Stories for May. 21, 2013
Exclusive: LogMeIn launches AppGuru to help IT wrangle consumer apps
AppGuru will work with LogMeIn’s own web conferencing; cloud storage and screen sharing applications as well as Google App sand Office 365, says LogMeIn CEO Michael Simon. Read more »
SAP to bring in autistic workers as software testers and programmers
Those on the autistic spectrum often display highly focused and analytical traits. SAP is the latest company – and the first major multinational – to move to harness these characteristics for IT-related work. Read more »
Orange’s Flexible Computing IaaS platform spreads to North America and Asia
The multinational-targeting cloud platform is currently based on in-house technology, but France Telecom’s business services arm is considering options such as OpenStack for the future. Read more »
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Stories for May. 20, 2013
Bored with mere medicine, IBM’s Watson adds customer service to its resume
IBM’s Watson has been helping clinicians diagnose ailments and bankers recommend the right products for customers, and with its latest job it will help brands provide better customer service and reach a wider audience. Read more »
Truphone creates a shared data plan that will cross international borders
photo: Flickr / ToastyKen
The world’s first international MVNO, Truphone is now offering shared plans for business, allowing companies to offer a single pool of minutes and megabytes their employees can use in multiple counties. Read more »
FedRAMP seal of approval clears Amazon for more government work
AWS is the first major cloud provider to get its FedRAMP certification which should make it easier for government agencies to put more workloads on Amazon’s cloud. Read more »
Square will challenge PayPal with its own peer-to-peer cash service
Square has launched an under-the-radar payments service that lets customers transfer cash through email. It’s certainly not a new concept, but it’s another tool in Square’s arsenal as it delves deeper into the consumer market. Read more »
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Eos Energy raises $15M from NRG, investors for zinc-air batteries
An air battery — long the holy grail of battery researchers — could see commercialization next year by startup Eos Energy Storage. Read more »
What online video and TV fans can expect from Microsoft’s next Xbox
photo: Microsoft
Microsoft is set to announce a new Xbox on Tuesday. Here’s what we know so far about everything related to TV and online video services. Read more »
Using data and computer models to store wind energy underground
Power companies in areas with a growing amount of clean power are looking at new ways to store compressed air underground. The Pacific Northwest could get some of these next-gen air technologies in the coming years. Read more »
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Flickr gets revamp — with 1 TB of photo storage free — and Yahoo gets new NYC office
More news from Yahoo on Monday: The company is revamping photo-sharing service Flickr and is also opening a New York City office. Tumblr’s employees, however, will remain at their current office. Read more »
How to make a less creepy robot? Simple, just add data
photo: Disney Research
Deep inside the House of Mouse researchers are solving computer science and mechanical engineering problems — like how to build a robot that can hand you a drink without creeping you out. Read more »
AT&T to allow FaceTime, other video chat apps over cellular for all customers
The carrier says by mid-June it will allow use of FaceTime over cellular for its unlimited plan customers. A broader rollout for even more video chat apps is coming by year’s end, however. Read more »
New algorithm maps cancer cells like nodes on a social network
photo: Columbia University
A group of researchers from Columbia and Stanford have created a method for turning complex cellular datasets into visualizations that map the similarities between tens of thousands of cells within a tissue sample. Read more »
Tim Cook urges tax reform for US businesses — even if Apple has to pay more
Cook will call for a revenue-neutral reform of the corporate tax code that does away with all tax expenditures, lowers tax rates and establishes a “reasonable” tax on companies’ earnings from overseas. Read more »
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Must read
Buying Tumblr might make Yahoo cool — but buying Pinterest might have made more sense
There are plenty of reasons why the announced Yahoo Tumblr deal makes sense for those companies. But Marissa Mayer might have seen a much greater payoff from acquiring Pinterest instead. Here’s why. Read more »
Hold the phone: Google isn’t hanging up on Voice in Hangouts after all
At last week’s Google I/O event, Google Voice news was noticeably absent from the stage, overshadowed by the new Hangouts service, which doesn’t yet support Voice. Hold tight, says Google, it’s coming. Read more »
New “clues” about the Bitcoin founder — and the case for leaving him alone
photo: 69195535
Bitcoin’s recent popularity has brought new rumors about the true identity of its founder, Satoshi Nakamoto. It may be time to respect his privacy and focus on his work instead. Read more »
Must read
Pay TV is hurting, and even skeptics now admit cord cutting could be at fault
photo: Jason Rosenberg
Pay TV providers in the US lost subscribers for the first time ever over the 12 months ending in March. Especially alarming is the slowing growth of lower-priced offers. Read more »
When it comes to the social web, these two VCs are in a league of their own
Bijan Sabet and Fred Wilson continue a long tradition of a couple investors utterly dominating their sectors by betting on what they know, and getting in early before others even know there is an opportunity. Read more »
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Must read
Dell backs away from OpenStack public cloud, steps up to Enstratius
So, remember that Openstack-based public cloud Dell promised for this year? It ain’t gonna happen. Instead Dell will sell public cloud options from Joyent, ScaleMatrix and ZeroLag. Read more »
With push for data democratization, Intel tries to play both sides of the big data debate
Intel, whose chips are in production at data centers worldwide, has taken steps lately to make consumer data more accessible to the public. How to expose the data is another matter. Read more »
Apple offering new incentives to make the iPhone more affordable in India
The iPhone maker has been tweaking its pricing strategy and incentive offerings in markets where smartphone ownership has only recently begun to take hold. In India it’s offering discounts for trade-ins and a cash back offer. Read more »
NextGuide’s new website turns your friends’ Facebook likes into your TV guide
Ever wondered which movies and TV shows your friends like on Facebook. NextGuide makes it easy to find out – and then find services to stream these flicks. Read more »
Video: Leaked software update brings Galaxy S 4 features to Galaxy S 3
Still carrying last year’s Galaxy S 3 but pining for the newer model? A software update may appease your desire: Several of the Galaxy S 4 software features are included in this Android 4.2.2 update for the Galaxy S 3. Read more »
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Alteryx raises $12M to make predictive analytics user-friendly
photo: Shutterstock / ramcreations
Analytics provider Alteryx has raised another $12 million as it tries to make statistical analysis a more consumer-friendly experience. Read more »
GrubHub, Seamless merge, creating one giant online delivery service
The two food ordering startups didn’t reveal any financial details, but the merger will create the biggest take out and delivery portal on the web and mobile with more than 20,000 restaurants in 500 cities. Read more »
Marissa Mayer: Some Tumblr users “may never come to Yahoo,” and that’s OK
photo: Albert Chau, Getty Images
In an investor call Monday morning, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer said Yahoo and Tumblr’s audiences really don’t overlap. She said that’s fine: Yahoo users will be exposed to more Tumblr content, and Tumblr gets a new ad strategy and possible Flickr integration while remaining a separate site. Read more »
Can Windows 8 thrive on small tablets? Acer thinks so, debuts 8.1-inch Iconia W3
Acer’s Iconia W3 is the second coming of Ultra Mobile PCs, only this time, there’s a touch-friendly user interface. The Windows 8 desktop is still the biggest challenge on a small slate; perhaps Microsoft should offer a “Metro”-only license? Read more »
New York Times CEO calls digital pay model “most successful” decision in years
photo: AP Images
In a speech to Columbia business school graduates, the CEO of the New York Times described the company’s role in media disruption. Read more at paidContent »
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Sponsored post: Navigating the Apache Hadoop Ecosystem
Open source is a great place for innovation. But it’s just the beginning. That’s Intel’s take on Apache Hadoop. It’s a solid ecosystem that can help organizations get value out of big data, but enterprises should continue to demand more from the platform. Read more »
Armed with Android app support, Jolla’s €399 phone launches by year-end
After picking up the MeeGo torch, Jolla’s first phone running the Sailfish operating system is official and can be pre-ordered. It won’t arrive until year-end, however, and faces a huge uphill battle in market dominated by Android and iOS. Read more »
Yahoo officially acquires Tumblr for $1.1 billion, promises “not to screw it up”
photo: Albert Chau
Yahoo has officially acquired Tumblr for $1.1 billion, the companies announced Monday morning. Tumblr will be operated as a separate business, with David Karp remaining CEO. Read more »
Exclusive: Dropbox seeks partners to convert free users to paying customers
Dropbox, the consumer file-store-and-sync champ, hopes to parlay MSPs, IT consultants and other partners to transform users of its free service into paying customers. Read more »
LevelUp partners with NCR to bring mobile payments to more restaurants
photo: LevelUp
NCR is the top supplier of retail point-of-sale software for U.S. restaurants, so for LevelUp, getting its mobile payments app to work with NCR’s systems for dining transactions is key. Read more »
Stories for May. 19, 2013
Must read
What Tumblr’s sale means for New York startup ecosystem
photo: Om Malik
The New York startup ecosystem will get a big boost from the $1.1 billion sale of Tumblr to Yahoo. The exit, one of the biggest New York has seen, shows that with content becoming important, New York is finding its footing on the startup stage. Read more »
Pinterest takes a “first step” toward working with big brands
Pinterest is unveiling a new pin structure for different types of products and an integration with a large number of retail brands, as it continues buildng up the platform and paving the way for growth. Read more »
Must read
What Nikola Tesla vs. VCs video says about the state of Silicon Valley
Imagine if Nikola Tesla had to pitch venture capitalists to fund his idea. The reaction to his crazy ideas would be precisely what you see on this video. Sadly, the video also says a lot about the skewed risk and investment system in Silicon Valley these days. Read more »
Report: Yahoo’s board agrees to pay $1.1 billion for Tumblr
photo: Albert Chau
Yahoo’s board has agreed to pay $1.1 billion for Tumblr, according to reports. Read more »
For developers, the cloud means having to rethink everything they know about making software
photo: Mike Flippo/Shutterstock
It’s not often the software world goes through a revolutionary change. But the advent of the cloud will force software developers to reevaluate – and discard – many of their most basic assumptions. Read more »
