(Bloomberg) -- DefinedCrowd, an Amazon.com Inc.-backed startup that provides data sets to train artificially intelligent speech programs, is setting its sights on a public listing in the next five years as voice interactions between humans and machines become more common.The Seattle-based company raised $50.5 million in a recent funding round led by existing investors, paving the way for an initial public offering within the next five years, Chief Executive Officer Daniela Braga said in an interview. The company declined to comment on its valuation.“It’s the road to an IPO,” Braga said, adding her company’s ambition is to support the development of AI so that people eventually will “communicate with machines the same way we do with humans.”Founded by Braga in 2015, DefinedCrowd curates voice and text data for clients including BMW AG and Mastercard Inc. to train virtual assistants and customer-service chatbots. The company designs the sets to be diverse and balanced, representing certain dialects or age ranges for audiences most likely to use the systems. Revenue grew 656% last year and is expected to triple this year, Braga said.Once the pandemic subsides, Braga said she expects businesses from a range of industries – including telehealth and education – to build AI personal assistants to better serve customers, something that might require more specific data that incorporates an industry’s vocabulary.Amazon, Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google have come under fire over revelations they used recordings of customers’ interactions with virtual assistants to train their AI systems. A former contractor working on Apple’s Siri transcription project in Ireland last week complained to European privacy authorities over the “massive violation of the privacy of millions of citizens.” The companies said they’ve made changes to provide users with more control over their data.By contrast, DefinedCrowd uses a crowdsourcing platform, Neevo, to generate data from a paid community of more than 290,000 members in 70 countries. Crowd members are asked to complete tasks like recording their voices or transcribing and annotating recordings rather than pulling data from customers who are using voice AI products.Braga said the newly raised funds will help the company expand its products and nearly double the number of employees in 2020. The company current employs around 268 people. Existing investors that participated in the funding round include Evolution Equity Partners, Kibo Ventures, Portugal Ventures, Bynd Venture Capital, EDP Ventures, and Ironfire Ventures as well as new investors Semapa Next and Hermes GPE.Amazon and Sony Corp., which is also an existing investor, didn’t increase their stakes in the latest round, Braga said, adding it was a strategic move not to increase the involvement of other companies as DefinedCrowd moves toward an IPO.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

A day after Japan ended its state of emergency, Tokyo residents took to the streets with a mixture of relief and trepidation as they prepared for a "new normal" of living with the coronavirus. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted the state of emergency in the capital and four remaining prefectures on Monday, claiming victory for managing to keep total infections relatively low, at about 16,600 cases. "I want to go out drinking and attend concerts," office worker Daisuke Tominaga told Reuters in Shibuya, one of Tokyo's busiest neighbourhoods.

Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) could be holding a conference detailing news about the PlayStation 5 console as well as details surrounding the system's game lineup, Bloomberg reported.The digital event could happen as early as next week, with hints suggesting June 3. However, the date could change depending on coronavirus (COVID-19) threats.While the event sounds promising for PlayStation fans, it's unlikely that every detail of the next-gen console will be revealed. Sony has slowly trickled out information of the console despite its approaching holiday season release date. Even as the months pass, the Japanese tech giant has continued to remain secretive.Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) has done the complete opposite with the Xbox Series X with its choice to pour out information detailing its next-gen system through regular streams and updates.While the coronavirus ignited worries about the consoles' holiday releases, both companies have confirmed that everything is on schedule.Related Links:'Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare' Is The Best-Selling Game Of 2020 So FarElectronic Arts Analysts See Stay-At-Home Strength, Possible Game Delays After Q4 ReportSee more from Benzinga * 'Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare' Is The Best-Selling Game Of 2020 So Far * FaZe Clan's Ewok Partners With HyperX As Brand Ambassador * With NHL Season On Ice, League Launches Esports Challenge: 'Extremely Fun To Watch'(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Japanese electronics to entertainment giant Sony is to offer up to $3.7 billion (JPY400 billion) to take full control of its finance division. The move would shore up its profits. Sony president and chief executive Kenichiro Yoshida made the announcement as part of an hour-long presentation on group strategy on Tuesday afternoon, Tokyo local time. […]

Sony wants to push minority stakeholders out of the financial unit, but it arguably makes more sense to sell it instead.

Amazon has a big-budget game, another in the works, and a secretive cloud gaming service in the making. All of that could prove to be a problem for the industry's old guard.

The IMX500 line of intelligent video sensors will come with embedded access to artificial intelligence (AI) tools from Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Azure. Camera systems built around these sensor chips will be able to analyze their video streams in real time. Paired with a custom data management, Sony's chipset can analyze the video stream locally.

Sony Corporation (NYSE: SNE) has sold the streaming rights for its upcoming movie "Greyhound" to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), CNBC reported on Tuesday.The movie, starring Tom Hanks, was supposed to be released during the Father's Day weekend on June 19 before the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic delayed the theater launch of all productions.Greyhound will now be released directly on Apple TV+ following Sony's 15-year streaming rights deal with Apple, CNBC noted.Sony's decision is in contrast with a majority of other producers who have simply chosen to delay the launch of their major films.People familiar with the matter told CNBC that the Japanese conglomerate was worried "that the film wouldn't be able to find a slot among the superhero films and franchises that had been delayed from the summer."Apple has shelled $70 million for the deal, according to CNBC. Sony was also in talks with Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX), the sources told CNBC, but wasn't willing to pay as much as the Cupertino-based consumer electronics giant.Price Action Sony's shares closed 1.6% lower at $63.05 on Tuesday and traded another 0.3% lower at $62.88 in the after-hours session.Apple shares closed 0.6% lower at $313.14 in the regular session the same day but added 0.5% in the after-hours at $314.54.See more from Benzinga * Taiwanese Apple Supplier TSMC To Build B US Chip Factory After Months Of Pressure From Trump Administration * Apple Confirms Acquisition Of Virtual Reality Startup NextVR * Disney Plans Another Bonds Offering With A Six-Part Deal(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

(Bloomberg) -- Amazon.com Inc. faces a crucial test on Wednesday with the release of its first original big-budget video game. The reception from homebound gamers will signal whether the company can become a force in a $159-billion global industry dominated by the likes of Microsoft Corp. and Activision Blizzard Inc.Crucible is a free-to-play PC game in which teams hunt down opponents and creatures on a distant planet. Amazon plans to start selling another game in August. Called New World, it will put players on a mysterious island where they will battle one another and hunt. The company is also working on The Lord of The Rings game and some unannounced projects.Crucible will make money by selling digital merchandise as well as seasonal battle passes. New World should fetch $40 for a standard edition and $50 for a deluxe version, including additional in-game items and a digital art book.“There’s tremendous room for invention in games,” says Mike Frazzini, the vice president of Amazon Games. “We’re just getting started.”If the first two titles are well received, Amazon’s gaming division could attract talent and shed a reputation for fits and starts. Popular games could also help build momentum for the company’s widely expected launch of a game-streaming service to rival Google Stadia, which lets users play a bunch games from any compatible device, without needing to download or update them. “There is much riding on the success of Crucible and New World,” says Billy Pidgeon, an analyst at Go Play Research.Amazon has been selling games from independent as well as the world’s largest publishers for decades, and its Amazon Web Services and tools support development of other companies’ games. It entered game publishing in 2012, partly to give consumers another reason to sign up for its Prime subscription, which along with free shipping offers a variety of entertainment options including television shows and movies. Early efforts that focused on mid-tier games, including some designed for Amazon's Fire TV streaming devices, didn't make a splash.Amazon constructed its game strategy from various pieces. In 2014, the Seattle-based company purchased Twitch, where people stream themselves playing such games as Fortnite and Valorant. Two years later, Amazon launched Twitch Prime, which gives game-playing Prime subscribers extra perks for no additional cost.The company began working on its own titles by hiring famed designers like Kim Swift. But Amazon has struggled to retain key talent, including Swift, who left for Electronic Arts Inc. and now works at Google. In 2018, Amazon canceled a game called Breakaway, in which teams tried to move a ball to their opponent’s goal. Last summer, the gaming news publication Kotaku reported that the company had laid off dozens of game developers and shelved some unannounced titles. Even the Crucible and New World release dates have been pushed out; Amazon blamed fallout from Covid-19.There’s plenty of competition. Microsoft, Sony Corp. and Nintendo Co. all have their own hardware—often an advantage because consoles enable advanced features. Facebook Inc., meanwhile, offers games like FarmVille on its social network, and its Facebook Gaming live-streaming service has been stealing share and streamers from Twitch. Amazon is also competing with established game publishers such as Activision and EA, which are constantly improving their existing games and coming up with new hits.Amazon has called in some extra help to push its games across the finish line. In 2017, former EA veteran Bing Gordon left Amazon’s board to help guide the division as a consultant. He has advised on marketing strategy and even played some games and offered feedback. Gordon is renowned for leading EA’s product development and creating an innovative pricing strategy for its online games.His initial agreement to consult for Amazon’s games division was extended and runs for about another year, according to a person familiar with the matter. A company spokesperson confirmed Gordon is advising the division. His involvement with Amazon’s game unit was previously reported by the tech news site The Information. Gordon is also on the board of mobile game maker Zynga Inc.“Amazon Game Studios is still finding its way,” says Susan Eustis, president of Wintergreen Research. But one hit game could provide a huge lift, she adds, and Amazon's 150 million paid Prime members globally represent a big market advantage.Launching a product in the midst of a pandemic may seem counter-intuitive. But gaming has become a go-to entertainment choice for people hunkered down at home—a captive audience if ever there was one. Players have been flocking to new releases like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, as well as rediscovering old favorites like Fortnite. Still, as the lockdowns ease, the recent surge in game playing could abate. Whether people keep paying for games amid skyrocketing unemployment remains to be seen.Amazon’s new games are likely to get a bump from Twitch, which can help publishers market new releases. Twitch’s players and streamers have been involved in the development of Crucible from early on. The game itself is specifically adapted to show well on the service: Characters are easily recognizable from a distance. It’s fast-paced from the get-go, an effort to make it exciting to watch. Twitch has said that ads on the platform to promote EA’s Apex Legends game helped it get 25 million unique users in a week.“One of the things that we hear most often from people who try Crucible is that it feels unique,” Frazzini says. “There are elements and gameplay mechanics that feel familiar, but they’re combined in a way that’s different from anything else they’ve played.”But making a blockbuster game is not easy, for anyone. Some reviewers who got an early peek at the two games liked them; others have not.“The buzz on these games has not been that great,” says David Cole, founder of DFC Intelligence, which tracks digital entertainment. “They are ambitious, but the market changes fast and both products already look passe now.”There have been plenty of naysayers with many titles that have gone on to become a success. Ultimately, it’s the players who will decide whether Amazon will become a gaming powerhouse.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

(Bloomberg) -- Sony Corp. is planning a digital event to showcase games for its next-generation PlayStation 5 console that may take place as early as next week, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter.The virtual event could be held June 3, though some people also cautioned that plans have been in flux and that the date may change. Other PlayStation 5 events may follow in the coming weeks and months, and Sony is not expected to reveal every essential detail on the console during its first presentation.Read more: Sony Is Struggling With PlayStation 5 Price Due to Costly PartsA Sony spokesperson declined to comment. The company’s shares were largely unchanged in early Thursday trading in Tokyo.The Japanese tech giant has only let out a trickle of information on the PlayStation 5 so far, which the company says remains on track for release this holiday season despite the Covid-19 pandemic. Chief Executive Officer Kenichiro Yoshida said earlier this month that Sony “will soon be announcing a strong lineup of PS5 games.”June is traditionally highlighted by the biggest games industry conference, E3 in Los Angeles, but that was canceled this year due to the spread of the virus. In response, Sony and many game publishers are refashioning their promotional plans around streamed online presentations.Read more: Sony Is Said to Limit PlayStation 5 Output in Its First YearWhile only a small circle within Sony are privy to the appearance of the PS5 console, the controller has been shared with outside developers and, fearing it wouldn’t be able to control leaks, the company made it public in early April.Fans have been eager to hear about the lineup of video games that will launch alongside the console and later.Microsoft Corp., Sony’s most direct rival in the console wars, has put out regular streams and updates about the upcoming Xbox Series X, which is also planned for release this fall.(Updates with chart and share action in third paragraph)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

China-based social media internet company Bilibil reported first-quarter results late Monday that missed on earnings but beat revenue estimates, as did its outlook for the second quarter.

Image source: The Motley Fool. Bilibili Inc. (NASDAQ: BILI)Q1 2020 Earnings CallMay 19, 2020, 9:00 p.m. ETContents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks: OperatorLadies and gentlemen, good morning and welcome to the Bilibili 2020 First Quarter Earnings Conference Call.

The effort, outlined by Sony’s chief executive Kenichiro Yoshida in an interview with the Financial Times, comes six months ahead of the planned launch of its PlayStation 5 games console and what analysts believe will be a period of blistering competition with Microsoft’s new Series X machine. Mr Yoshida revealed his hopes for Sony’s VR technology when asked how the company, which owns some of the largest movie, music and games companies in the world, will reshape entertainment delivery amid prolonged lockdowns and, eventually, a post-Covid-19 world. “The challenge is how we can conduct live [concerts] remotely that are both immersive and real time,” Mr Yoshida said on Wednesday.

(Bloomberg) -- Peter Chou, the man who led HTC Corp. through its most prosperous years as an Android phone maker, is returning to consumer electronics with the unveiling of a new virtual reality headset, platform and company.Called XRSpace, the project has been in the works for three years and its centerpiece is a mobile VR headset equipped with fifth-generation wireless networking and over three hours of battery life. Partnering with Deutsche Telekom AG and Chunghwa Telecom Co., XRSpace is also building the VR platform on which services, games and social activities can be accessed and experienced.Priced at $599, the XRSpace headset has a high cost of entry, but the company envisions bundling it with carriers’ 5G service packages or in other forms for educational institutions. After its home market of Taiwan, it’ll look to expand to the U.S. and Europe, Chou said in an interview with Bloomberg News, with the rest of Asia to follow.Chou’s headset is the latest in a long line of devices like Facebook Inc.’s Oculus Rift, which have tried to bring VR into the mainstream without much success so far. The XRSpace gadget is still months away from store shelves and few have had a chance to test or even view it. But the entrepreneur says he’s already signed up 40 to 50 apps for his VR platform.XRSpace’s ambition is to come up with uses for the 5G networks that carriers are rolling out globally.“5G is coming. It feels like 2002, when we first had 2.5G data networks and the first smartphones like the O2 XDA started coming out,” Chou said. “Today, the smartphone experience of togetherness is primitive” because it fails to capture the full range of human expression. XRSpace’s headset uses cameras to pick up hand gestures and track the wearer’s motions, and it creates a lifelike avatar from a selfie. Chou promised it’ll let users perform real-world actions like shaking hands or shooting a basketball in a natural way.The XRSpace founder quit HTC after the popularity of its smartphones waned, but now he’s hoping VR will help a comeback.To build its virtual world, XRSpace has been designing public and private spaces for users to inhabit and even creating virtual stadiums where sports fans can gather together for a shared viewing of a ballgame. The coronavirus outbreak has triggered an uptick in interest in shared remote experiences, as signaled by rapper Travis Scott’s virtual concert in the game Fortnite and Sony Corp.’s Chief Executive Officer Kenichiro Yoshida expressing interest in streaming live concerts to the company’s PlayStation VR headset.Read more: Fortnite, Rappers and the Billion-Dollar Pandemic Gaming BoomThe pandemic was initially an obstacle for XRSpace, whose launch had been planned for Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, one of the first global events to be canceled by the spread of the virus. Chou said that manufacturing was set back by roughly two months because of it, and the XRSpace headset is now expected to launch in the third quarter of this year, starting with Taiwan where the company has the most partnerships lined up.But the upside for XRSpace, according to Head of Content Kurt Liu, is that many more interested parties -- such as educational institutions asking about distance learning and collaboration tools -- have been reaching out. Liu’s team has been working with hundreds of developers since last year and already has more than 40 apps embedded in the platform, he said. Those include games as well as wellness and relaxation applications, for which the company has recruited health care experts with decades of experience.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

Sony Corp (NYSE: SNE) is turning its arm Sony Financial Holdings Inc. (OTC: SYFHF) into a wholly-owned unit.What Happened In an attempt to strengthen its fintech presence, the Japanese conglomerate will take full control of its financial arm, Sony Financial Holdings, through a tender offer worth $3.72 billion, reported Nikkei Asian Review on Tuesday. After Sony taking full ownership of its financial unit, it would be better able to compete with companies such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (NYSE: BABA) and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL)The move will allow Sony to combine its artificial intelligence and other technologies verticals with Sony Financial, which owns a bank as well as life and non-life insurance businesses.Why It Matters An economic downturn, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, has provided Sony the opportunity to act now, whilst the share prices are low, according to the Review. Sony already owns 65% of its financial subsidiary and will purchase remaining shares at about $24.21 per share. This is a premium of 30% over Monday's closing price of $19.22 in Tokyo.After the tender process is completed this summer, Sony Financial will be delisted and operate as a 100% wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony. Sony Financial holds nearly $136.06 billion in assets, making it the largest Japanese financial institution related to a listed non-financial company.Sony Price Action Sony Financial Holdings shares closed 16.86% higher at $22.44 on Tuesday in Tokyo, while on Monday, its OTC shares closed 0.94% higher at $19.38.Sony shares closed 3.25% at $64.24 on Tuesday in Tokyo. The company's shares traded 0.52% higher at $64.40 in the after-hours session on Monday in New York. See more from Benzinga * Netflix Working On 'Social Distance,' A New Show From The Maker Of 'Orange Is The New Black' * Over .5B Spent On Gaming Industry In March, While The World Stuck At Home Due To Pandemic(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Activist investor Daniel Loeb of Third Point believes spin-offs are the way for Sony to realise value. Shares of both Japanese electronics group and Sony Financial rose after the announcement. The latter, with a market worth of about $10bn, surged 17 per cent. The Y400bn ($3.7bn) buyout by Sony will turn the subsidiary into a wholly-owned unit.

(Bloomberg) -- Sony Corp. said it intends to take full control of its finance unit for about 395.5 billion yen ($3.7 billion), buying out one of its most lucrative businesses to inject more stability into a largely electronics and entertainment-focused operation.The Japanese giant will offer 2,600 yen a share for the part of Sony Financial Holdings Inc. it doesn’t already own, it said in a statement Tuesday. That’s a premium of about 26% to Monday’s close. Shares in the finance unit surged 19% Tuesday, while Sony itself gained more than 3%.Sony last week warned that operating profit could fall 30% or more this fiscal year because of the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on production and consumption. The financial services business, one of its most profitable, had seen a deterioration because its sales people can’t go out to pitch customers on insurance and other products, it said. The difficulty in projecting future performance for that unit affected Sony’s ability to give a companywide forecast for the year.But the mainly Japanese-focused finance unit could help offset a wider operation vulnerable to global shocks, including an image sensor unit grappling with U.S.-Chinese trade tensions. Once wholly owned and controlled, the business could help raise the parent’s overall profit by 40 billion yen to 50 billion yen annually starting next fiscal year, the company said.“The financial unit is based in Japan, and its profit stability will benefit Sony, as a global company, amid geopolitical risks,” Chief Executive Officer Kenichiro Yoshida told investors during Sony’s annual strategy briefing Tuesday. “The financial business is as important as our electronics and entertainment units, and we see long-term growth potential in the business.”Read more: Sony Slides After Warning of 30% Profit Drop in Fiscal YearYoshida has overhauled the technology icon in recent years to focus on franchises such as sensors for smartphone cameras and the PlayStation games business. Activist investor Dan Loeb has pushed for a sale of the finance operation but Yoshida has said the division, which sells insurance policies among other services, is integral to enhancing the company’s value.The Tokyo-based company, also a major Hollywood entertainment producer, has been diversifying into banking since 2001. Sony Financial itself was set up in 2004 and at one point was expected to bring in the majority of the Japanese conglomerate’s operating profit.“The move could help stabilize Sony’s profit even when electronics businesses are in trouble,” Morningstar Research analyst Kazunori Ito said. But “there’s no synergy between the domestic financial units and other arms.Shares in potential candidates to take Sony Financial’s spot on the benchmark Nikkei 225 index climbed Tuesday after the report, including Japan Post Bank Co. and Seven Bank Ltd.(Updates with CEO’s comments from the fourth paragraph)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

The move to fully unite Sony Financial’s online banking and insurance businesses with the group’s electronics and entertainment divisions comes despite pressure from the US activist investor Third Point for Sony to break up and focus on entertainment. Kenichiro Yoshida, Sony’s chief executive, has instead argued that diversity is a strength, noting that Sony Financial kept its parent company afloat for nearly a decade as its consumer electronics businesses bled losses.

Firm's largest sales of the 1st quarter Continue reading...

The combination of Sony's (SNE) imaging and sensing technology with Microsoft's cloud AI services will create a powerful platform in the smart camera market.