You can't build a good self-driving car without good maps. Or, I suppose you could, if you wanted to hit a lot of walls. Microsoft seems to realize this, and it's teaming up with TomTom to ensure the next generation of cars comes with some quality maps.
TomTom and Microsoft announced a new partnership that will see location-based services integrated into Microsoft's Azure cloud platform to make it easier to add location awareness to Internet of Things applications. Azure is an open platform that could theoretically operate on a wide variety of automakers' operating systems.
Jet.com, the Amazon rival owned by retailing giant Walmart, bought online footwear retailer ShoeBuy for $70 million, the company said Thursday.
The move underscores Walmart's continued push against Amazon, owner of online shoe store Zappos. The biggest retailer in the world, Walmart made online expansion its priority last year, taking over Jet for $3.3 billion and setting up a plan to invest billions more into e-commerce while cutting down new store openings.
Uber flouted California law and rolled out its self-driving cars to passengers in San Francisco last month, without a permit from the state. Now, some local legislators are taking measures, in the name of safety, to ensure no company does that again.
Assembly member Phil Tang introduced a state bill on Thursday that would give the California Department of Motor Vehicles more ways to go after companies that illegally operate autonomous vehicles.