Another day, another leaked Android handset to lust over. This one looks like it just might dethrone the Droid X as Verizon’s flagship Android device — or at least give it one hell of a fight. The Droid X isn’t the only handset in danger of taking some damage from this one, though; this things a near one-to-one match with the Sprint EVO 4G, both in looks and specs.
Hear that rumble? That’s everyone that works at Sprint letting out a collective groan. → Read More
Jeroen Domburg, aka “sprite”, has written an excellent step-by-step security analysis of the iStorage DiskGenie. The DiskGenie is a hardware encryption solution for portable hard drives that operates completely free of client-side software. The hard drive inside the DiskGenie is unlocked by way of a keypad built into the casing. I’m always a little skeptical of the real-world security of consumer encryption products like this: if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years it’s that physical access to a device means almost complete control over that device. Domburg delves into some nitty-gritty hardware attacks in his evaluation of the DiskGenie, further reinforcing that physical access is usually complete access. → Read More
While at Basel I got to meet with RSW and check out these watches first-hand. You should know that the collection started life as the RSW Outland from a couple of years ago. You can see how the watches share the same case and strap. The Outland was a bit of a wild timepiece that was interesting all over and demanded attention. What it didn’t demand was too much of the avant garde market share. People liked the case more than the dial (which was interesting but certainly demanded an acquired taste). They also may have not been thrilled with the price. So while the Outland wasn’t a failure per se, it was more of a niche item. RSW had something special with the Outland case and wanted to have a more mainstream product. The disc based time-telling system has merged into a simple three-hand dial (why the watch is called the “3H” – for three hands), and it is being offered with a big variety of colors. I actually think there are too many color options to start. You can easily like so many of them that you won’t known which to buy if you like the watch – this often leads to people not buying anything. A condition known a “choice paralysis.” What RSW should do (and I told them), is release just a few colors at a time. Each 6 months to a year release some new colors to keep things fresh and lure potential buyers who have been hovering around the idea to buy. Again, I digress. RSW is really making my thoughts wander. → Read More
Later this year, California residents will be voting on Proposition 19, a measure that would legalize marijuana in the state. And, given how much controversy revolves around the issue (think of the children!), we’re bound to see plenty of ads in the run-up to the November 2 election. Thing is, you won’t be seeing ads in favor of legalization on some of the web’s most popular sites, because their parent companies are afraid of being associated with a pro-marijuana stance.
The issue has come to a head over at Reddit, which reported to its users earlier today that its parent company Condé Nast would not allow it to accept paid ads in support of Prop. 19. Redditors predictably rebelled, voting up numerous stories in favor of the law (see screenshot below). And now, in a daring move, Reddit is fighting back too: it’s announced that it will begin running ads supporting Proposition 19, free of charge. → Read More
StockTwits has built a business out of people tweeting their thoughts and actions around various public stocks. SecondMarket has built a business out of people interested in the buying and selling of various private stocks. It seems only natural to shove the two together. Which is exactly what they’re doing today with a new partnership.
As you may be aware, to send a tweet to StockTwits, you have to append the “$SYMBOL” syntax to your tweet. The same idea will now work with these private stocks that SecondMarket tracks. For example, if you’re interested in TechCrunch stock, you’d tweet your thoughts with “$TCRH” appended on to the tweet. For Facebook, you’d use “$FBOOK“. For Twitter, “$TWIT“. And so on. → Read More
The entire Internet (aka Facebook, Google, Apple AOL, Facebook, eBay, Netflix, Office Depot, OfficeMax, Staples, Yahoo, and YouTube) has just been served with a vague and vast patent violation suit from Microsoft’s co-founder Paul Allen. As patent suits are notoriously unpopular, the response from tech pundits has been apprehensive. Now the companies named are starting to hit back, a representative from Facebook told TechCrunch, “We believe this suit is completely without merit and we will fight it vigorously.” → Read More
If you like reading Wired, and odds are if you read this website you do, you’ll be interested to know that you can get a 1-year subscription for $3.99. Just hop over to Discount Mags, and enter the coupon code “WOOTDEALS” and you can pick up 12 issues of geeky goodness. [via DealNews] → Read More
Years ago, the music industry could have blamed falling album sales on piracy. “Nobody’s buying the latest Chingy because they’re just downloading a 128CBR rip from Suprnova~!” What’s the excuse now when people have loads of legitimate digital options—iTunes, Zune, Pandora, Spotify, Rdio, etc.—at their fingertips? Oh, right: it’s still piracy. Please update your act. → Read More
How crazy is this Chilean mine story? Guys have been trapped down there for three weeks! And despite that, they seem to be in pretty good spirits. I mean, they’re far more cheery than anyone I know, that’s for sure. → Read More
Anyone who thought Sony was simply going to sit back and allow that “jailbreak” dongle to be sold with impunity, ja! Sony, in Australia, has convinced the courts to place an injunction on the sale and importation of the dongle there. No homebrew and/or piracy for you, Australia. → Read More
Google has just bought TechCrunch50 startup Angstro according to a post on the company’s site. The company’s founder, entrepreneur Rohit Khare, has joined Google to work on the company’s social networking product Google Me, according to an L.A. Times report.
Angstro launched in 2008 as a newspaper for people in your professional network. The site skimmed through content across blogs, news sites, and a number of other sources to look for material that is related to the people you know and work with. → Read More
When Microsoft launched Windows Live Sync in beta at the end of June, it merged it with its long-awaited Windows Live Mesh, but both still kept separate branding. The product will take on the Windows Live Mesh branding in the next couple of months. There are a few other changes coming too.
Right now Windows Live Sync, which is already being used by 240,000 people in beta, syncs files between PCs or between PCs and the cloud (mobile will be added later, but that is the ultimate vision). Syncing between PCs is unlimited, but syncing to the cloud up till now has been capped at 2 gigabytes per account. That will soon be increased to 5 gigabytes. → Read More
Shanzai performed some decidedly sober analysis of the tablet market and came away with one simple conclusion: no matter how much LG boasts, no matter how much Samsung leaks, no matter how many Notion Inks ship, the tablet market is sewn up this year. Why? Because no one will have product in pipeline for the holidays and thus the only things selling in the slate form factor will be the Kindle, Nook, and iPad, in that order, and you’ll note that two of those items aren’t tablets. → Read More
Crafty commerce site Etsy just raised another $20 million in its fifth venture round (that would be the Series E). London-based Index Ventures is the new investor leading the round, with partner Danny Rimer getting an observer’s seat on the board. (The board is made up of founder Rob Kalin, Caterina Fake, Accel partner Jim Breyer and Union Square Ventures partner Fred Wilson). Previous investors Accel and Hubert Burda Media put in some money as well in this round. → Read More
Sanyo in Japan today announced [JP] what it says is the world’s first solar-cell-equipped public bus, the Solarve (which stands for Solar Vehicle). The bus was unveiled to commemorate the 100th anniversary of a Japanese transportation and logistics company called Ryobi [JP]. The Solarve is essentially a city bus with solar cells on top that generate power for its interior LED lights. → Read More
The Founders Club, essentially a vehicle for startup founders to invest their own equity in other startups, has added to its pot by pulling in an angel investment round from some high-profile investors.
These include Edmund Truell (formely of Duke Street Capital, Hambro European Ventures and the former chairman of the British Venture Capital Association), Jon Moulton (Better Capital, Alchemy Partners, Apax), André Jaeggi (a funds of funds veteran), telecoms chief Chris Burke (BlackBerry & Vodafone) and a smattering of other CEOs and VCs have made “undisclosed personal cash investments”. An additional portion of equity in the Club has been reserved for new members. The club invest in tech and cleantech companies.
Andrew Romans, founder and general partner, says they have created a formalized process for the normally informal one where existing CEOs and VCs invest in other startups. That’s the simple way of putting it. → Read More
Apparently someone is thinking about creating a movie based on Red Dead Redemption, and they want Brad Pitt to play John Marston. Could be neat. → Read More
Like John Henry dying at his hammer, Blockbuster is just about ready to stop being a steel-driving man. According to the LA Times, the company could file for bankruptcy as soon as September in a move, while dire, doesn’t specifically mean the end of the company. → Read More
The busy green tech industry is teeming with companies focused on alternative energy. Some of the biggest new sources of energy they are trying to tap into include solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass and fuel cells. Most companies harnessing each power source are pursuing somewhat similar technologies – such as photovoltaic cells in solar, turbines in wind and hydroelectric – and then innovate from there.
There are also many companies, however, that also focus on green technology and alternative energy but in different ways. Here are five you may not have heard of that are worth keeping an eye on. They are developing new ways to capture and store energy, light up our world, and power our vehicles. → Read More
Editor’s note: The following guest post is by Kim-Mai Cutler.
Nearly four years after Apple launched the iPhone and two years after Google open-sourced the code for its Android operating system, Microsoft is finally set to re-enter the mobile market this holiday season in a serious way with Windows Phone 7.
It is trying to catch up to those more modern smartphones the only way it can — with cold, hard cash.
The company could spend a half-billion dollars or more in marketing costs and payments to developers and handset manufacturers to subsidize the expense of building phones and apps, so that the Windows Phone 7 ecosystem is well-seeded at launch. → Read More
