Nest is done as a standalone Alphabet company, merges with Google

(credit: Nest) There’s a shakeup at Nest today. As was previously rumored back in November, Google just announced Nest will no longer be a standalone Alphabet company; instead, it will merge with the Google hardware team. The current Nest CEO, Marwan Fawaz, will report to Google Hardware SVP Rick Osterloh. Nest has struggled since its was […]

Facebook merges Stories and Messenger Day

The fact that has Facebook four distinct Snapchat-like offerings for its main social network, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp can be pretty confusing. Someone in the company must have realized that, because it’s making things just a bit less puzzling by merging Facebook Stories and Messenger Day. The fused experience is now simply called “Stories,” and […]

Disney merges its kid-friendly streaming options into a single app

Disney has combined four of its kid-friendly streaming apps into one all-encompassing one called DisneyNOW. It has everything that the separate Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Junior and Radio Disney apps had, but all of the content is now consolidated under a single main app. DisneyNOW has full show episodes and livestreaming of shows airing […]

Uber accepts minority role, merges with Russian ride-sharing company

Enlarge / An Uber car (back) and a Yandex.Taxi car drive on a street in Moscow. (credit: VASILY MAXIMOV/AFP/Getty Images) Uber is merging its business in Russia with Yandex, a dominant player in the Internet business in that nation and Eastern Europe. The move is an unusual one for Uber, a company that doesn’t have […]

Raspberry Pi Foundation merges with coding club network CoderDojo

The Raspberry Pi Foundation, the organization behind the micro-computer designed as an easy point of entry for tinkerers and budding programmers, is merging with not-for-profit coding club network CoderDojo. For the uninitiated, the Raspberry Pi is a credit card-sized device that serves as the building blocks for computers, with users able to construct fully working PCs or […]

SteelSeries merges play and art with headbands for gamers

It’s not how you play that matters. It’s how you look while you’re playing. SteelSeries is taking its gamer brand in a new direction with headbands for players. The headband accessories for the Arctis gaming headset were created to appeal to gamers who want to make a statement about who they are. The SteelSeries line […]