Xiaomi’s New IP Guy — The Information – interesting questions around services profitability and IP as a competitive barrier (expect more of this from Huawei as Xiaomi competes against its Honor and P series devices). More on the IP guy at The Information (paywall)
In Snub to Google, AT&T Looks to Sell Alternative Android Phone — The Information – this is a logical move for carriers looking for a third platform to reduce the power of Google and Apple given that BlackBerry and Microsoft have failed to deliver. It would be a coup for ZTE if they get to make the device. Interesting that AT&T didn’t put up Sailfish which has some unique USPs in comparison to Cyanogen
Even Google views its Nest acquisition as a disappointment | BGR – it was a lot of money for a thermostat company with smart home pretensions. I don’t see a high barrier to entry the clever bit is in the glue like Apple’s HomeKit.
Snapchat’s Ladder | Stratechery – or why OTT messaging platforms have a difficult time in the US
Urban world: The global consumers to watch | McKinsey & Company – McKinsey goes back to the 1990s to look at market clusters
Facebook Still Younger Than Snapchat, Instagram: comScore (Chart) | Re/code – There has been a general perception over the past few years that millennials are abandoning Facebook in search of greener, less parent-friendly pastures like Snapchat and Instagram. Not. Even. Close.
Xiaomi’s $150 rice cooker is not about making rice—it’s about beating Japan – Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun just unveiled the company’s latest product—a wifi-enabled rice cooker that retails for 999 yuan ($153). This foray into the kitchen is not surprising for the smartphone giant. It’s part of China’s wider government driven efforts to show that it can make quality products
Dyson launches $500 air purifier that lets you monitor domestic pollutants from a smartphone | VentureBeat | Mobile | by Paul Sawers – eerily like Xiaomi’s domestic products