2006 — Tech News and Analysis

Archive for 2006

Spock Scores $7M

By Katie Fehrenbacher Dec. 19, 2006, 9:01pm PT 1 Comment

Spock, the so-called people-based search startup that we’ve written about in the past, is announcing it’s raised $7 million in a Series A funding. Clearstone Venture Partners and Opus Capital Ventures are behind the round. The startup is in … Read More »

Viacom out of YouTube killer talks

By Dec. 19, 2006, 8:49pm PT 2 Comments

Remember all of this talk about big media companies making their own YouTube? Well word got out today from Broadcasting&Cable that Viacom, owners of MTV, Nickelodeon and other big channels has backed out of the talks with NBC Universal, News Corp. and … Read More »

 
 

Glu Mobile Files for IPO

By Katie Fehrenbacher Dec. 19, 2006, 6:58pm PT Comments Off

Add another name to the growing list of companies planning on IPOs today, mobile game company Glu Mobile says it has filed to go public. It could raise up to $92 million. Man, that’s the third company today … Read More »

Konami Offers Free Demos of Classic Games

By Jason McMaster Dec. 19, 2006, 6:04pm PT Comments Off

The line between handheld game consoles and mobile phones just keeps getting blurrier and blurrier. According to this Games Industry report, Konami has announced that they’re going to make several of their classic games available as demos on their new mobile portal. … Read More »

Ericsson buys Redback, Good Move?

By Om Malik Dec. 19, 2006, 5:42pm PT 2 Comments

Networking industry insiders must be feeling left out of this so-called technology resurgence. To counter the Web 2.0 deals, today the industry came up with one of its own: Ericsson is buying Redback for about $1.9 billion. That’s about $25 a share, and a … Read More »

Ericsson buying Redback, $2.1 B

By Paul Kapustka Dec. 19, 2006, 4:53pm PT Comments Off

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Ericsson is acquiring Redback Networks, maker of broadband routing gear for $25 a share, or $2.1 B, further accelerating the consolidation of the telecom equipment-supplier market. The company just pushed out a press release and point out that they … Read More »

In Other News: Crisis TV, Time on YouTube and The Beeb

By Dec. 19, 2006, 4:05pm PT Comments Off

Finding news so you don’t have to: Crisis TV: Josh Spear finds a non-profit that funds and distributes reporting on humanitarian crises around the world. “WEdia.tv covered the famine in Mali and Niger, and its footage was picked up by every major American network … Read More »

Pocket Express for your Nokia E62: News, Sports, Weather and more

By Kevin C. Tofel Dec. 19, 2006, 3:58pm PT Comments Off

The Nokia E62 on Cingular is the latest smartphone to garner support for Pocket Express by Handmark. If you’re just looking for News, Sports and … Read More »

When "Calling Tech Support" Involves Looking in the Mirror

By Judi Sohn Dec. 19, 2006, 3:35pm PT 9 Comments

Over the weekend, I ordered more RAM for my MacBook Pro. I’ve installed RAM in so many different machines over the years, I’ve lost count. I even did it on an original Bondi iMac which is not for the faint of heart. This morning it took me … Read More »

2007 Big year for tech IPOs?

By Om Malik Dec. 19, 2006, 2:48pm PT 5 Comments

Netsuite, Clearwire, and who knows even Facebook: what’s your take on the technology IPOs in 2007. Up, down or flat. Read More »

New video ad startup: Podaddies

By Dec. 19, 2006, 2:47pm PT 2 Comments

One of the newest tech companies joining advertising with user-generated video is San Francisco-based Podaddies (say it Po-daddies, like a Creole sandwich). We caught up with CEO Nate Pagel this week to get a teaser on what the company hopes to do. Pagel is probably in … Read More »

Adobe and “Flash 2.0″

By Yasser Dahab Dec. 19, 2006, 1:25pm PT 9 Comments

Jeff Croft recently published a short post advocating the rebirth of Flash ala the Javascript renaissance. You can read the comments to his original post if you want to hear a few good reasons why that probably won’t happen — at least not in such … Read More »

More Must Reads
WiMAX and the vanishing scale
By Om Malik Dec. 19, 2006, 1:17pm PT 3 Comments

One of the big arguments made in the favor of WiMAX becoming a viable broadband option is the economies of scale. Many proponents of the technology believe that global standards at certain specific ranges of frequencies could allow chip makers access to a big market that … Read More »

Soulver
By Rob Sayers Dec. 19, 2006, 12:48pm PT 3 Comments

Soulver is a unique calculator application for the Mac. Instead of the standard Keypad/Pseudo LCD that most programs use, Soulver takes quite a different approach to number crunching. Using Soulver is pretty much a matter of typing out what you want to know. … Read More »

Suddenly, Calacanis Is LinkedIn
By Om Malik Dec. 19, 2006, 12:48pm PT 10 Comments

Jason Calacanis is suddenly in love with LinkedIn, finding it a crucial business tool, instead of an annoyance. He likes their job-search features. Finally good to see that he is figuring out some of the good things about LinkedIn, though annoying email requests are … Read More »

Windows Vista uses more notebook power?
By Kevin C. Tofel Dec. 19, 2006, 12:44pm PT 11 Comments

This type of headline should give pause to any mobile computer user that plans to run Vista, but I’m still on the fence with my opinion. InfoWorld indicates that "Vista could sap notebook PC battery life", the thoughts being: Extra power is needed for … Read More »

Yahoo disses page views
By Liz Gannes Dec. 19, 2006, 12:39pm PT Comments Off

“The bottom line is that the page view has outgrown its usefulness. The industry needs to embrace change and develop new metrics that measure this new world more accurately,” writes Peter Daboll, Yahoo’s “Chief of Insights,” and former CEO of comScore, on the Yahoo blog. … Read More »

Nintendo Launches Forecast Channel, Lists Release Date for Opera
By Jason McMaster Dec. 19, 2006, 11:51am PT 1 Comment

Nintendo updated the Wii last night, and while doing so, opened up a new channel. The Wii Forecast Channel opened last night, allowing users to check the weather around the world. This new channel is powered by Weathernews.com and joins the other … Read More »

ESA Searching for New Executive
By Jason McMaster Dec. 19, 2006, 11:08am PT Comments Off

Douglas Lowenstein, President of the ESA (Entertainment Software Association), will be leaving early next year to start a new trade association. Lowenstein has spent the last twelve years as the head of the ESA and has led the company through some interesting … Read More »

Digg Down-ed
By Om Malik Dec. 19, 2006, 10:34am PT 2 Comments

As they say, too much of a good thing sometimes is not all that good. Yesterday’s nice facelift and video enhancements brought down Digg earlier this morning, taking it out for nearly two hours. That is a first for Digg, which has worked hard to … Read More »

PBS to audition shows on the ‘Net
By Dec. 19, 2006, 10:20am PT Comments Off

Call it American Idol voting meets the NPR crowd: PBS says it will use the Internet to “audition” three potential science shows, with online viewers voting in the winner. According to the PBS science Web site: Here’s the experiment: PBS will broadcast three new science … Read More »

Earthlink Unwires Milpitas
By Katie Fehrenbacher Dec. 19, 2006, 9:52am PT 7 Comments

Earthlink officially launched its MuniFi network in Milpitas, California today. The 10-square mile network is the company’s second live network in California after Anaheim (maybe some day San Francisco will get there too.) For the occasion the company is offering free WiFi service for … Read More »

Save YouTube Videos Easily with Vixy
By Dec. 19, 2006, 9:46am PT 3 Comments

Ever wonder how to save the videos you see on YouTube, MetaCafe, Veoh and the like so that you can store them or take them on the road? What used to involve some complicated steps is now as easy as copying and pasting a URL … Read More »

In Game ad network Doublefusion gets $26 million
By Om Malik Dec. 19, 2006, 9:28am PT Comments Off

GigaGamez is reporting that Doublefusion, an in-game advertising network has received $26 million in fresh funding from likes of Norwest, Time Warner and Hearst. Read More »

Digg adds podcasts; buggy but not bad for a beta!
By Kevin C. Tofel Dec. 19, 2006, 9:28am PT 1 Comment

Digg was its own big "digg" story yesterday with a new design layout and new features in an effort for wider audience appeal. The new podcast feature … Read More »

Write, print or save with the M-11 White-Board
By Kevin C. Tofel Dec. 19, 2006, 9:14am PT 1 Comment

You won’t be too mobile with the M-11 Copy Board, but you can mobilize the writing on the board. If you can write it, you can print it or save it to a USB drive for later use, making some of those boring … Read More »

22% of Console Gamers are Hardcore
By Jason McMaster Dec. 19, 2006, 9:04am PT Comments Off

The number of hardcore gamers is on the rise, for sure, and with the introduction of the Wii, we may be seeing more enter the ranks. The Wii is kind of like a gateway drug: once people that usually wouldn’t play a game console see some … Read More »

Rustling content on the Web TV frontier
By Dec. 19, 2006, 8:51am PT 2 Comments

In a feature for Wired News, Robert Lemos was asked to unplug the coaxial cable from his television and to entertain his family of five with only “legally available Internet content.” With a mixture of iTunes, Xbox Live Marketplace and network sites like CBS … Read More »

Clearwire Files for an IPO, Again
By Katie Fehrenbacher Dec. 19, 2006, 8:32am PT 3 Comments

Craig McCaw’s Clearwire keeps looking to raise money, and it’s considering the public markets for the second time. According to regulatory filings the company could raise up to $400 million in an IPO with plans to have its shares of … Read More »

Two Zune updates: firmware and official Vista support
By Kevin C. Tofel Dec. 19, 2006, 7:59am PT Comments Off

Zune Thoughts tried the Zune firmware upgrade from 1.1 to 1.2 and it’s generally safe for you to give it a go. I ran my update this morning and … Read More »

Double Fusion Receives New Round of Venture Capital
By Jason McMaster Dec. 19, 2006, 7:54am PT 2 Comments

Double Fusion, an in-game advertising company, has received an infusion of 26 million dollars from a group of venture capitalists, including Norwest Venture Partners, Time Warner, Hearst Corporation and others. This new capital will allow the … Read More »

What motivates web workers?
By Chris Gilmer Dec. 19, 2006, 5:30am PT 17 Comments

Working in a comfy location, like the confines of your home office or local cafe could potentially aid in the relaxation and slacking in the work department. With no cubicles to pass the time working or suffer in a grey sea of boredom, what keeps you … Read More »

Canadian cops turn to YouTube for help
By Dec. 19, 2006, 4:42am PT 1 Comment

We’re not sure if this is a crossing the chasm moment, but reading a story about police putting surveillance videos on YouTube to solicit information is either A) proof that the small screen has come of age as an information-dissemination tool; B) just weird; … Read More »

Big Fiber Is Back
By Om Malik Dec. 19, 2006, 2:00am PT 5 Comments

Transglobal fiber networks that crisscrossed the planet were the most visible and expensive manifestation of the broadband boom (and later the bubble) of 1990s. Thanks to overbuilding, collapsing prices and shady dealings, the boom turned to a bust, and before we knew it, long haul networks … Read More »

Polar Rose: Distributed Image Search
By Liz Gannes Dec. 19, 2006, 1:00am PT 6 Comments

Polar Rose is announcing Tuesday that it plans to release Firefox and Internet Explorer plug-ins that make use of its facial recognition technology early next year. The company hopes to build an index of shared photographs online, matching faces with labels provided by its users. Malmö, … Read More »

VeriSign launching CDN-P2P combo
By Dec. 18, 2006, 9:00pm PT 3 Comments

VeriSign, a company better known for its security and domain businesses, is launching a content delivery network called VeriSign Intelligent CDN. It’s new territory for VeriSign, but a logical extension of its $62 million purchase of Kontiki earlier this year. Prior to the acquisition, Kontiki … Read More »

Pixsy gives any site a video search lift
By Dec. 18, 2006, 9:00pm PT 1 Comment

Last week, search engine Mamma.com launched video search in partnership with Pixsy, a startup that’s cut many such white-label deals for its metadata-based image search. Mamma.com’s stock soared 45 percent in one day. It seemed that investors in the public markets wanted somewhere … Read More »

Videoblogger gets Google Video ads
By Dec. 18, 2006, 7:41pm PT 2 Comments

Andy Plesser of Beet.TV let us know that he has tied up one of the first arrangements for a revenue share with Google Video. You can see an Allstate Insurance ad following a clip of Plesser interviewing Chad Hurley (second video in this post). Google … Read More »

Which Smart phone did I choose, and why?
By Jackson West Dec. 18, 2006, 5:30pm PT 12 Comments

By Pierre Khawand of People-OntheGo A radio announcer was talking once about the qualities that he is looking for in a life partner. In summary, he said that he was seeking someone who has the looks of Cindy Crawford, the heart of mother Teresa, the brain … Read More »

Google Phone & Some Circumstantial Evidence?
By Om Malik Dec. 18, 2006, 5:00pm PT 4 Comments

Over the weekend, we wrote about Google & Orange’s plans to work on what amounts to be a Google Phone. Some folks wrote in and pointed out that close relationship between Google & Orange isn’t that difficult to imagine. For instance, one tipster reminded us … Read More »

What’s On GigaOM Network
By Om Malik Dec. 18, 2006, 4:40pm PT 2 Comments

WebWorkerDaily: 10 items for daily travels of Web Workers. MORE Surviving an extended Power Outage. MORE GigaGamez: Second Life: Hype vs Anti-Hype vs. Anti-Anti Hype MORE Welcome to GigaGamez. MORE NewTeeVee: NBC goes for uncensored, on the web. MORE Some nano-stars are on the … Read More »

FCC’s McDowell to Martin: I ain’t votin’
By Paul Kapustka Dec. 18, 2006, 4:23pm PT Comments Off

Despite the best arm-twisting efforts of FCC chairman Kevin Martin, FCC commissioner Robert McDowell refuses to be bullied into voting on the AT&T-BellSouth merger, due to his concerns about conflicts with past employers. The skinny: just means the merger waits a bit, with maybe … Read More »

Acceptable Cell Phone Behavior
By Jackson West Dec. 18, 2006, 3:30pm PT 10 Comments

Spotted over at J.D. Lasica’s New Media Musings was a link to this article by Scott Goldberg of Digital Media Wire on “12 Unwritten Rules of Cell Phone Etiquette.” My favorite is number 11: 11) Lengthy Voicemail Messages If I reach your voicemail, don’t you … Read More »

Warner Bros. Buys Into SCi
By Jason McMaster Dec. 18, 2006, 3:01pm PT Comments Off

SCi Entertainment Group has received an investment to the tune of 87 million dollars (estimated) from Warner Bros. Entertainment. This investment would gain Warner Bros. a 10.3% share in SCi, who is the owner of the publisher Eidos. … Read More »

Old School + New Funding = Web 2.0 MMO?
By Jason McMaster Dec. 18, 2006, 3:01pm PT 6 Comments

There’s a new game company opening up in San Diego named Areae. As a company, Areae will specialize in Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOs). Normally, a new company entering into the MMO market wouldn’t garner too much attention, but this one has a … Read More »

« Previous12345678910...100Next »
loading external resource
Click to log in with: Not you?
Comment as guest:
By continuing you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Submitting comment...
results