Softbank Archives

Artificial Intelligence, Companies, News, Technology Security

Boston Dynamics presented upgraded SpotMini – a robot dog

We all remember Atlas, the “crazy” robot that was jumping and doing flip-overs all around. Well, now he got himself, well, a “pet” in a matter of speech. On Monday,Boston Dynamics presented a kind of a “robot dog” that is learning new tricks every day. The company, currently owned by SoftBank, showed its SpotMini bot opening a door and holding them open, using its extendable arm/neck. The all-electric droid stands 84 cm tall, features canine-like mechanics and a five-degree of freedom manipulator arm that takes its cues from a sensor suite. Among these sensors are stereo cameras, depth cameras, an inertial measurement unit and position and

Asia Pacific (APAC), Global Politics

Nescafe Robots, Solar Detection System, Digital to Analog: The Headlines in Tokyo for Dec. 2

Here is the daily roundup from Japanese consumer tech and tech business websites for December 2, 2014.

Asia Pacific (APAC), Global Politics

Yoga 3 Pro in Japan, Marking LEDs, Surface Pro on Farms: The Headlines in Tokyo for November 17

Here is the daily roundup from Japanese consumer tech and tech business websites for November 17, 2014.

Asia Pacific (APAC), Global Politics, Japan, VR World

Softbank’s Pepper Robot to Work at Nescafe Shops

Sofbank’s talking and conversing robot will now be Nestle’s front desk employee.

VR World

Indonesian e-Com Startup Tokopedia Raises $100M from SoftBank, Sequoia Capital

Indonesian e-commerce startup Tokopedia has raised $100 million in fresh capital, which will be used for hiring, gaining traction and strengthening its position in a nuanced e- and m-commerce market.

Global Politics, US, VR World

Softbank Offers iPad-Guided Cars For Rent in Japan

Starting this week, the village of Asuka in Japan will now have its own fleet of iPad-equipped roving ultra-compact vehicles.

Analysis, Business, Mobile Computing, VR World

French Telecom Company Iliad Pulls T-Mobile Offer

French telecom company Iliad today announced their intention to pull their second offer for the acquisition of T-Mobile from parent company Deutsche Telecom

Analysis, Business, Mobile Computing, VR World

Sprint to Dump T-Mobile Bid and Replace CEO

Today is not a good day in Sprint land as according to a report the Wall Street Journal, the company’s board of directors has voted to abandon the acquisition of T-Mobile USA amid insurmountable regulatory hurdles. Sprint originally made an offer to buy T-Mobile USA to the tune of $32 billion dollars with the parent company of Sprint, Softbank, leading the negotiations and discussions about where the combined company would move post-merger. The problem with this deal was that it was met with a lot of regulatory concern from virtually every single governmental agency involved, not to mention tons of public outcry. The Department of Justice (DOJ),

Analysis, Business, Enterprise, Mobile Computing, VR World

T-Mobile US Gets Offer from Iliad for $15 Billion

A French telecom company roughly 1/6th the size of T-Mobile US (in revenue and about 1/2 by market cap), by the name of Iliad has just put up an offer to buy 56% of T-Mobile US for an approximate $15 billion in cash. This would theoretically still leave some shares of T-Mobile US in Deutsche Telecom’s hands, but would mostly wash them of the company and give them cash (instead of a mixture of cash and shares, which is what Sprint is supposedly offering). As of right now, there are still no official figures for the T-Mobile/Sprint merger deal, so we don’t exactly know what T-Mobile

Business, VR World

Sprint and T-Mobile Tentatively Agree to $32 Billion Deal

Once again, the T-Mobile and Sprint deal continues to move forward now that we have an actual purchase price. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the general terms of the deal between Sprint and T-Mobile have been worked out and that the two companies have agreed to a $32 billion sale of T-Mobile, which actually seems a bit low when you consider that T-Mobile’s current market cap is $27 billion and they are getting a mere 20% premium over their current price. This deal has gotten a lot of regulatory flak before it ever happened and will likely continue to as the two companies try

VR World

T-Mobile Overtakes Sprint as No.3 Buyer of Smartphones in US

Since most people’s contracts are usually 2 years long, you don’t usually see any significant movements of subscribers from one carrier to another. They happen slowly and quarterly, after all, it would take at least 8 quarters for a company to theoretically lose all of their subscribers if every single person wanted to leave. So, it comes as little surprise that Sprint still holds the numbers 3 spot in terms of subscribers when compared to T-Mobile. Based on T-Mobile’s last earnings call, they ended the first quarter of this year up 2.4 million with nearly 50 million customers, coming ever closer to Sprint’s 54 million.

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