MyThings is a service that allows users to create an online portfolio of valued belongings. We reviewed iTaggit earlier this week; MyThings operates in the same space. Both provide personal asset management although MyThings is the more extensive offering of the two; MyThings took $8million from Carmel Ventures and Accel Partners in May 2006 and the funding shows. MyThings offers a integrated one stop shop for collectibles. Items can be included in the database, with tags and pictures. Once listed users are able to obtain a valuation for the item, buy (or extend) the items warranty, purchase insurance, sell the item on eBay and even donate am item to a worthy cause. MyThings also includes an extensive database of items reported lost and stolen from the world of art, antiques and collectibles; MyThings users are able to add stolen items to the database at any time and likewise the service is able to screen new submissions for items that may have been stolen. The company has offices in Menlo Park, London and Tel Aviv, delivering a global product with a lot of appeal. Perhaps my earlier assessment of the space (in the iTaggit review) as being niche was unwarranted; the extensive user collections listed on MyThings would indicate that listing collections online may actually be a hot vertical. → Read More
In an interesting move, Google has come out against controversial documentary film maker Michael Moore’s latest documentary “Sicko” in a post titled “Does negative press make you Sicko?“. Lauren Turner of the Google Health Advertising Team writes: “While legislators, litigators, and patient groups are growing excited, others among us are growing anxious. And why wouldn’t they? Moore attacks health insurers, health providers, and pharmaceutical companies by connecting them to isolated and emotional stories of the system at its worst. Moore’s film portrays the industry as money and marketing driven, and fails to show healthcare’s interest in patient well-being and care.” Apparently there is a cure to the Sicko ailment, and it involves spending money with Google: “We can place text ads, video ads, and rich media ads in paid search results or in relevant websites within our ever-expanding content network. Whatever the problem, Google can act as a platform for educating the public and promoting your message.” Google targeting Michael Moore is probably not a wise move. Whilst there may well be reasonable grounds to attack anything Michael Moore puts together, antagonizing Moore may well see Google become a larger target at a time the search giant is in the spotlight over its Double Click acquisition. → Read More
Many of you, myself included, probably thought the iPhone wasn’t up to the challenge of daily use and abuse. The glass screen just screams scratches galore, right? PC World put their iPhone to a scratch and drop test. I think the results will astonish you because I sure didn’t expect the results they received. → Read More
The focus and experimentation on IPTV is switching away from watching short clips on YouTube to watching full length shows on downloadable TV applications like Joost, Babelgum, Veoh TV , Netflix (which now has a Silverlight application) and others. YouTube continues to grow, but people are not looking to find full length TV shows there. That isn’t stopping the competitors from trying to get a piece of the action, though. YouTube has a slew of direct competitors, but the network effect kicked in long ago for YouTube and its unlikely that loose copyright policies or higher quality videos are going to make any kind of dent in their market share. But the networks are still goggling that $1.65 billion price tag for YouTube, and they want their pound of flesh. Competitors Running In Circles Hitwise published some statistics earlier this week showing that YouTube has 60% market share of the U.S. video sharing sites – they have more visitors than all of their competitors combined. They continue to grow at a fast clip even after the networks started massive litigation against them. Comscore worldwide data is nearly identical, showing YouTube with a 66% market share. See the chart to the left for the side-by-side numbers. It’s clear that the market is probably big enough for a few competitors to be successful, but no one is knocking YouTube off the thrown any time soon. Clown Co. Still Clowning Around In March we saw the dramatic introduction of a new service, backed by News Corp. (owner of MySpace) and NBC. They dubbed it “NBC Universal and News Corporation’s Online Video Joint Venture,” which isn’t exactly catchy. When rumors started that Google execs were referring to it as “Clown Co.” the name stuck. Until they name this thing, there’s really nothing else to refer to it as. Lack of a name hasn’t stopped them from making some bold steps, though. This week they named Jason Kilar, a Harvard MBA and former Amazon executive, to lead the unit. And now there are reports saying they’ve been out trying to raise $100 million in venture capital on a billion dollar valuation. YouTube raised just a fraction of that. To be fair, Clown Co. isn’t supposed to be a direct competitor to YouTube, and has promised a more distributed approach. And they’ll have (legally obtained) content from both NBC and News Corp. properties, a big advantage → Read More
Get a Free iPhone Condom if You Have an iPhone iPhone Accessories Aren’t Nearly as Exciting as the iPhone-Proper iPhone Madness Hits San Francisco: Clowns! Steven Levy Is Asked “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth” The AudioFile: Jacking Off the iPhone → Read More
An anonymous tipster has given CrunchGear exclusive leaked footage of Transformers. We’re not sure where he/she/it got the footage, but it’s plain as day. This is the real deal. The lengthy video was taken at the end of the major battle scene and includes Bumble Bee, Megatron and Optimus Prime. The short snippet is the very end of the movie with Optimus Prime. The audio track is a little hard to hear, but just crank it up and you can hear some ‘transformer’ sound effects. He/She/It also told us that Apple dropped some coin for product placement in the movie that included MacBook Pros and a boat load of Cinema Displays. Nokia also made an appearance with their very own “Japanese Decepticon,” Dialtone. Umm, Nokia is Finnish, so wtf?! We didn’t understand the “Japanese Decepticon” part, either. And there was something about ‘Mojo’ and painkillers. When we asked the tipster what device was used he/she/it told us it was taken with a Helio Ocean. Thanks, Tipster! We’re having technical problems with the audio track and it should be up shortly. → Read More
An interesting thing happened during yesterdays iPhone launch and it wasn’t just observing Robert Scoble’s mastery of self promotion (in a good way of course). Thousands of people* who were not lining up for an iPhone, be that because they simply weren’t interested in doing so or as in my case were unable to due to geography, experienced the highs and lows of iPhone day vicariously through live streams. The day wasn’t without issues, Kristopher Tate’s Zooomr/ Ustream feed had technical issues at times, but on the whole the experience was something special. From the interviews on the street, through to the screams of those entering the Apple store to applause, through to the first addition to America’s Funniest Live Video Streams 2020 when Tate had his credit card declined. The difference on iPhone Day was that instead of turning to blogs or waiting for the mainstream media to report the facts hours later, we were all able to watch it all in first person. The promise of user generated live media was delivered. The seed of a revolution was planted. Lifestreaming has been covered before on TechCrunch; I remain unconvinced about the likelihood of Lifestreams such as Justin.tv (the man, not the service) being anything more than a niche pursuit, yet what we saw on iPhone Day was different: this was Eventstreaming. Eventstreaming is the missing link in Web 2.0′s challenge to network television. → Read More
There’s no raining on iDay! No raining! A high-end product launch just isn’t a high-end product launch without getting the point of view of the man-on-the-street. So I’m doing just that. Watch this spot throughout the evening as we upload YouTube video live from the scene in Seattle, where NW nerds are lined up to be the first in line to get The Thing. And if you’re in the Seattle area, come join the fun and meet Yours Truly and some other nerds getting our dork on. We’re at the Capitol Hill AT&T store. Love it. It’s ON!!! One at a time, please, one at a time. Click on for more video coverage of the Seattle launch of the Apple iPhone. → Read More
There you have it. You too can have your very own 8GB iPhone for only one single penny. Gah! This isn’t over. Not by a long shot. Apple iPhone AT&T Brand New In Hand 8gb 8 gb i Phone NR [eBay] → Read More
It’s barely even been an hour since the iPhone officially launched but Apple’s wunderphone is already on Craigslist. Some dude in New Hyde Park wants $1,500 for an 8GB version while someone else in Manhattan wants $1,110 for 8GB as well. Hey, if you’re desperate enough, I guess… iPhone on Craiglist [Craigslist] → Read More
Not that you people haven’t found a number of other hands-on videos of the iPhone by now, but here’s one more to add to your collection. → Read More
Hit that software update button, pal, and get a fresh, clean iPhone-ready version of iTunes. yay! And a surprise after the jump. → Read More
Mr. Spike Lee came out to support the Keep A Child Alive foundation. We know he’s just trying to get one himself. Nicholas and I looked to escape the chaos that is the 5th Avenue Apple store in fair Gotham to the more tranquil and pleasant SoHo location. It was everything you could ever dream and want in an iDay. Tons of tourists who have no idea what’s going on, but want to participate in whatever the crazy Americans are doing to the snobby hipster-chic folk who snicker and sneer at those wasting their time waiting in line or taking pictures. They secretly want one, but know they can’t admit it, so they weep and run home to Williamsburg. What we found was astonishing and down right STUPID. Won’t you take a journey through my eyes on this here iDay? → Read More
No surprise really: iPhone buyers are flooding eBay with their new iPhones with bids starting from $1 and buy it now prices as high as $1500. For those outside of the United States desperate to get their hands on an iPhone, a number of listings offer worldwide shipping; this listing for example posts to Australia for $50. However be aware that the iPhone does not support simcards and today no one has worked out how to unlock the phone from AT&T, although you could always buy it now and work that part out later (or use the iPhone as an expensive video iPod). MacNN has screenshots on the iPhone’s innards for those interested in hacking it. If you do sign up for an AT&T plan and live outside the US, be warned that AT&T’s international roaming rates would make a drunken sailor blush. → Read More
Gentle reader, I know you’ve been patient. You can’t wait to see our take on the iPhone (you’ve heard of it, right?), and you’ll get it. In short order, Yours Truly will be live blogging from my favorite local AT&T store with pics and video. In addition, we’ll be reviewing our little friend some tonight, with a glut of information tomorrow. While today is launch day, we’re more about celebrating the insanity. Tomorrow, you get the goods. I know, I know, reading a blog on a Saturday. Well, we don’t get ours till then, nothing we can do about that. But look for coverage the likes of which you won’t get at those other two blogs, because at CrunchGear, you’ve got me, and I’m awesome. Just so’s you know. → Read More
It’s here! Heaven’s gates—the Apple Store in SoHo—opened at 6 p.m. EDT, whereupon a half dozen people at a clip were allowed entry. Peter and I were there and we got to see Spike Lee and heard people say, “Is that Spike Lee?” As the doors opened, hecklers shouted, “You did it! You’re American heroes!” And Peter almost got into a fight with a “tough guy,” but got into a karate stance and scared him away. → Read More
The Apple store is down, and that’s no big surprise. This means we’re in the official launch phase, and I’m going to need a martini. When the store’s back up, you can get an iPhone. Huzzah! Thanks to Dylan the Tipster, as well. Apple Store → Read More
It’s not all touch screens, accelerometers and Google Maps today, my friends. I’m based at NYU’s Bobst library in order to be within shooting distance of the various Apple stores and AT&T stores for today’s festivities. Plus it’s air conditioned. But in my roaming around the library I found these old school computers. Not only have I never seen anything like these before, but they have nothing to do with the iPhone. I’m trying to maintain our collective sanity here, people. NYU → Read More
A 3G iPhone for Europe will be announced Monday, according to an unconfirmed report from Guy Kewney at Newswireless. Engadget points out that Kewney was recently eWeek.com’s European wireless editor and would be well placed to know. The European 3G iPhone is said to be distributed via Carphone Warehouse with Vodafone in the UK and T-Mobile in Germany the European carriers. No word yet on other European countries. The phone is said to go on sale in Europe before the end of the year. If the rumor is true (and it is just a rumor at this stage) it’s a positive sign for the rest of the world, particularly Australasia where the slower 2G systems are being phased out as 3G coverage is already ubiquitous. It would also create two tiers of iPhone users: Americans with the slower 2.5G versions and the rest of us with much faster 3G versions; as the saying goes: all good things come to those who wait. → Read More
The mayor of Philiadelphia was waiting in line for an iPhone when an unnamed man asked him, “How can you sit here with 200 murders in the city already?” Ouch. (And how very John Kerry of him.) The mayor then left the line, tail between his legs and all. The moral of the story? If you’re the mayor of a major American city, maybe, *maybe* you would do well to send an intern to fetch your toys instead of going yourself. Just a hunch of mine. Philly mayor waits for iPhone, then leaves line [AP/MSNBC] → Read More
San Francisco, CA
