The latest from TechCrunch
- OMG/JK: Mistletoe, AirPlay, And Other Forms Of Near Field Communication
- Ask a VC: Why David Hornik Invests Close to Home and the Dumbest Deal in the Valley (TCTV)
- Vader Waves Hand. "There Is No iPhone." But There Is — In A Big Way In Japan.
- Former Digg VP Of Engineering Lands At Gilt Groupe
- Southwest's Feel-Good Facebook Places Holiday Promo Helps Kids Make-A-Wish
| OMG/JK: Mistletoe, AirPlay, And Other Forms Of Near Field Communication | Top |
| It’s Black Friday, which means that many of you woke up this morning at the crack of dawn, shrugged off your Thanksgiving food comas, and made your way to the dreary parking lots of electronic stores across the country. Right about now, you’re probably just waking up from your recovery nap — and there’s nothing better to get your sluggish mind back on track than this week’s episode of OMG/JK. This week, we talk about The Daily , an iPad-only newspaper from News Corp that will reportedly be launching soon. We also discuss the latest iOS software release, which adds a slew of features to the iPad just in time for the holidays, including the aptly-named AirPlay. And don’t forget Gingerbread, the upcoming release of Android that seemed like it should have launched this month, but is still MIA. But don’t fret — Google CEO Eric Schmidt did tease us with a glimpse of Near Field Communication, which could well make it worth the wait. So grab a slice of leftover pie and sit back for a recap of the last week in tech — now with more facial hair than ever! Here are some recent posts that are relevant to the topics we discuss: What Should An iPad Newspaper Look Like? Apple Unifies The iOS Line With iOS 4.2 For iPad iOS 4.2 Update Wipe Out Your iPhone Music? Try This. Google "Nexus Two" Hardware Issue Delays Launch Android Gingerbread Supports NFC: Tap Your Phone To Pay With Your Credit Card Subscribe to us on iTunes! | |
| Ask a VC: Why David Hornik Invests Close to Home and the Dumbest Deal in the Valley (TCTV) | Top |
| Ten years ago, most VCs refused to invest outside of Silicon Valley. Now, most of them have funds in Israel, Europe, India or China– and lately many of those Chinese funds are outperforming the US counterparts. But August Capital is still sticking with the kind of local venture capital that built this industry, and David Hornik explains why in this week’s episode of Ask a VC. But, Portland? Yeah he’d invest in a Portland company and answers a reader question about what the local ecosystem needs to do to get his and other venture capitalists’ attention. Hornik also (sort of) answers one of the best reader questions I’ve gotten in a while: What’s the dumbest investment he’s seen recently in Silicon Valley? ( Hint .) | |
| Vader Waves Hand. "There Is No iPhone." But There Is — In A Big Way In Japan. | Top |
| Remember back in 2008 when there was a lot of talk about how the iPhone would flop in Japan? 91 percent of Japanese would not be buying the device, said one survey . By 2009, that talk inevitably turned to how it had already flopped. With some even writing about how the Japanese people “ hate ” the device. Then something funny happened. That kind of talk abruptly stopped. And for good reason. As it turns out, the iPhone is actually a massive success in the country. Much like it did in the U.S., the iPhone is transforming the mobile landscape in Japan. Two stories today highlight this. The first, talks about the Japanese iPhone “ craze ” and details how app developers are rushing to get into the potentially huge market for Japanese iPhone apps. The second story notes how NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s largest mobile carrier, is turning to marketing to make up for the fact that they don’t have the iPhone (it’s sold there by rival Softbank). Marketing involving yes, Darth Vader . The Vader choice is a very interesting one. You can also see him waving his hand in the commercials and stating matter-of-factly, “there is no iPhone.” But there is. And despite the early doubts and reports, it has become a massive success in the country. I was in Japan for a few weeks earlier this year, and while I didn’t see a huge number of iPhones at the time, I also didn’t see a huge number of smartphones — most people seemed to have the same flip phone device. Apparently, that’s now changing, quickly. From The Wall Street Journal’s Japan Realtime blog: The iPhone accounts for about two-thirds of the domestic smartphone market, making DoCoMo's efforts even more challenging in image-conscious Japan, where the iPhone is starting to become a must-have personal accessory among many young people. And while I didn’t see a ton of iPhones, I did see a ton of iPods. And I do mean a ton . I feel like every other person I saw had one. So it makes sense that the iPhone would eventually catch on there. At first, there was talk that it was a matter of getting used to the touchscreen for character input. Again, apparently, that’s happening now. From the Yahoo story: Everywhere one turns, on commuter trains and urban cafes, people are tapping away at their iPhone screens in a relatively rare Japanese embrace of technology that isn’t homegrown. Meanwhile, I can’t recall seeing a single Android device while I was there. Nor did I see any store advertising them (the iPhone, on the other hand, was everywhere). But that’s apparently changing now as well. In fact, Darth Vader’s campaign is actually to promote the Samsung Galaxy S, an Android device. And early sales have apparently been very good . The next question: can Android use a similar strategy to mimic their U.S. success? Android has risen to power in this country thanks to a plethora of devices on a range of carriers . Many are quick to point to the fact that the single biggest factor of the rise has been that Verizon, the largest carrier in the U.S., put their marketing muscle behind the devices. That’s now what NTT DoCoMo, again, the largest carrier in Japan, is doing. And with The Force, to boot. How will Apple strike back? More : Darth Vader Calls Apple About His iPhone 4 Antenna [Video] CrunchBase Information iPhone 4 NTT DoCoMo Information provided by CrunchBase | |
| Former Digg VP Of Engineering Lands At Gilt Groupe | Top |
| Well there’s at least one former Digg engineer out there that had a happier Thanksgiving. We’ve gotten word that John Quinn , former Digg VP of Engineering, will be joining luxury discount marketplace Gilt Groupe as VP of Engineering come next Monday. Quinn will be working out of the Gilt Groupe New York office under CIO Steve Jacobs. Prior to Gilt Groupe, Quinn had spent three years at Digg and before that was VP of Engineering at Squaretrade. According to our sources , Quinn was instrumental in the problematic Digg v4 redesign and its bumpy move over to a Cassandra versus MySQL database. Judging by the Digg team page Digg has not yet replaced Quinn as VP. Gilt Groupe CIO Steve Jacobs tells TechCrunch that the new hire will be focusing on scaling and that the company is growing rapidly, “Gilt is expanding into new businesses all the time and we’re making sure that we have the right people in place. People do not think of Gilt as a technology company and we are a technology company.” When asked about concerns that Quinn bore responsibility for some of Digg’s infrastructure stumbles, Jacobs said, “ I’m not worried about that for Gilt.” Gilt Groupe, which has $83 million in funding led by Matrix Partners, recently launched Gilt City, a local deals network that aims to be a more high-end niche Groupon. CrunchBase Information Gilt Groupe John Quinn Information provided by CrunchBase | |
| Southwest's Feel-Good Facebook Places Holiday Promo Helps Kids Make-A-Wish | Top |
| The mobile check-in is not just a way to tell your friends where you are via FourSquare or Facebook Places , it is a marketing opportunity. Southwest Airlines is combining Facebook Places and charitable giving to the Make-A-Wish Foundation to encourage travelers to check into Southwest when they get to the airport. From now through Christmas, Southwest Airlines will make a $1 donation in the form of free travel credit to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. Often these wishes involve travel, an Southwest will donate up to $300,000 in travel credit through this promotion. The promotion is a good example of cause marketing. It gives people an actual incentive to check in that is altruistic and makes them feel good. (Southwest is partnering with Microsoft to place photo-taking Santas at different airport terminals). Some of that good feeling might rub off on Southwest for making the connection, and it also has the added bonus of training people to use their mobile phones to check in at Southwest Airline locations. Next time they fly, they will probably check in again just to see what other geo-promotions Southwest is running. Companies are still trying to figure out how to take advantage of geo-promotions. Turning check-ins into matching donations is certainly more compelling than trying to get people to check into billboards. What is the best check-in promotion you’ve seen this holiday season? CrunchBase Information Facebook Information provided by CrunchBase | |
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