Pokémon Go Fest fails hard, Grab is making life very difficult for Uber in Southeast Asia and a smartphone maker with a hopeful vision meets harsh reality. All that and more in The Daily Crunch for July 24, 2017.

1. Pokémon No-Go

The Pokémon Go Fest drew huge crowds to Chicago's Grant Park this past weekend, proving that people still do care about the game. But it also proved that the game is still beset by heavy technical challenges, even at this late stage.

It was essentially a disaster, as thousands showed up but were unable to play thanks to connection issues, both with the game and with local cellular networks. Niantic founder John Hanke received almost a villain's welcome and the connection issues were never resolved. It was the Magikarp of Pokémon Go festivals – but at least everyone present got a free Legendary Pokémon.

2. Grab grabs $2 billion from Didi and SoftBank

Uber's next international partnership might be with Grab, its rival in Southeast Asia. The ride hailing company got $2 billion in new funding from SoftBank and Didi, and it's hard to see how Uber could do anything other than try to partner up if it hopes to have any kind of presence in the face of Grab's dominance and partners.

3. KKR picks up the classic internet health web portal

It's the platform that most people go to in order to confirm paranoid suspicions that they have cancer when they get a scratchy throat or run a temperature – WebMD. And now it's owned by KKR, which has a ton of similar web portals for other verticals under ownership.

4. Fairphone finds that the world isn't fair

Fairphone, which sought to make smartphones via sustainable components only, can's sustain its first phone. Harsh reality has set in, meaning it can't continue to support its first phone, even though one of its primary goals was creating sustainable devices that can work for customers for years.

5. Alibaba and Tencent wrestle over Southeast Asia

There's a tech titan clash unfolding right now, but you may not be aware of it or the players involved. Jon takes a look at the growing battle between Alibaba and Tencent, who are funding Southeast Asia's startup scene with big cash injections.

6. Apple puts The Rock behind Siri to highlight it smart skills

Apple clearly doesn't think Siri gets enough cred. The company just launched a splashy, long-format ad for its virtual assistant starring The Rock. The Rock enunciates really well so maybe that's why Siri works so good for him. Or maybe it's because it's a commercial. Still fun, but Siri needs work, not promotion.

7. Daimler and Bosch made an automated parking garage

Daimler and Bosch want to give you a look at what the parking garage of the future will be like. Basically you roll up, get out of the car and the garage does the rest. Super cool, but it's only going to be available at one Stuttgart location in the near future, and only starting in 2018. Can't wait for it to become more widespread, because parking garages stress me out.

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