My friendly neighborhood iPad 3G man just dropped off my 32GB model fresh from the factory. It still has that new Apple smell? Initial assments finds that the iPad 3G is just like the iPad with a plastic top for improved wireless connectivity. → Read More
One of my major gripes with the Android platform is a lack of apps that are on-par with the iPhone. Sure, the total number of apps is getting up there, but for the most part, in my opinion, they’re nowhere near as good. One area where this was evident was with Twitter clients. While the iPhone has a number of great ones (led by Tweetie, which Twitter just bought), Android’s options are pretty weak. Seesmic is pretty nice, but wouldn’t be in the top 5 on the iPhone. Today, Twitter may have just solved this problem.
The service has just launched it’s own Android client. We noted they were working on it just a few weeks ago when CEO Evan Williams made the announcement at the company’s Chirp conference. Now, just over two weeks later, it’s here. → Read More
…is a hot robo-pig looking you in the face. → Read More
Earlier today, a number of publications (including us) ran with the story that the App Store was closing in on 5,000 apps, with 4,870. These numbers came from analytics startup Distimo, which generally has good data and insight into the various app stores. But, naturally, it’s always better to get your data from the source. And while Apple, unsurprisingly, isn’t talking, they don’t have to. Because the iPad is.
The number of iPad apps in the App Store is actually already well past 5,000. How do I know? Sometime in the past couple of days, Apple added a new “Release Date” area to the iPad version of the App Store. This resides next to the standard “New” and “What’s Hot” areas along the top of the store. It’s simply a new way to sort through the apps. But this area has another nifty feature: it tells you how many apps there are in total so you know where you are in the navigation. According to this number, there are 5,351 iPad apps in the App Store. → Read More
This oil slick is serious business. So serious, in fact, that I’m going to mention it right here. → Read More
To anyone who’s ever written a line of code, pre-canned/auto-generated apps are the scourge of the App Store world. For anyone who just wants to be able to say “Me? There’s an app for that! LOL!” without having to dedicate their lives to waging war against semi-colons and pouring through documentation, however, they’re a god send. Love’em or hate’em, Nokia has just embraced’em. They’ve just launched a new tool, Ovi App Wizard, purposed with turning any feed (be it RSS, Twitter, Facebook, or what have you) into an Ovi Store App in around 10 minutes. → Read More
You may have noticed that we’re putting on a new event – TechCrunch Disrupt – for two thousand or so of our closest friends in New York on May 24 – 26.
The event is all about innovation and disruption – lots of new companies will launch and battle it out to a top cash prize of $50,000 and a shower of press attention, and we’ve lined up some of the most interesting and powerful people in the media and Internet worlds to give deep insights into the creative destruction happening right now. Also, we’re putting you, the audience, on stage in most of the panels.
The event will sell out, but we understand that some people just can’t afford the ticket price, plus travel if you don’t live in or near New York City. So today we’re giving out five free tickets to the event. That’s $15,000 worth of tickets that we can give away thanks to sponsors like Yahoo, Second Market, Zoosk, Intuit, Bing, The Ladders and scvngr. → Read More
Are you one of the many that cried when you heard both the HP Slate and Microsoft Courier won’t make it to market? Fear not, friend. The Windows 7 Viliv S10 netbook / tablet is now shipping. → Read More
Justin.tv is finally kicking its mobile plans into high gear. Next week, the lifecasting company will release its Android app to beta users. Unlike its iPhone app (released last month), the Android offering will finally let users stream live video with a simple click and simultaneously chat as they shoot. It’s a simple interface, an image of your shot, a chat bar below and three buttons on the right hand side: chat, record and share. The official version for public consumption is slated for May.
Justin.tv is relatively late to the mobile game— rival Android and iPhone products from Ustream and Qik have been out for months— but the team argues that taking time to refine the products will help them grab more market share later this year. Video demo and interview with founder Justin Kan ahead. → Read More
Japanese gaming company DeNA reported strong fourth quarter and 2009 yearly results today, thanks to the recent growth of social gaming in Japan. For the fiscal fourth quarter, DeNA reported revenues of $205 million, an increase of 81% compared to fourth quarter of 2008. Operating income increased by 136% to $105 million from the fourth quarter of 2008. For fiscal 2009, DeNA reported revenues of $517 million, an increase of 28% compared to fiscal 2008. Operating income for the year increased by 34% to $228 million from fiscal 2008. Both fourth quarter and annual revenues as well as operating profits are record highs for DeNA.
DeNA launched in 1999 as an e-commerce company, and more recently moved towards the social gaming space, now developing in-house social games. The company has launched social game titles like Pirate Treasure, Hoshi-tsuku and Kaito Royale. DeNA has also licensed its games to mobile social networks, which Contributed to the revenue increase. And DeNA’s mobile gaming platform Moba-ge-tow has over 18 million registered members. → Read More
If you’re already up and running on webOS 1.4.1.1, it’s time to lay off of the Update button for a while. Palm just sent out an alert to developers detailing their plans for the next minor update — and as long as our math isn’t failing us, the dates work out to somewhere at the end of May or the beginning of June. → Read More
TechCrunch Europe will be co-locating with Engage, Invest, Exploit ’10 in Edinburgh on 12th May 2010. Our venue hosts will be holding EIE in the morning and in the afternoon TechCrunch Europe will be running an interactive seminar followed by a joint networking party for both events in the evening. Full details of the day are below. You can grab your tickets here.
Delegates will be able to mix between both events and confirmed investor guests include: TTP Ventures, TRICapital, The Entrepreneurial Exchange, Silicon Valley Bank, SigmaCapital, Seraphim Capital, Seedcamp, Scottish Equity Partners, PrioryHouse Ventures, Pivot Capital Partners, Pentech Ventures, Par Equity, LINC Scotland, Kelvin Capital, IQ Capital Partners, Hotspur Capital, Frontier IP Group, Elvingston Science Centre, Balderton Capital, Archangel Informal Investments, Angels Den, Amadeus Capital Partner, 4iP and numerous individual Angel Investors.
It should be a lot of fun, so come along. See below for the agenda → Read More
Here’s your chance to learn about and win an iHome iA5 iPhone/iPod dock with alarm clock! → Read More
The movie Pirates of Silicon Valley (based on the book Fire In The Valley) came out in 1999. The final scene takes place in 1997 when recently-reinstated (interim) CEO Steve Jobs takes the stage at Macworld to announce an alliance with Microsoft to ensure Apple’s future — with Bill Gates’ head on a giant screen behind him. Times have changed. Jobs has now been the official CEO for the past 10 years. Apple no longer goes to Macworld. The world now has the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad. Apple has over $40 billion in cash in the bank, and is rapidly approaching Microsoft in market cap. It’s probably time for a sequel.
That sequel, according to one TechCrunch reader, is Iron Man 2. → Read More
I think the headline says it all but Apple stores will be closed today 4:00 to 5:00PM – your local time – to prep for the launch. It also ssems you can buy the iPad 3G at Best Buy. → Read More
The quickest and easiest way to make your gloves touchscreen friendly. Too bad it’s spring. → Read More
This video was emailed to me this morning by a friend as an attachment along with the message “As I have always said, it is science that will save us from all of the most pressing issues of the day. This video truly is inspirational and speaks to mankind’s ability to innovate and evolve….”. A few frantic searches later and I found it on YouTube for you all to enjoy.
It’s not as breathtaking as the DIY CrunchPad kit, but it’s a scientific breakthrough nonetheless. More information here.
Video is below: → Read More
This is Thor. Thor SMASH~! → Read More
NEC has developed an eco-friendly cooling system for CPUs, claiming the technology [JP] uses uses 60% less energy than a water-cooling system and even 80% less than an air-cooling system. The core of the system is a liquid chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) substitute, which circulates around the CPU to draw away heat and has low greenhouse effects. → Read More
The G-Shock is a tough watch to love. They’re Casio’s answer to the Timex Ironman and, while they’re quite rugged, the line has drifted towards Swatch-esque fashion models. Well, I’m glad to report the GA-100 brings it all back home with a world-time feature and stop watch that brings to mind the Citizen Skyhawk series with its dedicated readout windows below bold hands.
The so-called “Three Eye” design (I guess the three dials – one analog and two digital – are the eyes? Whatever) and huge hands make this thing quite readable. The watch is light – about 70g – the watch is surprisingly cheap at about $99. It has a 1/1000th of a second stop watch, countdown timer, 29 time zones, and four alarms. It is shock and magnetically resistant, so you can wear it in the hatch in Lost. → Read More
