Daily Tech Snippet: Monday, December 26

• Snapchat buying Israeli augmented reality start-up Cimagine: report: Messaging app Snapchat is buying Israeli augmented reality startup Cimagine Media for an estimated $30-$40 million, marking Snapchat's first acquisition in Israel, the Calcalist financial daily reported on Sunday. Cimagine developed True Marketless Augmented Reality – technology that allows users to virtually place furniture and appliances they wish to purchase in the space of their home, on their mobile devices, at the click of a button. Cimagine will become Snapchat's research and development center in Israel and is expected to rapidly expand its workforce from its current 20 employees, Calcalist said. The company's highly-skilled team is probably the main reason for the acquisition, rather than its technology, Calcalist said. The company was founded in 2012 and has raised a few million dollars. Venice, California-based Snapchat is expected to go public as early as March with a valuation of as much as $25 billion.

• Start-Ups Seek to Take Some of the Pain Out of Moving: Adam Pittenger, who has moved six times in six years, shares his home in Hoboken, N.J., with his girlfriend and a roommate. With his frequent firsthand experience as a guide, he started a company this year to help make moving less of a chore. His company, called Moved, is one of several that hope to shake up the nearly $17 billion moving industry with new technology and on-demand services. Meanwhile, traditional moving companies are coming up with their own innovations as more consumers prefer to conduct their business on computers and smartphones. Through a mobile app that incorporates chat features, Moved can help customers through a laundry list of responsibilities: selling furniture, donating goods, ordering boxes, changing addresses and finding packing, moving and storage services. Moved’s “concierge” services — locating and coordinating with service providers — are free; customers pay for what they use. Moved makes money through referral fees from its partners, which it says are vetted.