocers off of Instacart by bringing shopping for online orders back to stores’ in-house staff provided by Jyve. A worker could be stocking shelves, then use that knowledge to quickly pick up all the items for an online order and give them to a curbside driver, then return to their task.
Keeping work quality up to snuff will be a challenge, but by dangling higher wages, Jyve aligns its incentives with its workers. The bigger hurdle may be convincing big brands and retail institutions to change the way they’ve done staffing forever. Oberwager professes that it takes a long time to onboard, but also a long time to offboard so it could build a solid moat if it’s the first to win this market. Jyve is now in over 1200 cities across the US, and a real-time map showed a plethora of gigs available around San Francisco during the demo.
Oberwager admthat the unskilled gig economy is “a little dehumanizing. It makes people a cog in a machine.” But he hopes each “Jyver” as he calls them can become more like a circuit – a complex machine of its own that powers something bigger.
“70% of our market managers were originally drivers, and they become w2 workers” Oberwager says proudly. Jyve even makes it easy for brands and retailers to hire its top giggers for full-time jobs. Why would the startup allow that? “I want to put it on
