Bite of Seattle attendees fed up with food ordering app from tech startup

A mobile ordering system at this weekend’s Bite of Seattle food festival got critical reviews from attendees using an app from CHEQ, the Seattle startup that is now the producer and owner of the event. CHEQ required vendors to use its platform for food order transactions. There were complaints related to app glitches, double charges, and wait times — highlighting the difficulties of integrating technology into a large-scale event. Read more. 

All eyes on AI for Microsoft earnings: Investors will be looking for early signs of traction from Microsoft’s artificial intelligence investments Tuesday afternoon when the company reports results for its fiscal fourth quarter. Another angle to watch is revenue from security products. Read more. 

• Related: On the latest GeekWire Podcast episode, we discuss what was perhaps the biggest week of the year so far for the company. Listen here. 

A show that’s out of this world: A spacey musical group called "Bandella" will perform this weekend in Seattle at the Museum of Flight. It won’t be your typical summer music tour. Read more. 

Pizza-scented controller: Xbox designed a new controller to promote the upcoming “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” movie — with a built-in scent diffuser to deliver the aroma of a New York-style slice, according to Microsoft. Read more. 

‘X,’ rated: Twitter’s blue birdie went bye bye over the weekend, and users of the social media platform mostly panned the new X name and logo as an uninspired rip-off. Read more. 

Hot links:

• Jeff Bezos is taking a more active role at The Washington Post, a decade after he bought the newspaper for $250 million. (New York Times)

• A new report details how AI research and commercialization activity is highly concentrated in “superstar” hubs and “early adopter” centers, including Seattle. (Brookings)

• Titletown Tech, a venture capital firm founded by the NFL’s Green Bay Packers and Microsoft, landed $70 million for its second fund that will back more investments in areas core to the Midwest. (Titletown Tech)