Why is it that the coolest things are always out of my price range? Wait, don’t answer that. Let me rephrase. Why is it that the coolest things are always way out of my price range?
Case in point: this amazing Swiss wall clock from illi, which beats the seconds with its little blocks, then opens up crazily to reveal the actual time whenever you ask it to. → Read More
Three weeks into his job, Facebook Director of Gaming Partnerships Sean Ryan made bold advances to developers during the M&A panel at Inside Social Apps. When discussing what games should be built on what platforms, Ryan said, referring to Facebook, “Well if you’re building social I can’t image you not building on the world’s best social network” which drew noise from the crowd.
Ryan went on to say that single player games like the immensely popular Angry Birds “wouldn’t make a lot of sense” on the social platform, as building on the almost 600M strong Facebook platform isn’t just about an endless supply of users but about games that highlight interactions. → Read More
Abound Solar, which makes thin-film cadmium telluride solar panels, has attained certifications that will allow the company to receive feed-in tariffs in the U.K. and pursue sales there aggressively.
With a feed-in tariff, utilities agree to pay a premium, but stable, rate for power generated from renewable sources, both as the utility uses the power, or as it is fed back through the grid to be redistributed and sold elsewhere.
Often controversial, feed-in tariffs are meant to drive the rapid adoption of clean energy by homeowners and utilities alike. Critics believe they give a better payout to utilities but hurt consumers, or that they tip the scales in favor of one technology (like solar) over others (such as wind, or geothermal) unfairly… → Read More
We’ve all walked down the street and seen someone with a weird tattoo and thought, “they’re going to regret that later”. What may seem cool at the time, might not seem so cool years from now. Is it possible that the current crop of mobile photo filters will lead to the same type of regret? PicPlz clearly thinks it’s possible.
A new feature the service announced today is Dropbox integration. This nifty ability has been turned on from the backend, so iPhone, Android, and web users can use it immediately. And if you do use it, you’ll be able to automatically save both your original photo and your filtered photo to your Dropbox account in the cloud. → Read More
Earlier today, we reported on a lot of chatter that Twitter was being blocked in Egypt amid rising protests. We can now confirm that they are being blocked. Two tweets from the service tonight confirm it.
“We can confirm that Twitter was blocked in Egypt around 8am PT today. It is impacting both Twitter.com & applications,” Twitter communications head Sean Garrett just tweeted out via their new PR account. “We believe that the open exchange of info & views benefits societies & helps govts better connect w/ their people,” he continued in a second tweet. → Read More
Hey, if I dish it out, I have to be able to take it, too. And take it today I have. We’ve put up this ridiculous interstitial ad here on TechCrunch that appears the first time you visit the site.
It’s an ad for Dell. I like Dell, and before I went to Macs I mostly bought their computers. But the ad sucks.
Anecdotally I’ve heard that interstitial ads perform well because they don’t give the visitor any choice. They view the ad, then they get on the site. Lots of impressions and clicks and stuff that the sales guys love.
But like you I don’t like them. I tend to stop visiting sites that show them. They aren’t as bad as the ridiculous ads that float over the text you’re trying to read, but they are in the same ballpark. → Read More
Today at the Inside Social Apps conference in San Francisco, Inside Network’s Kim-Mai Cutler sat down with Eric Chu, a group manager at Google for the Android platform. The two discussed the platform mainly from a developer perspective. And the initial question may have been the most interesting.
When asked about the status of an in-app payment system for Android, Chu noted that it was set to launch last quarter, but it was forced to be delayed. Why was it delayed? “Developers were busy with their Christmas applications,” Chu said. “So we couldn’t get enough feedback,” he continued. → Read More
If you asked most folks what NFC means they’d probably mumble something about the Giants and wave you off. However, Near Field Communication is here to stay and if Google and Apple’s current and potential implementations are any indication, we’ll be using NFC devices in the next two years, at least in some specific environments. First, though, what is Near Field Communication (NFC)? At its core it’s a low-power radio system that allows short-range data transfer at distances around 3 inches, or 10 centimeters. There are multiple modes, although the most important is passive mode, in which a device acts as a programmable smart card. For example, an NFC transmitter could pose as any number of RFIDs as well as interact, albeit briefly, with security systems and payment kiosks. In short, an NFC transmitter becomes both a wallet and a personal ID. → Read More
For the last few years we have gotten a new Tissot T-Touch style watch each year. Last year it was the Tissot Sailing-Touch, and for 2011 it will be the Racing-Touch (Racing T-Touch). Here is a sneak peak as what Tissot’s new T-Touch model will be all about. → Read More
At the tail-end of Yahoo’s fourth quarter earnings conference call today, CEO Carol Bartz was asked about competition with Facebook in display advertising. Facebook has come out of nowhere to account for nearly a quarter of all display ads on the Internet.
“There is some confusion about whether Facebook leads in display advertising,” Bartz responded. “It is because they have a lot of little impressions. We actually lead in display revenue.” But in fact, the two may be neck and neck. In 2010, Yahoo’s reported display ad revenues (after taking out traffic acquisition costs, the part they give to partner sites which run its ads) were $1.89 billion. Meanwhile, Facebook’s estimated global ad revenues for 2010 were $1.86 billion, with ad revenues expected to more than double to $4 billion this year. (Earnings slides after the jump). → Read More
Home theater aficionados probably won’t be interested in this minimal setup, but I kind of like it. The five-speaker-plus-sub thing is great if you’ve got a room for it, or can afford to outfit it correctly, but for the average apartment-dweller or someone who just doesn’t care that much about surround sound, a good soundbar like this SB 16 from Harmon Kardon could be just what the doctor ordered. → Read More
Enterprise software isn’t as sexy a topic as the iPhone or consumer apps. So why do I love to cover it? The fights.
While most consumer Internet companies view their market as a warm and fuzzy place where there can be multiple winners, in enterprise software it’s a slug fest. Companies are competing head-to-head for deals and customers want as few software vendors as possible. That means scrappy founders who love to joust– especially those trained in the school of His Royal Highness of Jousting, Oracle’s Larry Ellison.
In this second segment of our sit down with Jive’s Tony Zingale, he throws down on competitors like Yammer and Salesforce and explains why he loves his competitors’ freemium model, saying “They’re the best lead gen source we have, because the moment anyone gets serious they call Jive.”(By the way, if a named competitor would like to come on TCTV and have your say, you’ve got our number.)
Only an enterprise software exec would say someone calling his sales force “ex-Mercury sons-of-bitches” was “flattering.” → Read More
In an industry first, Sony Ericsson strategic business developer Martin Essl just announced that Sony Ericsson will integrate Facebook’s Single Sign On system across all its Android phones in the next couple of months. Launched in December, Single Sign On is like Facebook Connect for mobile apps, removing friction because it allows you to log into all apps that use Facebook Connect just by logging into one.
Essl did not go into the specifics of the integration but revealed that the Facebook app will come preloaded on all phones and there will be an (optional) initial walk through process for Single Sign On as part of the phone setup. Essl also said there would be additional integrations beyond what the Facebook app can already do. → Read More
Over the past year, the support system for New York City entrepreneurs and tech startups has grown significantly including the addition of: TechStars NYC mentoring and seed funding program, a new Manhattan branch of Accel Partners, and the opening of a startup academy and co-work space for startups and serial entrepreneurs, General Assemb.ly.
Today, DreamIt Ventures announced its expansion to the Big Apple, just one hour or so away from its original Philadelphia startup accelerator.
DreamIt Ventures provides up to $25,000 in seed funding to its portfolio companies, along with coaching, exclusive speaking engagements, a chance to pitch at a Demo Day to affiliated angel and venture investors, and a collaborative workspace. The organization has yet to sign a lease on (or reveal the address of) its Manhattan location, but has confirmed that the following entrepreneurs will serve as advisors to companies accepted into its NYC program this spring: → Read More
After the news that Facebook Credits would become mandatory in five months was broken yesterday, Facebook Head of Product Marketing Deb Liu addressed developer concerns today at the Inside Social Apps conference.
When moderator Eric Eldon alluded to fears that mandatory Facebook Credits would put some developers out of business, Liu said, “Every single day we know developers get to choose between our platforms and another platform” a statement which was met with laughter from the audience, as Facebook is the most dominant player in the space and for some the only option for such large scale distribution. Liu recomposed, “We want to make Facebook the most attractive place to invest, and keep users with credits in their pockets.” → Read More
Hey, you! Owner of a BlackBerry Bold 9650 or Curve 3G on Verizon! Are you ready to join an exclusive group of energetic and intelligent individuals looking to explore the furthest reaches of the Galaxy?
That’s cool, but you’re going to have to settle for an operating system update. → Read More
A good pair of portable speakers is hard to find. Well, not that hard, but non-powered speakers that produce good sound and yet fit comfortably in a bag aren’t exactly littering the ground. Razer looks to remedy this with their Ferox sound system, a pair of egg-shaped speakers that open up at the top and provide “360 degree omni-directional acoustics.”
We’ll forgive them for using that phrase. They have acknowledged they have an overstatement problem, and they are going to see someone about it. → Read More
It was only this past October that Hipmunk closed a “hyper-competitive” from many of the usual angel suspects. But Hipmunk obviously has lofty goals to disrupt the airline travel industry. So they’re probably going to need more than $1 million to do that. And now they’re getting more — they’re in the process of closing a new $6 million round of funding, we’ve learned.
The company has confirmed the new round, but has declined to offer up any further details just yet. We’re still digging — the current SEC document on the funding suggests that they’ve only secured $4.6 millon of the round, so far. The Y Combinator company also previously took a very small seed from the incubator back in mid 2010. → Read More
1. Buy the enclosure in black, white, or blue. 2. Connect to PS3 or PC. 3. ???? 4. Profit! → Read More
It’s funny. When I tell my ‘normal’ friends that I’ve just come from Facebook’s office or need to head down to Google’s campus in Mountain View, they often give me a strange look, as if I’ve just told them I’m about to make a house call to the Easter Bunny. These companies aren’t places inhabited by actual people — they’re nebulous things coursing through the Internet’s series of tubes.
But I can’t blame them. Most of the startup profiles we see in magazines feature a portrait of the founders solemnly gazing into the distance as they plot to change the world with their revolutionary new sharing widget. Sometimes there’s a snapshot of a few desks, each of which is far too neat for anyone to actually have done any work on. There’s got to be a better way. → Read More
