Apple has more cash than any other tech company on the planet. Yet, that hasn’t translated into spending on acquisitions. Over the past five years, Apple has spent the least on M&A out of all the “Big Five” most valuable U.S. tech companies. That’s despite the fact that it is estimated to have more than $260 billion in cash and cash equivalents. So, is it buying… Read More
Netflix had a pretty good year by very Netflix-y standards: it added a ton of subscribers; its international growth plans seem to be playing out as hoped; it cleaned up in the Golden Globe nominations, and users are watching a ton of Netflix. While the company has continued to show growth with its existing strategy — investing a ton in its original content strategy in the hope that… Read More
Google is doing so many things all the time, it’s difficult to keep a track of every new release or update. Plus, not everything that the internet giant releases is gold. But in the past few months, five of their launches are worth knowing. From freeing up space on your phone to weekend techie projects for beginners and kids, there’s a little something for everyone here. It’s all free, of course, but there is the cost of giving Google access to your information. 1. Google Maps Space (Web): Explore the Great Beyond With Google Maps You’re probably familiar with Google...
Read the full article: 5 of Google’s Best New Apps and Updates You Need to Know
Only weeks before Christmas, and in a mad rush; you realized your best gift ideas weren’t up to much. You’ve bought for the children, and diminished your wealth; but what do you buy for a fit freak who’s focused on health? Terrible, clichéd Christmas rhymes aside, buying a suitably techy gift for those obsessed with health and fitness shouldn’t be a chore. It’s time for the MakeUseOf health and fitness gift guide. Activity Trackers & Trainers Wearable activity trackers are the obvious choice for anyone who likes to stay in shape and monitor their fitness level from the comfort of a smartphone. However, the recipient may already own one, so...
Read the full article: Top 10 Gifts for Health Nuts & Fitness Freaks
Google announced today that it’s shutting down its high-end smartphone augmented reality platform, Tango, in order to focus on the more mass market ARCore product. The company had already confirmed this much to us when they announced ARCore in August, but now we have an official timeline for Tango’s demise. Read More
Twitter has released two new ads designed to persuade people to join Twitter. However, the social networking site, or rather its ad agency, has taken a rather novel approach to achieving this end. The ads admit Twitter can be hard to understand, before shattering that misapprehension. It feels like Twitter is more important than it actually is. It’s always getting cited on the news, especially when President Trump tweets, and every brand has a hashtag it wants you to use. However, in actual fact, Twitter “only” has 330 million users, and growth has virtually stalled. Romesh Ranganathan Is a Twitter...
Read the full article: Twitter Admits People Don’t Know How to Use Twitter
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a warning against the hazards of cellphone radiation this week. Yes, the thing we are all addicted to and can’t seem to put down is leaking electromagnetic radiation and now California has some guidance to safeguard the public. The CDPH asks people to decrease their use of these devices and suggests keeping your distance when… Read More
It’s one thing for an autonomous car to strut its stuff on smooth, warm California tarmac, and quite another to do so on the frozen winter mix of northern Finland. Martti, a self-driving vehicle system homegrown in Finland, demonstrated just this in a record-setting drive along a treacherous (to normal drivers) Laplandish road. Martti is one of two cars designed by VTT Technical… Read More
EyeEm is unveiling new tools to help the brands and marketers using the site to source their images. Underlying these tools is a technology called EyeEm Vision, which we described in-depth earlier this year. The goal is to expand image recognition so that it’s not just identifying the objects in the photo, but also its aesthetic qualities. EyeEm’s co-founder and chief product… Read More
It looks like Wag may get another huge injection of cash following a big financing round earlier this year, according to a report by Recode, and also based on what we are hearing. We had heard a bit ago that Wag was looking to raise around $100 million, which the Recode report also suggests. But it now looks like Softbank is in talks to invest around $300 million in the dog-walking app… Read More
