The Daily Crunch 09/19/16

Lyft's founder details the future in a Medium post (as you do) and Pokemon fever could get a bump from its new wearable. All that and more in The Daily Crunch for September 19, 2016. And if you're thinking of naming your "AI" platform after a genius, take a step back and determine whether you're worthy.

1. Lyft talks while Uber shows

Uber put self-driving cars on the road last week, so Lyft followed up with a... manifesto? The company's co-founder John Zimmer penned a lengthy mission statement detailing Lyft's vision 20 year or so into the future, which is nice, but it also sort of called out Uber for engaging in PR stunts. I can't tell which side is more steeply engaged in marketing here, but there's a lot of strong rhetoric flying around.

2. SpaceX shifts its sights beyond the red planet

SpaceX's Mars Colonial Transporter is inaccurately named, according to Elon Musk, who tweeted that it needs a new nomen since it can actually go far beyond Mars. He'll have more to say at an international space conference he's keynoting later this month, which should be great fodder for igniting your spacefaring dreams.

3. Salesforce uses the name of one of the smartest people in history for its smart-ish sales software

Salesforce is really testing the limits of my credulity with the name of its new company-wide AI platform, which it's calling Einstein. Just pick the best salesperson out there and call it that, how about, instead of using the name of one of history's greatest minds to market a sales and CRM platform. Call it Blake or something.

4. Pokemon Go's hardware peripheral lands

Catching Pokemon in Pokemon Go can still be a less-than-social affair, where you're basically tethered to your phone. A new peripheral called the Pokemon Go Plus changes that, with a wristband that lacks a display which will notify you of nearby pocket monsters and let you catch them, or get items, without ever taking your phone out of your pocket. It's a definite must for Pokemon fans who don't want to get lost in the game but still want to play. And it could make Nintendo a lot of money, too, since the diminutive and relatively simple devices is $35 per.

5. Airbnb wants to own more of the travel experience

Airbnb's acquisition strategy seems to be to help it supplement the basic vacation housing rental business it began with. It picked up Trip4real today, a marketplace of experiences for tourists that give them some local flavor while they're on their trip. Airbnb could go either way with this – either they become something resembling a traditional online travel agency, or they come something new with across the board peer-to-peer offerings in a variety of categories.

6. Nikon's action cams are finally (almost) here

Nikon has long-teased its entry into the action camera market, specifically with its rugged 360 camera, which first debuted at CES. There's also a GoPro-equivalent, and a downmarket offering for the entry-level crowd. I'm most interested in the 360 shooter, since it could open up a lot of new opportunities for amateur VR content creators.