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Baidu wants to launch a self-driving bus in China next year
Baidu, China's search giant, is planning to release a fully self-driving bus in China next year, said CEO Robin Li in an interview at Wall Street Journal's D.Live conference. The bus will run on a designated route and Baidu is working with a Chinese company to make it.
'Small number' of Russian Facebook election ad accounts used Messenger
According to David Marcus, Facebook's VP of Messaging Products, a "small number" of the 470 Russia-linked accounts that attempted to influence last year's US elections also used Messenger. He said so in an interview at Wall Street Journal's D.Live conference, and though he wouldn't reveal the exact number (because it's an "active investigation"), he said that he and others at Facebook are working with authorities to figure out what happened.
Samsung believes 'programmable objects' will blanket your home
While Samsung continues to reap the rewards of being the world's largest Android partner, it also has its eyes set on the future of the connected home. "Samsung is very focused on the internet of things," said David Eun, the president of Samsung Next, the company's investment arm. At the Wall Street Journal's D.Live conference today, he said that there'll come a time when your home will be covered in connected devices.
Levi’s is already working with Google on a second smart jacket
Levi's connected denim jacket went on sale three weeks ago, but CEO Chip Bergh said it's already working with Google on version 2.0 of the Project Jacquard platform. At Wall Street Journal's D. Live conference, Bergh said that he'd like new clothing to have even more functionality. If it's a feature that doesn't require a screen, he said, then there's a possibility it could be incorporated into the next Levi's and Google collaboration.
Niantic CEO: AR will reach full potential 'when we get the glasses'
Imagine playing Pokémon Go not with your phone, but with a pair of augmented reality glasses. That is the future that John Hanke, founder and CEO of Niantic (the company behind Pokemon Go) wants. "The potential for AR is immense," he said at the Wall Street Journal's D.Live conference today, adding that while AR on phones is a good start, the ultimate goal would be to have augmented reality on glasses.
Huffington: Uber 'very likely' to close Softbank deal in the next week
An Uber-Softbank deal is "very likely" to occur within the next week, according to Arianna Huffington, who spoke at Wall Street Journal's D.Live event in Laguna Beach, CA. She wouldn't disclose the price -- it seems they're still working out the details -- but she did say that the Softbank investment would involve primary investing at the last valuation of the company, as well as secondary investing in additional shares. This means that the Japanese company could end up with at least 14 percent of Uber's shares.
Facebook teases an app that makes live video look like fine art
In an interview at WSJD Live, Facebook's Chief Product Officer Chris Cox showed off an interesting AI-powered app that makes live video look like the work of famous artists like Monet or Van Gogh. Cox called it a "style transfer" tech, that essentially transfers the style of a particular painter to any moving image. From the on-stage demo, it looks a lot like Prisma, an app that adds art filters to your photos and videos. But while you have to wait several seconds for Prisma to work, the demo filter was applied live on camera through augmented reality.
AT&T's online-only DirecTV service will cost $35 a month
It's been just a few days since AT&T announced that it would be buying Time Warner for $85.4 billion. Now Time Warner CEO Jeffrey L. Bewkes and AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson are on stage at WSJD Live to talk a little more about their plans going forward. In particular, Stephenson announced that AT&T is going to release a new OTT offering called DirecTV Now for $35 a month. It'll be an "all-in" service with 100 channels, and it's coming by the end of this November.
Lyft could be getting rid of its pink mustache
Lyft's pink mustache could be going away. In an interview at WSJD Live, co-founder and CEO John Zimmer teased that the company's iconic colorful facial hair could be replaced in favor of a new logo, which he wouldn't reveal. He also said that Lyft had 17 million rides this past October, and even though that's not as good as Uber's 40 million monthly rides, it's still a sign of rapid growth. For reference, Lyft reported just 7 million rides last December.
Netflix CEO jokes that the future of entertainment could be drugs
Netflix is one of the most successful entertainment companies in the world, and it did so by constantly looking for ways to reach people. CEO Reed Hastings said in an WSJD Live interview that in the early days, they licked envelopes for DVD-by-mail, slowly transitioned to streaming, and then started to make their own content when they couldn't get what they wanted from studios. So what does the future hold? Well, Hastings said it could be VR, it could be gaming, or it could be, uh, pharmacological.
Microsoft CEO says mixed reality is the 'ultimate computer'
Microsoft is set to unveil several new products at its fall event on Wednesday, but that hasn't stopped CEO Satya Nadella from dropping by Laguna Beach, California this Monday. During a WSJD Live interview with Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Gerard Baker, Nadella delved into topics that concern the company's future. Specifically: augmented reality.
Theranos CEO strikes back over blood test scrutiny (update from WSJ)
Last week, the Wall Street Journal published an article that raised some questions surrounding startup lab Theranos' claims that it can run a variety of blood tests with just a single finger-prick. Apparently the aforementioned finger-prick test have so far only been used to diagnose herpes (not the hundreds once promised) and some customers have reported wild inaccuracies with tests. Former employees have also come forward to the Journal accusing Theranos of poor practices like diluting blood samples for testing on commercially available machines. Today, Theranos CEO and founder Elizabeth Holmes attended an interview at WSJD Live (which is a conference put on by the Wall Street Journal) to address these accusations head on.
Magic Leap is a computing platform where the real world is your screen
Magic Leap, an augmented reality startup that's kept its project under wraps for over a year, has finally revealed a few more details about its mysterious technology. In an interview at WSJD Live, Magic Leap CEO and founder Rony Abovitz and Chief Content Officer Rio Caraeff has said that Magic Leap is essentially a computing platform where the real world is your screen. "Anything that you can do on your smartphone, on your computer; you'll be able to do on Magic Leap," said Caraeff. Though he won't say what the device would be like, Abovitz said that the goal is to make the device mobile, small, light and basically something you can wear anywhere. "It'll be self-contained; a complete computer," said Abovitz. He also hinted that it'll be something that you won't be shy to wear in public and that it will maintain "normal relationships with people."
Facebook's Instant Articles comes to all iPhones
In a blog post and at WSJD Live, Facebook has just announced that Instant Articles will now be available for all iPhone owners, with an Android beta rolling out starting today. That means that even more people will be able to read Instant Artlcles -- full news stories directly from the publisher -- right in their Newsfeed. An Instant Article link will have a lightning bolt icon at the top right corner. Facebook's Chief Product Officer Chris Cox said on stage that you'll start to see thousands of Instant Articles everyday.
Tim Cook expects 'massive change' in the auto industry
In an interview yesterday evening at the WSJD Live event in Laguna Beach, California, Tim Cook didn't spend too much time talking about phones and computers. Rather, he chatted about the company's newest and more forward-thinking endeavors like the TV, the Watch and Apple Music. And: he even fielded a few questions about the future of, ahem, cars.
Apple Music has 15 million users, but free trials count for over half
After informing the audience at WSJD Live that the Apple TV arrives next week, Tim Cook went on to talk / praise Apple Music, which now has 15 million listeners. The generous free three-month trial still encompasses the majority of these, with 8.5 million people still feeling the service out. However, that means around 6.5 million iPhone, iPad and Mac owners that are paying the monthly subscription fee. Or forgot to cancel it.
Tim Cook says the new Apple TV is coming next week
Apple's CEO is being interviewed tonight at the WSJD Live event, and Tim Cook revealed that yes, the new Apple TV will arrive this month as promised. The taller, more powerful fourth generation box is due to ship next week, bringing along its touchpad remote and access to the App Store with tvOS. Pre-orders should begin starting October 26th, so those waiting may not have to wait until next month after all. In his comments he explained the TV experience is a decade behind the iPhone, and needs to be modernized. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings recently pondered a future where apps are bundled like channels, but for now Cook is just focusing on how ridiculous the traditional pay TV setup is and where it can be improved upon, saying "Have you ever tried to buy HBO through a cable company?" Good point. Ed. Note: Updated with pre-order info. Nicole Lee contributed to this report
Steve Ballmer still invested in Microsoft, more invested in the Clippers
Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer ended the WSJD Live conference with a burst of energy in a talk with Wall Street Journal reporter Monica Langley about his post-Microsoft life. He was boisterous and enthusiastic during the entire interview, especially when talking about the LA Clippers, a basketball team he purchased just over two months ago. But he also took some time to answer questions about his continuing role in the company he used to lead.
Whisper CEO denies Guardian allegations that it tracks users locations
While on stage at the WSJD Live conference, Whisper CEO Michael Heyward defended his company against the Guardian's recent allegations that the anonymous sharing app stores and tracks its users locations. He told Wall Street Journal reporter Evelyn Rusli that not only were all the paper's accusations wrong and misleading, but that he would fire the employee who supposedly told the Guardian that it would follow a particular Whisper user, who happens to be a lobbyist, for life. The company has already suspended its editorial staff to conduct an internal investigation and find out just who this person is. "This does not reflect our values and what we're all about," he said.
Hugo Barra discusses Xiaomi's popularity, its Apple rivalry and the future
Hugo Barra, former Googler and current VP of International for Xiaomi, went on stage at the WSJD Live conference in Laguna Beach, California to not only explain the company's popularity, but also to combat accusations of design theft from Apple's Jony Ive. Barra said that their designers and engineers are certainly inspired by great products, "but, well, who isn't?" "Show me a completely unique design," he said. "I bet you can't find one." He even points at Apple, stating that while the iPhone 6 is the "most beautiful smartphone ever built," it carries design language that is very HTC-like. He also quotes Time Magazine, which said that iOS 8 borrows very liberally from Android, but that's a good thing. "They took existing ideas that are good, added their twist of innovation on top, and made it better." It's this concept of building upon great ideas that Barra said is something that both companies share. "People who accuse us of theft need to take a closer look at what we do."
