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Social TV App Peel Adds Real-Time Cheering To American Idol
Mar 12, 11:00AM
There are loads of startups trying to build a social TV experience that goes beyond checking in to your favorite TV shows. Now social TV app Peel is taking a stab at it, and it's aiming at one show in particular: American Idol. Now, the Peel app (which, to be clear, is not officially connected to the show in any way) will provide a parallel experience as you watch. As each contestant takes the stage, you can tap the screen to either boo or cheer them — not just once, but as many time as you want. Maybe one cheer for their song choice, and then a boo as they stumble, and then three cheers as they hit a particularly tough note. A sliding bar shows how much you've booed and cheered, and you can boo and cheer and the judges as they rate the singers. And there's a button to tweet your thoughts as you follow along.Social Discovery Apps Like Highlight Are A Recruiter's Wet Dream At SXSW
Mar 12, 10:50AM
The history of location-based social discovery apps is a lot longer than the current hype surrounding Highlight and Glancee, currently darlings of the South By South West festival. Back in 2007 TechCrunch's founder Mike Arrington noted the existence of social mobile apps like Lime Juice, Rummble, Mig33, ZYB, Mocospace, Aka-Aki, Nokia Sensor, Dodgeball, Mobiluck, MeetMoi and Imity, just to name a few. The problem was none had critical mass, in part because smartphones were still thin on the ground. Nokia's Sensor app was way ahead of its time, but only worked on Nokias and via Bluetooth to "see" who was around you. Aka-Aki had a little more success out of Berlin for a while but in recent years has been eclipsed by newer players. Badoo remains the one to beat in this sector, with 115 million users and many using it via mobile apps. The first uses of these types of location based 'social discovery' apps appealed, shall we say, to the baser instincts: hooking up with people for fun and frolics. But there's a new use on the block and it's rearing its ominous head at South By South West: recruiting.Ahead Of US Launch, Wrapp Opens Its SoMo Gift Card App For Business In The UK
Mar 12, 10:20AM
With $10.5 million in funding behind it, Wrapp, an app that lets users buy gift cards from a variety of retailers and send them on as presents, is now launching in the UK as both an Android and Apple app, its first step beyond Sweden in an international strategy that will also see the company come to the U.S. later this year. To kick off the service, the app is offering gift cards from a variety of top UK retailers -- a sign not only of how these shops believe enough in the product to give it a try, but a mark of where the app's creators are looking to pitch the business longer term. The list includes online shopping giant ASOS; the retail group Aurora Fashions (which includes high street fixtures Coast, Oasis and Warehouse; Karen Millen); and the gym chain Fitness First.Crush Your March Madness Pool (And Win $100K) With numberFire
Mar 12, 10:00AM
March Madness is about to start, and for many friends and co-workers, that means it's betting time. This year, however, RRE Ventures-backed startup numberFire wants you to make those bets based on real data and math. The company just launched a new Facebook app called the March Radness Challenge. The problem, says CEO Nik Bonaddio, is that most people have no idea who's going to win each game in the basketball tournament. That's where numberFire comes in, bringing what Bonaddio calls a "MoneyBall-ish" approach to sports: "The data is there, so let's use math and the power of big data/distributed computing to unlock the secrets of what's actually going on, and then use that to understand what will happen next."Another European Carrier Goes VC: Orange Partners With Publicis, Iris In $400M Fund
Mar 12, 8:14AM
Today sees the launch of one more venture capital fund backed by a large European telecoms carrier: Orange, the retail face of France Telecom, is teaming up with the advertising giant Publicis and Iris Capital Management to start OP Ventures Growth, a new $400-million-plus fund to back French and other European technology startups. Orange and Publicis are contributing half of those funds, $200 million (€150 million) with the total to be used both for seed capital/early stage investments, as well as later rounds; and the deal will see the carrier and ad giant effectively become minority partners (24.5 percent each) in Iris. The move underscores how the older guard of media and communications are continuing to invest to make sure that they, too, are in the thick of newer innovations -- and they are using the vehicle of VC cash to get there. The move comes just a week after Telefonica also announced more startup activities -- the launch of its Wayra incubator -- and amidst reports that the Spanish carrier is gearing up, within days, to announce another significant investment in a startup.Chris DeWolfe Talks SGN And The Mobile Gaming Gold Rush [TCTV]
Mar 12, 12:22AM
Chris DeWolfe is not resting on his laurels after his big-name success as a co-founder of Myspace. For the past two years he has been heads down building an increasingly powerful social gaming company SGN, which was recently previously known as MindJolt, that is aiming to give Zynga a run for its money by making games that bridge Facebook, mobile and the web.Hand Me The Pliers
Mar 12, 12:10AM
The magic of the recording studio gave way to the personal computer, the Internet, and social media. The world Firesign Theatre modeled in their surreal vision of the near future has become the default. We still love to repeat the catch phrases, the touchstones of our love-in with infinite possibility, but now they are the language of Likes and retweets, OMG and LMFAO, check-ins and iPads. How can you be in two places at once when you're not anywhere at all? Easy. It's called Facebook.Gap Campaign Rethinks Old-School Bus Station Ads
Mar 11, 11:46PM
It's not just startups that are trying to push what's possible with mobile advertising — the Gap recently completed an ad campaign combining traditional transit ads with geo-fencing technology. Here's how the campaign worked: The Gap worked with out-of-home ad company Titan to place ads at bus stops and other transit locations in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago. Then Titan created geofences around the ads, which activated the mobile part of the campaign for people who were nearby. In other words, you might see a Gap ad at a bus station, then while you're waiting for the bus to arrive, you open up Words With Friends, which serves another ad, this time with a coupon for $10 off a $50 purchase.Instagram Reaches 27 Million Registered Users And Says Its Android App Is Nearly Here
Mar 11, 9:04PM
Instagram, the photo-sharing app that has taken a definitive lead on iOS, said it has surpassed 27 million registered users. Co-founder Kevin Systrom didn't disclose daily active users. But he did say of all the users who have been active in the last week, 67 percent of them used the app yesterday. "It's Facebook-level engagement that we're seeing," Systrom said. He didn't really offer any clarity on rumors that the company is raising $40 million at a $500 million valuation. "Good companies are always fundraising," he said. "Whether you're meeting people or considering firms, you're always fundraising. But it doesn't mean we're active. We're trying to create a long-term, viable company that doesn't come and go with fads. It should be something that lasts and creates meaningful value."Go Ask Grandma: How To Design For "Normals"
Mar 11, 8:51PM
As web watchers, entrepreneurs, and investors search for the next big thing, they'd be wise to focus on innovations that can be easily adopted by technology novices. A recent string of companies, including Groupon and Pinterest, have found success outside the early-adopter digerati by building products simple enough to be used by just about anyone. Designing with tech novices in mind can mean the difference between staying niche and going mainstream. Here are three principles for designing software for people Silicon Valley too often disparagingly calls "normals."Marvel and Aurasma Show Off New Line Of Augmented Reality Comics
Mar 11, 6:49PM
Today at SXSW, Marvel announced a partnership with Autonomy's Aurasma platform to lets users watch video trailers of books they see in stores, as well as 3D animation, recaps, and other augmented reality extras by holding their phones up to comics. That means 3D super heroes will soon be stepping out of your print books. Marvel will release free iOS and Android apps to power the augmented reality experiences as part of its Marvel ReEvolution revamp. New lines of "Marvel Infinite Comics" written especially for digital are also on the way.Check out our video of the augmented reality demo here...How Tablets Will Transform Construction
Mar 11, 6:04PM
The basic process of any construction project goes like this: A person with a lot of money (called The Owner) decides that, for whatever reason, they want a building and so they go hire an architect. This architect in turn hires a bunch of engineers and all of them start furiously designing the building until The Owner seems happy enough to move forward. Once that happens, the design is printed on piles and piles of paper and then handed to the construction team who starts the actual construction. This is, of course, a gross oversimplification, but the interesting thing to note is that this entire exchange of information is digital — up until the point where the actual construction takes place.KPCB's Bing Gordon: How To Tell Amateur Founders From The Pros [TCTV]
Mar 11, 5:55PM
Don't be fooled by Bing Gordon's buttoned-up sounding job title as a partner at top tier Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers -- he's known as easily one of the most fun people to talk to in the tech industry. So when we saw him in Austin, Texas at the South By Southwest Interactive conference this weekend, we pulled him aside for an interview with TechCrunch TV.Social Super Tuesday — How the 2012 Candidates Stacked Up On Facebook
Mar 11, 4:55PM
Every vote counted on Super Tuesday with the results coming down to Mitt Romney narrowly beating Rick Santorum by only 0.8% in the Ohio primary. While some may argue that the issues elevated Mitt above the rest, as a social marketer I can't help to wonder if social savvy determined the winners and losers.Facebook Mobile Is Ditching 2-Click Like Button For 1-Click Like Bar
Mar 11, 4:47PM
Facebook is slowly rolling out a mobile interface change that lets you Like or comment on posts with a single click, I discovered this week and the company has confirmed. By making it quicker to Like, Facebook will be able to gather more data to refine its feed sorting algorithm while making content consumption faster and arguably more enjoyable. Previously, you had to tap a '+' button beside posts to reveal separate Like and comment buttons, but soon all users will click on different sides of a combined Like / comment bar to leave feedback. Sure, this is a subtle change, but it will affect over 110 million iPhone and Android users every day, plus everyone who visits m.facebook.com. With its rich-media feed stories, streamlined feed reading will help Facebook compete with Twitter's inherently less exhausting text-only mobile feed.Jetsetter Moves Beyond Flash Sales: Recommendations Now A Third Of Its Business
Mar 11, 4:46PM
Jetsetter, the exclusive travel community for globetrotters, seems to be on a roll. In recent days, the company has announced a dozen some new corporate partners, a handful of new sale formats to entice customers, and new distribution partnerships with high-profile sites like Kayak, The Economist and the vacation rental service HomeAway. But while many think of Jetsetter as a flash sales for travel site, it's been finding growth in other verticals: curated recommendations and personal service.Walmart Buys Facebook's Birthday And Holiday Reminder App Social Calendar
Mar 11, 11:50AM
It looks like retail giant Walmart has made another acquisition. The e-commerce giant has bought Social Calendar, an app on Facebook that allows you to get birthday and holiday reminders by email and SMS, and to post personalized photo cards and other virtual greetings on friends' Facebook Walls on their birthdays. Here's the message posted on Social Calendar's site: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. ("Walmart") completed its purchase of Newput Corporation's Social Calendar products, services and website. We remain committed to providing the highest level of service that you have come to expect with Social Calendar. Your service with Social Calendar will continue without any interruptions, and you will be notified in the future of any material updates or changes to your service.Nike To Open First-Ever API To Developers At Backplane's SXSW Music Hackathon
Mar 11, 5:11AM
Last month, Jason wrote about the announcement that Backplane -- the new interactive, visual platform that's part Pinterest, part Tumblr and Ning -- will be using its star power to stage an unusual event at SXSW: A music hackathon. The startup, which is backed by Lady Gaga along with a host of Silicon Valley VCs, is hosting its so called "SXSW Managers Hack," a unique event for SXSW and music tech. The hackathon will be judged by music industry veterans, like Scooter Braun (the guy who helped bring you The Bieber), President of Jay-Z's Roc Nation Jay Brown, and Lady Gaga's manager (and Backplane Co-founder) Troy Carter, as well as reps from Spotify, Pandora, and SoundHound.Paul Graham Wants You To Build A New Search Engine, Inbox, Or Be The Next Steve Jobs
Mar 11, 2:44AM
As a founding partner at Y Combinator, Paul Graham has seen more startup pitches than the average Joe. In a new essay, called "Frighteningly Ambitious Startup Ideas", Graham makes the case that the ideas with the most disruptive potential also happen to be frightening due to the sheer ambition they would require from entrepreneurs to turn them into reality. Yes, there is an amazing amount of talent in Silicon Valley; there has been for years, and there will be for years to come. While the tech industry continues to produce world-changing hardware, software, and consumer web companies, there is a sense that the current landscape is lacking the kind of deep innovation that once defined the industry. Last September, at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco, Max Levchin and Peter Thiel went so far as to say that innovation today is actually "between dire straits and dead."The Economics Of Emotion
Mar 11, 12:00AM
The most recent commercial for the BMW i3 and i8 concept cars is a great example of something enlightened marketers have known for years: emotion is the key driver behind purchasing decisions. Yet, today, most businesspeople still follow the old adage, "Emotions and business don't mix," relying on rational data to drive decisions instead. Doesn't the advertisement make you want to buy a BMW? Don't you want to feel cool or look more successful, technology-forward and progressive? Well, that desire is emotion at work. Steve Jobs inherently knew the emotion of his consumers was critical currency in building the Apple phenomenon, and with over 1,700 CMOs admitting that building an enduring connection with consumers is a top priority in a recent IBM survey, leveraging emotion is fast becoming a top business imperative.If at any time you'd like to stop receiving these messages, just send an email to feeds_feedburner_com_techcrunch+unsubscribe-hmdtechnology=gmail.com@mail.feed2email.net.
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