It looks as though the forthcoming seventh-generation iPod nano will undergo some hardware changes, according to some allegedly leaked pictures. Apple may be bringing back the camera – but losing the clip. → Read More
The giveaways at Google I/O have become one of the most-publicized features of the conference; after all, the new features and frameworks matter to developers, but Oprah MomentsTM tend to resonate on the internet. Previously it was handsets being given away, but this year, with Android handset numbers blocking out the sun and tablets underdeveloped, it was Honeycomb that ended up in developers’… → Read More
Microsoft’s purchase of Skype for $8.5 billion in cash is a massive bet for the tech giant.
Although it look like it may have over-paid by $4.5 billion, and bid against companies who weren’t seriously in the running (Google and Facebook), owning Skype means Microsoft has a much better positioning in mobile.
But that’s not all.
The implications of this deal for Facebook are actually far more… → Read More
Hello there, world! The name’s Jordan Crook, and I thought I’d take a moment during my first day here at CrunchGear to introduce myself. Along with my passion for unicorns and long walks on the beach, most of my time is spent reading, reporting, and writing about technology, watching as much TV as possible, exploring the wonder that is New York City, and working on a “novel” that seems to… → Read More
Today at Google’s I/O conference in San Francisco, a group of executives sat down the with press to answer questions about the announcements made during the keynote earlier in the day. Much of the news revolved around Android, as did many of the questions. And since Android head Andy Rubin was present, someone decided to ask about the future of Google’s own Nexus brand of devices.
Google doesn’t… → Read More
Nuance, a company that develops imaging and voice recognition technologies, has announced the acquisition of print management and cost recovery software developer Equitrac. Nuance is shelling out $157 million in cash for the company, and the deal is expected to close in September of this year.
Equitrac’s software helps businesses effectively manage their printing environments, reduce printing… → Read More
With Microsoft having confirmed its acquisition of Skype, sources tell TechCrunch Europe that Redmond outbid its closest rival, Google, by almost two-to-one. Meanwhile, Facebook is said to have never been in the running.
According to a source who claims knowledge of talks held between all parties, Google came in second at a price of $4B, while Microsoft will be paying $8.5B. This suggests that… → Read More
Google’s mantra of launching products early and often didn’t exactly work with Google TV. It hit the ground with a gimped feature set and limited hardware options. The analogy of Android simply hasn’t held true as hardware makers and retail vendors alike simply haven’t picked up the devices. Today, at Google I/O, new hardware partners were announced as well as an updated OS. Google TV might… → Read More
Startup Sourcebits has raised $10 million in Series A funding from Sequoia Capital and IDG Ventures today.
Sourcebits, which has operations in both India and Atlanta, creates apps for the iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Palm Pre and Windows 7 mobile platforms. The company, whose client base includes companies ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small start-ups, has developed over 300… → Read More
In this post-PC world, tablets and phones are starting to be our main devices. But what if we want to do something special with like like adding keyboards, mice, and game controllers. Google is working on a new project called the Android Open Accessory toolkit that will allow designers to use open source hardware interfaces like Arduino to connect multiple input devices to almost any Android… → Read More
At Google i/o today a Google representative dropped some numbers about the success of Android today, introduced by a video of a 3D Android robot scaling a mountain of Android activations. There have been over 100 million Android activations worldwide, through over 36 OEMs, 215 carriers. There are 450,000 Android developers, developing for more than 310 Android devices in 112 countries .
Android… → Read More
Google tends to hide fun little messages in the shirts they pass out at each years Google I/O conference, and this year’s shirt is no exception. If you’re lookin’ to crack the code yourself, everything you need is in the image up above (larger version here). If you’re just interested in what’s hidden within, take a peek behind the jump for the spoilers. → Read More
Today at their I/O conference in San Francisco, Google had a range of things to announce, many of them about Android. By far the most interesting thing to me was the notion that Google is finally getting their carrier and OEM partners in line with regard to Android updates.
Well, that’s the plan anyway. The actual details are very thin at the moment. → Read More
Uber is a black car service that you can schedule via a mobile app. It’s slightly more expensive than taxis, but it is absolutely worth it, and I now rely on it to get around in San Francsico.
The way it works is that black car drivers have an iPhone with their own special Uber app. When someone requests a car, the drivers close to that person see the request, and any of them can grab it. They… → Read More
Android Honeycomb 3.1, Google’s tablet OS, is getting a major update today, and it will be available first for the Motorola Xoom from Verizon. The new OS version includes a more powerful task handler that allows for immediate shutdown of idle tasks without user intervention, an issue that has long plagued many Android versions. → Read More
We’re here at Google’s I/O conference in San Francisco where the search giant will take the stage shortly for the day one keynote. What’s coming? Hard to say for sure — except Google Music Beta, that seems to be a slam dunk at this point.
Below, find our live notes from the event. → Read More
Minibloq is a programming language for Arduino motherboards designed to make it fun and easy for kids to make their own microprocessor projects.
How does it work? Well, it’s a bit convoluted but you basically plug in a board and program it using either graphical objects or text source code. It’s completely portable and runs on multiple platforms including the OLPC. The product will be technically… → Read More
If you’ve been following the rise of Android, you’ve probably seen some of the controversy around how open (or not) Google’s hugely successful mobile OS actually is. In October Android Chief Andy Rubin provided his first definition: a command that can be used to download the Android source. But that didn’t convince everyone, and the issue came to a head last month when it was revealed that Google… → Read More
Behold the HM3 Frog Zr, aka “Black Frog,” the newest highly limited watch from MB&F – there will only be 18 pieces. Unless I am mistaken, this is the first watch offered by the boutique brand done in zirconium (hence the Zr part of the name). Zirconium is a rare metal similar to titanium, but known to be more robust. According to MB&F, most zirconium is used in nuclear reactors and… → Read More
Y Combinator just gets bigger and bigger. They invest in batches, twice a year. The last batch had 44 startups, an all time high. But that record is about to be shattered – they’ve accepted 60+ startups for the Summer 2011 batch.
Since 2005 Y Combinator has invested in 313 startups, including this most recent batch. They have six partners to manage all of these investments, with three of those… → Read More
In the past, Zynga has landed a number of high-profile partnerships with musicians and entertainment companies, including Snoop Dogg, Dreamworks, Nickelodeon, The Green Hornet and others. But today, the social gaming giant is announcing its largest entertainment deal to date-with pop star Lady Gaga.
Lady Gaga has partnered with Zynga previously, when the company was raising money for releif… → Read More
Stargate Universe wrapped last night. I teared-up a bit. The season two finale is said to be the show’s last episode as NBC didn’t renew the show and MGM canned the whole franchise. But one Facebook group is trying to change that. → Read More
Another day, another set of robotic quadrocopters flying in formation. In our continuing series featuring the GRASP manhack quadrocopters, we present a video of the wee robots flying in perfect formation in their string cage. → Read More
Sony Computer Entertainment Japan announced [JP] a set of 6 earphones for PSP users today. The earphones are nothing special technically (100dB/mW sensitivity, 16Ω impedance, 1.2m cable length), but their colors match the PSP’s color variations, plus they feature the PSP logo. → Read More
While online to offline buying is growing rapidly, so is e-commerce, according to comScore’s latest data. The research company is reporting that online retail spending online retail spending reached $38 billion for the quarter, up 12 percent from a year ago. This is the sixth consecutive quarter of positive year-over-year growth and second consecutive quarter of double-digit growth rates, says… → Read More
The EV owner’s worst nightmare is not having enough juice to make home. Range anxiety as it’s often called will likely become less of an issue as batteries increase in life and more charging stations are installed but right now range anxiety is alive and well. The City of San Francisco is taking one of the first steps to reduce this issue by installing stations in city-owned parking lots and not… → Read More
As anticipated, Google unveiled their music service today at their I/O conference, Music Beta. The emphasis is on the “beta” right now as Google clearly isn’t launching the full service they had wanted to — you can thank the music labels for that. So how is it? What does it look like?
We’ve been granted early access to the service and have done a quick walkthrough. Below, find some screenshots… → Read More
In honor of our fighting men and women watchmaker Blancier has created an affordable and fairly handsome quartz chrono called the Desert Wold. At $395 it’s a rugged and well-priced piece and it features a matte steel body, double-sided anti-reflective crystal, and Super-LumiNova pips and hands. I have one here in my hot little hands so I’ll be reviewing it over the next few days but… → Read More
BehavioSec, a security startup spun out of research at Sweden’s Luleå Technical University, has raised €1 million in a round led by Conor Venture Partners, Partnerinvest Norr and Innovationsbron. Previous investors, Lunova, PNF Venture Capital and Norrlandsfonden also participated.
The new funding will be used to accelerate the company’s expansion into international markets and to service… → Read More
Remember that plug-in Prius we drove for a bit? Yeah, Toyota is bringing that technology to more models. The Prius has long been the popular hybrid vehicle but cars like the Volt and Leaf are stealing a good deal of the public’s love thanks to their plug-in ability. It seems Toyota is looking to recapture some of its lost karma by shifting the entire Prius line to plug-in hybrids by the 2014 model… → Read More
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