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Uber is using Foursquare location data to help pick you up
If you've used ridesharing often enough, you've probably run into problems getting the driver to pick you up at just the right spot. Ever play a frantic game of phone tag as the driver circles the block looking for you? Mercifully, that might not be much of an issue in the near future. Uber is partnering with Foursquare to use the location-based service's data to improve the accuracy of pickups and dropoffs. It'll tweak Foursquare's point-of-interest info to show drivers where to go when you request a ride or a bite to eat. It may indicate where the front entrance is, for example, or tell UberEats drivers to stop near the side door.
Indiegogo deal helps crowdfunders make their gadgets
Indiegogo has made some effort to help get crowdfunded projects off the ground, but it has mostly focused on big companies so far. What about startups still grappling with the basics of making devices? Don't worry: they're getting some help now, too. Indiegogo has formed a partnership with Arrow Electronics to help crowdfunders produce their inventions. If Arrow thinks a project is both feasible and important, it'll offer direct access to design, manufacturing support and supply chain services (including engineers) worth as much as $500,000. The recipients also get discounts on parts and software, and there's a badge to show Arrow's approval on campaign pages.
Walgreens starts breaking up with Theranos
The Financial Times is reporting that Walgreens is now actively looking to dump troubled blood testing startup Theranos. Sources claim that the pharmacy chain has instructed its lawyers to look at the partnership contract in the hope of finding an easy way out. The paper also says that Theranos is confident that the agreement is watertight and will force Walgreens to stand by it while it fixes its (numerous) problems. It's believed that Walgreens is annoyed at the wealth of negative publicity Theranos has generated and is worried about being tainted by association.
Huawei partners with Leica to improve its smartphone cameras
There's already a big announcement at the CP+ camera show in Japan, but it's actually for smartphones. Huawei has announced a strategic partnership with Leica, the German company known for making some of the best, and most expensive, cameras and lenses in the world. In a fabulously over-the-top press release, Huawei promised "both technology and photography brands combining their shared ethos in a long-term commitment to the art of craftsmanship ... to create a powerhouse in the reinvention of smartphone photography. " The companies say the tie-up will "span research and development, design, co-engineering, user experience, marketing and retail distribution," but gave no other details.
GM and Lyft team up to create self-driving vehicle network
Lyft and General Motors may be runners-up in their respective industries, but a partnership between the two could significantly boost both driverless vehicles and ride-sharing tech. The companies announced a joint venture to develop a network of autonomous cars, a first for a ride-sharing company and automaker. In the short-term, GM will provide vehicle rentals and its OnStar network to Lyft drivers, while Lyft will offer perks to GM drivers, presumably via trips for vehicle owners. In the long term, however, the companies plan to develop "a network of on-demand autonomous vehicles" developed by GM that might one day pick you up from the curb.
Lenovo teams with Razer on gaming PCs
When you think of gaming PCs, Lenovo probably isn't your first choice. It has gaming PCs, but it's often far more tempting to either go with a game-centric brand or build a system yourself. Lenovo may have a way to improve its reputation, though. It's partnering with Razer on special editions of its Y series devices that pack both the performance you'd expect from a gaming rig as well as Razer's signature design cues, such as multi-hued Chroma lighting. The first confirmed project from the two is the Lenovo Razer Edition desktop you see here (due for a full debut at CES in January), but there are promises of "multiple" products and joint development of new technology.
Google will provide some of Yahoo's search results
Yahoo clearly isn't wasting time now that it's free to partner with search firms besides Microsoft. The internet pioneer has revealed a partnership that will have Google providing some search results (including images) and search-based ads. It's not certain just how many queries the crew in Mountain View will handle, but the deal is "non-exclusive." If it wants, Yahoo can draw on Microsoft's Bing or any other provider. The pact lasts until the end of 2018, too, so the company isn't committed on the same level as it was when it struck the Bing deal in 2009.
Lyft partnership will help you get a ride in China
Ridesharing services don't usually translate well across borders. Even if you can use the same company, you may have to pay in a different currency -- how do you know what that trip will cost until you've paid for it? Lyft might have a way to set your mind at ease. It just unveiled a partnership with China's biggest ridesharing firm, Didi Kuaidi, that will make it easier for travelers in both China and the US to hail rides. If you're an American visiting China, you can request a Didi car through the Lyft app in dollars; accordingly, a Chinese visitor to the States can use Didi to get a Lyft vehicle while paying in yuan. This ideally gives you both access to a service with a lot of coverage (Uber's Chinese footprint is small compared to Didi's) and prices you can understand.
Apple team-up promises more diversity among tech interns
Apple knows that improving the diversity of its workforce doesn't just depend on hiring more workers, or dishing out scholarships -- it also has to recruit a wider range of interns that could eventually become permanent staff. To that end, it's partnering with the career accelerator Code2040 to offer paid internships to black and Latino college students. Apple will start by taking on 10 of the 80 computer science fellows in Code2040's 2016 class, and will pick up two more interns beyond that.
Apple and BMW have been exploring partnerships on cars
Apple and BMW may eventually have more in common than just some features in your car's infotainment system. Sources for both Reuters and Manager Magazin understand that the two companies have had "exploratory talks," including a trip by Apple executives to Leipzig to see how BMW builds the i3. Apple reportedly likes that BMW rethought the conventional car manufacturing process for its electric vehicle, and might use what it learned to help make its own EV. While BMW claims that there aren't any active talks about jointly developing a car, a Reuters tipster hears that the firms may revive talks (not necessarily to co-produce a vehicle) later on.
Starbucks' Lyft deal has you earning coffee with every ride
Starbucks isn't done lining up deals with tech-savvy companies -- not by a longshot. The coffee chain has unveiled a partnership with Lyft that will reward just about everyone. As a passenger, you'll earn points (that is, Stars) at Starbucks every time you hail a Lyft ride. Yes, you could travel to a business meeting and get a free drink when you arrive. You can even gift a cup o' joe to your driver, if you like. Those drivers will also get Starbucks' Gold perk status as a matter of course, and they'll earn Stars for every ride they offer. Baristas might see some benefits, too, as Starbucks is testing a program that would give employees Lyft rides when mass transit isn't an option. The alliance is only effective in the 65 US cities that Lyft covers, but it could prove tempting if you just can't get enough grande lattes.
Cyanogen and OnePlus are never ever getting back together
It's always sad when a couple that looked so good together decides to part company, but that's what's happening with OnePlus and Cyanogen. The cracks in their relationship started to show back in November, when Cyanogen backed one of OnePlus' rivals when it launched in India. After a few testy exchanges while out at parties, Cyanogen's Steve Kondik has told PC World that the partnership is now over, but no-one's holding a grudge. OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei agreed, telling the same publication that the team-up had been "mutually beneficial," but that the two companies would take different paths in the future. For its part, OnePlus is now working on its own proprietary Android skin, OxygenOS, while Cyanogen is working with Microsoft and other manufacturers to get its operating system in more places. [Image Credit: Getty]
Nintendo is finally developing smartphone games
Despite denying it would ever do such a thing, Nintendo will start creating new games for mobile devices via a partnership with developer DeNA. The emphasis is on the word "new" -- you won't necessarily be getting Super Mario Bros. ports on your Android smartphone, for instance. Instead, the companies said "only new original games optimized for smart device functionality will be created, rather than porting games created specifically for the Wii U home console or the Nintendo 3DS portable system." In other words, it looks like Nintendo has relented to investors who said it's not profiting enough from its valuable intellectual property, and you may soon see its universe of characters pop up in Candy Crush-style mobile games.
Vodafone deal makes Dropbox a part of your smartphone backups
Dropbox just scored a huge deal that will not only put its cloud storage in front of a lot of people, but help you safeguard your smartphone's data. The company has forged a partnership with Vodafone that both gives the carrier's Android and iPhone users 25GB of free space for a year and integrates Dropbox into Vodafone's new Backup+ service. Rather than depend on a specialized backup space, you simply save your valuable files to Dropbox -- you can restore content on other devices and share it with friends without having to use two services or limit the kind of data you protect. The Backup+ app will be available as soon as the end of March, although the service itself will take a few months to reach "most" Vodafone areas.
Two Xprize rivals will share a trip to the Moon
Just because the Google Lunar Xprize is hotly contested doesn't mean that the competitors always have to be at each other's throats. Astrobotic and Hakuto have announced a partnership that will have Hakuto's rovers (Moonraker and Tetris) "piggyback" on Astrobotic's lander when it hopefully reaches the Moon in the second half of 2016. The two sides will still compete when they touch down, but they're setting it up as a race -- during a conference call, Astrobotic noted that it would wait for the other rovers to give them a fair shot and get some extra camera footage. The new allies aren't saying exactly how they'll split the prize if they win, but Hakuto can still get the lion's share.
Intel teams with Luxottica to make smart eyewear fashionable
In case it wasn't already clear that Intel believes wearable tech should be stylish, the company has just forged a multi-year partnership with the glasses gurus (and Google Glass partners) at the Luxottica Group. The two will collaborate on smart eyewear that you'd actually like to put on your face; it's not happy with the current, overly utilitarian (read: ugly) approach to heads-up displays. They aren't talking specifics, but the aim is to make "premium, luxury and sports" glasses with a dash of intelligence. You won't have to wait long to see the first fruits of this relationship, at least, since the duo expects a product in 2015. Between this and talk of Intel-powered Glass, it's clear that the chip maker wants a prominent spot on your cranium -- it's determined to take wearables seriously and avoid missing the boat, like it did with smartphones. [Image credit: AP Photo/Gurinder Osan]
Yahoo will be Firefox's default search engine for the next five years
Remember when Yahoo was your go-to search engine for browsing the web? It might be again soon, at least if you're a Firefox user. Mozilla and Yahoo just announced a five year deal to make Yahoo the web browser's default search engine, supplanting Google as the top item in Firefox's search bar in the United States. Mozilla says this is part of providing a more "local" experience -- until now, the company defaulted to Google search regardless of the user's country. Now the default search engine will be assigned by region: Yahoo for the United States, Yandex search for Russia and Baidu for China. Each region will have the ability to switch to other local options as well, giving Googlers a chance to switch back if they so desire.
Twitter's data deal with IBM helps companies know what you like
Many of the companies you deal with like to keep tabs on what Twitter users say, but they rarely have a true sense of what the world is thinking -- are people spreading positive buzz, or is there trouble brewing? IBM doesn't want to leave that question open, so it just unveiled a deal with Twitter that will put all those tweets to work in the corporate world. Companies will get to use the Watson cognitive supercomputer and cloud services to sift through public Twitter updates and (hopefully) make smarter decisions based on the internet's zeitgeist. They'll know why their new widget is suddenly popular in New York, for example, or whether there's a lot of gripes about customer service. Don't be surprised if your favorite store or device maker soon becomes much more responsive to your desires... even if you've never voiced those concerns to the company itself.
Daimler sells its stake in Tesla as its EV partner grows up
They grow up so fast, don't they? It seems like just yesterday (well, 2009) that Daimler bought a stake in Tesla to give it a boost and secure a partner for electric car development, and the German automaker is now selling that stake a mere five years later. According to the company, an investment is simply "not necessary" any more -- Daimler can cooperate with Tesla on EVs without needing a say in its finances. The sale is theoretically a win for both companies. Daimler will pocket about $780 million, while Tesla can attract a wider range of investors.
Warframe studio Digital Extremes partners with Perfect World
Back in July there were rumblings that Digital Extremes, the studio behind Warframe, would soon be added to the lineup of Perfect World's studios. After three months of negotiations, the deal has finally gone through, with Perfect World Online Holding and Sumpo Food Holdings Limited together acquiring a majority share in the company. The deal also includes giving Perfect World exclusive rights to publishing Warframe in mainland China. A post on the official forums is meant to assuage any player fears or concerns, stressing that the functional changes for players will be limited; the same people are in charge of the game's development as before. What it will mean, chiefly, is that the studio has more money to spend on updates and improvements to the game. Whether or not more of the game will change over time remains to be seen, but the current statement is a definite no. [Thanks to Revrent for the tip!]
