Acquisitions

Case maker Incipio buys portable speaker startup Braven

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Incipio Technologies, the well-known maker of cases and other accessories for mobile products, today announced it is acquiring Braven for an undisclosed sum. If you're a sucker for mobile accessories, chances are you've heard of Braven by now. The company specializes in portable wireless Bluetooth speakers and was the first to produce a portable HD speaker / speakerphone that doubles as a cellphone charger.

The Irvine, California based Incipio hopes to broaden its portfolio by adding Braven's popular wireless speakers to its lineup...

Apple’s Matcha purchase believed to be over its content recommendation algorithms

Cody Lee ∙ August 15, 2013

Earlier this week, news broke that Apple had purchased a small video discovery startup called Matcha. At one time, the service helped users find interesting TV shows and Movies based on their preferences, but it mysteriously went offline back in May.

While we found out on Tuesday why it disappeared, that's about all we knew about the acquisition. But a report from TechCrunch today shines some new light on the deal, citing sources that say Apple was after Matcha's recommendation algorithms...

Apple acquires video discovery startup Matcha

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Apple has acquired second screen startup Matcha, according to a new report. The company helped users find interesting movies and TV shows online based on their own preferences, as well as those of their friends on various social networks.

The company mysteriously disappeared back in May of this year, leaving nothing but a brief note on its website saying that the service would no longer be available and that all user data had been deleted. And now we know what happened to it...

Facebook acquires speech recognition firm Mobile Technologies

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

Facebook has announced this afternoon that it has acquired Mobile Technologies, a private company that develops speech recognition and machine translation technology. The move reiterates the social network's commitment to its mobile strategy.

Honestly, I hadn't heard of the company before today. But some quick digging shows that Mobile Technologies is behind the popular Jibbigo translation app, which the developers claim is the "world’s first" online/offline speech-to-speech translator...

Samsung to purchase OLED firm Novaled for $347 million

Cody Lee ∙ August 9, 2013

Despite the fact that Apple seems to be doing everything in its power to reduce its supply chain dependence on Samsung, the two appear to be inseparable. The Korean tech giant still makes a number of iOS device components, including processors and displays.

With that in mind, you can understand why we were interested to hear this afternoon that Samsung is in the process of purchasing Novaled, a German-based OLED (organic light-emitting diode) company, for a staggering 260 million euros, or $347 million USD...

AT&T acquires regional wireless carrier Long Lines

Cody Lee ∙ July 29, 2013

AT&T is at it again. Adding to its list of acquisitions, the company announced today that it will be purchasing regional carrier Long Lines Wireless. The telco has coverage throughout the midwest and owns some valuable spectrum licenses.

The news comes just a little over two weeks after AT&T announced it would be acquiring prepaid carrier Leap Wireless. And the company says the move is to help it improve its 3G and LTE network coverage in areas within Long Lines' footprint...

Apple acquires location-based data startup Locationary

Cody Lee ∙ July 19, 2013

According to a new report, Apple has acquired Toronto-based Locationary, a Canadian startup that provides crowdsourced location data, for an unknown amount. The deal, which has already closed, includes both the company's tech and team.

Apple spokesman Steve Dowling has even confirmed the new acquisition, offering up the usual boiler plate response 'Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.”

PrimeSense dismisses Apple buyout chatter, Intel buys perceptual computing startup Omek

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 22, 2017

The Israeli newspaper Calcalist in late-2011 accurately reported on Apple's $500 million purchase of the Israeli Flash memory startup Anobit.

Yesterday, the paper claimed Apple had been mulling buying PrimeSense, the motion control specialists behind the original Kinect motion sensor for Microsoft's Xbox console.

It now appears that any such talk could be premature as an unnamed source associated with the motion-gesture startup debunked the rumor in an interview with TechCrunch...

Apple considering purchase of Microsoft Kinect-maker PrimeSense

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

During Tim Cook's D11 interview a few months ago, the CEO said that Apple had bought out 9 companies since October of last year. If that number sounds a bit high, that's because it is, as the iPad-maker usually averages 6-7 acquisitions per year.

And the shopping spree may not be over just yet. According to a new report from an Israeli news source, the Cupertino company is currently mulling over another buyout. This time it's PrimeSense, the motion control specialists behind the Kinect...

SoftBank completes Sprint buyout, drops the ‘Nextel’ name

Cody Lee ∙ July 11, 2013

It's official. Sprint Nextel is now simply Sprint Corporation, as SoftBank completes its high-profile buyout of the wireless provider. Japan’s third-largest carrier now owns a controlling stake in the United States' third-largest carrier. Fitting, isn't it?

The deal, which has been in negotiations since last fall, is worth some $21.6 billion. $5 billion of it is being used as a cash infusion to take on future projects, and the other $16.6 billion is going to Sprint shareholders. And Nextel? It's gone for good...

Google reportedly set to buy Waze for $1.3 billion

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

An Israeli newspaper is reporting today that Google has won the bidding war for the popular crowd-sourced navigation app Waze. The two companies are in the process of finalizing an acquisition deal said to be worth $1.3 billion.

The report comes after several months of speculation that Waze was in buyout talks with a number of tech giants including Apple, and more recently Facebook—all with price tags in the neighborhood of a billion dollars...

Watch out Facebook, Google’s also considering Waze buyout

Cody Lee ∙ May 24, 2013

Whatever the folks over at Waze are doing, they must be doing it right. Earlier this month, we heard that Facebook was looking to acquire the Palo Alto-based startup and its popular crowd-sourced navigation app for a cool $1 billion.

But as it turns out, they're not the only ones interested. According to a new report, a number of tech companies have approached the Waze team over a possible buyout deal, including Google, meaning a bidding war could be afoot...