Mobile workforce startup Gigwalk has raised $6 million in Series A funding to build out its marketplace for temporary mobile-based jobs. The company is expanding its relationship with Microsoft and also has a new CEO. Read more »
New York startups can apply to be part of a new Fiber Challenge, which will award 240 business with a fiber hook up to their building. The competition is being done in partnership with Time Warner Cable and Cablevision, which will be wiring up the winners. Read more »
Polar Mobile is rolling out its HTML5-based MediaEverywhere content distribution system with The Hockey News and Canadian Living. The tool allows publishers to build custom websites and native apps in quick and cost-effective way. Read more »
Wrapp is enabling users to send donations through its social gifting service so users will be able to donate money in their friend’s name to different charities and non-profit organizations such as Kiva or the Red Cross. Read more »
Somebody is probably looking for a job after the search giant unexpectedly pre-announced its financial results hours before they were supposed to be released. What’s worse, the numbers were bad. Read more »
Placecast is adding card-linked offers to its ShopAlerts location-based offers platform. Now, users can get a message about a nearby deal and then redeem it with a swipe of their credit or debit card. Read more »
AOL is trying to modernize the email experience with a new web email product called Alto that aggregates emails from Gmail, Yahoo, AOL and iCloud and organizes it in a visual system that relies on stacks of messages and attachments. Read more »
UPDATED: Color is not shutting down, said a company spokesman, contrary to a report earlier today that Color was “winding down” its business. Color has gotten its share of criticism after a failed launch and $41 million in funding. Read more »
After delaying its summer launch, Isis, the mobile payment joint venture from Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, is now set to roll out on Oct. 22. At least 20 handsets will support Isis this year. Read more »
Trying to come up with an Amazon of Europe is going to be hard work, said Marten Mickos, the CEO of Eucalyptus Systems. The continent has a number of issues to deal with including inertia and resistance to change. Read more »
While Braintree has gained attention more recently for powering payments for Uber, Airbnb and Fab, it’s been pursuing a larger vision of fueling online and mobile commerce around the world. And now it’s got some serious funding to go after that goal, thanks to a new […] Read more »
Twitter continued its buying spree by acquiring mobile app development platform Cabana for an undisclosed price. Cabana will help Twitter’s developer create new experiences for the Twitter ecosystem. Read more »
PayPal is enabling small and medium-sized merchants to offer Bill Me Later as a financing option for online transactions. Consumers can get no-interest financing for six months on purchases of $99 or more. The move should help small businesses by increasing order sizes and conversions. Read more »
TechStars New York grad ThinkNear began life as a yield management tool but turned into a hyperlocal ad company, helping advertisers precisely target consumers. Now, it’s being acquired by navigation provider Telenav for $22.5 million. Read more »
Square’s test of mobile payments in New York taxis has officially come to an end. The startup is terminating its memorandum of understanding with the city because it said it wants to pursue a different hardware and software combination. Read more »
Geoloqi, a small Portland, OR startup that made it easy for mobile developers to add background location tracking and geo-fencing to their apps, has sold to ESRI, a longtime provider of mapping and planning tools for governments, companies and educational institutions. Read more »
Foursquare is opening up its desktop home page to all users, not just logged-in members. Visitors can now get Foursquare’s recommendations on local places and search for nearby bars, restaurants and businesses. That should open up Foursquare’s advertising opportunities as it goes after Yelp and Google. Read more »
Skyfire, which is trying to become a carrier’s best friend with its data optimization tool, has raised $10 million to expand its service to carriers in Europe and Asia. Skyfire’s Rocket Optimizer can provide 60 percent average data savings for videos and 50 percent for images. Read more »
Not every business wants to store their files in the cloud. FileSpirit, a German company, is launching a new service by the same name that lets companies give their mobile workers remote access to company files and databases through a mobile file browser. Read more »
Japanese carrier Softbank is reportedly in talks to buy a controlling stake of Sprint in a deal that could be worth more than $12.8 billion, according to several reports. After watching T-Mobile and MetroPCS announce their intention to merge, this might help Sprint compete. Read more »
Kickstarter is opening up to UK projects, marking the first time it will accept projects outside the US. The new projects will launch on Oct. 31 and will be accompanied by an updated international shipping system. Read more »
Oyster, a new startup that wants to be the Spotify of books, announced it has raised $3 million led by Founders Fund. The money will help Oyster build a library that allows members to access an unlimited number of books for a monthly fee. Read more »
An internal document from mobile payment system Isis suggests the joint venture will launch in its two pilot cities on Oct. 22. Isis, which is backed by Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, previously missed its summer launch and no launch date has been announced. Read more »
Online payment provider Stripe is enabling website creators, marketplace owners and other businesses to offer Stripe to its merchants and customers, giving them a fast path to credit card acceptance with Stripe Connect. Companies like Shopify, Skillshare, Reddit and others among the first customers. Read more »
eBay has redesigned its core shopping experience with a new Pinterest-style home page, better product pages, search functionality and faster payments. The idea is to make the eBay experience more personalized for consumers. Read more »
Groupon is increasing its bet on payments with the introduction of Breadcrumb, an iPad point of sale system designed for restaurants and hospitality customers. The move pits Groupon against Square Register and shows how Groupon continues to expand beyond daily deals. Read more »
Marqeta is trying to give merchants a Starbucks card-like approach to loyalty with a new card-based system that lets people preload cash on to a Marqeta card for a specific merchant, who throws in extra cash as a reward. Read more »
HTC reported a 79 drop in profit in the third quarter as it continued to struggle in the face of competition from Apple and Samsung. The once high-flying smartphone maker has been plotting a comeback but the prospects look dim. Read more »
Advertisers looking to drive more downloads of their apps are getting a new tool from TapSense. TapSense’s new ad units allows consumers to download a promoted app right from the ad without getting forced out to the App Store to complete the transaction. Read more »
Mixel started life as an iPad app for making beautiful collages. But the app failed to find a following because it was too intimidating and involving for casual users. Now, the team behind Mixel is finding much more success with an iPhone app. Read more »
Facebook is now up to 1 billion monthly active users after launching in 2004. The milestone was expected but it’s a major accomplishment for the social network. The company is looking to mobile to reach its next billion users. Read more »
It will take years for mobile payments to supplant traditional wallets, but the stage is now set for a mobile-payment battle. Here’s a look at some of the best-known names in this field and how they stack up against each other. Read more »
LayerVault wants to sit at the center of the universe for designers with its cloud-based application that manages revisions, stores files and helps designers collaborate around designs. The small company, which is backed by Betaworks and SV Angel, is introducing new feedback and delivery tools. Read more »
Square is launching a web-based directory of merchants who take Square and Pay with Square payments. The service is limited for now but shows how Square can be a better resource for its merchants and better local discovery tool for consumers. Read more »
Lemon, maker of a mobile wallet apps that stores digital copies of IDs, cards, receipts, coupons and tickets, is now opening up its app to outside publishers, who can integrate their cards and services through a new API. This will heighten the competition with Apple’s Passbook. Read more »
Appcelerator is launching a fund to back early-stage mobile startups. The first investment is in Lanica, which is building a gaming engine on top of Appcelerator’s Titanium platform. Appcelerator is looking for startups that can help its ecosystem and accelerate mobile in general. Read more »
The New York Times is introducing an HTML5 web app for the iPad that will offer digital subscribers another way to access content outside the Times’ website and native apps. The Times said the app is experimental and part of its larger NYT Everywhere strategy. Read more at paidContent »
TripAdvisor is buying social travel and inspiration site Wanderfly in a bid to get more social. Wanderfly offers a visual, Pinterest-for-travel design. The acquisition may suggest more consolidation in the social travel market. Read more »
Flite, an advertising technology company, is trying to help publishers make mobile lucrative with the launch of Touch Ad Studio. The mobile tools build off the work Flite has done to help publishers create premium ads that can be updated in real-time and incorporate outside apps. Read more »
Square is increasing its emphasis on design with the acquisition of New York firm 80/20, which has about a dozen designers who specialize in user interfaces. The acquisition also helps Square expand to New York for the first time. Read more »
