Today has been quite a roller coaster ride for Yahoo — the company put days of reports and rumors to rest this morning when it confirmed that it would acquire the social blogging platform Tumblr for $1.1 billion, and now CEO Marissa Mayer has confirmed that Yahoo’s New York employees will now be moving.
They’ll all soon be working right around the corner from Times Square in the same building… → Read More
Aereo has just announced its first expansion beyond New York City, and the city it’s moving to next is Boston. Bostonians will gain access to the startup’s free, over-the-air TV services and usage-based cloud DVR subscription options beginning May 15, indicating it’s full-speed ahead for the media startup despite its ongoing legal battles with networks and broadcasters. → Read More
With cell phones as ubiquitous as they are (a recent report from the Pew Research Center purports that around 85% of American adults have one), it seems safe to say that the age of the pay phone is winding down.
That said, they haven’t outlived their usefulness yet and now New York City seems dead set on dragging them into the 21st century. That’s why earlier tonight mayor Michael… → Read More
Clearly, I’m interested in how companies interact with their surroundings, as I feel like it’s an important part of pushing our industry forward. Nobody likes to think about five developers locked in a room somewhere, coding until they pass out. Yes, I know that’s the reality for many young startups, but as they grow up into larger companies, things change.
For a company like Twitter, one of… → Read More
The city of New York has just launched the ConnectNYC Fiber Challenge to help small NY-based companies get a free high speed fiber build-out in their offices. In order to win the prize, you have to submit an application to justify that you need very high speed connectivity — tech startups seem to have an edge in the challenge. In all, 240 companies will each receive a chunk of the $12 million… → Read More
At a press conference with Mayor Bloomberg to celebrate the opening of Twitter’s New York City offices, co-founder Jack Dorsey gave the Big Apple his endorsement as a startup capital. “New York will have a thriving tech community and we will help build that,” he says.
Twitter already employs 30 to 40 people in New York City and its new office can accomodate 100 people. At Twitter’s current… → Read More
New York City likes to put out its BigApps challenge to get developers to come up with apps that make living in the city better. (Recent winners include parking finder and pick-up game organizing apps). But the city is now trying something different with its BigApps Ideas Challenge.
Instead of asking developers for apps, the challenge is asking for problems that can be solved with apps. Anyone… → Read More
Through new official partnerships with Facebook, Twitter, and NY-based startups Foursquare and Tumblr, New York aims to become America’s next, top digital city.
New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and the city’s first, chief digital officer, Rachel Sterne, presented their Road Map for the Digital City, today.
Before formulating the plan, Sterne led a comprehensive 90-day review of the city’s… → Read More
New York City’s Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced the use of Quick Response or QR codes (which are something like a smartphone-readable barcode) on building permits, to provide New Yorkers with easy access to information related to buildings and construction sites throughout the city.
Smartphone users who scan a QR code on a construction permit in New York, according to a press release… → Read More
There’s something happening in New York City. New York Tech Meetup just announced they will be presenting hack demo at every one of their sold out events, New York’s first Music Hackday is hitting this weekend and it will be quickly followed by Foursquare’s first hackday the weekend after. Did the TC Disrupt Hackathon prefigure a growing trend here in the Big Apple?
This past weekend Columbia… → Read More
When Mayor Bloomberg wants to make an announcement with Microsoft, CEO Steve Ballmer gets on a plane and flies to New York City. That’s because he’s Mayor Bloomberg, but also because New York City is a very large customer with 100,000 city employees. Today Ballmer and Bloomberg are in City Hall announcing a new five-year deal which will roll up dozens of separate city contracts with Microsoft… → Read More
When Mayor Bloomberg wants to make an announcement with Microsoft, CEO Steve Ballmer gets on a plane and flies to New York City. That’s because he’s Mayor Bloomberg, but also because New York City is a very large customer with 100,000 city employees. Today Ballmer and Bloomberg are in City Hall announcing a new five-year deal which will roll up dozens of separate city contracts with Microsoft… → Read More
New York City is opening up its government data to hackers in the hopes that they will create some apps to help the people who live there. Today, it officially opened its BiggApps 2.0 challenge (hosted by ChallengePost). Developers will have access to more than 350 data sets from more than 40 different government agencies. The best apps will win $20,000 in prize money.
This is the second year… → Read More
It’s October 1, which means that you’re average American think Oktoberfest has started. Not true: Munich’s Oktoberfest begins in mid to late September and lasts through October. A minor technicality if all you’re looking to do is celebrate the holiday best known for, well, bier and busen. In any event, there’s a handy iOS App that was just released that can help New York City folk find Oktoberfest… → Read More
The City of New York giveth, and it taketh away. On this fine morning when we discover that there’s a proposal to ban smoking from all city parks and beaches we also discover that city parks will be gaining Wi-Fi access points, courtesy of Time Warner and Cablevision, the two big local cable companies. Well, not really “courtesy of,” since there’s a whole bunch of caveats attached to the deal. → Read More
You’ll soon be able to use your phone in the New York City subway system. It’s part of a $200 million renovation of the system, which, well, not to say that it’s falling apart, but it’s seen better days. There used to be a W train, for example. Memories. → Read More
New York City residents will now be able to track their water use in real time. The city has installed wireless meters in The Bronx (the program will expand in the future), and residents will be able to see how much water they’re using at any given moment. The idea is to encourage people to cut down on their water consumption. “Wow, I used X-Number of gallons of water during that shower… → Read More
Officials in New York have started laying the groundwork for a gigantic influx of surveillance cameras in Manhattan. This is in response, of course, to the weekend’s attempted car bomb attack in Times Square. (Incidentally, I had walked through Times Square the Sunday morning after the situation trying to find Super Street Fighter IV and was shocked at all the cops walking around. I though they… → Read More
Google, the company, has updated the 3D maps of New York City, the city, in Google Earth. So now when you’re cruising, virtually, around the city that never sleeps you’ll be able to view higher res buildings. No, it’s not the biggest news of the day, but it could be helpful when trying to whittle away the hours while at the office or in class. And really, that’s all… → Read More
Green, green, green! It’s the marketing word that makes you think you’re doing something to help this planet, and now it’ll be found at the crossroads of the world, Times Square. (Actually, Times Square is a hell hole, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t popular.) Yes, it’s that “green” Ricoh billboard we first talked about during the summer, but now… → Read More
The majority (51 percent) of wireless access points in New York City are completely insecure, either using no security whatsoever or relying on WEP, which is all but useless. That number excludes publicly accessible hotspots you’d find at a café or park, meaning that a majority of those blue little routers sitting in the corner of every New York City apartment can be broken into with little… → Read More
Strapped for cash, the New York City Transit Authority will experiment with new digital ads on the sides of city buses. That’s borderline who cares material, but get this: the ads will change based on the bus’ location, which is tracked by GPS. Expect things like military recruitment ads on Queens busses and cars on that one bus that goes up and down Water Street. I have no… → Read More
New Yorkers now have something constructive to do with the cellphone’s photo and video cameras. As of yesterday, New York City’s 911 and 311 (that’s for dumb things like, there’s a lot of traffic on the BQE this morning, do something~!) phone numbers can accept photos and videos taken from cellphones. It used to be that being able to send in text message tips was considered… → Read More
New York City wants to provide its residents with affordable broadband Internet access, but doesn’t think a municipal Wi-Fi network is the way to go. (Those haven’t done too well, remember.) To that end it’s hired some fancy-sounding consultancy, Diamond Management and Technology Consultants, to help come up with an Internet plan. Companies being linked with the job include Time… → Read More
The Last HOPE is entering its final day today, and Gearfuse of all sites (!) is doing a genuinely passable job of covering it. That lanyard up there is the show’s entrance badge, the same one with built-in RFID that makes tracking attendees a cinch. If you’re anywhere near the Hotel Pennsylvania (34th Street & 7th Avenue in Manhattan), you really ought to attend. → Read More
Ricoh Japan is planning to set up a billboard powered by natural energy in New York City’s Times Square in December. The sign will be equipped with 45 solar cell panels and four wind power turbines, producing a maximum of 98 kilowatt-hours of electricity per day. Ricoh’s American subsidiary says the billboard (47 feetx126 feet) might not be illuminated in case there is not enough… → Read More
Those of you who ever had a broken iPod—how?—know what a giant pain it can be. Enter this guy, Demetrios Leontaris. The iPod Doctor, as Fortune so lovingly calls him, is the son of a Greek immigrant who grew up in New Jersey. He was always a tinker—if ifs and ands were pots and pans—so fixing broken iPods isn’t too out of the ordinary. What’s crazy about the… → Read More
Would you go to a notoriously bad neighborhood to buy an iPhone you found advertised on Craigslist? As many as 12 people here in New York did, and got robbed for their troubles. A ring of four thugs lured New Yorkers to Flatbush, Brooklyn with the promise of heavily discounted iPhones, all advertised on Craigslist from March to June 4. One deal advertised 10 iPhones available for just $2,000. When… → Read More
Go ahead and tell me that New York isn’t over. The city will be plastering subways with anti-piracy flyers throughout the summer, telling people, essentially, not to copy that floppy. Harried New Yorkers and in-the-way tourists will be treated to mock movie ratings, like the kind seen here. Instead of “R” and “PG” we’ll be seeing “RO” and… → Read More
By all accounts (that means one account) it looks like Apple’s third New York City store will open on December 7 around 6 p.m. The store’s on 14th Street all the way in the Meat Packing District. I guess if I’m waltzing along the West Side Highway I’d go to that one, but the SoHo store is in a legitimate shopping area and the 5th Ave Store is right on the N line. Being that… → Read More
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Disrupt Europe: Berlin Hackathon
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