We knew something was up when Shawn Fanning’s startup Rupture, an unlaunched social network around gaming, delayed and delayed their launch. Well, it turns out, say multiple sources, that Rupture was able to do what Parakey pulled off in 2007. Get acquired before launching, that is. We’re shaking trees to find out the buyer and size of the transaction. But Fanning, who founded Napster, is having a good month. Just a few days ago we reported that his other startup, SnoCap, was acquired by Sequoia-backed Imeem. Rupture has been tight lipped about releasing any information at all about the company, but as far as we can tell they raised just a single round of angel financing, in 2006. More as this develops. Update: A source close to the company says we jumped the gun on this one a little bit, and that negotiations are still ongoing. No term sheet has been signed, although there are discussions going on. Also, the company raised another round of capital over the summer. Baseline Ventures led that round. CrunchBase Information Rupture Shawn Fanning Information provided by CrunchBase → Read More
With Toshiba’s announcement that it is to cease manufacture of HD DVD players, the High-Definition format wars are now over. With Blu-Ray left standing, some, such as Rob Beschizza at Wired are now saying that digital downloads will now kill Blu-Ray. It’s an argument I want to support and many of you reading this will feel is a sound one, but it’s not going to happen anytime shortly. Here’s a few reasons why Old Habits/ Age Dies Hard I’m probably in the last generation who will ever remember a world without widespread computer use and internet everywhere. Younger generations (often called the “digital generation”) only know a world where anything can be accessed or downloaded at the click of a mouse button. To paraphrase many a politician, the young people are the future, and the next generation has nearly already abandoned CD’s, and physical media like DVDs and Blu-ray are next. But that doesn’t account for the many others who, as Rob Beschizza points out, already buy DVDs by the millions and will likely buy Blu-Ray now that HD wars are over (and as they did before DVD’s with VHS). Substantial generations have grown up with physical media, and this isn’t about to change tomorrow. Like music downloads though it will start to change, but like music that is going to take at least 5-10 years. Access (or I want to watch movies on my TV) I asked my mother the other day why she hadn’t downloaded something (legally of course) after she had purchased the physical media instead. Her response was simply that she didn’t want to watch it on her computer. Although many reading this will never give a second thought to watching video on their computer, there are still people who prefer consuming video on their TV sets. To be fair, HD on a 1080p 40″ TV set provides a better experience that on my 17″ Macbook Pro, although the TV set doesn’t easily come to bed with me. There are ways of brining digital downloads to TV sets, but none have anywhere near the penetration yet to offer a serious alternative to DVD and Blu-Ray. Apple is now offering HD movie downloads via their Apple TV box, but try and find more than a handful of people who own an Apple TV. Others offer a similar service such as Vudu, and there’s even Microsoft Media Center, → Read More
[photopress:Bluetooth_Headset.jpg,full,center] Massachusetts is likely going to be the next state to adopt headset-while-driving laws for cellphone users, but it’s the Boston Globe that takes the award for breaking it down into simple, bite-sized pieces with this headline: Headsets may come in handy for drivers Thank you, Boston Globe for that hard-hitting journalism. Other articles of note include “Batter used for making cookies” and “Fire may burn those who try to touch it”. They’re recommended reads. Oh, and Boston-area readers: Please note that wearing a hands-free kit when you’re not driving makes you a douche. Not a cyborg, a douche. Headsets may come in handy for drivers [Boston Globe] → Read More
[photopress:400.jpg,full,center] Are you one who’s been wanting that iPhone or iPod Touch but on a budget? You might be in luck within the next two months, there are rumors (of course) swirling that Apple is planning a $100 price drop across the board. That would make for a $300 16GB iPod Touch, or $400 for a 32GB Touch or 16GB iPhone. Coupled with the pending SDK, that makes the iPhone almost appealing to even the most hardened anti-iPhone cynic. Even me. $100 price drop on iPhones and iPods coming in the next two months [9-to-5 Mac] → Read More
Fred Wilson lit a fire today suggesting that certain bloggers need to step it up a notch to improve quality and be more like mainstream journalists. A fair point if spoken generally, although I’d argue that the quality of reporting done by many bloggers today, at least in the tech space, is equal to or better than most mainstream journalism. I think this is particularly true when we’re talking about breaking, non-embargoed news, where contacts and inside sources matter more than having all the time in the world to think about, research, write and edit an article. His point, therefore, should have been that all news writers need to step it up a notch and aim for better quality, which is sort of like saying nothing at all. Normally I wouldn’t take issue with the statement, except that it was partially aimed at us. Wilson specifically called out our Erick Schonfeld for his post on social gaming platforms, as well as Matt Marshall at VentureBeat for a post he wrote about Like. Wilson’s first gripe is that Matt, in his post about Like, didn’t give enough credit to competitor ThisNext. His second – that Erick, in his post on Zynga and SGN, suggested that the “two companies are neck and neck like Hillary and Obama,” when “Zynga is almost an order of magnitude bigger.” Wilson fully discloses his conflicts of interest in the post – that he is a friend to the founder of ThisNext and an investor in Zynga. At that point, of course, a lot of the credibility behind his opinions comes into question. The two bloggers he is attacking have no conflicts with these startups. He fails to realize that both Matt (San Jose Mercury News) and Erick (Fortune, Business 2.0) are seasoned mainstream journalists who’ve made the crossover to blogging. So his whole argument about blogging v. mainstream media loses yet more steam. In reading the articles, it seems to me that Matt did an excellent job of highlighting a recent surge by Like while still noting relevant competitors. Erick’s post, which I am more familiar with, is in my opinion above reproach. Erick notes the strengths and weaknesses of both platforms and suggests that developers will ultimately make a decision as to which, or both, they will join. Erick also interviewed Wilson for the post and quoted him in it. So what this really comes → Read More
[photopress:god.jpg,full,center] Do you know what I gave up for Lent? Nothing, I’m not religious. But kids these days, I tell you! Do you know what they’re giving up for Lent? MySpace. And Facebook. In this modern, connected world of Social Networking, that’s quite a fast indeed. Sites like Facebook and MySpace can be quite addictive, and I can only imagine the anguish these poor souls are suffering as they miss out on all their favorite gossip. Some give up Facebook and MySpace for Lent [Hampton Roads] → Read More
http://www.glumbert.com/embed/lolcatshistory The history of the LOLcat, it is amazing. → Read More
[photopress:psthree003.jpg,full,center] Now that Blu-ray is the decisive winner in the next-gen format wars, it’s time to take another look at the PS3. Game play and disc features aside, it’s a sound system. Did you know that scienticians use them to frickin’ model black holes? Maybe you can find one on sale. Why scientists love games consoles [The Telegraph] → Read More
[photopress:114.jpg,full,center] Remember, like, a few hours ago when you updated your iPhone or iPod Touch to version 1.1.3? And then, like, a few minutes later you Jailbroke it? Yah, that was rad, but we’re going to have to do it all over again soon if the rumormill has anything to say about it. See, the grapevine has it on good authority that firmware update 1.1.4 is right around the corner, likely to coincide with the SDK launch that’s supposed to happen in the next two weeks. AriX, if you’re reading this, get some rest, we’ll likely need your ninja-like coding skills pretty soon. iPhone Firmware 1.1.4 Coming Soon? [iPhone FAQ] → Read More
OMG CELLPHONE RADIATION YOU HAVE CANCER EVERYONE PANIC! Really, though, what’s the big deal? → Read More
[photopress:u940.jpg,full,center] Verizon Wireless users, meet the U940. The sliding-QWERTY, EV-DO phone showed up recently on the FCC’s certification site and all signs point to it passing muster, paving the way for a possible late summer release. Coupled with VZN’s new all-you-can-eat voice plan, this text-friendly phone could be a new flagship for the youth marketplace. Samsung U940 User Manual and Pictures on FCC site [Phone Arena] → Read More
[photopress:ebay_tart.gif,full,center] Oh man, people are mad at eBay. So angry, in fact, that there is supposedly a boycot starting on Monday to protest changes the auction site has made to the way feedback is handled, raised fees, sellers standards, and the way search works. Many people make their living on eBay and fear the changes, which they deem “unwarranted”, would make it harder for them to depend on eBay for income. The main bone of contention is that the new feedback system would allow more access to shifty sellers and dilute the already fragile reputation system. While there’s no doubt that the feedback system is flawed, many sellers think this change is going in the wrong direction. What remains to be seen is what impact, if any, the boycott will have on eBay itself, and more importantly to the buying public. Is eBay boycott for real? [Auction Bytes] → Read More
[photopress:verizonguy.jpg,full,left]Verizon is setting to offer an all-you-can-talk voice plan for $99. Word is it’s to launch on Tuesday, with ads popping up randomly on USA Today’s website, among others. This is hardly surprising as unlimited plans are the next logical step for carriers if they want to stay competitive. If you’re a power-talker, and on Verizon, you might want to give them a call when it gets all official. No word on if texts or data is bundled the way Helio does it, but we wouldn’t expect it. Verizon launching $99 unlimited calling voice plan on the 19th? [BGR] → Read More
Seriously. This is one OS — found on the F480 — I saw at MWC that could even be considered a competitor to the iPhone. Compared to this, the X1 looks like it was designed by a committee of narcoleptics. Samsung TouchWiz & F480 [PhoneScoop] → Read More
[photopress:handy_mp3_player.jpg,full,center] At 128MB, I’m not sure if I’d call this an acne-fighting MP3 player or an acne-fighting gizmo with MP3 capability, but it is what it is, sort of. See, you hold it to your face for ten minutes with it set to “negative” and it shoots your pores with negative ions. Then do the same thing set to “positive” and it does it with positive ions. This is apparently they way to decrease acne, who knew? And at only $184, you can maybe finally get a date. If you’re in Japan, where this thing comes from. Go and get one. MP3 player claims to fight acne using positive and negative ions [Coolest Gadgets] → Read More
The charming, polished S-E X1 runs Windows Mobile 6.1, which is like saying that hot, 6-foot-3 model you know is a furry — and not the fun kind of furry but she wears a ratty old Tweety Bird costume with her ugly, loud boyfriend who dresses up like Sylvester and they have sex. And you’re all like “What? She can do better than that. Hell, I’ll dress up. Just not in something so predictable.” See, the model, in this case, is the hardware, and the fat boyfriend is Windows Mobile. I’m the frustrated guy who is witnessing this travesty. Leaked! Experia X1 Runs on Windows Mobile 6.1! [AdonisDemon] → Read More
RXC is positing that there will be two gPhones coming after Christmas, both made by Samsung (!!). He describes the phones as something like the Pearl with a flip up screen. I’m calling bullshit, as does 9to5mac, but it’s not too hard to make a “gPhone” — just rebadge something in the OEM’s pipeline — but I just can’t see Google selling physical product. They’re positing it will be a Verizon CDMA model with Wi-Fi and potentially VoIP along with a GSM version on T-Mo. gPhone rumors heating back up… [9to5] → Read More
FON (better known for building a WiFi community) launched Twitxr today through their FON Labs group. Basically, it’s Twitter but allows picture uploads when sending a message (which makes it particularly useful for camera phones). FON founder Martin Varsavsky announced the product on his blog. So, yeah, basically it’s a photoblog. You can easily set it up to automatically send your messages to Twitter and Facebook too, though, which is useful. My Twitxr account is here. Here’s an example of a message that was copied over to Twitter. Another feature I like is the fact that you tell it where you are, so location information is included. Varsavsky says it’s specially designed for the iPhone, and they’ve created software that makes uploading text and a photo from the iPhone very easy. As a third party application, though, it isn’t officially available for the iPhone. You have to “jailbreak” the phone before you can install their application. It looks like you can’t simply grab a photo that you’ve taken normally from the iPhone, either. You have to initiate the photo through the Twitxr application. The application automatically adds location information to your photos and updates. Twitxr is the upteenth variation of Twitter to appear (see Jaiku (acquired by Google), Pownce, etc. One clone has even gone to the deadpool. This isn’t even the first Twitter-variation to include photos – see Zannel . This is something Dave Winer has been working on with his FlickrtoTwitter project as well – which sends links of your new Flickr photos to your Twitter account. And photoblogging is nothing new. So as pretty as Twitxr is, perhaps FON should stick to wifi. Update: I’m actually going to re-jailbreak my iphone to test the software – the fact that uploading is so easy and it adds location information is worth noting. If it works really well, this could actually be a reason for me to stop posting directly to Twitter. CrunchBase Information Twitter Fon Twitxr Martin Varsavsky Information provided by CrunchBase → Read More
http://podshow.com/mc/videos/flash/player/fleapit.swf?conf=http%3A%2F%2Fpodshow.com%2Fmc%2Fvideos%2Fscripts%2FmplayerXML2.php%3Fguid%3D29c8dd0a567caa95fd9008cb67fc1a5f XamBox may be the single best intermediary device between analog and digital I’ve ever seen. Paper documents, receipts and business cards are scanned in and dropped in a box. Software converts the paper to PDFs and catalogs in what order the hard copies are stored in the box. When the box is full, you label it, seal it and store it. If you need the document again, the software will tell you exactly where to look, or you can just print a fresh copy. Ziszor! (with an exclamation point like Yahoo!), is a portable handheld shredder that shreds up to 5 layers of paper at a time. I’m thinking about a year on the road so small and portable is on my mind. Litepanels Micro is a consumer version of what the pros use for lighting faces. It’s LED so it doesn’t use much energy and it doesn’t put off much heat. It fits on a small DV camera and runs on four AA batteries. There is a new portable version of Guitar Hero that will be released next month. Going through boxes of stuff to sell on eBay, I came across our very first digital camera. It’s a Vivitar ViviCam 3000. It shoots .77 Megapixel images and has 1 MB of internal storage and I want your suggestions for what I should do with it. → Read More
Hey everybody! Good morning. Just wanted to let you know that Rock Band is on sale at Target for $149. It’s sunday and there’s probably nothing on TV, so you might as well go and pick up the Special Edition bundle. Go. Now! Target → Read More
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