Friday, October 29, 2010

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DeskMetrics Wants To Be A Google Analytics For Desktop Software Top
There’s a lot of talk about how web apps and the cloud are heralding a new age of computing, but for the forseeable future many people are still going to be relying heavily on desktop software — especially as operating systems start to bake in their own App Stores .  And while desktop apps may offer advantages in terms of performance and user experience, in some ways web apps are actually better for developers — it’s much easier to track how people are using your application and iterate accordingly. That’s where DeskMetrics comes in. The Brazilian startup, which launches today to the public, offers developers a set of components that will allow them to analyze how their desktop applications are being used, down to each click. This means developers can analyze which buttons users are clicking, how far along in various sign-up flows they’re getting, and more — just like web developers have been doing for years. To get DeskMetrics working, a developer needs to integrate special native components into their application, which will allow them to track both clicks and when their users are installing, running, or — heaven forbid — uninstalling their application. All of this data can be followed from the DeskMetrics web interface, which updates in real-time and also features geo-mapping so you can see where in the world your app is taking off. DeskMetrics isn’t the first company to tackle this problem. Founder Bernardo Porto says that competitors include Eqatec and PreEmptive Solutions’ Runtime Intelligence . But he says that DeskMetrics differentiates itself in a few ways. First, he says that DeskMetrics has support for more programming languages, including C, C++, Delphi, Visual Basic, and .NET (C#) (he says the competitors only support .NET). He also says that DeskMetrics is the only one of the three that reports data back in real-time. Pricing is based on how many applications a developer is tracking and how frequently they’re used. A basic startup plan runs $49/month for one app and 20,000 sessions, and a premium plan goes for $669/month for 10 apps and 1 million sessions (there are a few price points between those). I’m still a bit skeptical about how much real-time matters in this case — after all, developers can’t iterate on desktop software nearly as quickly as they can on the web. But the company has the endorsement of OpenCandy cofounder Chester Ng, who says that this was actually a problem OpenCandy wanted to solve early on (they provide add-on installs for desktop software) but haven’t gotten around to it yet — and they say DeskMetrics is the best solution that’s currently available. CrunchBase Information DeskMetrics Information provided by CrunchBase
 
For Apple, AT&T Is The Company You Sleep With, Verizon Is The Company You Marry Top
Have you heard the news? The Verizon iPhone is coming. Today, Fortune has the 15th or so confirmation that the device will launch in early 2011. There’s way too much smoke now for there not to be a fire. But even more interesting than that tidbit is Fortune’s interview with Ivan Seidenberg , the CEO of Verizon. He wouldn’t speak directly about a Verizon iPhone launch, but he still had plenty to say about the device, and Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs . The most interesting thing he had to say was the last bit about the iPhone in the piece: According to Seidenberg, Jobs told him during a December 2009 meeting, “Decisions you made [at Verizon] are decisions we would make at Apple.” That sounds like it’s Jobs more or less saying that he respects Verizon because they stood up to him. They wouldn’t compromise on their vision. And that, of course, implies that AT&T was the “easy” company in that scenario. That is, they’re the ones who were easily romanced into bed. It only took a few drinks. And it sounds as if Apple was fine to have their fling with AT&T while they waited on Verizon, the company they wanted to marry. The company of their dreams. And now the two finally appear ready to tie the knot. The fact that Apple approached Verizon first ( this has been reported before ), way back in 2005, says it all. The company originally wanted to partner with Verizon instead of AT&T, but neither Verizon nor Apple were willing to compromise. Here’s the key blurb: Seidenberg’s soon-to-be-unveiled Verizon iPhone almost didn’t happen. Verizon executives say they passed on an opportunity to be the exclusive network for the phone back in 2005 largely because they felt that Apple and CEO Steve Jobs wanted too much control over how and where the devices would be sold — and too big a cut of the monthly service fees. Verizon didn’t want to give up maintenance of its devices or its relationship with its customers, and it sought to distribute the phone through multiple retail partners. So Apple went with AT&T, of course, and conversations between Apple and Verizon about a phone essentially ceased for two years. AT&T was willing to compromise, which Apple undoubtedly appreciated, but perhaps didn’t respect. Before the launch of the iPhone in 2007, Seidenberg went back to Jobs to break their scorned lover silence. While Apple was already dating AT&T at that point, they agreed to keep flirting on the side. After the iPhone’s successful launch, problems with AT&T began to arise almost immediately ( this has also been reported before ). And so in December of 2007, Lowell McAdam (an exec who will be the next Verizon CEO) called the then more vulnerable Jobs to rekindle the flame: He called Jobs in December 2007 and told him, “We really ought to talk about how we do business together. We weren’t able to [reach an agreement] a couple of years before, but it’s probably worth having another discussion to make sure we’re not missing something.” Jobs, according to McAdam, replied, “Yeah, you’re probably right. We have missed something.” But with both sides still wanting their way, and  the AT&T contract in their way , not much tangible happened until this past month when the iPad went for sale in Verizon’s stores . This was sort of like Price Charles making an official appearance with Camilla Parker Bowles for the first time — but only as an “unofficial companion”. The wedding is soon to follow. AT&T, meanwhile, is already playing the “you’ll never love them as much as you love me” card: AT&T wishes its rival good luck with that. “We carry half the U.S. wireless data on the fastest 3G network,” says Larry Solomon, an AT&T spokesman. “Verizon’s network hasn’t been battle-tested yet, so you don’t know if they can handle the data load or not.” In anticipation of competition, AT&T has been signing customers up for new, two-year contracts to discourage defectors to Verizon. Don’t worry AT&T, you’ll still get some action on the side. But your role will now be that of extramarital lover. You just weren’t good enough in the sack, and Apple’s mind was always elsewhere — on they company they truly love, Verizon. Let’s just hope Apple doesn’t do anything irrational in order to consummate the union. You know, things like the village bicycle, Google, are doing . [images: Dreamworks Pictures] CrunchBase Information Apple Verizon AT&T Information provided by CrunchBase
 
Facebook Weeks Away From Launching New Games Portal Top
We are hearing reports that Facebook is weeks away from launching a new, redesigned dedicated gaming portal. Details are sparse at this point, but the portal will present a new, more feature rich way to both find games and play games within the social network. We are told that Facebook will launch the portal with a number of game publishers as partners. With 200 million Facebook users playing games on the site monthly (or 40% of its userbase), it’s not surprising that Facebook is ramping up its gaming initiatives. The company alluded to launching a new dashboard at its gaming press event held in September, with the social network’s product manager for the games team Jared Morganstern telling the press that there will be a wave of innovation around the dashboard. At that time, Facebook announced changes with gaming applications in relation to the news feed and bookmarks. Earlier in the year, the social network launched an updated Games dashboard for users but we’re told that this new platform will be a centralized place for users to both find and play games. While we don’t know who the partners are at launch, we can only assume that Facebook would want to have the game publishers who attract the most traffic (i.e. Zynga, Playdom) on board for a new portal. We understand that Facebook will announce a number of initial partners at launch and will steadily be adding partners along the way as well. We hear the launch of the platform is slated for mid-November. We’ve reached out to Facebook for comment and we’ll update the post when we hear back. Update: A spokesperson for Facebook responded to us with this: As we announced in September, we have a games team working on building features to make it easier for people to discover and re-engage with games. We have nothing further to share at this time. That’s not a denial, so I’m pretty sure something is in the works. CrunchBase Information Facebook Information provided by CrunchBase
 
Best Buds: Gmail Creator Joins Facebook Co-Founder, Donates 100K To Legalize Marijuana Top
It’s pretty easy being green if you’re a Silicon Valley notable apparently. We just got word that Paul Buchheit , creator of Gmail, Friendfeed and now a Facebook employee, has surpassed Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz’s 70K contribution to the  Yes on Prop 19 campaign. The 100K donation, in celebration of the 41st anniversary of email, joins that of Moskovitz, Sean Parker, Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel and Steve Silberstein in the effort to legalize marijuana in California. Bucheit was the originator of the term “Don’t Be Evil” while he was at Google. His current employer Facebook rejected advertising from marijuana activists over the summer. CrunchBase Information Paul Buchheit Information provided by CrunchBase
 
Smith Electric's CEO On Delivering Zero Emission Trucks, Avoiding The G-Word Top
Bryan Hansel, chief executive of Smith Electric Vehicles U.S. , headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., almost disdains the word “green.” His company makes all-electric trucks for medium-duty commercial and industrial use. They compete against brands like Ford, Peterbilt and Hino . Smith’s EV technology is also constantly compared to traditional diesel, gas and alternative fuel combustion engines. Hansel believes his trucks have to dominate based on performance and cost savings in light of this. Even the company’s logo is orange not green. The CEO emphasizes the relative price predictability of electricity over liquid fuels instead of strictly environmental benefits. In 2008— the year Hansel joined Smith Electric—  the transportation sector used 13.88 million barrels of liquid fuels per day, and the industrial sector used 4.75 million in the United States according to the Energy Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy . Liquid fuel demand is expected to increase, with those sectors using 14.27 million and 4.82 million barrels of liquid fuel per day by 2015. The cost of liquid fuels (primarily petroleum-based) fluctuates more dramatically than electricity’s. The prices are impacted by crude oil production, world oil pricing, taxes, and advances in fuel technology. Meanwhile, electricity can be generated from renewable sources, on or off the grid (like a rooftop solar array) and purchased from a utility at a price that’s locked in over the long-term. For every gallon of gasoline used, according to the U.S. EPA 2,421 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) are emitted into the atmosphere, and 2,778 grams per gallon of diesel. The greenhouse gas emissions could also be taxed in the future. Hansel’s cost savings message resonated with some major corporations, including Staples, Frito-Lay and Coca Cola. Currently, The Smith Newton is the only all electric, medium-to-heavy truck offering on the GSA schedule , which means soon Smith Electric may count the U.S. military a large customer. Hansel spoke with TechCrunch this week about how Smith is convincing American fleet managers to try electric trucks, and some of the challenges the company faces as it scales to meet the demand. (Interview after the photo.) Smith Electric Vehicles was founded in 1920 in the UK. How and why did you join the company? I never thought about designing vehicles, or woke up and said ‘I’ll be the electric truck guy,’ but I had been around mechanical engineering and manufacturing my entire life. I ran a product development company for more than 15 years where we helped bring products to market for Fortune 500 companies— that was Virdev. This particular opportunity came about for me when a friend of mine acquired Smith [in the UK] and had brought its technology and business to the strong state that it is in today. He said, ‘hey, you need this technology that I've got [in the United States].’ He knew that I understood what it takes to scale product, drive costs out, and that this was in my fiber. It really happened this quickly. On a Friday, I sold a business making medical devices in October 2008. By Monday, I was thinking about bringing electric trucks to North America. I had closed a deal to license the technology by January of 2009. How do you deal with “haters,” people who don’t believe electric vehicles will ever be on par with combustion engine vehicles, or worth the investment? Personally, I don’t run into these people. That’s because I’m not in a consumer environment. I’m not telling anyone ‘Here’s an electric vehicle that’s going to replace the sports car or family sedan you’re so emotionally attached to already.’ In the business to business environment that we focus on, people make logical financial and operational decisions. We talk to customers about the ten-year total life cost of their fleets and individual vehicles. We ask them, ‘Can you predict diesel fuel costs for ten years? How would you like to do that versus buying electricity at a more predictable level?’ If they buy a new diesel truck today— Smith Electric vehicles end up being 80% cheaper on a per mile basis from fuel savings. Over ten years, for total life cost, if you’re driving about a 50-mile route every day, and coming back to the place to recharge overnight, at a central depot, then they’re at least 50% cheaper. What about your business keeps you up at night? I’ve been overwhelmed by corporations saying ‘We're ready to go, we'll take thousands of vehicles! Can you build em?’ There's nobody ready to supply those parts. People are telling them the battery supplies and motors are just around the corner. It’s not quite that easy. We have to sell our suppliers on the fact that we have orders. We work with one company that was a supplier to the EV-1! They have hung around and maintained in the industry this long, and they've heard every story. One company in the industry said it would build 200,000 hybrid-electric vehicles. They only made 25,000. So suppliers have reason to be cautious, I understand. We have to do everything we say we'll do to win them over. And we have to trust them. What has kept me up is trying to give them disclosures. Should we put them in touch with our customers, directly? We’ve done so with Frito-Lay, Coca Cola and Staples. We’ve had our clients and suppliers— and some of them regard each other as competitors— in the same room, talking about their various challenges of adoption. How many Smith Electric Vehicles are operating in the U.S. already? There are more than a hundred out there already. Hundreds more will be on the road domestically by early next year. We also have a Department of Energy grant to deliver 510 vehicles that will ship before the middle of next year. We’re certainly ramping up production. The vehicles each have on-board data collection. We're real time downloading data to understand how they're being deployed, how they’re working and what’s optimal for our customers. Who have been your most important customers to date and why? They’ve all been pioneering and important strategic launch partners. We actually said no to potential clients, at times. When you are a company that’s new to the U.S., it’s hard to say ‘We're not selling to you yet. At this time, we’re only selling to launch partners.’ A focused strategy has worked for us, and created a level of demand that's unprecedented in the sector here. It was a magic bullet. Prospective clients wanted us to electrify other things, or sell quantities we wouldn't sell. A more focused strategy helped us maintain a higher quality overall. Our largest order came from Frito-Lay. I have to give them credit for being visionaries. They have dedicated staff, engineering and fleet managers to bring their electric vehicles program online, and make electrification work in their business. Your trucks can’t plug into the wall, or recharge at EV stations that are becoming more pervasive in the U.S.— would you ever go into building EV charging stations for trucks? We have a three-phase, 60 amp service requirement, and all the charging technology is built into our trucks. Today, it’s true that there is no commercially available charger for our trucks. EV charging station companies [like Coloumb or ClipperCreek ] don't have a product available for us yet. If they do bring something to market, that would help push our customers in that direction. Right now, customers have a central depot or warehouse setup. The trucks go back and charge at the same place when they’re not in use. While commercial availability of EV charging stations is part of the evolution of our business, we'll never build charge points. It’s not part of our service offering. CrunchBase Information Smith Electric Vehicles Information provided by CrunchBase CrunchBase Information Coulomb Technologies Information provided by CrunchBase
 
AOL's New HomePage Design (Smuggled Screenshot) Top
It’s true. AOL is planning to launch a new homepage design next week. There have been reports, but no screenshots. Until now. A source close to AOL (but not, you know, us ) provided the screenshot below. As you can see, it maintains a consistent look and feel with the current homepage (second one below). But there are a few major differences. It’s going from a two-column to a three-column layout, with more splashy feature items above the fold. Instead of a single main column with rotating features at the top and news sections below, now the whole middle column will become featured items with bigger photos. The search box at the top is also more prominent, with tabs for web, image, video, maps, and news search. The directory to other AOL sites in the left sidebar is pushed down to make more room for the featured items (which drive more traffic). The first columns is still news, with latest headlines first, but the second spot now goes to “Local News” and neighborhood picks (hello, Patch?) The new, right-hand column is more focussed on discovery, with trending topics and most-shared stories. If you log in with AOL Lifestream, you can see the links and stories your friends are sharing across several social networks including Facebook,Twitter, MySpace, and YouTube. At least, that’s what it looks like from the screenshot. New homepage Current homepage CrunchBase Information AOL Information provided by CrunchBase
 
The Banned White iPhone 4 Promo [Humor] Top
“ If you waited for the white iPhone, you’re an idiot. You’re a stupid human being who has waited 5 months for a phone that’s a different color. That you’re just gonna put a cover on anyway. So you’re a fool. In fact, why don’t you go get an EVO or something? Or a Droid. 2. They apparently does. “ Back in July, a group named jLe Productions made a great mock iPhone 4 commercial addressing the antenna issues. Now they’re back. And this time they have a promo for the mythical white iPhone 4 . And once again it’s great. Watch it above, or watch their earlier spoof below. And here are some of our other favorite humorous Apple-related videos from the past few months. Yes, there have been a lot of them: Video: An EVO 4G Salesman Confronts An iPhone 4 Shopper (NSFW) The Rebuttal: An EVO 4G Owner Walks Into An Apple Store (NSFW) The iPhone 4 Antenna Song A Must Listen: The Steve Jobs Song [Video] Darth Vader Calls Apple About His iPhone 4 Antenna [Video] MG Siegler's Double Rainbow iPhone Love CrunchBase Information iPhone 4 Information provided by CrunchBase
 
Where in the World Is Eduardo Saverin? In Singapore Funding Facebook Games. Top
I haven’t run into him, but have confirmed from at least ten local programmers and angel investors that Eduardo Saverin– the Brazilian-born estranged Facebook co-founder who helped Ben Mezrich write a devastating revenge book of his ouster before taking a settlement and disappearing from the face of the US tech scene– has been hiding out in Singapore for the better part of the last year-and-a-half. I’m told he lives in the penthouse of the tallest building of the city, and is a regular at Singapore’s club hot spots, especially a place called The Butter Factory. Rolling with the city’s socialites aside, locals say that Saverin is pretty low-key. No one I spoke with had ever heard him refer to himself as the “co-founder” of Facebook. It either goes unsaid or, on one occasion, he told someone who’d never heard of him he was merely a “programmer of Facebook games.” I don’t know how much coding he’s doing, but he’s reportedly using that Facebook settlement money to fund a variety of Facebook game developers from his perch in Singapore– a perch that happens to be just next door to Facebook’s second largest market, Indonesia. He may be hiding out from the limelight and attention, but he’s certainly not trying to get away from Facebook itself. By many accounts Saverin is well liked here and people are protective of him. In everyday conversation, people refer to Saverin’s role creating Facebook, not Mark Zuckerberg’s, which let’s just say, you don’t hear a lot in the Valley. One source did a deal with him and wanted to make sure I said he was “the most honorable guy I’ve ever dealt with in business.” Given TechCrunch’s experience with Singaporean businessmen , I could make a catty comment about that being a low bar. But I’ve met a lot of honorable people this week in Singapore, and it seems like Saverin is keeping his head down, trying to build something on his own and avoid the film limelight his tell all account helped create. I give him credit for that. It’ll exciting to see what games he winds up funding for the platform that seems to have caused him a lot of pain and made him a billionaire household name. With any luck,  his games will do well enough that Aaron Sorkin can fictionalize a sequel.
 

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