Tech Roundup: WhatsApp, Mobile World Congress & More
[A recurring feature on the latest in Science & Technology.]
1 WhatsApp = 19 Instagram(s), Facebook's latest blockbuster acquisition devours competition:
For folks who joined late to the party, social network Facebook said it made a jaw-dropping US$ 19 billion deal (4 billion in cash, 12 in stock and 3 in restricted stock units) to acquire cross-platform instant messaging app WhatsApp - a deal that puts its worth more than major brands such as Xerox ($13.2B), Harley-Davidson ($14.1B) and Sony ($18B) - after both the companies' CEOs bonded over chocolate strawberries on Valentine's Day to work out the terms of the proposition.
With WhatsApp's 450 million users, and its own user base saturating in developed nations, Facebook's strategic move is clearly aimed at not only nullifying the threat posed by the messaging app, but also to prevent it from being acquired by its competitors (read Google, which made several unsuccessful attempts to purchase WhatsApp for US$ 1 billion last April, and again for US$ 10 billion although it's not clear when it made this offer).
The staggering buyout, the largest ever in the tech industry, puts other acquisitions piddling in comparison and is the second biggest for Facebook after snapping up photo-sharing service Instagram in April 2012 for US$ 1 billion in cash and stock. WhatsApp will continue to operate independently and CEO Jan Koum will join Facebook's board of directors as part of the deal. However, it remains to be seen how Facebook would leverage this opportunity to make revenues considering WhatsApp's "No ads, No Games, No Gimmicks" policy. It's also surprising given how CEO Koum just three months ago vehemently denied plans of selling out or readying for an IPO.
We have "no plans to sell, IPO, exit, [get new] funding... Despite the fact that we're able to monetize today, we're not focused on monetization... We view monetization as five, 10 years down the road. We're trying to build a sustainable company that's here for the next 100 years."- Jan Koum to Wall Street Journal
WhatsApp, comprising a lean work force of just about 55 employees, is one of the most popular and fastest growing instant messaging apps and more than 1 million users sign up for the service every day. With over 19 billion messages being sent and 34 billion messages being received on a daily basis, it comes as no surprise that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg eyed on this one. "It's the only app we've ever seen with higher engagement than Facebook itself," Zuckerberg told at an analysts call following the deal. News of WhatsApp's acquisition comes close on the heels of Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten's purchase of Viber for US$ 900 million and amidst speculations of Korean messenger service KakaoTalk's US$ 2 billion IPO.
Mobile World Congress kicks off in Barcelona:
One of the biggest tech events of the year is around the corner, and as usual there will be a dizzying array of gadgets on display. So what can be expected this time around? For a start, Samsung is all set to unpack the Galaxy S5, the company's latest flagship to take on competition after it disappointed market watchers with lacklustre sales of Galaxy S4. It has already unveiled its brand new smartwatches Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, surprisingly based on Tizen OS and not Android, and it will be interesting to see how it takes Tizen further considering its equation with Google and Android.
While Sony is reportedly launching the Xperia Z2 smartphone and tablet with beefier specs, Nokia would be showing off its first ever Android based smartphone. Named Nokia X (codenamed Nokia Normandy), the budget smartphone is said to be running on a forked version of Android KitKat with no access to Google services and will come with its own app store a la Amazon. HTC may not have a big presence this time as it plans to launch the HTC One successor at a separate event on March 25, but it's got a few smartwatches up its sleeves. Procter & Gamble too is chipping in with a smart toothbrush that will tell you how to brush your teeth!
Apple is interested in medical devices and cars:
Faced with fierce speculations about its future, tech pioneer Apple is reportedly focussing on medical devices and cars, according to San Francisco Chronicle, which goes on to add that the company is leading efforts to come up with a sensor-driven device that can "help predict heart-attacks by studying the sound blood makes as it flows through arteries." It also reports that Apple met with car maker Tesla for a possible acquisition.
Health and fitness does seem to be a key area for Apple as there have been quite a few rumours surrounding a possible HealthBook app that will track your fitness and health from the iPhone 6 and iWatch. While Nike's fitness apps (and others) already do this with iOS 7 and iPhone 5s, it can be rest assured that Apple's close-knit integration will no doubt be of great advantage here. Given current Wall Street expectations and the market saturation of the company's marquee offerings - the iPhone and iPad, it's about time Apple begins its lookout for new business opportunities.
Human lungs grown in lab for the first time!
In a scientific breakthrough that could potentially solve the problem of organ donor shortage, US scientists have successfully grown human lungs in a lab for the very first time. Researchers at University of Texas Medical Branch used a damaged lung to strip it of all cells except the connective tissue and then added back cells from another lung, allowing the new cells to grow in a liquid nutrient chamber. Four weeks later, an engineered human lung emerged, the scientists said. "It's so darn cool," University of Texas researcher Joan Nichols told CNN. "It's been science fiction and we're moving into science fact."
In other news:
1 WhatsApp = 19 Instagram(s), Facebook's latest blockbuster acquisition devours competition:
For folks who joined late to the party, social network Facebook said it made a jaw-dropping US$ 19 billion deal (4 billion in cash, 12 in stock and 3 in restricted stock units) to acquire cross-platform instant messaging app WhatsApp - a deal that puts its worth more than major brands such as Xerox ($13.2B), Harley-Davidson ($14.1B) and Sony ($18B) - after both the companies' CEOs bonded over chocolate strawberries on Valentine's Day to work out the terms of the proposition.
 |
| Facebook acquires WhatsApp |
The staggering buyout, the largest ever in the tech industry, puts other acquisitions piddling in comparison and is the second biggest for Facebook after snapping up photo-sharing service Instagram in April 2012 for US$ 1 billion in cash and stock. WhatsApp will continue to operate independently and CEO Jan Koum will join Facebook's board of directors as part of the deal. However, it remains to be seen how Facebook would leverage this opportunity to make revenues considering WhatsApp's "No ads, No Games, No Gimmicks" policy. It's also surprising given how CEO Koum just three months ago vehemently denied plans of selling out or readying for an IPO.
We have "no plans to sell, IPO, exit, [get new] funding... Despite the fact that we're able to monetize today, we're not focused on monetization... We view monetization as five, 10 years down the road. We're trying to build a sustainable company that's here for the next 100 years."- Jan Koum to Wall Street Journal
WhatsApp, comprising a lean work force of just about 55 employees, is one of the most popular and fastest growing instant messaging apps and more than 1 million users sign up for the service every day. With over 19 billion messages being sent and 34 billion messages being received on a daily basis, it comes as no surprise that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg eyed on this one. "It's the only app we've ever seen with higher engagement than Facebook itself," Zuckerberg told at an analysts call following the deal. News of WhatsApp's acquisition comes close on the heels of Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten's purchase of Viber for US$ 900 million and amidst speculations of Korean messenger service KakaoTalk's US$ 2 billion IPO.
Mobile World Congress kicks off in Barcelona:
One of the biggest tech events of the year is around the corner, and as usual there will be a dizzying array of gadgets on display. So what can be expected this time around? For a start, Samsung is all set to unpack the Galaxy S5, the company's latest flagship to take on competition after it disappointed market watchers with lacklustre sales of Galaxy S4. It has already unveiled its brand new smartwatches Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, surprisingly based on Tizen OS and not Android, and it will be interesting to see how it takes Tizen further considering its equation with Google and Android.
While Sony is reportedly launching the Xperia Z2 smartphone and tablet with beefier specs, Nokia would be showing off its first ever Android based smartphone. Named Nokia X (codenamed Nokia Normandy), the budget smartphone is said to be running on a forked version of Android KitKat with no access to Google services and will come with its own app store a la Amazon. HTC may not have a big presence this time as it plans to launch the HTC One successor at a separate event on March 25, but it's got a few smartwatches up its sleeves. Procter & Gamble too is chipping in with a smart toothbrush that will tell you how to brush your teeth!
Apple is interested in medical devices and cars:
Faced with fierce speculations about its future, tech pioneer Apple is reportedly focussing on medical devices and cars, according to San Francisco Chronicle, which goes on to add that the company is leading efforts to come up with a sensor-driven device that can "help predict heart-attacks by studying the sound blood makes as it flows through arteries." It also reports that Apple met with car maker Tesla for a possible acquisition.
Health and fitness does seem to be a key area for Apple as there have been quite a few rumours surrounding a possible HealthBook app that will track your fitness and health from the iPhone 6 and iWatch. While Nike's fitness apps (and others) already do this with iOS 7 and iPhone 5s, it can be rest assured that Apple's close-knit integration will no doubt be of great advantage here. Given current Wall Street expectations and the market saturation of the company's marquee offerings - the iPhone and iPad, it's about time Apple begins its lookout for new business opportunities.
Human lungs grown in lab for the first time!
In a scientific breakthrough that could potentially solve the problem of organ donor shortage, US scientists have successfully grown human lungs in a lab for the very first time. Researchers at University of Texas Medical Branch used a damaged lung to strip it of all cells except the connective tissue and then added back cells from another lung, allowing the new cells to grow in a liquid nutrient chamber. Four weeks later, an engineered human lung emerged, the scientists said. "It's so darn cool," University of Texas researcher Joan Nichols told CNN. "It's been science fiction and we're moving into science fact."
In other news:
- The way a room is lit can affect your decisions, says new study; emotions felt more intensely under bright light conditions.
- 850,000 year-old human footprints found in Norfolk, UK; marks the first ever evidence of human habitation in northerly Europe.
- Astronomers discover the oldest star in the Universe SM0313.
- CERN exploring atom smasher four times the size of Large Hadron Collider to explore further extreme conditions that would mimic the Big Bang.
- YouTube (finally) redesigns website with its trademark card-design with more focus on playlists.
- South Korean film Another Promise throws spotlight on hazardous working conditions in Samsung semiconductor plants; company accused of pressurising Korean media to suppress coverage of the movie.
- Apple releases iOS 7.0.6 update for iPhones and iPads to fix a fatal SSL security flaw.
- Microsoft cuts Windows licensing fees by 70% to stem manufacturers from deserting its operating system in favour of cheaper Google Chrome OS.
- Swype-like continuous input keyboard set to launch with Windows Phone 8.1, reveals new details.
- Social network Facebook adds over 50 custom gender options.
- Updated Bing apps can now sync between Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8.
- Redesigned Google Maps exits preview after being announced at Google I/O last year; sets the developer conference this year on June 25-26.
- Sony sells 5.3 million PlayStation 4 consoles as of Feb 8 as the gaming console goes on sale in its home-turf Japan this weekend.
- Apple design guru Jonathan Ive's name briefly disappears from executive leadership page, fuels fears of his exit; later blamed on a technical glitch.
- Jolla Sailfish OS debuts on Android as a homescreen replacement.
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