The Daily Crunch 09/05/16

Apple's invisible social activity, Snapchat's hardware ambitions and SoftBank's big silicon shift. All that and more in The Daily Crunch for September 5, 2016. And if you join the Bluetooth SIG, do they show you the secret members-only handshake?

1. Apple's stealth tweeting

Apple is finally active on Twitter with a primary brand account, but it isn't using Twitter the usual way, which makes sense – it's Apple. Instead, the company is using Promoted Tweets to keep its main profile page clear of any indication that it would ever do something as common as 'Tweet,' but it's managing to tweet all the same, promoting its upcoming fall event.The company may be opening up to marketing channels that it hasn't explored before, but it's still unique in its approach.

2. Snapchat's hardware moves

It's actually getting hard to ignore the growing body of evidence suggesting Snapchat will make a hardware play. The company just joined the Bluetooth SIG, which is required for anyone who wants to make a device sporting Bluetooth wireless capabilities. Speculation, hires and acquisitions before now have suggested it will make some kind of AR headset hardware. Could Snapchat take what is arguably the most un-hip, old square-championed hardware in recent memory, Google Glass, and make a version that appeals to its core audience of teens and millennials?

3. SoftBank is now officially a chip giant

SoftBank's acquisition of ARM has closed, marking the successful completion of one of the biggest tech deals in recent memory, with a total value of around $32 billion. The move makes Japanese carrier SoftBank one of the most important players in the silicon game, as ARM is the licensor for essentially all the major mobile chipmakers, including Samsung, Qualcomm and Apple.

4. Rothenberg's rapid unscheduled disassembly continues

The drama at Rothenberg Ventures, which TC previously reported is essentially in the midst of a messy collapse, continues. Ex-employee David Hasse is suing the firm for a few different reasons, but mainly for a $100,000 credit card bill Rothenberg supposedly had him rack up on an AmEx under his name which was never reimbursed. I think I'd probably decline a request to spend that kind of cash on my employer's behalf (sorry Matthew, I know you asked me to buy you a Model S).

5. Talk to the actual hand

I guess it's okay that someone, somewhere is spending good money on developing a wristband whose sole function is to turn your hand into an actual phone receiver. I guess I can live with that.

6. Samsung details its recall program – CR says it should do more

Samsung is recalling its Note 7, as you may have heard, and it's providing details – essentially any Note 7 owners can exchange for a guaranteed non-faulty unit, to be delivered in the coming weeks, or get a brand new S7 or S7 Edge right now and be refunded the difference in cost. But Consumer Reports says its voluntary recall program isn't going far enough: the publication wants Samsung to issue a proper recall via the US Consumer Product Safety Commission to make it illegal for resellers to sell the pre-recall units on the second market. Probably a good idea, since otherwise, there could be some literal time bomb Note 7s floating around out there.