Snapchat has decided to permanently shut down its Snap Channel, which lunched in January as the company’s move toward self-generated original content. A number of employees will be impacted by the move, including former Fox exec Marcus Wiley, who was hired as head of programming. Snapchat removed Snap Channel from the Discover platform a few weeks ago with a promise to relaunch. “But upon careful examination of what that would entail money-wise, that plan has been scrapped,” reports Deadline, “with Snapchat hitting pause on its original programming efforts via Snap Channel and re-examining its overall original content strategy.”

The first version of music app Aurous, billed as the Popcorn Time for music, debuted this past weekend. The software allows users to stream pirated music for free. TorrentFreak applauds the Spotify-like interface and ad-free model, but criticizes the limited library and inability to create playlists. And while Aurous promised earlier to use the BitTorrent network, it is instead pulling MP3 files from external services. A player named TorrentTunes, on the other hand, is using the BitTorrent network and features more advanced discovery options, but is also lacking in content. Whereas Popcorn Time was able to compete with Netflix on the content front, Aurous and TorrentTunes reportedly fail to compete with Spotify.

During a product unveiling in New York last week, Microsoft introduced new devices including a Surface Book laptop, the company’s latest Surface Pro tablet, big-screen Lumia smartphones that plug into displays for PC capabilities, and a $249 wearable fitness band. The press event also showcased Microsoft’s HoloLens augmented reality headset. While a focus on CE devices represents a shift for the software giant, hardware serves an integral role in a new corporate strategy that revolves around the Windows 10 operating system, designed to run on a variety of different devices. Continue reading Microsoft Unveils New Devices with Emphasis on Windows 10

Amazon is throwing its hat into the IoT ring with a new service for developers through its Amazon Web Services division. The beta service, named AWS IoT, was introduced during the company’s annual AWS conference in Las Vegas. It is designed for developers looking to link Internet-connected devices — from smoke alarms and other household appliances to smartwatches and fitness trackers — with other hardware devices and applications housed on remote servers. The idea is that devices would communicate with each other and take commands from computers. Continue reading The Internet of Things May Be the Next Frontier for Amazon

Qualcomm, which has been soliciting bids for its Vuforia business in order to reduce costs and focus on mobile efforts, announced yesterday that it has sold its augmented reality platform to Massachusetts-based Internet of Things company PTC for $65 million. The deal is expected to close later this year. “Vuforia’s technology lets people use their smartphone or tablet to bring advertisements, toys and other real-world objects to life,” explains Re/code. “The effort has attracted a notable base of developers, but augmented reality remains more of a novelty than a big business.”

Google currently fields more than 100 billion searches per month. For the first time, mobile devices have surpassed PCs as the device of choice for performing Google searches worldwide. “The shift to mobile has prompted Google to rethink its core business, which places ads based on keywords typed into the company’s search engine,” explains The Wall Street Journal. “New types of devices, from phones to tablets to cars to wearables, will require new ways of searching.” Since many of these devices do not necessarily rely on typing text, Google is looking at technologies such as voice and image recognition moving forward.

It’s official. In the largest technology takeover in history, PC tech giant Dell will purchase cloud computing company EMC for $67 billion. Michael Dell is funding the deal with MSD Partners, Silver Lake and Temasek Holdings. He will become chairman and CEO of the combined company, which will be privately held. Joe Tucci is expected to step down as chief exec of EMC once the transaction closes between May and October of 2016. EMC presently owns 81 percent of virtualization software and services company VMware. Dell plans to pay $24.05 per share in cash, plus tracking stock in VMware. Continue reading Dell to Acquire EMC, Keep VMware as Publicly-Traded Company

California Governor Jerry Brown last week signed a new law designed to protect digital privacy rights. The California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (CalECPA) mandates that a warrant is required in order for state law enforcement agencies or investigators to compel businesses to turn over metadata or digital communications such as emails, texts, and cloud-stored documents. Additionally, it requires a warrant for the tracking or searching of electronic devices. The White House, meanwhile, has backed down on its battle with tech companies over encrypted data of digital devices. Continue reading CalECPA: California Governor Signs Landmark Privacy Law

Shortly after Jack Dorsey was named permanent CEO of Twitter, the company is reportedly readying company-wide layoffs to begin this week. According to sources, the number of layoffs remains uncertain, but most departments are likely to be affected. Re/code reports, “The downsizing comes at the same time Twitter is restructuring its engineering organization to make it leaner and more efficient, these sources say. It’s likely that many of those impacted by the layoffs will be engineers, which make up about half the staff.” Twitter has more than doubled its number of employees since Q2 2013 to roughly 4,100.

The Entertainment Merchant’s Association is offering ETC members a 50 percent discount on registration to its Digital Media Pipeline conference, taking place October 14 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. This year’s event — which runs $198 with the discount — will focus on the delivery of digital entertainment, including electronic sell-through, transactional VOD, subscription VOD and ad-supported VOD. Studio execs, digital retailers and service and tech providers will discuss the latest trends in online entertainment. To take advantage of EMA’s offer, visit the Non-Member Registration page and enter Discount Code 904. Continue reading ETC Members Offered Major Discount on Digital Media Pipeline

Following an earlier price increase in Europe this year, Netflix is raising its subscription fee for new customers in the U.S., Canada and parts of Latin America. Subscribers who opt for the plan that allows two viewers to simultaneously use an account will be charged $9.99 ($1 more per month), while one-screen and four-screen plans will not change. Current customers will have a grace period before being affected by the increase. “With more than 65 million subscribers worldwide, Netflix is counting on customer gains and higher prices to sustain revenue growth and finance the cost of its film and TV offerings,” reports Bloomberg.

Sony announced yesterday that it has completed its acquisition of SoftKinetic Systems, Belgian innovator of time-of-flight (ToF) range image sensor technology. SoftKinetic’s depth-sensing camera tech is ideal for tracking hand gestures, which makes the startup a logical fit for Sony and its ongoing efforts with augmented reality smart glasses and the PlayStation VR headset. According to Re/code, the company’s ToF cameras “work by shining a diffused laser out into the world and measuring how long it takes that laser to bounce back, similar to the motion camera Kinect that connects to Microsoft’s Xbox.”

During the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit in San Francisco, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that while it is “a bit further out,” his company is working on augmented reality. Facebook signaled its intentions regarding virtual reality when it acquired Oculus, but augmented reality presents new challenges, according to Facebook’s Michael Abrash, and is likely to take longer. “The implications for a Facebook-driven AR system are pretty obvious,” suggests TechCrunch. “Imagine, maybe, walking down the street and getting a heads-up display for the number of likes a business has.”

Brand consultancy Interbrand recently released its annual Best Global Brands report and, not surprisingly, tech companies continue their worldwide dominance. Apple and Google topped Interbrand’s list for the third year running. “The study, which is in its 16th year, assigns dollar values and ranks to what it deems the top 100 global brands, based on company performance,” explains Quartz. The analysis considers “financial performance, influence on consumer behavior, and staying power relative to peers.” Microsoft was ranked number 4, IBM number 5, Amazon number 10 and Intel number 14. Cisco took the number 15 spot and Facebook was ranked 23rd.

While streaming services continue to invest in original series to attract new subscribers, the SVOD battle over TV rights has also been heating up. Amazon, Hulu and Netflix are competing for the exclusive rights to stream popular shows that first air on television. A number of new deals have been announced in recent weeks, including Amazon picking up USA Network’s “Mr. Robot,” Hulu getting Fox’s “The Last Man on Earth,” and Netflix signing ABC’s “How to Get Away with Murder” and CW’s “Jane the Virgin.” Most recently, Viacom extended its licensing agreement with Hulu. Continue reading Hulu Doubles the Amount of TV Content it Licenses from Viacom