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With 1M Users Now On Board, Learnist Brings Its "Pinterest For Learning" To Android
Sep 19, 5:52AM
![Screenshot_2013-08-06-17-01-32[3]](http://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/screenshot_2013-08-06-17-01-323.png?w=100&h=70&crop=1)
When Grockit first emerged back in 2008, it had set its sights on building a full-service, social learning service that would give students a better way to study for standardized tests, among other things. One of the first startups to combine game-ification with personalized adaptive test prep programs, Grockit enabled students to study solo or in groups by connecting with live instructors or perusing its library of video content.Posthaven Rises From Posterous' Ashes To Launch "E-Mail To Post" As It Reaches Financial Sustainability
Sep 19, 2:36AM
Posthaven, the blogging platform co-created by Y Combinator partner Garry Tan after his previous startup Posterous was bought and shut down by Twitter, has reached financial sustainability. They’re also launching the feature that effectively made Posterous a serious competitor against Tumblr in the early days of micro-blogging — e-mail-to-post. Posthaven is a basic blogging platform that’s meant to last forever. That’s because it is member-supported at a cost of $5 a month and not venture backed. The product is a labor of love that Tan and his old co-founder Brett Gibson started furiously working on once their old company was bought by Twitter. Tan had left Posterous for Y Combinator in January of 2011, more than a year before Twitter acquired the company in March of 2012. It was a classic founder’s disagreement over the direction of the company. Once Posterous was sold, Tan deliberated over how to keep the service alive. When it became clear that he couldn’t buy back the product, he decided to go down a different route by launching Posthaven, a place where old Posterous users could migrate all of their work. Instead of raising venture funding, Tan’s keeping Posthaven as a permanent side project that co-exists with his day-to-day work as a partner advising Y Combinator startups. “Posthaven is like the anti-rocket ship,” Tan said. “We’d certainly like it to be something that a lot of people use, and if we keep working to make it a great product that will happen. But we don’t want to trade off stability and the ability to stay online in exchange for faster growth. That’s really what outside capital is — a lot more growth, but with some expectation of return.” Now the company’s picked up enough paid users to reach profitability, he says. That will fund the server space and development of new features like multiple contributors, email subscriptions and theme customization. The big feature this week, however, is e-mail to post. That was what jumpstarted Posterous’ traction to begin with about five years ago. “It resonates with non-technical people because it doesn’t require learning any new behavior,” Tan said. “It was really something ‘normals’ could use.” Back in 2008 when Posterous was founded, smartphones and apps were also new, so people were more familiar with e-mail as a way to post content off their phones.FWD.us Gives First Hard Numbers On Its Impact On Immigration So Far
Sep 19, 12:35AM
Is FWD.us really making a difference? Today it released its first quantified stats on its contribution to immigration reform, announcing that it drove 33,500 calls to Congress this summer and a total of 110,000 actions including social media shares. That's not a stellar call count, but it represents solid work by the political action group founded and funded by tech leaders like Mark Zuckerberg.Free Apps And Games On The App Store Are About To Test Your Data Caps
Sep 19, 12:15AM
Apple has increased the size of its download limits on cellular networks to 100MB from 50MB. The change comes as iOS 7 launches to the public as a ~700MB over-the-air upgrade to iPhone and iPad users. The increase in size was first reported by MacRumors and we subsequently confirmed the new, higher limit. Apple’s initial download limit for apps was 10MB while not connected to WiFi networks, forcing developers to take extensive measures to ensure that apps scooted in just under the line. This has become especially prevalent among developers of free apps and games. The thinking was that free apps acted as an ‘impulse download’. You are far more likely to get downloads of your app if you make it accessible anywhere, not just on WiFi connections. If you take a quick poll of the App Store’s top and featured free apps, you’ll see a remarkable similarity in their download sizes: 43.6MB, 45.8MB, 46.4MB, 43.9MB. These are all apps like Battle Camp, CastleVille, Dragon Flinga, Deer Hunter, basically crap that you download on the fly to waste time. What this means is that all of these apps are going to balloon right up to the maximum 100MB limit as soon as they can. These are not coincidental sizes — at just under 50MB each they use every last scrap of data that Apple will allow them to ship over the wire. The side effect of this, then, is that downloading these impulse apps is going to have a big effect on your data plan. I’m not saying you do, but if you downloaded 5 of these apps a month, that’s 500MB. That’s more than double the lower limit of AT&T’s lowest data plan allowed for the iPhone. You could obliterate your cap with just 3 downloads a month if you’re on the lowest plan. All of this comes as carriers get more skimpy and anemic with data, not more generous. Though some carriers like T-Mobile and Sprint are attempting to use ‘unlimited’ data plans to buy market share, the majority of users in the U.S. are on terrible data plans that parcel out the megabytes like gold. All of you international users with your twenty quid unlimited plans I don’t want to hear it. Anyhow, this isn’t a wave your hands in the air and scream moment, but it’s definitely interesting to see Apple loosening these restrictions and how they run upMicrosoft Isn't Axing Windows 8.1 System Builder SKUs (Completely) After All
Sep 19, 12:06AM
Yesterday Microsoft announced the pricing scheme for Windows 8.1 and stated that, instead of selling "upgrade" and standalone versions of its operating system, all purchases of the new code will be complete. Therefore, if you want to move a non-Windows 8 PC to Windows 8.1, or want to build a new PC from scratch, the same software will work in each case.Apttus Raises $37M For Platform That Automates The "Quote To Cash" Process
Sep 18, 11:56PM
Apttus has raised $37 million for its platform that automates the "quote to cash" (CQT) process within Salesforce.com. The funding came from K1 Capital, ICONIQ Capital and Salesforce.com. Apttus is a service native to Salesforce.com that helps manage contracts from the time a buyer expresses interest in a product to the actual collection of revenues from the sale. It is designed to run within a Salesforce instance so the pricing, products, quotes and sales contracts can be synced.Mullenweg Wants WordPress To Power A Majority Of All Websites
Sep 18, 11:32PM
Just months after Tiger Global Management paid $50 million for a secondary stake in Automattic, the maker of WordPress.com, the investment management firm has done it again. We learned yesterday that Tiger had made another $60 million investment in the company. Tiger bought the shares from Polaris Partners, who also sold $15 million in shares to Iconiq Capital. Polaris, which has invested in Automattic since its $1.1 million Series A round in 2005, retains about one third of its shares.iPhone Activation Servers Crumble Under The Weight Of iOS 7
Sep 18, 10:51PM
Happy iOS 7 day! Except for me. And legions of other iPhone owners who, for various reasons, had to activate their iPhone in the iOS 7 install process. Our phones are stuck in iOS 7 activation limbo.What We Know About Selfie.com
Sep 18, 10:41PM
Selfie.com. It exists... shrouded in mystery and excitement. In a world where photo-sharing reigns supreme, Instagram and its mighty legion of copycats, wannabes and tweaked iterations leading a massive charge, a new photo-sharing service rises out of the huddled mass to deliver the best that photography has to offer: selfies.This Week On The TechCrunch Droidcast: Nvidia's Tegra Note, Cyanogen Goes Legit, And Nexus 4 Sold Out Forever
Sep 18, 9:30PM
Back on schedule this week after TechCrunch Disrupt, me and Chris Velazco catch you up on the latest in Android news. We're somewhat distracted by another mobile operating system that has some news this week, but we get ourselves under control pretty quick. The Nvidia Tegra Note is a reference tablet design that the company is saying could retail for $199 and boast some decent specs, and there's Cyanogen's big raise and news that they'll offer their software conversion tool in the Google Play store. Also the Nexus 4 looks perhaps permanently sold out ahead of a Nexus 5 unveiling, and Jolla reveals it goes both ways with AndroidRep. Goodlatte Demands "Further Protections" From NSA Snooping
Sep 18, 9:23PM
Today Rep. Bob Goodlatte, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, stated that he is "convinced that further protections" of the civil liberties of U.S. citizens are necessary following review of the nation's surveillance efforts. Rep. Goodlatte's statement follows his attendance of a classified briefing discussing current governmental use of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to collect information.Facebook Doesn't Want To Be Cool, It Wants To Be Electricity
Sep 18, 9:03PM
Critics say Facebook is doomed because it's not cool to teens anymore. But Mark Zuckerberg said he doesn't care about Facebook being cool because now its goal is to be a ubiquitous utility, "Maybe electricity was cool when it first came out but pretty quickly people stopped talking about it. The real question you want to track...is are fewer people turning on their lights because it's less cool?"A Few Tricks All The New iOS 7 Users Should Know
Sep 18, 8:20PM
At long last, iOS 7 has just arrived. That is, it just arrived for everyone who didn't say "Developer? Oh, yeah, I'm totally a developer. Cough." and wiggle into the Beta months ago. iOS 7 can be confusing, but we're here to help. Here are some of our favorite nifty little power user tricks that we've heard about along the way.Twitter Revamps Its Apps For iOS 7, But Bigger Changes Are Yet To Come
Sep 18, 8:14PM
Amid preparations for its forthcoming IPO, Twitter rolled out updated iOS applications today which feature several small changes, including of course an updated design to better reflect the new style of Apple's iOS 7 mobile operating system. But these updates are merely a hint of what's ahead for the company in its push to make its products more mainstream-friendly.Apple Reinvents Its Wheel With iOS 7, Takes Developers Along For The Ride
Sep 18, 7:20PM
Today brings the release of the most dramatic iOS update that Apple has ever made. More people will experience this change in a shorter period of time than at any point in computing history. “Measured by the number of people that are going to see a big change within the same 24-hour period,” says Evernote CEO Phil Libin, “I think iOS 7 is the biggest day in technology ever. There’s never been another day like this in the history of the universe where hundreds of millions of people will see a big change to something that they’re used to. Nothing of this scale has ever occurred.” To give context to that statement, remember that six years ago Windows dominated the platform landscape, with OS X owning around 5% of the market. Now, iOS and Android combined have edged Microsoft out as the biggest segment of operating systems. A recent measurement put their unified share at 45% of computing devices and Windows at only 35%. Even if those numbers are off a bit, it’s very clear that most of our computing lives are now accessed via mobile devices — and the software that runs on those devices. Then you start to think about the way that we see updates or changes to those platforms. Windows transitions between versions can take years from the time they’re announced. Windows 8 is still chugging along on the low end of the curve. In the mobile world, the newer, better versions of Android like Jelly Bean take months, if not years, to reach meaningful market share. Yes, Jelly Bean is much better looking, more capable and very, very good compared to older versions of Google’s OS. But by Google’s own numbers only around 45% of Android users have even seen it on their devices, and it was released 16 months ago. The absolute latest version of Jelly Bean has yet to register on Google’s charts. Then we have iOS. Due to Apple’s extremely focused devices strategy and tightly controlled model that shrugs off carrier concessions and partner licensing, iOS has adoption rates that are off the charts in comparison. Recent predictions from mobile app performance management company Crittercism estimate that (if iOS 7 follows the trend of iOS 6) the new OS will hit 80% adoption rates within three months. Recently, Apple said that they would cross the 700 million mark for iOS devices soldBlackBerry To Cut Up To 40% Of Staff By Year's End
Sep 18, 7:16PM
Hey BlackBerry fans, here's a bit of good news: BBM will officially land on Android devices starting on September 21, with the iOS version going live the next day. Hey BlackBerry employees, here's a bit of bad news: there's a decent chance that you or some of your co-workers are going to lose their jobs. Those two stories broke within minutes of each other today, and together they paint a peculiar portrait of a company that was once the de facto ruler of the smartphone roost.If You Watch One Partially Cacophonous NES Player Piano System Video Today, Make It This One
Sep 18, 7:10PM
The folks at RoboBand have created a robotic band that plays the soundtracks to famous Nintendo games using a Raspberry Pi, a Yamaha Disklavier, and a robotic drum kit. The system took the audio output from the NES, converted it to MIDI, which in turn either controlled the solenoids on the drum machine or the piano keys. The result is a sometimes cacophonous, sometimes sublime rendition of some NES classics including the Legend of Zelda, Duck Hunt, and the Mario series.
Google Updates Chrome For iOS With Improved Voice Search And Google Apps Integration
Sep 18, 7:07PM
When it comes to voice search, Google still runs circles around its competitors. Today's update to Chrome for iOS adds a new layer of intelligence to this feature and now lets you use pronouns. The company previously introduced this capability a few months ago and already uses it on the desktop and Android. Thanks to this, you can now ask it "Who is the president of the United States?" and you can then use the pronoun in the next question instead of Barack Obama's full name.Facebook's New Mobile Test Framework Births Bottom Tab Bar Navigation Redesign For iOS 5, 6, & 7
Sep 18, 7:00PM
Facebook lost its ability to "move fast and break things" when it switched its apps from HTML5 to native. But it's gotten its mojo back. Today it announced a big iOS 7-style app redesign featuring bottom-screen "tab bar" navigation built with an advanced native mobile testing framework. Facebook knew to ditch the pull-out navigation drawer by testing different interfaces in 10 million-user batches.Lively Raises $4.8M, Launches Sensor Network For Older Folks
Sep 18, 6:41PM
"Help the aged," sang the bard, and that's what Lively aims to do. After all, one time they were just like you, drinking smoking cigs, and sniffing glue. This $150 device, on the other hand, ensures that they're up and about and staying active while you're away, giving you a bit of peace of mind while the older folks are at home.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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