Re/code Daily - Google Is Building Its Own Oculus - Jan 13, 2016

Read Now  • Google CEO Sundar Pichai is forming an in-house division to focus on virtual reality projects, as Facebook and other rivals plow cash into their own VR efforts. He has tapped Google apps boss Clay Bavor to run the unit. However, Google's long-term bet on virtual and augmented reality is probably the startup Magic Leap, for which it previously led a $542 million funding round. [Mark Bergen | Re/code] • Re/code is ready to announce the first speakers at the 2016 Code Conference this coming May. They include Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Ford CEO Mark Fields and Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins. You can apply for an invitation to the event here. [Kara Swisher | Re/code] • In his final State of the Union address, President Obama outlined a broader progressive agenda for the future, including tech policy goals related to issues like Internet access and climate change. One thing that was conspicuously missing: Any language related to Silicon Valley data encryption. [Dawn Chmielewski | Re/code] • Toyota, the number one car seller in the world, is late to the self-driving game. But its executives stress that it's now taking the technology just as seriously as Ford, GM and all the other major carmakers. To back it up, Toyota has recently announced a $1 billion investment in a robotics lab, and poached the former chief of Google robotics. [Yoko Kubota | The Wall Street Journal] • Uber is asking developers to build apps for customers to mess around with during rides. Companies like Facebook and Twitter have tense relationships with such third-party developers, but Uber appears to be treading more slowly here. [Mike Isaac | The New York Times]  Top Stories from Re/code  Mobile A Quarter of People Won’t Make a Single Call on Their Cell Phones This Week By Ina Fried But roughly a third of people will check their phones within 5 minutes of waking up or just before going to bed. Enterprise PC Does What? Answer: Sits on a Shelf, as 2015 Sales Tank Worldwide By Arik Hesseldahl It was the worst year for PC sales since records have been kept -- for the second time in three years. Policy Google Taps Former White House Economist as Head of Global Policy By Dawn Chmielewski and Mark Bergen Another former Obama administration vet moves to tech. Transportation Riding in Nissan’s Self-Driving Car Is Still a White-Knuckle Affair (Video) By Ina Fried The car gets it right most of the time. But that's just not good enough when it comes to driving. Transportation In First Public Comments, Self-Driving Car CEO Urges Automakers to Buy Into Google’s Driverless Vision By Mark Bergen Is it Google's way or the highway? Mobile New Study Shows Apple Watch Claims Half of Global Smartwatch Shipments By Dawn Chmielewski Juniper estimates Apple shipped 8.8 million Apple Watches last year  This Is Cool  "Angelina" — Pinegrove Pinegrove is a band from northern New Jersey. Indie rock without any twee accoutrements or silly gimmicks, and clever, sticks-in-your head kind of lyrics. You can listen to their latest album here. Read more Re/code Daily here! Your friends can also receive Re/code Daily! They can sign-up for FREE here. For Reprints and Permissions, click here. |  News  |  Podcasts  |  Events  | Follow Us: You are receiving this email because you subscribed to Re/code Daily. If you would like to unsubscribe, click here. Mailing Address: Re/code – PO Box 1830, Morgan Hill, CA 95038 Copyright © 2015 Vox Media, Inc.

 

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