T-Mobile and Sprint have been in merger talks for a long while now, but the latter may be attempting to jockey for position by allying itself with Charter and Comcast. Sprint would likely be selling a minority stake to the ISPs in exchange for pr... Sprint could sell pieces to Comcast and Charter before attempting ...This entry was posted in Mobile TC on July 28, 2017 by Devin Coldewey
They say you can tell a real smile because it reaches the eyes. Of course, that just means we all have to learn to fake that kind of smile, too. But the subtle expressiveness of our eyeball area has a fringe benefit: VR researchers can use it to ... Using eye smiles to predict the state of your whole ...This entry was posted in augmented reality Gadgets TC Virtual reality on July 28, 2017 by Devin Coldewey
This was not the conversation iRobot CEO Colin Angle expected to have this week. In the past few days, iRobot posted excellent Q2 earnings, thanks to brisk Prime Day Roomba sales, and acquired its largest European distributor in a $141 million deal. Yet the CEO and the company he founded were suddenly at the center of home privacy concerns over a report that he was looking to sell Roomba… Read More iRobot’s CEO says the company never planned to sell Roomba ...This entry was posted in Gadgets robotics on July 28, 2017 by Brian Heater
Startups are dying all over the place as last year’s investment cool-off leads many to run out of cash. But Whisper refuses to race into the graveyard like fellow anonymous social apps Secret and Yik Yak. A source told TechCrunch that Whisper experienced layoffs this week, and after requesting comment, the startup now confirms to us it’s let go of 20% of staff so it can become… Read More Anonymous app Whisper lays off 20% of staff to surviveThis entry was posted in Apps Mobile Social TC on July 28, 2017 by Josh Constine
Ban all smartphone notifications. Gadget Lab Podcast: Muzzle Phone Before It Eats You AliveThis entry was posted in Gear on July 28, 2017 by Wired Staff
Foxconn CEO Terry Gou and President Trump recently announced a plan to bring 3,000 jobs to Wisconsin at what appears to be a flat screen manufacturing plant. The political press ate it up, alternatively excoriating the program for costing too much in tax breaks and crowing a win for Wisconsin’s conservative governor, Scott Walker. I wouldn’t encourage either party to hold their… Read More Foxconn’s long conThis entry was posted in business Foxconn Gadgets manufacturing Startups TC on July 28, 2017 by John Biggs
Alistair Goodman, CEO of mobile marketing company Placecast, said location data is the “next frontier” when it comes to ad measurement and verification. For example, Goodman pointed to a study by Factual and the Mobile Marketing Association that found that 40 percent of marketers are concerned about the quality of location data. He said there are a number of different… Read More Placecast launches new product to verify the location data in ...This entry was posted in Advertising Tech Mobile Startups TC on July 28, 2017 by Anthony Ha
Despite an early lead with Windows Mobile and Windows CE — and spending billions on Nokia’s mobile business — Microsoft has been on its heels in the mobile device market since the one-two punch of iPhone and Android launching in 2007. The introduction of x86-compatible ARM chips and the rise of progressive web apps could drive a return to the mobile market for Microsoft. Read More Microsoft’s slow creep back into mobileThis entry was posted in Column Microsoft microsoft surface Mobile TC on July 28, 2017 by Peter Yared
After a quick fight, Apple and Nokia settled a patent lawsuit back in May. But the two companies didn’t comment on the value of this settlement. While terms of the deal are still undisclosed, Nokiamob first spotted that Nokia announced that it has received a $2 billion upfront cash payment from Apple (€1.7 billion). This seems like quite a lot of money, but Nokia won’t get $2… Read More Apple paid Nokia $2 billion as part of a patent ...This entry was posted in Gadgets Mobile Nokia patent TC and tagged apple on July 28, 2017 by Romain Dillet
Twitter might have found an interesting halfway point between charging subscriptions and its traditional advertising revenue model – automatic promoted tweets for a flat $99 monthly fee, which could appeal to power users and brands alike. The service, spotted by Matt Navarra when Twitter emailed him as a past Twitter Ads user, “automatically amplifies your tweets and profile”… Read More Twitter tests a $99 monthly automatic Tweet promotion serviceThis entry was posted in Advertising Tech Social TC and tagged twitter on July 28, 2017 by Darrell Etherington