May 19, 2014 | Computer technology, General
Not one, but two acquisitions are making headlines today. Both could have an eternal impact on entertainment and technology.
The first, AT&T is expected to acquire Direct TV satellite for $95 a share. That’s about $49 billion. This means the second largest phone conglomerate will merge with the second largest pay TV conglomerate. Economy wise, this is bigger than Comcast’s purchase of Time Warner Cable, worth around 45 billion dollars. The deal combines 20 million Direct TV with nearly 6 million of AT&T U-Verse TV users. But that’s just the beginning. These are two of the most powerful media conglomerates of all time, and this has all kind of potential, good or bad.
The second merger is You Tube and video game streamer Twitch. This deal is worth a billion dollars in cash. Those who aren’t familiar with Twitch, you can watch video games for free from Xbox and PlayStation. Twitch has 45 million regular users. You Tube has billions. The gameplay category is a highly popular category on You Tube. Neither You Tube nor Twitch would comment.
You Tube knows political leaders will challenge this acquisition. I’ve heard little if anything about AT&T being challenged. Best case situation: Direct TV will cause AT$T U-Verse TV to be the next Netflix. This merger will give us the next House of Cards and other great entertainment. Twitch could introduce You Tube subscribers to games and increase that genre. Worst case situation: These mergers can mean more expensive prices, worse service, worst customer service. And you can’t do anything about it. You can’t switch to another company, because either there are no more companies or the other mega-company is just as bad. That’s my concern. Are these acquisitions a good thing or exploitation just waiting to happen?
May 18, 2014 | General, News, Smartphone
The days of only the richest Americans owning a smartphone are long gone. In fact, you can get the Motorola Motor E for $130 with no contract. What does this mean for the industry?
It means a whole new era for no thrills smartphones. Phone supplier Ericsson says there were 1.9 billion smartphones subscribers by the end on 2013. By 2019, that number is expected to almost triple. Much of this is fueled by growing smartphone demand in developing and underdeveloped nations. Some of these places have no cable TV, or even electricity, so the smartphone may be their only way of modern day communication. And companies seem eager to provide. There’s Motorola Motor E, and there’s Alcatel. It has 4G, 13 megapixel camera, quad core processor, and runs Android 4.2. The Alcatel will run you as little as $80.
So you may not get the excellent features smartphone snobs demand. But this isn’t for the smartphone snob. These are for those who have always wanted a handset, but either couldn’t afford one or were too intimidated by the difficult technology…until now. I’ve mentioned it’s popularity around the world. But the cheap smartphone has a popular following in the US too. Let’s face it, the economy isn’t exactly back to it’s normal self, and it may never be again. So for many Americans, the cheap smartphone may be their only option. Will the cheap smartphone outsell the fancy ones?
May 3, 2014 | General, Law Blog
For quite a while, cell phone giants Apple and Samsung have battled in the courtroom over patent rights. Now the verdict is in.
According to this verdict, Samsung infringed on two Apple patents. Apple was awarded almost $120 million. This jury also ruled Apple had violated a Samsung patent. However, Apple’s violation was declared unwillful and Samsung was awarded only $158,000. I say only because, hey, compared to 120 million, this is pocket change. Two of the patents in question were the 647 quick links patent and the 721 slide-to-unlock patent. The jury, led by an IBM executive, took 3 days to deliberate. Despite Apple seeking over two billion dollars in damage, Apple was satisfied with the ruling. They told the media, ?We are grateful to the jury and the court for their service. Today?s ruling reinforces what courts around the world have already found: That Samsung willfully stole our ideas and copied our products.”
Something tells me this isn’t over. Something tells me Samsung is going to appeal this ruling. In fact, this is shaping up to be one of the biggest rivalries in corporate American history. This ranks up there with Pepsi vs Coke, McDonald’s vs. Burger King, or General Motors vs Ford.? What do you think the next chapter of this saga will be?
Apr 30, 2014 | Entertainment, General
Late in 2013, the XBox One made it’s debut in America and took the nation by storm. The XBox One craze spreads to one of the fastest rising economies in the world.
The video game franchise and their partner BesTV New Media will launch XBox One in China. It’s expected to make it’s debut in September 2014. BesTV is a mega? home entertainment technology entity based in Shanghai, China and it will lead the way in bringing this video game. This is a great feat, and an important one. China is perhaps the fastest growing gaming nation in the world today. In 2013, the gaming industry in China made over $13 billion. That’s a 38% increase from 2012. Even game producers and developers are stepping up their skills.
Not only that, a third of the Chinese population are into gaming. China has a population of over 1.3 billion. You do the math. So it makes me ask: Why wasn’t XBox One released in China when it was released in the US and others last November? I read an article saying China the second biggest economy in the world. It would make sense to have their release date in November. Think about how much XBox One could have made if this popular gaming system was sold 5 months early. Would it make better business sense to have technology products be released to all nations on the same day?
Apr 15, 2014 | General
Within a few months, Amazon is expected to introduce it’s first smartphone. Let’s dig a little deeper.
Amazon has worked around the clock to make their smartphone unique in two ways: an intimacy with the Amazon brand and 3D interface like nothing ever seen before. I’ve seen some pictures. I can tell you it’s not the most attractive device in the world. I’m informed the smartphone should be ready for delivery by September 2014. Many sources say it will have 2GB of ram and backed by Qualcomm Snapdragon. Some say the screen will be 4.7 inches diagonally, smaller than many. There’s supposed be two cameras: a 13 megapixel in the rear and standard camera for the phone. Plans and prices of this smartphone are unknown.
But the 3D interface is supposed to be their selling point. Even the wallpapers are expected to be 3Ds. Some application icons are expected to be 3D. They expect to keep the 3D experience through Amazon’s stores, like the bookstore, music store and digital store. I’m not sure if this 3D angle will work or not, but it’s worth a try. The smartphone industry is so competitive it’s critical to have an edge, especially if you’re just coming to the market. Then there’s the effort ir takes to make a phone like this. Surely that’s going to come into play when factoring cost, which is unknown. I heard it will only be released in the US at first, but is that fair to Amazon’s global customers? Do you think Amazon’s first smartphone will be successful?
Apr 14, 2014 | Entertainment, General
In Silicon Valley, there’s an unwritten code of ethics among tech billionaires. They’re supposed to be humble, careful, and at least pretend to care about the world. Someone forgot to tell Larry Ellison.
The founder and CEO of Oracle is the fifth richest man in the world, worth around 50 billion dollars. In September 2013,? he took part in America’s Cup, a race he sold to the city and he was the defending champion of. This race would cost a contestant $100 million to enter. At the same time, the Oracle Open World conference was happening. Thousands were expecting the CEO to be the main speaker. But an hour before he was to take the mic, the people were told, point blank, he’d rather be on his boat competing in the race. That’s where he was.
First of all, they could have scheduled this a little better. They should’ve known Mr. Ellison was going to pursue his $100 million hobby, and that’s exactly where he did. So I can’t fault Ellison for that one. Maybe they’ll do a better job with their scheduling. But there’s something refreshing about Larry Ellison. What you see is what you get. He appreciates his toys and enjoys the fruits of his labor. He doesn’t put on the goody goody face mask some techies do. When I read about how some billionaire or near billionaire donates X amount of dollars, the cynic in me wonders what’s the motive: are they really doing good or just trying to look good to pump up their own company profit. There’s an old saying: when you do good,?don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. I don’t think that will be a problem with Ellison. Plus, I’d always admired people who go against the grain. Isn’t that what Ellison is doing here?
