Apple IPhone Models Show Shift From Pioneer to Emulator

Apple IPhone Models Show Shift From Pioneer to Emulator

Apple Inc. (AAPL), the company that pioneered the era of mobile touch-based computing with the iPhone’s 2007 debut, is taking more cues from the competition. In a break with the past, when the company introduced one iPhone a year, Apple yesterday unveiled two new models. The iPhone 5C will cost $99 to $199 with a wireless contract and comes in five different colors. A high-end iPhone 5S with fingerprint-security features, a speedier processor and better camera will cost $199 to $399 and be available in three colors. Read more of this post

YC grad Leaky quietly shuts down auto insurance comparison business, a valuable lesson in disruption

YC grad Leaky quietly shuts down, a valuable lesson in disruption

BY CARMEL DEAMICIS 
ON SEPTEMBER 9, 2013

Y Combinator grad Leaky shut down a week and a half ago, and practically no one noticed. The startup, founded in 2010, aimed to be an Expedia for car insurance, allowing users to enter their personal information and receive customized rate comparisons. Leaky got $670,000 in seed funding from YC, 500 Startups, Box Group, and Start Fund. There’s a message on the website telling users:

On August 31, 2013, we wrapped up operations on our auto insurance comparison business and will no longer be providing prices to new or existing users. Moving forward, our focus will be on our commercial insurance business, which has been acquired by Navion Insurance.

When I reached out to Leaky for comment, co-founder Jason Traff responded via email, “[W]e were sad to shut down our auto insurance comparisons… For over two years, we tried to get a foothold in the industry, which proved difficult as industry outsiders with a disruptive business model.” Read more of this post

The New Style Influencers Are Digital; Brands Court Stars With Active Audiences to Try Turning Followers Into Shoppers

September 10, 2013, 7:02 p.m. ET

The New Style Influencers Are Digital

Brands Court Stars With Active Audiences to Try Turning Followers Into Shoppers

ELIZABETH HOLMES

New York Fashion Week is back, but the front row elite is getting swapped out for the up-and-coming style bloggers that used to live on the sidelines of the fashion world. Elizabeth Holmes gives the low-down on the industry’s new “influencers.” Photo: Andrew Spear for The Wall Street Journal.

Jen Hsieh ducked out of the office at lunchtime last Friday and took the crosstown bus to Kate Spade’s presentation during New York Fashion Week. Ms. Hsieh, 22, has a full-time job at a social media agency as well as her own personal style blog on the side—and it was the latter that got her the coveted chance to preview the designer’s spring collection. Read more of this post

Samsung Sets Sights on TV Apps

Sep 10, 2013

Samsung Sets Sights on TV Apps

MIN-JEONG LEE

Samsung Electronics Co.005930.SE -0.64% has been beefing up its software capabilities for its smartphones to compete with Apple Inc.  Now, it’s also setting its sights on apps for its Internet-connected TVs. At the IFA trade show in Berlin last week, the company unveiled two new applications for its Smart TVs allowing users to view high-quality pictures or video clips. The ‘Opera App’ allows users to view around 100 opera shows that are performed in Austria’s Wien National Opera House, while the ‘Gallery App’ allows users to view high-definition photos taken by popular photographers like Alex Maclean. Both apps can be downloaded for free from Samsung’s proprietary TV app platform. The move is part of Samsung’s bid to keep its dominant TV market share and highlights its  ambitions in improving content for its consumer products. But the question remains whether consumers will be fascinated by the availability of more TV apps.  Software has been a key weakness for Samsung and when it comes to smartphones, the South Korean company predominantly uses Google Inc.’sGOOG +0.07% Android for its mobile devices. Samsung, along with rivals such as LG Electronics Inc.066570.SE -1.20% and Sony Corp.6758.TO -0.70% has been fighting sluggish demand for TVs worldwide, with its TV unit sales falling 7.5% in the second quarter from a year earlier. Samsung doesn’t break out profit figures for its TV business separately. Coming out with a number of new premium models has been a key strategy for Samsung’s TV business this year, with the company announcing the launch of 55-inch and 65-inch ultra high definition TVs earlier this year. Samsung has been racing against crosstown rival LG to sell both flat-panel TVs and curved ones that use organic light-emitting diode display technology. Aside from the hefty rice tags of  these TV models, the lack of video streaming content that match the high resolution of UHD TVs has been a big deterrent to adoption, analysts say.

Netflix Tops Record as Hastings Recovers From 2011 Gaffes

Netflix Tops Record as Hastings Recovers From 2011 Gaffes

Netflix Inc. (SPX) eclipsed its all-time high set in mid-2011, capping a two-year recovery for Chief Executive Officer Reed Hastings from marketing missteps that angered customers and cratered the stock. Netflix, which has more than tripled this year to lead the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, gained 6.4 percent to $313.06 at the close in New York. The previous closing high of $298.73 was set on July 13, 2011. A day earlier, Netflix had raised prices for users who wanted DVDs and streaming — triggering a backlash that cost the service 800,000 subscribers.

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McDonald’s Testing Mobile Order App for U.S. Stores

McDonald’s Testing Mobile Order App for U.S. Stores

Americans will soon be able to order and pay for Big Macs from their mobile phones. McDonald’s Corp. (MCD) is currently testing a mobile payment application in Salt Lake City and in Austin, Texas, Lisa McComb, a spokeswoman, said today in an e-mail. McDonald’s, which today reported U.S. same-store sales that trailed estimates for August, is looking for ways to make it easier for diners to load up on Big Macs, McWraps and smoothies. It’s not alone in seeking to ignite growth at a time when many Americans are eating out less. Burger King Worldwide Inc. (BKW) offers a delivery service with a $10 minimum order in some U.S. cities, while Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (CMG) has a mobile ordering app. Read more of this post

Marc Benioff Says, ‘There Would Be No Salesforce.com Without Steve Jobs’

Marc Benioff Says, ‘There Would Be No Salesforce.com Without Steve Jobs’

SARAH PEREZ ANTHONY HA

posted 8 hours ago

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff spoke of his relationship with Apple founder Steve Jobs at TechCrunch Disrupt SF this morning  (on the same day that executives from Apple were introducing new iPhones in neighboring Cupertino) offering some timely advice as to what Apple needs to do next, now that Steve Jobs is gone. He complained that today’s Apple is trying to look like Steve and act like Steve, when really, “they need to find themselves and be who they are,” says Benioff. “Respect the past, but as Steve would say, project the future.”

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Learn More About What You’re Reading; Curiyo lets online readers learn more about a word or phrase in a story without ever leaving the Web page. It’s a valuable and easy-to-use addition to Web browsing

September 10, 2013, 9:00 p.m. ET

A Valuable Tool for Web Browsing

Learn More About a Word or Phrase in a Story

WALTER S. MOSSBERG

Curiyo is an add-on to all major web browsers that lets you look up names, places and other terms in a pop-up window without leaving the page you’re reading. Walt Mossberg tells us that, despite a few downsides, it is very effective

When activist investor Carl Icahn gave up his quest to block a buyout of computer maker Dell this week, he compared the attitude of the company’s board with 1930s movie idol Clark Gable’s most famous line: “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” What if you were reading this news online and didn’t know who Clark Gable was? You could look him up in a source like Wikipedia, but that would mean leaving the page where the Icahn story was, and possibly never returning to learn more about the story. Read more of this post

Intel prepares ultra-small chips for Dick Tracy-style wearable gadgets

Intel prepares ultra-small chips for Dick Tracy-style gadgets

3:51pm EDT

By Noel Randewich

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Intel is working on a new line of ultra-small and ultra-low-power microchips for wearable devices like smartwatches and bracelets, a bid by the company to make sure it will be at the crest of the next big technology wave after arriving late to the smartphone and tablet revolution. The new line of chips, called Intel Quark, will ship next year and include an ingestible version aimed at biomedical uses, Intel’s president, Renee James, told reporters late on Monday. The Quark chips will be five times smaller and 10 times more power efficient than Intel’s Atom chips for tablets and smartphones, she said. “We’re very committed to not missing the next big thing,” James said. Read more of this post

Here’s What Could Go Wrong With Apple’s New Fingerprint Tech, According To A Security Expert; “Having a central database of fingerprints in the cloud would be incredibly dangerous”

Here’s What Could Go Wrong With Apple’s New Fingerprint Tech, According To A Security Expert

JULIE BORT SEP. 10, 2013, 4:32 PM 11,131 17

After months of rumors, Apple today confirmed that the new iPhone 5S will include a fingerprint scanner. You can use your fingerprint to unlock your phone simply by placing your finger on top of the home button. You can also use your fingerprint with the iTunes store instead of entering a password every time you want to make a purchase. Is trusting Apple with your fingerprint safe? What could go wrong? We turned to security expert Shuman Ghosemajumder, a former Google security guru who is now working at buzzy, stealthy security startup Shape Security to find out. Ghosemajumder said the fingerprint scanner sounds safe to use and that he, himself, would probably use it, once he found out some details about it. The good news is that fingerprints will only be stored on the phone, not in the cloud, and that’s really important. “Having a central database of fingerprints in the cloud would be incredibly dangerous,” Ghosemajumder told us. “But you would expect Apple has world class security experts advising and working with them on this.” Read more of this post

First Rule of Patent Reform: Do No Harm

September 10, 2013, 6:54 p.m. ET

First Rule of Patent Reform: Do No Harm

More rigorous study of patent problems is needed before Congress tries to fix them.

DON ROSENBERG

With Congress back in session, lawmakers are drafting new patent legislation in response to a perceived increase in patent-infringement lawsuits lodged by “trolls” who are accused of being more interested in payoffs than in progress. Judging by the number of proposals, the current patent regime may need improvement. But the stakes are high, and Congress must be careful not to get patent reform wrong. Read more of this post

Cisco enters data storage market with purchase of Whiptail for $415 million

Cisco enters data storage market with purchase of Whiptail

12:37pm EDT

By Nicola Leske and Nadia Damouni

(Reuters) – Cisco Systems Inc on Tuesday announced its first foray into the data storage market, saying it would pay $415 million to acquire privately held storage system maker Whiptail. Cisco said it will pay cash and incentives for the acquisition, expected to close in the first quarter of 2014. Whiptail, founded in 2008 and based in Whippany, New Jersey, makes storage systems based on flash memory chips, which allow data to move through servers with greater speed and efficiency as well as higher volume. One flash server can manage the workload of a number of servers on traditional hard disk drives. Read more of this post

Kyocera seeks niche path to smartphone profits with ‘tough’ handsets

Kyocera seeks niche path to smartphone profits with ‘tough’ handsets

12:18pm EDT

By Yoshiyuki Osada

KYOTO, Japan (Reuters) – Kyocera Corp, an electronic components maker with businesses from office machines to mobile phones, is aiming to expand in smartphones this year while several other second-tier Japanese handset makers are throwing in the towel. Kyocera, unlike its peers, has put its primary focus not on the familiar home market but on the competitive U.S. market, while pursuing a niche in rugged handsets that is shielded from smartphone juggernauts Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. Read more of this post

DoCoMo Ends IPhone Holdout to Win Back Customers

DoCoMo Ends IPhone Holdout to Win Back Customers

NTT DoCoMo Inc. (9437) agreed to offer Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPhones as Japan’s largest mobile carrier backs the latest handset to reverse market-share losses as customers flock to smaller rivals. Two new smartphones, including a cheaper $99 version in bright colors and an updated high-end device, will go on sale Sept. 20 for the Japanese carrier’s network, Tokyo-based DoCoMo said in a statement. Apple debuted the 5C and 5S iPhones at an event at its Cupertino, California, headquarters. Read more of this post

Singapore’s EDB bet on 3D printing industry to be the next big thing; some experts warn that too much available funding in a new venture could risk the formation of another industry bubble ready to burst

Singapore’s 3D printing industry could be the next big thing

POSTED: 11 Sep 2013 12:47 AM
Three-dimensional (3D) printing may be the next industry to propel growth in Singapore’s economy but experts remain wary.

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Economic Development Board has set aside S$500 million over the next five years to develop the three-dimensional (3D) printing sector. However, some experts warn that too much available funding in a new venture could risk the formation of another industry bubble ready to burst. 3D printing is the process of building up successive micro-layers of material, typically from plastic or metal. It has been touted as the next industry to propel growth in Singapore’s economy. Read more of this post