Wednesday, March 7, 2012

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Major Changes In Facebook's Amended S-1: Mobile Ads, Zynga, Yahoo Patents, Credit Top
Facebook S-1Facebook today filed an amended S-1 to IPO that describes new risks based on its launch of ads for mobile, Zynga's standalone gaming platform, and a patent dispute with Yahoo. It also explained how its concentrated voting structure would impact investors, and listed additional underwriters. Here are the major revisions to the S-1 compared to the original Facebook filed at the beginning of February.
 
iPad Top
tcIt's sort of funny that the only major thing those in the rumor business got wrong was the name of the new iPad. It's not the previously presumed "iPad 3", nor is it the "iPad HD". It's just the iPad. And that's what it will be from now on. This was surprising because our expectations were set for a new name. But it really shouldn't be all that surprising. My iMac is not the "iMac 11". My MacBook Air is not the "MacBook Air 4". The iPod line changes, but the name remains the same. This will undoubtedly happen to the iPhone line as well. Just as the spec is dying (more than partially ushered to the grave by Apple), the ascending number naming race is dying too. It's about simplicity. Apple can pull this off because they have so few products and they're in complete control of all of them. Their software isn't licensed to other OEMs. The iPad doesn't have to be called the "iPad 3X HD S" just to beat the "iPad 3X Turbo" made by a competitor. There are no real competitors. Not yet, anyway. The naked "iPad" name alone is enough to win.
 
How To Find And Engage A-Listers Before SXSW Top
sxswLet's face it, many of the big players in the tech scene are headed to SXSW this year. The question is, how do you connect with them? You want to leave SXSW feeling like you've accomplished something aside from just getting drunk. Finding the right A-listers beforehand and connecting with them at the event is a sure way to make the most of your time there. Don't have your eyes set on someone specific? Here are some tips and resources to get you started on scoping out the most influential tech stars making a grand appearance at SXSW.
 
Facebook Becomes Location Backbone That Lets Apps Import Checkins From Each Other Top
Facebook Location APIsFacebook has confirmed with me that its new location APIs let any third-party app import and display the checkins as well as location-tagged posts published to Facebook by other apps. This turns Facebook into a location backbone that can power serendipitous meetups and other geo-functionality no matter which apps you and your friends use. Bliss -- soon you won't have to use every location app simultaneously, you'll just pick your favorite.
 
iPad Innovation: Diminishing Returns, Or Exceeding Expectations? Top
img_0025Are you having fun yet? We're in the process of winding down from another Apple Event Day, which means recovering from a day full of iFanpeoples eagerly clicking on every iPad-related article on the Web, a day in which blogs lap up the ad revenue, and trolls eagerly proclaim their indifference to whatever this iHubbub is all about, sneering at the army of iClones marching in lock-step to the nearest Apple Store. Let this wash over you, as it's clearly a unique display that only the tech industry -- and, really Apple -- is capable of inspiring. During the new, new iPad/iPad 3/iPad 2S announcement today, Apple CEO Tim Cook told those gathered that Apple is "redefining the category that [it] created with the original iPad." Personally, I've become a bit wary of Apple's near-constant claims that it is re-defining itself, or language that implies anything along the lines of "we've done it, again," or "look at this miracle of gadget wizardry and fear our command of your wallets."
 
With Channel Daily Uniques Up 60%, YouTube Brings New Layout To All Channels Top
Screen shot 2012-03-06 at 10.04.56 AMRemember that big redesign YouTube launched in December? Granted, you've probably seen it several times today already, but in case not, YouTube redesigned its homepage so that its overall look would reflect the design changes that have been rolled out across Google products. More specifically, the update brought tighter integration with Google+, more personalized video discovery and viewing, and a whole mess of updates to channels. Based on the results YouTube shared today, it thinks the redesign is having the desired effect, as daily unique visits to channels have increased by 60 percent and daily net subscriptions are up 50 percent since December. With channel engagement and subscribing on the up and up, YouTube says that its ready to take the next step in the redesign process it began in December.
 
TCTV Live: The Wrap-Up On Apple And The New New iPad Top
IMG_5857At 4pm PT, TechCrunch's Devin Coldewey and I will be going live on TechCrunch TV to talk about all the news that came out of Apple's event in San Francisco today: The new iPad; upgrades to iCloud, Apple TV, and iOS 5; and of course the tech world's reactions to it all.
 
Gillmor Gang Live 03.07.12 (TCTV) Top
Gillmor Gang test patternGillmor Gang - Danny Sullivan, John Taschek, Robert Scoble, and Steve Gillmor. Recording has concluded.
 
Chartbeat's New Features: Up With Engagement, Down With Linkbait Top
avc1mainChartBeat is going to be launching a new version of its real-time analytics service in a few weeks, and I got a sneak peek earlier today. The big theme: looking beyond pageviews. You can see a screenshot of the main ChartBeat dashboard above. Specifically, it's the ChartBeat page for VC Fred Wilson's blog, because apparently he doesn't mind sharing. Elements of the interface might change (ChartBeat's Lauryn Bennett and Alex Carusillo kept telling me, "Don't fall in love with anything.") but if it does, the basic functionality will remain the same. So what's new?
 
Google Voice Founder Sets His Sights On VoIP Once Again Top
craig-walkerIs Google Voice (previously GrandCentral) co-founder Craig Walker getting back into the VoIP game? According to a recent tweet he sent out, it looks like Walker and his team at incubator Firespotter Labs is cooking up something in the VoIP space. As Walker writes, "Starting to play around with a bunch of VoIP ideas...time to take this incubator thing into hyperdrive:)." For background, Walker co-founded GrandCentral, a phone management service that first launched in 2006 and was acquired by Google for $50+ million in 2007. Grand Central was relaunched as Google Voice.
 
Heyzap Launches An API, Uses It To Build A Mobile Gaming Map Top
san francisco game check insHeyzap, a startup that allows users to check in as they play their favorite mobile games, is now releasing its data through an API. The API focuses on two types of information — games and players. Through the API, a developer can see which games are trending based on usage, or they can bring up a list of who has checked in to each title. Heyzap says developers could also look up information about individual players, such as their profile and check-in history.
 
The Apple Store Is Back Up Top
backnowSo I've been pressing refresh on the Apple Store every second for the past hour. It's really fun, by the way. I've seen it cough up the "We'll be back soon" page, a 404 error page, and even a really cute "Oops!" page. Who knew Apple could be down in such varied formats? So I'm refreshing, and I'm refreshing, and I'm refreshing yet again... And then suddenly, as though I was seeing it for the very first time, with brand new eyes, it appeared.
 
iOS 5.1 Update: Siri Speaks Japanese; Voice Dictation Comes To New iPad Top
ios 5Today, Apple unleashed the "new new iPad," or iPad 3, or 2S, or whatever you want to call it. It'll cost you $499, has a new retina display, with an A5X processor complete with quad-core graphics. The iPad 2 is also getting a price drop, to $399, and Apple announced a slew of new updates to existing products, including movie support for iCloud, iPhoto is coming to iOS, along with an update for iOS 5. Yes, iOS 5.1 will be available for download starting today, according to Apple, with some new updates to Siri.
 
This Reblog Of This iPad Article Will Also Generate Thousands Of Dollars In Ad Revenue Top
Sometimes I wish I wrote for The Onion and not TechCrunch so I could write funny shit like this all day instead of repeatedly getting attacked publicly for expressing myself or not being smart enough to be a SERIOUS TECH JOURNALIST WITH SERIOUS THOUGHTS ABOUT SERIOUS THINGS. Or whatever.
 
Hands On With The New iPad Top
header1I've just gotten out of a quick hands-on session with the new iPad (and yes, it's just called the iPad), and have come away with exactly the feeling I expected to have: that I need to buy one. The first thing you should know, and also the reason there aren't many pictures, is that as far as weight and shape, it's almost exactly the same as the iPad 2. They wouldn't allow comparison shots — probably because the new iPad is a little thicker — but the dimensional differences are minor and the overall feel is near-identical. Let me tell you why I'm going to buy the new iPad. Or rather, let me show you.
 
Yes, Apple Is Actually Just Calling It 'iPad' Top
the-new-ipadWondering what to call the newly announced iPad hardware, demonstrated at this morning's Apple event in San Francisco? Well, it's not going to be the "iPad 3,"  the "iPad HD," or even the "iPad 2S." Nope, the new iPad will just be called "iPad." That's not confusing at all.
 
StartupBus' Hackathon-On-Wheels Hits the Road to SXSW [TCTV] Top
startupbus 2012StartupBus, a multi-city Wi-Fi-enabled roadtrip to the South by Southwest Interactive conference with the goal of developing and launching a startup by the time the travelers arrive in Austin, fired up the engines on its biggest year ever this week.TechCrunch TV's John Murillo is along for the ride all the way from San Francisco to Austin, and he put together an awesome video wrap-up of Day One.
 
Facebook SoLoMo-fies The Platform, Lets Apps Tag Friends and Places Top
attachmentGet ready for another wave of social location-based mobile apps. Facebook has just opened new APIs that allow apps on its platform to tag posts with friends and Places, read the location of your old posts, and search for specific posts by coordinates and distance parameters. Additionally, Open Graph apps can now play back video and display big photos in news feed and Timeline. By allowing apps to tag Places, Facebook can use the location data to show their posts to nearby friends. That means posts from Foodspotting, Gogobot, Path and other apps will be able to inspire serendipitous meetups just like Facebook check-ins. This is a big step towards Facebook becoming a hub of activity stories from around the web rather than just hosting its own content.
 
Watch Out Amazon, The iPad 2 Is Now Just $399 Top
IMG_0025There was a debate over the last few months regarding the iPad 2. Some said the iPad 3, now known as the new iPad, would replace the iPad 2. Others, including myself, speculated that the similar form factor and slightly upgraded specs (plus it's still selling like gangbusters) all told a different story. Well, as it turns out, Apple is in fact keeping the iPad 2 on the market for the time being. Starting today, the iPad 2 will be available in only 16GB form. The WiFi version will cost $399 and the WiFi/3G version is $529. That's a $100 drop from its previous MSRP. Android tabs should officially be on notice now.
 
Friendsheet: The Zuck-Approved Pinterest-Style Facebook Photo Browser Top
Friendsheet Screenshot DoneA weekend hack called Friendsheet went from 60k uniques a month to 150K in 24 hours when Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg Liked it yesterday. Friendsheet employs Facebook Connect to turn the photos from your news feed into a Pinterest-style browsing experience. Thankfully it's hosted on Amazon S3, Friendsheet's creator Zach Allia tells me. Otherwise the Zuck Effect caused by his Facebook subscribers clicking through the news feed story generated by the Like could have crippled Friendsheet. Turns out it's not just Pinterest's product, but the wide-screen, medium-sized photo panel layout it uses that resonates with people.
 

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