Archive for August 5th, 2008

Apps: SketchFighter, Baseline, Phone Plugins, more

Aug 5, 2008 Technology

SketchFighter 4000 Alpha 1.10 ($20) is a one or two-player game featuring unique hand-sketched characters that look like a teenager’s doodles come to life. Version 1.1.0 includes improved scrollwheel and full-screen video support, bug fixes, and an improved registration system. The Universal Binary app also includes an editor that lets users sketc…

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Nikon D90 rumors heating up ahead of Photokina as well

Aug 5, 2008 Blogs, Technology

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Man, all these old camera rumors are just seeping out of the woodwork ahead of Photokina next month — now it’s the Nikon D90 getting the zombie rumor treatment. At least we’re getting specs this time around, and they’re not bad at all: 12 megapixels, Live View, video mode (necessitating a built-in mic), HDMI out, optional GPS, and a new 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 VR lens. Sure, it’s a worthy successor to the D80 — but we’ll believe it when we see it.

P.S.- Yes, that’s another old, probably Photoshopped image that’s been floating around, so don’t get crazy — like we said, these rumors aren’t exactly new.

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Torch cheered through Tiananmen Square

Aug 5, 2008 World News

BEIJING (Reuters) - Euphoric crowds chanting “Go Olympics, Go Beijing” cheered the Olympic flame through Tiananmen Square on Wednesday at the end of its troubled global relay.

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Corporate networks get new Mac integration, support

Aug 5, 2008 Technology

Likewise Software has announced Likewise Enterprise 5.0, an update to its network management tool, offering better support for Mac integration in large-scale network environments. The new update will streamline Mac management by integrating Mac OS X Server settings into Group Policy Objects in Microsoft’s Active Directory. Likewise allows users to …

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Sonos update adds MIMO support, more

Aug 5, 2008 Technology

Sonos System Software 2.6 was released today by Sonos, a developer of wireless multi-room music systems for the home environment. The software update includes support for SonosNet, MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output), larger music collections, NasBasic firmware and Mac OS X Leopard. Customers have been experiencing various issues when trying to c…

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Apple Receives Six New Patents: New MacBook, Dock Designs Coming? [Patents]

Aug 5, 2008 Blogs, Technology

Apple today received not one but six patents for a variety of items, including an iPhone/iPod Touch stand, an amplification system, a form of speech synthesis, and something it calls a “computing device” that looks a lot like a MacBook to us. Also, a new earbud/lanyard design, and a new backlighting scheme. Keep in mind, some of these patents might be for things Apple already sells, it’s a common practice and is responsible for the “patent pending” phrase on some products. Others, though, like the stand, haven’t been seen by eyes outside Apple, and it makes us curious if we ever will. [MacNN]


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Apple Recieves Six New Patents: New MacBook, Dock Designs Coming? [Patents]

Aug 5, 2008 Blogs, Technology

Apple today received not one but six patents for a variety of items, including an iPhone/iPod Touch stand, an amplification system, a form of speech synthesis, and something it calls a “computing device” that looks a lot like a MacBook to us. Also, a new earbud/lanyard design, and a new backlighting scheme. Keep in mind, some of these patents might be for things Apple already sells, it’s a common practice and is responsible for the “patent pending” phrase on some products. Others, though, like the stand, haven’t been seen by eyes outside Apple, and it makes us curious if we ever will. [MacNN]


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Going Back to School: Picking Up Where Facebook Left Off

Aug 5, 2008 Blogs, Technology

Back when Facebook was a social network only for college students, one of the most popular features was the ability to see not only who was in your class, but who else was taking the same courses as you. (It must have been great for coming up with insightful pick-up lines). Facebook did away with that feature as it broadened beyond the college market. But now another startup is looking to fill the void that Facebook left behind. It is called Inigral and it is backed by the Founders Fund, the same group of angel investors who first invested in Facebook (Peter Thiel of the Founders Fund is still on Facebook’s board).

Rather than reinvent the wheel, Inigral is building its applications on top of Facebook. Its first Facebook app was called Courses, which basically aped the canceled feature that students loved (along with other, more popular apps by other companies, such as Cramster’s Courses 2.0). But that was just a placeeholder. The app it is putting all of its efforts into is called Schools. It too runs on Facebook, but it is much more fully-featured.

In fact, it has so many features that Inigral is planning on charging for it. Who would pay for a Facebook app? Not students, that’s for sure. Instead, Inigral plans on charging universities. It is, in that sense, one of the first enterprise apps on Facebook. Co-Founder Michael Staton says:

The whole model of spam and advertise to try to get as many users and clicks in the least time possible isn’t the only way to build a company [on Facebook]. It is a saturated way to build a company.

Universities are asking, “Why are all the students using Facebook?” They want to plug into Facebook to enhance their own mission.

Staton is selling his app to universities as a social utility that lets students show each other not only what courses they are taking, but other campus affiliations such as student organizations, athletic teams, majors, and residence halls. Once it knows all of this about a student, it lets her sort friends and classmates by who shares the most things in common with her.

Schools knows all of this information because it taps directly into a university’s student information system. So that when a participating student changes a course with the registrar, it automatically shows up on Facebook. (With the student’s consent and appropriate privacy controls). Students can only download the app if their university agrees to license it. Currently it is in a limited private beta with Abilene Christian University in Texas, but it is about to roll it out to to other other select partner colleges. A more public release won’t be available until the spring semester.

Inigral will charge a few dollars per student, and in return schools get a way to interact with their students on Facebook in a way that they can control. It is really a group management app for instructors, athletic teams, and student organizations to contact their members and manage events through a forum students are already using anyway.

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

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Tales of Vesperia special edition has many tales to tell

Aug 5, 2008 Blogs, Games

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Tales fans likely don’t need extra incentive to secure a pre-order for Tales of Vesperia; the only question that remains is if they’re happy with the regular version or want to pony up the extra gald for something shinier. Besides being wrapped in metal and artwork by series character designer Kosuke Fujishima, the $69.99 Tales of Vesperia special edition will also include a soundtrack CD celebrating a decade of console role-playing.

While specifics haven’t been revealed, Namco Bandai notes that of the 25 songs included on the disc, a hefty 14 will be pulled from Vesperia, with the remainder coming from Tales of Symphonia (4), Tales of the Abyss (3), Tales of Phantasia (2) and Tales of Destiny (2). However, as much as we enjoy our ears, this limited offering is a step back from the Big Daddies and cat helmets we’re used to, though we doubt that will stop fans from switching their pre-orders over in the run up to the game’s August 26 release.

Gallery: Tales of Vesperia

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Sony, MS, Dell contaminate Ghana land, water

Aug 5, 2008 Technology

Scientists sent by Greenpeace to Ghana have recently found extreme cases of chemical contamination at two “e-waste” facilities.  Soil and water tests were conducted at two electronics scrap yards where various items such as broken computers, monitors, and televisions are shipped from the United States and Europe for processing and extraction of scr…

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The MySpace Music CEO Candidate Shortlist

Aug 5, 2008 Blogs, Technology

Get ready to start hearing a lot about MySpace Music, a huge joint venture project between MySpace and the big music labels. One big question about the project remains: who will be the CEO of the new company. We’ve gathered a shortlist of candidates that MySpace has interviewed.

The project was first announced in April along with a related settlement with Universal Music over a copyright infringement lawsuit.

The project is on pace to launch in September, and MySpace is finalizing third party relationships. Amazon, for example, is likely to handle music download sales and fulfillment. Music download sales are just one revenue stream for the property. In addition to sales of DRM-free music (singles, albums, playlists), MySpace Music will likely also offer ring tones, concert tickets, merchandise (tshirts, etc.) and branded advertising campaigns.

Most aspects of the project are reportedly on pace for the launch, but MySpace has failed to find a CEO for the project. CEO Chris DeWolfe and COO Amit Kapur have been interviewing people since late 2007. Their top candidates (Ian Rogers and David Goldberg) bowed out early, and we’ve heard from sources close to MySpace that they’ve been unable to find the perfect candidate since then.

Here’s who we’ve confirmed MySpace has interviewed for the top job at MySpace Music:

Jim Bankoff

Jim Bankoff is a Senior Advisor with Providence Equity Partners, the leading Private Equity firm focused on media and telecommunications. Prior to joining Providence in 2008, Bankoff served as Executive Vice President of programming and products at AOL. He presided over consumer web sites such as Moviefone, MapQuest, BloggingStocks, AOL Music and Engadget.

Michael Bloom

Michael Bloom is currently SVP & GM, Digital Media at MTV. He moved to run the Joint Venture between MTV and RealNetworks’ Rhapsody September 2007, but he has since returned to his previous position. We hear he never seriously considered the position.

David Goldberg

David Goldberg was the General Manager of Music at Yahoo until February 2007 before becoming an entrepreneur-in-residence at Benchmark Capital. Like Ian Rogers, below, he was one of MySpace’s top candidates for the job. He’s married to Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, which would create a bit of competitive stress around the dinner table.

Jim Pitaro

Jim Pitaro is currently the Vice President and General Manager of Yahoo Sports but was previously with the Launch music team. Pitaro was Vice President of Business Affairs for LAUNCH Media prior to the 2001 acquisition. After the acquisition, he transitioned to Vice President and Head of Business Affairs for Yahoo! Music until his transition to the sports team.

Ian Rogers

Ian Rogers was the general manager of Yahoo Music before heading to Topspin Media in April 2008 as CEO. He has all the attributes MySpace was looking for - proven leadership, deep knowledge of and ties to the music industry, and a willingness to shake things up. Along with Goldberg, above, Rogers was the guy MySpace wanted to run the new company.

 

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

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Olympus, Panasonic Plan Assault on Fortress of Pretentious Photography

Aug 5, 2008 Technology

A new digital camera standard from Olympus and Panasonic, called Micro Four Thirds, promises to pack digital SLR-quality sensors and interchangeable lenses into much smaller cameras. Here’s why the standard matters, even if you’ll never buy a camera based on it.

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Nissan shows off new hybrid, electric vehicle, and fuel cell stack

Aug 5, 2008 World News

Nissan shows off a bevy of new, environmentally sounds technologies as part of its GT 2012 plan.

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Lenovo’s S10 netbook gets the hands-on treatment

Aug 5, 2008 Blogs, Technology

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Lenovo’s S10 netbook might not be too daring in the design department, but it’s still a pretty classy piece of kit — mix that in with the $399 starting price point and Lenovo’s marketing muscle, and we’d say that these first hands-on shots are just a prelude of things to come. Tons more shots at the read link.

[Via jkkmobile]

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900 Start-ups, 3 New Experts, and 3 New Partners…

Aug 5, 2008 Blogs, Technology

TechCrunch50 is now just a month away, and we are very busy here reviewing the nearly 900 start-ups from 49 different countries that have applied. The ideas and innovations that have been brought to our attention are mind blowing. You will not want to miss out on this year’s conference as the next generation of technology, Web applications and products will be revealed to the world on September 8, 9 and 10 in San Francisco.

Today, we are announcing that Niklas Zennstrom the co-founder of Joost, Skype and Kazaa, Evan Williams the co-founder of Twitter, and Ash Patel the Executive Vice President of Yahoo!’s Audience Product Division will be at TechCrunch50. Niklas, Evan and Ash join a growing and extraordinary group of experts who are teaming with us to mentor and evaluate our 50 finalists. Bios for our newly announced experts are referenced below.

We, also, are pleased to announce today that we have 3 new partners joining us: The Founder Fund, Salesforce and MySpace. The Founders Fund is a non-traditional investment group led by a team of four managing partners, who themselves are founders and entrepreneurs. Salesforce.com is the market and technology leader in software as a service (SaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS). MySpace.com is a leading online lifestyle portal. We’re lucky to have executives from all three companies joining us as expert panelists - Sean Parker (Partner, Founders Fund), Marc Benioff (Chairman & CEO, Salesforce) and Chris DeWolfe (CEO, MySpace).

As we closer to the conference, we are encouraging everyone to book their hotel reservations (many hotels are already sold out) and register for the conference before we sell out. For companies seeking to launch and showcase products at TechCrunch50, please take a look at our Exhibitor Packages. If you have questions about sponsorships, please reach out to Heather Harde or Dan Kimerling. All media inquiries should be sent to Sarah Ross.

We can’t wait to see you in San Francisco!

Niklas Zennstrom
Niklas is an Internet entrepreneur, who co-founded, Joost, Atomico, Skype and Kazaa among other companies. He is currently a partner of Atomico. In addition to this, he is also the co-chairman of Joost. Niklas co-founded Skype in 2002 with Janus Friis with the vision of liberating consumers and businesses from the need to pay for talking to each other across the globe. Skype has become the global leader in Internet voice communications, attracting more than 276 million registered users within less than four years of its launch. Skype’s continuing success was officially recognized in September 2005 when eBay Inc acquired the company for $3.1 billion US Dollars. Niklas had the position as CEO from its inception until September 2007.

Evan Williams
Evan Williams founded his first Internet company in 1994 and has been doing the same ever since. He is currently chairman and chief product officer of Twitter. In 1999, he co-founded Pyra Labs and led the team that created Blogger, which was sold to Google in early 2003. Williams worked at Google until late 2004, after which, he helped form Odeo, an early podcasting company. In 1996, he formed Obvious, LLC, a web-product development company in San Francisco, which spun out Twitter, Inc. in 2007.

 

Ash Patel
Ash Patel is currently the Head of Yahoo’s Audience Products Division. Previously he was the Executive Vice President of the Platforms and Infrastructure Division where he was responsible for global technology investments and platform initiatives both on and off the Yahoo network. Under his previous title he also led an increased focus on innovating and developing next-generation services for Yahoo customers, and oversaw divisions including Product Platform Engineering, Platform Strategy & Architecture, and the Advanced Development Division. Since starting at Yahoo in 1996, Patel has played a key role in architecting and enhancing MyYahoo, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Messenger, Yahoo Chat and many other products that continue to impact millions of Yahoo users.

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