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In a strange attempt to make money, Twitter is auctioning off surplus office furniture that it doesn’t need anymore, now that thousands of employees have either left the company or been laid off. When you’re rapidly losing advertisers and apparently not paying your rent, why not go for the Hail Mary?

This auction isn’t just some rogue Herman Miller chairs (though of course, you can bid on those too). There is some truly bizarre Twitter memorabilia up for grabs, and — not to make the second football metaphor in two paragraphs — watching the bids update in real time on these strange items is kind of like my own personal Super Bowl (unless if the Eagles make a run for it, in which case, the actual Super Bowl will be my Super Bowl).

If you one day hope to open a museum about the history of Silicon Valley, you might wanna check out this auction (and reevaluate your life goals, maybe). And if you don’t have thousands of dollars to spare for a giant planter in the shape of an @ sign, well, you should probably check it out anyway because it’s funny and we need to get our laughs in when we can in this cruel world!

There are 631 items up for auction, and you have about one day left get your bids in. Go forth and conquer. Or watch along in awe and horror.

A big neon bird to remind you of the good ol’ days

When I started working on this article, the bird was going for $350. Now, it’s up to $2300 and I won’t be surprised if the next minimum bid is $5000 by the time I hit post. No, this is not an inditement of my productivity. I’m a professional! People are just bidding really, really fast for this.

Weirdness:7/10. I love a good neon sign, but it’s really not that weird that this thing exists. If you run a company and rent office space for said company, there’s an 80% chance you have a neon sign of your company logo. Don’t fact check that statistic.

How many blue checks is this worth?: This thing is racking up bids quick. I’m going to estimate that it sells for 1,125 blue checks (or, $9000).

Do I actually want to own this?: This thing is kooky and fun, but who actually wants this in their home? Then again, I am biased as someone who lives in a small apartment, considering that the people bidding on this probably own multiple properties and have plenty of room to hang up their novelty Twitter bird in a spare room where they can regale their fellow rich friends with tales of how they outbid their arch nemesis for this prized avian artwork.

48 cases of KN95 masks

When you work under a guy who has condemned COVID-related lockdowns and has used his massive platform to bully Dr. Anthony Fauci, why wear a mask? Sure, this is a basic precaution that you can take while working in an office to prevent the spread of a dangerous virus. But Elon Musk might think you’re a loser if you care about the safety of other human beings, so tread carefully.

Weirdness: 4/10. Let’s give Twitter the benefit of the doubt and say they’re selling these masks because they just haveso many already that will keep their employees protected for the foreseeable future. In that case, this is actually a really great deal! It’s only $60 right now! Go get those masks!

How many blue checks is this worth?: According to a quick Amazon search, you can buy a 40-pack of KN95 masks for about $30. In this auction lot, Twitter is selling 48 cases, which appear to contain 40 masks each. Based on my very serious Amazon analysis, one KN95 mask costs approximately 75 cents. This lot contains 1920 masks. So, if this sells at market rate, this should cost $1440, or 180 blue checks.

Do I actually want to own this?: Hell yeah! I could use a box or two for myself, and then I would offer them up to some underfunded community organizations that might benefit from these free masks. Yeah, I know, this is a TechCrunch article, not my Miss America speech, but this shit is valuable! And it’s just sitting at Twitter, going to waste!

A $3000 cheese slicer

I’ve heard through the grapevine that in the pre-Musk days of Twitter, the food was pretty good. If you’re being fed cheese that’s carefully sliced on a $3000 blade, I can understand why. Bidding on this item started at just $25, then climbed up to $3000 within an hour. To my surprise, that’s actually a very good deal! The same item — which is marketed here as a prosciutto slicer, rather than a cheese slicer — costs $16,525 from a restaurant supply website. Were they running a Michelin star Italian eatery on the sixth floor of Twitter? Imagine getting laid off from a company that owns $16,525 cheese/proscuitto slicers. I hate to say it, but I kind of understand some of Elon’s woes here.

Weirdness: 8/10. I am actually kind of pissed off that this exists.

How many blue checks is this worth?: Well, if these slicers are worth… $16,525… let’s shave off a third of the price since it’s a used item. That brings us to about $11,000, or 1375 blue checks.

Do I actually want to own this?: No! There is no corporate kitchen that should own this! I promise you, the pre-sliced proscuitto at Trader Joe’s is perfectly fine!

An old-timey photo booth that’s actually powered by an entry level Canon DSLR

Behold, this lot is one of the only listings in which it was unclear what it was at first glance. It appears we have here a photo booth, and by booth, we mean a vintage-looking camera box that actually just holds a Canon EOS Rebel T3i, an entry level, budget-friendly DSLR. However, this does come with a Profoto light, which runs for about $1100 used. But wait, there’s more! You also get some fun photo booth props. From the photo, we can see a Twitter logo (classic), a slice of pizza and pie, some emojis, and there’s also a tennis racket there — it’s unclear if that is part of the lot as well, what kind of condition the racket is in, etc.

Weirdness: 8/10. This is pretty weird, but it mostly feels weird that they are hiding an average DSLR inside of a vintage photo box thingy.

How many blue checks is this worth?: Between the camera, the Profoto light, and the various knick knacks, I’m going to price this at about $1600. Which, divided by eight, brings us to 200 blue checks.

Do I actually want to own this?:Not to brag, but I own a full-frame Canon DSLR, so I really have no use for a T3i. That flash could be very nice though. And hey, who knows, that tennis racket might be salvagable.

A bird statue that doesn’t even light up

The neon bird sign? Fine, I get it. Neon signs are cool as hell. Yet this bird statue is currently up for $9,750, whereas the current bid on the neon sign is $4,600. There is no way that this thing is two times as cool as the neon sign. It’s just a statue! I am now wondering if there is some sort of secret significance to this statue that I don’t know about — like if you tap on it exactly seven times, a glowing eye will emerge that deports you to a secret pocket dimension. Stranger things have happened in Silicon Valley.

Weirdness: 9/10. This isn’t that weird in itself, but it’s weird how in demand it is.

How many blue checks is this worth?: Gonna make a wild guess and say it’ll sell for $20,000? Yes, I hate it too, but we still have a day left on the auction and we need to be smart about our guesses here, or else we might get made fun of on Twitter. This brings us to 2500 blue checks.

Do I actually want to own this?:No, but I think it would be funny to take this statue and drop it in front of the Meta headquarters or something.

A seven-foot succulent planter in the shape of an @ sign

Here’s my opinion, take it or leave it. This is the coolest item up for auction at Twitter HQ. To start, I love plants, and as the listing kindly informs us: “Currently Artificial Plants but can be placed with real plants.” This also sparks joy because it’s not explicitly Twitter memorabilia — after all, Twitter is not the only social network that uses @ handles. This is simply just a beautiful sculpture for the biggest internet nerd in your life.

Weirdness: 10/10. I don’t know why this exists, but I am very happy it does.

How many blue checks is this worth?: Let’s go with $5000, or 625 blue checks.

Do I actually want to own this?:Genuinely, yes. Can I fit a seven-foot-tall sculpture in my apartment? Nope! Can I make it work if I try hard enough? Yes, bring it on.

It’s time to bid on Twitter’s giant neon bird light by Amanda Silberling originally published on TechCrunch

In a strange attempt to make money, Twitter is auctioning off surplus office furniture that it doesn’t need anymore, now that thousands of employees have either left the company or been laid off. When you’re rapidly losing advertisers and apparently not paying your rent, why not go for the Hail Mary?

This auction isn’t just some rogue Herman Miller chairs (though of course, you can bid on those too). There is some truly bizarre Twitter memorabilia up for grabs, and — not to make the second football metaphor in two paragraphs — watching the bids update in real time on these strange items is kind of like my own personal Super Bowl (unless if the Eagles make a run for it, in which case, the actual Super Bowl will be my Super Bowl).

If you one day hope to open a museum about the history of Silicon Valley, you might wanna check out this auction (and reevaluate your life goals, maybe). And if you don’t have thousands of dollars to spare for a giant planter in the shape of an @ sign, well, you should probably check it out anyway because it’s funny and we need to get our laughs in when we can in this cruel world!

There are 631 items up for auction, and you have about one day left get your bids in. Go forth and conquer. Or watch along in awe and horror.

A big neon bird to remind you of the good ol’ days

When I started working on this article, the bird was going for $350. Now, it’s up to $2300 and I won’t be surprised if the next minimum bid is $5000 by the time I hit post. No, this is not an inditement of my productivity. I’m a professional! People are just bidding really, really fast for this.

Weirdness:7/10. I love a good neon sign, but it’s really not that weird that this thing exists. If you run a company and rent office space for said company, there’s an 80% chance you have a neon sign of your company logo. Don’t fact check that statistic.

How many blue checks is this worth?: This thing is racking up bids quick. I’m going to estimate that it sells for 1,125 blue checks (or, $9000).

Do I actually want to own this?: This thing is kooky and fun, but who actually wants this in their home? Then again, I am biased as someone who lives in a small apartment, considering that the people bidding on this probably own multiple properties and have plenty of room to hang up their novelty Twitter bird in a spare room where they can regale their fellow rich friends with tales of how they outbid their arch nemesis for this prized avian artwork.

48 cases of KN95 masks

When you work under a guy who has condemned COVID-related lockdowns and has used his massive platform to bully Dr. Anthony Fauci, why wear a mask? Sure, this is a basic precaution that you can take while working in an office to prevent the spread of a dangerous virus. But Elon Musk might think you’re a loser if you care about the safety of other human beings, so tread carefully.

Weirdness: 4/10. Let’s give Twitter the benefit of the doubt and say they’re selling these masks because they just haveso many already that will keep their employees protected for the foreseeable future. In that case, this is actually a really great deal! It’s only $60 right now! Go get those masks!

How many blue checks is this worth?: According to a quick Amazon search, you can buy a 40-pack of KN95 masks for about $30. In this auction lot, Twitter is selling 48 cases, which appear to contain 40 masks each. Based on my very serious Amazon analysis, one KN95 mask costs approximately 75 cents. This lot contains 1920 masks. So, if this sells at market rate, this should cost $1440, or 180 blue checks.

Do I actually want to own this?: Hell yeah! I could use a box or two for myself, and then I would offer them up to some underfunded community organizations that might benefit from these free masks. Yeah, I know, this is a TechCrunch article, not my Miss America speech, but this shit is valuable! And it’s just sitting at Twitter, going to waste!

A $3000 cheese slicer

I’ve heard through the grapevine that in the pre-Musk days of Twitter, the food was pretty good. If you’re being fed cheese that’s carefully sliced on a $3000 blade, I can understand why. Bidding on this item started at just $25, then climbed up to $3000 within an hour. To my surprise, that’s actually a very good deal! The same item — which is marketed here as a prosciutto slicer, rather than a cheese slicer — costs $16,525 from a restaurant supply website. Were they running a Michelin star Italian eatery on the sixth floor of Twitter? Imagine getting laid off from a company that owns $16,525 cheese/proscuitto slicers. I hate to say it, but I kind of understand some of Elon’s woes here.

Weirdness: 8/10. I am actually kind of pissed off that this exists.

How many blue checks is this worth?: Well, if these slicers are worth… $16,525… let’s shave off a third of the price since it’s a used item. That brings us to about $11,000, or 1375 blue checks.

Do I actually want to own this?: No! There is no corporate kitchen that should own this! I promise you, the pre-sliced proscuitto at Trader Joe’s is perfectly fine!

An old-timey photo booth that’s actually powered by an entry level Canon DSLR

Behold, this lot is one of the only listings in which it was unclear what it was at first glance. It appears we have here a photo booth, and by booth, we mean a vintage-looking camera box that actually just holds a Canon EOS Rebel T3i, an entry level, budget-friendly DSLR. However, this does come with a Profoto light, which runs for about $1100 used. But wait, there’s more! You also get some fun photo booth props. From the photo, we can see a Twitter logo (classic), a slice of pizza and pie, some emojis, and there’s also a tennis racket there — it’s unclear if that is part of the lot as well, what kind of condition the racket is in, etc.

Weirdness: 8/10. This is pretty weird, but it mostly feels weird that they are hiding an average DSLR inside of a vintage photo box thingy.

How many blue checks is this worth?: Between the camera, the Profoto light, and the various knick knacks, I’m going to price this at about $1600. Which, divided by eight, brings us to 200 blue checks.

Do I actually want to own this?:Not to brag, but I own a full-frame Canon DSLR, so I really have no use for a T3i. That flash could be very nice though. And hey, who knows, that tennis racket might be salvagable.

A bird statue that doesn’t even light up

The neon bird sign? Fine, I get it. Neon signs are cool as hell. Yet this bird statue is currently up for $9,750, whereas the current bid on the neon sign is $4,600. There is no way that this thing is two times as cool as the neon sign. It’s just a statue! I am now wondering if there is some sort of secret significance to this statue that I don’t know about — like if you tap on it exactly seven times, a glowing eye will emerge that deports you to a secret pocket dimension. Stranger things have happened in Silicon Valley.

Weirdness: 9/10. This isn’t that weird in itself, but it’s weird how in demand it is.

How many blue checks is this worth?: Gonna make a wild guess and say it’ll sell for $20,000? Yes, I hate it too, but we still have a day left on the auction and we need to be smart about our guesses here, or else we might get made fun of on Twitter. This brings us to 2500 blue checks.

Do I actually want to own this?:No, but I think it would be funny to take this statue and drop it in front of the Meta headquarters or something.

A seven-foot succulent planter in the shape of an @ sign

Here’s my opinion, take it or leave it. This is the coolest item up for auction at Twitter HQ. To start, I love plants, and as the listing kindly informs us: “Currently Artificial Plants but can be placed with real plants.” This also sparks joy because it’s not explicitly Twitter memorabilia — after all, Twitter is not the only social network that uses @ handles. This is simply just a beautiful sculpture for the biggest internet nerd in your life.

Weirdness: 10/10. I don’t know why this exists, but I am very happy it does.

How many blue checks is this worth?: Let’s go with $5000, or 625 blue checks.

Do I actually want to own this?:Genuinely, yes. Can I fit a seven-foot-tall sculpture in my apartment? Nope! Can I make it work if I try hard enough? Yes, bring it on.

It’s time to bid on Twitter’s giant neon bird light by Amanda Silberling originally published on TechCrunch

Welcome back to Found, where we get the stories behind the startups.

This week Darrell and Becca are joined by GigFinesse co-founder and CEO Mir Hwang. Mir talks about how his struggles to book music gigs as a teenager pushed him to launch the company that connects artists with venues for live shows. Mir also talked about how hard it was to steer the live music-focused business through the pandemic in an industry that was reticent to adopt tech to begin with. Plus, we learn about a fun venue that couldn’t be more perfect for Darrell’s future poetry residence.

Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each week.

Connect with us:

On Twitter
On Instagram
Via email: found@techcrunch.com

Modernizing the live music industry with Mir Hwang from GigFinesse by Rebecca Szkutak originally published on TechCrunch

Welcome back to Found, where we get the stories behind the startups.

This week Darrell and Becca are joined by GigFinesse co-founder and CEO Mir Hwang. Mir talks about how his struggles to book music gigs as a teenager pushed him to launch the company that connects artists with venues for live shows. Mir also talked about how hard it was to steer the live music-focused business through the pandemic in an industry that was reticent to adopt tech to begin with. Plus, we learn about a fun venue that couldn’t be more perfect for Darrell’s future poetry residence.

Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each week.

Connect with us:

On Twitter
On Instagram
Via email: found@techcrunch.com

Modernizing the live music industry with Mir Hwang from GigFinesse by Rebecca Szkutak originally published on TechCrunch

QR code tech, which exploded during the pandemic as businesses searched for hygienic alternatives to physical touchpoints, continues to grow in popularity particularly across sectors such as restaurants and outlet retail. According to Insider Intelligence, more than 99.5 million smartphone users will scan a QR code by 2025, up from 83.4 million in 2022. There’s a potential downside — some argue QR codes reduce the need to hire employees who collect payments and service customers — but it seems clear that the tech, for better or worse, isn’t’ going anywhere.

That’s benefitted startups like Beaconstac, which works with companies including United Airlines, Amazon and Deloitte to create end-customer QR code experiences. In a sign of just how rosy business has been, Beaconstac today announced that it closed a $25 million Series A funding round led by Telescope Partners with participation from Accel.

Co-founder and CEO Sharat Potharaju says that the new capital will be put toward expanding the startup’s team and product R&D.

“We’ve seen tremendous growth since the beginning of the pandemic because our QR code technology offers businesses an efficient, user-friendly solution for creating contactless experiences,” Potharaju told TechCrunch in an email interview. “We see more businesses continuing to adopt this technology because it streamlines the customer experience. The pandemic has only amplified the existing need to connect the physical and digital worlds better.”

Potharaju co-founded Beaconstac in 2019 alongside Ravi Maddimsetty. Potharaju is an investment banker by trade, having held posts at Merrill Lynch and Fieldstone Private Capital Group. Maddimsetty, a software engineer, was an IT associate at Morgan Stanley and contributed to open source Linux projects including the GNOME desktop environment.

With Beaconstac, Potharaju and Maddimsetty sought to ride the QR code adoption wave, building a platform that allows businesses to create, manage and track QR codes across different physical touchpoints. Using Beaconstac, companies can modify aspects of branded QR codes including the shape, captions and background colors to match their design languages.

Beaconstac also lets companies create QR codes that track engagement, like a customer’s location at the time of a scan. While not a feature every patron is likely to be comfortable with, Potharaju argues that it’s helping companies acquire first-party data at a time when more platforms (see Apple) are becoming averse to tracking. (Whether you agree with Potharaju depends which side of the privacy debate you fall on, of course.)

“Beaconstac’s platform does not collect any personally identifiable information when a QR code is scanned — we are compliant with GDPR regulations around security and privacy,” Potharaju said. “Consumers can always request data deletion under GDPR rules.”

While Beaconstac competes with vendors including Flowcode and Bit.ly, the company claims to have over 20,000 customers — double the figure from last year. Potharaju declined to share revenue figures, but said that Beaconstac — which has offces in the U.S. and India — plans to double its 75-person workforce sometime this year.

“In 2019, my co-founder and I were asking the question, ‘Our phones are great at getting us online, but why aren’t they better at connecting us with the physical world?,’” Potharaju said. “Beaconstac [is] helping companies … build digital cohorts based on interactions in the physical world.”

Beaconstac lands $25M investment for its QR code management platform by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch

QR code tech, which exploded during the pandemic as businesses searched for hygienic alternatives to physical touchpoints, continues to grow in popularity particularly across sectors such as restaurants and outlet retail. According to Insider Intelligence, more than 99.5 million smartphone users will scan a QR code by 2025, up from 83.4 million in 2022. There’s a potential downside — some argue QR codes reduce the need to hire employees who collect payments and service customers — but it seems clear that the tech, for better or worse, isn’t’ going anywhere.

That’s benefitted startups like Beaconstac, which works with companies including United Airlines, Amazon and Deloitte to create end-customer QR code experiences. In a sign of just how rosy business has been, Beaconstac today announced that it closed a $25 million Series A funding round led by Telescope Partners with participation from Accel.

Co-founder and CEO Sharat Potharaju says that the new capital will be put toward expanding the startup’s team and product R&D.

“We’ve seen tremendous growth since the beginning of the pandemic because our QR code technology offers businesses an efficient, user-friendly solution for creating contactless experiences,” Potharaju told TechCrunch in an email interview. “We see more businesses continuing to adopt this technology because it streamlines the customer experience. The pandemic has only amplified the existing need to connect the physical and digital worlds better.”

Potharaju co-founded Beaconstac in 2019 alongside Ravi Maddimsetty. Potharaju is an investment banker by trade, having held posts at Merrill Lynch and Fieldstone Private Capital Group. Maddimsetty, a software engineer, was an IT associate at Morgan Stanley and contributed to open source Linux projects including the GNOME desktop environment.

With Beaconstac, Potharaju and Maddimsetty sought to ride the QR code adoption wave, building a platform that allows businesses to create, manage and track QR codes across different physical touchpoints. Using Beaconstac, companies can modify aspects of branded QR codes including the shape, captions and background colors to match their design languages.

Beaconstac also lets companies create QR codes that track engagement, like a customer’s location at the time of a scan. While not a feature every patron is likely to be comfortable with, Potharaju argues that it’s helping companies acquire first-party data at a time when more platforms (see Apple) are becoming averse to tracking. (Whether you agree with Potharaju depends which side of the privacy debate you fall on, of course.)

“Beaconstac’s platform does not collect any personally identifiable information when a QR code is scanned — we are compliant with GDPR regulations around security and privacy,” Potharaju said. “Consumers can always request data deletion under GDPR rules.”

While Beaconstac competes with vendors including Flowcode and Bit.ly, the company claims to have over 20,000 customers — double the figure from last year. Potharaju declined to share revenue figures, but said that Beaconstac — which has offces in the U.S. and India — plans to double its 75-person workforce sometime this year.

“In 2019, my co-founder and I were asking the question, ‘Our phones are great at getting us online, but why aren’t they better at connecting us with the physical world?,’” Potharaju said. “Beaconstac [is] helping companies … build digital cohorts based on interactions in the physical world.”

Beaconstac lands $25M investment for its QR code management platform by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch

Back in 2017, Wyze made a name for itself with the launch of its original $20 security camera. Over the years, it released its fair share of iterations of the Wyze Cam, with version 3 launching in 2020. Today, it’s launching both a new iteration of the original Wyze Cam, dubbed the Wyze Cam OG, with a launch price of $20 (later $24) as well as a new member of the family, Wyze’s first telephoto camera, the aptly named Wyze Cam OG Telephoto.

The Wyze Cam OG Telephoto will retail for $30 at launch, with the price going up to $34 later. While the regular camera provides a 120-degree field of view, the Telephoto version has a 3x zoom and a 27-degree field of view. Otherwise, they are pretty much identical. These are 1080p HD cameras that feature Wyze’s color night vision, two-way audio support and motion detection, including support for its Cam Plus subscription with features like a web view and AI-powered package, vehicle and pet detection. In their daytime mode, these cameras record up to 20 frames per second, while at night, that drops down to 10 frames.

Both cameras are IP65 rated, so they should be quite usable in most outdoor settings (though Wyze recommends you use its $14 outdoor power adapter for this). Both also still use a micro-USB plug. You’re not going to move these cameras around a lot, so that’s not likely an issue. Still, it would be nice to see USB-C here, given that most devices are moving this way.

The only major difference here is that the Wyze Cam OG features an integrated 40 lumen spotlight, which can automatically turn on when the camera detects motion in very low light.

Thanks to updated chips, both cameras can now detect motion and send out notifications three times faster than the company’s other cameras and an upgraded mic and speaker should make two-way audio clearer. Live video in the Wyze app from these cameras also now loads significantly faster.

While you can use the OG Telephoto camera as a standalone device, a lot of people will likely use it to augment an existing Wyze camera, maybe to specifically zoom in on a door. For those users, Wyze is launching a new kit with a mount and dual-power cable that allows you to stack both OG cameras on top of each other (in any combination). To enable this, the new cameras now feature a simple hot shoe-like indentation on their tops. On the software side, this is enhanced with Wyze’s new Picture-in-Picture view. Sadly, this PiP view isn’t available for older Wyze cameras.

As for the overall design, Wyze switched things up here a bit, going from the original folding base to a more basic pole the camera now screws into. It makes the camera look a bit more pedestrian but I think it’s a worthwhile tradeoff since it will allow for more accessories and makes the stand easily replaceable.

I’ve tested both cameras for the last week or so and there haven’t been any real surprises. Setup is about as easy as it can be. Indeed, it’s easier than before, since you don’t have to hold any QR code in front of the cameras anymore to connect them to your WiFi network. Instead, the app now finds the new camera for you, you select the network in the app, enter your WiFi password and the camera connects. All of that takes maybe 30 seconds, whereas with earlier Wyze cameras, it could be a few minutes. That’s not exactly a gamechanger, but a nice feature nonetheless.

Overall, video from both cameras is more than sharp enough and the 3x zoom makes for a nice addition, though at least for my use case (watching over my backyard and front porch), it’s not a massive upgrade — more of a nice-to-have. And that’s about all there is. Both cameras worked exactly as expected and while its mobile app isn’t flashy, it never gets in my way. I do wish I could use the PiP view for any random camera combination, though.

It’s worth noting that the original version 1 Wyze Cam had some security issues that — because of hardware limitations — Wyze wasn’t able to patch. Security issues are almost inevitable, but the main issue here was that Wyze was very slow to acknowledge this. That’s something worth keeping in mind — and I think it’s a good idea to keep your IoT devices on a different network from the rest of your home anyway.

Wyze goes back to its roots with the Wyze Cam OG and OG Telephoto by Frederic Lardinois originally published on TechCrunch

Back in 2017, Wyze made a name for itself with the launch of its original $20 security camera. Over the years, it released its fair share of iterations of the Wyze Cam, with version 3 launching in 2020. Today, it’s launching both a new iteration of the original Wyze Cam, dubbed the Wyze Cam OG, with a launch price of $20 (later $24) as well as a new member of the family, Wyze’s first telephoto camera, the aptly named Wyze Cam OG Telephoto.

The Wyze Cam OG Telephoto will retail for $30 at launch, with the price going up to $34 later. While the regular camera provides a 120-degree field of view, the Telephoto version has a 3x zoom and a 27-degree field of view. Otherwise, they are pretty much identical. These are 1080p HD cameras that feature Wyze’s color night vision, two-way audio support and motion detection, including support for its Cam Plus subscription with features like a web view and AI-powered package, vehicle and pet detection. In their daytime mode, these cameras record up to 20 frames per second, while at night, that drops down to 10 frames.

Both cameras are IP65 rated, so they should be quite usable in most outdoor settings (though Wyze recommends you use its $14 outdoor power adapter for this). Both also still use a micro-USB plug. You’re not going to move these cameras around a lot, so that’s not likely an issue. Still, it would be nice to see USB-C here, given that most devices are moving this way.

The only major difference here is that the Wyze Cam OG features an integrated 40 lumen spotlight, which can automatically turn on when the camera detects motion in very low light.

Thanks to updated chips, both cameras can now detect motion and send out notifications three times faster than the company’s other cameras and an upgraded mic and speaker should make two-way audio clearer. Live video in the Wyze app from these cameras also now loads significantly faster.

While you can use the OG Telephoto camera as a standalone device, a lot of people will likely use it to augment an existing Wyze camera, maybe to specifically zoom in on a door. For those users, Wyze is launching a new kit with a mount and dual-power cable that allows you to stack both OG cameras on top of each other (in any combination). To enable this, the new cameras now feature a simple hot shoe-like indentation on their tops. On the software side, this is enhanced with Wyze’s new Picture-in-Picture view. Sadly, this PiP view isn’t available for older Wyze cameras.

As for the overall design, Wyze switched things up here a bit, going from the original folding base to a more basic pole the camera now screws into. It makes the camera look a bit more pedestrian but I think it’s a worthwhile tradeoff since it will allow for more accessories and makes the stand easily replaceable.

I’ve tested both cameras for the last week or so and there haven’t been any real surprises. Setup is about as easy as it can be. Indeed, it’s easier than before, since you don’t have to hold any QR code in front of the cameras anymore to connect them to your WiFi network. Instead, the app now finds the new camera for you, you select the network in the app, enter your WiFi password and the camera connects. All of that takes maybe 30 seconds, whereas with earlier Wyze cameras, it could be a few minutes. That’s not exactly a gamechanger, but a nice feature nonetheless.

Overall, video from both cameras is more than sharp enough and the 3x zoom makes for a nice addition, though at least for my use case (watching over my backyard and front porch), it’s not a massive upgrade — more of a nice-to-have. And that’s about all there is. Both cameras worked exactly as expected and while its mobile app isn’t flashy, it never gets in my way. I do wish I could use the PiP view for any random camera combination, though.

It’s worth noting that the original version 1 Wyze Cam had some security issues that — because of hardware limitations — Wyze wasn’t able to patch. Security issues are almost inevitable, but the main issue here was that Wyze was very slow to acknowledge this. That’s something worth keeping in mind — and I think it’s a good idea to keep your IoT devices on a different network from the rest of your home anyway.

Wyze goes back to its roots with the Wyze Cam OG and OG Telephoto by Frederic Lardinois originally published on TechCrunch

Match-owned dating app Hinge confirmed it’s testing a higher-priced premium subscription of $50 to $60 per month — a significant increase over the current $35 per month pricing. The company had earlier teased the new offering during Match’s Q3 2022 earnings in November, calling it Hinge’s equivalent of Tinder’s top-tier “Platinum” subscription, as a comparison, and touting its potential to drive the revenue per payer “meaningfully higher.”

Bloomberg first reported the news of the premium offering, which a spokesperson for Match Group confirmed.

Hinge will aim its pricey subscription at “highly motivated daters,” it said, who are willing to pay for more features to boost their exposure in the app as well as those that would allow them to receive better recommendations. For example, subscribers’ “likes” will be seen faster than others, among other things, the report noted.

While Match’s flagship app Tinder leads the company in terms of revenue, Match called out Hinge as a “bright spot” in the past quarter. The dating app aimed more heavily towards those interested in relationships has become the third most popular app by downloads in the U.S. In more recent months, the app has been localized outside the U.S., having launched in Germany and other European markets where it’s finding traction. It’s also one of the key apps Match has been counting on to help offset the declines it’s been seeing at some of its established brands, as well as those at its 2021 acquisition of Hyperconnect, which did not pay off as expected.

The company said it would invest further in marketing Hinge in the U.S. and abroad in the fourth quarter, to help further grow the brand. On the success of this expansion and the new premium tier, Match is forecasting Hinge to deliver at least $100 million in incremental revenues this year, the company told investors during November’s earnings call.

Match shared few details about the subscription itself during the call, only noting that it would begin rolling out globally after the new year.

“We like subscription monetization opportunities with Hinge — with the Hinge user base. As with any big changes to tiers, we’ll continue to optimize the offering throughout 2023,” Match CEO Bernard Kim said during the call.

However, the company acknowledged hinge was about $15 million behind its 2022 goal, mainly due to foreign exchange headwinds, and particularly the impact those were having on the pound. It said it would update investors on Hinge’s revenue for this year during its February Q4 earnings call.

Bloomberg’s report also noted Tinder was testing a $500 monthly plan, which Match also confirmed but declined to provide details.

Dating app Hinge tests a pricier $60 per month subscription, similar to Tinder Platinum by Sarah Perez originally published on TechCrunch

Match-owned dating app Hinge confirmed it’s testing a higher-priced premium subscription of $50 to $60 per month — a significant increase over the current $35 per month pricing. The company had earlier teased the new offering during Match’s Q3 2022 earnings in November, calling it Hinge’s equivalent of Tinder’s top-tier “Platinum” subscription, as a comparison, and touting its potential to drive the revenue per payer “meaningfully higher.”

Bloomberg first reported the news of the premium offering, which a spokesperson for Match Group confirmed.

Hinge will aim its pricey subscription at “highly motivated daters,” it said, who are willing to pay for more features to boost their exposure in the app as well as those that would allow them to receive better recommendations. For example, subscribers’ “likes” will be seen faster than others, among other things, the report noted.

While Match’s flagship app Tinder leads the company in terms of revenue, Match called out Hinge as a “bright spot” in the past quarter. The dating app aimed more heavily towards those interested in relationships has become the third most popular app by downloads in the U.S. In more recent months, the app has been localized outside the U.S., having launched in Germany and other European markets where it’s finding traction. It’s also one of the key apps Match has been counting on to help offset the declines it’s been seeing at some of its established brands, as well as those at its 2021 acquisition of Hyperconnect, which did not pay off as expected.

The company said it would invest further in marketing Hinge in the U.S. and abroad in the fourth quarter, to help further grow the brand. On the success of this expansion and the new premium tier, Match is forecasting Hinge to deliver at least $100 million in incremental revenues this year, the company told investors during November’s earnings call.

Match shared few details about the subscription itself during the call, only noting that it would begin rolling out globally after the new year.

“We like subscription monetization opportunities with Hinge — with the Hinge user base. As with any big changes to tiers, we’ll continue to optimize the offering throughout 2023,” Match CEO Bernard Kim said during the call.

However, the company acknowledged hinge was about $15 million behind its 2022 goal, mainly due to foreign exchange headwinds, and particularly the impact those were having on the pound. It said it would update investors on Hinge’s revenue for this year during its February Q4 earnings call.

Bloomberg’s report also noted Tinder was testing a $500 monthly plan, which Match also confirmed but declined to provide details.

Dating app Hinge tests a pricier $60 per month subscription, similar to Tinder Platinum by Sarah Perez originally published on TechCrunch