Anyone who runs a website, especially those who those who do the majority of their business through a web portal, know how important speedy load times are to keeping their customers engaged, on site, and happy.While there are a number of sources one can turn to for website optimization, few offer both optimization along with the ability to track incoming pageviews and cross-reference their page… → Read More
Someone wise once said “If Instagram for video were to happen it would look nothing like Instagram” but, because it was on Twitter, I briefly saw that tweet before it got lost in the ether and now I can’t find it, dammit. But whoever said this is right (please reach out if it was you, I want to give you credit) and also didn’t tell Viddy, which for the most part looks exactly like Instagram for… → Read More
This just might be the best stylus ever made. I’m completely serious. The problem with most styli is that there is never one around when needed. Besides that, the pen form factor is often not conducive for use on a small screen. But the MicroStylus, well, it’s so tiny yet functional that it’s perfect for the task. Plus it’s only $9.99 and stores neatly in a 3.5mm headphone jack. → Read More
Google’s sale of a previously purchased arm of the company this morning, 3D modeling software SketchUp, to Trimble, isn’t just something it does “every now and again”. It’s actually Google’s first divestment ever, according to two sources, and we’re hearing the search giant made a profit, as it sold SketchUp for more than it bought it for back in 2006.
This could signal a sea change in how… → Read More
So Google X founder Sebastian Thrun was on Charlie Rose last night showing off his latest creation, Project Glass. Which, if you haven’t seen by now, is quite possibly one of the most ambitious consumer products to come out of the Googleplex in recent memory. But until Thrun’s appearance on Rose, we didn’t actually know how the glasses would work other than the sizzle reel that was put together… → Read More
This afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the controversial Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) by a vote of 248 to 168. Unlike SOPA, which focused on copyright violations, CISPA wants to give Internet companies and the U.S. government the tools to protect and defend themselves against cyber attacks by sharing information with each other. Critics, however, argued… → Read More
So, in case you haven’t heard, Apple is doing pretty well. Things are different now without Steve at the helm, but change isn’t always bad. Although George Colony, taking the contrarian approach, would like to disagree.
Today, we’ve gotten word that Apple Senior Art Director Sharon Hwang, who headed the graphics design team, has left Apple to join Facebook’s product design team. Though it looks… → Read More
Don’t copy that pole vault! According to the London 2012 Olympic “conditions for ticket holders,” you are not allowed to take pictures or video of the events nor are you allowed to “exploit” any video on social networks.
Images, video and sound recordings of the Games taken by a Ticket Holder cannot be used for any purpose other than for private and domestic purposes and a Ticket Holder may… → Read More
Old movie buffs (and older readers) may remember a time when beer was sold in steel cans that were opened with a “church key.” Entourage star Adrian Grenier is tapping into that nostalgia, we hear, with a new beer startup he’s cofounding, Churchkey Can Co.
The cans are the old-timey variety that you probably haven’t seen since the 60s. They’re made of fully-recyclable steel, and require a… → Read More
He stole Facebook’s source code, but never copied, published, or sold it. Then he was arrested and imprisoned. Now released after four months in jail, Glenn Steven Mangham claims in a blog post that he’s an innocent white hat hacker who was trying to help Facebook patch security vulnerabilities.
However, Facebook responded to my request for a statement about the 26-year old’s claims with “Mr. → Read More
Amazon just wrapped up its earnings call for the first quarter fo the year, and the most common phrase may have been, “I probably can’t help you.”
To be fair, earnings calls are always a dance, where analysts try to pry more financial details and future plans out of executives, while executives don’t want to give anything away. But today’s call felt like a particularly egregious example —… → Read More
Stepping back from remarks a few weeks ago that suggested that Zynga was about to go on a shopping spree, Zynga chief executive Mark Pincus said the $180 million acquisition of Draw Something-maker OMGPOP was a “rare instance.”
Although OMGPOP was certainly a step up from anything Zynga has ever done before, Pincus said it didn’t represent a change in strategy from last year. He said Zynga will… → Read More
If, for whatever reason, you need to cover your tracks while you are browsing the web on your desktop, you have plenty of options to keep anonymous. Thanks to Orbot, Android users, too, have the option to use the Tor network to anonymize their web browsing sessions and avoid being monitored. Now, thanks to Onion Browser ($0.99), iPhone and iPad users also finally get an easy option to encrypt and… → Read More
We have always built and destroyed monopolies. Companies often start out good but slowly turn, for lack of a better word, evil. The twin dark stars of profit and market share bring even the kindest companies into a collision course with failure. I’d say Apple is headed down that road.
The company announced its 2012 Q2 earnings earlier this week and as MG pointed out, they’re nearly as… → Read More
Amazon just reported earnings for the first quarter of 2012. Net sales increased 34% to $13.18 billion in the first quarter, compared with $9.86 billion in first quarter 2011. Net income decreased 35% to $130 million in the first quarter, or $0.28 per diluted share, compared with net income of $201 million, or $0.44 per diluted share, in first quarter 2011. Analysts expected a profit of $0.07 per… → Read More
Zynga’s revenues rose 32 percent to $321 million in the first quarter, beating analysts’ estimates of $316.8 million in revenue and earnings of 5 cents a share excluding stock-based expenses. Bookings* came in at a record $329 million, up 15 percent over the year before, and up 7 percent compared to the previous quarter — meaning Zynga didn’t see that seasonal decline in revenues that Facebook… → Read More
Google is prolific when it comes to its in-house production, churning out new ideas and products all the time, and the company isn’t afraid to pull the plug if the idea doesn’t pan out. In fact, CEO Larry Page said in his “Update From The CEO” earlier this year that Google has shuttered or combined 30 products since April 2011. But this morning found Google making a relatively unusual move, … → Read More
On the same day that Amazon will be releasing its quarterly earnings, some research from comScore underscores just how far the company has come since launching its Kindle Fire tablet in November 2011.
The researchers say that as of February 2012, Amazon’s Kindle Fire now accounts for 54.4 percent of all Android tablets in the U.S. Given how many different models of Android tablets there are out… → Read More
Wolfram Alpha, the “computational knowledge engine,” just launched a desktop app for Windows 7 PCs through Intel’s AppUp store. After launching numerous iOS and Android apps (including for the B&N Nook and Amazon’s Kindle Fire), this is the first time Wolfram Alpha is introducing a dedicated desktop app for its service. The application costs $2.99 and is only available through Intel’s store. → Read More
This is so illegal that we can probably expect to see it fold in a matter of hours, but if you’re really hankering for some Russian or German TV right now – or some hott sexxxy Penthouse action – iOSLiveTV has you covered.
The site is formatted for iOS and Android and features a number of live TV channels including some adult selections. → Read More
May is going to be a busy month here in the city. Along with Disrupt and the continuation of our highly successful Office Hours sessions, we’re also hosting an ironically massive “Mini” Meet-Up in NYC on May 8.
Startups, investors, and general dreamers will have the opportunity to speak with each other, as well as parts of the TechCrunch editorial staff to network, pitch, and be merry. There… → Read More
SendHub, the YC-backed messaging service which has been growing like crazy this year, has just scored $2 million in seed funding in a round led by Kapor Capital, and with participation from Menlo Ventures, 500 Startups, Howard Lindzon’s Social Leverage fund, Bronze Investments, as well as angels Eric Ries, Jawed Karim, Paul Buchheit and a handful of private angel investors.
Nope, not a bad… → Read More
“In the Studio” marches on this week with yet another entrepreneur who on the surface seems too young to be a founder/CEO, until you peel back the layers and realize that he actually has a decade’s worth of experience building web products, has built his own consulting services, has built sites that have been acquired for real sums of money, spent his nights in high school in a big city tech… → Read More
Citing poor sales of the Nintendo 3DS and “the stronger yen against the euro was also another reason,” Nintendo posted its first-ever loss – $534.6 million on revenue of $8 billion. This is down from $12.6 billion in revenue last year with $960 million in profit.
But, as they say, it’s dangerous to invest alone. Here, take this: the company is predicting a profit of $429 million next year. → Read More
Twitter just announced the latest updates to its mobile apps for Android and iOS. With these updates, these apps get a number of much-needed new features, including an improved Discover tab, better support for search and support for push notifications for interactions. These new push notifications now let you know whenever somebody retweets you, favorites one of your tweets or when somebody new… → Read More
In both sports and the tech industry, you win some and you lose some. Even though OnSports chief executive Aaron Krane got a nasty black eye this week in a pick-up basketball game, his company just closed a $2 million round led by Mike Maples’ Floodgate fund.
The company, also known as Hitpost, makes this mobile app OnSports which has live discussions, polls and news about sports. It’s aiming… → Read More
There are plenty of places to turn if one is looking to buy prescription glasses, but the problem is that most of those options are expensive. So David Gilboa and Neil Blumenthal started Warby Parker last year to breathe some new life into the eyewear industry by selling designer, prescription glasses online — for $95. The New York-based startup has since gone on to raise $13.5 million from a… → Read More
The startup accelerator scene is booming, and that means there will be days like today, when a bunch of news from the various incubators around the country hits all at the same time. Today, we’ve got the details from several of the newer programs, some of which are announcing their new spring classes, others which are wrapping up with demo days. The result, in either case, is that there are now… → Read More
Twitter co-founder, and Square CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey sat down with Charlie Rose yesterday to talk about the two companies he’s developed as well as Facebook’s $1 billion acquisition of Instagram and the “digital revolution.” The entire interview is just under 18 minutes, and is worth a watch, but here are some of the highlights:
As Square revealed yesterday, the payments company is now… → Read More
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