Google could be setting up to compete head to head with Uber, leveraging their self driving car technology. Radio Shack is about to shutter & you won’t believe what they are doing with the leftovers. Plus, Pebble has something big in the works & more!
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Exclusive: Google and Uber Are Going to War Over Taxis
Uber faces an ever-growing cast of adversaries that includes dubious regulators, litigious drivers, hostile members of the press, and some well-funded rivals. But the most significant threat to the app-based transportation company may be much closer to home: one of its biggest investors, Google.
Google Ventures, the search giant’s venture capital arm, invested $258 million in Uber in August 2013. It was Google Ventures’ largest investment deal ever, and the company put more money into Uber’s next funding round less than a year later. Back then, it was easy for observers to imagine Google teaming closely with Uber, or even one day acquiring it. David Drummond, Google’s chief legal officer and senior vice president of corporate development, joined the Uber board of directors in 2013 and has served on it ever since.
Uber Chases Google in Self-Driving Cars With Carnegie Mellon Deal – Digits – WSJ
But a person familiar with the matter said news that Google is developing an app to rival Uber has been blown out of proportion. The person said a Google engineer has been testing an internal app that helps Google employees carpool to work, and the app isn’t associated with the company’s driverless cars program.
Two people familiar with the matter said they weren’t aware that Drummond had been asked by anyone to step down and believe he would do so of his own volition if he sees a potential conflict. One of these people added that Uber probably doesn’t want to give information to a potential competitor, but wasn’t aware of any plans to cut off Google’s access to Uber information. The other person said that Uber and Google had been working at arms length for some time and that it was unlikely Uber would stop using Google Maps to help power its service.
Uber declined to comment on Drummond’s board status. A Google spokeswoman referred to a cryptic tweet the company posted late Monday: “We think you’ll find Uber and Lyft work quite well. We use them all the time.” Lyft is a car-hailing service that competes with Uber.
Google is still working closely with the car-hailing services. Uber is integrated directly into the Google Maps smartphone app, allowing users seeking directions to jump into Uber’s app to call a car. Separately, Lyft has worked with Google to integrate its service with Android Wear, Google’s operating system for smartwatches, as well as Google Now, the company’s smart digital assistant app.
RadioShack in Talks to Sell Half Its Stores to Sprint, Shutter the Rest – Bloomberg Business
The locations sold to Sprint would operate under the
wireless carrier’s name, meaning RadioShack would cease to exist
as a stand-alone retailer, said the people, who asked not to be
identified because the talks aren’t public.
Amazon in Talks to Buy Some of RadioShack’s Stores – Bloomberg Business
The possible move, discussed as part of RadioShack’s
looming trip to bankruptcy court, would represent Amazon’s
biggest push into traditional retail. Amazon joins other
potential bidders, including Sprint Corp. and the investment
group behind Brookstone, in evaluating RadioShack stores, people
familiar with the situation said. RadioShack has more than 4,000
U.S. locations and is moving toward a deal to sell a portion and
close the rest, according to some of the people. Sprint has
discussed buying 1,300 to 2,000, they said.
Apple to Convert Failed Arizona Sapphire Plant Into Data Center – Bloomberg Business
Apple Inc. plans to invest $2 billion to
convert an Arizona factory into a data center after the facility
failed to produce sapphire screens for iPhones.GT Advanced Technologies Inc. filed for bankruptcy
protection in October after the supplier wasn’t able to produce
screens of usable quality at the Apple-owned factory in Mesa,
near Phoenix. The smaller company wasn’t able to fulfill the
terms of an agreement with Apple.The more than 1.3 million-square-foot building, which was
once a solar-panel factory, was a key part of Apple’s efforts to
bring manufacturing back to the U.S. after years of relying on
Asian suppliers to build the company’s iPhones, iPads and Mac
computers. While Apple had promised to bring jobs to the area
even after the bankruptcy, the data center will probably employ
fewer staff compared with an operation churning out components
for iPhones.
F.C.C. Chief Wants to Override State Laws Curbing Community Net Services – NYTimes.com
The proposal focuses on laws in two states, North Carolina and Tennessee, but it would create a policy framework for other states. About 21 states, by the F.C.C.’s count, have laws that restrict the activities of community broadband services. The initiative by Mr. Wheeler, if endorsed by the full commission, would be the first time the F.C.C. has tried to override such state laws.
Pebble has now sold over 1 million smartwatches | The Verge
According to Migicovsky, Pebble plans to carry its momentum through 2015 with new products and a new software platform that is unlike anything else used on smartwatches to date. While Google and Apple’s smartwatches have been focused on app paradigms, similar to smartphones, Pebble’s new software will apparently be quite different. “We’ve found a new framework to use as an interaction model on the watch,” boasts Migicovsky, before adding that while apps will continue to exist on Pebble, they won’t be the main focus of the platform. “It doesn’t look like what we have today, and it doesn’t look like what’s on your smartphone,” added Migicovsky. Following the launch of the Pebble Steel in January, the company used 2014 as an “investment year,” increasing its headcount from around 30 to over 100 and bringing aboard some of the webOS TV design team from LG, many of whom have been tasked with building the new software platform.