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Post-Facebook Deal, Beluga Gets A Final SXSW Tune-Up
Mar 08, 11:03AM
Immediately following their launch a few months ago, I noted that Beluga was my group messaging app of choice. I didn't expect that to change leading up to SXSW — then Facebook stepped in and bought the service. When I first heard about it (when we broke the story), my heart sank a bit — another Facebook acquisition casualty, I thought. But Facebook immediately started saying that this deal was different, that Beluga would continue to be fully supported for the time being. And sure enough, today we get an update. Specifically, the iPhone version of the app has gotten some final pre-SXSW polish today. It's not a huge update, but it's an important one. With the conference now just days away, competition in the group messaging space is really heating up. Both GroupMe and Fast Society have significantly overhauled their apps. Beluga needed to step up with some sort of update. And they have.
Fast Society Is Ready To Party At SXSW (Exclusive Demo Video)
Mar 08, 8:05AM
If you are a group texting startup worth your salt, you've got to have a new app ready for the upcoming SXSW conference in Austin. GroupMe, Beluga (which was just bought by Facebook), Kik, TextPlus, and offshoots like Yobongo will all be strutting their stuff. Not to be outdone, Fast Society just pushed out a completely revamped iPhone app and an Android app is coming out today as well. I recently visited the three-man team in the New York City's Dog Patch Labs. CEO Matthew Rosenberg game me a demo of the new app (see video above). Instead of simply launching a group chat into SMS, it takes advantage of push notifications to bring the message stream into the app itself, much like GroupMe's latest release. The app is a vast improvement over the previous version. 
The Facebook Bureau
Mar 08, 7:16AM
This past weekend, I saw the film The Adjustment Bureau. It's an entertaining movie — not great, but sort of fun and interesting. The plot (and I'm not giving anything away that the trailer doesn't) involves a man who stumbles upon a shocking reality: he's not in control of his destiny. Instead, there's actually a secret group, the Adjustment Bureau, that runs the show behind the scenes. The story is actually a somewhat rehashed one in movie lore (The Matrix, Dark City, etc). And it's even older in the science fiction realm (this one is loosely based on a short story by Philip K. Dick). But reading over the blogosphere the past couple of days, I feel like I'm still watching the movie. It's as if some people on the web truly believe that Facebook is this Adjustment Bureau. Increasingly, they control the network, and thus, our lives, and maybe even our fate. So while we're all having this discussion about Facebook Comments, let's be clear what this is really about: Facebook. It has very little to do with the actual commenting side of things. That's becoming more and more apparent.
I'm Already Sick Of SXSW
Mar 08, 6:29AM
I had a conversation today with a colleague to discuss our SXSW Interactive strategy. My coworker figured, rightfully, that SXSW would be a shitshow and that maybe we should use one of the much talked about group texting apps to stay in touch. I only "use" one group texting app, one that I covered for TechCrunch, and thus suggested GroupMe. My colleague said that he liked Beluga better and that we should use Beluga. And then he hesitated, "Hmm ... Well maybe we shouldn't use Beluga because what if Facebook 'does something to them' ?..." !!! This is the hyper-techy microcosm that we live in, where you're scared to use a budding app to communicate with co-workers during a conference lest a company "do something" to it. And what? You end up looking uncool?
Nyoombl Slips Back Into Stealth To Create A Hybrid Of Skype And YouTube
Mar 08, 3:48AM
If you've seen the name Nyoombl before, it's for one of two reasons. First, it's a really weird way to spell a word that sounds like "Nimble". Or second, they launched at DEMO last spring as one of the 65 startups. At the time, they were working on a dead-simple solution for videoconferencing on your television. But that space is both tricky and now crowded with the likes of Cisco. So about five months ago, founder Oladayo Olagunju decided it was time for a don't-call-it-a-pivot-pivot. He decided to take what he had learned about the video conferencing space and transfer it over to a new, unexplored area. And his team has been working hard on this new Nyoombl ever since. But it's not ready yet. And Olagunju is reluctant to share much about their plans until it's ready. But here's what we do know: it's going to be a completely new service that's a sort of hybrid of Skype and YouTube. In other words, it will allow any two people to take a video conversation and share it with the world, for all to see on the web. But think: debates and interviews, rather than straight up chats. "We are a broadcasting technology company, not a communications tool," Olagunju says.
Peel: A Bridge Between Your iPhone And Home Entertainment System (Video)
Mar 08, 3:36AM
It's a problem as common as it is ugly: between your television, Blu-Ray player, surround sound tuner, cable box, and DVR, you probably have at least three remotes sitting on your coffee table. And then there's the elaborate list of steps required to get each component working properly (don't forget to set the tuner to HDMI2 before firing up the Blu-Ray!) The associated headaches have spawned an entire industry of super-remotes like Logitech's Harmony devices. But what about the mobile powerhouses we've already dropped hundreds of dollars on — shouldn't our smart phones be able to control our home entertainment systems? That's the promise of Peel, a Santa Clara-based startup that is looking to help you take control over your entertainment system using your iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, or (soon) Android device. The company has just launched its first product — the Peel fruit — that retails online and in the Apple store for $99. Check out the videos below for an interview with the startup's founders. 
YC-Backed Like.fm Is A Social Network For Tracking Songs
Mar 08, 2:40AM
Recently funded by Y Combinator, Like.fm is a way to keep track of and share what music you're playing. Right now the service uses a Chrome, Firefox and Safari extension to automatically track what you're listening to on YouTube, Pandora, Rdio, Meemix, Grooveshark and Earbits and a desktop client to track what you're listening to on Winamp, iTunes, MediaMonkey or Windows Media Player.
Apple To Shed Some Retail Games And Peripherals, Focus On Selling Macs
Mar 08, 12:13AM
Apple's retail stores are well-known for their clean layout, product-first mentality, and obsequious staff. Though they stock things like iPod cases, printers, and so on, the focus has always been on Apple's devices, and may soon be even more so, as it appears a fair amount of software and peripherals will be taken off the shelves to make room for more Mac-focused space. It's an interesting indicator of the Apple ecosystem endgame. After all, Apple is positioning itself as not just a maker of quality computing goods, but the gatekeeper and distributor for everything you purchase, be it media, software, or accessory — even in the "real world." The iPad is a magic window into an Apple-controlled marketplace; why shouldn't Apple stores be the same way?
Hey Facebook, Your Code Is Showing (Comment Login From Google/Twitter/Etc)
Mar 07, 11:41PM
Last week, as we rolled out our new Facebook Comments system, we noted that two useful options were pulled at the last second: Twitter and Google login. And today brings more proof of that: the code still exists and works in the comment plugin itself! As dug up by Inside Facebook, a simple line of JavaScript can add back in the option for users to log-in with their Google and Twitter credentials from the Facebook Comment widget. And you can also enable MySpace and OpenID logins as well. In other words, many of you could get your wish, and be able to use something other than Facebook or Yahoo logins to comment on TechCrunch.
YouTube Acquires Next New Networks, Introduces 'YouTube Next' Training Squad
Mar 07, 10:52PM
Cute kittens and toddlers may be YouTube's bread and butter, but Google's video portal needs more than that to encroach on the goliath that is cable TV. But instead of shelling out for the rights to premium content from cable networks, YouTube is hoping it can nudge its existing community toward making high quality videos. Today the company has confirmed that it has acquired Next New Networks, a firm founded in 2007 that focuses on producing high quality original video content for the web. Alongside the news, YouTube is announcing 'YouTube Next', a team of experts (made up by many of the NNN team, no doubt) who are setting out to "supercharge creator development and accelerate partner growth and success". In other words, YouTube is going to give certain partners access to a team of experts that can hopefully help them produce better content.
Microsoft Seeding Windows Phone 7 On Nokia With A Billion Dollars Up Front
Mar 07, 10:22PM
The strategic partnership between Microsoft and Nokia, announced in February, was regarded as auspicious by some and desperate by others, yet some specifics of the agreement were largely a mystery until today. Most notably, Microsoft was rumored to have led the partnership with hundreds of millions of dollars, outbidding Google (!) to woo the once-magnificent Finnish giant. Considering Google's sights are increasingly set on the low-cost phone market, it's interesting that they didn't just write a blank check. Or maybe Nokia didn't want to appear to be flattened underneath the Android machine. Either way, Microsoft won out in the end, and the settlement paid has been reported by Bloomberg to be over a billion dollars. Considering the sums involved in control of even a small segment of the mobile world, a billion doesn't even seem like much. But it is, of course, a billion dollars. The question is: even at that price, did Nokia sell itself short?
Ask a VC with Mike Maples and Peter Barris This Week, Send Questions Now
Mar 07, 9:53PM
I’m leaving the country for a few weeks, so I’m trying to get a few episodes of Ask a VC in the can before I go. We have two exciting guests we’re taping this week: Mike Maples of Floodgate Fund and Peter Barris of NEA. Maples was early on both the super angel and Web 2.0 [...]
Opera Launches Appia-Powered Mobile App Store To The Public
Mar 07, 9:20PM
Opera is launching a designated, web-based mobile app store today, called the Opera Mobile Store. The store will be a featured Speed Dial link in the Opera Mini and Opera Mobile browsers. The Opera Mobile Store is actually powered by Appia (formerly PocketGear), which recently shifted its business model to providing white label mobile app stores for providers. For now, Opera will offers both free and paid applications for a variety of mobile platforms and devices, including Java, Symbian, BlackBerry and Android operating systems .
Dear Apple, Please Copy This Notification System For The iPhone Immediately
Mar 07, 7:51PM
As you're aware, I tend to take Apple's side on almost all matters iPhone versus Android. Having tried over a dozen Android devices ranging from the G1 to the Nexus S, I simply still prefer iOS. And it's not really close. But there is one argument I absolutely cannot make on Apple's side: the notification system. On Android devices, it's good. On the iPhone, it's awful. It's not like I'm saying anything sacrilegious here. Everyone knows it sucks. And that undoubtedly includes Apple, as they have made moves in the past year indicating as such. Moves like hiring Rich Dellinger, the guy who designed the great notification system for Palm's webOS. And they have been sniffing around some of the Push Notification apps in recent months as possible acquisition targets. But today we bring them all they really need: the idea for how it should work. Please Apple — please — copy this system. 
Uber's Private Cars Are Preparing For A Secret Push Into New York City
Mar 07, 7:25PM
They must be blasting a lot of Sinatra at Uber, the San Francisco startup that lets you order a private car from an iPhone app and watch it as it gets closer on a map. So far the company has been testing its model in San Francisco, and recently expanded to Palo Alto, but that is all child's play. If it can make it in New York City, it can make it anywhere. And that is exactly where it is headed next. According to an email with the subject line "An Uber Secret," which was sent to registered users who live in New York (like me), "Uber is coming to NYC in a few short weeks." The email includes a link to a survey which asks what people dislike the most about New York City cabs and livery cars, what they would value most about an Uber experience, and where in the city is service most needed. It also tries to gauge how much more people would be willing to pay for Uber than for a taxi (the choices are from 1X to 3X a taxi fare). 
Google Maps Navigation For Android Now Routes Around Traffic
Mar 07, 7:15PM
Buh bye GPS: the Google Maps Navigation Beta is adding traffic re-routing to its free Android app today, further sounding the death knell of traditional (and not free) in-car GPS systems. >From the Google Mobile Blog: "Starting today, our routing algorithms will also apply our knowledge of current and historical traffic to select the fastest route from those alternates. That means that Navigation will automatically guide you along the best route given the current traffic conditions." 
comScore: Android Passes iOS And RIM For U.S. Smartphone Subscriber Share
Mar 07, 6:44PM
comScore's monthly smartphone data is in and it looks like for the first time Android OS has surpassed both Apple's iOS and RIM in terms of U.S. smartphone subscriber share. The data, which measured smartphone usage from October 201 until January of 2011, showed that 65.8 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones during period, which is up 8 percent from the preceding three month period. While Android passed iOS in terms of subscriber share in the previous period, this is the first time the Google-developed OS has unseated RIM from the number one spot. Google's Android platform led smartphone platforms for the first time in January with 31.2 percent market share; RIM ranked second with 30.4 percent market share, followed by Apple with 24.7 percent share. Microsoft followed with a 8 percent market share, with Palm taking 3.2 percent share. 
Study: Too Much Technology Has Destroyed Our Ability To Sleep
Mar 07, 5:49PM
It would appear that our increased reliance on technology has destroyed our ability to have a good night's sleep. So says the 2011 Sleep in America poll, which was conducted by the the National Sleep Foundation. Something tells me they would be the guys to go to for all your sleep data needs. The study shows that 95 percent of Americans use a communication device (computer, phone, etc.) in the hour before bedtime, which absolutely wrecks your body's clock, as it were, thereby preventing you from having a decent night's sleep.
Ustream 2.0 For iPhone Lets You Broadcast And View Live Video, All In One App
Mar 07, 5:38PM
Want to watch Charlie Sheen's Sheen's Corner on mobile? Aspire to be Charlie Sheen on mobile? Well, just like it did on Android back in January, Ustream today has combined both its Viewer and Broadcaster app into one all encompassing and newly redesigned iPhone app allowing you to stream and watch live video all from your iPhone. Taking advantage of iPhone 4's front facing camera, the Ustream 2.0 app allows you to easily log in to your Ustream account and live broadcast or record video with one click, letting you share your broadcast on Twitter and Facebook as well as launch chat or take a viewer yes/no poll. 
Beat That! Google Acquires The UK's BeatThatQuote.com For £37.7M
Mar 07, 5:21PM
Breaking: Google has acquired the financial product comparison site BeatThatQuote.com for £37.7m. The news was first outed by the blog money.co.uk but has since been made official. Writing on the UK company's site, BeatThatQuote Managing Director, John Paleomylites, says that the acquisition offers the opportunity to "develop new and innovative options for personal finance in the UK" by making use of Google's engineering muscle. Of course, like almost any Google purchase these days, the deal could raise the eyebrows of regulators, especially in regards to how it places the comparison site's content in its search index. With that in mind, perhaps, Paleomylites talks up the possibility to "offer more transparency and better pricing information than existing online offerings."
This Year, Do Your Taxes On The iPad With TurboTax
Mar 07, 4:56PM
Last night, after much procrastination, I started my taxes—on my couch with a movie playing on the TV, using only my iPad. I was testing out an early build of TurboTax, which is now available for the iPad (in addition to the online and desktop versions). I got through the bulk of my taxes by the time the movie was over. Taxes are never fun, even on the iPad. But the new TurboTax iPad app makes it fairly seamless. Anyone familiar with TurboTax will recognize the interface. It takes you through the same guided questions the online and desktop versions do, asks you about your financial situation, and keeps a tally of your refund up top (or, gulp, taxes you still owe). The app works in both landscape and portrait mode, and knows when to pop up a number keypad or the full keyboard.
Hyperlocal Places Directory Fwix Adds Social Data And Geotagging To New Android And iOS Apps
Mar 07, 4:50PM
Fwix is rolling out new versions of its iPhone and Android apps, which adds social geotagging to its hyperlocal places directory. As we've reported last Fall, Fwix originally launched as a hyperlocal news aggregator but has more recently been transitioning to a hyperlocal places directory, sort of a cross between AOL's Patch and Google Places. For neighborhoods, businesses and points of interest, Fwix It culls local data from 30,000 blogs and news feeds; status updates from Twitter, Foursquare, Gowalla, Google Buzz, and BrightKite; geo-tagged photos from Flickr, Smugmug, and Picassa; local deals from Groupon, LivingSocial, and MobileSpinach; events from Eventbrite, Eventful, Zvents, Stubhub, Ticketmaster, reviews from Yelp, Citysearch, OpenTable, Yahoo! Local, and Zagat; and government data from SpotCrime, FixMyStreet, and SeeClickFix.
Kazaa Disses Apple, Debuts Web-Based Music Streaming Service For iOS, Android
Mar 07, 4:24PM
Atrinsic, the direct and online search marketing agency that acquired the assets of former P2P sharing tool Kazaa a couple of months ago, is trying to drum up some attention for the digital music subscription service this morning. In a press release, the company posits that there's been a 'breakthrough' for iPhone and iPad (and Android) users because its service is now 'accessible on iOS devices' simply by visiting Kazaa.com. Atrinsic is very explicit about why it is not taking the usual route of creating and marketing a dedicated mobile app for the mobile platform(s): it is not pleased with Apple's recent announcement that it will keep 30% of revenue generated by new subscriptions and media purchases made within an iPhone or iPad app through its App Store.
Business Insider Turns A $2,127 Profit On $4.8 Million In Revenue
Mar 07, 3:55PM
The Business Insider is now profitable—just barely. In a post this morning reporting the digital media startup's revenues, operating profits, and other metrics, Henry Blodget reveals that his collection of bloggy news sites and budding conferences eked out a net profit of $2,127, on revenues of $4.8 million last year. It's about enough, Blodget notes, for a MacBook Pro. But that's actually quite an achievement for a media startup. Remember, the Business Insider was founded only in 2007, and this achieved profitability in its third year of operations. And as you can see by the chart above, its really the revenues that you want to keep an eye on. To put that $4.8 million in perspective, that's roughly half of TechCrunch's 2010 revenues of $10 million. Not bad.
Gowalla 3 Launches For Android Today
Mar 07, 3:45PM
Adding existing features like third-party check-in and better photo support, the Austin based company updates the Android version of their location software today. Gowalla co-founder and CEO Josh Williams told me in a quick phone call that he feels like "we've created a better experience for our Android app than we even have for the iPhone version." Strategically, supporting the best Gowalla experience on the fastest growing Smartphone platform makes sense for the company, as they compete with other Check-in services like Loopt and Foursquare as well as hybrid location-chat services like Yobongo. They need to fish where the fish are, for sure.
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