The NYT reported last week that Amazon had recruited Louis CK, Sacha Baron Cohen, and other comedians to produce a raft of new shows for Amazon’s Prime Video service. It’s clear that Amazon – like its video competitors Netflix and Hulu – is doubling down on its investment in content production, especially after Transparent took home … Continue reading It’s All About Content
I was pretty sure I’d never use the word “blackberry” on this blog again, except for, perhaps, a granola recipe. But the news is out that the erstwhile smartphone leader is releasing a keyboard slider Android handset, aimed at the business and security-minded crew. I’m not going to say “I told you so.” I’ll just … Continue reading Blackberry is (Kinda) Back
After I wrote my post about Tumblr’s hidden value the other day, Ben Schenker and I got into a conversation about if Yahoo! might present an appealing takeover target, similar to Verizon’s acquisition of erstwhile internet behemoth AOL. It’s hard to imagine, but AOL also seemed equally improbable. Despite its somewhat dated brand image, it’s still … Continue reading Who Would Buy Yahoo?
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
Check out this super simple recipe for corned beef that will impress your friends! Chef John over at Foodwishes has really done a great job with this recipe. It has that same corned beef that you love, but with a built in side dish! Warning: Gratuitous picture after the break…
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
Silicon Spatula 