Monday, December 26, 2011

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Textaholics Rejoice! Swype Beta Taps Dragon Dictation Top
Swype DragonTextaholics, this one's for you. Swype — the Android-flavored keyboard that lets you type (or swype, rather) faster than you ever thought possible — has a present for you this holiday season. With Siri on the iPhone 4S, voice control apps are sprouting up faster than you can ask Siri about the meaning of life. Voice is where we're headed and there's nothing anyone can do to stop it, so if you can't beat 'em, join 'em right? That said, Swype is launching a new beta with Nuance's Dragon dictation built right in.
 
People Spend Twice As Much Time On Netflix Than On Hulu Top
Netflix time spentNetflix and Hulu are the two leading video streaming services on the Web when it comes to mainstream TV shows and movies. More people watch Netflix online than Hulu, and have since about 18 months ago. In November, 2011, comScore estimates that Netflix.com attracted 26.6 million unique visitors, versus 20.2 million for Hulu But a better metric to compare the two is how much time people actually spend at each site. And there Netflix trounces Hulu by two to one. U.S. visitors spent 1 billion minutes on Netflix.com in November, 2011, versus 480 million minutes on Hulu, according to comScore. (One caveat here is that people also go to Netflix.com to manage their DVD accounts and browse movie titles in addition to streaming videos, but the growth in time spent is most likely coming from streaming). Netflix has an edge over Hulu in that it streams more movies than TV shows, and those tend to be longer. But if that was the only factor, you'd expect to see the same ratio over time. Yet back in November, 2010, the two services were almost neck-and-neck in time spent, with Netflix users logging 750 million total minutes versus Hulu users logging 690 million.
 
LG Prepping Ice Cream Sandwich Update For Q2 2012 Release Top
lgicsMost of the big name Android smartphone vendors have already laid out their Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade plans, but LG has been notably absent from the list of companies offering an update schedule. Well, a brief announcement on the company's official Facebook page has remedied that -- Android 4.0 will be coming to select LG handsets as early as Q2 2012.
 
Cooklet Aims To Disrupt The Stodgy Cooking Scene With Gingerbread Carp Top
logoNew_white_smallCooklet, a Poland-based cooking site founded by Grzegorz TrubiƂowicz, features a lot of what you'd expect - lots of recipes, a few pictures of happy-looking skinny people who you know don't eat much food, and some international flare. However, the rise of sites like Cooklet point to a change in the way people find recipes and make food. It's a transition from the standard cookbook-based economy of yesterday's kitchen to a more plugged-in experience we are now embracing.
 
Streamonomy: Radionomy Opens Platform To Online, Traditional Radio Stations Alike Top
radioRadionomy, which enables people to create and listen to radio stations online, is preparing the launch of a new service dubbed Streamonomy, which will essentially open up its platform to external radio stations, whether they broadcast online or the traditional, simulcast FM way. Streamonomy will also be available to online radio stations not produced with Radionomy, although the option to do so will of course remain available, free of charge.
 
Tango Card Aims To Make Gift Card Giving A More Personal Experience Top
tango2While gift cards are certainly a useful and practical gift, the act of giving a gift certificate to a store can be construed as impersonal. One startup is trying to change this. Tango Card, which offers a gift card program for consumers, is launching a new personalized experience, called 'What I Got.' For background, here's how Tango Card works. A purchaser can buy a Tango Card, and give this to a recipient via email. The recipient can then exchanges the value for the card for one or multiple retailer gift cards (Amazon, iTunes, Target, Starbucks, others) or they can donate any portion of their gift card to one of 9 non-profits (National Park Foundation, World of Children, Habitat for Humanity, etc.). Any unused value can actually be redeemed for cash. Basically, it provides a more flexible gift card option which allows recipients to choose and then stagger the proceeds of a gift card across various retailers or charities.
 
TechCrunch Moscow — All The On-stage Video Top
TCMoscowOn December 5th, 2011 TechCrunch Europe came to Moscow again. Co-organized by TechCrunch Europe, Digital October and Kite Ventures, the second TechCrunch Moscow showcased several early stage startups and hosted panels on emerging technology trends in Russia and abroad. The event, held in English, proved to be a smashing success, bringing together over 700 participants and attracting several thousand viewers online. Videos of the event can be found below including the amazing interview between Andrew Keen and political commentator Anton Nossik on a pivotal day for Russian politics following the Russian Duma elections of the previous day. It's a must watch.
 
55 Inches: LG To Showcase World's Largest OLED TV AT CES 2012 Top
featured lgd-oledWe've been waiting for large-sized OLED TVs at least since Sony rolled out the cool (but too small) XEL-1 in 2007. Various bigger OLEDs and "breakthroughs" have made the news in the years after that, and now LG says it's ready to showcase the world's biggest OLED TV at CES 2012 (which kicks off on January 10). Sized at 55 inches, the panel has a contrast ratio of 100,000:1 and has been developed by using the Oxide TFT technology, according to LG. The company has been working on bigger OLED devices for quite a while now, for example a super-thin 31-inch model (which was shown last year).
 
Now GoDaddy Has To Contend With ByeDaddy Top
logoAlthough GoDaddy's new CEO, Warren Adelman, no longer supports SOPA (after supporting it), a mass movement (of critics is gathering pace.
 
Sony Exits LCD Joint Venture With Samsung Top
6_sony_logo_wS-LCD Co., the joint venture for making LCDs for TVs between Sony and Samsung, will soon be history. The Japanese company today announced it will exit the 50-50 venture by selling its share to the Korean rival for US$940 million, after seven years of collaboration. After inking a final agreement, Samsung is ready to absorb the South Korea-based joint venture into its existing LCD business and turn it into a 100% subsidiary. Samsung's LCD business will then be the second-largest in the world by revenue, trailing only LG Display.
 
TechGrinch Was Not Impressed By Google's "Jingle Bells" Doodle Top
Google Jingle Bells FailWhen I visited Google.com this morning, I was as excited as the kids sprinting from bed to tree. But all I found was a lump of sonic coal. Oh joy, after months of Christmas music, I get to hear a crummy elevator music version of "Jingle Bells" one more time? *sigh* But wait, is it a game where I guess how to play the song on the colored keys? No.
 
Gratitude Scales. Take A Few Seconds To Say "I Love You" Top
Say I Love You OnlineTell someone they're special, remind them you care, share a memory, say "I love you" -- it's easier than ever. Thanks to mobile devices and social networks, love is becoming more scalable. Tweet or status update how you're thankful for their friendship. Text, Skype, message, or email how their support has meant the world to you. Wall post, @reply, +1, upvote the people who make your life more fun. In just a few seconds, you've strengthened your relationships and made someone's day. Today, everyday, take a moment and tell them. We stand above a bottomless well of gratitude...
 
A Few Tips For Developers On How To Get Hired By A Startup Top
nerd1Not everyone is cut out to work for a startup. It involves a lot of hustling, a lot of nail-biting, pizza-eating, sleeping at your desk, tears, failure, confusion, and on and on. And wearing your startup's t-shirt. All the time. That being said, it can also be extremely rewarding and, with all the cash flying around Silicon Valley (and beyond), aspiring entrepreneurs are flocking to startups. So, say you're one of those people who is champing at the bit to go work for a startup, what do you do next? Well, you can try this, or in the event you're not quite ready to grow a mustache, you can check out things startups should know when looking for top talent, and, hey, Justin Kan has written about how to get a job at a startup even if you don't have a lot of experience. But what about the programmers and developers out there looking to work at startup? Is no one thinking about them?!? Today, we're offering a small slice of holiday cheer with the help of Monetate, which has put together an infographic that offers a few tips for programmers who are looking to toss their talents into the startup ring.
 
How To Use Anyone's Face As A Facebook Chat Emoticon Top
Facebook Custom EmoticonsEmoticons no longer have to be anonymous smiley faces representing simple emotions. Facebook Chat now lets you use the profile picture of any user, official Page, or event on the service as an emoticon. That means you can make one out of your best friend, Chuck Norris, Justin Bieber, Barack Obama or anyone else. This opens up a whole new way to express complex emotions. Here's how to do it:
 
What Startup To Build? Top
new company frameworkIf you're asking which startup to build, not whether to build, you probably have several half-baked ideas and don't know which one to devote yourself to. Or you have no idea at all. It's easy to get trapped and excited by the startup world we read about through the looking-glass of TechCrunch. Too many entrepreneurs focus their time on building things they think are cool or could be the next startup homerun. Stop building to get covered by TechCrunch or get an investment by Fred Wilson. What are your problems? That's what you should be working on. Businesses are solutions to problems. Solutions come from ideas. Ideas are hypotheses. These hypotheses need to come from a defined problem. Humans have problems.
 
Rooted MotoACTV Brings Web Browsing And Angry Birds To Your Wrist Top
motoactvrootFitness watches are one thing, but how about a fitness watch that lets you play a few levels of Angry Birds in between wind sprints? Motorola's MotoACTV debuted alongside the Droid RAZR not too long ago, and one developer has finally taken it upon itself to unleash its full potential.
 
Need A Last Minute Gift? There's A Subscription For That Top
shutterstock_45793960
Brit Morin is the Founder and CEO of Brit, a new company focused on providing people with innovative ideas, software, and products for creative living.
Subscription services have been around for more than a century. Generations before us were the first to enjoy subscriptions to magazines, newspapers, and more. As a kid, I even remember being forced to go door-to-door to sell subscriptions for wrapping paper. (Side note: Who really needs a monthly subscription to wrapping paper?)
 
In Today's Competitive VC Holiday Video Climate, Better Step Up Your Game Scale Venture Top
Screen Shot 2011-12-24 at 9.40.47 PMThe video above came to me in a message from an entrepreneur, "FRC does an awesome holiday video -- and this is what Scale Venture sends out ..." I thought perhaps he/she was being unfair, and then clicked on the link: Snowflakes! Mittens! "Wishing you a sparkling holiday season" in Helvetica! What is this, 1998?
 
Why Hasn't Safari Skyrocketed Like Chrome Has? Top
Apple_SafariThe past few days, there's been a lot of talk about web browsers. The report that Google will be paying Mozilla close to one billion dollars over the next three years to ensure that their search engine remains the default for Firefox is fascinating for a few reasons. The biggest is that Google now makes a Firefox competitor, Chrome. And it got me thinking about Safari. Remember Safari? While Chrome has skyrocketed from 0 percent market share in August 2008 to over 25 percent last month, Apple's web browser lingers somewhere between 5 and 8 percent, depending on what numbers you look at. While its growth seemed to stall out in late 2008/early 2009, Safari has been growing again since then. But it has been at a very slow, methodical pace compared to the Google browser.
 
The Top 30 Android Apps And Games Of 2011 Top
androidmarketshotAndroid apps come in all shapes and sizes - literally. Unlike iOS applications, which are basically created for two form factors, Android apps need to be developed with dozens (if not hundreds) of device-types in mind. This is on top of the inconsistent operating system releases still mucking things up. While all of this fragmentation is a headache for developers, ignoring a platform with 50 percent market share would ultimately lead to their peril. The best Android apps are thus the ones that can both push the technological envelope while also remaining accessible to the vast majority of users. This is no easy feat. We divided our list of the best 30 Android apps into four distinct categories. The top ten apps come from third-party developers, and, if not exclusive to Android, were created primarily for the platform. Additional sections include the best new or significantly updated apps from Google, as well as the best apps and games that appeared first on iOS but later arrived to Android in 2011.
 

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