Let me say upfront: I have never been to TED, mostly because I have never been invited and I can’t imagine a world where I justify paying $6,000 for a conference. But I live in Silicon Valley so every year leading up to the star-studded event, I have to hear about it from nearly everyone I know: People who love it and people who hate it. For the last few years, these conversations have gotten ugly. What I’ve seen and heard from the outside depicts the sad transition from what used to be an inventive, elite industry conference that cross-pollinated experts from the worlds of technology,…
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TechCrunch
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TED: Now with More Elitism?
9 Feb 2010 | 12:33 pm -
Microsoft Slams Google Buzz
9 Feb 2010 | 12:20 pm“Busy people don’t want another social network, what they want is the convenience of aggregation. We’ve done that. Hotmail customers have benefitted from Microsoft working with Flickr, Facebook, Twitter and 75 other partners since 2008.” – Microsoft statement on Google Buzz. When one of the big guys launches a new product, competitors generally just sit it out and let the press do its thing. But Microsoft made a point of reaching out today with the quote above, criticizing Google Buzz as “another social network” and noting that Hotmail has aggregated Flickr,… -
Yahoo Not Pleased With Google Buzz’s Buzz
9 Feb 2010 | 12:18 pmGoogle officially unveiled Buzz, their major step into social statuses through Gmail today at an event held at 10 AM PT. Within the hour, Yahoo PR was set in motion to let everyone know that they actually did this first, almost a year ago. Here’s the humorous email that was sent out: It’s been almost a year and a half since we first launched Yahoo! Updates – a social feature that lets people share their status, content and online activities and stay connected to what their friends and family are doing on Yahoo! and across the Web – and we wanted to share the latest on what’s… -
Sergey Brin Used Google Buzz To Write His NYT Op-Ed On Google Books
9 Feb 2010 | 11:54 amDuring the Q&A session today following the Google Buzz event, Google co-founder Sergey Brin revealed something both humorous and interesting. When asked a question about practical uses for Google Buzz, Brin noted that he actually used the service to help him write his op-ed about Google Books that ran in the New York Times last year. Brin noted that he was having difficulty with the article because it’s just his one point of view. So he put out his draft on Google Buzz (which Google was testing out internally within the company at the time), and quickly got dozens of comments. Brin… -
Screenshots: Google Buzz In Action
9 Feb 2010 | 11:17 amNow that the Google event is over, the company has started turning on Buzz for Gmail users. Here are some quick screenshots of it in action. CrunchBase InformationGoogle BuzzInformation provided by CrunchBase
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CrunchGear
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CrunchDeals: ‘Total War’ games 66% off
9 Feb 2010 | 12:30 pmIn preparation for Napoleon: Total War, which is due out on February 23rd, you can get all the previous Total War titles for 66% off from Steam this week. That’s $3.39 for full older titles, with expansion packs dipping down as low as $2.24. Or just go for the Total War Mega Pack at $20.39 and call it a day. The new game will cost $40 when it becomes available later this month. Total War [Steam via Joystiq] -
Wish your Nokia N900 could run Windows 95? Sure, why not. [Video]
9 Feb 2010 | 12:15 pmMan! Just this morning, we were looking at the Nokia N900 and thinking to ourselves, “Damn! If only this could run a 15 year old operating system, it would be perfect!” And just like that, our calls were answered. Read the rest at MobileCrunch>> -
USB 3.0-compatible PCI Express interface card
9 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pmUSB 3.0 is just around the corner, with us having reported about more and more compatible devices in the last few months. And today, Tokyo-based Greenhouse, usually a reliable maker of crap gadgets, announced [JP] a USB 3.0-compatible PCI Express interface card. Greenhouse says the maximum data transfer rate stands at 5Gbps (see the chart below), but take that with a grain of salt. The card is compatible with Windows XP, Vista and 7 machines. It will go on sale on Greenhouse’s Japanese web site in the next few days for $40. -
The HTC Scorpion may pack 1.5Ghz processor, Android v2.2, and WiMax – if it exists
9 Feb 2010 | 11:45 amHTC cranks out Android handsets like candy corn – and we love that. The only downside to this, however, is that each new leak has us drooling before the last leak even has time to become a real product. Our salivary glands were just warming up for the HTC Incredible and the HTC Legend, but now we’ve got the HTC Scorpion (possibly codenamed “Olympian”) to dream about. According to the very-latest of leaks, this thing might pack a scorchingly fast 1.5 Ghz processor and the as-of-yet unreleased Android v2.2. Read the rest at MobileCrunch >> -
Netgear & Ericsson team up, concoct MBRN3300 3G router
9 Feb 2010 | 11:30 amHere’s an interesting fact, if you really stretch the definition of the word “interesting.” Team CrunchGear often used the Novatel MiFi during CES to bring you all that great content. The concept is simple: it takes a 3G signal and then outputs that signal via Wi-Fi. You then connect to the Wi-Fi network. Instant broadband, cell signal depending, for everyone. The same concept applies to the MBRN3300, a router that’s the product of a Netgear-Ericsson partnership. The Wi-Fi outputs at 802.11n, probably faster than what your local 3G signal can sustain (I would guess,…
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TechCrunch UK & Europe
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It’s time to kill off the Dotcom Hero CEO
9 Feb 2010 | 9:04 amAs I sit here listening to Ben Cohen’s radio documentary about how he nearly became a teenage dotcom millionaire, I’m reminded of how tedious us journalists all found him back in the late 90s. We don’t now of course – now that’s he’s grown up and actually turned out to be a pretty good tech reporter for Channel 4 News, and quite an OK guy, I’d quite happily have a pint with him. But the story of how he became a teenage dotcom (paper-only) millionaire and finally fell to earth has something to tell us about the nature of startups and Europe and why we… -
Sparkeo’s video platform could make your knowledge pay off – invites
9 Feb 2010 | 7:28 am[France/Israel] Sparkeo places its bets on advanced visual learning, offering a portable video platform specifically designed for experts from any field to create, distribute and monetize their expertise online. Why? Frederic Ankin, Spakeo’s CEO, argues for the need for simple video monetization to enable people to sell their knowledge on the Web. “Currently, the highest quality end content is not online since the experts have no motivation to give it away,” he says. And I guess he’s right. We recently covered Sofatutor, also playing in the online education field out… -
Today is Safer Internet Day in Europe, but before you laugh try this game
9 Feb 2010 | 7:10 am[France] Ok listen-up kids. Today is “Safer internet Day”. Got that? So put that web browser down right now before you take someone eye out. But seriously folks – the day is organized each year by Insafe, a “European network of Awareness Centres” promoting safe, responsible use of the Internet and mobile devices to young people. Yes if that sounds like it’s co-funded by the European Union’s Safer Internet Programme, that’s because it is. In case you can’t guess, the idea is to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and… -
Social travel guide tripwolf’s iPhone app goes freemium, introduces in-app purchases
9 Feb 2010 | 5:22 am[Austria] Social travel guide tripwolf has released an updated iPhone app that ramps up the company’s freemium offering with the introduction of in-app purchases for destinations where tripwolf has more in-depth information. The premium content is garnered from the Vienna-based startup’s existing partnerships with travel guide publishers Footprints and Marco Polo (a subsidiary of Mair Dumont), which is supplemented with user-generated content from the tripwolf community. Additionally, the iPhone app offers a bunch interactive features, including photo-uploads, the ability to vote… -
DataInherit lets you store passwords in the cloud and assign beneficiaries
9 Feb 2010 | 4:12 am[Switzerland] Would you be comfortable with storing your passwords in the cloud? That’s the hope of DataInherit, from Swiss banking security specialists DSwiss, which launched a new password ’safe’ that lets you store your most important passwords on the company’s servers. Along with the advantage of being able to retrieve those passwords from wherever you have an Internet connection, the service offers an interesting additional feature: the ability to assign beneficiaries – loved ones, or perhaps business associates or next-of-kin – should anything happen…
