ThisNext has raised $1.2 million in funding according to an SEC filing. This brings the startup’s total funding to nearly $9 million.
Launched in 2006, ThisNext’s social shopping site combines browsing for items online with comments, tagging, social recommendations, comment ratings and a wish list. Users can also create a website widget to show products they like to others via any website. The site faces competition from Polyvore, Kaboodle and Like.com. → Read More
Yes, yes, it’s an overdone Internet meme, but it also precisely sums up nearly everyone’s reaction yesterday to the iPad. Enjoy. → Read More
LED-backlit panels are becoming more and more mainstream, with nearly every 16:9 laptop coming out lately boasting that feature. Apple said as early as 2008 they would start using LED backlights for every one of their notebooks (and the iPad has those, too).
LED-backlit LCD TVs are catching on, too, providing greater dynamic contrast compared with CCFL-backlit LCDs and making it possible to design slimmer bodies. Today, Sharp in Japan announced [JP] another four models (LC-52SE1/pictured, LC-46SE1, LC-40SE1 and LC-32SC1) from their LED AQUOS series, and all have (white) LED backlights. → Read More
Once the iPad SDK is released, many developers will be in a mad rush to create apps optimized for Apple’s tablet device. Already, developers are flocking to update their apps with the new iPhone SDK optimized for the iPad. But it’s not only the developers of games and apps who are participating in this gold rush. Motally, a startup that provides analytics on mobile devices, is launching the extension of their user-action tracking services for mobile web and apps to include content developed on Apple’s iPad. Their analytics will automatically work for iPhone apps accessed on the device with further support to be released specifically for the iPad SDK once it is available from Apple.
Motally’s offering allows developers to receive daily reports, web-based dynamic reports and user statistics such as unique users, page views, engagement time search keyworks, average pages/visit, etc. Currently using the iPhone SDK, Motally will support the iPad SDK once it rolls out. → Read More
Buried in Nokia’s earnings release from this morning (PDF) is an interesting revelation about the Ovi Store, the centralized application shop for programs fit for Nokia devices that the Finnish giant debuted – not so stylishly – in May 2009.
The company now officially acknowledges that the Ovi Store is seeing more than 1 million downloads a day on millions of handsets around the world, after cautiously mentioning that it was approaching that milestone earlier this month at CES. → Read More
Nokia, still the world’s top mobile phone maker, reported a stronger-than-expected 65% rise in fourth-quarter net profit this morning. The Espoo, Finland-based company reported net profit of €948 million for the quarter or 26 eurocents a share, up from €576 million a year ago.
What caught our eye was the volume of devices the company shipped in Q4 2009: the total mobile device volumes of Devices & Services were 126.9 million units, representing an increase of 12% year on year. The overall industry mobile device volumes for the same period were 329 million units (based on Nokia’s estimate), representing an increase of 8% year on year. → Read More
Startup incubators such as Founders Institute and TechStars, are popping up outposts in various metropolises in the U.S. and even in internationally. Today, VC firm DFJ Frontier, an affiliate of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and the City of Ventura, California, are partnering to launch a new incubator in the region, the Ventura Ventures Technology Center.
Designed to help encourage technology startups to base or relocate their companies in the Southern California region, the fund will invest anywhere from $100,000 to $1 million in each startup. The venture will not be limited to investing in a particular sector . As a condition of the investment, the companies have to be based in Ventura. In return, the incubator has set up a technology-centric office center for startups that offer steeply discounted rents. → Read More
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak paid a visit to California State University of Chico yesterday after the official unveiling of the iPad, and while there he was asked by the audience how he sees the device affecting the entertainment industry.
Videomaker caught his response on video, posted it to YouTube and voilà, one of the first official opinion of the Woz finds it way to us and more broadly, the Internet. → Read More
Apple’s European PR team have confirmed the impending arrival, inside two months, of the Apple iPad to European shores.
“The Wi-Fi version will ship worldwide in March,” said a spokesperson, but she added, “Watch this space for Wi-Fi plus 3G.”
In other words it’s clear Apple is still in negotiations with mobile carriers over which will stock the new device.
Unfortunately there is no word yet on international pricing. → Read More
It’s too early to say whether Natal will be a hit — too early to really even say if it works or not, really — but we know it’s captured the imaginations of gamers and developers alike. But apparently it didn’t impress Nintendo when they were (allegedly) pitched with an early version of the tech back in 2007. To be fair, it was in a rougher state than we have seen it, and of course Nintendo already had a working motion control technology and another in the works.
Still, it’s interesting to think what might have happened if the big N had snapped it up instead of the big M. → Read More
So it begins; bag designer Tom Bihn announced today the release of two new iPad specific products, a messenger bag and a dedicated sleeve style case. → Read More
When the iPhone first launched in 2007 I was sure I wasn’t going to buy one. Then I played with one. 15 minutes later I was $600 poorer. It was arguably the best tech purchase I’ve ever made. After the Apple event today, I got a chance to play with the new iPad for quite a bit of time. My takeaway? The thing is beautiful and fast. Really fast. If you’ll excuse my hyperbole, it felt like I was holding the future. But is it a must-have? That’s a complicated question.
The quick and dirty answer is: for many people, right now, no. Unlike the iPhone, which filled an already well-established need (cellular telephone usage), there is no existing need the iPad fills. That is, unless you’re an iPhone or iPod touch user. If that’s the case, the iPad does fill a couple of needs — it’s the best way to use apps, and more importantly, the best way to browse the web in a style that is likely your preferred method: by touching it. → Read More
Google has just posted a set of core privacy principles to its official blog, in honor of tomorrow’s International Data Privacy Day. There’s nothing revelatory here, but it’s a bit reassuring all the same given just how much Google knows about most of us. If you’re interested in more of Google’s privacy stances, they’ve got an entire portal dedicated to them here.
- Use information to provide our users with valuable products and services.
- Develop products that reflect strong privacy standards and practices.
- Make the collection of personal information transparent.
- Give users meaningful choices to protect their privacy.
- Be a responsible steward of the information we hold.
Now that the iPad is finally official, any publisher that wasn’t already figuring out how to bring their content to a color, touchscreen device is probably scrambling to do it now. That’s a bit easier said than done though — while it probably wouldn’t be too tough to simply scan in text and present it in a static format, converting it into something that actually takes advantage of the new platform is going to prove difficult. That challenge is giving rise to some new startups looking to help publishers make the transition from paper to digital.
One such company is called Inkling, a small startup that’s raised $1 million in seed money from Ram Shriram, Mitch Kapor, Aydin Senkut, and other angel investors. Inkling is looking to help textbook makers convert their content into digitized versions that are more than just static reproductions of the original text. In other words, they’re helping spur the kind of innovation that could change the way we learn (but could take publishers a long time to figure out if they’re left to their own devices). → Read More
This Woot Off is going on day three and I still haven’t been able to buy a LeakFrog. The thing is legendary on Woot and always makes an appearance during its firesales. Who knows, maybe it was shown sometime today between 11 am and 4 pm EST. I was a little distracted. But anyway, Woot Off! → Read More
I’m actually very curious what you guys thought of our live stream. It wasn’t perfect but I thought it went well. Do you want to see more of that? Less? Thoughts? → Read More
Apple spent a good deal of time today selling the world on the iPad’s ebook skills. It has a nice 9.7-inch screen, 10 hour battery life, and ebook store. But how does it stack up against the current reigning ebook king, the Kindle? It’s time to call in a massive chart. → Read More
