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Tinychat Lets Anyone Put A Group Video Chat Toolbar On Their Website
Mar 17, 11:13AM
Video-based communication startup Tinychat is attracting a lot of interest of late, not just from professional investors but also from celebrities from around the world. The company just raised a $1.5 million round of financing from Ashton Kutcher, Sean 'Diddy' Combs and Madonna manager Guy Oseary, among others. Now any website owner can get Tinychat's robust group video chat features onto their own pages, as the startup has just debuted an easy way for publishers to create and integrate a custom toolbar.
U.K. Beats The U.S. To A Tech-Friendly Startup Visa
Mar 17, 10:08AM
Right now the UK media is making a lot of noise about new Visa rules which mean "super-investors" willing to put £5m into a UK bank account will get the right to stay indefinitely in Britain after only three years. This is two years faster than the average migrant who still has to wait five years. Deposit £10m and the time drops to two years. Clearly the new rules are aimed at high-value investors and entrepreneurs. However, what the media is missing is the new rules governing entrepreneurs wanting to enter the UK. Now, beginning April 6th, "high-potential" entrepreneurs will be allowed to come to the UK so long as they have £50,000 in funding from a reputable organisation. That is ridiculously good news for tech startups wanting to set up shop in the UK, and startups in the UK wanting to hire in talent they can't get locally - CTOs for instance. Plus, entrepreneurs will be allowed to enter the UK with their business partners as long as they have access to joint funds. 
GroupMe Won The SXSW Group Messaging Wars, Says Infographic
Mar 17, 6:58AM
Group messaging was absolutely not as useful as we thought it would be this year at SXSW. Whether you were using Beluga, GroupMe, Kik, Yobongo or Fast Society or others, everyone had high hopes for a breakout group messaging app, simply because we spoiled tech brats are already bored with the ones we already have. I know it's old school, but towards the tail end of the conference simple SMS won out (for me at least), because SXSW isn't about hanging out with the same groups of people all the time, but rather about having variety of exclusive options. In practice group messaging is kind of weak on the exclusivity thing, because you're almost always roped into groups with at least one person you don't like.
Danny Sullivan On How Viable It Is To Build Your Business On Google, Among Other Things
Mar 17, 4:11AM
The search engine wars have been heightened since January, when TechCrunch contributor Vivek Wadhwa wrote about why we need a better system of search, because his college students could no longer find the information they were looking for due to spammy results. Since then, both JC Penney and DecorMyEyes have been called out for questionable search-related business practices, as have content farms like Demand Media and content aggregators like the Huffington Post. Google has accused Bing of scraping its results, and both Google and newcomer Blekko have taken very public steps to block sites that attempt to game the system.
HeyZap Goes After Social Discovery, Launches Check-in For Mobile Games
Mar 17, 3:24AM
Heyzap, a monetization and distribution platform for online casual games, announced today that it's going mobile. Launching a social discovery application for mobile games on Android, the startup will be bringing the 1.6 million users it has already accumulated on its social gaming platform over to mobile. The company aims to build on its foray into social gaming last year, when it announced a partnership with fifteen social game developers, like Aeria Games, Game Duell, and TheBroth, to name a few. Using Facebook connect, the partnership made the developers' games available on the 450,000 sites across the Web that had already integrated HeyZap's platform. Social networking sites and tools Ning and myYearbook are among the sites that host Heyzap games.
San Francisco Pledges Support For Life-Saving 'Fire Department' Mobile App
Mar 17, 1:15AM
Back in January I wrote about an ambitious new mobile application that has a very good chance of saving lives (perhaps even many lives). And it's just gotten support from the City of San Francisco, which is the first major city to pledge support for this very important service. The application itself is called Fire Department. Download it, and you'll be asked if you're trained in CPR. Click 'Yes', and the application will then passively monitor your location (without draining your phone's battery). Here's where the life-saving comes in: if someone calls 911 to report a possible heart attack victim, 911 dispatchers can send an alert to anyone in the vicinity with CPR training who has this app on their phone. They'll immediately receive a push notification with the location of the victim, as well as the locations of any nearby automatic external defibrillators (AEDs). The whole process only takes a matter of seconds. Minutes are absolutely critical in these situations, and the immediate initiation of CPR before an ambulance arrives can be life saving. 
At SXSW, Advertising Was This Year's Twitter, iPad 2 Was This Year's Foursquare
Mar 17, 12:41AM
Now that the interactive portion of the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas is over, the key question is already rolling in: who won? What this really means, of course, is: what service was the breakout hit of the conference? After all, in past years, the conference has helped launch both Twitter and Foursquare into widespread usage. So the question really is: who was this year's Twitter? Or what was this year's Foursquare? The answer this year is a bit different, a little disappointing, and perhaps not all that surprising.
Sony To Subpoena Two Years Of PS3 Hacker's PayPal Records
Mar 17, 12:21AM
Query: If I donated $10 to Geohot's legal defense fund, does that make me liable for his actions, and do I have no right to keeping that donation private? It was, after all (if I made it), a perfectly legal transaction between two private citizens. Well, according to Sony and Federal Magistrate Spero (who just a short time ago approved Sony's request for all IPs visiting the hacker's site), I'm going to be on the record whether you like it or not. A new request from Sony has been granted that is, well, not quite as heinous as the last one, but is still troubling and overreaching. They want his PayPal records for all of 2009, 2010, and January of 2011. Because that whole period is relevant to a hack he worked out less than three months ago, right?
Pinger's Textfree Exchanging 1 Billion SMS Messages A Month, 1 Million Voice Minutes A Day
Mar 16, 11:57PM
Pinger's free texting and phone application Textfree is continuing to see booming growth. The app, which has been downloaded over 14 million times for iOS and Android devices, uses an ad-supported model to provide free SMS and voice calls to users and now ranks among the top mobile carriers by volume of messages exchanged. And it's hitting some impressive milestones. For those that haven't used it, Textfree gives users a free, unique phone number which they can use to send and receive free text messages through the service's mobile app. That's nice on mobile phones (you don't burn through your carrier SMS allotment), but it's proven especially popular on the iPod Touch, which can't typically send or receive text messages. Users are now exchanging over 1 billion text messages per month through the app (to give some context to that, in September Textfree had exchanged 3.5 billion messages cumulatively since its launch in March 2009). 
Gamestaq's Peer-To-Peer Game Sales Are The Love Child Of GameStop And Craigslist
Mar 16, 11:01PM
The biggest business in the world right now is cutting out the middle man. One way or another, that's what many of the most promising start-ups and services are providing. It's not so good for the middle man, of course, but some are more secure in their jobs than others. Taking advantage of the long tail and stocking or listing every item on earth is something Amazon will likely be doing for some time. But what about, say, a predatory business like GameStop, which is essentially a clearing-house for other people's used property? It is, as we might say at one of our conferences, a prime target for disruption. Gamestaq is a service that allows gamers to sell their used games directly to other gamers, for an automatically-generated standard price based on eBay and Amazon listings — so you know you're not getting ripped off, though of course it's also impossible to find a bargain. It's intended to combine the best DNA from Craigslist and GameStop, and operate as transparently as possible. (link fixed - nice one, WordPress!)
Jawbone Raises $49 Million from Andreessen Horowitz to Dominate Your Mobile Accessory World
Mar 16, 10:59PM
Jawbone, the company most known for its headsets seen on the terminally hip kid to your left, has raised $49 million from Andreessen Horowitz to continue to build new devices to take advantage of the smart phone/mobile Web boom. Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz invested in Jawbone as angel investors back in 2007, and CEO Hosain Rahman credits Horowitz as one of his most important mentors. Finally, he'll be on Jawbone's board. This round brings Jawbone's capital raised to date to just under $100 million. That's a lot of money. But I'm actually surprised they hadn't raised more. The biggest reason VCs give for not backing more consumer electronics companies is how capital intensive they are, compared to lean and mean Web companies. But getting to a point where you sell 10 million devices in three years doesn't sound capital intensive-- especially when you consider the mega rounds it's taking to scale the biggest consumer Web names.
Would You Buy A Wetsuit On eBay From A Bear At A Urinal?
Mar 16, 10:23PM
I don't even surf, but after reading this eBay UK listing for a slightly worn wetsuit I almost want to buy it. The seller, Dan Morgan, manages to work in "an old man's testicle," his own hygiene habits, and a "bear using a urinal." The key to good advertising copy is to tell a story. He's doesn't just describe the "used XCEL 3-2mm Infiniti Drylock Summer Wetsuit" for sale, he wraps a narrative around the wetsuit. And it's hilarious. I've reposted the description from the eBay listing below for posterity. Remember, the key takeaway here is that he has "NEVER urinated in this suit." The listing is already going viral. Seeing a marketing opportunity, XCEL Wetsuits is donating a second, brand new wetsuit to the winner, and DryRap is getting in on the action too by throwing in their changing towel, so to speak. The bidding is up to 640 Pounds, even though Morgan bought the original for only 300 Pounds. He will donate 90 percent of the proceeds to the Red Cross for Japan relief.
Google Upgrades Program To Help U.S. Nonprofits Use AdWords, Apps And More
Mar 16, 9:52PM
Google has had a one-stop shop for nonprofits to learn more about and leverage Google services for some time, but today, the search giant is launching a new version that enables these organizations to better use Google's technologies. Google offers select nonprofits the ability use Google Apps for free, also offers financial credits on Google AdWords, and more. Instead of having to apply to use all of these services separately, Google now allows users to apply via a one-stop shop application process. If approved, nonprofits can access Google's suite of product offerings designed for nonprofits. This includes up to $10,000 a month in advertising on Google AdWords, free or discounted Google Apps and premium features for YouTube and Google Maps.
Former Flickr Product Chief Lands At Bitly
Mar 16, 5:36PM
Flickr's recently departed product chief Matthew Rothenberg is landing in a new job in New York City. He was just hired by bitly to become its new VP of Product. He will be moving from California. Score another one for the New York startup scene. Rothenberg's decision to leave Flickr, which he says has more to do with personal reasons, is nevertheless seen as yet another sign that Flickr is ailing under Yahoo. 
As Facebook Eyes Online Deals Space, Groupon Plots Facebook Ad Blitz
Mar 16, 4:59PM
As I'm sure you've heard by now, Facebook is looking to shake up the social ecommerce industry with yesterday's expansion of Deals, its location-aware rewards program. The company is expected to turn Deals into a serious rival to online coupon, collective purchasing and location-based daily deal sites like Groupon and LivingSocial. We've learned that Groupon, in turn, has tapped a startup called AdParlor to exclusively manage their advertising spend on Facebook. The group buying site will let AdParlor run "tens of thousands of ad variations" on the wildly popular social networking service.
The Five Best Cord Cutting Devices (Plus One Bonus!)
Mar 16, 4:19PM
I hit a nerve. I seriously believe cord cutting is all about alternative services and not the hardware. Clearly others think different. My last post concerning the movement focused on three main areas with hardware only one small portion of the overall post. Why? All roads lead to Netflix and DLNA servers anyway. Nearly every box can run Netflix along with at least a dozen of other streaming services. I featured my favorites -- the do-it-all Boxee Box and the dead-simple Roku -- in the last post, but as so many commentors pointed out, there are a lots of other options. I agree! There's more than a few ways to cut the cord. So here we go, the six best devices listed in order of relevance that will help cut your household's dependence on pay TV.
Harvest Power Raises $51.7 Million To Turn Yard Scraps, Food Waste Into Energy
Mar 16, 4:17PM
Harvest Power, a producer of renewable energy from organic waste, attained $51.7 million series B financing, in a round led by Generation Investment Management, the companies announced today. The London-based fund was started by Nobel prize winner Al Gore and the former CEO of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, David Blood. DAG Ventures and Keating Capital also invested alongside Harvest Power's earlier backers Kleiner Perkins, Waste Management (NYSE: WM), Munich Venture Partners, and TriplePoint Capital. According to Harvest Power's chief executive Paul Sellew, the company will put the capital into building two of the "largest biomass renewable energy projects in North America, one in Richmond, B.C. and another outside of Toronto." The demo facilities will 
Felicia Day, From SXSW Volunteer To Keynote Speaker
Mar 16, 4:15PM
SXSW Keynoter Felicia Day is a post-modern day success story. After feeling frustrated with mainstream media's lack of enthusiasm for stories about gamers, she took her idea for as series based around a MMORPG video game to YouTube. After being fan-supported for season one, the half hour web series The Guild was eventually sponsored by Microsoft and Sprint and released on Xbox. In its fourth season, the series has 100 million viewers currently. 
The Ever-Elusive Mobile Wallet: Why NFC Chips Are Overhyped And Will Underdeliver
Mar 16, 3:53PM
The idea of turning your mobile phone into a digital wallet has a long and fruitless history. People are getting excited again about the prospect of mobile wallets replacing those in your pocket overstuffed with receipts and credit cards because both Google and Apple are pursuing the concept. The key technology that could make mobile wallets a reality are near field communication (NFC) chips. Google is already supporting NFC chips in Android phones such as the Nexus S and is expected to roll out tests of wave-and-pay systems at stores in New York City and San Francisco. Apple has been working on putting its own NFC chips in iPhones since at least last summer, although recent reports suggest the technology won't be ready for the next iPhone 5. There is no doubt that if Apple or Google can make NFC chips in phones a mainstream payment option, it could upend the payments industry and put either of these two technology companies smack in the middle of billions of dollars of commercial transactions. Apple could tie the mobile wallets to people's iTunes accounts, and Google could tie it to Google Checkout or some other account. But before that happens, there are a few things standing in their way: Local merchants, credit card companies, and consumer behavior.
KIT digital Buys Polymedia For $34.4 Million, Teases Big Upcoming Acquisition
Mar 16, 3:15PM
KIT digital, provider of video asset management software and related services, has acquired Italy-based Polymedia for a net consideration of $34.4 million plus performance-based earnouts. Polymedia is the IP video platform-provisioning subsidiary of TXT e-solutions, a company listed on the Italian Stock Exchange. Thus continues the buying spree of KIT digital. In the past twelve months, it has snapped up Multicast, BenchMark Broadcast Systems, Brickbox, KickApps, Kewego and Kyte. And apparently, that's just the beginning (see bottom of this post).
Techonomy3 Is Go! See You In Tel Aviv And At Kinnernet
Mar 16, 2:45PM
A few weeks ago I had the privilege of visiting Tel Aviv for the first time and meeting some local mobile companies ahead of Mobile World Congress. What I found was an incredible entrepreneurial environment. Just four hours away from London, in Europe, Tel Aviv is almost like having Silicon Valley in your doorstep. Admittedly this is not exactly news. Israel has a long history of producing amazing tech companies, in part due to the foresight of the government in nurturing the local VC scene. However, I plan to write up my experiences further, in due course (little things like MWC and DLD have gotten in the way unfortunately), but suffice it to say that it was great to hang out with Blonde2.0 and many other tech companies at dinner. But for now I'm really looking forward to heading back to Israel for the awesome Techonomy3 (grab tickets here) event, and before it, Kinnernet. This year's Techonomy3 event is taking place on April 5th, 2011, and will be a day filled with tech startup launches out of Israel. Hang on to your hats folks! 
Doximity Raises $10.8M, Helps Physicians Connect On The Web – And On The Go
Mar 16, 2:35PM
One of the founders of NASDAQ-listed mobile health software applications maker Epocrates is back with a new startup called Doximity. The young health technology company this morning announced that it has landed a $10.8 million Series A venture capital investment from Emergence Capital Partners and InterWest Partners. The additional funding will be used to accelerate development of Doximity's physician network, a free communication platform for healthcare professionals across the United States.
BLiNQ Media Buys Ruby on Rails Shop Calculated Combustion, Names CTO
Mar 16, 2:03PM
Facebook ad management media and technology company BLiNQ Media has acquired Ruby on Rails software development firm Calculated Combustion for an undisclosed sum. In addition, the company has promoted VP of technology & product development Luis Caballero to the role of chief technology officer. Caballero, previously technology director at Vitrue, has been working for BLiNQ since March 2010 and played an instrumental role in the development of the company's proprietary Facebook advertising platform, BAM (an acronym that stands for BLiNQ Ad Manager).
The Android Kill Switch: Mea Culpa
Mar 16, 2:03PM
Over the weekend I wrote a piece which argued that walled gardens were conquering the Internet, and Google's ability to to remotely delete apps from Android devices effectively turned Android into a "subtler but no less forbidding" walled garden than Apple's iOS ecosystem. Today I am pleased to report that on one key point I was completely wrong. I assumed that since Google can remotely delete apps downloaded from Android Market, then they could also use the same mechanism to remotely delete any apps, so long as Android Market is installed on the target device (which is the case for all Google-endorsed Android devices.) It turns out that that was a failure of imagination. My sources inform me that the remote kill switch does not work on apps from other sources.
Google Docs Makes Commenting More Collaborative With Structured Discussions
Mar 16, 2:00PM
Google Docs has always been an easy way to collaborate over a documents because many users can access the documents at the same time. But today, Google is stepping up the collaboration factor with more structured, threaded discussions. While previously users could add comments in Google Documents, today, Google is upgrading these comments to an actual discussions-like format within the document. Comments are easier to see and visualize with timestamps and profile pictures from the Google account of the commenter. One of the more significant changes is that if comments are not integrated with your Gmail inbox. So when a document you've created is commented on, you'll receive an email with the comment. 
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