 "TECH TALK: Reading your smile and more")
Apple registers auto domain names, including 'apple.car'
Apple Inc has registered domain names related to automobiles, adding to speculation about the company's plans to develop an automobile. The iPhone maker registered the domain names, which include apple.car, apple.cars and apple.auto in December, according to domain information provider Who.is. MacRumors had first reported the news, but said the domain names could be related to Apple's CarPlay, which lets drivers access contacts on their iPhones, make calls or listen to voicemails without taking their hands off the steering wheel. While never openly acknowledging plans to build a car, Apple has been aggressive in recruiting auto experts from companies such as Ford or Mercedes-Benz.
Lenovo unveils first smartphone powered by Google's Tango
Time Warner pushes for binge-watching to take on Netflix
Hoping to keep viewers who are dropping cable subscriptions for online streaming services, Time Warner is negotiating to make full seasons of more shows available to pay-TV customers on demand, according to Time Warner Chief Financial Officer Howard Averill. Time Warner's cable networks, which include TNT and TBS, have "made it clear" to Hollywood studios that they want so-called "stacking rights," or the ability to air full seasons of shows they buy, Averill said. Meanwhile, Time Warner's Warner Bros studio recently sold a new show, Lucifer, to 21st Century Fox, that allows cable subscribers to view the entire first season on demand - the first time that Warner Bros has granted full-season rights to a broadcast network, he said. Investors have become concerned that TV producers may be jeopardising the long-term health of the TV industry for lucrative short-term deals with streaming providers like Netflix and Amazon.com, whose popularity is taking viewers away from regular TV watching. Netflix didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Apple buys startup that sees what's behind your smile
Apple Inc bought the artificial intelligence startup, Emotient, that specialises in facial recognition technology that interprets people's emotions as they watch videos and other media. Apple confirmed the purchase without giving terms or describing its plans for the San Diego, California-based company. Emotient has tailored its facial-recognitionsoftware to advertising, media testing, audience response and research and other areas, according to its website.
Gmail creator joins Y Combinator's tech incubator
Y Combinator, Silicon Valley's largest startup factory, is rejiggering responsibilities at the executive level and adding more staff. Paul Buchheit, the creator of Gmail and of Google's onetime slogan, "Don't be evil," replaces Sam Altman as managing partner of Y Combinator's main accelerator programme, which helped launch companies including Airbnb, Dropbox, Reddit, and Stripe. Altman, who took over as Y Combinator president from founder Paul Graham in February 2014, revealed the changes in a blog post. He said he would now run the company's research group until hiring a full-time manager for that team. He plans to also split his time working on the incubator, as well as the YC Continuity and Fellowship investment programmes. Ali Rowghani, the former Pixar and Twitter executive, will continue to run the Continuity investment fund. Founded in 2005, Y Combinator said it's backed more than 800 companies that have a combined valuation of $30 billion.
Yahoo to reconsider sale of web business
Yahoo! Inc is considering an outright sale of its business, marking what could hasten a significant shift in the company's thinking as it faces pressure from activist shareholders. Just last month, Yahoo executives put forward a plan to spin off its main internet business, the latest of several strategies they've proposed over the past year to deal with slowing revenue. Now, that idea may be abandoned in favour of a sale, people familiar with the matter said. The company may need a new plan in the face of an expected proxy fight by an activist investor, said the people.
Twitter slumps to all-time low
Twitter Inc is at an all-time low just months after co-founder Jack Dorsey took the helm as chief executive officer. Since its 2013 initial public offering, the company has disappointed investors with slowing user growth and sales. While Dorsey aims to turn it around with product improvements, the moves haven't yet affected the company's numbers. Twitter shares fell 1.4 per cent to $19.98 at the close in New York, their lowest since the company's initial public offering in November 2013. The stock fell 35 per cent in 2015.
Apple Inc has registered domain names related to automobiles, adding to speculation about the company's plans to develop an automobile. The iPhone maker registered the domain names, which include apple.car, apple.cars and apple.auto in December, according to domain information provider Who.is. MacRumors had first reported the news, but said the domain names could be related to Apple's CarPlay, which lets drivers access contacts on their iPhones, make calls or listen to voicemails without taking their hands off the steering wheel. While never openly acknowledging plans to build a car, Apple has been aggressive in recruiting auto experts from companies such as Ford or Mercedes-Benz.
Lenovo unveils first smartphone powered by Google's Tango
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Lenovo Group has unveiled a smartphone that can see and maps out its surroundings with help from an Alphabet Inc 3D-scanning technology named Project Tango. The Chinese company will become the first to sell devices employing Alphabet subsidiary Google's Tango technology, which superimposes information and digital images onto displays of the real world. An infrared and wide-angle camera orients the user within indoor spaces and precisely maps the immediate environment - capturing the dimensions of a room or helping users navigate a shopping mall, for instance. The new handsets go on sale over the summer for under $500.
Time Warner pushes for binge-watching to take on Netflix
Hoping to keep viewers who are dropping cable subscriptions for online streaming services, Time Warner is negotiating to make full seasons of more shows available to pay-TV customers on demand, according to Time Warner Chief Financial Officer Howard Averill. Time Warner's cable networks, which include TNT and TBS, have "made it clear" to Hollywood studios that they want so-called "stacking rights," or the ability to air full seasons of shows they buy, Averill said. Meanwhile, Time Warner's Warner Bros studio recently sold a new show, Lucifer, to 21st Century Fox, that allows cable subscribers to view the entire first season on demand - the first time that Warner Bros has granted full-season rights to a broadcast network, he said. Investors have become concerned that TV producers may be jeopardising the long-term health of the TV industry for lucrative short-term deals with streaming providers like Netflix and Amazon.com, whose popularity is taking viewers away from regular TV watching. Netflix didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Apple buys startup that sees what's behind your smile
Apple Inc bought the artificial intelligence startup, Emotient, that specialises in facial recognition technology that interprets people's emotions as they watch videos and other media. Apple confirmed the purchase without giving terms or describing its plans for the San Diego, California-based company. Emotient has tailored its facial-recognitionsoftware to advertising, media testing, audience response and research and other areas, according to its website.
Gmail creator joins Y Combinator's tech incubator
Y Combinator, Silicon Valley's largest startup factory, is rejiggering responsibilities at the executive level and adding more staff. Paul Buchheit, the creator of Gmail and of Google's onetime slogan, "Don't be evil," replaces Sam Altman as managing partner of Y Combinator's main accelerator programme, which helped launch companies including Airbnb, Dropbox, Reddit, and Stripe. Altman, who took over as Y Combinator president from founder Paul Graham in February 2014, revealed the changes in a blog post. He said he would now run the company's research group until hiring a full-time manager for that team. He plans to also split his time working on the incubator, as well as the YC Continuity and Fellowship investment programmes. Ali Rowghani, the former Pixar and Twitter executive, will continue to run the Continuity investment fund. Founded in 2005, Y Combinator said it's backed more than 800 companies that have a combined valuation of $30 billion.
Yahoo to reconsider sale of web business
Yahoo! Inc is considering an outright sale of its business, marking what could hasten a significant shift in the company's thinking as it faces pressure from activist shareholders. Just last month, Yahoo executives put forward a plan to spin off its main internet business, the latest of several strategies they've proposed over the past year to deal with slowing revenue. Now, that idea may be abandoned in favour of a sale, people familiar with the matter said. The company may need a new plan in the face of an expected proxy fight by an activist investor, said the people.
Twitter slumps to all-time low
Twitter Inc is at an all-time low just months after co-founder Jack Dorsey took the helm as chief executive officer. Since its 2013 initial public offering, the company has disappointed investors with slowing user growth and sales. While Dorsey aims to turn it around with product improvements, the moves haven't yet affected the company's numbers. Twitter shares fell 1.4 per cent to $19.98 at the close in New York, their lowest since the company's initial public offering in November 2013. The stock fell 35 per cent in 2015.