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Google Considering Buying Waze For Around $1 Billion
Google is considering a buyout of Waze, the mapping app for iPhone and Android that specializes in crowd-sourced information. Waze’s asking price is around $1 billion, according to a new report from Bloomberg. Other big tech companies have been courting the map startup, most notably Facebook.
“None of the bidders is close to clinching a deal and the talks may fall apart,” says the report. There have been whispers that Apple has also considered an acquisition, but nothing concrete has surfaced yet.
Waze would be a good asset for any of the three aforementioned companies. The service has more than 40 million users that report valuable information like traffic incidents and wrecks. At this point, Apple Maps could probably use the functionality more than Google.
- Source Bloomberg
Following App Store Ban, AppGratis Turns To Android For Survival
After being pulled from the App Store back in April for violating Apple’s latest guidelines, AppGratis has turned to Android to keep its app recommendation service alive. The company has this week launched a new app in Google Play that promises a free app every day, plus discounts of up to 90% on paid Android titles.
One Ruggedized UE BOOM Bluetooth Speaker is Cool, But Two Gets You Stereo Sound
It’s unlikely that the Jawbone Jambox will be shoved off its throne anytime soon; not necessarily because it’s the best-sounding portable Bluetooth speaker out there, but because it was here first, and it made a huge splash (in part because, yes, it sounds pretty good).
But I were to bet on a challenger, I might put my money on the smart new UE Boom. Not only is it ruggedized against drops and splashes, but it’s armed with two very unusual tricks.
Yelp Refutes Media Claims Of Impropriety In Its Restaurant Listing Service
In a blog post today, aimed squarely at reports in both the Washington Post and the LA Times, Yelp’s Vice President of Communications Vince Sollitto refutes any claim of wrongdoing or pressure to advertise in exchange for hiding poor user reviews.
Pandora Updated To Let You Share Everything You Listen To On Facebook
Pandora has finally updated its mobile apps and website to let you connect with Facebook’s “Open Graph.” This means that you can now flip a toggle and share everything you listen to on Facebook. What you listen to is collected under the music section of your profile. Services like Spotify and Rdio have had this ability for awhile.
Twitter Finally Gets Two-Factor Authentication To Keep Accounts From Getting Hacked
Along with an update for its Mac app, Twitter announced today that it is introducing a new security feature to protect accounts against hackings. Twitter’s new two-factor authentification feature should help reduce the number of hacked accounts that have plagued the service recently.
To set up the new two-factor authentification feature on your account, log in and go to your Account Settings page. From there you can choose to require a verification code when you sign in, and add a phone number to your account.
The whole process takes about a minute, but if you get lost, Twitter made this handy video to help you out:
Apple Specifies 5 Patents That Are Allegedly Infringed By The Galaxy S4
Apple began adding the Galaxy S4 to its ongoing patent-infringement case against Samsung last week, and it has now specified five patents which it believes the device is breaching. The Cupertino company has also taken aim at Google Now, which allegedly infringes its unified search patent.
Google Checkout Gone As Of November 20, Google Wallet Now The Focus To Compete With Paypal
Google announced the end of Google Checkout today, slated to go the way of Google Reader and the dinosaurs as of November 20, 2013.
Today, we’re letting web merchants know that in six months, Google Checkout will be retired as we transition to Google Wallet — a platform that enables merchants to meet the demands of a multi-screen world where consumers shop in-stores, at their desks and on their mobile devices.
It seems as this will mostly affect merchants who use Google’s Checkout system, as consumers will really only see a change in the name of the service. With Google Wallet API enhancements announced last week, like the Instant Buy API and the Wallet Objects API, the transition should be smooth for consumers who use Android to purchase goods and services.
It will mean something different to Google Checkout merchants and Android developers, however.
Turkish PM Visits Apple And Google HQs To Decide Who To Buy 10.6 Million Tablets From
Turkey’s tablet loving Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has been going on a tour of the U.S. in pursuit of the greatest tablet marker in the world to arm his students with. The prime minister visited Silicon Valley on May 18th to be briefed by the world’s best technology companies on their latest endeavors.
Erdoğan is looking to buy 10.6 million iPads for his country’s education new education project Faith. So far, Erdoğan was first greeted by Microsoft CEO, Steve Balmer, and then he paid visits to both Apple, Google.
Regarding his visit to the U.S., Erdoğan said:
Samsung Is Looking For Developers Who Can Help Them Make Galaxy Apps As Good As Apple’s
Samsung has a problem. It controled 33.1% of the global smartphone marketshare last quarter — Apple was only 17.9% — yet that’s almost entirely in the low-end of the market.
What’s keeping Samsung from conquering the high-end of the market, where all the profit is and which Apple continues to dominate? Software: there is a wide-spread impression amongst consumers that Samsung’s apps just aren’t as good as Apple’s.
That’s a problem Samsung is eager to solve. That’s why they are ponying up $800,000 to developers willing to make great, Galaxy-specific apps.
