Snapchat this, and Snapchat that...
feat. Benedryl Cabbagepatch
Munch.
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It wasn’t fun times. It was fungi.
🥄 Today's Spoonful
Sweet lord, tons of news to cover! Case in point:
(Don’t worry, TechCrunch isn’t my only curated news source. Pinky promise.)
To cover the ridiculous breadth of stories circulating, today will be a big bullet point list day. If you like how it’s formatted, let me know by commenting, liking, or sending me an e-mail! If it works for you, it works for me. Let’s get to it!
Snapchat made a flurry of product moves 🤤
Product nerd here. 👋 Snap unveiled a ton of new features across its platform at its Snap Partner Summit (selfies galore). Here are a few highlights. Hold onto your seats:
Spot #1 has to go to Snapchat’s new action bar that adds shortcuts (little tabs) for navigation. Users have slammed the app for its ridonkulous UI updates in the past, and it sounds like the product team heard its streak snappers loud and clear.
Snap’s Camera will also be coming with some new features, including voice control for switching lenses and even a PlantSnap (?) tool that can recognize up to 400 different plants. 🌱🔍
It’s like they read my mind and produced the exact features I wanted to see.
Snap Maps is also rolling out Snapchat Places which gives more power to local businesses. Now, users can log onto Snap Maps to find their friends and cool places to hangout and visit. For now, businesses can add info like their hours and testimonials and it looks like food ordering is one stop down the line!
According to Snap’s Q1 financial results, nearly half of their daily Discover viewers watched Discover every day of the week. Through Discover, Snap has quietly turned into a major player in the spread of information. Its new Happening Now tab will compile content from partners like Washington Post, Bloomberg, and ESPN. Sheesh.
Some other highlights: topics for categorizing and viewing public stories, like hashtags; story replies -> stickers; Snap Minis (to pull more external devs into the ecosystem); Bitmoji integration into 3rd-party gaming; and new Snap Originals, feat. the one and only Kevin Hart.
My head is literally spinning from all the updates.
Apple pledges $100 M to its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative
Per Tim Cook: “We’re at an important moment in our history. A time when progress, which has been far too slow, feels suddenly poised to move forward in a great leap. Things must change and Apple is committed to being a force for that change.”
Timmy says that Apple will focus on financing initiatives that address education, economic equality, and criminal justice reform, as well as build on existing work among underserved Black communities.
Love what’s cooking at Apple. We’ll keep you updated on how that money is spent!
We saw some hefty rounds of funding for players new and old 👴
Spike, a productivity startup that transforms your e-mails into literal chat messages, raised $8M. (I am fired up about this idea.) 🔥
Kahoot raised $28M to keep up with demand and is now valued at $1.4B.
Instacart raised $225M and is now valued at $13.7B. While Instacart has become an essential service during quarantine, there’s been growing debate about treatment of the company’s ‘independent contractors’. We’re keeping an eye on the stories as they unfold 👀
And just because I’m a gaming nerd…
Look at this sweet, sweeeeet machine. So sleek.
Sony released trailers for a slate of games coming out on its platform, and surprised us all with its newest generation of gaming consoles. The future is now! 🤩
🥣 Cereal of the Day
Whew! It was a big few days for tech news (it’s like these companies organize their conferences around the same time just to give me a headache). So, without further ado, let’s talk about Spike.
I know, I know. I already mentioned Spike! But I cannot over-emphasize how much I love this startup.
From the UI of its cross-platform system, to its video chat integration, to its on-platform calendar, I am in love. I mean, look at all these features. 😍
Spike is a productivity startup whose software organizes emails into playful chat bubbles. But the platform has continued to evolve, and now boasts collaborative notes, tasks, and a robust file management system.
In a world of apps and tech fighting to replace e-mail - looking at you Slack - Spike empowers e-mail and makes it as simple as possible. On top of that, it centralizes all your productivity and communication in one place!
With a calendar!
Sign me up.
Check Spike out here!
Coolness meter: So nice, I scoped it twice! Also, productivity 😍
🍳 A Healthy Serving of...
Speaking of productivity, have you ever come across an activity that gives you full mental block? You know, that excruciating feeling of I’d rather be doing anything else?
Just like Benedryl Cabbagepatch here, it can be hard to buy into a project or activity if you’re simply not feeling it. So, lesson #11: Power nap.
I often preach about routine and how it’s extremely important to building habits. One of my favorite built-in commitments is my daily break/nap/me-time. That’s right — even sleeping can be a routine!
Students will often force themselves to be at their best at all times, which might include over-working, heavy screen time, and tons of meetings. But let me tell you from experience: the best way to be at your best at all times is by catching enough 💤.
Breaks are an immensely important part of any productivity routine, and for good reason — they help you re-focus and zero in on your activity by giving your brain a much-needed rest.
So go take a quick nap and re-tool that amazing brain of yours. Just remember to set an alarm so you don’t magically sleep through the day. 😴
Alrighty, team! Looks like we’re done for today. Did you like the bullet list format? If so, let me know in the comments or send me an e-mail!
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Munch.
The Cereal Intern.011