It may still be October, but Black Friday deals have already started coming down the pike. Case in point? The Amazon Echo Show 5 smart display . This early Black Friday deal knocks 44 percent off the price, bringing it down to what we saw on Prime Day.

This sale is for the most recent version of the device, which was originally released last year. The 3rd Gen Echo Show 5 easily made our list of the . We said that “it doubles as a stellar alarm clock.” There’s an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts the brightness of the screen, a tap-to-snooze feature and a sunrise alarm.

While others may decry the diminutive 5.5-inch screen size, when compared to rivals, we actually found it to be useful. The small form factor allows the display to easily squeeze on a busy nightstand or a dresser.

The Show 5 does have a camera, which is great for video calls but not so great for privacy. After all, this thing was made to sit by your bedside. It does, however, ship with a physical camera cover for the privacy-conscious. The only other downside is that the sound quality here isn’t quite as robust as the larger models. Still, this is a whole lot of smart display for $50.

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Lamborghini and Animoca’s Web3 racing game Motorverse are tapping Coinbase’s Base blockchain to deploy interoperable Revuelto in-game assets.

Automobili Lamborghini and Animoca’s Motoverse said they are taking their collectible game efforts to the next level, selecting Base as their blockchain platform of choice to mint exclusive Revuelto collectibles.

This aligns with Lamborghini’s introduction of Fast ForWorld, its brand-new digital ecosystem created in collaboration with Motoverse, Animoca Brands’ motorsports-focused project. Together, they’re driving innovation at the intersection of luxury and motorsports—bringing Lamborghini fans and collectors a unique, immersive digital experience.

The Revuelto launch represents a big moment for Lamborghini’s immersive digital ecosystem Fast ForWorld, developed in partnership with Motorverse. In its first version, which will go live on November 7, 2024, Fast ForWorld will feature a 3D wallet to store digital items and interoperable features, allowing users to interact and play with their cars across multiple titles in the future.

Each digital Revuelto mirrors its physical counterpart with unique characteristics, serving as both a collectible and the gateway to Fast ForWorld. The platform functions as a comprehensive digital hub where enthusiasts can showcase their vehicles, participate in exclusive experiences, and engage with the broader Lamborghini ecosystem.

Revuelto collectors will receive a Fast ForWorld Genesis Capsule, unlocking premium benefits including race tickets, real-world experiences, engagement points, and exclusive Lamborghini digital merchandise.

Will Griffiths, general manager of the Motorverse, said in a statement, “We’re so excited to announce this collaboration with Lamborghini. We know users are committed to this name, and bringing their latest contribution into the digital landscape highlights what this space can do for both fans and brands. We expect this is the beginning of a much deeper relationship as the Motorverse evolves.”

The selection of Base as the minting blockchain leverages its industry-leading security, cost-efficiency, and performance. As Coinbase’s Layer 2 solution, Base has emerged as a premier platform for onchain applications, making it an ideal foundation for Lamborghini’s digital initiatives.

This development showcases the Motorverse’s vision for integrated digital experiences where collectibles enhance user engagement across the entire ecosystem while supporting beloved automotive brands. The Revuelto release marks the beginning of an expanded digital collection strategy.

We can’t keep this secret any longer! The time has come to unveil this year’s Startup Battlefield Top 20 Finalists who will compete in a winner-takes-all pitch competition on the Disrupt Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. 

TechCrunch editorial hand-selected 200 startups, out of thousands of applicants, to comprise the Startup Battlefield 200. This year, TechCrunch saw the highest number of applications from around the world and across many industries. Of the 200, 20 companies have been selected as finalists to battle it out on the Disrupt Stage for the  $100,000 equity-free grand prize and the coveted Disrupt Cup. Less than 1% of applicants to the Startup Battlefield program are selected as a Top 20 Finalist, making it one of the most competitive startup programs in the industry. 

As part of the Startup Battlefield 200, founders participate in a series of pre-event, virtual programming to help prepare them to pitch on the Disrupt Stage. In addition to extensive pitch coaching, this year’s programming included Founder Fireside Chats with legends like Kevin Ryan (AlleyCorp) and Marcelo Lebre (Remote), as well as VC panels with Sara Deshpande (Maven Ventures) and Ishani Thakur (Index Ventures).  

This year’s Top 20 Finalists will follow in the footsteps of Startup Battlefield legends like DropBox, Discord, CloudFlare and Mint on the Disrupt Stage. With over 1,500 alumni having participated in the program, Startup Battlefield Alumni have collectively raised over $29 billion in funding with more than 200 successful exits.

The Startup Battlefield Top 20 Finalists were chosen for their potential for game-changing societal, environmental and financial impact. In addition to having ambitious visions, these startups demonstrated prospective early traction, strong founding teams, business model and market size in their applications. These companies are actively working to solve critical challenges in clean tech, SaaS, fintech, health tech, auto tech, entertainment, and manufacturing.

Starting today, the Top 20 Finalists will pitch and demo live on stage for six minutes followed by a six-minute Q&A with our expert panel of judges. These top-tier VC judges include folks like Navin Chaddha (Mayfield), Chris Farmer (SignalFire), Dayna Grayson (Construct Capital), Ann Miura-Ko (Floodgate) and Hans Tung (Notable Capital), just to name a few. 

All 20 startups will pitch in semi-final showdowns on Monday and Tuesday and the top 5 finalists will be announced Tuesday evening. Those five companies will then pitch once more in the Battlefield Finals on Wednesday beginning at 11:30 a.m. and we will announce the winner at 4 p.m., all on the Disrupt Stage. You won’t want to miss it.

Now, the moment you have all been waiting for…. Here are the 2024 Startup Battlefield Top 20 Finalists: 

Monday, October 28th, Disrupt Stage

Semi-Finals (Session 1): 10:35 a.m.–11:50 a.m.

NitroFix: Aims to reduce carbon footprints by optimizing ammonia production with zero emissions, relying solely on renewable electricity, water, and air. 

ForestGuard: Dedicated to preventing wildfires with their solar-powered IoT devices and AI-assisted algorithms which allow them to detect fire hazards up to 80% earlier than traditional methods, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality. 

SpiralWave: A novel reactor that produces affordable e-methanol from flue gas or air and water in one step, eliminating captured CO2 and H2 feedstocks, without a catalyst. 

Level Zero Health: Pioneering Continuous Hormone Monitoring with a simple patch device that you can wear on top of your arm for up to 2 weeks.

Solideon: Layers off-the-shelf robotics with proprietary software that creates multi-robotic, forward deployable micro-factories that are capable of 3D printing, post processing, assembling, and inspecting entire structures and vehicles without human intervention.

Semi-Finals (Session 2): 2:00 p.m.–3:15 p.m.

Advex AI: Helps the world’s largest manufacturers reduce costs and improve efficiency by providing highly reliable computer vision models in hours. 

DGLegacy: Ensures that in the case of an unforeseen event, your assets won’t be lost and your loved ones would be able to claim their rightful ownership with a digital legacy planning and inheritance app.

VRTL: A virtual venue for entertainment organizations to deliver and scale in-person fan experiences to a remote, global audience, for greater lifetime values and data collection.

MabLab: Maker of 5-in-1, at-home rapid tests to screen for laced drugs and spiked drinks. Results delivered in under three minutes, potentially saving over 100,000 lives annually and preventing an additional 5 million hospitalizations every year.

Stitch3D: Offers a SaaS platform for hosting, processing, viewing, analyzing, and sharing large volumes of LIDAR point cloud data, all in a real-time collaborative 3D viewer.

Tuesday, October 29th, Disrupt Stage

Semi-Finals (Session 3): 10:05 a.m.–11:15 a.m.

HILOS:  Unifies deep tech with sustainable craft to offer a software and manufacturing platform to design and launch 3D-printed footwear made locally, on-demand, without end-of-life waste.

CTGT: Removes barriers to production-ready AI, tailoring LLMs to company needs by eliminating unwanted content, enabling 10x faster AI deployment for critical applications like finance and healthcare.

luna: An AI-driven health and wellbeing companion for teens, so they can feel empowered to make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing as they move into adulthood.

Narada AI: A generative AI assistant that identifies tasks from conversations and executes them across enterprise tools using AI orchestration.

Salva Health: Julieta is a portable, AI-powered breast cancer detection device that eliminates barriers to early screening, ensuring access even in remote areas. 

Semi-Finals (Session 4): 2:00 p.m.–3:15 p.m.

BANF: Ensures safe driving and optimizes fuel efficiency by 20% with their smart tire profile technology by providing real-time tire data, including pressure, temperature, wear, load, wheel alignment, and lug nut status. 

ForceField: MARQ protects company, community & country data with tamper-proof badges. Patent-pending APIs defend against deepfake scams, fraud & breaches.

geCKo Materials: A bio-inspired Dry Adhesive that is ultra-strong, reusable, leaves no residue, and requires no force to detach. The product opens new applications in industrial automations, robotic gripping, space and defense.

Haptic: A B2B SaaS company creating a universal language through touch whose tactile technology empowers intuitive, safe navigation without visual or audio cues – enhancing accessibility and awareness for all.

MDC: Revolutionizing surgery with a novel robotic system that provides physicians direct access inside MRI scanners.

Wednesday, October 30th, Disrupt Stage

Alumni Update Panel: 11:15 a.m.–11:30 a.m.

Winner of Startup Battlefield 2023, BioticsAI is a clinical intelligence platform for prenatal health care utilizing machine learning to catch abnormalities in fetal ultrasound imagery, help doctors streamline their workloads by generating automated reports, and help with legal compliance to help reduce malpractice cases within the hospitals.

Winner of Startup Battlefield 2022, Minerva Lithium is a water treatment platform technology company leading the charge in sustainable Lithium Refining. Minerva Lithium selectively traps valuable minerals and other harmful pathogens from water.

2022 Startup Battlefield Runner-Up, Intropic Materials is imparting a favorable end-of-life at the beginning by embedding degrading enzymes directly inside plastics. Once activated, the enzymes trigger the plastic to rapidly and completely self-degrade into biodegradable or chemically recyclable small molecules. 

Startup Battlefield Finals: 11:30 a.m.–12:50 p.m.

Winner Announced: 4:05 p.m – 4:20 p.m.

Haven’t snagged your ticket yet? It’s not too late! Join us at Disrupt 2024 to witness these outstanding companies pitch live on stage. Register here or when you arrive at the registration desk at Disrupt.

Apple’s new USB-C-equipped Magic Mouse somehow still has the charging port on the bottom. While Apple could have used the launch as an opportunity to move the charging port from the underside of the device — where the port has remained for nearly a decade, despite other updates to the mouse and being mocked for the decision — the port is still there.

This new $99 Magic Mouse means that, for the foreseeable future, Apple still thinks that the best way to charge your Magic Mouse is by flipping it over to plug it in, making it so you can’t use it. Why?

There have been other solutions to the ridiculous Magic Mouse charging situation. For example, my colleague Wes Davis wrote about an ergonomic grip for the Magic Mouse 2 that can charge the mouse via MagSafe. But Apple seemingly didn’t think that it needed to make a major change to where the charging port is, so you’ll once again have to turn it over to get some more juice.

After plenty of leaks and speculation, Apple has officially announced the latest iMac, equipped with both the M4 chip and Apple Intelligence – the first Mac device featuring the AI-based technology.

According to Apple, the M4 iMac is “1.7x faster for daily productivity, and up to 2.1x faster for demanding workflows like photo editing and gaming,” compared to the M1 iMac. Its 24-inch 4.5K Retina display has a new nano-texture glass option, and it’s also outfitted with a new 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View, and up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports. It comes standard with 16GB of unified memory and is configurable up to 32GB