The Daily Crunch 10/03/16 Facebook takes another crack at being a marketplace, Alexa finds its way into new corners of your home and Google's big hardware day is coming. All that and more in The Daily Crunch for October 3, 2016. And if you're a Prime member, soon the whole world will be open to you. 1. Facebook goes to market Facebook is launching Marketplace today, a peer-to-peer sales platform similar in spirit and function to Craigslist. But it also already launched... nearly 10 years ago. Back then they were talking about selling DVDs and CDs and using the desktop site, so basically everything but the name has changed for this second kick at the can. Still, Craigslist has proven one of the most resilient web-based businesses out there, so we'll see if FB can rally significant interest with Marketplace V2. 2. Echo Dot is Alexa's shot at ubiquity Amazon's second attempt at the Echo Dot hits the sweet spot in terms of price, features and function. The new Dot actually has better voice recognition despite its very affordable, $50 price point, which is pretty impressive given how hard it is to make mics that can deal with ambient noise. Unlike Echo, the Dot doesn't have a built-in speaker, but you can plug it into any speakers you have lying around and pepper your house with a voice assistant in easy reach. 
3. Pixel pictured Google's Pixel phones are about the worst-kept secret in tech at the moment, and now we have official images as leaked "accidentally" by retail partners. I always hope these leak streams are actually just a huge bait-and-switch from big tech co's trying to toy with our emotions and protect a real surprise, but they never are. Oh well, at least these look like pretty good devices. 4. Facebook streamlines for reach Crufty apps are bad for more reasons than just feature bloat: They get resource-heavy, which is still a challenge for emerging markets despite the increased capacity and lower cost of smartphone devices. Hence Facebook's new Messenger Lite, designed for use with older Android devices and lower-quality mobile network connections. It's a smart move for a company whose core metric is audience growth – but feature and resource economy would be appreciated at the top end of the market, too. 5. West of Eden HBO's Westworld is seen as a spiritual successor to Game of Thrones in some circles, and it's now here. The sci-fi series deals with questions of ethics around AI and androids, which is actually becoming more of real-life relevant topic. Anthony tells us the pilot is well worth the watch, so let's hope they keep that up across the season. Musk has an opinion about the series, but it has nothing to do with rogue AI. 6. Apple's patent pain Apple has appealed a February decision levied against it for violating VirnetX's patents, but that appeal resulted in a $302 million damage award to the troll. VirnetX is a company that primarily makes its revenue via patents, and had sued Apple over iMessage and FaceTime violations of its IP. More evidence the U.S. patent system needs an overhaul. 7. Twitch hits Prime time Amazon loves Priming things, and its game-streaming subsidiary is next in line. Twitch Prime is now a free perk for Amazon Prime subscribers, and includes ad-free watching, a free channel subscription, discounts on games and free launch-day delivery for anticipated titles. You also get free in-game geniuses, including character and item unlocks and other DLC. Smart move that makes Prime appealing to a whole new category of customer. | 
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