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Apple Patents Autocorrect Review System, Language Auto-Detect For Mobile Messaging
Feb 06, 1:44PM
Apple has patented a system that could greatly reduce the volume of material available for blogs like ‘Damn You Autocorrect,’ should it ever make its way to shipping software. AppleInsider spotted the filing with the USPTO today, which describes a way in which autocorrect changes are highlighted to a user once they press the send button, when they’re given a chance to review any changes made by autocorrect before actually moving the message along to its intended recipient. The utility of this is probably instantly recognizable to anyone who’s had that stomach-dropping moment when they realized what they sent wasn’t what they intended to send, and there are no takebacks. The now-common use of an asterisk followed by the word you actually meant to send as an immediate (or somewhat delayed, if it takes you a while to realize) correction (*whatevs, not ‘wharves’) is a pretty good indicator we’ve got a serious and widespread problem. The patent describes a system that would include a timer to countdown the time they have to make a correction before the message is sent anyway, and a menu bar that comes up with buttons to either “Fix Errors,” “Reject” the message entirely, or “Accept” it as-is and send it along. Other variants of the system include one where a user can type and queue up a variety of messages, and then review, approve and send them in sequence to save time. It’s a hiccup in the normal process of sending a message via mobile device to be sure, adding a number of steps and time, but it’s also described as an option that can be enabled or disabled in Settings. And for people who really value clean copy and not looking like someone who ate too many paint chips when they were a kid, it could be a considerable selling point. Another patent published today automatically changes language for input based on who a user is communicating with, or what specific piece of content they’re responding to. So if they receive a message in Spanish, the Spanish soft keyboard will automatically activate when they tap on the text field to reply. Also, when starting a new message with a contact in their address book, the system could use key identifiers to determine the recipient’s preferred language (including message history) and call up the relevant soft keyboard accordingly. Apple looking at ways to innovate itsApple Dives Deeper Into Improved Device Display Research With Quantum Dot-Enhanced Tech
Feb 06, 12:54PM
Apple has filed for three new patents, according to applications published by the USPTO (via AppleInsider) today. The applications all relate to the use of quantum dot-enhanced displays, which provide a number of advantages to electronic device screens, including richer and more vibrant colors, better viewing angles and an overall better experience vs. standard LCD gadget screens. Apple had filed for a patent on quantum dot-enhanced displays back in December 2013, when it detailed basic ways in which the tech might be applied to existing display technology to deliver color control improvements. Now, these three new patents handle additional applications of quantum dots in tandem with a MEMS (microelectromechancial systems) shutter control, a version that uses a mixture of prisms and other tricks for using a backlight stack to control light distributed through quantum dots, and a backlight dimming patent that refines how a quantum dot-enhanced backlight system would correct for color shift. The fine details of the patent are very technical in nature, but the main takeaway from the patents is that Apple is working on this kind of technology in earnest, and eager to lock down intellectual property rights on techniques associated with its use in shipping devices. The company often goes to great lengths to cover its bets when it comes to new tech, whether or not it plans to use it (it holds a number of patents that deal with NFC, for instance). But in this case, the patents seem to indicate Apple is in the lab working through some practical issues that inhibit quantum dot-enhanced display use in shipping devices. Devices using these kinds of displays are already being used by major TV manufacturers, including Sony, which led the charge back in January 2013 when it announced it would emit quantum dots in some of its upcoming flat-screen TVs. The main advantage of quantum dots used in this way is improved display quality, so it makes sense that Apple would chase this carrot, as it has in the past led the pack in terms of mobile device display quality (the Retina display stands out especially).Android Marches Onto Another Landline Phone (And Marches On)
Feb 06, 12:26PM
Looking at this Android-powered landline handset which U.K. telco BT has just started selling -- christened with the (relatively) catchy name of Home SmartPhone S -- you really have to wonder what took them so long.Accelerators In India's Nascent Startup Ecosystem Face A Reality Check
Feb 06, 12:24PM
Is the startup accelerator bubble ready to burst in India? That’s the question several VCs, entrepreneurs and early to late stage investors have started asking in the country’s fledgling startup ecosystem. Their concerns don’t look unfounded, especially after India’s oldest startup accelerator, The Morpheus, said it’s planning to move away from the existing model, and even stopped taking applications for next batches. Founded by Sameer Guglani and Nandini Hirianniah in 2008, Morpheus is shifting away from incubating startups over 4-month long batches. It will now work with startups that are anywhere between 2-5 years old, or even up to 10 years in existence. Last year, The Hatch, an 18-months old accelerator in Mumbai, shut down fueling speculations about the uncertain future faced by many startup accelerators in the country. Guglani told me that Morpheus is not shutting down completely as being speculated. “We’ve been feeling the need to evolve and it could involve fading away the current accelerator model. We would be launching a new avatar,” he said. Later, in a blog post titled “Morpheus is going Nowhere”, the founders had this to say: Founders these days are a lot more mature when they get started. Also a 0-2 year old startup has many good sources of support / advice & money. Lots of accelerators, incubators , hackathons, events, demo pitches, blogs, videos and a lot more. Indeed, for entrepreneurs, it’s better to build their startups outside incubators if longer gestation period is what it takes. Amarpreet Kalkat, who graduated from Microsoft Accelerator last year and founded big data startup Frrole, told me it’s getting tougher in India. “An Indian startup would have a longer gestation period, so more time, and resources, are needed. My vote is for outside, becuase the battleplace is the market, how long can u keep fighting a proxy battle from inside a fenced garden,” Kalkat said. Morpheus’ journey so far, and its future path going forward offer crucial lessons for anybody looking to get involved with the Indian accelerator ecosystem. First of all, there is much more early seed money available compared to six years ago when Morpheus started. The catch however, is that this money can now be accessed through several different platforms, including traditional venture investing. Many established VCs too, are beginning to scout for early stage deals and ensure that they catch the ‘next big thing’. All this is putting tremendous pressure on standalone startup acceleratorsAOL's Q4 Revenue Grows To $679M But Earnings Per Share of $0.43 Fall Short Of Estimates
Feb 06, 12:09PM
AOL came in ahead of analyst estimates on revenue but not earnings in its fourth quarter of 2013, reporting $679 million in revenue and diluted earnings per share of 43 cents. Analysts had predicted EPS of 46 cents per share and revenue of $656.4 million, according to Bloomberg. AOL said EPS, along with operating income and net income, were negatively affected by "a pre-tax restructuring charge of $13.2 million, largely related to a reduction in personnel, including [hyperlocal news initiative] Patch."Jack Erwin Raises $2M From Crosslink, Shasta And Menlo To Develop Its Male Shoe Ecommerce Business
Feb 06, 12:00PM
Today Jack Erwin, an upper-end male shoe ecommerce play, announced that it has raised a $2 million Series A led by Crosslink Capital. The funding event was participated in by Shasta Ventures and Menlo Ventures. Just as technology and politics are finding themselves increasingly intertwined, so too are technology and fashion becoming increasingly close. I find this personally unnerving as I know essentially as much about fashion as do most politicos, but the crossover is a reality. The linked space is also becoming quite well funded. In December of 2013, Warby Parker picked up a fresh $60 million from a number of investors, expanding the capital invested in its mix of eyeware and ecommerce to more than $100 million. Jack Erwin is a play to take the same success that Warby Parker has seen with glasses, and apply it to the male shoe business. The firm is interesting given that its investing groups are better known for their technology bets than their forays into the sartorial. Still, Jack Erwin wants to apply distribution techniques that are used by other technology-fashion hybrids to its selected niche. How goes it thus far? The company’s initial foray into product saw the group create, and burn through an initial set of 3,000 pairs of shoes. Given an average price point of around $200 — a number I cribbed from its website’s listed prices and a conversation with its founding team — Jack Erwin has already generated more revenue than many a failed startup. The company has thus far leaned on positive initial press coverage from the fashion media space, and doesn’t intend, it told TechCrunch, to spend its new capital on advertising. Instead, the funds will be deployed to expand its line of male shoes, and develop its brand. I can’t comment on the latter as fashion branding is beyond my competency. That said, the company’s business model, a play that removes middle players to help it deliver a superior or commensurate luxury good at lower price points, is interesting. The group’s manufacturing is in Portugal, where it maintains local quality control, and its distribution hub resides in greater New York, so it can deliver its own goods without the need of third-party retail space to hawk its wares. So, and I hate to use an aggrandizing analogy, as Tesla has worked to eliminate dealers and sell directly to consumers, so does Jack Erwin want to vendPopular Collage App Fuzel Adds Animated Slideshow Tool
Feb 06, 10:52AM
Remember when simply uploading a still photo of your brunch was enough to get dozens of likes on Instagram or Facebook? Well, those days are gone now, thanks in large part to the popularity of Vine, as well as Instagram's video-sharing feature. Fuzel for iOS, which made the App Store's Best of 2012 list, has added an animated slideshow tool to keep up with the demand for more dynamic content.London Gets Another Fintech Accelerator, As Startupbootcamp Partners With MasterCard, Lloyds & Rabobank
Feb 06, 10:00AM
Last week it was a new European Edtech accelerator pitching for startups. Today a new fintech incubator has been announced, by pan-European accelerator Startupbootcamp, which will be based in London, a stone's throw from the City's Square Mile financial district.Birdback Raises $2.4M To Replace Wallet-Bulging Vouchers & Loyalty Cards With Card-Linked Fintech
Feb 06, 9:00AM
Fintech startup Birdback reckons we already carry one loyalty card to rule them all: our existing credit or debit card. The London-based company has created technology to link online to offline offers, such as cashback and other loyalty offers, via your existing 16 digit credit/debit card number only.Sony To Exit PC Business By Selling VAIO
Feb 06, 8:22AM
Sony will sell off its lackluster PC division and focus on spinning off its TV business into a standalone entity by June. The company’s announcement confirms a report yesterday that Japan Industrial Partners planned to purchase the VAIO brand. The amount of the deal was not disclosed, but Nikkei reported that it may be up to 50 billion yen ($490 million). The deal will be finalized by the end of March. Sony said it will cut 5,000 jobs worldwide by the end of this fiscal year, but the new PC company plans to hire about 250 to 500 Sony employees and continue to fill aftercare warranties. Sony will initially invest 5% of the new company’s capital to support its launch. The sale of VAIO isn’t a big surprise, as Sony’s PC business has long underperformed its other divisions. Indeed, when Kazuo Hirai took over as president and CEO of Sony in 2012, he didn’t even list PCs as one of the company’s cornerstones. Instead, he said Sony’s future rested on digital imaging, gaming, and mobile. But even though Sony has consistently released innovative products in all three categories, including its Xperia smartphone line, its performance still lags behind competitors like Samsung and Apple. Sony also said that it expects to spend 20 billion yen restructuring its PC and TV segments, with a focus on high-end sets and 4K screens. The company hopes these changes will allow its TV arm to become profitable again by the end of fiscal 2015. Net profit at the company has been unstable, due to in large part to increased competition. In its Q3 2013 earnings release, Sony reported a year-on-year sales increase from its mobile business, but said it still expects an annual loss of 110 billion yen (or about $1.1 billion) for all of 2013, a turnaround from its previous prediction for a profit of 30 billion yen. While the PlayStation 4 has done very well, selling 4 million units during the holidays, the consoles have very thin margins after launch and are not expected to generate significant profit until later in the product cycle. Sony had reported that demand for PCs was slowing down in previous financial statements, but said just yesterday that it was still considering various options for VAIO. But it was clear that Sony had to take action quickly. At the end of January, bond credit rating agency Moody’s cutMyntra Confirms $50M Fund Raise Led By Premji Invest
Feb 06, 6:39AM
As we reported on January 31, Indian fashion portal Myntra has just confirmed raising $50 million in fresh funding from investors led by Premji Invest. The new funding comes after Myntra preferred to invest in its own growth and did not pursue a merger offer from India’s biggest e-commerce company Flipkart. “We are confident of achieving $1 billion GMV (Gross Merchandise Value) by 2016 and will be by far the largest fashion destination in India,” said Mukesh Bansal, co-founder and CEO of Myntra. The startup said there’s enough and more opportunities to grow in India’s $3.1 Billion e-commerce market (excluding online travel), which is expected to reach $22 billion in five years, according to a CLSA report. “We have been growing steadily, increasing our product offerings and attracting new users from different corners of the country. This round of funding will allow us to scale up, attract and retain superior talent, ramp up our technology infrastructure and strengthen the Myntra brand,” Bansal added in a statement. Since its launch in 2007, Myntra has raised close to $75 million from investors, including Accel Partners and Tiger Global. As TechCrunch’s Ingrid Lunden wrote in January, Myntra now has the funds to continue to invest in its business for the next stage of growth as a standalone company. The company is on track to have gross merchandise value — the total value of goods sold via Myntra’s portal — of $100 million for the current fiscal year. But it has been growing at a rapid rate. In April 2013 the rate was 100% every six months, and Myntra believes that GMV will be $1 billion by 2016. As a point of comparison, Flipkart is projecting a GMV of $1 billion by 2015. We will be updating this post with details of Myntra’s latest funding and comments from other investors.Lyft Announces Rideshare Insurance Coalition And Additional Coverage For Its Drivers
Feb 06, 2:48AM
Lyft is seeking to combat questions about insurance and liability today, with the introduction of a new Peer-to-Peer Rideshare Insurance Coalition, as well as the announcement that it will be providing additional insurance to drivers on its platform.MissionBit's Volunteer Hackers Close The Computer Science Education Gap In SF's Schools
Feb 06, 2:18AM
A couple days a week, 25-year-old Brian Clark (pictured above to the left) takes the Muni’s T line in from Bayview, where he lives in a house full of other founders through the NewMe Accelerator program. Yes, he’s a pretty recent computer science graduate from University of Michigan. Yes, he’s new to San Francisco and just moved here six months ago from Detroit. Yes, he’s tinkering around with startup ideas and he moonlights at hackathons for rent money. No, he’s not some entitled techie douchebag. He takes the train in several days a week because he teaches free after-school classes on web development and programming to students across San Francisco’s public schools. Even though he jokes every once in awhile about how broke he is, Clark has spent hours designing and developing curriculum for the new San Francisco non-profit running these classes, MissionBit. Last semester, MissionBit’s students made a Nazi Zombies vs. Robot Dinosaurs game, a chat client and another program that visualized audio tracks through Philip Hue lights. About 90 percent of them had never written a line of code before they started. MissionBit brings in developers from the industry to teach pro-bono classes and they’ll have 70 middle and high school students this semester. Only five of the 17 high schools in the San Francisco Unified School District offer computer science classes, meaning that students are missing out on learning highly employable skills in web development despite living in the global capital of the technology industry. “Initially, I was just frustrated with public school education and I was looking for a way to give back and put energy into improving it,” said MissionBit’s founder Tyson Daugherty. Last August, Daugherty partnered with another San Francisco non-profit called Out of Site that already had a relationship with the school district to offer free after-school arts classes. In their first semester last fall, they started with a beginning programming class for 15 students. Demand was so overwhelming that they ended up with 25 kids on the wait list. This semester (their second one), MissionBit has more volunteer instructors than it can handle. “The amount of good will that is being demonstrated from these awesome technologists and some very high-powered people is pretty inspiring,” Daugherty said. In a class I ended yesterday, there was one instructor for every two students. “Why are we here?” asked Matt Wescott, the lead instructor for that day. “To learn,”Don't Like Your Facebook "Look Back"? You'll Be Able To Edit It Soon.
Feb 06, 2:09AM
For the past 24 hours, my Facebook newsfeed has been predominantly filled with just two things: people sharing those cutesy automated "Look Back" videos that Facebook made for most of its users, and people complaining that they hate their Look Back. Hate yours? Don't sweat it too much. Facebook is working on an edit tool, we've learned.
Amazon Acquires Video Gaming Studio Double Helix Games
Feb 06, 2:05AM
Amazon has acquired a gaming studio called Double Helix Games, TechCrunch has learned, and Amazon now confirms. The deal may well add fuel to the recent rumors that Amazon is preparing to release its own gaming console in the coming months.AOL Quietly Changes Our 401(k) Employer Match Program
Feb 06, 1:21AM
Starting this year, AOL has changed how it distributes its matching 401(k) contributions for all employees, which could put a sizable dent in the retirement accounts for workers who part ways with the company before the end of the year.Twitter Data Grants Program Gives Access To Historical Tweets To Researchers
Feb 05, 11:54PM
Twitter wants researchers to turn its mountains of data into insights, from flu trends to New Years celebrations, that could delight and help the world. So today it announced the Twitter Data Grants program. Researchers can apply to get free access to Twitter's public firehose and historical data through one of its official data resellers Gnip.Send In Your Questions For Ask A VC With Vegas Tech Fund's Jen McCabe
Feb 05, 11:30PM
This week, VegasTechFund's Jen McCabe is joining us in the TechCrunch TV studio to talk hardware and more. You can submit questions for our guests either in the comments or here and we'll ask them during the show.Dick Costolo On User Growth: Twitter "Will Reach Many More People" In 2014
Feb 05, 11:27PM
Twitter CEO Dick Costolo answered repeated questions this afternoon about the company's user growth. His big point seemed to be that (despite what appears to a decreasing number of new users joining the service) "We feel very well positioned for growth," and the company "will reach many more people" this year. For one thing, Costolo offered some justification for the 7 percent quarter-over-quarter drop in timeline views, which Twitter provides as a measure of how much content users are consuming. He suggested that some of the user experience changes that Twitter made recently, such as threaded conversations, have reduced the number of timelines that a user needs to load.My Favorite Companies From The Seventh 500 Startups Accelerator Class
Feb 05, 11:05PM
It's demo day again for the 500 Startups crew, as the seed stage investment firm and accelerator is showing off the latest batch of companies that have survived its three-month accelerator program. Those companies are presenting their products and services to investors and press for the first time in Mountain View, Calif.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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