Products
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Berg Cloud Sandbox: A tool to unite connected devices and the companies that make them
Berg, a London-based design consultancy that has worked with Nokia, Twitter, and the BBC, among others, is today announcing the Berg Cloud Sandbox, a platform meant to make it easier for companies to experiment with connected devices and services by covering an entire campus to the Berg Cloud platform. Fabrica, an Italy-based communications research center, will be the... -
Two years of stealth and $11M in VC later, EdgeSpring launches a data analytics platform for the average man
It’s not everyday that you hear of a company manages to quietly raise two venture rounds from A-list investors while spending two years developing its technology in stealth mode. But that is exactly the story behind big data analytics and business insights (BI) startup EdgeSpring, which today publicly launched its product and announced $11 million in Seed and Series... -
The future of search: Answer, converse, anticipate
Answer. Converse. Anticipate. Those are the verbs that Google believes will lead to “the end of search as we know it.” Google doesn’t want search to be restricted to a sparse landing page and a specific query. It wants search to become something as ubiquitous as oxygen and as powerful as devices that previously existed only in science fiction.... -
Google is keeping iCloud’s promises
Apple was incredibly proud of iCloud when it was first announced. The service, which promises to keep users’ documents, photos, and other data in sync across devices, was described by Apple’s executives as “magical” more than once during its unveiling. Finally there was a synchronization service that would, according to Apple, “just work.” But that was 2011 and... -
IPO candidate Plex Systems grabs Eloqua CMO Heidi Melin to grow its cloud ERP platform
It’s been an eventful last 12 months for cloud ERP (enterprise resource planning) company Plex Systems, with the company completing a private equity buyout, closing a $30 million growth stage venture round from Accel Partners (a PandoDaily investor), and the introduction of a new CEO – in that order. Each of the moves was highly strategic,... -
Vessel launches its “command center” to help mobile developers kill faulty software
Software breaks all the time. Applications are huge, sprawling lines of code that will almost definitely cause problems for users, whether that manifests as broken text, incessant error messages, or some arcane problem that defies explanation. Vessel, a Hattery-backed service launching in beta today at the Google I/O Developer Sandbox, intends to make it easier for... -
Ticketfly adds Fanbase customer analytics platform to help venue owners pack events
Ticketfly has built a reputation for itself as an ally to small- and medium-sized venue owners by offering technology tools that go well beyond ticket sales. The three-year-old startup leveraged the popularity of its social marketing and publishing tools to grow its client base by 128 percent in 2012 to 822 event promoters and venues, across 44 US states.... -
With Thirst’s Droplet, the vision for news on Google Glass becomes a little clearer
One of the big questions about Google Glass is how it will affect the way we consume information (if, that is, it gains popularity and acceptance in mainstream culture). In particular, many people are interested in how Glass will affect news consumption. We’ve already seen how the New York Times works on the new medium, and Mashable has just launched…
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Finovate: Quantopian debuts live data trading for consumer quants
With the financial technology’s industry leaders gathered today in San Francisco at the Finovate Spring conference, browser-based algorithmic trading platform startup Quantopian is taking the next step toward letting the curious individual investor take on Wall Street’s best and brightest. Having previously only allowed paper trading on historical data sets, the company today launched paper trading on... -
BlackBerry: A funhouse visionary haunted by Research in Motion
Every consumer tech company is in the business of fortune-telling. It is their job to peer into the crystal ball to identify — and, hopefully, build — the future. That said, BlackBerry’s crystal ball must be a funhouse mirror. During its BlackBerry Live 2013 keynote, the company demonstrated its ability to be both prescient and totally oblivious, surprisingly self-aware and... -
Can software help wireless customers save money?
It’s hard to believe, in a Web filled with ads promising “the one tip to losing 20 pounds — fast!” or “the secret to making $100,000 a year in your spare time,” any service or company that promises to help people save money. But that’s exactly what Zact, a virtual network operator piggybacking off Sprint’s national network, is promising... -
The launch of the Boost Bitcoin Fund brings more capital to an area of growing investor interest
Given the recent fervor over Bitcoins, it’s unsurprising to see several dedicate investment vehicles spring up to support startups in the virtual currency ecosystem. A few months we revealed that Adam Draper’s Boost VC accelerator would be making a big bet on Bitcoin, dedicating half of its upcoming 15 company accelerator class to category. Today, Draper announced that... -
Melon turns to Kickstarter for its mental performance measuring EEG headband
The quantified self movement and the wearable computing devices that make this type self-measurement possible have reached full blown fad status. Dozens upon dozens of companies have introduced hardware and software solutions to measure the quantity of our movement and the quality of our sleep. What we have yet to see from a mass-market consumer product is anything that measures... -
Like its other platforms, Amazon is taking the long view with its Coins virtual currency
Amazon is far from the first company to create a proprietary virtual currency, but, for a number of reasons, it is among the most interesting. The limited success of previous efforts from Facebook, Microsoft, Zynga, Flooz, and Beenz, among others, illustrate the challenges of creating a notional economy, but none of them mean we should ignore Amazon Coins. Amazon has... -
The biggest beneficiary of the HTC First’s imminent death? The HTC One
The HTC First may have drawn its last breath. AT&T has reportedly discontinued the product just weeks after its release due to lackluster sales and a poor reception from its salespeople, thus ending the life of the first — but certainly not the last — “Facebook phone.” (AT&T denies the report, though Business Insider corroborates that... -
Barracuda Networks gobbles up e-signature startup SignNow for unknown sum
Flush with $130 million in cash following an October 2012 financing, email and Web security provider Barracuda Networks has acquired mobile e-signature startup SignNow. Neither company announced the transaction publicly, but a trail of Internet breadcrumbs left over the last two weeks make such a disclosure unnecessary. First, the bottom of SignNow’s website reads “© 2013 Barracuda...
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Mac-in-USA will be manufactured in Texas
During Tim Cook’s senate testimony yesterday, the CEO talked about Apple’s proposed Mac-in-USA computer line. According to Cook the products will be assembled in Texas and the company has already invested $100 million in the product line. [Source: AllThingsD]
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Clearwire’s board of directors recommends Sprint’s revised bid
After Sprint decided to revise its bid to acquire a 50% stake in Clearwire yesterday at the eleventh hour, Clearwire decided to recess until May 30 to mull it over. Now it’s being reported that Clearwire’s board of directors has approved it, and recommends that the stockholders follow suit. [Source: GlobalNewswire]
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Vanessa Fox’s Nine by Blue sold to RKG
Seattle-based startup Nine by Blue, founded by well-known entrepreneur Vanessa Fox, has sold to Virginia-based search marketing firm RKG. All six Nine by Blue employees will join RKG, and Fox will serve as chief product office. [Source: GeekWire]
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EdgeCast launches EdgeCast Transact for e-commerce companies
Content delivery startup EdgeCast launched a new program today called EdgeCast Transact. Transact claims to be a CDN with features tailored for e-commerce companies. [Source: TechCrunch]
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HTC execs continue their public exit
In what one former employee is calling an “utter freefall”, HTC executives continue to publicly quit the company. After many examples of internal and external problems, including the failure of the HTC First handset, many see a pessimistic outlook for the company. [Source: CNET]
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Scanadu asks Indiegogo users to test its tricorder
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No, USV did not get a 5000% return on Tumblr
Earlier today, Crain’s cited a PrivCo report stating that Union Square Ventures got a 5000% return on its Tumblr investment. It also said that employees #31 through #178 received $371,000 apiece. But in a comment on a Hacker News post, Union Square Ventures’ Fred Wilson calls the numbers “total garbage.” [Source: Hacker News via ShortFormBlog]
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Nutella will not shut down fan's "Nutella Day"
Earlier today, there were reports that Ferrero, the makers of the delicious chocolate hazelnut spread Nutella, sent a cease-and-desist order to one of its biggest fans because she had the audacity to throw a World Nutella Day event. The company, realizing it’s usually not a good idea to sue your biggest fans, has now worked out an arrangement where World Nutella Day can exist without threat of litigation. [Source: Techdirt]
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Video proof Snapchat doesn't delete photos
A YouTube user named Nick Keck uploaded a video of himself locating supposedly “deleted” Snapchat photos sent to him. Did he need sophisticated software or hacking skills? Nope, just an app called iFile and a smartphone. [Source: Nick Keck via Motherboard]
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Times makes developer take down Snow Fall replica
Developer and Scrollkit founder Cody Brown created a “replica” of Snow Fall along with a video to show other news organizations how making something like it perhaps isn’t as difficult as it looks. The New York Times wasn’t pleased, sending a cease-and-desist letter followed by (and this is the ridiculous part) a second letter asking that Brown remove the following phrase from his website: “The NYT spent hundreads of hours hand-coding ‘Snow Fall.; We made a replica in an hour.” [Source: Cody Brown]
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PopExpert raises $2 million for its video teaching marketplace
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The race to a "smart" television is over. Xbox won
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March for Innovation: What you need to know
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Former Yahoo exec joins the Tribune company
Shashi Seth, a former top product executive at Yahoo, has joined the Tribune Company as president of digital ventures. He will be based in Silicon Valley and report to CEO Peter Liguori. [Source: AllThingsD]
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Airbnb host fined $2,400
New York City officials originally asked Nigel Warren to pay $7,000 for violating a law that makes it illegal for New York residents to rent out their properties for less than 29 days. A judge dismissed building and zoning code violations, and so lowered the fine to $2,400. [Source: CNET]
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WedPics raises $1.1 million
The Raleigh, North Carolina-based social network specializes in photo sharing for wedding pictures. Participants in the funding round include former Redhat CEO Bob Young and Reverbnation co-founder Jed Carlson. [Source: The Next Web]
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The importance of grit, rules, and discipline
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CharityBuzz auctions chance to pitch to your favorite VC
Weeks after a massively successful auction for a cup of coffee with Tim Cook, Charity Buzz is now aiming right at the heart of Silicon Valley. Up for auction is the chance for people to pitch their favorite VC, with a VC all-stars lineup including like Tim Draper. [Source: VentureBeat]
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Amprius has developed a battery that lasts 25% longer
Venture-backed Amprius revealed today that it has developed a battery for smartphones and tablets that can hold a charge for 25% longer than any other battery out there. The company will be providing the new batteries to unnamed smartphone and tablet OEMs. [Source: GigaOm]
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In Oklahoma’s time of crisis, Sparkrelief is working to unify relief efforts
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Internet Archive nabs $1M donation
The Internet Archive is working on a project to collect and index all broadcasts since the beginning of television. To help with this, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation have donated $1 million. [Source: paidContent]
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XBox 360 games are not compatible with XBox One
Today marks the reveal of Microsoft’s latest gaming console, the XBox One. At the unveiling, Microsoft disclosed that due to a different chip architecture the One won’t have native compatibility with XBox 360 games. [Source: CNET]
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Jamba Juice and PayPal unroll “order ahead” feature
PayPal and Jamba Juice are expanding their partnership with a new mobile feature. Now customers can place orders on their phones and pay with PayPal ahead of pickup. [Source: AllThingsD]
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France Telecom to invest 30 and 50 million euros in Dailymotion
France Telecom has disclosed its plans to invest up to 50 million euros in its video-sharing website Dailymotion. While rumors of Yahoo buying a stake in the company persist, France Tel claims “the door is not closed.” [Source: Reuters]
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Best Buy reports another quarterly loss
Best Buy has reported its quarterly earnings, showing another revenue loss. Online sales, however, have improved. [Source: AllThingsD]
