The Daily Crunch 09/26/16 The forecast is cloudy with a chance of Twitter ghosting in The Daily Crunch for September 26, 2016. And if you just delivered my groceries, please come back for the stockpile of reusable bags I'm supposed to return to you. 1. Microsoft's big new Azure partner is Adobe The cloud wars, they're on, and they're a raging. In this new cloud war world, minor victories are decided whenever one or the other company in the space signs up a new big-name partner. Microsoft's latest 'get' for Azure is Adobe, which does indeed represent a lot of cloud business. Kudos, Microsoft – enjoying your day in the sun... of cloud. 2. Plex also likes cloud Plex has existed since time immemorial, or at least it seems that way. The streaming video pioneer now wants to unburden you from the requirement of even having to host your own media. Its new plan is to bring Amazon Cloud Drive into the mix, letting you host your files on Amazon's servers via its $4.99 subscription service. Amazon's $59.99 subscription for Drive will also come into play, but that means unlimited storage for U.S.-based users. The only tricky bit I see is that a lot of people use Plex for... less-than-legal content. How well will that work with Amazon-hosted storage? ![](https://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/plex-cloud-server1.jpg) 3. And we also have traffic clouds It's right cloudy all over tech news today, with HERE announcing a new system that will collect data from millions of connected cars and use it to provide real-time updates about traffic conditions on the road. This isn't just people reporting a construction zone, for example – it's data gathered from windshield wipers, headlights, brakes and more to paint an aggregate picture of what's really happening on the road, as it happens. 4. Roku emphasizes voice and search with new hardware Roku is one of the main companies focused entirely on over-the-top hardware and software, and its new lineup shows that it knows how to focus on the experience and iterate where it matters. Improvements include better search, which can now look across 100 different channels, far more than the Apple TV can currently manage with its cross-service queries. 5. $189 million raise for grocery delivery Grocery delivery is generally still regional and slow to grow, because it's a local business and resource intensive (I literally just received a delivery from my local service, which is specific to my city, and which is delivered by a man driving a van). FreshDirect has raised a big round, with $189 in new funding, to try to hep it "open up some new geographies," which is an undertaking whose expense keeps even big players like Google and Amazon only expanding their own services at a glacial pace relative to other tech endeavours. 6. Transportation means transportation Future transportation companies may look very different from the Ubers or Lyfts that exist today. Case in point, Chinese Uber equivalent Didi just made a big investment in bicycle sharing, via funding for a startup called Ofo. With Ford's acquisition of Chariot and a similar bike share investment in the Bay Area recently, it's likely we'll see all modes accounted for in future models. 7. Andreessen leaves Twitter, dropping total tweet volume by 75% Okay there wasn't really that much impact on tweets, but the famous VC did leave the social network to take a break, and took all of his tweets with him. Why? No one knows for sure, but Gizmodo's Eve Peyser is happy to take credit. |