The latest from TechCrunch
- BeenVerified Takes Background Checks Mobile With A New Android App And An iOS Rerelease
- Luca Technologies Files To Go Public, Producing New Natural Gas From Old Wells
- Watch Twitter Explode: Google+ Invites Granted To Early Users
- As Spotify Nears U.S. Launch, Rdio Launches A Native Windows App
- He's Bringing Myspace Back: Justin Timberlake Takes A Stake
- SoloPower Raises $43.7 Million More To Make Roll-Up Solar Panels
| BeenVerified Takes Background Checks Mobile With A New Android App And An iOS Rerelease | Top |
| Background checks are now fully mobile, thanks BeenVerified ‘s new app for Android and the re-release of the app on iOS . The Background Check App does exactly as you might expect: It pulls data from BeenVerified’s site and allows you to check up on the people you know through name queries or email addresses. Users can check up on their contacts with one click, allowing you to see how many times the person in the cubicle next to you has been arrested. Luckily, I have a spotless record, or else I wouldn’t be writing this. Right, BeenVerified? When the Background Check App first dropped in 2009, it was downloaded nearly a million times in less then a month. Thanks to this aggressive downloading (and some questions over privacy issues), Apple actually pulled the app from its app store after a few weeks. But, this month, after lengthy conversations with Apple, BeenVerified was able to assuage Apple’s concerns, and has now re-released the app with their blessing. In the first four days, the app was downloaded over 14K times. As Reputation.com’s Michael Fertik told TechCrunch’s Andrew Keen , the issue of privacy is gearing up to be “the next big thing in the online economy”, and people are becoming are now more willing than ever to pay for online services that keep cookies at bay and protect their web-based reputations. As social media has become ubiquitous, and the Web proliferates, it’s no wonder that our perception of privacy is being categorically altered. Some, would say “threatened”, while others would argue it’s a natural part of our digital evolution. Regardless of where you come down on that question, a lot of the information on the Web is shady to say the least, and people still want to know that those they’re doing business with, or dating, or interacting with, are trustworthy and not out to do harm. The social web is moving forward at lightning speed, and with services like Airbnb, Match, Craiglist, and umpteen others, the gap between virtual and physical worlds is narrowing. As this is the case, the demand for 3rd party, objective public record information about those we meet on the web is increasing exponentially, especially in cases like, say, who we’re renting our apartments to on Airbnb, and we want this information accessible on-the-go. Thus, BeenVerified’s mission is to make background checks accessible — and more importantly, affordable — which is why the app is free to download and each user gets one free background check a month that includes criminal, age, and address history. Unfortunately, however, it’s not all free. If users want more than one report a month, additional checks can be purchased through in-app payments for $9.95 a pop. While BeenVerified has already served over 10 million free background checks and is providing unlimited free reverse phone lookups through its mobile and web app NumberGuru , there are certainly some questions over just how much access there is to personal information and how pervasive it is. Can I really just search for anyone in the U.S. and pull their background info? Not quite. BeenVerified Director of Communications Danny Canarick told me that most criminal records are stored and maintained at the county level, yet as one might imagine, not all 3,100+ counties in the U.S. have made digital versions of their records available yet. Which is why the company began a “Court Runner” service, which, for a small fee, directs a real-live court runner to go to the local courthouse to pull actual hardcopies of the records and to create a one-off digital version. While this service is currently only available through the BeenVerified site, Canarick says that the company plans to bring it to mobile in the very near future. Currently, the company’s apps have digital access to criminal convictions in 46 states, and arrest warrant data from portions of 35 states. This data comes directly from the administrative offices of courts, departments of public safety, departments of correction, etc. And, finally, for those TechCrunch readers out there looking to try this out and educate themselves on public record data, for the next seven days, all in-app background checks will be available for 99 cents. So, readers, check out the Background Check App and let us know what you think. For more, check out the video below: CrunchBase Information BeenVerified Information provided by CrunchBase | |
| Luca Technologies Files To Go Public, Producing New Natural Gas From Old Wells | Top |
| A Colorado cleantech venture, Luca Technologies, filed an S-1 today revealing its intention to go public, and raise up to $125 million (though that number could vary with the receptivity of the market by the time they actually go public). The company stimulates microbes with a “proprietary formulation of nutrients,” in already-drilled natural gas wells, which enables the wells to produce more methane, the primary component of natural gas. Luca Technologies owns and operates wells and infrastructure, then sells natural gas into existing markets. Its end users include power utilities, and government entities that use natural gas for power production. Today, Luca’s chief executive Bob Cavnar (image, below) explained: “Our technology activates the microbial communities that are already native in substrata [of existing natural gas wells]. We restore those substrata with water that has nutrients in it— like yeast extracts, some acetates, and stuff you could put into processed food today— which is fully consumed by the microbes, and then as a result, they produce natural gas. This does not require new wells or ‘fracking.’ There are tens of thousands of wells in places like Wyoming and New Mexico, about half of which have been shut down because they were depleted… If we can restore those, recycle and not degrade the water there, but still produce natural gas, that’s sustainable. I think of it like farming natural gas. We’re definitely economic versus big shale gas wells that are drilled for millions of dollars. The more gas we can produce, the more independent we can become of Middle Eastern oil.” Cavnar is a serial energy entrepreneur. He survived a gas well pit fire in 1981, which he wrote about on his blog DailyHurricane.com, and in his book Disaster On The Horizon. Why is Luca considering the IPO? Cavnar said: “We have a growth plan that involves acquisitions of wells. [Going public could] provide us a source of capital that can take us to that commercial trajectory where we can deploy our technology at scale…” Today, Luca Technologies owns 1,350 wells in Wyoming. The company intends to expand there, and is looking for wells to revitalize in Alabama, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah and Appalachia. The company’s venture backers include: Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, One Equity Partners, Oxford Bioscience Partners, and BASF Venture Capital. | |
| Watch Twitter Explode: Google+ Invites Granted To Early Users | Top |
| If there’s been a question I’ve been asked more than “do you have any Google+ invites?”, I can’t remember it. And it’s only been a day ! Sadly, I haven’t had any invites to give out. Google has decided they’re going to roll out the network very slowly. Or that was the plan. It now appears that early Google+ users (meaning the one who got access just yesterday ) now have the option to invite other people. And as far as I can tell, it’s unlimited. I realize that by posting this, I’m really asking for it. Gulp. One big caveat: I have no clue if these invites grant immediate access, or if they’re simply a way for you to add friends you’d like to get invites — then they’ll be added to the waitlist. Update : As Google’s Bradley Horowitz notes in the comments: “Google has decided they're going to roll out the network very slowly. Or that was the plan.” Actually, that remains the plan. We launched Google+ in a Field Trial in order to test the product out and gather more feedback. As part of the Field Trial, we may open and close Google+ to new users at any time. We’re psyched so many people are interested in trying out a new approach to online sharing, but please consider: - At any instant, a given invitation may or may not grant access. - There are rate limits that are subject to change. - PRO TIP: Bulk inviting will not be an effective strategy for getting your loved one access. I would recommend inviting those people you really want to share with… CrunchBase Information Google+ Information provided by CrunchBase | |
| As Spotify Nears U.S. Launch, Rdio Launches A Native Windows App | Top |
| As a non-ashamed Windows user and straight up Rdio fan, this makes me happy. Rdio has expanded its product suite with a native app for Windows XP, Vista, and 7. To be fair, I’m likely not going to use the desktop app much, as I’m mostly using Rdio on my mobile phone and iPod touch, as well as via my Sonos system . But it’s great to have options – I have always lamented Spotify for not having a browser-based application, for one, since I like to keep the number of desktop apps I run to an absolute minimum. And the iTunes desktop application (at least the one for Windows) is practically unusable , at least in my experience. Before I digress too much: there’s now a native Rdio app for Windows. It’s a little buggy (the volume slider doesn’t function properly, for example) and according to my CrunchGear colleague Matt Burns tends to slow down your computer to a crawl – though I’m personally not experiencing any performance issues when running the software – but overall it’s a welcome addition to the Rdio app line-up . You can use the software to listen to music and manage your Rdio MP3 downloads, use your keyboard's media keys to control your music player, discover music via ‘New Releases’, ‘Top Charts’ and ‘Recommendations’ and match your existing music collection to see which music from your iTunes or Windows Media Player library is in the music startup’s catalog. And yes, Mac users, there’s a native app for you too, since March 2011 actually. Spotify, meanwhile, is gearing up for a U.S. launch, though admittedly it has been gearing up for that for the past few decades (ok, years). Rumor on the street is it will debut mid-July . Rdio just gave you one more reason to try them out while you wait for that to happen. CrunchBase Information Rdio Information provided by CrunchBase | |
| He's Bringing Myspace Back: Justin Timberlake Takes A Stake | Top |
| You know what isn’t cool ? $35 million isn’t cool … So in a move that makes truth stranger than fiction, Justin Timberlake, who played Facebook president Sean Parker in a movie called The Social Network , has taken an ownership stake in a real life social network as part of News Corp.’s Myspace sale. Outgoing Myspace CEO Mike Jones just tweeted congrats to Timberlake on the deal. My verdict? This is super weird, especially considering the guy who Timberlake played in the film gave a lengthy explanation of why the social network failed, in an interview last week . According to the press release , Timberlake will play a “major role” in strategy and creative direction for the beleaguered social network. The release makes no mention of exactly how much of a stake the pop star will have. "There's a need for a place where fans can go to interact with their favorite entertainers, listen to music, watch videos, share and discover cool stuff and just connect. Myspace has the potential to be that place," Timberlake was quoted as saying. The new Myspace site will be unveiled at a press conference in March. So is this Timberlake news an attempt by Specific Media to leverage the mother of all celebrity moments in order to begin the arduous process of reinvigorating the property? Well it’s definitely provided a distraction from the tales of doom and gloom surrounding the sale and layoffs. Follow @cullens @cullens Cullen Scannell @ mathewi @ edmundlee JT does realize he was just acting and isn't really Sean Parker, right? about 4 hours ago via web Reply Retweet Favorite Follow @zodlogic @zodlogic Mike Kramlich @ TechCrunch @ alexia "$580m isn't cool. You know what's cool? $35m! …. Also, drop the My. Just Space. Much cleaner." about 3 hours ago via Twitter for Mac Reply Retweet Favorite CrunchBase Information MySpace Information provided by CrunchBase | |
| SoloPower Raises $43.7 Million More To Make Roll-Up Solar Panels | Top |
| SoloPower— a manufacturer of flexible, thin-film solar cells and modules— has raised another $43.7 million in an equity round this month, according to a new SEC filing. Investors in the round include: Greentech Capital in New York, and Thomas Weisel Partners in San Francisco. Earlier investors in the SoloPower include: Hudson Clean Energy Partners, Crosslink Capital, Convexa, and Firsthand. In February this year, SoloPower locked a $197 million loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Programs Office to build a “facility that, when completed and at full capacity, is expected to produce approximately 400MW of thin-film Photovoltaic (PV) modules annually,” according to a company press statement. Based in San Jose, SoloPower is currently building its largest manufacturing plant (with the aforementioned funds) in Oregon. The company expects to spend $364 million on building the plant, and to employ about 500 people , full-time, once the facility is running at full capacity. The company uses a roll-to-roll electroplating processes to manufacture its roll-up solar panels, a technique it has claimed will keep the costs of its CIGS (or thin-film) solar panels competitive versus other technologies on the market. While SoloPower has attracted a lot of cash and support, it faces stiff competition from Chinese manufacturers like Trina Solar, and public companies like First Solar, also in the thin-film game. CrunchBase Information SoloPower Crosslink Capital Hudson Clean Energy Partners Information provided by CrunchBase | |
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