Daily Tech Snippet: Thursday December 18

• Sony cancels movie release after terror threats: Sony Pictures Entertainment on Wednesday dropped plans for its Christmas Day release of “The Interview,” a movie that depicts the assassination of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, after receiving a terror threat against theaters. Before that, the four largest theater chains in the United States said they would not show the movie, which has been at the center of a devastating hacking attack on Sony over the last several weeks. American intelligence officials on Wednesday concluded that the North Korean government was centrally involved with the attacks on Sony’s computers. That determination and the cancellation of the film were new twists in a series of developments that has found a major studio fighting for its art, and perhaps life, against forces driven by a foreign government. Hackers claim to have taken at least 100 terabytes of Sony data, or about 10 times of the amount stored in the Library of Congress. Sony computer systems were damaged and the studio is already the focus of at least two lawsuits from former employees who had their personal information spread online.

• How smartphones maybe reducing Amazon's edge: Phones have already radically altered both the way Americans shop and how retail goods move about the economy, but the transformation is just beginning — and it is far from guaranteed that Amazon will emerge victorious from the transition. Phones are at the heart of the service offered by Postmates, one of several start-ups that are working with retailers and helping to change shopping experiences. As local retailers adopt mobile innovations, customers will be able to search stores’ inventories, purchase goods for same-day delivery, and navigate and search for help and reviews inside a crowded store. None of these technologies pose an existential threat to Amazon, but by giving physical stores some of the conveniences that Amazon has long had, they may limit its potential reach. With Instacart, you can get groceries delivered instantly from big and small supermarkets. With Google’s Express delivery service, you can get household goods from big-box stores delivered on the same day you order. The app Curbside lets users order items from Target, and have them ready when they drive up to a store. And with Postmates, it is possible to order takeout, and pretty much anything else, and have it delivered directly very quickly. These services all have in common speed and convenience: Because they route purchases from stores, they can often shuttle goods to buyers faster than they are available from Amazon. The prices are even competitive with Amazon, which delivers most of its products, even groceries, from warehouses that are a few hours away.

• Twitter's CEO has sold >500K shares since November: Twitter CEO Dick Costolo’s family trusts sold $5.32 million worth of Twitter shares Monday, and the sale comes at an interesting time. Twitter shares have declined nearly 45% this year, and Ev Williams, Twitter’s cofounder, just sold more than 719,000 shares, worth nearly $28.7 million, last month. Jack Dorsey, too, is reported to have sold $2.1 million worth of his shares last month. Also, back in April, Twitter executives, including Costolo, Williams and Dorsey had indicated in an SEC filing that they had no “current plans” of selling their shares, even after the company’s lock up period ends.

• Indian startup action: Zepo.in, Livspace get funding: Zepo.in, a do-it-yourself (DIY) e-commerce platform for SMBs, has secured an undisclosed amount in funding led by Anupam Mittal, CEO of People Group, which operates the internet properties including Shaadi.com and makaan.com. Zepo can help an SMB to open its online shop in a few minutes for under Rs 999 per month. It also provides them free payment gateway, logistics support and marketing. With 20 employees on board, Zepo has offices in Delhi and Bangalore. The firm mainly competes with Nirvana Venture Advisors-backed KartRocket.com, besides MartMobi, Shopify and CostPrize. Livspace, an online marketplace for personalised home interior design and décor, has received $4.6 million in its Series A round of funding. Livspace claims that it enables homeowners to discover thousands of pre-created looks for all rooms, kitchen, and storage areas in their homes at the click of a button. Customers can select and purchase these looks, which are created by international designers, and personalise them (by material, colour, style) online. The startup will then deliver the items at the customers’ doorsteps. Livspace has partnered with many real-estate developers in the country and also offers a ‘find your apartment’ feature to offer pre-created, ready-to-install interior design for customers who buy homes from these developers.

• Chinese phone maker OnePlus, selling on Amazon in India, has been barred by the Delhi HC from selling, marketing, or importing phones in India. The dispute centers around OnePlus using Cyanogenmod’s version of Android, which is licensed exclusively in India by rival phone brand Micromax. OnePlus received a shock in October when Micromax acquired the rights to be Cyanogen’s exclusive partner in India in order to launch Micromax’s new YU Cyanogen phone on December 18. Cyanogen has already clarified that OnePlus One phones sold in India will not receive updates. In return, OnePlus says it will start work on a custom Android build for its users in India. The high court has allowed the Chinese company, which launched its OnePlus One phones in India through Amazon on December 2, to clear its stock of Cyanogen-based products.