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Instagram For The BlackBerry [Screenshot]
Jan 15, 3:55AM
Inspired by the epic Angry Birds for Blackberry, Myspace VP Sean Percival has come up with a hypothetical of what the popular photosharing app Instagram would look like on the text heavy and camera weak Blackberry platform. The above image is particularly humorous when coupled with the fact that Instagram, which just hit one million downloads, has not yet launched on Android. Percival's ultimate message here is intended to go beyond the lols however, "With so many brands getting into Instagram I was curious how a piece of humor (or viral) content might do within the Instagram ecosystem itself. No doubt those brands will need to bring something more than that perfectly filtered photo of a kitty cat to make an impact."
Twitter For Mac's Spectacular Hidden Little Feature: Tweet Anything From Anywhere
Jan 15, 3:11AM
I love Twitter for Mac. Love it. It has completely altered my day-to-day workflow. And it has changed the way I use Twitter itself. And that was before I found out about this killer little hidden feature today: Tweet from anywhere. I don't know how I missed it before, but apparently installing Twitter for Mac adds a new "Tweet" command to basically a ton of apps running in OS X. MacStories first pointed this out earlier today, and now I can't get enough.
Facebook Shares Hit $28.26 Per Share, That's a $70+ Billion Valuation
Jan 15, 2:24AM
The SecondMarket Facebook shares auctions are back on after a holiday break, and the valuation is up big time. The last auction prior to this one closed December 15 at $22.75/share. Today it hit $28.26 per share. With 2. 5 billion or so shares outstanding, that's a $70.65 billionish valuation. A month and a half ago shares were trading on SecondMarket at a $50 billion valuation. What's changed? The Goldman Sachs investment announced earlier this month increased the hype even further. No wonder the SEC is starting to pay attention to these trades. Sounds like Accel Partners may have sold a little before the peak.
Posterous Cofounder Garry Tan Steps Down, Heads To Y Combinator
Jan 15, 1:36AM
Garry Tan, one of the cofounders of easy-to-use blogging service Posterous, is moving on from the company. Tan will be leaving to take a position at Y Combinator, where he will serve as a designer in residence. Posterous doesn't put much weight on titles, but Tan had a hand in the site's engineering, design, and product development. Posterous isn't taking off as quickly as its competitor Tumblr, but it has a solid audience and has recently released a neat Groups feature. Tan didn't elaborate much on his reasons for leaving, but says that it boils down to wanting to work with smaller teams, which he'll be able to do at Y Combinator (Posterous is now at around 13 employees). He also added that Posterous is going "gangbusters" and that he expects 2011 to be "really phenomenal".
Want To Know What Your Friends Think? Ask Polling Site GoPollGo
Jan 15, 1:23AM
Former TechCrunch developer Ben Schaechter left TC a couple months ago to launch his own startup and today we finally get to see the fruits of his labor. Sick of the poor analytics, lack of geo-graphical information and little vote analysis on industry leaders like Poll Daddy, Schaechter built GoPollGo to maximize what he felt was the potential of polling services. Says Schaechter, "The polling space is crying out for disruption and innovation. There is *so* much information that can be dervived from vistors. When mashed up with users' opinions, the data gets thoroughly interesting."
Ask a VC: Satish Dharmaraj on India, the Beauty of Fragmentation and Farmers Markets (TCTV)
Jan 15, 1:22AM
I have a dilemma with Ask a VC. Generally, I'm trying to do shows that are under 10 minutes, so they're more consumable. But in the case of Ask a VC, I want to get to as many reader questions as possible and would rather not cut someone off when they are giving you business advice. So starting this week we're going to post the whole show as usual below, and give you links to each question and answer. That way if you don't have 15 minutes to watch it all, you can still find out the answer to your question or a question that you are grappling with. I usually find that its easier to consume long-form videos in podcast form than during my daily blog reading, so as a reminder, you can also download the episodes of any of our TCTV shows from iTunes. This week, Redpoint Ventures' Satish Dharmaraj was our first return guest and we got to a good number of questions including...
Cubeduel Goes Viral Too Quickly, Stumbles Over LinkedIn API Limits
Jan 15, 12:53AM
Yesterday we ran a post about Cubeduel, a service that mixes the best (or worst) of Hot or Not with LinkedIn. Fire up the site and it will show you photos of two coworkers — pick the one you'd prefer to work with, and Cubeduel will present you with another pair of photos. It's addictive, a bit evil, and has skyrocketed in usage over the last few days since it launched. Unfortunately, it took off a bit too quickly. The service went down earlier today for reasons that were initially unclear — did LinkedIn block the site because it ranks coworkers in a way that isn't exactly flattering to everyone, or did the site just get too popular, too fast? Turns out it's the latter — Cubeduel has exceeded LinkedIn's API limits (which is what one of the site's creators, Tony Wright, initially guessed). Here's an explanation from LinkedIn Director of Communications Hani Durzy:
Andreessen Horowitz Hires a New Partner…from Sales?
Jan 14, 11:59PM
When Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz launched their venture firm, they talked a good game about things being different; about having a smorgasbord of partners skilled in different areas that could tag in-and-out of portfolio companies as appropriate. And a lot of that sounded like the usual "value-add" venture capital spiel. But two funds into the firm's life, that vision is starting to take shape. Witness today's announcement that Mark Cranney will be joining the firm as a partner. Cranney isn't some techy whiz-kid, visionary founder or even a financial wizard. He's a sales and operations guy and his job will be to help teach Andreessen Horowitz's predominately engineer-centric founders and CEOs to be a little bit more like those things many of them decry: a sales guy, an MBA, a grown-up manager. Look at him! He even looks like a sales guy!
Speaking of… Cindy Morgan, from Original TRON [TCTV]
Jan 14, 11:15PM
My special guest on this week's Speaking Of is actress Cindy Morgan. Cindy is known in the film world for two iconic roles: as Lacey Underall in Caddyshack and as Lora/Yori in the original TRON. I didn't mention this in my original overview of TRON Legacy, because I didn't want to spoil much of the movie for everyone, but I was very saddened by the fact that two of my favorite characters (Bit and Yori) from the original TRON didn't make an appearance in the sequel, when so many other main actors did, including Bruce Boxleitner (shown holding Yori in the original TRON poster). When I asked about this, Cindy admitted that she'd only seen the sequel two days prior to our interview, and that it was like going to the prom without a date. She made a small cameo in Sam Flynn's room on his poster and that was about it. Cindy is incredibly gracious though, understanding that movie producers have to make difficult decisions. She hopes she'll appear in the next sequel - and I'd love to see that happen too. Video ahead.
Smart Energy Consultancy, Gridpoint, Raises Another $23.6 Million
Jan 14, 11:02PM
A new SEC filing revealed today that Gridpoint — a smart energy consultancy based in Arlington, Virginia — raised another $23.6 million to design, build and install energy tracking and management systems for companies or government agencies seeking to cut costs and reduce consumption. Founded in 2003, Gridpoint appointed a new chief executive, John B. Spiritos, last quarter (October 2010). In the spring last year, the company won a $28 million contract with the United States Postal Service (USPS) to install energy management systems in selected post office locations across the U.S. It also made a number of acquisitions in the smart-grid space. 
Chairman Of Build Your Dreams, A Major Clean Tech Manufacturer, Wins "China's Peace Prize"
Jan 14, 9:45PM
The chairman of Build Your Dreams (BYD) one of the world's largest clean tech and electric vehicle manufacturers, Chuanfu Wang, won China's Canton Provincial Award for Individual Contribution the company announced today. The Canton Government awarded the CPAIC, a.k.a. "China's Peace Prize," to Wang for leading a business that has consistently developed and commercialized solar power, battery, LED and electrified transportation technologies. Use of BYD products in Canton, the government there claims, significantly reduced air pollution in the province. Also known as Guanghzhou, the Canton region drew scrutiny over air quality issues leading up to the Asian Games which it hosted in November 2010...
So Much For Standards, Google Says WebM Plugins Coming Soon For Safari And IE9
Jan 14, 9:32PM
We've already done a full breakdown of Google's clarification of their H.264 pullout today. But buried in their post is another interesting nugget worth highlighting by itself: WebM plugins are coming shortly for Safari and IE9. Yes, plugins. This is both humorous and terrifying on a few levels. First and formost, the point of all of this H.264/WebM stuff is so that the web can shift to an HTML5 video standard going forward. Of course, since neither IE nor Safari will support Google's, Mozilla's, and Opera's preferred codec for that standard, we're right back to plugin land! Why don't we just call WebM, Flash 2.0?
Google Clarifies Their H.264 Stance, Hands Keys Of Web Video's Future Back To Flash
Jan 14, 9:04PM
Earlier this week, Google wrote a very short post on their relatively small Chromium blog to announce a big change: they were dropping support for the H.264 codec in Chrome. While they may have tried to whisper it, the post resulted in a shitstorm that reached high into the heavens. It seems as if just about everyone weighed in on the decision (including us, twice). As a result of the fallout, Google decided to follow-up on their three-paragraph post with a ten-paragraph one today more clearly outlining why they're making the move. It certainly is more clear, and that's perhaps what makes it even more frustrating. As Google notes, this is all about the HTML <video> tag. The search giant cites an impasse in figuring out one codec to use for the future of HTML5-based web video. Safari and IE are backing H.264, but Mozilla and Opera refuse to, and had been backing Ogg Theora. So Google dreamed up WebM and got Mozilla and Opera to sign on board. Unfortunately, we're still at an impasse, because it does not appear that Safari and IE will be doing the same any time soon.
Boingo Wireless Files For $75 Million IPO
Jan 14, 8:55PM
Boingo Wireless, a nationwide WiFi provider, has just announced that it has filed an S-1 registration statement with the SEC for a proposed initial public offering. While the company's statement says that number of shares to be offered and the offering price range are still to be determined, the filing indicates that the IPO is prices at $75 million for now. It's important to note that this is the amount, Boingo is trying to raise but is not the set amount for the IPO. Boingo "believes" that it is is the world's largest commercial Wi-Fi network, with 211,000 Wi-Fi locations in over 100 countries. The company installs, manages and operates wireless networks in locations like airports and restaurant chains, which Boing says had more than 800 million visitors in 2009.
TechCrunch Giveaway: Tickets To The 2010 Crunchies #Crunchies
Jan 14, 8:41PM
The 2010 Crunchies Awards are coming up fast and tickets are sold out. But we are giving away two more pairs of tickets. Yesterday, we also announced that a very special musical guest will be joining us. He shocked us at DisruptNY and now, thanks to MailChimp, ELEW will be performing at this year's Crunchies! His Rockjazz renditions of hits by artists such as Coldplay, The Killers, and Nirvana will serenade us throughout the award ceremony, as well as at the after party. The awards are being held at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater in San Francisco on January 21, 2011 at 7:30pm PST, with the after party following right after at the Exploratorium until 11:30pm PST. We will have music, food, drinks, games, and many other fun surprises! We will choose 2 winners tomorrow, January 15th at 5:30pm PST. 
The #Tunisian Revolution Wasn't Televized, But You Could Follow It On Twitter
Jan 14, 8:21PM
For those of you not following the hashtags #sidibouzid (the Tunisian province where this month's protests started) #Tunisia, #Tunisian, or #Tunise here's the executive summary: Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled the country today after weeks of unrest sparked by the suicide of produce vendor Mohamed Bouazizi. Bouazizi, who reportedly killed himself after police seized his fruit stand, became a galvanizing symbol for unemployment and corruption in Tunisia.
Why American Mothers are Superior
Jan 14, 7:52PM
Editor's note: The Wall Street Journal lit up the blogosphere last weekend with an article titled, Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior. This played right into the stereotypes about Asian parents being obsessed with their children's education and myths about Chinese and Indian education being superior to U.S. education. The Journal article was over the top—way over. In fact, TechCrunch contributor Vivek Wadhwa called it "bizarre" in a response that he wrote in his BusinessWeek column. Chinese and Indian parents really do care about their children, just as American parents do, as do others all over the world. Some Chinese and Indian parents are really strict and push their children extremely hard. But he doesn't know any who would call their children "garbage" either in private or in public as the Journal described. And he doesn't know any middle-class Indian or Chinese children, in this day and age, who allow themselves to be subjected to the type of abuse the article details. You can read his views. But here is the perspective of one of his Twitter followers, Dr. AnnMaria De Mars, President of The Julia Group. She said that she felt compelled to write this after reading his piece.
Zoho Preparing Online Accounting Service Zoho Books (Screenshots)
Jan 14, 6:28PM
It appears that Zoho is expanding its productivity suite empire once again with the launch of Zoho Books, an online accounting software. We were alerted to the new product by a reader, who managed to find the company's 26th product (though it appears that Zoho has taken the site down). We've posted screenshots below. Similar to Quickbooks, Zoho Books is an online accounting software that gives business as snapshot of money flowing into and out of accounts. According to the site, the software allows you to send invoices for payments, receive online payments, record bills and expenses, monitor bank and credit card transactions, deal in a variety of currencies, manage contacts, and share data. 
Ask a VC: Welcome Back to the Hot Seat, Satish Dharmaraj
Jan 14, 6:19PM
We had a last minute cancellation on Ask a VC this week, so filling in is Satish Dharmaraj who was our second ever guest on the show. For those who don't remember, Dharmaraj is a relatively new partner at Redpoint Venture Partners, after selling Zimbra to Yahoo for $350 million and Onebox, which he sold for $850 million. Not bad. Dharmaraj focuses on a lot of Redpoint's consumer Web portfolio, but he has a history with enterprise too. I'll be interested to hear which he's most excited about in 2011. Because he's a last minute fill-in, we have a quick turn around so get your questions in now to AskaVC(at)techcrunch(dot)com.
Mike Jones' Kiss-Off Letter To Laid Off MySpacers: "We Can't Continue On This Journey Together"
Jan 14, 5:49PM
Whenever a company lays off 500 people, as MySpace did earlier this week when it gave half its employees walking papers, it generates quite a bit of anger and bitterness. The latest tip in our inbox from a dispirited former employee goes into a details about do-nothing managers who still have their jobs while all their underlings are now unemployed. I won't repeat the character assassinations here, but the former MySpacer did include something else I will share: The kiss-off letter from CEO Mike Jones. "He didn't even take the time to personally sign the letters. It's just a xerox copy," laments the former employee. You can read the termination letter below. It is pretty standard, thanking those being laid off for their "dedication and commitment to MySpace" especially through its recent relaunch. This is the part, though that must really rankle:
Amazon's Diapers.com And Soap.com Bring E-Commerce To Facebook Pages
Jan 14, 5:08PM
E-commerce on Facebook has steadily been ramping up as both small retailers and big brands set up online store fronts on the social networks. With access to Facebook's nearly 600 million members, it makes sense for retailers to bring e-commerce and the shopping experience to the social network. Today, Quidsi, which Amazon acquired for $540 million last Fall, is launching an shopping experience on Facebook for Soap.com and Diapers.com On the Facebook pages for Quidsi-owner properties Soap.com, BeautyBar.com and Diapers.com, existing users of the shopping sites will be able to shop for products directly from the social network under a tab called "Shop My List." Members will be able to access their Diapers.com and Soap.com shopping lists by logging in with their Quidsi credentials and then complete a purchase of all or some of these products without ever leaving Facebook. And customers can shop on all three sites via one tab (so users can order Soap items while on the Diapers page) and like individual products. 
Chartbeat Cracks 2 Million Concurrent Users Tracked
Jan 14, 5:00PM
It was only last August that Chartbeat passed one million concurrent users tracked across all the sites that use the realtime analytics dashboard. It took 16 months from launch to get there. Now, a mere five months later, Chartbeat has broken through the 2-million user milepost. Chartbeat is like Google Analytics, but in realtime. It lest you see exactly how many visitors are on any page on your Website at any given time, where they came from, and how your realtime traffic compares to the norm. So you can see spikes right when they are occurring. I use it religiously to track how posts are doing on TechCrunch every day. And more and more sites are getting religion, it seems, or traffic is growing for the already-converted. The 2-million user number is concurrent users across all sites that use Chartbeat, and that is an average number at any one instant. 
Google Apps Removes Scheduled Downtime Clause From SLA; Gmail Had 99% Uptime in 2010
Jan 14, 5:00PM
Google has made some significant changes to its service level agreement (SLA) for Google Apps, removing the clause that allows for scheduled downtime. Previously, Google had a clause that included the right for downtime due to maintenance. The new version of the SLA has been amended to eliminate maintenance windows in the agreement. So any unscheduled and now scheduled downtime-will count towards downtime in the Google Apps SLA. If Google drops below 99.9 percent uptime for the month, Google Apps users will receive a credit. Google has also changed its agreement to count ANY intermittent downtime. Previously, a period of less than ten minutes was not counted as downtime. And before that, Google Apps could be unavailable for more than 21 hours on a given day, and the company could still claim they had 100% uptime.
Kickstarter: The PadPivot Might Be The First True Universal, Multi-Function Tablet Stand [Update: Pic Gallery Added]
Jan 14, 4:47PM
That about does it. The PadPivot must be the last novel idea in tablet stands. Shut down the Chinese design factories. This seems to address the entire market's needs and more. Not only does the PadPivot do multi-angle, table-top tablet mounting and holding, but the contoured shape is designed for legs, too. Most tablet users can attest, this is the most common usage location anyway. The Kickstarter demo video embedded in this post shows why. You sit down, put the tablet on your thigh and then do a little balancing routine to keep it in place. With the PadPivot, you simply rest the backside of the iPad or any other slate device on the PadPivot's pad while the rounded shape holds to your leg. Oh, and it folds up nicely, too. I'm sold. Update 3 hours after posting: They hit their target goal of $10,000 and they're just two days in! Good product + Kickstarter = Success
Which Is The Most Capital Efficient Online Video Startup Of Them All? (Hint: Rocketboom)
Jan 14, 4:17PM
Success in online video is relative to how much time, effort, and money you put into it. Andrew Baron of Rocketboom offers an (albeit self-serving) chart in a post updating the State of the Union for his startup and online video in general. I like this chart because it tries to compare the total capital poured into four different online video ventures and the total cumulative videos put out and consumed by viewers. Next New Networks is by far the largest, with an estimated 1 billion cumulative video views, but it's also raised $27 million in venture capital (weren't they supposed to be bought by YouTube by now?). Revision3 and Rocketboom come in at the next tier with 312 million and 290 million cumulative video views, respectively. A decent accomplishment by both, but it took Revision3 about $10 million in capital to get there whereas Rocketboom got there with only $1.5 million. And then there's MyDamnChannel, with 105 million cumulative views and $7.5 million in capital invested. Not very capital efficient at all, assuming revenues are tied to video views, which is usually the case. But in order to better visualize the ratio of cumulative views to total invested capital, I created the my own chart based on Baron's original one. 
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