blogger better: 2015-12-06

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Cinematique Lets Brands Sell Directly Through Video

For years, we’ve heard whispers of shoppable video. Imagine watching your favorite TV show or a music video online and being able to instantly purchase an item that appeals to you, from a shade of lipstick to a particular pair of boots. But it seems the trend is finally coming to fruition. Interlude recently raised $18.2 million from MGM, Warner Music, Samsung, Sequoia Capital,… Read More

http://ift.tt/1NhGIi1 Cinematique Lets Brands Sell Directly Through Video http://ift.tt/1ILD0hR

The Erosion Of “Same Round, Same Price”

It seems most founders believe investors asking for “extras” on the side are simply greedy and short-sighted. While it’s easy to criticize investors, I believe this behavior is driven in large part as a response to conditions founders have created in early stage investing. I believe two trends, when taken together, have eroded the “one round, one price” standard. Read More

http://ift.tt/1QBkPwj The Erosion Of “Same Round, Same Price” http://ift.tt/1UelfZI

Postmates, the on-demand delivery startup that has dug nationwide trenches in the food delivery space, has today unveiled the ’12 Days of Postmates’ campaign. The promotion will let users in five cities (New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Seattle) order specially curated products from more than 30 brands for $1.99. The company promises one-hour delivery on all the… Read More

http://ift.tt/21VFKzw Postmates Digs Into Commerce With Curated ‘12 Days Of Postmates’ Campaign http://ift.tt/1UdZM33

YouTube Gaming For Android Gets A “Cardboard Mode” For More Immersive Viewing

{rss:content:encoded} YouTube Gaming For Android Gets A “Cardboard Mode” For More Immersive Viewing http://ift.tt/1M7LhXW http://ift.tt/1M7Lhrd December 11, 2015 at 08:35PM Screen Shot 2015-12-11 at 11.35.20 AM

YouTube Gaming, Google’s answer to Twitch, is trying to stay ahead of the curve by adding new functionality quickly. One such feature is only available for Android right now, and its a “Cardboard Mode” that allows you to watch any video with a theater-type big-screen setting feel. Don’t have a Google Cardboard yet? Grab a Star Wars themed one for free. Basically… Read More

Hacker collective Anonymous seems to be targeting Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump after the real estate tycoon called for a ban on all Muslims entering the United States. One of the Twitter accounts for the hacker group said that it briefly took down http://ift.tt/1Ud87UF earlier, and the group has also seemingly posted a YouTube video warning Trump. Read More

from TechCrunch » Social http://ift.tt/1UdnQTK Anonymous Goes After Donald Trump Jordan Crook http://ift.tt/1Z3o6r5
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Get A Free Star Wars Edition Google Cardboard

{rss:content:encoded} Get A Free Star Wars Edition Google Cardboard http://ift.tt/1lUndmn http://ift.tt/1Y2IlrP December 11, 2015 at 07:37PM

The Star Wars: Force Awakens train is a rollin’ and Google has gotten involved in a few different ways. One was by offering a special edition Google Cardboard in four Star Wars limited edition themes in Verizon stores on December 2nd. They were handed out to Verizon customers for free, but I was told that a lot of stores ran out. Welp. If you want one, you can still get one. For free.… Read More

The latest photo app to grab the world by the eyeballs is called Pikazo. Created by a programmer and an artist, the app “simulates a visual cortex” and takes 10 minutes to change a normal picture into something out of the Tate Modern. Here is how it works. Read More

http://ift.tt/1QAFIYn How Pikazo Turns Your Photos Into Magic http://ift.tt/1NgdQqh

There is an increasingly large roster of personal assistant apps that use artificial intelligence in an attempt to make users’ lives easier. Mezi is the newest contender and while it has plenty of competition, the service wants to set itself apart with what its founders call a “maniacal” focus on e-commerce, helping users with the most time-consuming shopping errands. Read More

http://ift.tt/1Ng1Bdg Mezi Is An Intelligent Virtual Assistant That’s Obsessed With Shopping http://ift.tt/1OX2wjm

Flipkart, one of the biggest players in India’s booming e-commerce market, has conceded that there is one part of online retail it can’t win, and stopped selling e-books. Users who have already made purchases can still access their libraries on the Flipkart e-book app or through Kobo, the e-book platform owned by Rakuten. Read More

http://ift.tt/21UkcTW Flipkart Exits The E-Book Business, Transfers Users To Rakuten Kobo http://ift.tt/1HYi5b1

Satoshi Gulch

Satoshi Nakamoto doesn’t exist. He is not one person. He is not even controlled by a single entity. And although I would argue much of his writings were produced by one person and edited by committee, it is important to bitcoin that he not exist. His lack of existence, in a very real way, is what will help bitcoin survive this decade and morph into what it will soon become. Satoshi… Read More

http://ift.tt/1IYD3l6 Satoshi Gulch http://ift.tt/1NYDrYa

Apple’s iPhone Live Photos Now Work On Tumblr

{rss:content:encoded} Apple’s iPhone Live Photos Now Work On Tumblr http://ift.tt/1OUEE1C http://ift.tt/1M65gX8 December 11, 2015 at 01:13AM Screen Shot 2015-12-10 at 3.53.40 PM

If you’re a Tumblr user who happens to have an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus, today is your lucky day. The Tumblr team dropped an update which includes support for both 3D Touch and Live Photo. The Live Photo bit is super interesting because Tumblr is a place where GIFs and animated images tend to get shared and re-shared at pretty rapid rates. The best part is that you can view them even if… Read More

Yo Dawg, I Heard You Like Yahoo Mail So We Put Gmail In Your Yahoo Mail

{rss:content:encoded} Yo Dawg, I Heard You Like Yahoo Mail So We Put Gmail In Your Yahoo Mail http://ift.tt/1TDWLIC http://ift.tt/1SR47s4 December 11, 2015 at 12:41AM yo_dawg

If you’re a real fan of the newly redesigned Yahoo Mail, but also use Gmail, today is your day. Seriously, throw a damn party. The Yahoo Mail team announced that you can now manage your Gmail from the friendly confines of Yahoo Mail, to go along with previous support for Outlook, Hotmail and AOL Mail (you know, the other email services that nobody uses unless it’s for Craigslist… Read More

DataScience, the data science startup with the name (and URL) that every other data science startup wants, announced today that it has raised $22 million in Series A. The company says that it uses a combination of in-house data scientists, proprietary technology and custom data models to help businesses do things like predict a customer’s lifetime value and analyze the common features… Read More

http://ift.tt/1NYuj63 DataScience Raises $22M To Predict Customer Value, Reduce Traffic Deaths And More http://ift.tt/1Z2ewEX

CultureIQ announced today that it has raised $3 million in seed funding. Founded by former SecondMarket CFO Greg Besner, the New York City-based startup offers what it calls “culture management software.” That includes tools for surveying employees and analyzing the results in real-time, as well as a “culture strategy group” that helps customers explore programs… Read More

http://ift.tt/1jRyd2z CultureIQ Raises $3M To Help Companies Improve Their Culture http://ift.tt/1OUuI8l

After launching its Open Office Hours program in September, YC is expanding the program and turning it into a monthly thing. The announcement comes after a pilot program where over 650 Black and Latino founders applied, and YC partners met with 50 teams teams in 2 days of office hours. Michael Seibel, the YC partner leading Open Office Hours, said “Silicon Valley investors often say… Read More

http://ift.tt/1Q4DSAE Y Combinator Expands Open Office Hours To A Different Community Every Month, Starting With Veterans http://ift.tt/1II2vR8

We’ve seen startups try to replace or automate the work of executive assistants, but Esper is trying to do something different — it aims to help those assistants make smarter decisions. The company was founded by chairman Joe Lonsdale (also a founder at Palantir and Formation 8) and CEO Andrew Lee (previously founder at JamLegend and then, post-acquisition, a product… Read More

http://ift.tt/1mdsYvC Esper Helps Assistants Manage Their Bosses’ Time http://ift.tt/1mdsWnC

Digital audio listening is in the midst of a historic transition from standalone usage through dedicated hardware and applications to embedded experiences — something that will reshape the $65+ billion global audio sector. We have already seen early signs, with audio embedded in smartphones becoming the dominant digital listening experience. Read More

http://ift.tt/1NQ9yTQ Four Fault Lines That Are Reshaping The Audio Landscape http://ift.tt/1Q4wzJd

SimilarWeb Buys Quettra To Move Deeper Into Mobile Analytics And Big Data

{rss:content:encoded} SimilarWeb Buys Quettra To Move Deeper Into Mobile Analytics And Big Data http://ift.tt/1mcUvgX http://ift.tt/160j4VT December 10, 2015 at 05:58PM datahole

Yet more consolidation is happening in the world of analytics. Today Israeli web analytics and traffic measurement startup SimilarWeb announced that it has acquired Quettra, a provider of mobile analytics and measurement tools founded by Ankit Jain, the former head of search and discovery in the Google Play store. Quettra was a relatively young startup. It only came out of stealth last year… Read More

Yahoo Launches A Video Guide App For Cord Cutters

{rss:content:encoded} Yahoo Launches A Video Guide App For Cord Cutters http://ift.tt/1XZxYFc http://ift.tt/1HX2okm December 10, 2015 at 07:07PM yahoo-video-guide

Yahoo today is hoping to capitalize on the cord-cutting trend and consumers’ growing attachment to streaming video services with the launch of a new app called Yahoo Video Guide. The app, available now on iOS and Android, will help you find new movies and TV shows to watch on HBO, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and other services, then allow you to launch titles directly in the video apps you… Read More