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Can AT&T really drop the dish by 2020?

Shawn Shinneman — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 19:57:08 +0000

AT&T (NYSE: T) reportedly has plans to make DirecTV Now its primary video platform by 2020, but researchers wonder whether consumers will allow such a rapid shift toward the future of TV. “As far as a timeline, three to five years seems a little aggressive,” said Glenn Hower, an OTT analyst at Dallas-based market research firm Parks Associates. “I don’t think it’s possible.” Technology isn’t the issue. The writing is the on the wall for the traditional hardware TV platforms, the set-top…

Google acquires business to connect YouTube stars and brands

Annlee Ellingson — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 15:57:43 +0000

Google is well aware that YouTube stars are making money on more than just the ads that run on the video platform. Some are working directly with brands to promote their products in their videos. With the acquisition of 500 Startups-backed FameBit, which was announced on Tuesday, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) will get a piece of that action as well. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The 3-year-old Santa Monica-based startup helps brands find content creators on YouTube, as well as Instagram, Facebook…

Apple ups China presence with board seat at Didi Chuxing, new R&D center

Gina Hall — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 15:35:07 +0000

Apple continues to demonstrate that it’s all-in on China after it took a board seat at Didi Chuxing and sent CEO Tim Cook to announce a research center in Shenzhen. Apple's mergers and acquisitions head, Adrian Perico, joined the Didi Chuxing board of directors shortly after the iPhone maker invested $1 billion in the Chinese ride-sharing company in May, according to a Tuesday report from The Information. The news runs counter to earlier reports that claimed Apple did not receive a board seat. Perica,…

Is the iPhone akin to the VW Beetle? Supreme Court weighs Samsung-Apple design patent

Gina Hall — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 15:32:09 +0000

Apple’s long-running patent battle with Samsung landed in the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday, as the company made the case for why it deserves full damages on 11 early Samsung smartphone models that copied the iPhone’s rounded, rectangular design. Much of the case has been settled in lower courts, with Samsung agreeing to pay $548 million for patent infringement. In court yesterday, the justices heard arguments over the value of a design patent, which covers the look and feel of a product, rather…

A Dallas tech startup worked with Mark Cuban to design the Mavs' new app

Shawn Shinneman — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 18:37:14 +0000

The Dallas Mavericks have turned to a Dallas startup to provide its new mobile application for fans. Dallas-based sports technology company Tixsee designed the new app for iPhone and Android. It includes a ticket purchasing portal allowing fans to view panoramic, high-definition images from the seats they’re considering. “When you’re ticket shopping, we provide you with really stunning panoramic images from those seating areas,” Tixsee CEO Brett Dowling told the Dallas Business Journal. Mavs…

Facebook takes wraps off communications suite for businesses

Gina Hall — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 15:43:23 +0000

Facebook launched Workplace on Monday in an effort to keep pace with the likes of Slack. Facebook’s enterprise edition offers companies Groups, Messenger, audio and video calling, Events, live video, in addition to the familiar network profiles. Previously known as Facebook at Work, the product was in beta for almost two years before rebranding. Workplace is completely separate from the well-known Facebook experience, with its own app and single sign-on access. Workplace features a tiered pricing…

Major Theranos investor sues, accusing it of 'series of lies'

Cromwell Schubarth — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 15:40:29 +0000

A San Francisco hedge fund has reportedly sued Theranos, accusing it of lying to get a $100 million investment. The Wall Street Journal cited a fund document and unnamed sources who said that Partner Fund Management LP disclosed the lawsuit in a letter to investors. “Through a series of lies, material misstatements, and omissions, the defendants engaged in securities fraud and other violations by fraudulently inducing PFM to invest and maintain its investment in the company,” the letter reportedly…

Samsung's phone problems boost Apple stock to new high

Gina Hall — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 15:35:08 +0000

Apple stock has hit a 2016 high as Samsung revealed it will discontinue its Galaxy Note 7. Last month, the South Korea-based company provided consumers with replacement Note 7s after officially recalling the smartphones on news that the devices were exploding. On Monday, reports emerged that the replacement Note 7s were also overheating and catching fire. Samsung is now permanently discontinuing production and sales of the Note 7, due to safety fears of the defective batteries, according to Bloomberg. Competitor…

Verizon CEO downplays reports he’s seeking a $1B discount on Yahoo acquisition

Luke Stangel — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 15:32:54 +0000

Shares of Yahoo clawed higher in trading Monday, after Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam called reports his company was seeking a $1 billion discount on their $4.8 billion acquisition of Yahoo “total speculation.” Shares closed at $43.92 Monday, their highest point in more than two weeks. Verizon is about halfway through its investigation into whether the hack of 500 million Yahoo Mail accounts, disclosed in late September, represented a “material impact” on the value of the company, McAdam said…

Rideshare drivers, riders want Uber back in Austin, company's new GM says

Michael Theis — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 16:28:02 +0000

Uber wants to hit the reset button in Austin. ABJ has an in-depth interview with the man trying to push that button.