/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57912759/869824600.jpg.0.jpg)
Apple could announce a deal to acquire the Shazam app, which has been downloaded more than 1 billion times, as soon as Monday, according to a report from TechCrunch citing unnamed sources. Shazam has bolstered its features since debuting on the App Store in 2008, now allowing users to identify content on TV, and adding augmented reality marketing for brands.
Shazam has already integrated with Siri, but the acquisition gives Apple a path to deeper personalised recommendations through the virtual assistant integrated with Apple Music.
Shazam said its app was downloaded over 1 billion times a year ago, and its monthly user base is in the hundreds of millions. The technology enables users to scan books, advertisements, posters, magazines and other physical products which could then produce product visualizations, 3D animations, and 360-degree videos.
Bayonetta 2 coming to Nintendo Switch
The company confirms that PlatinumGames is now developing Bayonetta 3 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch . The good news is that the first two Bayonetta games are coming to Nintendo Switch next year.
Or, as my colleague Harry McCracken points out, the Shazam technology could give the iPhone something similar to the Google Pixel 2's automatic Shazam-like song identification that doesn't even require the phone's display to be on.
It isn't clear whether Apple plans to shut down the app, but if it does, it would affect music streaming platforms such as Spotify and Google Play Music.
The company was last valued at over $1 billion, according to PitchBook, rendering Apple's purchase price of $400 million a significant discount.
Instagram Direct is Becoming its Own App
There are many messaging apps competing for attention at the moment that Instagram has chosen to keep its focus firmly on photos. Similarly, you can swipe right in Instagram to reveal the Direct logo and completing your swipe will take you back to Direct .
TechCrunch first reported on the pending deal. The company also lost approximately $22 million the year before that.
Shazam CEO Rich Riley previously told Business Insider that the company would make sense insider a larger company looking for a foothold in music or advertising. Because according to The Wall Street Journal, Shazam accounted for 10% of all digital music purchases past year.
Lionel Messi Talks Newell's Old Boys 'Dream,' Argentina World Cup Hopes
Messi , speaking to TyC Sports , said: "If we do badly at the World Cup , we all have to disappear from the national team". The Albiceleste have been drawn in one of the toughest World Cup groups, alongside Iceland, Nigeria and Croatia.
Related News:
-
Sensex slips a tad ahead of RBI policy move
On the currency front, the rupee weakened by 4-5 paise at 64.57-56 against the USA dollar from its previous close at 64.52. Sensex zoomed 179 Points or 0.55% to 32,776.34 while the wider Nifty was up by over 55 points or 0.55% to 10,099.35.Google bans YouTube from Amazon's Echo Show, Fire TV
The latest standoff between Google and Amazon was ridiculed by a trade association of high-speed internet providers. Both parties have said that they hope the matter will be resolved soon, but neither looks likely to budge.Security had to separate Kevin Durant, DeMarcus Cousins after ejections
Especially somebody like Cousins, we know that he's feisty, we know that he's emotional. Check out Durant & Boogie's altercations (below) and let us know what you think of it. -
White House says Trump will undergo physical exam after slurred speech
I can think of plenty of times in which I've had a dry throat, but it's never caused me to struggle with the letter "s". The statement seemed, on its face, ridiculous - Gerald Ford was a gifted athlete prior to being elected, George W.Korea Says War Is Now Unavoidable
The Federation Council is ready to apply efforts to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula by using parliamentary methods. Upon arriving in North Korea in mid-November, Song was denied a meeting with the reclusive North Korean head of state.Healthy Living: CDC says flu cases this year are double; get vaccinated
But flu viruses are constantly changing proteins on their surface to avoid being spotted, and the old technique is helping them. The nasal spray vaccine that has been available in recent years is no longer considered effective and is not available. -
Apple reveals the most popular iPhone apps of 2017
To make the classification of what its App Store users loved the most this year, Apple divided these into 4 major trends. Game of Thrones , The Walking Dead , The Big Bang Theory and Rick and Morty topped the iTunes TV charts this year.Nearly every major cryptocurrency not named bitcoin is falling
The swings in price occurred just as the trading community prepares for bitcoin to start trading on two established US exchanges. Others say they can be helpful methods of payment, such as in crisis situations where national currencies have collapsed.Pep Guardiola makes promise to Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri by SMS
City have been in irresistible form this season but it appears that teams may have identified a potential Achilles heel in their defence at set pieces. -
Overwatch Winter Wonderland event is back with an exciting game mode
The new mode is called " Mei's Yeti Hunt ", and it sees a team of five Meis trying to bring down one super-charged Winston. The difference is, each Mei only has one shot in the chamber and a hit is an instant kill.Goldstone Followed Up On Trump Tower Meet With Trump Aide, His Client
The Trump Tower meeting is also being investigated by Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller. Eric Swalwell , D-Calif., told CNN Wednesday night .Did Kim Kardashian Throw Shade at Taylor Swift with this Instagram Post?
So Kim leaked the audio on Snapchat, Taylor's reputation imploded, and she disappeared for months. Country music star Taylor Swift has some hardcore fans riding for her.