There’s been some hubbub lately about the potential tax implications of Yahoo’s planned spinoff of its 15% stake in Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba. Those shares, worth about $25 billion, would account for the lion’s share of Yahoo’s $29 billion market cap at close of trading on Monday. This math got me thinking about Yahoo’s other big acquisition … Continue reading Tumblin’ Dice
In iOS 9, Apple now permits users to move Newsstand apps out of the dedicated folder. It’s nice to see Apple loosening these restrictions. I suspect it’s because it was hard to keep a firm lock on what was really considered news: Would apps from, say, Buzzfeed or Vice be considered news or content? The … Continue reading All the News That’ll Fit to an iPhone Screen
At its lengthy announcement last Wednesday, Apple announced a number of new products, including the iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, iPad Pro, and the new Apple TV. As a number of outlets have been quick to point out, there was nothing truly revolutionary here. However, I think there were a number of compelling iterations that didn’t so much seek … Continue reading Subscribing to iPhone
The Google Blog announced the other day that upcoming Android Wear watches will work with newer iPhones. I’d been curious whether or not Google (and its OEM partners) would go down this path. In general, iPhone owners enjoy the same Google apps that their Android counterparts use. However, given Google’s stabs into integrated hardware – Nexus … Continue reading Android Watch on iOS
The Wall Street Journal has a quick rundown of Starbucks’s newish effort to expand its offerings to include wine and tasting plates, in a subtly-named initiative called “Starbucks Evenings.” I’m not sure whether or not this effort will pan out, but I suspect that it will see modest success. In my entirely informal polling, many coffee drinkers … Continue reading From Beans to Beaujolais
Two years ago, this small change might well have allowed Twitter to more effectively expand from just social media and news aggregation into messaging. But at this juncture, I think Facebook has that market locked up. Continue reading Missed Opportunities
Japanese messaging service Line rolled out a new app called Line Here – separate from its popular platform – that allows users to share their location with multiple parties, in real time. I find it interesting that Line – which is very popular in Asia, but trails Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger in the US – … Continue reading Line’s New App
This past weekend, the Wall Street Journal had a compelling article on the rise of phone-reading. It noted that readers have abandoned paperbacks, tablets, and even e-readers in favor of increasingly large-screened phones. Publishers are following suit. To engage readers, publishers are now experimenting with ways to make the mobile-reading experience better. They are designing book … Continue reading E-Reading
Having just traveled to the stellar A. Smith Bowman Bourbon Distillery in Fresericksburg, VA, I found it pretty serendipitous that I was shown the below ad by Knob Creek. It’s fascinating to see Airbnb used as a sort of platform for an experience, rather than merely a hotel replacement. Sure, the tent near the brewery … Continue reading Distilling Experiences
Starbucks has made it its business to partner with lots of tech companies – Uber, Spotify, The New York Times – and the most recent addition to that list is Lyft, the popular ride-sharing service. I think this partnership – along with Starbucks’s other deals – represents a new kind of dominance for the brand. In the 1990s … Continue reading Another Coffee for the Road
Silicon Spatula 