Category Archives

Google is partnering with… cars produced by Renault, Nissan, and Mitsubishi to start putting Android in their cars. The alliance of these three automobiles accounts for 10.6 million vehicles sold last year. Now you will be able to see and use Android whether or not you have the phone.

Here’s what this entails… Google Maps, Google Play Store, and Google Assistant. However, don’t expect to see this soon because the technology won’t be installed in these cars until 2021. This move by Google is exciting news nevertheless because car companies have been known to develop their own tech to use in vehicles.

The automakers are excited… and said in a statement that the deal gives customers “one of the most intelligent infotainment systems in the market.” And now (or in 2021) you won’t have to worry about using your personal device to navigate, listen to music, or do whatever else it is you do with your phone on the road.

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They’re watching alright… what are they watching you ask? Coca-Cola is watching CBD, a non-psychoactive part of marijuana. And non-psychoactive means it doesn’t get you high. However, CBD can ease pain, inflammation, and nausea. The marijuana industry is growing and multiplying quickly.

First reported by Bloomberg… so we’re not making stuff up this time. Coke is actually in talks with the Canadian cannabis company Aurora Cannabis. Aurora Cannabis is also interested in producing cannabis drinks (or probably doing anything with Coke, for that matter).

Constellation, Svedka, and Casa Noble… are all investing $4 billion in Canopy Growth which is yet another Canadian marijuana company. And ever since marijuana was legalized in Canada, some of these companies are trading on US stock exchanges and getting investment from American companies. However, it seems that we are quite some time from seeing marijuana-infused Coca-Cola, but one can dream…

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SpaceX has its first victim… er, passenger, we should say. That’s right – the first person to fly around the moon in the company’s BFR has been selected. What is a BFR, you ask? It is the ‘Big Falcon Rocket’ which consists of two parts: A massive rocket booster that will out-power anything every built and a spacecraft that will shoot right out of the Earth’s atmosphere – brought to you by SpaceX.

Today’s announcement marks the first steps… to sending regular people to the moon and SpaceX will be identifying the first person to go today! Up to this point, Elon Musk has kept quiet about the identity of this individual and the financial terms of the deal.

Don’t get too excited… because the BFR is probably several years away from its initial flight. However, the spaceship portion of the rocket could start testing as soon as 2019. SpaceX COO said that the rocket is likely to take flight within a decade, which probably a more realistic timeline given Musk’s overly-optimistic way of thinking. So it is probably more than several years away…

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Nio has hit the NYSE… and shares were up 76% on Thursday, just the second day of trading. These results are particularly interesting because Nio had to lower their IPO to the lower end of their price range before the big day. On the first day of trading, the stock closed up 5% but was down as much as 15%.

Nio is just four years old… and is the company that vows to battle Tesla in China, the world’s most significant electric vehicle market. The company has investors that include Tencent and Baidu and now has $1 billion from the IPO. Still, the electric-car company remains small in scale, but certainly has huge aspirations for the future.

It could be a bumpy road ahead… for Nio which is entering a market with fierce competitors that include Tesla, Byd (which Warren Buffet invests in), and Byton. Volkswagen and Ford are also eyeing the electric car market, and specifically in China. But if everyone let ‘too much’ competition stop them, where we would be today?

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This is where GE is headed because… they keep selling parts of their business for money. Of course, the company also has an astonishing amount of debt – so actually, they will soon be a pile of nothing. GE Aviation (the one part of GE pulling its weight) is getting rid of Middle River Aircraft Systems for $630 million. The company has about 800 employees and has been building aircrafts for about 90 years.

Here is why GE is selling… they are selling to pay-off that “mountain of debt” that has become synonymous with the company. The company has sold its healthcare, oil and gas, and locomotive businesses up to this. The light bulb maker is also looking for someone to buy their light bulb division. Hm…

It has been rough going for GE… who has seen their stock prices slashed by 60% and was kicked out of the Dow. GE is currently betting on the aviation biz which powers 2 out of 3 commercial flight departures. So, hey, it’s not all gloom and doom for GE. Not yet, anyway.

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Let’s take a look at… what Nike was thinking placing Colin Kaepernick front-and-center of the company’s 30^th anniversary “Just Do It” campaign. Well, the results are in, and it appears that Nike was investing heavily in their younger customers. It worked.

Among people 18 to 34… 44% were in favor of Nike’s decision while 32% were against it. Those aged 35 to 44 had 52% support and 37% oppose the decision. Last, and probably least, people over 65 had just 26% supporting the decision – so ‘Dad shoe’ sales will be taking a hit this year. However, two-thirds of the Nike customer base is under 35 so who cares?

The ad didn’t matter… because the company’s stock is up and sales were also up 31% after it released. It looks like the advertisement went well and resonated with Nike’s customer base; plus LeBron, arguably the company’s most prominent sponsor athlete, was in support (essential to keep him happy). So, hey, it all worked out for Nike – nice work.

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A huge announcement it was… as Apple plans to release the largest smartphone ever. How big is it? The new iPhone XS Max is 6.5 inches and will sell for $1,099. The display of the phone is larger compared to the Plus, but the body is around the same size. Okay, not that huge of announcement, but newsworthy nonetheless.

Other updates include… “the best camera ever” (saw that coming) and longer lasting battery life. The XS will last 30 minutes longer on a single charge, and the XS Max will last an hour and a half longer. Apple also introduced the iPhone XR, a “cheap” option at $749. The phones will all have faster networking support, as well.

As we predicted… nothing too crazy this year as far as updates go. If you want one of these things, you can pre-order the XS and XS Max on September 14^th and have it shipped the following week. The XR will be available for pre-order on October 19^th and will be in-store the following week. But unless you have managed to obliterate your current phone, we suggest waiting until next year for the good stuff…

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Your one-stop Christmas shop… even if what you need is a Christmas tree. As if Amazon didn’t already sell everything, the company is now selling a variety of Christmas trees. The trees come in Fraser Fir, Balsam Fir, Black Hills, Spruce, and Norfolk Island Pines. And the best part – some of the trees will even be eligible for Prime shipping.

You can also get… wreaths, garland, and flowers to decorate your home this Christmas. And now, you can get a fake or live tree from the online retailer. We think it’s a good idea because now people can get real trees without the cold, cutting, and carrying. Shouldn’t everything be delivered in one-click and two days?

Here is what the National Christmas Tree Association thinks… because they exist, by the way, and are all for Amazon entering the market. Amazon can support local tree growers by buying and selling their trees, and people get another option for their Christmas tree. It’s feeling like a very ‘Amazon’ Christmas already…

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The iPhone isn’t very popular… in China and India. The lack of interest in the iPhone is somewhat disappointing to the tech giant because those are the two hottest growth spots for smartphones. People in developed markets already have smartphones – so those customers are basically tapped out (except for the upgrades). So why don’t iPhones sell like crack in other countries like they do in North America?

The Chinese are innovative… and apparently, Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi own 80% of the market. In fact, Huawei is the world’s second leading smartphone brand (call me crazy, but I’ve never heard of them). If innovation from Chinese brands is killing the iPhone, maybe we should give those same phones a try in America? Just name it something we can pronounce…

India can’t afford it… and 800 million people in the country have yet to use the internet. There is no “official” order on how this should go, but I believe it should go: internet then smartphone…in that order. Not to mention increased tariffs make the iPhone X cost $1,700 in India – something most developed markets wouldn’t pay. And Indians prefer Samsung and Xiaomi, anyway. It looks like Apple can’t win ‘em all…

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The ‘Amazon of China’ as we like to call it… is joining forces with Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, telecom company MegaFon, and internet company Mail.Ru Group. Alibaba plans to pay an unspecified amount of money and give ownership of its existing business, AliExpress Russia to gain access to Russia.

Russia and China are… teaming up in business and politics to help counteract sanctions from Europe and the United States. Also, Alibaba will help facilitate online shopping growth across Russia – something the country could really use. Seems like a win-win, right?

If the deal goes through… Alibaba will keep 48% of AliExpress Russia, MegaFon will own 24%, and the rest will be divvied up in smaller amounts. And there is no better country to be an e-commerce company in than Russia. Why you ask? Because only 20% of the country shops online which means there are plenty of customers to be had. Online sales came in at $24 billion in 2015, which may sound like a lot – but it’s really not. Hopefully the new ‘Russian online shopping craze’ will give the trolls something else to do.

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