The Comunicano Communique for Monday April 25th, 2016

The Comunicano Communique

This past week and weekend I was up in Seattle as part of my "see what's what where." While it's obvious that Seattle is growing and attracting more technology companies, and with each trip to the region I find that the city is vibrant with a younger and more sophisticated crowd. What I also observed: A massive increase in homelessness on the street. It reminded me of SF in 2000 when I lived there for six months full time. This is going to impact the crime rate. Uber drivers are almost all immigrants. While in SF, SD and LA I see more "locals" or college age drivers, up in Seattle not one was a local after four days of Ubering. Uber drivers in Seattle are totally GPS dependant unlike locals in L.A., SD who are savvy enough to take better routes. Less old, more young. Wandering around, hitting cafe's and restaurants I found the age to be more 20's and 30s and less 40's and 50s.  If you thought Starbucks was the king of coffee, all one has to see is the number of new cafe's and roasters opening up. If anything Starbucks is causing a resurgence in cafe life, but by no means do they have a monopoly in their own backyard. So read today's Comunicano Communique and get into the news. By the way, don't miss the API event of the summer in Las Vegas. "All About The API"......     DARPA Is Looking For The Perfect Encryption App, and It's Willing to Pay While the FBI keeps crying wolf about the dangerous dark future where criminals use technology that's impossible to spy on, the Pentagon's blue-sky research arm wants someone to create the ultimate hacker-proof messaging app.     [continue...]     Why Western Mass Doesn't Have the Internet  A new report about Western Mass's fiber fiasco sheds light on the national failure to provide high-speed digital access to rural America W elcome to Western Massachusetts: gently rolling hills, spreading trees, small and mid-size towns (many of them struggling), and adorable clusters of wood-frame houses pressing right up against the roads.     [continue...]     BMW, Daimler Reject Cooperation with Apple over "iCar" - Handelsblatt Global Edition German carmakers Daimler and BMW have ended talks with Apple over a cooperation deal on an electric car, Handelsblatt has learned from industry sources. The U.S. tech firm is looking for a partner that could lend it expertise in manufacturing an electric "iCar." The favorite is believed to be Canadian-Austrian firm Magna.     [continue...]     Google is building an in-house startup incubator called 'Area 120' Google is creating an in-house startup incubator to help keep its entrepreneurial talent closer to home, according to The Information . The incubator is called "Area 120" and will be headed up by Google executives Don Harrison and Bradley Horowitz, sources told The Information .     [continue...]     Google Is Planning on Launching a Travel Assistant App Is it telling that Google will be rolling out a beta of "a new travel assistant app" this week and that it will be certain members of its Local Guides program who will be among the first to get a "sneak peak?"     [continue...]     Google to Bring the Play Store to Chromebooks Everywhere?  When Google first embarked on their Chrome OS journey with the first Chromebooks, they intended for the system to be all about the browser, all the time. Since then of course, Chrome OS has gained a window manager, a competent file explorer and become its own Desktop OS in its own right.     [continue...]     AT&T, Otis partner on Internet of Things services AT&T and Otis Elevator Company have announced a new partnership to bring Internet of Things (IoT) technology to city services and manufacturing. On Monday, the US telecommunications giant and Otis, a unit of United Technologies, said IoT technology will be used in city services such as elevators, escalators and moving walkway equipment.     [continue...]     Uber and Lyft continue to gain popularity with business travelers When the ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft first came on the scene, business traveler managers were leery of the services. Are they safe? Are the drivers reliable? How you do you file expense reports for the rides?     [continue...]     Was Your Dog Walked? Your Phone Can Show You Some parents find peace of mind in the location-tracking features in smartphones that let them keep tabs on their children. There are also the dog owners who can rest easy knowing that hired dog walkers are doing their job. And that the dogs are doing their business.     [continue...]     Screaming woman hints at the true potential of virtual reality Virtual reality is a piece of tech that although drastically updated and re-introduced to the masses in 2016, probably won't take-off properly for another year or two. It faces a few issues that will take time to overcome, namely cost and experiences.     [continue...]     The rise of the $400 smartphone-you want how much for a flagship? For a long time, the cost of a fast, high-end smartphone with the latest technology seemed definite. You were paying $600 or $700 no matter whether you did it up front or spread out over the course of a two-year carrier contract. This doesn't have to be the case today, however.     [continue...]     8 Interesting Logo Design Trends to Watch For [Infographic] Why does it matter if a logo is memorable or not? According to a recent study from Siegel+Gale, logos that are memorable are 13% more likely to get the attention of consumers, and 7% more likely to make people want to learn more about the brand.     [continue...]

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