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Today at CES 2023, a great-big tech conference in Vegas, Mercedes-Benz announced its answer to range anxiety and the great electric-vehicle charger shortage.

Following the likes of Tesla and GM, the German automaker shared a plan to develop a 10,000-charger network by 2030, starting with the U.S. and Canada, and later expanding into China, Europe and “other key markets.”

Mercedes-Benz said the North American portion of its self-branded network will eventually grow to 400 hubs, with a total of 2,500 “high-power chargers.” Charging speeds at these stations will top out at 350 kW, and each station will have up to 30 chargers, the company’s press release said. The chargers will be open to anyone, but Benz owners will get special treatment; they’ll be able to reserve stations ahead of time.

In a blow to rural areas, which are prone to charging deserts, Mercedes-Benz said it is centering the new network around “key cities and urban population centers, close to major arteries, convenient retail and service destinations, including participating Mercedes-Benz dealership sites.”

Mercedes-Benz isn’t building out its network alone. The company said it’ll split the cost of the North American portion (“just over 1 billion Euros”) with Mn8 Energy. The Goldman Sachs-spinoff owns hundreds of solar farms and energy storage facilities across the U.S.

Mercedes-Benz also named EV charger company ChargePoint as a partner in the venture. The automaker previously worked with ChargePoint on another charging service, Mercedes me Charge, which more or less smushed together several existing charger networks into one for Benz customers.

Mercedes-Benz plots ‘global’ EV charging network with 10,000 chargers by 2030 by Harri Weber originally published on TechCrunch

U.S. non-profit healthcare giant Maternal & Family Health Services has confirmed hackers accessed sensitive patient, financial and medical information months earlier.

In an advisory published on its website on Thursday, MFHS said a “sophisticated ransomware incident” exposed the sensitive information of current and former patients, employees, and vendors. This information included names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, financial account data and payment card information, usernames and passwords, and medical and health insurance information.

The organization, which serves more than 90,000 individuals across Pennsylvania, said it was made aware of the incident on April 4, 2022 but may have been initially compromised as far back as August 21, 2021, citing an investigation conducted by an unnamed forensic incident response firm.

It then took MFHS a further nine months to publicly disclose the incident. MFHS said it started notifying affected individuals on Tuesday after its

When reached for comment, Patrick McGloin, a partner at Gaffney Bennett, a public relations firm representing MFHS, declined to answer our questions beyond providing a boilerplate statement. It’s not yet known why MFHS didn’t publicly disclose the cyberattack sooner, who was behind the attack, or whether MFHS paid a ransom demand

Healthcare organizations are a frequent target for ransomware attacks, and at least 25 healthcare providers operating 290 hospitals were hit by ransomware in 2022, according to recent data from Emsisoft. This includes Chicago-based medical giant CommonSpirit Health, which confirmed that an October ransomware attack exposed the personal data of more than 620,000 patients.

US family planning non-profit MFHS says patient medical data stolen in ransomware attack by Carly Page originally published on TechCrunch

Consumer tech is at an inflection point right now, with slowing growth in developed markets and economic depressions pulling emerging markets back when it comes to investment and usage. Into that vacuum, at CES this year, major industrial company John Deere has put itself front and center to launch its latest tech and to make the case for why an agriculture and construction business is a good fit for a consumer electronics show.

Today the company announced ExactShot, a new sensor and robotics-based system for applying fertilizer; and a new electric excavator. The idea with both is to speed up repetitive processes while making them more efficient and less wasteful.

“Why should you care about farmers when they represent less than 2% of the U.S. population?” asked John May, the CEO of John Deere, speaking at a keynote today at CES. His answer: because food production is exactly where tech is actually proving its relevance and making a difference. “You will not find two industries that have a larger impact on our world, and all of us, than agriculture, and construction.”

John Deere at CES? Yes, with a robotics-based fertilizer system and a new electric excavator by Ingrid Lunden originally published on TechCrunch

Google hasn’t had a massive presence at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES). But the search giant announced that it is working on a couple of useful media playback features including better playback options for Spotify Connect-compatible devices and cross-device notifications to let you resume media playback on the move.

The idea behind cross-device notifications is that you can start playing a playlist or a podcast in your car and resume the playback on your phone or TV. Currently, Google is working on supporting YouTube Music and Spotify for this cross-device playback system.

The company said it uses a combination of signals such as Bluetooth Low Energy, Wi-Fi, and ultra-wideband (UWB), along with the nearby device feature that identifies the proximity of devices. These things enable experiences like showing a notification to resume playback on your phone when you leave your car.

What’s more, Google is also working on making it easier to switch playback devices while using Spotify. Just like Google’s Chromecast built-in and Apple’s AirPlay, Spotify Connect is a standard that lets you “cast” media playing on Spotify to compatible speakers such as an Amazon Echo.

Currently, users have to use the Spotify app to use Spotify Connect and switch between compatible speakers. But soon they can use Android 13’s revamped media switcher to shuffle between speakers.

Google didn’t specify when these features will be available to users across the globe.

While these are minor enhancements, it’s obvious that Google wants to play nice with Spotify, which has been super critical of Apple. Last year, Google struck a deal with Spotify to make the music streaming service the first partner for its third-party billing services pilot on the Play Store. Now the search company is making Spotify users’ lives easier on its own ecosystem with these enhancements.

Google is working on cross-device notifications to let you resume media playback on the move by Ivan Mehta originally published on TechCrunch

Google is rolling out new Android Auto features Thursday that make it easier for drivers to navigate, play podcasts and music, and communicate while on the go.

The new user experience design update, which was first previewed in May during Google’s I/O event, features a split screen layout that displays directions, music and texts — the essentials — at the same time. Now drivers won’t have to leave map view and navigate through menus and settings to quickly pause a song or see a message.

Google said the split screen layout is compatible with all cars, so it can reconfigure itself based on whether the car’s screen is portrait, widescreen or any other size. The company didn’t respond to TechCrunch’s question on whether the new Android Auto features would roll out via over-the-air software updates to all Android-enabled vehicles today.

At CES on Thursday, Google provided further details of how the display will look to drivers. Maps is now positioned on the screen closer to the driver’s seat, and there’s a “quick launcher” that lets drivers quickly access recently-used apps. The new media card includes Material You, Google’s new unified design language, to feature a driver’s favorite album art.

Android Auto is also getting a Google Assistant update, which will now provide smart suggestions including missed call reminders, quick arrival time sharing and instant access to media. Google is introducing a progress bar for music or podcasts so drivers can skip ahead in a song or episode (yay for skipping ads!), which the company says was one of its most requested features. There will also be on-screen shortcuts for replying to messages and calling favorite contacts, and the newest Pixel and Samsung phones will be able to make calls using WhatsApp with Android Auto soon.

In addition to user design and experience updates, Google is also making it easier to share digital car key access. Currently, users can share digital keys across Pixel and iPhones, but soon that will expand to Samsung phones and Xiaomi users. This is already supported on BMW vehicles, but the digital car key will expand to more brands in the future, says Google.

Updates for cars with Google built in

Honda, Chevrolet, Polestar, Volvo and a number of other OEMs have Google built into their cars, which means Google Assistant, Google Maps and more apps from Google Play can be found directly on the car screen without relying on a phone.

At CES, Google hinted that other car brands like Ford and Lincoln will also be built with Google later in 2023, and shared a number of updates to this integrated service, including:

Select Renault vehicles will now have the Waze app available
Automakers using Google Automotive Services will now have Google’s new HD map, starting with the Volvo EX90 and the Polestar 3. The HD map features precise road details like lane markers, signs and road barriers to better help with advanced driver assistance technologies that promise hands-free driving on certain roads.
YouTube will be available to watch on car screen while the driver is stationary. This is in addition to Tubi and MGM+ that are already available on Google Play. Google said it would be bringing this feature to Volvo cars at CES last year.

New Android Auto features give car display a user design makeover by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch

Google today is announcing a HD version of its vehicle mapping solution. Unlike Google Maps, Google’s HD map is not a consuming-facing application, but an additional layer of data that’s served to the vehicle’s L2+ or L3 assisted driving systems through Google Automotive Services.

The additional information sits on top of Google Maps’ data and delivers details such as precise lane makers and localization of objects (road signs) to help assisted driving vehicles orient themselves on the road. The driver will not be able to see or access the HD map or data directly. It’s not clear at this time if the driver will even know if the vehicle is using the HD mapping, though, presumably the vehicle’s assisted driving skills will be improved when it’s in use.

According to a Google spokesperson, the HD mapping is initially focused on high-traffic roads like freeways, but the spokesperson stopped short of saying exactly which cities or freeways. They said Google is working with automakers to determine where the HD map is most helpful.

Google’s HD map is now available to automakers using Google Automotive Services. Volvo and Polestar announced that the HD map will soon be available in the Volvo EX90 and the Polestar 3.

Google launches HD maps for vehicles, Volvo and Polestar first to integrate by Matt Burns originally published on TechCrunch

We learned two things about Coinbase yesterday: First, the U.S. crypto exchange will have to disburse $100 million for failing to conduct adequate background checks. And second, its stock jumped 12% in the aftermath of the news. (It’s since moderated, trading at $34.10 per share at the time of publication, roughly in line with where it traded at the very end of last year and the very beginning of this one.)

The $100 million sum is the conclusion of a settlement with the New York State Department of Financial Services, which had been investigating the company for violating anti-money laundering laws and other legal requirements.

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Among other things, regulators found that “Coinbase’s compliance system failed to keep up with the dramatic and unexpected growth of Coinbase’s business, and, by the end of 2021, was overwhelmed, with a substantial ​​backlog of unreviewed transaction monitoring alerts, exposing its platform to risk of exploitation by criminals and other bad actors.”

While it seems baffling that Coinbase’s stock would be up after what looks like bad news, it is important to keep in mind that markets revolve around expectations. Anything that is anticipated, whether good or bad, is already taken into account — priced in — when valuing a company.

In Coinbase’s case, that it is getting fined is not a surprise. The company disclosed that this investigation was in progress in its annual 10k filing in 2021. From the stock market’s perspective, the main piece of news is that the investigation, and uncertainty around it, is finally coming to a close.

Making sense of Coinbase’s post-settlement stock bump by Anna Heim originally published on TechCrunch

We have so many (12, in fact) outstanding early-stage startups ready to pitch at the Cross Chain Coalition Web3 Demo Day on January 11. If you want to learn more about who’s on the cutting edge of building the future of web3, DeFi, NFT and gaming, you do not want to miss this event.

Tune in: Register now for this free online pitch-a-thon.

Buckle up, because we’re set to reveal the next four startups that will deliver their best pitch to an audience packed with the kind of movers and shakers that could, if the stars align, improve the trajectories of these companies. We’re talking about leading investors like Calvin Du (OP Crypto), Ria Bhutoria (Castle Island Ventures) and many more.

Bonus: Don’t miss your opportunity to connect with these investors and founders in the live event chat and expand your network!

Okay, let’s get to it. Here are four more rising-star startups you need to know.

Meet Blockdog, a blockchain credit score solution designed to make crypto lending safer and smarter, founded by Jatin Mehta. The product builds a credit score by fetching the 360-degree credit history for a crypto wallet across the blockchains and lending protocols. Blockdog’s machine learning models use that data to build a credit score.

Meet Holder, a CRM and marketing automation platform, founded by Drew Beechler. A Salesforce alum, Beechler and his team aim to help web3 businesses capture, understand and engage with their communities.

Meet Paloma, a solution designed to bridge the gap between web2 consumers and web3 providers. Founded by Taariq Lewis, an ex-MIT grad and Cosmos industry vet, Paloma aims to be the blockchain of choice for controlling multiple smart contracts deployed on multiple chains.

Meet Patache Digital, a turnkey solution for futures trading with a suite of algorithmic trading products. Founded by Eric Mayo, this startup’s software is designed to cover the entire spectrum of needs that players like FCMs, CTAs, brokers and traders use today.

Join us on January 11 and see for yourself what the brilliant minds behind 12 up-and-coming projects are building. The Cross Chain Coalition Web3 Demo Day, which takes place on January 11, 2023, is a joint production between the CCC and TechCrunch.

Register now for this free online event and reserve your seat at the virtual table.

Meet four more startups pitching at the CCC Web3 Demo Day by Lauren Simonds originally published on TechCrunch

Without customers, there can be no business. So how can you drive new customers to your startup or keep existing ones engaged? The answer is simple: Growth marketing.

As a growth marketer who has honed this craft for the past decade, I’ve been exposed to countless courses and I can confidently attest that working is the best way to learn.

I am not saying you need to immediately join a Series A startup or land a growth marketing role at a large corporation. Instead, I have broken down how you can teach yourself growth marketing in five easy steps:

Setting up a landing page.
Launching a paid acquisition channel.
Booting up an email marketing campaign.
A/B test growth experimentation.
Deciding which metrics matter most for your startup.

In part one, I will teach you how to set up a landing page that we’ll eventually drive consumer traffic to. For the entirety of this series, we will assume we are working on a direct-to-consumer (DTC) athletic supplement brand.

Setting up your landing page

If you don’t have a product with a landing page or mobile app ready to go, I’ll show you how to quickly set a landing page up, as it is our one prerequisite for getting started.

A landing page is the page people are taken to when they click an online ad you have purchased, and it is commonly the homepage of a website. Regardless of how a consumer “lands” on your landing page, its purpose is to encourage them to convert into a lead or purchase.

In 2010, I was ecstatic when Apple introduced iWeb, which allowed users to design and publish websites without needing to write a single line of code. It was a very basic platform, though, and we’ve come a long way since. Today, there are a wide variety of advanced content management system (CMS) editors available, such as Leadpages and Webflow, which empower everyday internet users to create beautiful websites all on their own.

The advantage of many of these platforms is that they will guide you through how to use premade templates and editing your first pieces of content (such as website titles, headlines, etc.). Select a platform you like and let’s get building!

Types of content

Teach yourself growth marketing: How to set up a landing page by Ram Iyer originally published on TechCrunch

We all have one; a place in our house where we hide things that need to be kept out of reach of children. At CES in Las Vegas, one company believes it has a more stylish way of tackling that particular problem. Trova is releasing its third product, Trova Home, which is essentially a biometrically locked, stylish shoe box for the things you don’t want tiny humans to get their mitts on.

The device has a stylish design, comes in a couple of colors, and can be unlocked using NFC or Bluetooth, and the app itself can be protected using the biometric locks built into current-generation smartphones. Calling the device a ‘safe’ is probably a bit generous — the thin metal and relatively flimsy metal latches can probably be circumvented by throwing the box against a wall or hitting it with a hammer. If you need that level of protection, however, you’re well covered by an existing wall, floor, or shelf-mounted safe solutions. This device is for a different user group.

“About 60% of our customers are parents and it seems like parents really understand the use case for the product. They know that there’s nothing off-limits, and yet that privacy is really at a premium when you’ve got kids running around your house. Ultimately what we do is provide people privacy and peace of mind for items that they don’t want either accidentally – or intentionally – discovered,” said Scott Loeppert, Co-Owner of TROVA, in an interview with TechCrunch. “Our use cases typically are sort of divided evenly between the traditional use case of jewelry and valuables and the more illicit use cases for things that you don’t want kids to accidentally discover. Adult bedroom toys, recreational marijuana (where it’s legal), your prescription medications that might be dangerous to kids.”

Despite the founder’s insistence that the Trova is for legal substances only, it would presumably be possible to hide your illegal drugs in the Trova, should you have a couple of pills, tabs, or powders lying around from your college days.

The other use case is for a tech time-out: Lock the whole family’s phones away, and set a timer for when they are unlocked again. The cool thing in this use case is that there are a couple of USB-C sockets in the device, so you can charge your phones while you’re enjoying dinner or settling in for games night.

“Parents kept telling us they want to use it for tech timeout. They want to lock their kid’s phones – and maybe their or their own phones – in there during dinner time,” said Loeppert. “And we are introducing that as a feature in the new app. You can set it for a timer so it’ll open after an hour or two or three or whatever you want.”

The Trova Home can alert users if temperature or humidity moves outside a specified range, and if someone is trying to tamper with the device. Alerts can also be sent every time it is opened, or if the device loses Wi-Fi, either by moving out of range, or through other Wi-Fi outages.

The new device is currently available in Sandstone and Charcoal finishes, it can be opened by up to five authorized users per device, and is 14.5×6.2×3 inches (37x19x10cm) in size. It costs $549 USD, and is shipping soon.

Trova launches a stylish hiding spot for your unmentionables by Haje Jan Kamps originally published on TechCrunch