As expected, Apple passed on NFC for the iPhone 5. Apple could have provided a big boost to the technology and helped educate users on the merits of the technology. Now, it will continue to struggle to gain mainstream acceptance. Read more »
Google has launched a new shopping app only for China called Google Boutique, which helps shoppers get local information on promotions, discounts and gifts from nearby stores. It’s unclear if this app will be confined to just China. Read more »
Open Garden, a small San Francisco startup that is helping users create and share their own personal mesh networks for PCs, Macs and Android devices, has raised $2 million from assorted angels. Open Garden is helping promote the idea of social wireless sharing. Read more »
We know all about the numbers that had Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in the hot seat Tuesday, but how are some of Facebook’s key products and users doing in the post-IPO era? Here are a few key stats. Read more »
Founder Collective, a seed stage fund founded by a handful of entrepreneurs, has raised its second fund worth $70 million. The fund will focus on East Coast seed stage investments but will be open to opportunities in the Bay Area, where three partners now live. Read more »
Gartner said that 89 percent of app downloads in 2012 are expected to be free and that number will only go up. But in-app purchase is rising as a monetization tool and will be present in 30 percent of apps by 2016. Read more »
Mobile analytics provider Localytics has raised $5.5 million led by Polaris Venture Partners. The money will help Localytics launch a new automated mobile app marketing platform that allows developers to message their customers and encourage them to take certain actions or make purchases. Read more »
Developers are getting the ability to sell physical items through Amazon’s mobile in-app purchase system. The first app to get this ability is Activision’s Skylanders Cloud Patrol. This could be a big help for developers looking to monetize their apps through commerce. Read more »
Warby Parker has apparently raised $36.8 million in a Series B round, according to a new SEC filing. The online eyewear seller has succeeded by building a strong brand based on hip styles, low prices, customer support and a mission to donate glasses to needy people. Read more »
Flurry said its mobile video ads have topped 100 million completed views in August are proving to be effective ways for publishers to monetize and for advertisers to engage consumers. Now it’s bringing the video ads to Android. Read more »
Locu, a Boston-based startup that came out of MIT, is releasing a local business information API for developers and publishers. The API will let them access deeper local data on not just menu items but all kinds of detailed information on product descriptions and customization options. Read more »
Tumblr’s march toward self-sustainability requires more and more advertising, something the company has historically shunned. Now that it’s gotten religion on advertising, it’s bringing in a new ad sales chief Lee Brown from Groupon. Read more »
Thrive Capital, the New York VC firm that has invested in Instagram, Fab, Warby Parker and GroupMe, has raised a third fund totalling $150 million. Thrive, led by 27-year-old Joshua Kushner, will continue to look at Internet and media companies at any stage. Read more »
LevelUp is showing NFC some love by replacing its existing payment docks with NFC-enabled hardware. Now instead of just paying by QR code, LevelUp users can initiate payments with a tap of their phone. Read more »
SocialFlow is launching Crescendo, a tool for buying ads on Facebook. Crescendo works by understanding the conversations a brand’s fans are having and then buying up low-cost keywords that correspond to the discussion. Read more »
Motorola, now owned by Google, unveiled a trio of Razr devices that are big and small. The Razr HD and Razr HD Maxx offer big 4.7 inch screens with large batteries while the Razr M goes for a smaller profile but a big screen and battery. Read more »
Nokia’s second Windows Phone 8 device is the Lumia 820, a smaller companion to the 920. It will offer a smaller screen, exchangeable covers and wireless charging. Read more »
As expected, Nokia unveiled the Lumia 920 smartphone Wednesday in New York. The Windows Phone 8 device will lead Nokia’s comeback fight and will be in key in Microsoft’s bid for relevance in the smartphone market. Read more »
App makers have a new way to promote their apps with Ooomf, a discovery service that lets users see upcoming apps and allows them to participate in the creation process. Montreal-based Ooomf announced it has raised $500,000 in seed funding. Read more »
Even with a glut of app discovery services and search engines available and improved features coming in Apple’s App Store, there are still more and more startups looking to solve the app recommendation problem. We take a look at new entrants: Xyologic, AppHero and AppAide. Read more »
A study by mobile app marketing platform Trademob found that 40 percent of mobile clicks on ads are essentially useless, the result of accidental presses or fraud. That’s one of the challenges facing mobile advertising, which is still lagging online advertising. Read more »
Walmart is now relying on its own search engine called Polaris to help guide shoppers to the right products. The search engine was created out of @WalmartLabs and incorporates semantic technology acquired through Walmart’s purchase of Kosmix. Read more »
Amazon is taking its Appstore for Android abroad for the first time, launching it in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. The move was expected, and its eems to pave the way for an international launch of the Kindle Fire. Read more »
Samsung is showing more love for Microsoft, debuting the world’s first Windows Phone 8 device, the Ativ S. The device, similar to the Galaxy S III, gives Windows Phone 8 a strong flagship phone as it goes up against Android and iOS. Read more »
With more devices at our disposal, users are finding ways to spread out their tasks between screens, moving from smartphones to PCs and tablets. That’s one of the findings of a new multi-screen study by Google. Read more »
Accepting payments online just got easier with WePay, which is offering simple payment buttons that can be installed on a website with online of code. That gives individuals and small merchants an easy way to get a business up and running online. Read more »
VeriFone is opening up its Sail mobile payment service to developers with a new developer portal. That will allow developers to easily add Sail to their mobile apps. But it will also be a way for developers to offer their services to Sail’s business customers. Read more »
Smartphone sales are expected to hit 54 percent of all cell phone sales by 2013, according to new projections from IHS. That is two years faster than previous projections and shows just how big the market is becoming thanks to low-cost handsets and more smartphone adoption. Read more »
NFC in the iPhone may have to wait another year. Anandtech is concluding that the next iPhone, if it comes with a metal backing, will not be able to support an NFC antenna. Read more »
Google is talking up the potential for Google Wallet to be more than just a payment tool. Leaders want Google Wallet to be a place to store boarding passes, tickets, identification and gift cards. That was the vision all along but it may be ready soon. Read more »
MakerBot Industries’ Replicator 3-D printer has taken off after launching in January, quadrupling sales of the previous model. Now, CEO and co-founder Bre Pettis wants to encourage entrepreneurs to use Replicators to build businesses off the 3-D printer. Read more »
IBM is paying $1.3 billion for HR management software provider Kenexa in a deal that will help it keep pace with Oracle and SAP, which have also made big acquisitions in the talent and recruiting software space. Read more »
Astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon in 1969, has died at the age of 82. We take a look back at his journey and some of the rare interviews he conducted. Read more »
A new report says Apple will give the iPhone and iPad Mini their own press events, with the iPhone going first in September followed by the iPad Mini a month later. The move would give Apple plenty of press attention without diluting coverage. Read more »
Observers like Robert Scoble and Jeremiah Owyang said Samsung may not be a loser in its patent fight with Apple despite a $1 billion verdict to the contrary, Samsung may have come out ahead even with the court loss. Read more »
Sling Digital is taking what it calls the Moneyball approach to Twitter ads, letting customer buy cheap keywords that still connect to the audiences they are targeting. The service analyzes users’ conversations to find out what they’re talking about and who they’re following and sharing from. Read more »
With daily deals in retreat, it’s forcing companies that have built up to serve that market to evolve. DealsGoRound, a secondary market for deals, is now relaunching as MyCabbage, a broader service for saving not just deals but gift cards and coupons. Read more »
Mocana, a startup that is dedicated to securing the Internet of things has raised $25 million in a Series D round led by Trident Capital. While securing devices is Mocana’s biggest business, the fastest growing product is Mocana’s solution for protecting mobile applications. Read more »
Facebook is now free to move ahead with its purchase of Instagram now that the FTC has given its blessing. The deal, however, is not as lucrative for Instagram, which took a lot of Facebook stock as compensation. Read more »
PayPal is partnering with Discover to greatly expand the number of merchant locations that will be able to handle its in-store payments. Starting in April, seven million locations in the U.S. will be able to handle PayPal payments. Read more »
