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Sprint's owner increases its stake after failed T-Mobile merger
Now that Sprint's would-be merger with T-Mobile has been called off, how is it going to fend for itself? By getting a little help from its parent company. SoftBank has revealed plans to increase ts stake in Sprint, whether through stock deals or other means. It's not saying when it will up the stake or by how much, but it doesn't expect to boost its stock share to 85 percent or more. The Japanese tech company isn't shy about why it's making the move, at least: it's about giving Sprint a long-term future.
T-Mobile proposal might salvage a merger with Sprint
Earlier this week, reports surfaced that Sprint's parent company, Japan's SoftBank group, was going to call off the carrier's impending merger with T-Mobile. They'd worked out a broad agreement but couldn't agree on an ownership ratio. But a source told the Wall Street Journal today that T-Mobile produced a new offer that Sprint is considering, meaning they could reach a deal in a few weeks. Or they could, once again, disagree on the terms and leave the merger behind.
Uber agrees to limit the power of its former CEO
Uber's board members got together to vote on some big changes that will allow a significant investment to push through. In a statement, the ride-hailing firm said that the board "voted unanimously to move forward with the proposed investment by SoftBank and with governance changes that would strengthen its independence and ensure equality among all shareholders." The changes they made to comply with the Japanese telecom titan's request for a shift in governance structure includes removing special voting powers that come with certain types of Uber stock. Former CEO Travis Kalanick, for instance, owns a third of what's called the Class B common stock, which had a 10-to-one voting power. Now each share equals to one vote only.
Pepper's new job is performing Buddhist funeral ceremonies
Pepper the robot has seen a variety of gainful employment in its relatively short life. It's worked in a mobile phone store, a Pizza Hut and a French train station, but now it seems it's jacking in the corporate world for more spiritual pursuits: Buddhist funerals. At the happily-titled Life Ending Industry Expo in Tokyo, Aldebaran's humanoid 'bot could be found clothed in religious robes and chanting sutras in a computerized voice while tapping a drum.
Home and factory robots can be hacked to harm humans
Last month, cybersecurity firm IOActive let everyone know that Segway MiniPro hoverboards were vulnerable to hacks and outside control via their Bluetooth connections. Now it has revealed that industrial robots from Universal Robots and consumer models from Softbank Group and UBTech Robotics also have some troubling security flaws that can allow hackers to "modify safety settings, violating applicable safety laws and, consequently, causing physical harm to the robot's surroundings by moving it arbitrarily," according to a report published by the company today.
WSJ: Sprint has proposed a merger with Charter
Another day, another rumor of a deal bridging the worlds of cable and mobile involving Sprint. Tonight a report from Wall Street Journal claims that Sprint has proposed a merger with Charter, to create a media/telecom giant controlled by the Japanese company Softbank. Of course, since this is Sprint then nothing is so simple, as Bloomberg reporter Alex Sherman tweeted that according to a source, Charter has "no interest" in the arrangement. This news comes after the end of an exclusive negotiating period between Sprint and the combined forces of Charter/Comcast, however, Bloomberg reported those talks are continuing. Of course, Charter and even Comcast have been named in rumored arrangements with (Engadget parent company) Verizon, so while there's certainly interest in teaming up, it's unclear who might make a deal and when. The door is also open for merger talks to resume with T-Mobile, but so far we haven't seen any new magenta-tinged rumors flying around.
Softbank’s robot army grows with a stake in Roomba's owner
Softbank may be best known as one of Japan's top phone carriers, but their recent behind-the-scenes investments make it clear they want something more. Bloomberg Technology reports that the Japanese company has invested in iRobot, the manufacturer of the robot vacuum Roomba, with a stake of less than 5 percent. iRobot recently reported strong second-quarter results.
Lawsuit claims Sprint caused RadioShack’s latest bankruptcy
In 2015, RadioShack filed for bankruptcy and shortly thereafter co-branded around 1,400 of its remaining stores with Sprint. Just over two years later, RadioShack has filed for bankruptcy again and a group of its creditors says it's largely Sprint's fault.
Softbank buys Boston Dynamics (and its robots) from Google
It's been over a year since we heard that Google's parent company Alphabet wanted to sell its robotics company Boston Dynamics, and now it has a buyer: Softbank. The Japanese company has been working on its own robots for years, including the helpful Pepper, and now they'll be under the same umbrella as Handle, Big Dog, Atlas, WildCat and all the rest.
SoftBank and Saudi Arabia tout the world's largest tech fund
It's normally not a big deal if a tech investment fund scores a lot of money (unless you're a startup CEO eager for cash), but the latest windfall is definitely an exception to the rule. After no shortage of hype, Sprint owner SoftBank and the Saudi Arabian government have secured their first major round for the Vision Fund, a tech investment group hoping to back "transformative technologies" ranging from biotech to communications. How major? About $93 billion dollars -- while that's not quite the $100 billion the creators are aiming for, that easily makes it the world's largest tech investment fund, not to mention the largest private equity fund. The remaining $7 billion should come by the time the Vision Fund finishes its money-raising efforts in about 6 months.
Bloomberg: Sprint and T-Mobile are talking about a merger again
Sprint and T-Mobile are reportedly trying to pick up where they left off a few years ago. According to Bloomberg, the mobile carriers and their parent companies, Softbank (Sprint) and Deutsche Telekom AG (T-Mobile), have been unofficially talking about the possibility of a merger again. Back in 2014, Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son aggressively pursued T-Mobile's purchase in a bid to deploy speedy mobile broadband. However, after a series of meetings with government officials who were concerned that the merger would seriously affect competition in the industry, the two companies decided to terminate their negotiation.
Sprint will launch its 5G network in late 2019
Sprint isn't going to sit by the wayside while AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon make a fuss over their 5G wireless plans. The carrier has revealed that it's working with its parent company SoftBank and Qualcomm to launch its 5G network in late 2019. Details are scant at this point (it's over 2 years away, after all), but Sprint expects to use its existing 2.5GHz airwaves for the ultra-fast cellular link.
Apple is investing $1 billion in Softbank's Vision Fund
At best, most consumers know Softbank as the Japanese phone carrier that owns Sprint -- but the company is much bigger than that. Softbank has its hands in robotics, smart vehicles, processors and more. It even invests in other companies, and recently set up the Softbank Vision Fund with the goal of pouring billions of dollars into promising start ups. Now that fund is getting another investor: Apple.
'Star Wars' smartphone caters to your fandom
How much do you like Star Wars? Enough that you'd buy a phone that revolves around it? If so, we have good news... at least, if you're living in Japan. Sharp is marking the imminent arrival of Rogue One with a SoftBank-exclusive Star Wars smartphone that's clearly designed for the most devoted of fans. The slick-looking, color-shifting Light Side and Dark Side designs are just the start. The real party starts when you dive into the software. Whichever model you choose, you get a heavily customized take on Android with starfighter-based live wallpaper, custom apps and sounds, special emoji and a collectable card game. And did we mention that a free app lets you watch The Force Awakens as much as you like until December 1st, 2019?
This paper rolls up into an adjustable flashlight
The latest capsule collection from Design of Things (courtesy of design firm Nendo and Softbank) is just as fascinating as its 3D-printed, prune-able Bonsai trees announced last year. The Paper Torch is equal parts designs, patterns and heritage of Takeo paper (est. 1899), and electronics know-how from a startup that specializes in flat components and printed circuits (est. 2014). The results might be... illuminating. If only I could see it working in person...
SoftBank: Japan's most interesting tech company
Japan and technology are often mentioned in the same breath. Bullet trains, robots, only-in-Japan phones that'll never leave the island, digital pop-idols and so on. Tech legends like Sony, Nintendo, Panasonic, Sharp, Nikon, Canon, Toyota and more were born here, but most have had mixed fortunes in recent decades. Some missed out on (or were too late to) the smartphone boom, or suffered from declining point-and-shoot-camera sales. Others simply faced stronger competition from Korean and Chinese companies. Smartphones, wearables and VR have generally come from elsewhere. Japan's reputation for getting the newest technology first doesn't ring very true these days -- in fact, those aforementioned tech giants have a reputation for being a risk-averse and slow to change. (Many, if not most companies still request that I fax over my RSVP for their press conferences and meetings. I kid you not.) Then there's Softbank.
Pepper the robot is ready to greet the great American public
Pepper's resume is already packed with an impressive list of multinationals in both Japan and Asia, but now the robot is ready to meet and greet in English, specifically in San Francisco, where it'll be working inside tech retailer b8ta's flagship store. It'll only be there a week, so it's best to think of it as a kind of overseas work experience for the wee robot. The internship starts August 11th, and will involve Pepper greeting and guiding customers, presumably alongside awkward banter and robotic arm flourishes. The tech store says there will be special events and prize giveaways during the robot's stay, with a special developers' workshop for robot programmers of the future. That kicks off on the evening of August 16th. Hit up the store's Facebook page for all the details -- and see how the robot fared when we first met it on US soil after the break.
SoftBank and Honda team up for cars that can read emotions
Japanese telecom company SoftBank is planning on teaming up with Honda for its latest bid for car tech: Cars that can not only talk, but also read their drivers' emotions.
Softbank buys mobile chip designer ARM for $32 billion
Japan's Softbank, which owns US carrier Sprint and many other firms, is set to buy mobile chip company ARM in a blockbuster £24.3 billion ($32 billion) deal. The UK company designs the processors used in virtually every mobile device, including most models from Apple, Samsung and HTC. While it doesn't build them itself, it licenses the tech to Qualcomm, MediaTek, Samsung and others. If the deal goes through, it would be one of the largest acquisitions of a European tech firm ever, and a vote of confidence by Softbank in ARM's business in post-Brexit UK.
ICYMI: 'Pepper'-oni pizzas, 'Vibranium' hyperloops and more
Today on In Case You Missed It: Softbank's domestic robot, Pepper, got a job at Pizza Hut welcoming visitors and taking orders. The Hyperloop company developed a metal that's ten times stronger than steel but five times lighter than aluminum -- of course they're calling it Vibranium, Adamantium is so passe. And CorridorDigital created the most realistic TIE vs Millenium Falcon dogfight to date!
