Matt is a Senior Editor at TechCrunch.
Matt Burns is a family man first and attempts to be a writer second. Born and raised in the heart of the automotive world, only cars eclipse his love of gadgets. He previously wrote for Engadget and EngadgetHD before moving into the party house that is TechCrunch. He learned the retail side of electronics during a six year stint at Circuit City while studying economics at the University of Michigan.
In what can only be called an exodus, WordPress’ co-founder Matt Mullenweg posted on his blog Sunday night that over 72,000 new blog posts were imported within a single hour. This is a massive spike considering that WordPress usually just sees 400 to 600 imported posts on most Sundays. It’s a tiny percentage of Tumblr’s 50.9B posts but it’s an important consideration that Tumblr – and now Yahoo… → Read More
Google is prepping… something. An announced Google media streamer was recently found in the FCC’s testing database. Details are nearly nonexistent as most are held under a confidentiality agreement for the next 45 days. However, the documents released to the public call the device several times a “media player” and that it features WiFi connectivity. → Read More
I like little notebooks. I need a place for my introspective musings. Moleskine notebooks are fine. But now there’s DODOnotes, a clever little notebook *slash* iPhone holder that could soon earn a place in my pocket.
This contraption is from DODOcase, the same San Francisco-based startup that created the make-a-tablet-look-like-a-book craze. DODOnotes costs $13.95 and is available for both the… → Read More
Get ready for a whole lot more Pebble. The smartwatch company just announced several software enhancements for the Pebble and a $15M Series A led by Charles River Ventures. Pebble is not going to sit around, scared of iWatch rumors. They’re plowing forward on their own accord and committed to providing the best platform possible for developers and consumers.
“We are pledging to support the… → Read More
Today at BlackBerry Live, CEO Thorsten Heins announced BBM will soon be available on Android and iOS. The messaging app will launch globally this summer. This is a huge move for BlackBerry as it brings BB10′s strongest feature to literally hundreds of millions of potential users.
“It is a state of confidence,” Heins explained. “The BB10 platform is so strong and the response has been so good… → Read More
Today at BlackBerry Live, CEO Thorsten Heins announced the availability of BB 10.1 for the Z10. This first major update to BlackBerry’s next-gen mobile platform starts rolling out today and packs a moderate amount of updates. “By the end of this week, the vast majority of our international carriers will offer this update,” Heins detailed. “US carriers will offer it by the… → Read More
I’m addicted to Dots. It’s betaworks‘ new game. 389. That’s my high score. No power-ups. I’m pretty proud of it. The game consumes my time. I no longer browse reddit during my “private times”; I play Dots.
Dots is simple. It’s elegant. The game has restored my faith in mobile game development. But more importantly, it’s fucking addicting. I can’t put it down. → Read More
Posted without comment because it really doesn’t need a comment. I mean, it’s the new Arrested Development trailer — just watch it and count down the days until the Bluth family returns to Netflix on May 26. → Read More
Nest proved that energy monitoring can be tantalizing. And it’s about to get even better. The company just announced that it has acquired MyEnergy to further enhance its suite of monitoring tools. Terms of deal were not released. → Read More
The Fitbit Flex is a Fitbit you wear on your wrist. And it’s awesome.
Without naming names, I’ve owned and extensively used just about every quantitative self gadget on the market. Most of them are just one step away from being a gimmick. The Fitbits have always been my favorite. But I’ve lost more than I’m willing to admit. The various Fitbits are just so tiny they slip out of my pocket or… → Read More
When was the last time you talked about Acer? Never? Me too. The company, which is the fourth largest PC maker in the world by the way, announced the Acer Aspire R7 this morning. It’s a mighty morphing Windows 8 portable. Like the Lenovo Yoga, it features versatile hinges that allow the computer to take different forms.
The Aspire R7 is not the next big thing. No one is going to buy this… → Read More
Innovation FTW! The Stinky Gaming Footboard reached its Kickstarter goal. The novel gaming controller is headed to production. I have a Stinky under my desk right now. Much to my surprise, the controller earned a place in my life. I reviewed the unit several weeks ago and doubted it was more than a novelty. But it’s still there and I’m starting to really enjoy using it. The controller… → Read More
The champagne bottles are empty. The startups are packing up. TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2013 is a wrap, and it was a hell of a show. Enigma won the Startup Battlefield, taking home $50,000 and the Disrupt Cup. Ryan Lawler’s Urban Transportation panel was somehow more rowdy than Josh Constine’s talk with Rap Genius. Ashton Kutcher showed up and proved yet again his value as a Silicon Valley… → Read More
This is it, friends: The last day of Disrupt NY 2013. After two days of kick-ass panels and 30 companies launching in the Startup Battlefield, we’re ready to wrap this year’s New York show in style. First up today is a talk between our Josh Constine with the rowdy startup Rap Genius. But it only gets better from there. Ryan Lawler’s transportation panel will be rather interesting… → Read More
And with the conclusion of the last Battlefield Startup presentation, the second day of TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2013 has come to a close. The day kicked off with a talk between noted New York City venture capitalist Fred Wilson and TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington, who recently became a VC himself. The two talked Bitcoins and traded VC stories with Wilson giving tips for pitching a venture… → Read More
The first day of TechCrunch Disrupt NY is a wrap.
The morning started with a fireside chat with Chris Dixon and Eric Eldon where the Andreessen Horowitz partner explained his take on Bitcoin startups and how 3D printing could transform manufacturing. → Read More
Without proper care batteries can wither and die like a delicate tulip roasting in the bright sun from an unseasonably warm spring day — a fact made exponentially worse when the battery in your $60k vehicle no longer functions properly.
With that in mind, Tesla just unveiled an impressive new warranty for the Model S battery pack. With the notable exception of a vehicle accident or a curious… → Read More
Android apps are no longer allowed to push updates, even beta updates, without going through the Play Store — this includes Facebook Home. This change abruptly closes a loophole previously utilized most famously by Facebook to push beta updates to a limited amount of users through Home itself. Now, with the latest change to the Play Store’s terms and conditions, Google specifically… → Read More
AT&T just released its first-quarter financial statement. Things are looking good at Ma Bell where profits are up although revenue missed expectations. The company managed to get more consumers to sign long-term wireless contracts, and best of all, wireless margins increased on the back of smartphone sales where they accounted for 88% of the company’s sales in the quarter. In short… → Read More
Startup Alley is the loud and boisterous marketplace of Disrupt. Young companies, huddled around cocktail tables demoing their wares, are vying for attention and a spot on the Disrupt stage. And we’re very pleased with the large group of startups exhibiting at Disrupt NY later this month.
We have startups covering nearly every category including separate pavilions for Brazilian, Israeli and… → Read More
Brightnest’s co-founder Justin Anthony describes his startup as “a digital dashboard for your home.” And after using the service that past few weeks, I understand that analogy. Brightnest brings not only home maintenance, but home ownership, into the Internet age. → Read More
I’ve spent the last two days playing a lot of Battlefield 3. With my feet. For science.
The Stinky controller is an aptly named PC peripheral that’s currently looking for funds through Kickstarter. Simply put, it emulates a number pad. It’s like a giant controller for your feet. And after rewiring my brain, I’m pleased to report this thing could change PC gaming. It works well as long as you… → Read More
Yet again, third-party accessory makers have revealed an upcoming iPad design. Alibaba.com is awash in cases for a redesigned iPad. Nearly every case is for a device that has a thinner bezel and slimmer profile. In short, the next iPad will look like the iPad mini — except, you know, just not mini. This is the standard story line for Apple devices. Months before a major product is released… → Read More
The TV remote control will not die. And that’s a good thing. Try as they might, startups have yet to provide a true remote control replacement. A dedicated remote is like a trusty pickup truck: It might not be the best looking vehicle but it gets the job done with little fuss. But even though dedicated remotes probably won’t be replaced, that doesn’t mean smartphone apps… → Read More
“The One isn’t just the best smartphone HTC has ever made — it can legitimately lay claim to being the best smartphone ever produced by anyone.” That’s GDGT’s Peter Rojas speaking about the HTC One. Rojas isn’t alone in this opinion. The HTC One is a phone nearly universally loved by the Internet. The display, the size, the build quality, even HTC’s Android skin is nearly, well, perfect.
But… → Read More
Good news, Steve O’Hear. The physical QWERTY isn’t dead! The BlackBerry Q10 is now available for pre-ordering in the UK and ships at the end of the month.
BlackBerry’s second BB10 device will be available on Vodafone, O2, Orange, T-Mobile, Three, EE, and TalkMobile. Carphone Warehouse lists the device at £579.95 SIM-free or free on a 2-year, £36-per-month, contract. That’s on par with other… → Read More
Nearly 100 years ago, the Anderson Carriage Company produced and sold one of the most popular electric vehicles of the time: The Detroit Electric. With production peaking at 1,000-2,000 cars in 1910, the company eventually renamed itself after its popular model and sold nearly 13,000 electric vehicles during its 32 years of production. The company never recovered from depression, producing its… → Read More
Curious about BlackBerry 10? Of course you are, even if just a little bit. Direct your mobile browser to blackberry.com/glimpse for, well, a glimpse at BlackBerry 10.
The in-browser experience isn’t a full emulation, but rather just a demo of BB10′s user interactions and popular features. It works well, guiding the user through all the swiping and sliding that is BlackBerry 10. → Read More
The value of my Steam account is $492.65, and the sum of it requires 155.02 GB of space storage space. Awesome. And my Dad said I would never do anything worthwhile.
Steam Gauge is the product of Hacker News user jprusik and is worth several minutes of your time. It pulls data from public steam accounts through the Steam Web API and aggregates everything into a sortable and exportable list. You… → Read More
The Model S just got a little more expensive. Tesla just announced that the company will no longer offer the least expensive Model S electric sedan. Per a Tesla press release, since its launch, only 4% of buyers opted for the 40 kWh model with its paltry 160 mile range. Instead, buyers have spent the extra cash on the more capable and better performing models. → Read More
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