South African technology firm GoMetro has successfully secured £9 million in a Series A funding round. Specializing in fleet management solutions, GoMetro operates as a Software as a Service (SaaS) provider with a primary focus on vehicle data. At the core of its offerings is Bridge, the company's flagship product functioning as a telemetry and data aggregator. Bridge exhibits remarkable adaptability by seamlessly consolidating relevant data from vehicles of various makes and models, such as Mercedes, BYD, or Yutong, onto a unified platform. This versatility empowers fleet managers to effortlessly access and analyze data, overcoming the challenges posed by disparate telematics systems associated with different Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).

Evernote has revamped its free plan, restricting users to a single notebook and 50 notes, which now serves as the default free plan. This alteration will apply to both new and existing free users starting from December 4. In an official blog post, Evernote explained that users can manage the limit by deleting content from their notebooks to make room for new entries. Moving forward, both new and existing free users will be constrained to a maximum of fifty notes and one notebook per account. These limitations pertain to the total number of notes and notebooks a user can have concurrently, with the option to remove unwanted content to stay within the specified boundaries. Existing free account users with over 50 notes can export surplus notes and notebooks.

Candex, a startup dedicated to simplifying procurement processes, particularly in the realms of vendor management and payment procedures for businesses, has successfully secured $45 million in its Series B funding round. The platform developed by Candex is intricately designed to seamlessly integrate with third-party procurement and enterprise resource management software. This innovative platform facilitates businesses in expediting vendor payments from weeks to mere minutes, addressing and mitigating the administrative and operational complexities associated with vendor engagement and payment. By enhancing data management and providing insights into expenditure, Candex significantly accelerates workflows. Notably, the utilization of AI models plays a pivotal role in verifying invoice accuracy and ensuring appropriate taxation for transactions in the countries where a business operates, as highlighted by Lappin, a representative of the company.

Pipedrive, the user-friendly and efficient sales CRM designed for small businesses, has unveiled its new AI-driven Sales Assistant, currently in beta. This innovative tool offers sales professionals insights into a deal's likelihood of success and suggestions for optimal next steps, significantly enhancing the chances of closing deals successfully. Companies that leverage the Sales Assistant experience a threefold increase in deal closures compared to those who don't. By incorporating AI capabilities into the Sales Assistant, Pipedrive aims to empower sales teams with targeted and actionable guidance, enabling them to further elevate their performance. The integration of AI into the Sales Assistant equips small businesses with a virtual assistant that utilizes cutting-edge technology to help them prioritize tasks, focus on key deals, and identify potential challenges in their sales pipeline.

Proton, a Swiss company known for prioritizing privacy, has introduced its end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) cloud storage service Proton Drive for Mac users, extending the service to this platform four months after its Windows launch. Proton Drive ensures comprehensive encryption for files and folders as the default setting. While Apple recently implemented end-to-end encryption for certain data on iCloud, users must manually activate it. In contrast, Proton Drive asserts that it employs complete encryption across all data, encompassing metadata and file names, as the default configuration. The service provides 1GB of free storage, and users can opt for paid plans starting at $4 per month, which includes 200GB of storage along with additional features like the automatic retention of previous file versions for up to a decade.

With the latest expansion, Google Bard users can delve deeper into the intricacies of their preferred YouTube videos, thanks to the AI chatbot's newfound ability to comprehend video content and respond to user inquiries. This enhancement empowers users to not only request specific videos but also pose more intricate follow-up questions about the content, seeking comprehensive summaries and specific details even before initiating playback. However, some individuals in online communities express concerns that this update might pose a threat to the prospects of online video educators. Additionally, it amplifies existing worries regarding privacy and ownership issues associated with generative AI. The update hints at a potential future where Bard, under Google's ownership, could undertake a wide array of tasks, including content consumption, sparking discussions about the extent of its capabilities.

AppFlowy, a startup venturing into the highly lucrative realm of workplace productivity with an innovative open-source approach to project and knowledge management, has secured $6.4 million in funding. The demand for enhanced workforce efficiency has become a focal point, exemplified by Notion's remarkable $10 billion valuation, driven by the surge in remote work reliance on collaboration software. However, apprehensions linger, particularly among enterprises, regarding full commitment to proprietary software over which they lack complete control. AppFlowy seeks to assuage these concerns by offering a self-hostable solution that addresses security and extensibility issues associated with incumbent providers. Compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux, AppFlowy provides a comprehensive suite of tools for project management, note-taking, progress tracking, deadline visualization, and document creation—familiar features for users of similar virtual workspace tools.

With the upcoming release of Windows 10 version 22H2, accessible to participants in Microsoft's Windows Insider program, Windows 10 is set to acquire Copilot capabilities akin to those found in Windows 11. Users will have the ability to pose questions and seek suggestions from Copilot across various tasks and subjects, engaging with the chatbot through either typed or spoken interactions after activating the Copilot icon on the taskbar. However, the experience on Windows 10 is somewhat limited compared to Copilot on Windows 11, as it currently cannot execute actions such as customizing preferences, adjusting settings, or opening applications—though Microsoft suggests in a blog post that these functionalities may be introduced in future updates.