Spotify reportedly filed for an IPO, Roku launches a streaming service, and more. Dana Wollman, Executive Editor at Engadget, joins Cheddar to discuss the latest headlines in tech.
According to reports, Spotify will list directly at the NYSE. Wollman says this is proof that the company needs money badly. She also talks about the steep competition within the music streaming industry right now with Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, and Google all getting in the game.
Plus, Roku plans to debut its new streaming service at the Consumer Electronics Show on January 9th. Now the streaming company won't be physically manufacturing a device like Amazon or Google does, but it will be licensing the software to other companies. Roku was up 6% on Wednesday after the news was announced.
Skype users are scrambling to find an alternative after Microsoft shut down the pioneering internet phone service which let people make cheap long distance calls and chat with other users. Google Voice lets users make calls from a smartphone or a desktop web browser but it's only available to people in the U.S. Viber users can call phone numbers but can't get a number to receive calls. Zoom offers phone options too. You could get a number from a low cost virtual carrier or try other internet phone services. Microsoft says some Skype features will migrate to Teams, but its Teams Phone feature is only for businesses.
