Business, Financial & Legal News - Page 122

All the latest Business, Financial & Legal news as it relates to tech, gaming, and science - Page 122.

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Uber CEO resigns after months of controversy

Anthony Garreffa | Jun 22, 2017 12:17 AM CDT

Uber is stumbling out of control, with CEO Travis Kalanick stepping down from the company. The New York Times is reporting that a group of major Uber investors demanded Kalanick's resignation on Tuesday.

Uber CEO resigns after months of controversy

Kalanich eventually bowed to the demands after "hours of discussions", and will continue to stay on Uber's board and still has his hands-on a majority of voting shares. Kalanick said in a statement to the NYT: "I love Uber more than anything in the world and at this difficult moment in my personal life I have accepted the investors' request to step aside so that Uber can go back to building rather than be distracted with another fight".

The Uber board said: "Travis has always put Uber first. This is a bold decision and a sign of his devotion and love for Uber. By stepping away, he's taking the time to heal from his personal tragedy while giving the company room to fully embrace this new chapter in Uber's history. We look forward to continuing to serve with him on the board".

Continue reading: Uber CEO resigns after months of controversy (full post)

Vintage Apple sneakers auction starts at $15,000

Anthony Garreffa | Jun 7, 2017 9:47 PM CDT

For the hardcore Apple fans out there, you might be surprised to see that Heritage Auctions is planning to list a pair of prototype Apple sneakers that never made it to market, with the listing to hit eBay on June 11 starting at $15,000.

Vintage Apple sneakers auction starts at $15,000

The sneakers feature the old school rainbow Apple logo, and were only handed out to employees at the time. The near-mint condition sneakers make them a near one-of-a-kind, which explains their $15,000 starting price. For those who collect Apple hardware, software, and well - clothes and shoes, this could be quite the steal.

Continue reading: Vintage Apple sneakers auction starts at $15,000 (full post)

LeEco's crash in the US leaves hundreds unemployed

Lana Jelic | May 24, 2017 2:23 PM CDT

Chinese smartphone manufacturer LeEco has announced that they will cut over 300 jobs at its US business, which is around 70% of its local force.

LeEco's crash in the US leaves hundreds unemployed

The cuts are being made to increase the company's investments in its home market. Last year, Jia Yueting said that the expansion to the US market had been too quick and costly.

The company made a bold entry into America, but they failed to market itself appropriately, which resulted in this situation. Additionally, they failed to secure additional funds to continue growing the US operations at their current capacity which led to the layoffs.

Continue reading: LeEco's crash in the US leaves hundreds unemployed (full post)

Uber Freight: Uber for long-haul truckers

Anthony Garreffa | May 19, 2017 8:26 PM CDT

Uber has just unveiled its new spin-off to its ride-sharing service, something it is offering long-haul truckers: Uber Freight.

Uber Freight: Uber for long-haul truckers

Uber Freight looks like it'll be very similar to Uber, but a truck driver can select a load to pick up in the app, work out the payment method, destination, and deadline. Within seconds, the truck driver receives the confirmation, and away they go. Uber explains: "We take the guesswork out of finding and booking freight, which is often the most stressful part of a driver's day. What used to take several hours and multiple phone calls can now be achieved with the touch of a button".

Truck drivers are protected with Uber promising payment within 7 days, and unlike normal Uber, the company won't be charging Freight drivers their normal commission. Uber Freight is available to both iOS and Android devices, with truck drivers requiring the right insurance, license, and equipment - of course.

Continue reading: Uber Freight: Uber for long-haul truckers (full post)

Qualcomm and Microsoft taking over the world at Computex

Anthony Garreffa | May 18, 2017 10:57 PM CDT

If there was something that I'm excited for at Computex 2017 beyond my addiction to GPU technology with AMD showcasing their Radeon RX Vega graphics card at the show, it would be the curious party invitation from Qualcomm.

Qualcomm and Microsoft taking over the world at Computex

The invitation I received is to a joint Qualcomm + Microsoft shindig, where they're asking the press to "join us under the stars at Computex 2017". The rest of the invite reads: "munch, mingle, and raise a glass to celebrate the growing ecosystem that will bring an out-of-this-world mobile PC experience to the masses".

Interesting. Very, very interesting.

Continue reading: Qualcomm and Microsoft taking over the world at Computex (full post)

Qualcomm slaps Apple by suing iPhone manufacturers

Anthony Garreffa | May 17, 2017 7:03 AM CDT

Qualcomm is hitting Apple in a totally new way starting today, with the mobile giant suing four of Apple's Taiwan-based contract manufacturers: Foxconn, Compal, Wistron, and Pegatron.

Qualcomm slaps Apple by suing iPhone manufacturers

Forbes reports that Qualcomm is suing these four manufacturers for not paying royalities to Qualcomm for the patents on its smartphone tech, including IP on cellular modems - you know, 3G/4G are a big thing. Don Rosenberg, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Qualcomm said: "It is unfortunate that we must take this action against these long-time licensees to enforce our agreements, but we cannot allow these manufacturers and Apple to use our valuable intellectual property without paying the fair and reasonable royalties to which they have agreed".

Qualcomm has accused Apple of "strong arming" the contract manufacturers to stop paying the licensing fees they legally owe Qualcomm, which is a breach of the contract between Qualcomm and the manufacturers. Qualcomm adds that Apple has promised to contribute towards any damages that the contract manufacturers are hit with, as a result of them not paying Qualcomm's royalty fees.

Continue reading: Qualcomm slaps Apple by suing iPhone manufacturers (full post)

Star performer: OPPO R9s the best selling Android in Q1

Lana Jelic | May 12, 2017 4:26 PM CDT

We recently reported that Chinese smartphone manufacturers are growing, especially Huawei, OPPO, and vivo. One of those companies has another reason to celebrate.

Star performer: OPPO R9s the best selling Android in Q1

If asked "what was the best selling Android smartphone in Q1 2017", many would think of Samsung's smartphones, but they would be wrong. The clear winner, when it comes to Android phones, is OPPO with its R9s device.

According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, OPPO R9s was the star performer in the first three months of this year with 8.9 million shipped units.

Continue reading: Star performer: OPPO R9s the best selling Android in Q1 (full post)

HTC reports 9% revenue decline in April, 6.4% drop YoY

Lana Jelic | May 11, 2017 9:33 AM CDT

HTC has reported their monthly revenue for April 2017, and it doesn't look good. The company marked a 9.29% decline in revenue compared to March and 18.03% decline compared to the same month last year.

HTC reports 9% revenue decline in April, 6.4% drop YoY

HTC's revenue for April 2017 was NT$(Taiwan New Dollar)4.71 billion or $155 million. The total of revenue for this year is NT$19.24 billion or $625 million, which means that the revenue dropped 6.45% compared to the first four months of 2016.

It seems that the HTC U Ultra and HTC U Play sales aren't that great, and they aren't helping the company to get back on track. The two phones were launched in January, but many were left disappointed with the last year's processor and a steep price that can be compared to the price of Snapdragon 835 powered Galaxy S8.

Continue reading: HTC reports 9% revenue decline in April, 6.4% drop YoY (full post)

Apple buys sleep-tracking app and hardware maker Beddit

Lana Jelic | May 11, 2017 8:22 AM CDT

Apple has acquired a sleep tracking app and hardware maker Beddit. The Finnish startup posted this news to their website adding that users personal data will be collected, used and disclosed under the Apple Privacy Policy.

Apple buys sleep-tracking app and hardware maker Beddit

The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

The Finland-based company was founded in 2007 and in late 2015 they launched their products in Apple stores. Their latest product, Beddit 3 Sleep Monitor, automatically tracks your sleep and works with the Beddit app on your iPhone or iPad to help you achieve better sleep.

Continue reading: Apple buys sleep-tracking app and hardware maker Beddit (full post)

Global iPhone 7 prices vary from $815 to $1200

Lana Jelic | May 10, 2017 12:26 PM CDT

Deutsche Bank has published its annual "Mapping of the World's Prices" report in which strategist Jim Reid compares prices of common items in global cities.

Global iPhone 7 prices vary from $815 to $1200

The iPhone 7, launched in September last year, also made its way onto this list. Reid compared the prices of the iPhone 7 with 128GB of internal storage in 33 countries around the world. The prices are sourced from official Apple store websites, or online retailers and news websites if the official prices via Apple store weren't available.

According to the report, Turkey is the worst place from the surveyed countries to buy an iPhone since its price there is $1,200. Turkey has replaced Brazil on top of the list of the most expensive places to buy an iPhone.

Continue reading: Global iPhone 7 prices vary from $815 to $1200 (full post)