Wednesday, August 4, 2010

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Eric Schmidt: Every 2 Days We Create As Much Information As We Did Through 2003 Top
Today at the Techonomy conference in Lake Tahoe, CA, the first panel featured Google CEO Eric Schmidt . As moderator David Kirkpatrick was introducing him, he rattled off a massive stats. Every two days now we create as much information as we did from the dawn of of the digital information age up until  2003, according to Schmidt. That’s something like five exabytes of data he says. Again, that’s every two days now. “ The real issue is user-generated content ,” Schmidt said. He noted that pictures, instant messages, and tweets all add to this. Naturally, all of this information helps Google. But he cautioned that just because companies like his can do all sorts of things with this information, the more pressing question now is if they should . Schmidt noted that while technology is neutral, he doesn’t believe people are ready for what’s coming. “ I spend most of my time assuming the world is not ready for the technology revolution that will be happening to them soon ,” Schmidt said. CrunchBase Information Google Eric Schmidt Information provided by CrunchBase
 
The Vook Is About To Get An iPad Overhaul Top
At a time when print book sellers like Barnes & Noble are in retreat , digital books on the iPad and Kindle hold a lot of hope for keeping books alive in the digital age. But so far most of the titles are just digital versions of printed books, with maybe a video or two thrown in. Slowly, however, as new capabilities are added to these digital books and they are linked to the living Web, some books will become more than just books. One company experimenting with the form is Vook . Started by Brad Inman, who previously founded TurnHere and HomeGain , Vooks are electronic books sold in versions for the iPad, iPhone/iPod Touch, and the browser. They generally incorporate video, sometimes produced by one of the TurnHere network’s 10,000 freelance videographers, but up until now they didn’t go much beyond that in terms of presenting a new experience. Vook is in the process of updating all of its titles on the iPad, beginning with Reckless Road , a tribute to Guns N’ Roses written by one of Slash’s early friends from high school who documented everything with video, photos, and his recollections. The Vook has a new interface, and a slew of new features, including the ability to highlight text and share it with your friends via Facebook, Twitter, or email. Since there are often videos in these Vooks, you can share those also. Within the next month or two, more social features will be added such as the ability to leave comments and ratings. “I think we are going to find out better and better ways to light up the text,” says Inman. There are 62 Vooks available, including Seth Godin’s Unleashing the Super Idea Virus and Gary Vaynerchuk’s Crush It! . There are also cookbooks, and Sherlock Holmes mysteries . Inman says that by the end of this year, Vook will put out 250 titles. Upcoming titles include another Seth Godin book , Linchpin and a version of Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Discovering Your Life Mission. Self-help seems to be big theme in the catalog. Each Vook costs anywhere from $2 to $17. Most of them are priced around $5. But the new Vooks also support ads which can take over the entire screen. These will be able to tap into regular in-app advertising networks, and will also b used to cross-promote other Vooks. None of the Vooks I’ve seen have really blown me away yet. I think that is just because they happen to be repurposed print books instead of created from scratch with videos and images in mind. I suspect that the cookbooks and other practical how-to books will benefit first from the incorporation of video. But Vooks are cheap to make. Inman estimates that most Vooks can break even after selling a few thousand copies, sometimes as little as 500 copies. Most books need to get into the tens of thousands of print copies sold before they start to break even for the publisher. Electronic books like the Vook are disruptive in that they don’t need to sell as many to be competitive. Maybe that means fewer blockbusters. But a big hit will also be much more profitable. Vook is still waiting for that hit. A vook that sells 2,000 copies is considered a success. Overall, only 30,000 Vooks have been sold (100,000 have been downloaded if you include free versions). Are Vooks what will replace books? I don’t think so, but Inman is pushing in the right direction. CrunchBase Information Vook iPad Information provided by CrunchBase
 
Test Drive: Nissan Leaf Top
I just had the opportunity to test-drive the new Nissan Leaf here in sunny Seattle, and had enough time with the car to garner some first impressions, take some pictures, and shoot a little video. The Leaf, as you are probably aware, is Nissan’s new plug-in electric vehicle, and the first of the new generation of consumer EVs to be released here in the States. Sure, you’ve got the Tesla, and even the more family-oriented Model S, but they’re beyond the reach of the average city-dweller. Priced at just under $33K ($25K including the government rebate), the car is really competing with Accords and Legacys and the like. While it’s easy to suggest that it also competes with the Volt, the pricing and technology really set the two apart; all they’ve got in common is an electric motor. I tried to keep all that in mind when comparing the car in my mind with others on the market. Continue reading…
 
Of Course Hitler Had To Weigh In On The Symantec iOS Security Report Top
Symantec recent report doesn’t have very nice things to say about iOS’s security. Something about a PDF exploit and bad guys taking control of iPhones and iPads – you know, a real security hole that Apple should address immediately. Hitler doesn’t care, though. His solution? Hitlerfix. Click through for the timely adaptation of the meme.
 
Reminder: Apply To Launch At TechCrunch Disrupt SF By This Weekend Top
Sure, VCs may be headed out of town for their August vacations, but we’re hard at work here at TechCrunch getting ready for our fall conference TechCrunch Disrupt, September 27-29 at the San Francisco Design Center Concourse. If you’re a new startup that will be ready to launch this fall, we want to hear from you. Apply to the Startup Battlefield at TechCrunch Disrupt. The deadline is midnight PST Sunday, August 8 (you have through the end of the weekend for those who want the fine-print definition of midnight). Details follow. StartUp Battlefield Eligibility: If you’re a startup that will be ready to launch at the end of September, we want to know about you. By launch, we mean that you want to either (1) announce and enter a closed beta or (2) open to the public on stage at the conference. If you’re a startup that’s opened to the public since June 1, 2010 you are also eligible to apply. The hurdle for companies who have already been public is much higher. If your launch has been covered extensively in the press, you’re not likely a fit, because our focus is showcasing new startups and new products on stage. But make your case, and we’ll consider companies on a case-by-case basis. If you’re an existing startup or company with a new product launch, you may also be eligible to apply. The product should be a completely new line of business for you, not a new feature release—no matter how extensive, fresh or improved—of an existing product. Good example: AdBrite launched Spottt at a previous TechCrunch40 event. It was a new ad product for AdBrite, with an independent brand, site and platform. Bad example: new mobile version, new ipad version, new APIs or geo-location integration. These things are all great and important for startups to pursue. They’re just not our target for the Disrupt competition. There are no other rules: Companies may be funded or unfunded. Companies may be from any geography in the world. In fact, we like to showcase geographic diversity. Startups may be from any sector. Yes, our sweet spot is consumer and mobile internet, but we’re thrilled when we can showcase enterprise applications, hardware, greentech and other new areas of innovation. There are no costs to apply or present, and if you’re selected you’ll receive complimentary passes to attend the event. Also, every year, people love to tell us that we need to feature more diversity on stage, especially more women founders. Help us. If you know a great new startup, please recommend them to apply to TechCrunch Disrupt ASAP. How to Apply: Complete an application , powered by Producteev , by Sunday August 8 We strongly favor applications that include a short video demo. It doesn’t need to be a fancy demo, but it really helps to see your product. Due to the heavy number of applications, we may not be able to screen applications that do not include a video. Pre-emptive answer to: What happens if I miss the deadline? You may submit a late applicaiton. But we prioritize review of applications submitted before the deadline. We will continue to review all applications until we reach our target number of launch companies, likely 25. We’ll finalize our launch companies by the end of August. We have already extended offers to several new startups, so please apply for consideration to TechCrunch Disrupt ASAP. You’ll be in good company: Soluto was our grand champion at TechCrunch Disrupt NY. They cashed their $50,000 grand prize, take their StartUp Battlefield Trophy everywhere they go in Tel Aviv Israel, and are gaining momentun and consumer adoption worldwide. uJam , the runner up and audience-choice favorite, is helping consumers compose, produce, and publish their own music. Check out all 22 great companies that launched at TechCrunch Disrupt NYC. What can I do if my startup doesn’t qualify? There are lots of ways to participate at TechCrunch Disrupt. If you’ve already launched or don’t get a final spot on stage, we have a high-visibility exhibitor space in StartUp Alley. Discounted rates apply for companies less than 2 years old and with less than $2 million in funding. Register online for StartUp Alley packages. We have exhibitor and sponsor packages in all shapes and sizes for companies great and small. Exhibitor packages are also available online. Contact Heather Harde or Jeanne Logozzo to learn about custom sponsorship packages. Come be Disruptive Early bird tickets are on sale through August 31. Join us.
 
Judge Strikes Down CA's Prop 8, Leaked Ruling Sends Scribd Traffic Skyrocketing Top
Minutes ago, San Francisco federal judge Vaughn Walker struck down the infamous Proposition 8, a measure that banned same-sex marriage in California. Twitter and Facebook are abuzz with the news (as you’d expect), but one other site is also seeing an immense amount of traffic from it: document sharing hub Scribd . The final ruling was uploaded to Scribd by Good As You and received over 50,000 hits “in a matter of minutes” according to Scribd Senior Director of Communications Michelle Laird — it’s up to over 125,000 reads as of this writing. CEO Trip Adler says, “a typical viral document gets 100,000 reads in 24 hours, this document has over 100,000 reads in about 24 minutes.” Of course, the case is not yet settled: Prop 8 may be facing a long, time-consuming road to the Supreme Court over the next couple years. But for champions of equal rights, this is big news — expect to see that Scribd read count continue to trend skyward over the next few days. Update: There are some issues with docs loading, which Scribd says are being caused by an outage at Amazon’s Web Services. Image by laverrue View this document on Scribd CrunchBase Information Scribd Information provided by CrunchBase
 
Zynga Buys Tokyo-Based Startup Unoh Top
Japan’s biggest business daily, The Nikkei, has just reported on its website that social gaming giant Zynga has acquired Tokyo-based startup Unoh for “several billion Yen” (one billion Yen currently translates to $11.6 million). Neither Zynga nor Unoh have officially confirmed the news yet ( Robin Chan , Zynga’s GM of Asia Business Operations, tweeted about a “done deal” just 24 hours ago). The move follows the $150 million Zynga raised from Japanese technology powerhouse SoftBank to build a joint venture to "develop and distribute social games across Japan." Now we know where some of that money has landed. Zynga is said to have acquired 100% of Unoh, with The Nikkei saying that the Americans will transform their new Tokyo office into its strategic base for the Asian social games market as a whole. Unoh will localize Zynga’s games to better fit the taste of Asian customers and will also create titles for the local and international markets on its own. The Japanese startup, which develops games for both cell phones and PCs, has so far been largely active in its home market only. Unoh’s current hit title is called Machitsuku (“Build a City” in Japanese), a free game with a virtual item-based business model. Machitsuku passed the three million user mark on Mixi , Japan’s largest social network (20 million members), just last week. The Unoh deal marks Zynga’s second major acquisition in Asia. Zynga bought Beijing-based XPD Media (which was actually Chan’s company) in May this year for an undisclosed sum. Chan spent a lot of time in Japan recently to build up a Tokyo office for Zynga, but even though I kept grilling him, he remained tight-lipped about his company’s Japan strategy. Rumors about possible acquisitions by Zynga in Japan (where I live) started making the rounds in the local startup scene in June (not to brag, but I actually foresaw the Unoh acquisition back then). We’ve contacted both Robin Chan and Unoh CEO Shintaro Yamada for official confirmation and further information on the deal. CrunchBase Information Zynga Information provided by CrunchBase
 
Wave Goodbye To Google Wave Top
Maybe it was just ahead of its time. Or maybe there were just too many features to ever allow it to be defined properly, but Google is saying today that they are going to stop any further development of Google Wave. Wave, a real time messaging platform, was unveiled in May 2009 to an enthusiastic crowd of developers at the Google I/O event in San Francisco. It would “set a new benchmark for interactivity,” said Sergey Brin . The product is part email, part Twitter and part instant messaging. Users can drag files from the desktop to a discussion. Wave even showed character-by-character live typing. It fully launched this last May. And while the service has many , or at least some, passionate users (including TechCrunchers), it “has not seen the user adoption we would have liked, ” says Google. The service will remain live, says Google, although they say it may eventually come down. Google has also open sourced parts of the code and say they will create tools to let users “liberate” their data: “The central parts of the code, as well as the protocols that have driven many of Wave's innovations, like drag-and-drop and character-by-character live typing, are already available as open source, so customers and partners can continue the innovation we began. In addition, we will work on tools so that users easily "liberate" their content from Wave.” What happens to the Wave team, mostly located in Australia? Google won’t say, other than that they will be given new projects. Our guess is many, or all, of them will soon be working for Vic Gundotra and his new WWF ( war with Facebook ). CrunchBase Information Google Wave Information provided by CrunchBase
 

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