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Motorola's New Keyboard-Packing Droid 5 Reportedly Caught On Film
Aug 24, 5:06AM
Motorola just showed off three new Droid smartphones last month (or, if you prefer, one new Droid and two spinoffs), but it's apparently not done cranking out Verizon hardware just yet. Another new Motorola device clad in Verizon livery was spotted in a batch of newly-leaked images from Chinese social network Weibo, and it seems to hearken back to the Droid line's roots.Drivewyze Raises $7.5M From Emergence, iNovia To Streamline Commercial Trucking
Aug 24, 3:19AM
Drivewyze, which helps commercial trucking companies save time by bypassing weigh stations through a mobile app, just raised $7.5 million in a round led by Emergence Capital Partners and iNovia Capital. They’ll use the capital for a sales and marketing expansion of their bypass service that should bring their offering nationwide by next year. It works through a mobile app that alerts a subscribing trucker when they are about two miles away from an inspection site. It’s currently available in 16 states, but the company is hoping to get to full national coverage in 2014. The company is a spinout from Intelligent Imaging Systems, a Canadian road technology company that has been around for a decade. They launched Drivewyze as a standalone division last year and starting signing up truck fleets with good historical safety scores. They built a commercial mobile radio service that allows their platform to communicate with inspection sites. When truckers are about one mile from a Drivewyze-enabled inspection site, the app will let the driver know whether to bypass it or report in for an inspection depending on what the local law enforcement agency says they should do. Their business model is to charge $7.99 per month for a single state and $12.99 for a multi-state plan. Emergence Capital, which is an enterprise-focused fund that has backed Salesforce, Yammer and Box, has been looking for software-as-a-service bets that cater to very specific verticals including transportation and health. They have about $575 million under management.Yahoo Acquires Image Recognition Startup IQ Engines To Improve Flickr Photo Organization & Search
Aug 24, 2:56AM
Oh, so you thought Yahoo's acquisition spree was over? Not even close. A Yahoo spokesperson has confirmed that the revitalized web giant has snapped up yet another company -- this time its a image recognition startup called IQ Engines. Yahoo has declined to disclose the terms of the deal, but the IQ Engines team confirmed in a statement on their website that they have been tapped to join the Flickr team where they will be "working on improving photo organization and search for the community."Growth Project Manager Erin Teague Leaves Path For Quora
Aug 24, 12:55AM
Erin Teague, a project manager for growth at Path, is leaving for the same position at Quora, as first reported by AllThingsD's Liz Gannes. At Quora, Teague replaces Andrew Johns, who left in July to become an entrepreneur-in-residence at Greylock Partners.Google Glass Isn't Coming To Best Buy Next Year, And It Won't Cost $299
Aug 24, 12:22AM
Even though Google Glass is out in the wild and on the heads of around 10,000 people, there are still plenty of questions about it. For a long time now, we've heard that Glass would retail for $299. And earlier this week, unofficial Glass evangelist Robert Scoble put a bit more oil on the fire when he wrote on Google+ that Best Buy would rent out 6,000 square feet inside each one of its stores to Google to showcase Glass.Inside Ballmer's Exit And Who Definitely Won't Be Microsoft's Next CEO
Aug 24, 12:04AM
Today Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced that he will retire in the next 12 months. His successor is not known, but the move marks the end of an era in technology, as Ballmer himself has become a controversial stalwart in the sector.Locket, Which Puts Ads On Your Lock Screen, Asks Users To Vote For The Ads They Want To See
Aug 23, 11:11PM
Locket, the startup that pays Android users to engage with ads, is now asking those users to weigh in on the type of ads that they want to see. When users install Locket, they'll start to see ads on their lock screens, and they can swipe left to claim a deal, watch a movie trailer, or whatever the desired engagement is. (Or they can swipe right and go back to using their phone.) Users are paid 1 cent for each ad they engage with, capped at 3 cents per hour. That may not sound like much, but co-founder and CEO Yuna Kim said it can add up over the weeks and months, and users can then donate the money to charity, put it on a gift card, or just cash out.Instagram's First Acquisition Is Video Sharing App Luma
Aug 23, 10:11PM
Instagram has just made its first acquisition, buying both the team and technology of Y Combinator company Luma (formerly known as Midnox). Luma had created a video-capture, stabilization, and sharing app, which will be shut down soon. In fact, one source tells us Luma's stabilization technology is already live in Instagram.Why I Hate Conferences But Love TechCrunch Disrupt
Aug 23, 9:37PM
Conferences can be dull, soul-sucking enterprises, but there's something different about TechCrunch Disrupt. The quality of speakers and startups and lack of bullshit set it apart. All of which is why I'm looking forward to Disrupt SF coming up in a few weeks.Ask A VC: Menlo Ventures' Mark Siegel On The Opportunity For Building Startups In 'The Right Now Economy'
Aug 23, 9:30PM
In this week’s episode of Ask A VC, we hosted Menlo Ventures’ managing director Mark Siegel in the TCTV studio. Siegel, who focuses on investments in enterprise and advertising, has recently penned a presentation on the opportunities in mobile, social, cloud computing and data, titled the “The Right Now Economy.” While many companies like Uber, Netflix and others are taking advantage of some of the current opportunities, explains Siegel in the interview, the next wave of startups taking advantage of this trend will likely be in health care, education and financial services. Siegel also talked about what metrics he looks at when evaluating a company for investment at the seed or Series A level and more.Uber Confirms That It Raised $258M From Google Ventures And TPG
Aug 23, 9:20PM
Well, it’s official — Uber has confirmed that it raised $258 million in new funding and added a couple of new members to its board of directors to help move it forward. In a blog post that appeared briefly but was quickly taken down, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick confirmed that the new money came from Google Ventures and TPG. The company plans to use the funding to move into new markets and begin marketing efforts, as well as to fight off protectionist, anti-competitive efforts, Kalanick wrote. And while the money will surely help, the backing from the new investors and board members should be equally as important. Along with the funding, Google SVP of Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer David Drummond will be joining the board. On Google backing, Kalanick said the company will be looking to connect strategically around product initiatives. Also, the startup will likely lean on Google for help with local governments and regulatory bodies as it expands. TPG founding partner David Bonderman will also be joining the board. On the TPG side, Kalanick wrote that it will look to the private equity firm for some of its operations and their regulatory know-how. Since the blog post has been taken down, here’s the text of the announcement as it first appeared: As many of you have seen in the press today, Uber recently closed a financing round. We wanted to put out the official word to make sure the facts were clear and confirmed. This round is $258 million with proceeds to be used to expand into new markets, begin marketing efforts, and fight off protectionist, anti-competitive efforts. The financing was led by Google Ventures with TPG Growth participating. David Drummond, Google's SVP of Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer will be joining the Uber board. David Bonderman, founding partner of TPG, will also be joining the board. The numbers on this financing are fairly substantial. It is a reflection of our growth to date and continuing success. But with this new investment, expectations naturally increase and there is a new standard of excellence and accomplishment that we seek to live up to. Our vision is to build a technology company that changes transportation and logistics in urban centers around the world and this financing gives us the fuel to make that a reality. We couldn't be more excited to embark on the next phase ofFacebook Ditches Physical Gifts To Double-Down On Digital Codes And Its Own Brick-&-Mortar Gift Card
Aug 23, 8:59PM
Facebook Gifts is getting a major redesign that will end sales of physical gifts. It will now focus on suggesting you buy friends digital gift codes or Facebook's omni-Gift Card credit to spend at brands and local businesses they Like, which now get their own Gifts landing page. These two types of Gifts made up 80% of sales, cost less to ship and support, so it makes sense to invest in them.Fly Or Die: The Nvidia Shield
Aug 23, 8:30PM
In this decidedly dorky edition of Fly Or Die, yours truly and TC's resident Canadian Darrell Etherington duke it out over Nvidia's curious Shield game console and what it means for the future of Android gaming. In a surprising twist (well, surprising if you haven't already read his review), Darrell is absolutely smitten with the thing. Honestly, it's a little hard not to be -- we both agree that the Shield is a top-notch piece of kit, with hearty spec sheet, one of the best screens we've seen on a mobile device, and a level of fit and finish that puts most standalone Bluetooth controllers for smartphones to shame.
Steve Ballmer's Classy Exit
Aug 23, 8:22PM
Microsoft is a company struggling to be reborn, but its new trajectory is something Ballmer steered. Were mistakes made under his tenure? Certainly. But that doesn't mean Ballmer isn't leaving on a high note. In fact, his exit is classy: He stuck around longer than few others would have, and the concluding years of his tenure as CEO have been his best.SalesPredict Raises $1M In Seed Funding Through A Marriage Of Analytics And Sales
Aug 23, 7:03PM
Predictive analytics can encompass just about anything under its umbrella. SalesPredict, which has just received $1 million in seed funding, has decided to be less generic with its analytics technology. "We are not trying to resolve a generic problem," said Co-Founder Yaron Zakai-Or. "We are trying to take the generic algorithm and make them work for salespeople."This Week On The TechCrunch Gadgets Podcast: Ubuntu, Omate, Digitizer And A Gold iPhone?
Aug 23, 7:00PM
The Ubuntu Edge may have been the most successful crowdfunding campaign in history, but that doesn't mean it made its goal. Meanwhile, yet another smartwatch joined the fray this week, coaxing John's money out of his wallet by being just a tad "smarter" than the rest. Makerbot released a scanner this week called the Digitizer, which lets you scan objects to then print them, but we're not sure we're down with the high price tag. And last, but certainly not least, we all pretty much agree that a gold iPhone will make its way into the world come September 10.Tour Management Startup TourCommand Upgrades With An Eye On Up-And-Coming Musicians
Aug 23, 6:52PM
Given the challenges facing the recorded music industry, touring seems like an ever-more-important way for musicians to make money. Yet TourCommand co-founder Asad Yusupov said there hasn't been that much done to make it easier to actually manage a tour. "There are very few tools for the backend of the music industry," he said. So Yusupov and his three co-founders (Joshua Gunter, Ivan Veskov and Brian Putt) have built online software that's supposed to make the menial touring tasks easier. They launched the company two months ago with the ability to manage the guest and equipment lists and make hotel reservations. These are things that artists and managers could have done before, but TourCommand brings them together in one place.Facebook Feed Change Punishes Pages For Posting Crappy Memes
Aug 23, 6:46PM
Facebook is cracking down on Pages that try to trick their way into your News Feed. Today it announced a feed algorithm change for Pages that gives more visibility to timely, relevant, sharable content from trusted sources. Meanwhile, it punishes Pages that ask people Like their posts, and post "low-quality" memes. The update could drive more traffic to reputable Pages while strangling spammers.Mark Zuckerberg Will Speak At Disrupt SF
Aug 23, 6:25PM
With its mobile business humming, what is Facebook focused on now? Well, Mark Zuckerberg's got some big ideas, like helping the whole world get on the Internet. And he's going to share them with our audience when he gets on stage at TechCrunch Disrupt SF in September. His talk at our conference last year boosted Facebook's share price almost 9%, so we think this one is going to be eventful too.Apple's App Store Rankings Algorithm Changed To Consider Ratings, And Possibly Engagement
Aug 23, 6:08PM
Apple may be testing changes to its iTunes App Store ranking algorithms, which see it taking into account app ratings and other new factors in the App Store Top Chart rankings. Whether or not the changes are more experimental in nature or indicative of a larger overhaul of how apps are ranked in the Top Charts is not yet known. However, these changes have resulted in apps losing and gaining in position without a corresponding increase or decrease in app downloads.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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