News & Analysis
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Yahoo board approves $1.1B Tumblr acquisition
Yahoo’s board of directors has approved the acquisition of the Tumblr microblogging service for $1.1 billion, AllThingsD reports. The decision is said to have been unanimous, with no competing bids for Tumblr. [Source: AllThingsD] -
Dave McClure is no male chauvinist
In case you missed it, Dave McClure has been under fire for a comment he made at Big Omaha, a Nebraska-based innovation conference. The founder of 500 Startups was giving a lecture at the conference, when he asked a woman in the audience how the battery life was on her iPhone. “It’s fine,” she said, to which Dave replied, “You... -
PandoMonthly New York with Chris Dixon, the full interview
It’s hard to categorize Chris Dixon. He’s had experience as an entrepreneur, an angel investor, a venture capitalist, and a blogger. He’s often cited as “one of the most vocal advocates of the New York tech scene” but is currently living and working at Andreessen Horowitz’s office in San Francisco. And he was our guest during this month’s PandoMonthly... -
Yahoo Japan: 22M user IDs may have been leaked
Yahoo Japan suspects that some 22 million user IDs have been leaked, Reuters reports. The associated accounts have not been otherwise compromised — passwords and information that might be used to reset them are said to be safe — and Yahoo Japan is said to have prevented someone from accessing its administrative system. [Source: Reuters] -
Autodesk acquires Tinkercad
Autodesk has acquired Tinkercad, a startup that makes CAD files editable and ready for 3D printing for an undisclosed sum. Tinkercad’s technology and website will transfer to Autodesk, and the service’s free option has been “supercharged” to offer more functionality. [Source: Tinkercad] -
Valve engineers continue developing cancelled augmented reality project
Valve engineers fired from the company in February have continued work on “CastAR,” a wearable augmented reality device that was cancelled at the same time, the Verge reports. The device is currently at an early stage; it will likely seek funding on Kickstarter in the future, according to the report. [Source: The Verge] -
The most important question to ask about Yahoo’s potential Tumblr acquisition
“Does Yahoo make Tumblr into YouTube — a successful standalone network that can grow and prosper on its own — or does it become MySpace?” -
Stop bitching about Millennials
Everyone is allowed to have pet peeves, and here is one of mine: When people talk about generations. There is nothing more annoying and dilettantish than when a faux-intellectual tries to explain the mindset or behaviors of a particular generation. “The thing about Millennials is…” That kind of stupid crap. Recently, I was treated to a horrific article located here in which... -
Bitcoin is legal, but mainstream adoption will mandate playing by the rules
Earlier this week, the US government took its first action against the bitcoin ecosystem, freezing the US accounts of Mt. Gox, which is the largest bitcoin exchange in the world, processing 75 percent of all transactions in the last 30 days. Since that time, the questions on most people’s mind has been, what does this mean for the future of bitcoin... -
Yahoo board to meet Sunday to discuss Tumblr deal
The company’s board will meet on Sunday night to decide whether or not to approve a $1.1 billion offer for the blogging site, sources told AllThingsD. [Source: AllThingsD] -
Yahoo will reportedly unveil updates to Flickr
The press received invites to a product-related press event in New York on May 20. A source told Bloomberg that it is regarding updates to the photo sharing site. [Source: Bloomberg] -
Redbox instant to launch on Google TV and Roku
The streaming version of the red, DVD-dispensing kiosks will launch on Google TV in the next few weeks. Soon after, the company, which is a joint venture between Redbox and Verizon, will look to add support to Roku. [Source: GigaOm] -
Mars rover Opportunity breaks NASA record
It may live in the shadow of Curiosity, but NASA’s older rover has driven further than any other object on the surface of another body in our solar system. It’s cruised 22.22 miles, but that’s still short of the 23 miles a Soviet Union rover drove on the moon in 1973. [Source: The Verge] -
For the Internet of things, will it be verticals or horizontals?
The first step in the adoption of “the Internet of things” – where Web capabilities are implemented into everyday objects – entails making sure there are even products in the first place. But as that ecosystem fills out, one of the next steps is addressing matters of market approach and distribution. During a panel discussion yesterday at a conference hosted... -
A bitcoin bubble could be good for everyone
The president of Western Union scoffed at the invention of the telephone, calling it little more than an “electric toy,” and the company informed Alexander Graham Bell that his brainchild to place one in every home was “utterly out of the question.” A couple of years later, Oxford University professor Erasmus Wilson predicted that when the 1878 Paris... -
New Zealand-based Vend raises $8M without turning to the Valley
The conventional wisdom about New Zealand startups – and even Australian ones – is that they have to look outside of their home country when it comes time to raising serious money. In both countries, there’s often enough capital for startups to get seed funding, but there’s rarely enough for a Series A. Vend, an Auckland, New Zealand-based retail…
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“Bang With Friends” removed from App Store by Apple
Bang With Friends (hidden slightly by the name BWF Official) has been removed from the App Store by Apple. So for the time being, iPhone users who want to hook up on the go are out of luck. [Source: CNET] -
The geography of Twitter and mainstream news
A new study looked at “the geography of Twitter” finds that, “There is a strong difference in the geographic profiles of Twitter and mainstream media and that the intensity of discourse mentioning a country does not necessarily match the intensity of discourse emanating from that country in social media.” [Source: Poynter] -
Hotseat: Gravity’s Amit Kapur defends the integrity of the MySpace mafia
Gravity sponsored our PandoMonthly with Chris Dixon last night, and it was appropriate timing for them. This month we’re focused on two trends that are central to the company’s very existence: Software remaking surprising corners of the business world and LA’s potential to build real tech companies. Gravity is trying to save the world of content by creating software... -
Sony appoints Osamu Nagayama as chairman
It’s being reported that Sony is going to appoint Chief Executive Osamu Nagayama as the new chairman of the company. The appointment will be finalized at the next board meeting on June 20. [Source: Reuters] -
Panasonic may kill off Sanyo
Panasonic has decided to cut 90% of Sanyo’s 2,500 workforce over the next three years. In addition, it may decide to absorb the company it acquired in 2010 entirely. [Source: Reuters] -
Yahoo to hold a “product-related” press conference Monday; what could it possibly be about?
Rumors have been circulating about Yahoo’s possible buyout of Tumblr. Now CNBC has tweeted that Yahoo will hold a “product-related” event where CEO Marissa Mayer will speak. [Source: @CNBC] -
Google Play in-app purchases up 700%
At Google’s I/O 2013 today Google gave some statistics about Google Play’s revenue. One standout is that in-app purchases are rising significantly, going up 7 times as much as there were this time last year. [Source: TechCrunch] -
Twitter and NBA team up for playoffs
The NBA and Twitter have partnered up to stream playoff game highlights for the rest of the post-season. The video clips will be posted on NBA Digital’s Twitter account. [Source: Bloomberg] -
Yahoo Japan believes 22M IDs were leaked
Yahoo Japan reportedly detected an unauthorized attempt to access its system, which led to 22 million Yahoo IDs being leaked. However, the company claims no passwords or identity data for password reset were part of the leak. [Source: Reuters] -
PandoHouse Rock: A history of 3D printing, from prototypes to pistols
3D printing has garnered a lot of press lately, thanks in large part to the Liberator, Cody Smith’s (almost) fully 3-D printed gun. But as Chris Dixon noted at last night’s PandoMonthly, popular discourse tends to gravitate toward the most outrageous and divisive uses of a technology, whether it’s drones, bitcoin, or 3D printing. That’s why... -
Yahoo’s mobile app push may be working
According to data from Onavo, Yahoo’s recent push in mobile apps may be bearing fruit for the company. Yahoo Weather now has a 3% marketshare for US iPhone users, and other Yahoo apps are also doing well. [Source: GigaOm] -
MessageMe raises $10M
Messaging app MessageMe has raised $10 million in its first round of funding. The round was led by Greylock Partners’ John Lilly. [Source: VentureBeat] -
With the bleeding stopped, ShoeDazzle is in the market for a strategic acquisition or investment
For months we’ve been hearing reports of ShoeDazzle shopping itself. Across dozens of conversations with investors, founders, bankers, and other people in the know, we’ve heard everything from “the investors want out” to “the company is simply testing the waters before it raises another round of capital.” We’ve heard about a wide range of potential suitors too. A deal... -
BitInstant raises $1.5M in seed funding
New York-based BitInstant, a startup that operates a Bitcoin transaction platform, has raised $1.5 million in seed funding. Winklevoss Capital led the round. [Source: TechCrunch] -
BBM will not support iPads or Android tablets
BlackBerry announced earlier this week that BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) was coming to both iOS and Android. However, it was revealed today that the messenger will only be coming to smartphones, and not to any tablets. [Source: BGR] -
AOL’s Patch brings on new CEO
AOL’s local content site Patch is bringing on a new CEO, Steve Kalin, who was the COO and President of the company. In addition to this, the memo announcing his arrival also reported that 3% of the staff was being laid off. [Source: AllThingsD] -
Bitcoin’s consumerization continues with Perk, a rewards platform and Web browser for normal people
Could consumers learn to love a virtual currency favored mostly by venture capitalists, the black market, libertarians, and engineers? An increasing number of businesses, from restaurants and bars to WordPress and OKCupid, are betting that the answer is “yes” by announcing that they will allow customers to pay... -
Microsoft takes to Vine for advertising
Continuing its ad campaign for Internet Explorer, Microsoft is taking to the video-sharing app Vine. The six-second ads are called “not your father’s browser” and hope to reclaim some of the marketshare the browser has lost over the years. [Source: The Verge] -
RapidShare lays off 75% of its employees
RapidShare, a Switzerland-based file sharing site, has reportedly laid off 45 of its 60 employees. While the lay off look bleak for the company, CEO Kurt Sidle assures people that the company will continue operations and has a plan for the future. [Source: GigaOm] -
Wisconsin Gov proposes income tax break from internet tax
Wisconsin’s Governor Scott Walker was quoted as saying that he intends to use the revenue from the proposed internet sales tax to give residents an income tax break. A nice idea, however, if distributed evenly the break would come to about $16/person, and the estimated annual expenditure of the tax is $167/person. [Source: TechCrunch] -
Bloomberg hires former IBM CEO to oversee privacy policies
Amid allegations of Bloomberg LP’s reporters spying on reporters, the company has hired former IBM CEO Sam Palmisano to provide some oversight. Palmisano’s role will be to review the company’s policies for client data and end user information. [Source: AllThingsD] -
How to become a VC without leaving home
One of the mini-insights I found interesting in last night’s sit down with Andreessen Horowitz partner Chris Dixon was his thoughts on how blogging has transformed his career as an investor. In the clip above, he explains how blogging helped make up for not being in the Valley, his approach to writing a good post, and his advice for anyone... -
Microsoft: Upgrade to Windows 8, it’s cheaper than XP, we swear!
Microsoft is trying to convince businesses still using Windows XP — first released in 2001 –to upgrade their software by going straight for their wallets and saying that using XP can cost three times as much as using Windows 8. [Source: Quartz] -
Aruba Networks acquires indoor location startup Meridian Apps
Aruba Networks has announced its acquisition of Meridian Apps, a startup that built a WiFi-based indoor positioning platform, for an undisclosed sum. Meridian Apps’ technology will be incorporated into Aruba Networks’ products. [Source: Aruba Networks] -
Microsoft said to plan update to Xbox 360 user interface
Microsoft is planning an update to the Xbox 360′s dashboard and user interface meant to bridge the gap between that console and the next Xbox, which is expected to be revealed on May 21, the Verge reports. [Source: The Verge] -
Glass-like product, Meta, launches on Kickstarter
Meta, a Glass-like project that seeks to give users the ability to interact with 3-D virtual objects, has launched on Kickstarter and will be joining Y Combinator’s next batch of startups, AllThingsD reports. [Source: AllThingsD] -
Sprint acquires US Cellular spectrum and customers for
Sprint has announced its acquisition of US Cellular’s spectrum — which Sprint says will allow it to improve its wireless network — and 420,000 customers, who are primarily located in the Midwest. CNET reports that the acquisition cost $480 million. [Source: CNET] -
Gliph joins Boost.vc, launches bitcoin messaging and payments app
Portland-based Gliph has been building a secure, anonymous messaging app for two years without a strong use case for the technology. It’s also done so while bootstrapping. And then, as co-founder Rob Banagale put it, ”bitcoin sailed in.” When the virtual currency began to take off this year, the founders knew that they’d found an application for their technology. “We... -
Celoxica raises $3M for high frequency trading platform
London-based Celoxica, maker of an Institutional-grade high frequency trading platform, has raised $3 million in a round led by Oxford Capital Partners with participation from existing investors. [Source: FinSMEs] -
Apple devices approved for use on defense department networks
The US Department of Defense has cleared Apple mobile devices running iOS 6 for use on its secure networks. The company will now be able to compete with Blackberry and Samsung – approved earlier this month – for lucrative military contracts. [Source: Bloomberg] -
Tim cook to testify to congress on corporate tax policy
Apple CEO Tim Cook will testify before Congress next week to talk tax policy. The discussion will address both Apple’s policy of keeping international earnings offshore to limit tax exposure, and also Cook’s suggestions for US corporate tax policy changes. [Source: GigaOM] -
Dominos Brazil sends out pizza scented DVDs. Yum
Dominos is bringing smelovision to the homes of Brazilian consumers by sending out DVDs that smell like pizza. The company is using heat-sensitive thermal ink and scented varnish to achieve the effect, which will be activated when the DVD/Blueray player warms up during operation. In other words, magic. [Source: VentureBeat] -
Tableau’s stock pops 60% over IPO price in early trading
Data visualization company Tableau has been a big hit in early trading following its $254 million IPO earlier today. The company’s shares have traded as high as $49 today, 60 percent above its $31 IPO price. And the company’s ticker symbol is DATA. How cool is that? [Source: NYSE] -
Zinio’s new subscription product only solves half a problem
Just over a year ago, I argued that the future of magazines should look a lot like Spotify, meaning that the magazine stories should be disaggregated from bundles and then distributed on platforms that charge an all-you-can-eat subscription price. Since then, Next Issue Media has launched, bringing magazines from Conde Nast, Hearst, Time Inc, Meredith, and News Corporation…
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Scarosso raises Series A
Scarosso, a luxury shoe company based in Berlin, has raised a Series A funding round of funding from DN Capital, with participation from IBB Venture Capital Co., Perikles Ventures and angel investors. [Source: Scarosso] -
OpenGeo raises $3 million
OpenGeo, a provider of commercial open source geospatial software based in New York, has raised $3 million in Series A funds from Vanedge Capital, a Canadian VC firm. [Source: OpenGeo] -
Skyword raises $6.7 million from Cox Media Group
Skyword, a platform for original content production, raised $6.7 million in growth financing from Cox Media Group. [Source: Skyword] -
Facebook ponders its place in the Internet of Things
Amidst all of the buzz surrounding connected devices and ubiquitous computing, there’s Facebook, which wants to move beyond connecting mere humans. Cory Ondrejka, Facebook’s director of mobile engineering, says the social network is in a unique position to tie together all of the disparate devices that make up the Internet of things – the category of everyday objects, like scales, toasters,... -
The Financial Times is the latest victim of the Syrian Electronic Army
Reuters is reporting that the pro-Assad Syrian Electronic Army has hacked both the Financial Times’ twitter feed and website. One hacked Tweet read: ”Do you want to know the reality of the Syrian ‘Rebels?’” and then linked to a video. [Source: Reuters] -
Yahoo wins appeal in Yellow Pages case
A judge has reversed a previous decision between Mexico’s yellow pages and Yahoo Mexico. The original decision in favor of the yellow pages, which just was overturned, was worth $2.75 billion. [Source: Yahoo] -
Samsung says Galaxy S4 will surpass 10M shipments next week
Samsung has announced that next week the Galaxy S4 is set to pass 10 million shipments. The phone launched last month. [Source: TechCrunch] -
The Apathy Epidemic: Why your startup will suck you dry
With entrepreneurs, there’s rarely a lack of drive, at least in the beginning. After a while, though, as your idea matures into an actual startup, apathy can rears its ugly head. Almost every entrepreneur experiences this, though is usually loathe to admit it. It might present itself as a slow decline in motivation, with each day feeling a little less... -
For Chris Dixon the next big thing might be bitcoin
At this month’s PandoMonthly in New York, Dixon, a partner at Andreessen-Horowitz, talked about the need for a diverse investment portfolio, and part of the thrill of working for such an influential venture capital firm is keeping tabs on what could be the next big thing. Dixon thinks it could be bitcoin. He finds the crypto-based virtual currency fascinating, and not... -
The center of tech is shifting from Silicon Valley to “application towns” like New York and LA
There weren’t many entrepreneurs in New York City in 2006 when Chris Dixon was building software for a hedge fund. Interested in startup culture, he decided to leave the stability of a day job for the uncertainties of being an entrepreneur, and started his own company. This was long before “Tweet Tweet Boom Boom,” the 2010 New York magazine... -
Adweek: Yahoo in talks to acquire Tumblr for up to $1B
According to Adweek sources, Yahoo is in talks to acquire Tumblr, and the price could go as high as $1 billion. Earlier today, AllThingsD reported that talks were underway between the two companies. [Source: Adweek] -
Chris Dixon: The consumer Web has gotten too good, enterprise companies are cutthroat
It’s hard to tell now, but there was a time — just a few years ago, actually — when the consumer Internet wasn’t seen as a nascent industry just waiting to morph into the menagerie of photo-sharing, social networking, and casual gaming startups we have today. A time when, according to Andreessen Horowitz partner Chris Dixon, people would “literally laugh... -
Portland startup launches transit mobile ticketing service. Is this the future?
You know that moment when you’re rushing to catch the bus and you realize you don’t have the exact cash fare in your pocket? GlobeSherpa claims it is going to change that. Today, the Portland-based startupWe are real people trying to do real things
He was guilty of it too — treating tech news like a reality show. It always seemed somewhat surreal, almost like a fantasy, even though he knew many of the people he read about. It was probably because everyone put on airs trying to reinforce what the bloggers wrote about them that made it seem okay to comment on everything...With 2 million users, “secrets app” Whisper launches on Android
Last month, when I first learned of Whisper, the app for sharing your secrets anonymously with strangers, I felt like I was late to the game. The six-month-old iOS app had already skyrocketed to 1 million users, who had driven over a billion pageviews. Oh, and they’re paying $5.99 a month to use the app, too. I wasn’t alone...BitPay raises $2 million
Another Bitcoin startup is getting attention from venture capitalists. BitPay announced a $2 million round led by Founders Fund. The startup focuses on B2B, ecommerce and enterprise solutions for Bitcoin. [Source: BitPay]Organization launches crowdfunding campaign to buy Tribune Co.
The Other 98%, a non-profit whose goal is “to kick corporate lobbyists out of DC,” has set up an Indiegogo campaign to raise $660 million in 31 days to prevent the Kock brothers or other billionaires from buying the media company that owns the LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, and other dailies. [Source: Bloomberg]Dell earnings fall short, but sales beat expectations
The company announced quarterly results today, with sales of $14.07 billion, with $.21 per share. Analysts had expected profits of $13.5 billion, with $.35 per share. [Source: Dell]As venture capital becomes a commodity, it’s all about community
You know something’s up when companies are pitching to join a venture capitalist’s portfolio, no investment required. That’s a surprising trend that Peter Boyce noticed at Roughdraft.vc, the student-run venture capital program supported by General Catalyst Partners in Boston. Roughdraft has invested up to $25,000 in 10 Boston companies since its launch in December last year. The program is one...AMD stocks plummet following Goldman Sachs downgrade
Chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices shares fell more than 13% today. This is due to word that the stocks were downgraded to a “sell” by a Goldman Sachs analyst. [Source: AllThingsD]eBay updates iOS apps
Today eBay released updated versions of its iOS apps. New features include larger photos, driver license scanning for sign-up, and other new additions. [Source: TechCrunch]Be Great Partners adds 4 new companies
Be Great Partners, a technology incubator, has announced four new tech startups to its portfolio. The companies are Enplug, Dealflicks, Close.com, and Taste of Blue. [Source: VentureBeat]Opera settles suit against ex-employee
Web browser Opera has settled a suit it had against former employee Trond Werner Hansen. The lawsuit was over Hansen giving trade secrets to Mozilla. [Source: CNET]What CEOs could learn from comedians
Those who have seen Twitter CEO Dick Costolo speak know he’s a joke machine. But lately, he’s been getting a bit more love for it, thanks to a video of a one-liner-filled commencement address at the University of Michigan that has gotten a lot of attention in tech circles. Costolo is, after all, an improvisational comedian. But Costolo isn’t...Intel CEO vows to focus more on mobile market
Intel Corp’s new CEO Brian Krzanich promised today that the company will be more responsive to the ever-growing mobile market. In the past, the chip giant has been lagging in this regard as compared to its rivals. [Source: Reuters]Samsung says it has already developed 5G
South Korea-based mobile phone maker Samsung claims it has already developed the basis for a brand new 5G technology. However, experts say that we shouldn’t expect it to be unrolled until 2020 at the very earliest. [Source: CNNMoney]Apple releases new iTunes media suite
Apple today released iTunes 11.0.3. The update includes a new MiniPlayer and an update Songs View. [Source: AppleInsider]How Microsoft, Google, and Square use hardware to market their software and services
Hardware is becoming an increasingly important aspect of traditionally software-focused companies. Microsoft and Google have both introduced their own hardware over the last year, with the Surface tablets and Chromebook Pixel; Square recently announced the Square Stand, which turns an iPad into a cash register; and Adobe announced its own stylus and a “smart ruler” around the...Dell upcoming earnings report expected to be a miss
Dell is set to release its quarterly earnings report later today. Many analysts expect the company to report another miss on its consensus numbers. [Source: AllThingsD]Google Glass partner apps include Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr
Google is unveiling the partner apps for Google Glass at Google I/O. The ones announced so far include Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Evernote, and CNN. [Source: TechCrunch]A federal shield law for journalists would be virtually useless
Suddenly, after the recent kerfuffle arising from the Department of Justice seizing phone records of reporters and editors at the Associated Press, President Obama, through White House press spokesman Jay Carney, endorsed a federal shield law. Unfortunately, it’s an empty gesture, or maybe just plain old politics, because not only wouldn’t it have protected the AP from the DoJ’s snooping...MicroVentures reaches $16M in investments
Equity-based crowdfunding platform MicroVentures announced today that it has reached over $16 million in investments today. The company hopes this announcement shows its success, as well as nudge the SEC toward enacting rules around the JOBS Act. [Source: VentureBeat]UPS releases native iPad app
UPS announced today that it is finally unrolling an iPad app to track and schedule deliveries. This was previously only available as an iPhone app. [Source: 9to5Mac]Yahoo and Twitter partner up beef up Yahoo’s homepage
Yahoo and Twitter have announced that Yahoo will feature selected tweets on its homepage’s news stream feature. Categories the tweets will cover include “local” and “entertainment”. [Source: The Verge]UK questions Google over tax practices
British lawmakers are currently investigating Google’s tax practices and questioning whether the company misled the country’s Parliament last year, Reuters reports. Committee chairwoman Margaret Hodge said that Google is “a company that says you do no evil, and I think that you do do evil in that you use smoke and mirrors to avoid paying tax.” [Source: Reuters]TechLaunch announces 2013 class
TechLaunch, an accelerator for New Jersey-based startups, has announced its 2013 class today. Startups participating include SeekChange, a service that promises to help users make or break habits; Private.ly, a platform for sharing sensitive information; and Caktus, a “smart bottle” maker. The companies will present at a demo day in September.Luvocracy raises $11M
Luvocracy, a social marketplace, has raised an $11 million funding round from Kleiner Perkins, Google Ventures, and CrunchFund (an investor in PandoDaily), among others. Kleiner Perkins’ Bing Gordon will join Luvocracy’s board. [Source: TechCrunch]Google: SMS support coming to Hangouts
SMS support will be coming to Hangouts, Google’s new cross-platform messaging service, the company’s Community Manager of Hangouts and Chat, Dori Storbeck announced on Google+. [Source: Dori Storbeck]Samsung nearing “5G”-capable devices
Samsung has developed a chip capable of operating on so-called “5G” wireless networks, Fortune reports. The wireless data technology, which promises speeds faster than the LTE networks that are only just starting to reach more than a handful of people, is expected to be ready by 2020 at the earliest, so the announcement is less a “check out our new...San Francisco: Get your ticket to see John Doerr at PandoMonthly now!
I don’t think it’s hyperbole to call our PandoMonthly San Francisco guest this month a legend in the venture capital world. If there were a venture capital hall of fame somewhere, John Doerr would be voted in on the first ballot. (Also, for the bulk of the US population, that’d be the world’s most boring museum…)
IDC data: Android claims 75% of global Q1 smartphone shipments, iOS 17%
New IDC research indicates that iOS and Android accounted for 92.3 percent of all smartphone shipments in Q1 2013, up from 90.3 during the same period a year earlier. Android’s stake was 75 percent globally, up from 57 percent a year earlier, while apple grabbed 17 percent. Bringing up the rear, Windows Phone passed Blackberry at 3.2 percent and 2.9 percent...Google buys $15M quantum computer, teams with NASA on research
Google has purchased a $15 million quantum computer and will team up with NASA to investigate future applications of quantum computing. Google is focused on machine learning technology that will be able to take advantage of the machine’s speed and ability to deal with massive data sets. [Source: VentureBeat]Appeals court upholds judgement in favor of Newegg over patent troll Alcatel-Lucent
A Federal Circuit court in Texas has upheld a previous judgement of non-infringement in an ecommerce-related patent suit between Alcatel-Lucent and Newegg. The decision could be a langmark one, as nearly a dozen other retailers settled with the french patent troll in 2011, while Newegg vowed to fight – and won. [Source: ArsTechnica]Biz Stone’s stealthy Jelly raises Series A round
Biz Stone’s next venture Jelly has raised an unspecified Series A round led by Spark Capital, with participation from SV Angel, Jack Dorsey, Reid Hoffman, Bono, Evan Williams and Jason Goldman’s Obvious, Al Gore, Emmy Winning Director Greg Yaitanes, and Afghan entrepreneur Roya Mahboob. All this and the company still hasn’t shared what it’s working on. [Source: Jelly]Pebble gets $15M in VC backing after Kickstarter success
A year after raising $10.2 million via Kickstarter, and with 75,000 of 85,000 pre-purchased watches shipped to its backers, Pebble has raised $15 million in Venture Capital from Charles River Ventures and other investors. The company failed to raise VC prior to its record-setting crowdfunding success. [Source: AllThingsD]Time Warner said to be weighing Hulu bid
Add Time Warner to the list of acquirers rumored to be taking a look at premium video streaming service Hulu. Yahoo and Guggenheim Partners have also been attached to the deal in recent rumors, with valuations said to be approaching $2 billion. [Source: Bloomberg]Triggit raises $6M for Facebook retargeting
Facebook retargeting startup Triggit has raised $6 million in a new debt round led by North Atlantic Capital, with participation from existing investors Spark Capital and Foundry Group. The company has raised $20 million in total. [Source: Triggit]Scroll down: The future of online media is in the cards
If HTML5 “cards” were listed on the share market, you would have seen a sharp increase in their price yesterday. While Google was exciting us at I/O with talk of enhanced photo features, interface-free search, and a new Hangouts app, it also gave a huge boost to cards, a relatively new information-delivery mechanism that are essentially digital boxes of content….
Floorplanner acquires Mydeco3D
Online 3D floor-planning platform provider Floorplanner has announced its acquisition of 3D room planner tool maker Mydeco3D. Floorplanner hopes to use this acquisition to provide a better way to visualize lived-in spaces, with furniture, etc., beyond their mere physical dimensions. [Source: The Next Web]Dailymotion announces collaboration with app creation service Joshfire
French video streaming website Dailymotion announced a collaboration today with app creation service Joshfire. The partnership plans to bring app creation options to US-based Dailymotion users. [Source: The Next Web]
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Minbox: The way file-sharing should work
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“After 3 and a half years of fusing my self-worth with the success of the company in the crucible of startup survival, it was impossible to tear them apart without pain. But while my first reaction was disappointment and failure, it was almost immediately washed away by a wave of relief. I knew change was inevitable, but I had no idea how stressful and exhausting maintaining my internal reality distortion field had been until they gave me permission to turn it off.”
— Awe.Sm founder Jonathan Strauss on replacing yourself as CEO
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Alteryx raises $12M to simplify statistical analytics
Statistical analytics startup Alteryx has raised $12 million in an extended Series A round led by Toba Capital with participation from existing investor SAP Capital. The company wants to be the place where analysts and data scientists can blend their data, model it, and visualize it. The company also offers a gallery of prebuilt analytics models. [Source: GigaOM]
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Jolla begins pre-orders for first Sailfish OS smartphone
Nokia descendent Jolla is accepting pre-orders its first smartphone running the Sailfish OS today. The €399 smartphone has 4.5-inch “Estrade” display, an unspecified dual-core processor, 16GB of internal storage plus a microSD slot, an 8-megapixel rear camera, and can run Android apps. Orders will be fulfilled at the end of 2013. [Source: Jolla]
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Neverware raises $1M to keep old school computers working longer
Educational market focused computer maintenance startup Neverware has raised $1 million from Thrive Capital, Khosla Ventures, General Catalyst, Collaborative Fund, and Nihal Mehta. The company charges schools a monthly fee to maintain the performance of aging computers with the goal of extending their usefulness and saving costs. [Source: TechCrunch]
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Seamless and GrubHub merge to pursue mobile food ordering domination
The two largest forces in mobile food ordering, Seamless and GrubHub, have announced their merger. The combined companies cover 20,000 restaurants in more than 500 cities, and collectively processed $875 million in food sales last year. The deal is still subject to regulator approval. GrubHub CEO Matt Maloney will lead the combined company, which could see a dramatic reduction in its customer and merchant acquisition costs. [Source: GrubHub]
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PayVia acquires Mogreet to combine carrier billing with mobile marketing
Carrier billing platform-maker Payvia has acquired Los Angeles-based mobile marketing startup Mogreet. Pauvia has 120 million clients and processed more than $2 billion in payments in its lifetime. Mogreet had raised $14 million in three rounds of venture financing. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. [Source: PayVia]
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How a MySpace and NASA vet is fixing Web security
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“Tumblr may not drive revenue (today), but it’ll increase Yahoo’s traffic by an enormous multiplier. Tumblr may not be directly rebranded as a Yahoo property, but it’ll increase the brand-value and mindshare of Yahoo exponentially. And Tumblr may not be the blogging platform of choice for professionals, but it’s veritably filled with young, taste-making people.”
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DirecTV mulling bid for Hulu
Hulu, which had been talked about as an acquisition target for Yahoo, has received acquisition interest from DirecTV as well, reports the Wall Street Journal. [Source: WSJ]
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Websense to go private
Websense, which makes security software, has agreed to go private with the help of private equity firm Vista Equity Partners for around $1 billion. [Source: Wall Street Journal]
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FusionStorm withdraws IPO
FusionStorm Global, an enterprise IT company focused on public sector customers, withdrew plans for a $175 million IPO, which it filed for in late 2011. [Source: Renaissance Capital]
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Zyme Solutions raises $5 million
Zyme Solutions, which provides channel data tools, raised $5 million from Susquehanna Growth Equity. The company offers managed services for multi-tier channel visibility, which integrate Salesforce.com, SAP and Oracle. [Source: Zyme Solutions]
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Pinterest makes pins more “actionable,” working with brands
Pinterest has taken its first step toward monetizing by making pins more “actionable,” the social network said. The company introduced new types of pins, one for recipes, one for movies, and one which makes it easier for users to click through and buy items they see on Pinterest. The retail product pin resembles a feature that has become popular on other “social shopping” sites like Fab, Opensky and Wanelo. [Source: GigaOm]
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Food ordering services Grubhub and Seamless merge
Online food delivery company GrubHub has merged with its competitor Seamless. The companies, which processed a combined $875 million in sales (which they take a cut of for facilitating), have not decided which of its brands will live on. Seattle-based GrubHub has 350 employees. Seamless in New York has 300. [Source: Bloomberg]
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Yahoo buys Tumblr, “promises not to screw it up."
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Forget armchair activism, new app Buycott helps people shop with a conscience
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“[T]he launch of the pay model is the most important and most successful business decision made by The New York Times in many years.”
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Former Cisco exec joins Firetide
After leaving Cisco in April Joe McCool has joined the team at Firetide, a mesh networking technology provider. McCool has become the president and chief executive. [Source: The Wall Street Journal]
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Apple hits a new record this quarter for revenue per visitor
According to an Asymco analyst, Apple’s revenue per visitor in its Apple Store hit a new record this Q1. In addition, visitors to the Apple Store rose by 7%. [Source: CNET]
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Pinterest updates pins’ features
Pinterest has announced that pinning an item will now provide some more information to users. Information includes prices, availability, cook time, etc. [Source: AllThingsD]
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Alteryx raises $12M
Data analytics platform provider Alteryx has raised $12 million of additional funding. This brings its total funding now to $18 million. [Source: TechCrunch]
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“[Tumblr] Imports have actually spiked on the rumors [of the acquisition] even though it’s Sunday: normally we import 400-600 posts an hour from Tumblr, last hour it was over 72,000.”
— Wordpress CEO Matt Mullenweg yesterday, on how Tumblers were reacting to the Yahoo-Tumblr news
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Yahoo confirms Tumblr acquisition
Yahoo has confirmed its acquisition of Tumblr for $1.1 billion, promising “not to screw it up” by allowing the company to operate as a separate business led by David Karp. The deal is said to grow Yahoo’s audience by 50 percent, and its monthly traffic by over 20 percent, allowing it (or its portfolio, anyway) to reach over 1 billion people each month.
[Source: Yahoo]
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Over 100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute
YouTube has announced on its eighth birthday that over 100 hours — more than four days — of video are uploaded to its servers every minute. The company announced in March that it has more than 1 billion monthly active users, putting it in the same category as its Google (its parent company) and Facebook.
[Source: YouTube]
