IT Tech Blog http://it-techblog.com Just another WordPress weblog Tue, 22 May 2012 01:34:22 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Wishpond Launches Mall360 To Bring Your Local Shopping Mall Online Like Milo before it, Wishpond launched in late 2010 to build a local search engine that aggregates realtime inventory and product listings from brick and mortar retail stores -- from big chains to mom and pop shops. The startup has since focused its efforts on developing social commerce solutions for retailers, launching tools like Social Store, which allows any business to quickly create and deploy a storefront for their businesses on Facebook. While Wishpond, like so many others, is looking to capitalize on the growing interest in social commerce, its solutions have really been developed as means by which to expand on its core competency: Consumer-facing product aggregation and search for retailers. And today, Wishpond is leveraging its technology for the sake of a segment underserved by but perfect for eCommerce solutions: Shopping malls.]]> http://it-techblog.com/2012/05/22/wishpond-launches-mall360-to-bring-your-local-shopping-mall-online/ Shaky Cameras, Chrome Bookmarks, and Invisible Skype Calls [From The Tips Box]
Click here to read Shaky Cameras, Chrome Bookmarks, and Invisible Skype Calls
Readers offer their best tips for taking steady pictures on your smartphone's camera, quickly accessing Chrome Bookmarks from the Omnibar, and calling invisible users on Skype. More »
]]> http://it-techblog.com/2012/05/22/shaky-cameras-chrome-bookmarks-and-invisible-skype-calls-from-the-tips-box/ Machinima Gets $35M In Funding, Led By Google After weeks of speculation, online video distributor Machinima announced Monday that it has closed a $35 million funding round led by Google, which also included existing investors Redpoint Ventures and MK Capital. The new financing comes as Google's YouTube has been investing heavily in bringing in all sorts of new original programming. The Machinima network is the largest single page view generator for YouTube, with more than 1.6 billion video views in the month of April. And YouTube is an invaluable partner for Machinima, as it is the company's primary distribution and monetization platform. With the funding, Machinima says it will invest in content and global sales, as well as international expansion and distribution.]]> http://it-techblog.com/2012/05/22/machinima-gets-35m-in-funding-led-by-google/ Disrupt NYC Day 1: Your Startup Battlefield Companies Our very first day of Disrupt NYC is over and the conference started off with a bang. We had memorable chats, dove into fashion for a bit, hung out with the Startup Alley companies and witnessed 15 startups launch their products in our first day of the Startup Battlefield. Even though we will have brand-new companies launching tomorrow while fighting for the ultimate prize of $50,000 and the Disrupt Cup, we wanted to take a moment to highlight all that we saw today. There were some brilliant companies, so be sure to check all of them out below. The Internet was buzzing with positive words about each. This is going to be a tough battle. Which company was your favorite?]]> http://it-techblog.com/2012/05/22/disrupt-nyc-day-1-your-startup-battlefield-companies/ Remains of the Day: UberConference Plans to Take the Pain Out of Conference Calls [For What It's Worth]
Click here to read Remains of the Day: UberConference Plans to Take the Pain Out of Conference Calls
A free service called UberConference is trying to change how we participate in conference calls, a cross-browser worm is being spread via Facebook, and the latest Mountain Lion update brings a new feature to the table: iOS-style automatic app downloads. More »
]]> http://it-techblog.com/2012/05/22/remains-of-the-day-uberconference-plans-to-take-the-pain-out-of-conference-calls-for-what-its-worth/ Microsoft Is Ditching Aero In Windows 8, Moving to a More Metro-Style Desktop [In Brief]
Click here to read Microsoft Is Ditching Aero In Windows 8, Moving to a More Metro-Style Desktop
Microsoft is still making a lot of changes to Windows 8, the most recent of which is the "Metro-ization" of the classic Windows desktop. Microsoft noted on Friday that the newest version of Windows is going to look a lot different than what we're seeing in the Consumer Preview: Instead of the transparent, reflective Windows Aero theme we've come to know over the years—which Microsoft is now calling "cheesy" and "dated"—they'll be using a simpler Metro-inspired look. We probably won't get to experience the new interface until Windows 8 drops in the fall, but you can catch a glimpse in Microsoft's screenshot of Windows Explorer, shown above. Check out Microsoft's full post on the subject for more information. [Building Windows 8] More »
]]> http://it-techblog.com/2012/05/22/microsoft-is-ditching-aero-in-windows-8-moving-to-a-more-metro-style-desktop-in-brief/ Subscribe to Cable Internet? Cable Providers Are Teaming Up to Give You Free Wi-Fi All Over Town [In Brief]
Click here to read Subscribe to Cable Internet? Cable Providers Are Teaming Up to Give You Free Wi-Fi All Over Town
If you're always on the hunt for free Wi-Fi, rejoice: five of the big cable internet providers (Bright House Networks, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox Communications, and Time Warner Cable) have banded together to provide each other's Wi-Fi hotspots to their customers for free in certain cities around the US. That means, if you subscribe to Time Warner, you have access to Cablevision, Comcast, Cox, and Bright House Wi-Fi networks for free—seriously increasing the number of networks you'll find around town. They're calling the new networks "CableWiFi", and they'll be available at tons of coffee shops, train stations, malls, and other locations you might want internet access. All you need to do is connect to the network and sign in with credentials given to you by your cable provider. Right now, over 50,000 hotspots are already available in New York, Los Angeles, Tampa, Orlando, and Philadelphia, with more cities on the docket. To see where Wi-Fi hotspots are located in your area, just head to CableWiFi.com and pick your provider. [CNET] More »
]]> http://it-techblog.com/2012/05/22/subscribe-to-cable-internet-cable-providers-are-teaming-up-to-give-you-free-wi-fi-all-over-town-in-brief/ Babelverse Is Out To Democratize Translation Babelverse won the opportunity to appear at TechCrunch Disrupt from the Startup Alley and with little notice ended up giving a slick pitch. Essentially this is a solution for universal speech translation, powered by a global community of human interpreters: it means anyone can be an interpreter. We covered its launch back in January but here's a quick rundown. Machine translation, as we know, is not reliable. So what we're looking here is a marketplace for translation. People practice to interpret and move up through the system, towards being more professional interpreters. Think of it as a sort of Demand Media platform for interpreting languages. ]]> http://it-techblog.com/2012/05/22/babelverse-is-out-to-democratize-translation/ Sprint’s EVO 4G LTE Has Cleared U.S. Customs, Pre-Orders To Be Filled As Early As May 24 Sprint's launch plans for the HTC EVO 4G LTE were ruined last week when shipments of their shiny new Android handset were held up by United States Customs, but we're hearing that they may been hitting doorsteps and store shelves sooner than expected. According to Sprint, the devices are now currently sitting safely in Sprint's warehouses and are expected to start trickling out into the world on May 24.]]> http://it-techblog.com/2012/05/22/sprint%e2%80%99s-evo-4g-lte-has-cleared-u-s-customs-pre-orders-to-be-filled-as-early-as-may-24/ Tagbrand Gives Fashionistas An App To Check-In Their Brands "All people wear clothes!" declared one of Tagbrand's founders on stage at Disrupt today. That's true, but let's review. DailyBooth was (is still perhaps?) a phenomenon for a time as people became accustomed to sharing their daily lives in a more quirky manner than mere video can afford. (Ok, OK, it's a bunch of teenagers sharing their zits, but work with me here, people). Now Tagbrand wants to apply that model to fashion, but with a tagging twist. The model is simple enough. Take and upload photos of what branded clothes you are wearing and tag them. Effectively, it's a photo check-in for brands, or 'Foursquare for fashion', if you will. ]]> http://it-techblog.com/2012/05/22/tagbrand-gives-fashionistas-an-app-to-check-in-their-brands/