Hi there!
Here's the latest feed from TechCrunch.
Add feeds@feed2email.net to your contact list to make sure you receive all your emails
Make sure to visit feed2email.net to get more feeds sent to your inbox.
To find out which feeds you are subscribed to, or to get further help, just reply to this email.
Designer Ecommerce Hub Fab.com Goes Shopping, Acquires Indian Tech Partner True Sparrow Systems
Nov 30, 12:01AM
Online designer shop Fab.com, which boasts some nine million users, is insourcing its Indian technology partner, True Sparrow Systems, by acquiring the company. The buy was reported in The Economic Times which described it as a cash and stock deal. The value of the deal was not disclosed. The paper notes it’s the first time a U.S. based ecommerce company has acquired an Indian technology startup. True Sparrow Systems announced the acquisition on its website, with founders Deepa Shah & Nishith Shah posting the following message We are proud to announce that Fab has acquired True Sparrow. We had founded True Sparrow in 2007 in Pune, India. Guided with a unique culture around Make Mistakes, Get Shit Done, and Ship It, the company has worked on innovative technology products. Along the way, we met Jason Goldberg. Together, we founded Socialmedian. And later, the three of us along with Bradford Shellhammer founded Fab. Fab is everyday design. Millions of people around the world use Fab to discover everyday design products at great prices, to connect with the world’s most exciting designers, and to share their favorite design inspirations. True Sparrow and Fab have always been one team. And today, we are one company. Today is a new beginning. Today is a start of another remarkable journey with the Fab family. Onwards and upwards! True Sparrow, which has 85 staff and is based in Pune, was also a technology partner for Fabulis — the predecessor to Fab, before the company pivoted from being a social network for the gay community to an ecommerce hub for selling designer goods. True Sparrow carried on working exclusively for Fab after the pivot. The paper quotes Fab’s cofounder and CEO Jason Goldberg commenting on the acquisition: “A large part of our success has been due to the technology team at True Sparrow. We wanted to make sure that as we make Fab into a long-term sustainable business, the technology team is a part of the company. Ours has been much more of a partnership and collaboration than outsourcing. Now, it is great to bring it together as one company.” Nishith is also quoted as saying: “There might not be any example of an Indian technology partner as the cofounder of a US ecommerce company. It is exciting for the team to become Fab employees.”Obama Declares Election Victory Via Email And Tweet Before Speech
Nov 07, 5:39AM
This is tomorrow's democracy. Barack Obama has just announced his win in the presidential election by sending a tweet and an email to supporters before going on stage in person to deliver his acceptance speech. With the subject line "How This Happened," Obama's email noted "I want you to know that this wasn't fate, and it wasn't an accident. You made this happen."Obama Wins The Election! Here's His Technology Agenda
Nov 07, 4:19AM
Barack Obama has won the election! What does this mean to the future of innovation and the technology industry? Based on Obama's record and statements released during the campaign, here's what technologists can look forward to:Open Ed's Business Woes: Textbook Pioneer Flat World Knowledge To Revoke Free Access To Texts
Nov 07, 3:04AM
Founded in 2007, Flat World Knowledge was one of the early pioneers in the move to bring free and open access to textbooks to students and educators. The independent publisher offered its learning content for free, giving students the access to texts in print, eBook form, eReaders, audiobooks and downloadable PDFs, etc. Produced by actual authors and reviewed by peers, Flat World allows teachers to modify and edit those texts to fit their particular class through its own simple editing tools, printing new copies on-demand. With customizable, free texts on-demand, Flat World’s model won over many students, leading the company to claim that it had become one of the largest online publishers of free and open textbooks. Be that as it may, while many (aside from the big educational publishers) support the movement to make textbooks and educational content significantly more affordable — and even free — finding workable business models that support free and open access has proven challenging. This week, Campus Marketplace reported that Flat World Knowledge has been forced to drop its free access to textbooks. The decision was made largely because of the cost of supporting free access. In other words it was a business decision that many have or will face as part of the shift to open learning. Flat World offers its learning content for free, but charges for more convenient ways to access material for print or beefed-up versions and for study aids. By eliminating its free option, the company hopes to make its pricing more equitable for all of its institutional partners so that everyone is paying the same price. The company will still offer bookstore partners to its so-called “All Access Pass” that includes a digital version of its textbooks, such as eBook files, PDFs, audio, HTML functionality and study aids for $28 and will sell the pass on its homepage for $35. Textbooks themselves will start at $19.95. It’s not a huge change for students or partners, and nearly all of the company’s partners are on board with the move (as, obviously, are the teachers and experts producing the textbooks), according to The Chronicle of Higher Ed. Even if students end up paying $20 to $25 for their textbooks, it’s still a very attractive alternative to the cost of traditional textbooks. Obviously, the company does not want to say that its free content is cannibalizing the revenue generated from chargingUber Collects Online Signatures To Battle Regulatory Shutdown In Chicago
Nov 07, 2:06AM
In its effort to challenge proposed regulations that would lead to the shutdown of its black car service in Chicago, Uber is trying to recruit supporters via an online petition at Change.org. The petition, which you can read (and if you're so inclined, sign) here, is titled: "Chicago BACP: Don't Kill Uber! Remove the No Measured Rates Provision."Kiip Launches Version 2 Of Its API To Move Beyond Leaderboards And Achievements Into "Moments"
Nov 07, 2:03AM
Kiip, a company that allows app developers to embed both real-world and virtual rewards and achievements within their own app has announced version 2 of its API this evening, and it sets the company up to step outside of its gaming genre. Basically, the company is surfacing a new system that records achievements within apps, which it calls "Moments." Up until recently, Kiip was known for giving you say, a Starbucks gift card, for reaching a certain level in a game. That opened up doors to new types of advertising opportunities for its partners, and Brian Wong, Kiip's CEO, tells me that it's time to go to the next level.Delicious Announces A New Design With A Focus On Community, Speed And Mobile
Nov 07, 1:23AM
Just when you thought that the site Delicious was dead and gone, it's back...again. Since being acquired by AVOS, headed up by YouTube co-founders, the site has gone under a few revamps. It was purchased from Yahoo! last year, and at the time, Yahoo! said this about them: "As creators of the largest online video platform, they have firsthand experience enabling millions of users to share their experiences with the world. They are committed to running and improving Delicious going forward."If Pen Beats Sword, Camera Beats Pen
Nov 07, 12:56AM
Yesterday, Instagram launched web profiles. To some, they're lovely. To others, they're long overdue. And to a great many, they're ho-hum — an obvious way to inject yet another zinger about Facebook buying the startup for a billion dollars (but actually *only* $700-something million — ZING!). To me, these profiles are actually a very clear window into why Facebook would spend so much money to acquire Instagram. These profiles realize the unfulfilled vision of Facebook's Timeline feature and perhaps take it a step further.Google Makes Its New Search Results Design Without Sidebar Official, Gives Results "More Breathing Room"
Nov 07, 12:05AM
Earlier today, we noticed that Google was showing an increasing number of its users a new search results page with more whitespace and without a sidebar. At the time, we assumed this was an experiment, but Google has now made this new design official.Mobile Payments Startup, iZettle, Partners With 4G Carrier EE For Formal U.K. Launch, Tells Square To Steer Clear Of Europe "Battle"
Nov 07, 12:01AM
iZettle, the European Square-a-like mobile payment dongle service that's raised €42.6 million to-date, continues to bulk up its activity in Europe. Today it's officially launching in the U.K. -- having previously tested the water with a trial. iZettle has partnered exclusively with carrier EE for the formal service launch, which operates the U.K.'s first (and currently only) 4G mobile network.Given.to Wants To Take The Guesswork Out Of Pitching In Money For Group Gifts
Nov 06, 11:19PM
The gifting space has been very hot lately in the web world -- Facebook is even seeing gift-giving as having major potential for boosting its revenue -- and now another brand new startup is throwing its hat into the ring. Given.to made its official debut last week at NewMe Accelerator's Fall 2012 Demo Day with the aim of making pitching in money with a group of people to buy a gift for someone "stress-free, and guess-free."A LinkedIn For Gamers? Duxter Tries To Build A Broad Gaming Social Network, Opens Public Beta
Nov 06, 10:19PM
In the same way that LinkedIn has become the home of your professional identity, and Facebook the home of your social identity, founder and CEO Adam Lieb wants to turn his startup Duxter into the center of your gaming identity. There are plenty of other gaming social networks, but Lieb argued that they're too focused on specific aspects of the gaming experience. Raptr, for example, is mostly where you go to share your gameplay stats and achievements. Duxter should include that kind of tracking, he said, but instead of going deep on any one feature, it should support a broad range of social interactions. Ultimately, Lieb is aiming to create the platform for all of your gaming-related social activity related — that's where the Facebook and LinkedIn comparisons come in.Searches For 'Who Is Running For President?' Skyrocket. Wow.
Nov 06, 10:15PM
Americans are notorious low-information voters: 41 percent can't name the vice president, and two-thirds can't name a single Supreme Court justice. As proof that Americans aren't getting any smarter about politics, Google searches for "Who is running for president?" have skyrocketed.AOL Q3 2012: Revenue Flat At $531.7M, Traffic Up, Ad Revenue Up, Shares Pop 22%
Nov 06, 10:12PM
AOL (owner of TechCrunch) reported earlier today its quarterly earnings for Q3 2012 ending September 30. The results beat expectations with a flat revenue of $531.7 million compared to Q3 2011. It's the first time in over seven years that revenue isn't declining. Net income was $20.8 million compared to a net loss of $2.6 million in the same quarter last year. Diluted earnings per share were $0.22.Spriggle Wants To Let Parents Shop For Science-Friendly Kids' Toys Through Tupperware-Type Parties
Nov 06, 10:05PM
Spriggle made its debut last week out of the NewMe Accelerator with the aim of building a new, super social way for parents to test out and shop for kids' toys -- by bringing the experience into in-home playdates that are already a way of life for so many families with young children.Use These Apps To See Which Friends Live In Swing States And Remind Them To Vote
Nov 06, 10:02PM
Thanks to the "genius" of the electoral college, if you live in a sure-fire red or blue state you might feel like your vote doesn't matter much. You can still have an impact, though, by reminding friends in swing states to vote. But which of your friends live in swing states? Obama's "Remind Friends To Vote" app and Romney's "Commit To Mitt" show you who to make sure made it to the polls.Apple Looks To Add Jelly Bean, Galaxy Note 10.1 To Existing Samsung Lawsuit
Nov 06, 9:33PM
Apple is hoping to add Samsung's latest tablet, the Galaxy Note 10.1, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean to a list of product it claims infringe its patents in an existing court case in California, Bloomberg reports. The arguments supporting these additions were made in federal court in San Jose today, and follow Samsung's expressed intent to add the iPhone 5 its own infringement claims.Report: Internet Explorer 10 Is The Fastest Browser On Windows, Chrome 19 Wins On Mac
Nov 06, 9:07PM
According to the latest data from web application performance management firm New Relic, Microsoft's Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 8 currently has the fastest response time of any browser on Windows, leading the company - and Microsoft - to conclude that IE10 is currently the fastest browser on Windows. Looking at the 40 billion web pageviews it monitors every month, New Relic's data shows that IE9 comes in second, followed by Firefox 15, Safari 5 and Chrome 21.Raspberry Pi Gets RISC OS, A 25-Year-Old System Made By The Wizards Of ARM
Nov 06, 8:39PM
In 1987, as the first reduced instruction set computing (RISC) ARM chips hit the scene, programmers at Acorn Computers created RISC OS, a simple, 'co-operatively multi-tasked' OS designed for small computing environments. While it's no Linux, it's still a great way to get to know RISC computing and, more important, it boots fast and has a working GUI. Now, according to a post on Rasberrypi.org, it's available for download for all Pi users.Thanks, Toronto, For Hosting A Great TechCrunch Meetup
Nov 06, 8:25PM
Monday night was our TechCrunch meetup in Toronto and we had a blast. The city's entrepreneurs and tech community showed up in full force for a night of networking and revelry, hosted at Toronto local gem the Steamwhistle Brewery. For me personally, this was a chance to put faces to a lot of names and voices I've spoken to many times over the phone, and in general our writers and events team had a blast meeting up with Toronto's best and brightest.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.
To stop all future emails from feed2email.net you can reply to this email with STOP in the subject line. Thanks
