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  • GameStop Struggling, Looking to Trade in Franchise

    GameStop Struggling, Looking to Trade in Franchise

    The world has changed. GameStop has confirmed that they’re in talks to sell to Sycamore Partners to break even on their struggling business. Ten years ago, the company was worth nearly ten billion dollars. Last year, they closed over 150 stores. What happened to the once-dominant retailer? 

    Rise of Digital Sales 

    The biggest blow to the retailer has certainly been the rise of high-speed broadband internet making online sales much easier. Rather than run down the street and talking to a pushy employee, gamers can just buy a game straight from the online store. While GameStop was once the destination for many looking to buy games, their fortunes changed when customer had the option to skip them altogether. It seems the convenience of having a game immediately overtook the hassle of talking to condescending GameStop employees.  

    Shifting Attitudes, Local Shopping 

    Mom and Pop video game stores certainly haven’t helped matter for the retailer. Gamers who prefer physical games also like supporting their local businesses. Many cities have small shops full of people the community knows and care about. GameStop, by contrast, is known for being kind of scummy and offering low trade-in values for new games. This lack of goodwill towards a faceless corporation has certainly twisted the knife for the company.  

    Just Deserts for GameStop? 

    While GameStop scrambles to find a buyer to save them from bankruptcy, many gamers can’t help but feel a bit vindicated. The company has made a name for itself offering comically low trade-in values for used games and often selling games at an insulting mark-up. Their reward for their anti-consumer attitude, it seems, is having no consumers at all. Here’s hoping all of GameStop’s employees make out alright in the aftermath. That said, we can’t help but wonder if GameStop won’t get less trade-in than they think is fair for their company. And, if they don’t, we certainly won’t lose any sleep over it.

  • Switch Flip Grip for Portrait Orientation Play Coming Soon!

    Switch Flip Grip for Portrait Orientation Play Coming Soon!

    Fangamer has reached their Kickstarter goals to release a new Flip Grip for the Nintendo Switch! The Flip Grip promises to make playing games in portrait orientation on Switch a breeze. You might be asking, which games use portrait orientation? Well, a lot of arcade games released through the online store, actually.  

    A Classic Picture Mode 

    A ton of arcade classics have seen re-releases on the hybrid console. Games like Galaga, Punch-Out!!, and Strikers 1945-II were meant to be played in an extra-tall aspect ratio in their original arcade cabinet. While it’s possible to prop the Switch up on something in tabletop mode to play these games in portrait, it’s a pain. Not to mention, the Switch’s Joy Con rails only allow for landscape picture in handheld mode. The solution to these problems is the Flip Grip! 

    The Flip Grip holds the system in portrait mode and can hook the Joy Cons into the sides. This lets you play arcade games as they were meant to be, on the go! 

    Flip Grip Kickstarter Success 

    The peripheral experienced a huge Kickstarter success, meeting its goal after being up for a few days. More than 3000 backers have already pledged more than $50,000 for the unique peripheral. As of right now, a pledge of $12 gets you one of the Grips when they go live. Twice that gets you two grips and a discount on shipping!  

    While this might seem niche, it goes to show just how innovative and flexible the Switch is. The fan community that has grown up around the Switch is very engaged and excited about all releases on the system. As such, it makes sense that Fangamer would experience such success with a neat, off-the-wall concept like this! There’s huge interest in retro-style gaming right now, as evidenced by the success of Nintendo’s Retro Classic series. Those mini consoles have been selling out with each shipment!  

    Fangamer plans to ship their unique new Grip in November of this year. Until then, game on, retro fans! 

  • Intel’s CEO Ejected After Relationship with Employee Revealed

    Intel’s CEO Ejected After Relationship with Employee Revealed

    Brian Krzanich, Intel’s CEO, has been forced from his position and from the board. This move follows Krzanich’s “consensual relationship” with an employee. Such a relationship would violate the company’s non-fraternization policy. While the incident is said to have occurred “some time ago,” it is just now being brought to light.

    Intel’s Statement 

    Regarding the CEO stepping down, the company stated this.  

    “An ongoing investigation by internal and external counsel has confirmed a violation of Intel’s non-fraternization policy, which applies to all managers. Given the expectation that all employees will respect Intel’s values and adhere to the company’s code of conduct, the Board has accepted Mr. Krzanich’s resignation.” 

    According to those familiar with the situation, the relationship occurred, and ended, some time ago. Exactly how long ago, and with whom, has not been said. However, such fraternization is in direct violation of company policies, regardless of when it occurred.  

    CFO Robert Swan is now the acting CEO while the board looks for a long-term candidate for the position.  

    Tough Times for Intel 

    This sudden change in leadership couldn’t come at a worse time for the company. They have led the market in processor manufacturing for years, but there are many threats to their dominance on the horizon. The looming specter of cloud processing and artificial intelligence have been hanging over the company for the past five years or so. More immediately, companies like Nvidia, Qualcomm and Apple have been making strides in their own processor production. Notably, AMD recently showed off a 32-core “Threadripper” processor that handily beat all of Intel’s strongest chips in benchmark tests.  

    No company ever wants their CEO to be suddenly ousted amidst a small scandal. Intel, in particular, though, was in no place for this to occur. With the competition heating up and computing landscape changing, the last thing Intel needed was uncertainty in leadership. While this certainly doesn’t spell doom for the chip-making giant, it doesn’t bode well for investors. The competition is certainly sharpening their knives, though. 

  • The Avengers and the X-Men Crossover is Saved! Disney to Buy Fox

    The Avengers and the X-Men Crossover is Saved! Disney to Buy Fox

    That’s right, we may still be able to see Iron Man and Cyclops onscreen together! In response to Comcast’s bid to buy Fox for $65 billion in cash, Disney upped their bid. What does it take to own a massive entertainment conglomerate? Well, a bid of $71 billion in cash and stocks seems to be the magic ticket. That eye-watering sum is even more impressive when you consider that Fox will have to spin off its news branch and maybe even its sports networks. Why’s that, you ask? Regulatory approval processes are quite complicated. 

    Fox Wary of Regulatory Approval 

    One reason Fox seems to be seriously considering Disney’s bid is regulatory boards. While AT&T recently won a case to acquire Time Warner, that doesn’t guarantee the same would happen for Comcast. Disney, on the other hand, is an entertainment company, not a telecom. Fox is likely weighing that in their consideration of being bought by the House of Mouse. Additionally, they could realize that there is simply more money to be made by partnering with the massive maker of Marvel and Star Wars. Getting the budget of Disney behind their films would help Fox reach even more audiences and make even more money. 

    Shareholders Signing Off on Disney Deal 

    The deal won’t actually be complete until the shareholders okay it. Which is ironic, as the Comcast deal was going to have to wait until a July 10th shareholder meeting to be approved. Disney’s bid beat that approval to the punch. Still, Fox and Disney shareholders could still oppose the bid. However, such opposition seems highly unlikely at this stage and is really more of a formality.  

    That being said, the deal will also still have to pass regulatory approval. Fox’s assets would be considered and could have to be spun off into new companies if a board deems it necessary for the merger. Avoiding a lack of meaningful competition is an important facet of such boards, so moves like this can be risky for large companies. Disney, for their part, seems convinced that it won’t be an issue. Interestingly, the sale would include Fox’s 30 percent stake in Hulu. Both Disney and Comcast also hold a 30 percent stake in the online media platform. The final ten percent is owned by Time Warner, for the curious.  

    The Future 

    Hopefully the future holds a huge crossover film of the X-Men and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Is it too much to ask for a good movie version of Avengers vs. X-Men? We don’t think so. Make it happen, Disney! 

     

  • Tesla Employee Sued Over Alleged Sabotage

    Tesla Employee Sued Over Alleged Sabotage

    Following the recent news that Tesla believed it had been sabotaged, the company has sued former employee Martin Tripp. The lawsuit claims that Tripp, who worked at the company’s factory in Nevada, stole trade secrets and sent them to unknown third parties. If true, this could be a partial explanation for the ongoing struggles to meet Model 3 production numbers. Such corporate espionage gives new perspective on statements from CEO Elon Musk that seemed paranoid earlier this week. 

    Tesla’s Statement 

    Regarding the incident, the electric automaker had this to say.  

    “Tesla has only begun to understand the full scope of Tripp’s illegal activity, but he has thus far admitted to writing software that hacked Tesla’s manufacturing operating system (“MOS”) and to transferring several gigabytes of Tesla data to outside entities. This includes dozens of confidential photographs and a video of Tesla’s manufacturing systems. 

    Beyond the misconduct to which Tripp admitted, he also wrote computer code to periodically export Tesla’s data off its network and into the hands of third parties. His hacking software was operating on three separate computer systems of other individuals at Tesla so that the data would be exported even after he left the company and so that those individuals would be falsely implicated as guilty parties.” 

    Public Image 

    The ambitious car company is likely eager to have this issue brought to the light, as it helps paint them sympathetically. Their recent struggles to meet production goals, coupled with recent fatalities related to Auto Pilot, haven’t helped their public image. However, being portrayed as the victims of corporate sabotage could help the company’s image and garner sympathy. Indeed, if Musk is to be believed, Tripp isn’t the only saboteur. While Musk hasn’t elaborated, he tweeted the following. “There is more, but the actions of a few bad apples will not stop Tesla from reaching its goals. With 40,000 people, the worst 1 in 1000 will have issues. That’s still ~40 people.” 

    While the company’s public struggles are well-documented, the company maintains that they’re on track to have a profitable third quarter. Soon, the company will have to divulge production numbers for the Model 3 for the past few months. Short sellers, people who stand to gain money if Tesla’s stocks drop, have been cautioned by Musk that their position will “explode” soon. We’ll see soon how things shape up for the innovative automaker.  

    Feature Image Credit: CNBC 

     

  • Instagram TV

    Instagram TV

    Instagram is primed and placed to make the next big social media step forward and dethrone Youtube. At a fancy event in San Francisco, the company announced it will begin allowing users to upload videos up to 1 hour in length, up from the previous 1 minute limit. Instagram TV plans to  house the new longer-form videos from star content creators, Instagram is launching IGTV. All this potentially game changing content will be available from a button atop the Instagram home screen, IGTV will spotlight popular videos from Instagram celebrities.

    What is getting most excited about this is the logo. It has the classic Mtv’s TV lettering attache to the IG logo. This indicated all I need to know about this. It says we don’t know what this, where it will go or what we will see but its gonna be cool. This could open the door for really interesting and creative content that isnt set out to make a profit or sell ads but for real creative expression.

    “It’s time for video to move forward, and evolve” said Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom on stage at the event. “IGTV is for watching long-from videos from your favorite creators.” This could mean no waiting for shows to go through market research or producers to get green lit, just shoot and show. Its gonna be fun.

    IGTV will let anyone be a creator, not just big name celebrities. People will be able to upload vertical videos through Instagram’s app or the web.

    In the IGTV hub, viewers will be able to swipe through a variety of longer-form videos. Or a quick swipe up to visit a Browse tab of personally recommend videos, popular videos, creators they’re following. It will also feature the option to continue watching previously started videos. Users will also get callouts from the IGTV button alerting them to new content.

    The Final Thought

    Instagram TV videos will include link-out options allowing creators to drive traffic to their own websites and stories. The details on monetization are yet to be confirmed. It is clear that this sort of platform would be a direct competitor to sites like youtube. Users might be able to explore the hub later today. Take note, The entertainment and social media world just changed.

  • Major Phone Providers to Stop Selling Your Location

    Major Phone Providers to Stop Selling Your Location

    Data brokers have been accessing phone location services for as long as cell phones have had location tracking. However, in the our modern, breach-sensitive era, such actions make customers understandably upset. Recently, a company called Securus was revealed to be offering a service to law enforcement that allowed them to track the live location of cellphone users. Securus depends upon information from LocationSmart, a data aggregator. Securus actions fell under scrutiny from Senator Ron Wyden from Oregon, who called on the major phone providers to cut LocationSmart off. 

    Responses from Phone Providers 

    Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile have all made statements of varying intensity that they planned to cut off data brokers like LocationSmart. As the FCC investigates the Securus situation, the major phone providers are looking to distance themselves from the situation. Securus, notably, requires nothing more than a vague “court order” (that they don’t check) to access their database. As such, the legality of the service is dubious at best. Law enforcement agencies could easily look up individuals based on their phone and track them without a warrant. This situation is clearly a problem, and the major networks’ attempts to stymie Securus are a step in the right direction. 

    Further complicating matters, a recent “bug” in LocationSmart’s system allowed people to access the location of all phones in their database. Senator Wyden called on the major networks to cut these data brokers off and protect their customers. For their part, they have all made moves to do so.  

    Verizon has confirmed it is terminating contracts with LocationSmart and ZumiGo, another location broker. AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile have all also promised that they will stop providing this data to aggregators. Originally, the location services were meant to be used for things like roadside assistance and fraud prevention. However, Securus accessing user locations without customer consent is a major breach of user privacy.  

    How Soon Will These Changes Go Into Effect?

    The major providers have stated that they won’t be cutting off the location services immediately. According to them, those services offer some positive benefits that they don’t want to interrupt. However, if the cost for small conveniences is the loss of privacy, perhaps those conveniences are unimportant. In any event, Senator Wyden’s actions seem to have brought about a change for the better. The large telecom companies likely either didn’t know or care about this data misuse. Wyden’s public challenge that they should tighten consumer protections moved them to actions, though, and that’s commendable. 

  • Slate of New Star Trek Shows on the Way

    Slate of New Star Trek Shows on the Way

    If you’ve been digging Discovery, we have some good news for you. Rumor has it that several new Star Trek series are on the way! Current Star Trek: Discovery showrunner Alex Kurtzman has been attached to the rumored shows. According to sources that spoke to Variety, the shows are planned to follow a few scenarios that have been popular with fans for years. While details are still scarce, this is great news for Trekkies. 

    New Star Trek Shows Planned 

    According to the Variety report, the following information was gleaned from some anonymous sources.  

    “A series set at Starfleet Academy from creators Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz. The duo most recently developed the CW’s reboot of Dynasty and previously created shows like Gossip Girl and Hulu and Marvel’s Runaways. 

    A limited series whose plot details are being kept under wraps. 

    A limited series based around the Wrath of Khan story. Khan’s full name is Khan Noonien Singh. He was famously portrayed by Ricardo Montalbán in both the original series episode “Space Seed” and again in the film Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan. Benedict Cumberbatch then played the character in the 2013 film Star Trek into Darkness. 

    An animated series whose plot details are being kept under wraps.” 

    To Boldly Go 

    These plans shouldn’t shock longtime Trekkies. Talks of a show set in Starfleet Academy have been going on for decades and would make an excellent coming-of-age tale. Khan, for his part, is a fascinating character and could easily carry his own limited series. Finally, the promise of a new animated series is a familiar one. It makes sense, too, as characters who might not be able to appear in live action are possible via animation. For instance, Brent Spiner could reprise his role as Data via voice acting wihtout appearing visibly older.  

    Following the final episode of Enterprise, many fans were disappointed to find that there would be no Star Trek on TV. This ended a nearly twenty-year stretch of the show being on the air in some capacity. The show’s revival via the popular movie franchise and Discovery has led to a renaissance, though, and fans couldn’t be happier.  

    In 2018, it’s cool to be a nerd. And man, does it feel good. With three new series on the horizon, it feels like the stars are the limit.  

  • Elon Musk Claims Sabotage of Tesla Model 3 Production

    Elon Musk Claims Sabotage of Tesla Model 3 Production

    The Tesla Model 3 has been a hotly-anticipated vehicle. However, prospective owners have been stymied by the car’s notorious production shortages. However, it seems that circumstances out of Tesla’s control may have led to some of their recent troubles. In an email obtained by CNBC, Tesla CEO Elon Musk claimed an unnamed employee has been actively working to sabotage production of the electric vehicles.  

    Betrayal from Within, or Corporate Sabotage? 

    Musk claims in the email, which was sent to all Tesla employees, that the unnamed employee is guilty of a wide range of sabotage efforts. Those efforts include directly tampering with code related to production systems and the leaking of confidential information to third parties. According to the email, the employee had become hostile to the company following the company’s refusal to promote them.  

    Musk, however, further elaborates that the sabotage was likely more to do with competitors than a personal vendetta. In the email the Tesla CEO reminds his employees that oil and gas companies are known for their underhandedness. As such, blame for these willful acts of sabotage may well lay at the feet of one of those companies. While the employee in question may have truly been disgruntled with the company, a hefty sum of cash from an oil company could have galvanized them to commit such acts. 

    Other Troubles for Tesla 

    The electric car manufacturer has had their share of other production issues. For instance, just this week, the company reported its fifth factory fire in the Model 3 production facility. In light of the news that sabotage from within is being fielded, that high number of fires could be further evidence.  

    Maybe Tesla’s production issues can truly be ascribed to sabotage by the infamously-malicious oil industry. Then, their difficulties shipping Model 3’s are much more forgivable. If these allegations are true, here’s hoping the culprits are brought to justice. If these allegations aren’t true, then the question still stands: what is going on at Tesla? 

  • Google Maps and Uber Fall Out

    Google Maps and Uber Fall Out

    Uber and Google Maps have been integrated since January of 2017. However, in the newest Android update, that integration has been rescinded. Previously, users were able to see prices and hail Ubers directly through the Google Maps app. Uber was the only service that offered direct integration through the Maps app. While several other services, like Lyft, are visible through Google Maps, only Uber could be paid for directly through the app.  

    Why are Google and Uber Done? 

    It’s unclear why this split took place. Perhaps the ride-sharing giant would rather customers open their app and use it. Maybe Google tired of supporting just Uber through their Map app and didn’t have plans to integrate other ride-sharing apps. In any event, users can still see ride sharing details in Google Maps. Now, however, they will be moved to the ride-sharing service’s app when they want to actually hail a ride and pay for it.  

    Continued Troubles for Uber

    Uber has been in a good deal of hot water lately. For one, they’ve been under fire for classifying their employees as contractors, thus avoiding paying for insurance for them. Additionally, the company faced allegations of turning a blind eye to sexual misconduct last year. Other issues last year, like fines from many states at localities, lack of diversity in hiring and leaks of medical information led to the demotion of then-CEO Travis Kalanick.  

    Since then, the company has reaffirmed its commitment to hold itself to a higher standard. The ethical issues of its impact on the gig economy, however, are unresolved. Between pressuring traditional taxi services and warping the economy of transportation, the company has had a substantial impact. Despite being worth billions of dollars, they own very little in the way of cars or employees. They are still able to classify their drivers as contractors and use the property of others to fund their own profits.  

    These issues likely had little to do with the app’s de-coupling from Google Maps, but who knows? Perhaps Google is trying to send a message on how they feel about companies like Uber. Or, more likely, Google simply decided it didn’t want to be so closely identified with a company that has a record as rough as Uber’s. 

    Feature Image Credit: USA Today