Tech World To Witness 5 Possible Acquisitions In 2014
#2 Google to buy Uber
Uber, a company that specializes in transportation networks and ridesharing technology, makes mobile apps that connect passengers with drivers of vehicles for hire and ridesharing services. Using their smartphone one can track down where the car is and how long it will reach the customer.
The company arranges pickups in dozens of cities around the world.
In major European cities, they have been protesting against what they perceive as a threat to their livelihood by companies such as Uber. The cabbies contended that Uber and similar smartphone app-based services have an unfair advantage because they’re not subjected to the same kinds of fees and regulations placed on taxis.
Reported interest from Google makes perfect sense, as Google has been pioneering their vision of the smart car for quite some time. Uber’s service mixed with smart cars and Google’s geo-location technology would be great in the emerging field of smart transportation.
#3 Yahoo to buy Foursquare
Foursquare is a location based social networking website for mobile devices, such as smartphones. People can use this app to interact with their environment. Users check in the venues using a mobile website, text messaging or a device specific application by selecting from a list of venues the application locates nearby. Originally, the service was created in late 2008 but launched in 2009 by Dennis Crowley and Naveen Selvadurai. Yahoo is thinking about acquiring Foursquare, considering Yahoo’s acquisition spree, and including the fact that Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is such a big fan of Foursquare.
