Crain’s SF News

YOUR NEWS FOR FRIDAY, JULY 07, 2017

Qualcomm settles in for a long patent battle with Apple

Just when you thought the mobile patent wars might be behind us, Qualcomm and Apple seem determined to keep them going. Qualcomm raised the stakes in its patent battle with Apple Thursday afternoon, suing it for patent infringement and asking the U.S. International Trade Commission to bar the sale of iPhones with anything other than a Qualcomm wireless modem chip from entering the country.(GeekWire)

San Francisco’s Hunters Point gets free gigabit internet

A San Francisco-based internet service provider is providing free gigabit-speed internet access at more than 200 low-income, federally subsidized housing units in Hunters Point. Monkeybrains partnered with the San Francisco Housing Development Corp., a nonprofit that owns the units, to provide high-speed fiber internet to help close the digital divide.(Silicon Beat)

Alphabet spins off geothermal energy unit as ‘Dandelion’

One of Alphabet Inc.’s X-Lab moonshot efforts that is seeking to deliver cutting edge geothermal energy technology is following in the path of Waymo before it and spinning off as its own company. Called Dandelion Inc., the company says it can affordably drill and install geothermal systems to heat and cool individual homes, a radical departure from existing geothermal energy technology. (SiliconANGLE)

OnboardIQ raises $9.1M to speed up recruiting

Recruiting poses difficulties for every organization, but it’s a particularly big challenge in service industries where companies must often hire hundreds of employees per year due to high turnover. OnboardIQ Inc., a startup based in San Francisco, has armed itself with $9.1 million in funding to tackle the issue. (SiliconANGLE)

Tesla loses crown as most valuable U.S. automaker

On the eve of Tesla’s expected completion of the first Model 3 – its entry-level, mass-market electric car – the company lost its crown as the most valuable U.S. automaker, a position it had held for the past three months. Tesla shares ended the trading day down 5.58 percent Thursday, continuing a drop that has plagued the company this week as concerns about its production capabilities continue to grow. (Washington Post)

Ad buyers give TV a pass for massaging Nielsen data

TV was called out for messing with metrics Thursday. But in an ironic twist, media buyers are largely shrugging where they’ve taken great umbrage at digital platforms misreporting their own data. Networks have been called out for tampering with their Nielsen ratings with a little sleight of numbers, perhaps abusing a fairly common practice, according to a Wall Street Journal report. (Ad Age)

Instagram debuts photo, video replies on stories

Social media giant Instagram has announced a new feature that will allow users to reply to their friend’s stories with a photo, video, or Boomerang. The photo sharing app introduced the feature via its blog today, as an update to stories. Update your app to version 10.28 to use the new add-on, but look for the new feature to expand on the growing platform and increase the medium’s engagement even further from Snapchat’s grasp.(Hypebeast)

High speed caused Amtrak derailment along Washington coast

An engineer was driving an Amtrak passenger train too fast in Washington state on Sunday and caused it to derail as it headed north, officials said Thursday. Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham said an investigation found that the train failed to slow down to the 40 mph speed limit while approaching the Chambers Bay drawbridge, about 45 miles south of Seattle.(Fox Business)

Should the auto industry rethink flagship stores?

Some high-profile flagships are being rethought, not abandoned. They are becoming places to experience the brand – something that can’t be done online – rather than as a spot to learn about the brand’s products. In other cases, the rethinking is leading to multiple showcases, rather than one must-go location (Automotive News)

The next big title in media agencies: Chief AI officer?

Any time an explosive new technology takes hold, agencies have to navigate how it fits into their business. While some wait until it takes a deeper hold, others, like New York-based Crossmedia, are bullish. The independent media agency just hired a new executive director of cognitive solutions, who will head up the agency’s work in that area — covering everything from client projects that use AI like chatbots or Alexa skills to other areas of cognitive solutions. (Ad Age)