At first you don’t succeed, try and try again. AT&T tried to acquire…forgive me…I meant partner with Verizon, but that failed. Now, they’re taking over…oops…partnering with another company.
AT&T announced they are purchasing Leap Wireless, the carrier for Cricket Communications, for 1.2 billion dollars. Leap is the fifth biggest cell phone company in America, thanks to Metro PCS getting taken over by T-Mobile. The only reason you’re not seeing AT&T and Verizon is because the US Department of Justice stopped it, due to anti-trust concerns. But despite being the 5th biggest phone company, Leap is struggling. As of yesterday, their shares were only $7.98 on the NASDAQ. Plus, some say this acquisition will make things even between the big four (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile).
I have mixed feelings about this. There must be a pretty big gap between the big four and Leap Wireless, I mean between the big 4 and Leap, being the fifth. I’m not that much into corporate mergers and take overs, but I’m kind of feeling this one. If a company needs help, then this could be what it takes to get Leap in the running. I’d rather see it bought out then to see jobs lost. My only concern is with other moderate phone companies. Will they thrive, or they will be bought out too?
This is playing out better than any daytime soap I ever grew up watching (yes, I am keeping my man card on that one!). For some time now, Eric Snowden has been held in the Moscow airport waiting for someone to grant him asylum. Now, it looks like some people have come to the rescue.
Latin American countries Bolivia, Venezuela and Nicaragua offer asylum to the man who blew the whistle on the National Security Administration. This comes in the wake of the Bolivian president having his plane stopped. Rumors circulated Snowden was on board that plane, and the plane was forced to stop in Austria and Bolivian President Evo Morales?was searched. Obviously, Snowden wasn’t onboard. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro praised Snowden?for exposing the NSA”s surveillance on American citizens and European leaders. “He has told the truth, in the spirit of rebellion, about the US spying on the whole world,” Maduro stated in a public speech. Ecuador has also expressed support for Snowden.
I’m wondering why Central America is opening the welcome mat before anyone else. Maybe it’s because of that Bolivian plane incident. Maybe it’s the already icy relations between the US and Venezuela. Is this a way for these countries to show up the current administration? I wonder what the next twist will be. I wonder will he finally leave that airport. And how will the US respond?
The Eric Snowden/NSA saga is the dubious gift that keeps on giving. First we find out they’re collecting info on our cell phones, smartphones, emails and social media posts. Now, we find our they’re doing the same to our European allies.
That’s right! Snowden’s documents just revealed the US government has tapped over a half billion phone calls, emails and text messages a month on our European allies. Apparently this started five years ago. And the main target is Germany. In Germany alone, an estimated 20 million phone calls and 10 million Internet transactions were monitored by the National Security Agency on a daily basis! Naturally, European leaders are disappointed and outraged. German authorities?say these acts rival that of the 20th century Cold War. France Prime Minister Laurent Fabius?calls this type of spying ?unacceptable, and demand answers. Luxembourg’s foreign minister calls this disgusting. There are calls for US Secretary of State John Kerry to come to EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium to explain these allegations.
What is this going to do to US-EU relations? These revelations come at a time a major trade pact worth billions of dollars is on the line. Could this hinder those talks, or at the very least, affect them? Germany, the main target, is also Europe’s financial leader. It has the 4th largest GDP in the world and an unemployment rate of 6.5%. Correct me if I’m wrong, that’s the lowest rate in the EU (Spain’s unemployment rate is in the 20s, for those who want to compare). I can only imagine this isn’t going to help European and American relationships much. Remember in 2003, how strained the continents were over going to Iraq? That may pale in comparison to this. I can imagine while some may halt their trip because of this. And what would these revelations do to the economy?
Who ever thought Silicon Valley and immigration reform should ever be in the same sentence? The two are more intertwined than you may think.
Because of the great talent pool of foreign workers, the tech industry is on the front line for an immigration reform bill that has already passed the senate. The industry want more green cards and a higher visa cap so more foreign workers can be hired. In fact, Intel executive?Peter Muller says, ?I think from our perspective, failure is not really an option…” In the weeks to come, tech lobbyists will meet with House Republicans about the upcoming bill. One topic of discussion is the Skills Visa Act. This act would give companies more freedoms to discuss wages with immigrant employees. This isn’t the first time Silicon Valley attempted to flex it’s political muscles. In 2007, immigration reform did not land in their favor, and they haven’t forgotten. In the past couple of years, they’ve also been vocal about piracy issues, but that’s another subject for another time.
But I gather two issues behind this, and not too many people are going to acknowledge this. One, the tech industry is more powerful than we often give it credit for. This day and age, it controls much of what we do. So it’d be interesting if Muller and other lobbyists can persuade the house to pass this bill. Secondly, and I don’t mean to sound xenophobic, but what about American workers? Is our education system in this country so lacking that tech companies have to fight this hard to get talented foreign employees? I read somewhere that many tech jobs are going to go empty because graduates lack the skill to do them well. So maybe we need to look at our own system. Just a thought. What are some other hidden issues behind this lobbying?
It’s hard to believe the year is half over. Things have not been boring in the technology world. Here are 10 reasons why:
10.You Tube April Fools: Okay, how freaked out were you when you were told You Tube was going to shut down altogether?
9. Yahoo’s Comeback: In summer 2012, Yahoo was in free for all. Then CEO Marissa Meyer took over and turned the company around. She changed the work environment and?bought companies like Tumblr for over a billion dollars. Someone’s future looks good.
8. Apple Tax Turmoil: According to some lawmakers, this tech giant went all out to avoid paying their fair share in taxes, even depending on tax havens like Ireland. It even landed?Apple executives?in Congress’ hot seat.
7. Google Glass Controversy: Some say it’s innovative, but others say it’s Orwellean. You can take pictures with the blink of an eye. You have to jump through hoops to even get this device. But it can also do some really great things. The debate continues.
6. US vs. China Hacking: This year, the US has accused China of stealing military and other sensitive information. Now, China is accusing the US of being a hacker empire.
5. Apple Stock Tumbles: In September 2012, Apple stocks were at $702. I think that’s an all-time record. Today, they’ll be lucky to see $400 a share. Many have reasons, like stiff competition from Blackberry and others. But if you bought Apple stock in the first half of 2013, my humblest apologies.
4. Twitter Grows Up: This year, so far, twitter has launched a music app. They’ve partnered with ESPN, sharing videos for ad revenue. What will they come up with?next?
3. Xbox One Revealed: We learned this could be the mother of all gaming systems. They have realistic games, voice control, and smart glass. It also has cameras that can see you 24/7. It’s expected to come out in November and cost around $500. Whose going to be in that long Black Friday line?
2. Record Cyber Attack: Several persons were arrested for stealing $45 million dollars from banks around the world. This scheme hit major banks and credit cards in 26 countries. It was believed to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest cyber robbery of all-time.
1. NSA Surveillance?Gate: It was revealed the National Security Agency was gathering our cell phone calls, emails, and social media posts without our knowledge, approval or documentation for years. Some say it’s in the name of security, others say it’s an outright violation. What side are you on?
For a while now, Facebook has been working on a service called Reader. It’s somewhat of a newspaper app for the social media world. It will publish stories and other things from users and put it in a paper style format.
If you’re familiar with Flipboard, Reader is expected to be a little like that. Flipboard, which collects news from online publishers, is getting more popular. It’s definitely more popular than the traditional newspaper. I can say that for all mobile news readers. In fact, Linkldin recently purchased news reader app Pulse for $90 million. As Linkldin and Twitter promote their news services, Flipboard has 50 million users and show no signs of slowing down. Reader’s progress has been watched closely, even by Mark Zuckerberg himself. There’s no telling when, or even if, Reader will be released. Nobody on Facebook is talking.
Remember when I reported about a Facebook phone few people are getting excited about? Well, I have a feeling Reader might be a different response. If they come up with Reader, make sure the articles that are published are true! I’m tired of reading phony Facebook post like Bill Cosby’s 83 and Tired false rant. I’m tired of reading post where celebrities die and miraculously, they’re walking down Rodeo Drive the next day. So Facebook Reader, make sure your stories are true and your sources are credible. If they can remember that, I predict Reader will be a great success for Facebook. I see why Pulse is being sought after. I see why news reader apps are doing so well. I read a statistic from September 2012 saying 60% of the public distrust the mainstream media. I myself get my news from alternative media (RT, NPR, You Tube bloggers). Facebook Reader could have quite the market. Which would you rather read/watch: a news reader or a mainstream media news hour?
