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The Google-Free iPhone
Aug 07, 2:11AM
When the iPhone launched in 2007, there were three key components of the device that relied on Google: 1) Maps 2) YouTube 3) Web search Let's look at that list today, following the news that YouTube has been given the boot in the latest beta build of iOS 6:Teambox Offers Box, Dropbox and Google Docs in One Collaboration Platform
Aug 07, 12:42AM
Teambox is a service that provides its own collaboration platform that offers its own tools and integrations with third party apps. Today it is offering the capability to integrate with Box, Dropbox and Google Docs. You hear this debate a lot about what services people prefer inside the enterprise world. Consumer services are competing with more enterprise focused apps. Dropbox is wildly popular fot its simple, elegant capability to easily move files from your desktop or through third party services. Box is enjoying increasing popularity for its collaboration features. Evernote has legions of users who depend on it as a way to keep notes that can be tagged and synced with your smartphone.How Much Is Expert Testimony Worth To Apple? $75,000
Aug 06, 11:42PM
In the case of Samsung vs. Apple, one of the biggest tech trials on U.S. soil, today's been all about Peter Bressler, one of Apple's expert witnesses. He's fought with Samsung lawyers, and affirmed just about everything Apple has accused Samsung of. As an inventor or co-inventor on about 70 design patents, and a former expert witness in seven other trials, he is nothing short of an expert. But how much is that worth? Samsung's counsel, Charles Verhoeven, asked Bressler point blank how much Apple has paid him to be an expert witness in this case. "So far?" Bressler asked. "$75,000."Google Doodle Pays Subtle Homage To Mars Rover Curiosity
Aug 06, 11:23PM
Unless you live Why The YouTube App Won't Be Pre-Loaded On iOS 6, And Why Google Is Probably OK With That
Aug 06, 11:05PM
For those who missed the biggest tech story of the day, you can read Chris Velazco's account of the news here. The short version is that the app, which has long been a fixture of iOS home screens since 2007, will soon go away. Anyway, while Apple might have decided not to re-license and pre-load the app, but YouTube actually stands to benefit from its removal. The truth is that it was never an ideal situation for the company, since it couldn't monetize videos viewed on the app, and it had little control over the user experience.Apple Vs. Samsung: "Overall Design" Is What Confuses Customers, Not The Details
Aug 06, 10:26PM
A major factor of the Apple v. Samsung case has been whether consumers are confused when purchasing a Samsung device, believing it to be one of Apple's iThings. Peter Bressler, Apple's expert witness in the Apple v Samsung case, just took the stand and cooly confirmed all of Apple's claims against Samsung. But during cross-examination, Samsung's counsel started throwing some punches with regards to prior art. Bressler had originally said in his testimony that the prior art he had analyzed has no bearing because of minor differences, such as a curved front rather than a flat one, as on the iPhone. To combat this testimony, Samsung counsel introduced four different versions of prior art, including the 2005 Sharp design and LG's Prada smartphone. With each example, Samsung counsel went through a checklist of questions: Is it rectangular? Does it have rounded corners? Does it have a balanced screen (centered both horizontally and vertically)? Does it have a speaker grill? Bressler answered "Yes" to most of the questions presented to him, but not without throwing out objections to the way patents and prior art were being analyzed.Amazon Takes On Zynga, Releases First Social Game Living Classics
Aug 06, 10:05PM
Amazon released its first social game today, Living Classics, out of the company's Amazon Game Studios. The free game features a family of foxes that have wandered into active illustrations of their favorite books, like Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and King Arthur. Amazon invites users to "explore worlds," "find moving objects," "help friends" and more through the game on Facebook.Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff: We Can Actually Make More Money On Mobile Than On Desktop [TCTV]
Aug 06, 9:35PM
It's an interesting time for the real estate industry in the United States. Some places, such as San Francisco, are super hot, while other areas remain down in the dumps. So it was good to sit down with Spencer Rascoff, the CEO of leading real estate search website Zillow, while he was visiting San Francisco this past week. Zillow is now a publicly traded company -- its next earnings report is slated for tomorrow -- so Rascoff couldn't get too in detail on the specifics of Zillow's financials. But there was still a lot more for us to discuss.Surprise! Apple's Design Expert Testifies That Most Galaxy Devices Infringe Apple Patents, Trade Dress
Aug 06, 8:48PM
In the ongoing saga of Samsung v. Apple, an expert witness testified in court today essentially confirming everything Apple has asserted against Samsung in relation to design patents (so far — we just broke for lunch). Apple is alleging infringement on four design-related patents. Two of them relate to the iPhone, one the iPad, and one on the icon grid layout of iOS. Setting the iOS patent aside for a moment, Apple's lawyer walked Peter Bressler through each of Apple's iPhone and iPad related design patents. The patent expert, Peter Bressler, an adjunct associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania (and president of the Industrial Designers Society of America between 1989 to 1990) who has been called as an expert witness in seven different trials, affirmed everything Apple had originally accused Samsung of, claiming that about a dozen devices, including Samsung's Galaxy S, Galaxy S II, and Galaxy Tabs, infringe Apple's three patents.Flexible Batteries Promise Thinner And Lighter "Foldable" Electronics
Aug 06, 8:40PM
Professor Keon Jae Lee at the Korean Advanced Institute Of Science And Technology created a solid-state flexible battery that retains is energy level when folded, spindled, and or mildly mutilated. The battery could mean future ereaders and tablets could be paper thin and partially foldable, ushering in interesting new device designs.
Study: Cyberbullying Is Far Less Frequent Than Traditional, Face-To-Face Bullying
Aug 06, 8:09PM
Despite the breathless headlines and TV news segments, researcher Dan Olweus of the University of Bergen, Norway, reported the results of a study that found traditional bullying in schools and on playgrounds is far more common than cyberbullying. Olewus studied 450,000 students in the U.S. from Grades 3-12 and 9,000 students in Norway. Eighteen percent of the U.S. students reported being bullied while only five percent complained of cyberbullying. Of the bullied students, 80 percent said that cyberbullying was just part of the traditional bullying pattern of in-school interaction. Three percent reported cyberbullying others.Nuance's Nina Brings Siri-Like Voice Recognition Features To Mobile Apps
Aug 06, 8:05PM
Nuance, the company that powers a large number of tools that use voice recognition (including Apple's Siri) launched its own Siri-like voice-powered "virtual assistant" today that developers can add to their mobile apps. The Nuance Interactive Natural Assistant (Nina) uses the company's speech recognition technologies and combines them with voice biometrics and an understanding of natural language and the user's intent to "deliver an interactive user experience that not only understands what is said, but also can identify who is saying it." At its core, Nina is something akin to a "Siri for apps" and iPhone and Android developers can now start integrating it into their own apps.Google Slaps $100M Golden Handcuffs On Wildfire To Retain Employees After $350M Acquisition
Aug 06, 7:20PM
After buying social marketer Wildfire for $350 million, Google wants to ensure it keeps earning money and the employees don't bail. That's why Google set up $100 million in earn-outs and retention bonuses, multiple sources confirm. One, an investor I spoke to directly, verified the $350 million price tag we published last week and that the golden handcuffs amount to $100 million, twice the $50 million we and others expected. The money could keep Wildfirers from straying to competitors or seeking new adventures in startup-land.YouTube App Removed From iOS 6 Because Apple's Licensing Agreement Is Over
Aug 06, 7:12PM
Slowly but surely, it seems as though Apple's mobile OS is being stripped of search giant Google's influence. Apple's redesigned Maps application -- due to make its debut in iOS 6 -- no longer makes use of Google's map data, and that trend continues with another recently spotted change. The latest beta version of iOS 6 (that's beta number 4, if you're keeping count) no longer includes the YouTube app, which has been a mainstay of iOS homescreens since the original iPhone. Don't fret too much though, because Apple reports that Google is working on its own iOS-friendly YouTube app for inclusion in the iOS App Store.Apple Touts Success Of Its Land Rover iAd Campaign In New Video
Aug 06, 7:09PM
Apple is famous for its slick ads highlighting its latest gadgets (though it does have occasional misfires). Now the company has released its first iAd customer video, essentially selling its mobile advertising program to brands and advertisers. Since its launch, much of the publicity around iAd has been mixed or negative, with reports that pricing continues to fall and articles wondering "why Apple's iAd is failing to lure advertisers." So this video is a good way to remind people, "Hey, we've got some satisfied customers too!"NFC Company ViVOtech Unloads Its Reader Business, Will Focus On Software Going Forward
Aug 06, 7:04PM
In late July, NFC industry news site NFC Times reported that ViVOtech, a software and systems provider which makes everything from smart posters to transaction management infrastructure, was shutting down. The company soon after released a statement explaining that it wasn't closing up shop, but it was "restructuring its operations." Today, ViVOtech has made progress on that front: it has unloaded its reader business to ID TECH, and says its focus will now be on making software.Amazon Takes On Chegg, B&N And Others With Its New Paper Textbook Rental Service
Aug 06, 6:55PM
Last year, Amazon launched electronic textbook rentals for Kindle users that promised to save students up to 80% of their textbooks' list prices. Now, just in time for back-to-school season, the Seattle-based company has also launched a rental service for good old paper textbooks. This program, says Amazon, can save U.S. students up to 70% off the regular retail price, and students will be allowed to keep the books for 130 days.Giveaway: A Few Extra Tickets To An Exclusive Screening Of CNBC's "20 Under 20″ Documentary Wednesday Night
Aug 06, 6:54PM
When we ran this post last week about this exclusive showing of a CNBC documentary about Peter Thiel's 20 Under 20 fellowship, all of the tickets were scooped up by the end of the day. So CNBC decided to upgrade to a slightly larger theater for Wednesday night and is opening up a very small allotment of extra tickets this morning. CNBC's documentary is about Thiel's controversial $100,000 fellowship to lure brilliant teenagers out of universities. Thiel has called higher education the next bubble, after real estate and dot-coms. He told TechCrunch last year, "A true bubble is when something is overvalued and intensely believed. Education may be the only thing people still believe in in the United States. To question education is really dangerous. It is the absolute taboo. It's like telling the world there's no Santa Claus."Samsung Strategy Officer: iPhone-Induced "Crisis Of Design" Docs Were Exaggerated To Motivate Employees
Aug 06, 6:41PM
We're just commencing Week Two of the Samsung v. Apple trial in San Jose, and Judge Lucy Koh opened the day with a joke, saying that there had been a false hope in her heart this weekend that the two would settle. But these two electronics giants are still ready to battle it out, and have brought Justin Denison, Samsung's Chief Strategy officer, back to the stand. After some questions about whether or not STA sells directly to consumers, and whether or not Galaxy phones are different from one model to the next, Samsung's lawyer Mr. Quinn was about to actually make a point. He mentioned that throughout the trial, there have been comments such as "Samsung is in a crisis of design" and "the difference between the iPhone and the Galaxy phones are like heaven and earth."In A Post-Facebook IPO World, SecondMarket's Transactions Rise 27% In First Half of 2012
Aug 06, 6:35PM
Facebook and Zynga's post-IPO performances may have scared many companies off public markets for the time being, but liquidity is still available to certain smaller, private companies. SecondMarket took a look at the privately-held companies that continue to offer shares on the marketplace and found that they have an average valuation of $329 million and about 200 employees. SecondMarket's full report is here. Even with headwinds from the public markets, transactions on SecondMarket's platform in the first half of this year are still up 27 percent year-over-year at $341 million. Gaming companies led the way with 48.3 percent of liquidity events on the platform. (Really, that doesn't seem that surprising considering how Zynga has slid from a privately-held valuation of more than $14 billion before its initial public offering to a current $2.2 billion market cap.) Privately-held gaming companies are likely to feel a great deal of downward pressure on their valuations throughout the next several months. Following gaming companies were consumer web and social media companies, then education and financial services.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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