Now that Apple has acquired Beats, rumors have started that Google may be looking to buy a similar service, despite owning and operating its own Play Music service. According to the New York Post piece, the search giant may be interested in acquiring Songza, the 6-year-old Long Island City-based music curation and streaming service with…
Nokia acquires Desti to boost HERE Maps
Now that it has sold off its devices division to Microsoft, Nokia is looking elsewhere for growth opportunities. One of the areas they still own is HERE Maps which will apparently hit multiple platforms in the near future. We’re talking about iOS and Android, providing users with alternative to the dominant Google Maps service. As…
Samsonite acquires case maker Speck for $85 million
Samsonite is entering the mobile market by acquiring Speck, one of the biggest phone and tablet case makers, in a deal worth $85 million. “The acquisition offers Samsonite the opportunity to participate in the large and growing smartphone-case market, which in the U.S. alone is estimated to be worth $2.3 billion, as well as in…
Apple acquires Beats Audio, now what?
All those rumors were true, Apple went for Beats Audio and got it for $3 billion, which is $200 million less than what was previously suggested. Of the complete sum, $400 million of that amount will vest over time. And as part of the deal, Beats Audio’s co-founders, Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre, will be…
Google acquires Divide to make Android more secure
As part of its enterprise play to bring Android to places it hasn’t been before, Google is acquiring Divide — former Enterproid — to make its mobile platform more secure. Backed by venture arms of Google, Comcast and Qualcomm – Divide relies on containers to keep part of user’s data securely stored on a device,…
PayPal now Accepted on the Google Play Store
Google has finally added PayPal support to the Google Play Store, allowing users to make purchases easily with their PayPal balances. That includes Play Store offerings such as apps, songs, movies, TV shows and even in-app purchases can be made with PayPal. The feature is available in twelve countries, three of them being the U.S.,…
Intel enters the virtual assistant market by acquiring Ginger Software’s tech
Looks like every major company is looking to enter the virtual assistant market. Apple has Siri, Google – Google Now, and Microsoft launched Cortana as part of Windows Phone 8.1. Now we have Intel showing great interest (to say the least) for this nascent market by paying up to $30 million for a personal assistant…
Head of the Lumia Photography division leaving Nokia for Apple
Some Nokia employees don’t like their new boss and would rather pursue their careers in another companies. Ari Partinen, which used to head the Lumia Photography division, is one of those “affected,” and he decided to join Apple rather than Microsoft. The guy who played a key role in the development of the industry-leading camera-phones…
Apple acquires Beats Electronics for $3.2 billion! Update: Still not official
Yesterday it was a rumor, today it’s official. Apple has closed its biggest acquisition in years, having scooped up Beats Electronics in a deal worth $3.2 billion. As part of the deal, the company didn’t just a portfolio of fancy headphones and speakers, but also Beats music streaming service that works across iOS, Android and…
Samsung head of mobile design Chang Dong-hoon resigns only to head-up the company’s design center
Samsung’s head of mobile design, Chang Dong-hoon, has resigned following criticism over the Galaxy S5 design. While Sammy’s latest flagship looks great, it falls behind the competition (Sony and HTC) which are now using more premium materials for their high-end phones, rather than plastic. Chang will remain active within Samsung and will now head up…