Daily Tech Headlines – March 5, 2018
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| Daily Tech Headlines – March 5, 2018 | |
| Number | 451 |
| Broadcast Date | MARCH 5, 2018 |
| Episode Length | 3:31 |
| Hosts | Tom Merritt |
Amazon fights with Nest, Broadcom fights with Qualcomm and a robot gets a job flipping burgers.
Headlines
- Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun told the Wall Street Journal that the company plans to start selling phones in the US by the end of 2018 or early 2019. It has partnerships with US retailers for selling its accessories, like headphones. Xiaomi is also considering an IPO later this year.
- The New York Times sources say Google is selling restaurant review service Zagat to online restaurant reviewer The Infatuation. The sources say The Infatuation will continue its curated reviews and keep Zagat as a separate brand.
- The Financial Times reports that the US Department of Treasury has asked Qualcomm to delay its shareholder meeting for a month to allow the US Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States to investigate Broadcom's proposed acquisition of Qualcomm. Broadcom's headquarters are in Irvine, California, but it is incorporated in Singapore for tax reasons.
- The Wall Street Journal says its sources say Amazon is in talk with several banks, including JP Morgan Chase, about creating a checking-account product. The product would be targeted at younger consumers without bank accounts.
- Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Debby Wu report sources tell them that Apple is working on Apple-branded noise-canceling over-ear headphones, similar to models it offers under the Beats brand. The sources say Apple wants to launch the headphones before the end of the year but has hit development problems that could end the project altogether.
- Meanwhile, KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo repeated expectations for new iPhones and AirPods coming from Apple this year, but for the first time mentioned a new cheaper MacBook Air expected this spring. Apple last bumped up the processor in the 13-inch MacBook Air in June and has not updated the line in three years.
- Business Insider reports Amazon told Google's Nest late last year that it would not list any new Nest products for sale. Nest decided to let the inventory of the products already listed run out, rather than to maintain those older listings. Amazon employees told Nest the decision came from the top. Amazon does not sell the Google Home or Pixel phone but has said it will resume selling the Chromecast soon.
- Scientists at Harvard have created an algorithm that can adapt assistive devices to the wearers needs after about twenty minutes of analysis. The Harvard Biodesign Lab demonstrated the algorithm on soft exosuit pair of shorts that give the wearer's knees and hips a push when needed. The new system helps cut metabolic cost by 17 percent.
- Korea's Kakao, operator of the popular messaging app Kakao Talk, says it will establish a unit focusing on blockchain. Korea's The Bell says Kakao might include a reverse initial coin offering. Han Jaesun, co-founder of local startup accelerator FuturePlay, will lead the new blockchain unit for Kakao.
- An AI-enabled robot has begun making hamburgers for public consumption at Caliburger in Pasadena, California. Miso Robotics has been testing the robot at the location and plans to bring it to 50 of Caliburger's international locations. The robot, called Flippy, costs $60,000 with a 20-percent recurring annual maintenance fee.
Links
| Preceded by: "Daily Tech Headlines – March 2, 2018" |
Daily Tech Headlines – March 5, 2018 |
Followed by: "Daily Tech Headlines – March 6, 2018" |