TechCrunch50 demopit company Image Space Media (formerly Picad Media), has developed and launched an in-image ad network that helps publishers monetize images on their websites with ad overlays. Since launching in 2008, ISM has built a publisher network of 2,500 sites. The startup recently upgraded its platform to include a detailed analytics platform.
Called the PubStop platform, the tool allows publishers to value which of their images are yielding higher earnings so they can place content in the places that earn the highest click-through-rates (CTRs). The dashboard features total ad impressions, total clicks, CTRs, eCPMs, number of images and more statistics that can help publishers manage their ads on the network. → Read More
Part two of my SXSWi 2010 conversation with Josh Williams, CEO and co-founder of Gowalla. The intent of this second round of questions was to delve a bit deeper into the company’s monetization strategy as well as their strategy for competing with Facebook as they will undoubtedly enter the location space soon enough. → Read More
HP has a spring refresh coming real soon and we might finally get a look at the Envy 14 and Envy 17 that’s been rumored for so long. The Envy models, along with the dm4 from the other day’s rumor, were found on the same sort of support documents that supposedly leaked the notebooks late last year. So here we go again, down the rabbit hole of rumors. → Read More
We’ve known for a few weeks now that the Sprint HTC Hero would probably be getting the bumpgrade up to Android 2.1 sometime in April — but really, was anyone expecting the launch window rumor to stay that vague? → Read More
It looks like, come launch day, you’ll only be able to buy the iPad at retail from the Apple Store or from Best Buy. Who buys things from stores anymore, I wonder. But despite the inconceivable amount of hype accompanying the iPad, Best Buy cannot be bothered to open early. Sorry, mate. → Read More
Just last week Dell Home dropped the 32GB Zune HD down to $240 and we called it the great price drop in the history of price drops. We were wrong. The 32GB and 16GB versions just got another price drop and it’s HUGE. → Read More
This is obviously a much older Nano but at $48 for 1GB, I may get this for my Dad so he can listen to Roy Orbison albums. Again, not amazingly great but $48? Pretty good. → Read More
Long time no hear from Tokyo-based crap gadget maker Thanko. About for weeks ago, the USB specialist released a mouse with a built-in speaker, only to follow up today with the Nikukyu Mouse [JP], a mouse that looks like a cat paw for some reason. → Read More
Yup, it’s still $15. → Read More
Nokia has acquired Novarra, an Illinois-based company that develops mobile web browser technologies. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
The acquisition makes sense, considering that Nokia builds its own browser. Nokia says Novarra’s technology will be integrated to provide a more powerful browsing experience on Nokia phones. Novarra which was founded in 1999, raised $50 million in funding in 2007. The company creates web-based technologies for low-end mobile feature devices, including functionality for internet access, portals, videos, widgets and advertising. Novarra supplied its technologies to Palm and U.S. Cellular previously. While Nokia develops and operates its own browser on its devices, the Nokia’s Ovi store offers third-party browsers for some phones, including Opera Mini and Skyfire. → Read More
Print publishers are in a tizzy over Apple’s new iPad because they hope to finally be able to charge for their digital editions. But in order to get people to pay for their magazine and newspaper apps, they are going to have to offer something different that readers cannot get at the newsstand or on the open Web. We’ve already seen plenty of prototypes from magazine publishers which include interactive graphics, photo slide shows, and embedded videos.
But what should a magazine cover look like on the iPad? After all, the cover is still the gateway to the magazine. Theoretically, it will still be the first page people see, giving them hints of what’s inside and enticing them to dive into the issue. One way these covers could change is that instead of simply repurposing the static photographs from the print edition, the background image itself could be some sort of video loop. Jesse Rosten, a photographer in California, created the video mockup below of what a cover of Sunset Magazine might look like on the iPad. → Read More
Song.ly, a neat little Web service that lets you share and discover music links on Twitter, is up for sale on Flippa.
You can ‘Buy It Now’ for $50,000, but the auction will run for another 12 days at a minimum bid of $15,000. I’m fairly surprised that the people behind the service didn’t think they could fetch more for the property, if only for the nice domain name that comes with it. → Read More
Nokia pulled out of Japan, one of the world’s biggest mobile markets, as early as November 2008. But because this country is quite wealthy, the Finnish company decided to conquer Japan with their luxury brand Vertu [JP], starting operations in September 2009. Initially the plan was to market handsets priced between $16,000 and $50,000.
But today Vertu Japan announced a “golden” handset with a price tag of 20 million yen (it’s made-in-Japan gold lacquerwork, to be more exact). That’s $215,000, with the price including free domestic calls. Buyers will be able to choose between four equally priced models: Kinko (pictured above), Kikusui, Nanten and Daigo (pictured below). The different designs stand for the different seasons of the year. → Read More
Yandex is one of few national non-English language search engines that have managed to outrun the likes of Google, Microsoft and Yahoo in their countries, in this case Russia.
Yandex was first to market in Russia – it made its debut in 1997 – and has since established itself as the undisputed leader in search with an estimated domestic market share of 58% according to LiveInternet.ru. At number two we find Google, which trails far behind at 23% despite a recent search partnership with Mail.ru, the third horse in this race.
But rather than building a browser of its own, Yandex has apparently opted to develop a custom iteration of Google’s Chrome browser based on the Chromium open source project. → Read More
Web video star GeoHot just did a quick demo of his untethered iPhone/iPod Touch jailbreak. That’s right – you just have to put something on your device – and not directly connect it to your computer – and it will jailbreak that heck out of it in a few minutes. It’s just like the old days when you could download an image on the original iPhone and suddenly jailbreak it. While the video doesn’t explain anything, it’s nice to see America’s youth busily attending to the major issues of the day, especially if that issue is jailbreaking the iPad when it comes out next week. → Read More
Yesterday we gave you an intro into the first real Twitter television initiative, Twision, originating from none other than a digital TV channel in Spain, VEO7, a part of Unidad Editorial.
Veo7 launched their first Twision program last Thursday and will continue to air every Thursday evening at midnight. Here’s some more post-launch insight into the initiative.
Unlike other international attempts to integrate Twitter, uni-directionally, Twision viewers are able to use the #veo7 hashtag to speak directly to presenters and influence where the program’s discussion goes — branded “twittertulia”.
During the latest program (which is at midnight and Veo7 is not a prime channel), Melchor Miralles’ timeline crashed and he was quickly buried under nearly 2,000 comments and suggestions. → Read More
Perfect World, a NASDAQ-listed online game developer and operator based in China, has agreed to acquire C&C Media, a Japanese online game operator from computer and video game developer ATLUS. Perfect World, which currently boasts a market cap of nearly $2 billion, will pay an aggregate purchase price of approximately $21 million.
C&C Media was founded in June 2001 and operates a website called “MK-STYLE” which features online games and related services for individual users. → Read More
DIY Segway skateboard. Yeah, you read that right: DIY Flasks disguised as electronics let you get your drink on like a blogger Apple patent watch: sun-lit displays WhiteyBoard: An instant whiteboard for your instant office Dog high chair → Read More
This is why I have a strong dislike of government and our system of lobbyists. Many people in the tech community are becoming increasingly skeptical of Google’s motives in partially pulling out of the Chinese markets and starting to suggest a certain level of hypocrisy.
Google gets hacked over the Christmas holidays when most people aren’t watching the ship, and all of their source code for all of their products is, embarrassingly, downloaded to a Chinese hacker. Their response? Pull out of a search market that they are already failing in. But leave other assets that have more promise.
And suddenly the U.S. Congress is praising Google and slamming, well, Microsoft. Because doing business in China was just fine in December 2009. But today it’s very, very wrong. Says Chris Smith, R-N.J.: → Read More
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