It's been a long time coming, but the worlds of fashion and technology have finally begun to combine in a serious way. A new crop of companies is using the web to make the process more data-driven and social than ever before.…
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Gnip and WordPress deepen ties, expand data partnership
Exclusive. Gnip is making it very clear it's not just about Twitter anymore. The company, which provides aggregated API access to a variety of social media streams, has significantly expanded its partnership with Automattic, the company that runs WordPress.com.…
Read MoreApple targets Samsung smartphones, tablets with new German lawsuits
Apple has filed suit against Samsung once again in Germany, aiming to have sales of 10 of the Korean company's smartphones halted. In a separate newly filed suit, Apple also targeted five models of Samsung tablets. Apple is targeting design rights with its latest suits.…
Read MoreWanted in cleantech: Operations and scaling experience
Startups looking to disrupt the traditional energy industries -- oil, coal, gas-burning cars -- need to have more than just innovative technology. They need a team and a plan in place that can scale their technologies to compete on the massive scale needed.…
Read MoreAnalyst’s supplier checks suggest Apple sales gaining steam
In a new research note to clients, Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White noted December was a record month for his "Apple Barometer": an index of sales at Apple's Asian suppliers. It's an unusual bump in a month when orders at Apple's suppliers typically fall off.…
Read MoreIs iTunes the key to Apple’s paid app advantage?
Apple's iOS mobile platform tends to sell more paid software than its rivals, and its biggest advantage might be a head start that Google, Microsoft or any other mobile competitor can't do much to eliminate: iTunes. It's also an advantage Apple likely isn't done profiting by.…
Read MoreNow live: Verizon’s smart energy home products
Phone company Verizon quietly launched its smart home products nationwide about three months ago, which enable customers to lock and unlock doors and windows, watch home video cameras remotely, and manage thermostats and lighting.…
Read MoreThe next big thing for data centers: DC power
Although we live in an AC-dominated world, DC seems poised for a comeback, particularly in data centers. Facebook adopted a DC architecture in its Prineville, Ore., data center. SAP spent $128,000 retrofitting a datacenter at its offices in Palo Alto, Calif., to rely on DC power.…
Read MoreiPad growth seen slowing in 2012, but that’s no disaster
Apple might not have as impressive a year in 2012 in terms of iPad growth as it did in 2011, according to some early predictions. Numbers from DisplaySearch on Friday indicate 9.7-inch flat panel shipments for iPads are expected to hit around 65 million in 2012.…
Read MoreHulu in ’11: $420MM revenue, 1.5M paying subscribers
Hulu made $420 million in 2011, and is expected to pay $500 million to rights holders this year alone. The service now has 1.5 million paying subscribers, and Hulu CEO Jason Kilar projects that Plus will account for more than half of Hulu's revenue this year.…
Read MoreChinese iPhone 4S launch the one to watch as lines grow
Apple is in for another huge iPhone 4S launch, if early lineups are any indication. Lines outside Apple's five official retail stores in China have already extended into the hundreds ahead of Friday's launch, which is good news for Apple's next-quarter results.…
Read MoreWhere to invest your development dollars on the App Store
Apple has a lot of App Stores in play right now, so it might be tough for developers to decide which to focus on at first. Some new info shared by 2D Boy, developer of World of Goo, might help make that decision a bit easier.…
Read MoreCES: T-Mobile intros 42 Mbps Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G
At CES, T-Mobile launched the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G which can take full advantage of the operators HSPA+ 42 Mbps speeds. I sat down with T-Mobile CTO, Neville Ray, to discuss the operators 4G network of today as well as it's plans for the future.…
Read MoreConvore is reborn as Grove.io, a chat service for businesses
Group chat startup Convore had pretty good traction after launching out of Y Combinator last year. But in the competitive world of consumer social apps, "pretty good" isn't enough. So Convore's founder Leah Culver built a new, business-focused iteration of the group chat service, called Grove.io.…
Read MoreQualcomm at CES: Emerging markets by the numbers
Qualcomm CEO Dr. Paul Jacobs shared his mobile vision at CES Tuesday, with much of the focus on emerging markets. With half of all smartphones expected to be sold in emerging markets by 2015, it's no wonder the chipmaker is looking to innovate beyond traditional borders.…
Read MoreAffine Systems gets another $5M for semantic video ad software
Affine Systems, which makes software to scan and sort the content in online video, has raised nearly $5 million in a new funding round, according to a regulatory filing. Affine's software gives advertisers the tools to analyze online video in a way that's similar to television.…
Read MoreMacBook Air shipments jump as notebooks plummet overall
Apple's MacBook Air continues to be a hot seller according to the latest sales estimates coming out of Apple's supply chain. Shipments of the ultra-slim notebook were up to 1.2 million units in the fourth calendar quarter of 2011, up from 1 million the quarter before.…
Read MoreStudy: iOS set to win share as smartphones surge
Apple is set to reap the benefits of increased consumer interest in smartphones, according to a new study. A survey of 15,000 U.S. shoppers found that Apple and Google will dominate, with Apple's winning back share over the next six months.…
Read MoreEverything I need to know about startups, I learned from a crime boss
In his early 20s, entrepreneur Donald DeSantis had an interesting mentor — a very successful businessman whose business happened to be organized crime. Despite — or perhaps because of — his seedy profession, the mentor taught DeSantis much about managing risk, acquisitions and networking.…
Read MoreHow Apple’s NAND advantage helps its bottom line
Apple's mobile devices tend to have much higher profit margins than the competition, as well as having a strong reputation in terms of build and component quality. A big part of that is due to its unique approach to using NAND flash memory.…
Read MoreA Target expansion would broaden Apple’s halo effect
Apple could add considerably to its retail reach, if a new report out Friday is accurate. According to the report, Apple will bring store-within-a-store retail outlets to Target locations sometime soon, helping it reach markets in the U.S. that Apple's own stores don't cover.…
Read MoreWith Picochip, Mindspeed buys big into a small market
Networking silicon vendor Mindspeed aims to become a big player in wireless infrastructure in a very small way. It is purchasing femtocell system-on-a-chip (SoC) maker Picochip for $51.8 million, creating what Mindspeed hopes will be a powerhouse in the so-far disappointing miniature base station market.…
Read MoreWhy the MacBook Air will be the iMac of notebooks
Apple's iMac occupies a prized place in a fast-growing segment of the overall desktop PC market, the all-in-ones, that few others can approach. It got there by spotting a growth opportunity that's paying off big now, and the MacBook Air is primed to do the same.…
Read MoreApple reportedly pays $5 million to settle touch patent case
At least one of Apple's patent disputes has come to and end on Thursday, according to the other party in the case. Elan Microelectronics Corp has settled with the Mac maker, the Taiwanese company said, in a deal that involves a $5 million payout from Apple.…
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