The Daily Crunch 08/22/16

Apple buys a home for personal health, and lots of news in Milk and eggs (or the lack thereof). All that and more in The Daily Crunch for August 22, 2016. And if Kobe is reading this, those VC firm names I suggested are totally up for grabs.

1. Apple's health hopes

Apple picked up Gliimpse, a startup with too many 'i's but plenty of health starts. The acquisition is a bit of boomerang, since it brings founder Anil Sethi back to Apple, where he previously worked in the 80s. Gliimpse works similar to Apple's own Health app, but provides a more comprehensive all-in-one spot for keeping medical records and data. Your phone could be your walking health passport, if Apple keeps up its pace of either building its own health features, or acquiring similar tech.

2. Samsung could be in the refurb business soon

Samsung has a thing for copying Apple, which is smart because Apple does smartphones so well. The company's next borrowed tactics could be selling its own refurbished goods, starting with its top-tier smartphones. Refurb Galaxy S7s could be a big business, at a time when Samsung could use some additional growth, so we'll see if it works in their favor – or if it has buyers who might pick up new headline hardware opting for year-old fixer uppers on the cheap instead.

3. All watched over by machines of loving grace

A security guard that can fly is a security guard that can see almost anything. YC startup Aptonomy's newest offering is an airborne vigilant protector, with algorithms onboard that help it flag unusual activity for further scrutiny. CNN drones are already watching out for newsworthy happenings, so it looks like we're edging ever closer to 24-hour, worldwide scrutiny by flying cameras. Yay?

4. So long and thanks for all the Milk

Samsung's Milk Music is shutting down next month, which is no great surprise given Samsung's track record with media services. The U.S.-only streaming music offering got its start in 2014, and was designed to give Samsung device owners an extra reason to remain faithful to the brand. It's unlikely anyone will be crying over this particular spilled Milk.

5. Kobe's $100 million post-play pay

Kobe Bryant is launching a VC fund. The retired NBA superstar is teaming up with experienced investor Jeff Stibel to launch a $100 million fund, formalizing the informal investment relationship the two began in 2013. It bears the decidedly unexciting name of 'Bryant Stibel,' crucially missing the opportunity to call it something like "3-Point Ventures" or "Clutch VC."

6. Microsoft buys an Office bot

Scheduling? No task for mere humans. That's why Microsoft just picked up Genee, a smart scheduling bot that works across a variety of platforms and can build meetings and events using only natural language input from users. The existing app is shutting down service this September, but this could pave the way for a native Office 365 scheduling assistant later on. There's a lot that Office 365 could stand to gain from bots, and business users might be willing to pay up for subscriptions that include chatbots making life easier.

7. Hampton Creek draws the SEC's gaze

Uh oh mayo: Hampton Creek is in more trouble for its practice of buying up its own product. The SEC is investigating claims it did this to boost sales numbers, making the company appear more attractive to investors. But you gotta break some eggs to make egg-free mayo, right?