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Wrike Raises $10M In Funding For Service That Helps The Work Get Done
Oct 02, 7:13AM
Since its start seven years ago, Wrike has been entirely bootstrapped. It has built a project management SaaS company that has helped it win clients such as headset maker Beats and Ecco, a well known-sandal company. Today, the company has taken a new direction in its effort to scale its business. Wrike has announced it has raised $10 million in Series A funding from Bain Capital Ventures.Telogis Raises $93M From Kleiner Perkins In Pre-IPO Round To Extend Location Intelligence SaaS Platform For New Mobile Workforce
Oct 02, 5:40AM
Telogis has raised $93 million from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers to deepen its location-based services platform for operations that have large mobile workforces. The funding will further help fuel the company's expansion in the anticipation of an IPO next year.Apple Says Small Fraction Of iMessage Users Having Issues And It's Working On A Fix
Oct 02, 4:03AM
Over the last few days, we’ve been hearing reports of people having issues with iMessages, on both the receiving and sending ends. The complaints have grown in volume and frequency and we began inquiring about the issue yesterday. Today, Apple tells us that the issue is affecting a ‘fraction of a percent’ of iMessage users, though that appears to include a big chunk of our timeline, anecdotally. Apple also says that it’s working on a fix for these issues that will come in a future update. Apple fixes bugs and issues on a ‘point release’ basis as it needs to, pushing out software updates that may have no other major changes. If there’s one conclusion that we can draw from this statement, it’s that the software bug is in iOS, not on Apple’s servers. If it were, it would be able to fix it without a software patch. This could be why Apple’s iCloud system status page has continued to show a green light for iMessage. The system is working; it’s the client that isn’t. Here’s the full statement from Apple: We are aware of an issue that affects a fraction of a percent of our iMessage users, and we will have a fix available in an upcoming software update. In the meantime, we encourage any users having problems to reference our troubleshooting documents or contact AppleCare to help resolve their issue. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes impacted users. If you’re interested in a quicker fix, the method spelled out in this support document has been working for some users getting sending errors. Basically you toggle iMessage off then use the Reset Network Settings function of iOS to clear activation. Turning iMessage back on re-authenticates your device with iMessage. And this fix appears to be temporary, going by some of the chatter we’re seeing on Twitter. A more permanent fix will have to wait for the software update. If you’re the kind of person that wonders why we post about iMessage statuses or outages, then this might be a good read. Apple is a services company through and through, even if it is in support of its hardware. People learn to rely on those services and are seriously inconvenienced, if not worse, when they’re unavailable. Yes, iMessage has a text fallback, but there are certain cases where that’s not available, and no modern backbone service should have to rely on a 20-year-oldNet Power & Light Launches Spin, A Fun, Tactile Video Chat App For iOS
Oct 02, 1:10AM
I don't think I've ever had a great video chat experience on my smartphone or tablet. Until now, I assumed that was just because I'm super-awkward, but the team behind a startup called Net Power & Light seems to think there's a broader problem here, one that it's trying to solve with the launch of a new app called Spin. Obviously, there are plenty of other chat services out there, including Apple's own FaceTime. But when Net Power & Light co-founder and CEO Tara Lemmey gave me a demo, I had to admit that it felt pretty different. There's no single feature that makes Spin stand out, but as a whole it has clearly been optimized around the touch experience of an iPad (and to a lesser extent the iPhone and iPod Touch). When you're chatting with someone, it's easy to use the screen to zoom in and out of the video, and also to share and swipe through photos and videos (which can be imported from Facebook, Flickr, or their iOS camera roll).Three Top Microsoft Investors Allegedly Want Bill Gates To Step Down As Chairman
Oct 02, 12:42AM
According to Reuters, three of Microsoft's top 20 investors are making noise that Microsoft remove its founder and former CEO Bill Gates from its board of directors. Gates is currently chairman of Microsoft's board. The information is almost odd, and points at a potential blank slate for Microsoft. In the midst of a massive reorganization, current CEO Steve Ballmer is stepping down. If Gates were to transition away from the company as well, it would leave Microsoft with new leadership and serve as a pivotal moment in its history.Disrupt Alum Monsieur Launches Kickstarter Campaign For Its Robo-Bartender
Oct 02, 12:10AM
If the prevailing wisdom of years past were any indication, we should have been up to our necks in sassy, autonomous robot servants a decade ago. While I wait for someone to develop a Rosie to cater to my every whim, the folks behind the Monsieur robotic bartender that took the stage at Disrupt SF 2013, have just recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring its drink-slinging machine to market.Senior Facebook, Netflix Scientist Joins Identified To Help It Fix Professional Search, Take On LinkedIn
Oct 01, 11:59PM
This summer, Identified pulled back the curtain on a new artificial intelligence technology, called "SYMAN," which it developed to help organize and clean the swaths of unstructured professional data that today lives on the Web. In doing so, the startup moved away from its original focus -- a kind of Facebook data-driven "Klout score for professionals" -- essentially admitting that if it were going to give job seekers and companies a better way to connect and find talent, it would have to address the elephant in the room: Data.Apple Has 10% Of All Corporate Cash? Not Really
Oct 01, 11:40PM
Does Apple have 10% of all corporate cash reserves? No, which is contrary to a headline or two you might have seen floating around. However, if you count all Apple cash, both foreign and domestic, and compare that tally to the largest non-financial U.S. corporations, it does.Yiftee Opens API To Give Developers The Option Of In-App Gifting
Oct 01, 10:48PM
Yiftee, the service for sending local gifts to friends, has opened its "GiftUp" API with the hope that developers will incorporate its gift-giving capabilities into their own apps. Yiftee is banking on the notion that people will be more inclined to send gifts in context. When a calendar app notifies you of a friend's birthday, for instance, it could also suggest that you buy her a cupcake from the local bakery.The Artist Formerly Known As BlackBerry Now Approved For NATO Deployment
Oct 01, 10:16PM
BlackBerry announced today that its Enterprise Service and BlackBerry 10 handsets have been approved by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to handle classified messaging up to the level of "Restricted." The new certification theoretically allows BlackBerry to sell its new smartphones to 28 member countries' NATO workers. The question is whether there is demand for its hardware among those nations.With 37M Users And Revenues At $34M, DIY Website Creation Platform Wix Files For $100M IPO On The NYSE
Oct 01, 10:03PM
Capitalizing on the maturing Web and growing demand for DIY creation and publishing tools, the Israel and U.S.-based company has grown to 400 strong, raised $60 million from investors and built a user base of 34 million-plus. Behind its continuing growth, the company announced today that it is officially headed to the public markets -- the New York Stock Exchange, to be precise -- under the ticker symbol "WIX."Yahoo To Acquire Sports-Centric Mobile Developer Hitpost
Oct 01, 8:51PM
Yahoo is set to acquire Hitpost, the maker of a handful of sports-centric mobile apps, to beef up its own sports offerings on iOS and Android, say sources familiar with the deal. The company's team of seven or so is heading over to join Yahoo.US Angel Investing This Year Likely Won't Pass 2012 Levels
Oct 01, 8:30PM
Angel investing in the US this year looks like it’s falling back towards 2011 levels, after a record 2012. Meanwhile, there are more Series A rounds than ever, based on our latest CrunchBase data. The much-feared ”Series A Crunch” has yet to materialize. Early-stage founders and investors have been mulling the possibility of a flood of new angel investor money overwhelming the venture industry’s ability to fund all worthy young startups. But here’s what we’re seeing. In the first three quarters of 2013, the enormous annual growth of Angel investments has been falling, especially in relation to first venture rounds. From the period of 2007-2012, the number of Angel investments grew by almost 6x, while Series A rounds only grew by about 1.6x. However, according to our dataset the total number of 2013 Angel investments are unlikely to reach the 2012 peak of 1,520 deals, while 2013 Series A investments are already very close to eclipsing the 2012 total at over 960 and counting. In total dollar terms, the trend reversal is equally striking. In the first three quarters of 2013, Series A rounds have amassed $5.43B, nearly surpassing the 2012 total of $5.96B while year to date Angel investments of $545M are well under the $707M total of last year. At this point, we’ll pause to note the various caveats with early-stage funding data. Not all early-stage funding data shows up here immediately, because financing mechanisms like convertible notes let startups legally delay announcing the money until they raise a venture round. Some seed and angel rounds have also gotten quite large, in the millions range similar to a traditional first venture round. Large outlier rounds in any category can also make them skew large. This said, our data is based on a composite of data provided by companies and investors, cross-referenced with public filings and news reporting. We believe it’s the most accurate public data set out there. So what’s happening with angels? We can speculate that they’ve been scared off by a Series A Crunch concerns, or anything else. But instead how about you take a look for yourself using our latest data set — download the September 2013 Data Export and let us know what you find.
littleBits' Exploration Kits Will Make You Think Differently About Building Hardware
Oct 01, 8:29PM
Whole worlds have been built out of LEGO and K'Nex and Meccano and a seemingly endless supply of childhood wonder, but the world is changing and so too are our toys. That's where an ambitious New York hardware startup comes into play -- littleBits is trying to create a sort of LEGO for a new generation of tinkerers. The company just recently launched its new batch of Exploration Kits to bring its vision of clever, fun hardware education to the masses, and founder/CEO Ayah Bdeir joined us in our office to show off what people have managed to create with those cutesy components.
New Calls To Action In Facebook's Mobile App Ads Can Help Publishers Reconnect With Users
Oct 01, 8:00PM
The purpose of Facebook's Mobile App Ads seems pretty clear. They're supposed to drive installations, right? Well, in a new blog post, the company says its ads can now help with what comes afterward, namely, keeping users engaged and active -- and in some cases encouraging them to spend money. To illustrate the challenge on the mobile side, Facebook cites a Localytics study that found that 66 percent of app users will only open an app between 1 and 10 times.Be Still My Beating Heart, This Might Be Logitech's Gamepad For The iPhone
Oct 01, 7:18PM
A leaked image of what appears to be Logitech’s gamepad for the iPhone has hit the Twitter wire today, via the @evleaks account. The account has been known to reliably tweet images of upcoming products from a variety of mobile companies including Samsung, Nokia and others. The gamepad looks a lot like the leaked prototype from earlier this year and images that were shown during presentations to Apple’s WWDC developer attendees back in June. The pad has four physical buttons on the right, what appears to be two bumper buttons on the top and a d-pad on the left. Apple added support for gamepads with its iOS 7 update, but the gamepads themselves have yet to materialize. Logitech also teased the controllers last month with an image of empty hands and an iPhone. There were three types of controllers mentioned during Apple’s presentations including two types of ‘case controllers’ and a standalone unit that communicates with the iPhone via Bluetooth. Any one of those controllers would offer more precise tactile control over platformers, shooters and any number of other game types that don’t do so well with touch screens. Two of the possible designs that Apple showed off included dual thumbsticks, but it doesn’t appear that this design includes those. Logitech is an MFi (Made for iPod) member, so this would likely be produced under that partner program. Previously, accessory makers had to rely on very poor Bluetooth keyboard hacks to simulate the button inputs of a gamepad. The new integration will allow not only physical connection via the Lightning port but also more precise button mapping and better response times. The addition of gamepad support comes at an interesting time for Apple, as gaming revenues for Android and iOS begin to rival those from established giants like Nintendo. If these take off — especially if they do integrate analog sticks — it could spell real trouble for the powerhouse portable business represented by offerings like the Nintendo DS line. Image Credit: Marco Crocoli/ Flickr CCThe Best From Glenn Greenwald's AMA: The British Gov Lied, The NSA's Vision, And What's Coming Next
Oct 01, 7:01PM
Today Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald took to Reddit to answer questions from that community regarding the NSA, Edward Snowden, and his current work breaking news concerning both. That is a taste. If you have time over lunch or a cocktail, I recommend the full suite of Greenwald's answers.Keen On… Why MessageMe Might Be The Future Of Real-Time Communications
Oct 01, 7:00PM
Ali Rosenthal joined Facebook back in early 2006, when it was a 50 person startup with 4 million users and she quit at the end of 2011 when it employed 3,500 people and was closing in on a billion users. As a member of Facebook's founding business team, she helped pioneer their mobile business, growing their mobile base from 100,000 to 250 million and leaving as the company's head of mobile business development. But after a year as the Executive-in-Residence at Greylock, Rosenthal is back at a small startup. In July, she became the COO at MessageMe, the 17 person real-time mobile communications platform which raised a Series A round of $10 million in May.Send In Your Questions For Ask A VC With Battery Ventures' Brian O'Malley
Oct 01, 6:43PM
This week on TechCrunch TV's Ask a VC show, we have Battery Ventures partner Brian O'Malley in the studio. As you may remember, you can submit questions for our guests either in the comments or here and we'll ask them during the show.Internet Explorer 6 Market Share Finally Falls Under 5%
Oct 01, 6:25PM
The Internet Explorer 6 death watch continues, but the end is near. Microsoft's ancient browser may still haunt web developers' nightmares, but according to the latest data from Net Applications, its global market share has now finally dipped under 5 percent. Even Microsoft will be quite happy to see this, especially given that, for Internet Explorer as a whole, the last month was pretty good (though it still has IE6 at 6.1 percent global market share).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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