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Yahoo Sells Delicious To YouTube Founders

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

TechCrunch - By Michael Arrington - Apr. 27 (News) - Yahoo has finally found a buyer for long suffering Delicious.

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iPhone 4 About To Be Flickr’s Top Camera. Point & Shoots? Pretty Much The Opposite.

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

TechCrunch - By MG Siegler - Apr. 17 (News Report) - What’s the most popular camera used in terms of pictures taken that are uploaded to Flickr? Right now, it’s the Nikon D90. But in about a month or so, it will be Apple’s iPhone 4. What’s amazing is that D90 is nearly three years old. The iPhone 4 is not

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Steve Jobs To Take ‘Medical Leave Of Absence’, Stays On As CEO

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800

TechCrunch - By Leena Rao - Jan. 17 (News) - Apple CEO Steve Jobs has just announced that he is taking a medical leave of absence according to a release issued by the company today.

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Today’s Lesson: Make Facebook Angry, And They’ll Censor You Into Oblivion

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

TechCrunch - By Jason Kincaid - Nov. 23 (Opinion) - Today’s Lesson: Make Facebook Angry, And They’ll Censor You Into Oblivion

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Wall Street Journal Investigation Into MySpace Was Quietly Killed

Sat, 23 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

TechCrunch - By Michael Arrington - Oct. 23 (Opinion) - A few days ago the Wall Street Journal published a series of articles about a supposed Facebook privacy breach. We and others noted that the article was complete rubbish. We also noted that the Wall Street Journal’s sister company, MySpace, wasn’t mentioned in the article – either as a disclosure of a conflict of interest or a discussion of whether MySpace was doing the same thing. The WSJ was actually investigating MySpace, says a source close to the company, and were planning on publishing the information the investigation uncovered. MySpace has had three different CEOs in the last two years, as well as a period where they were led by co-presidents. If you count Jon Miller, who runs the whole show, they’ve had four CEOs. Based on MySpace’s overall level of disorganization and constant leadership changes, we’re not surprised that the WSJ investigation landed on their doorstep, and discovered questionable privacy practices. But the story was shelved.

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NSFW: Generation Whine – Why I’m Relieved not to be a Millennial

Sun, 10 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

TechCrunch - By Paul Carr - Oct. 10 (Opinion) - According to the Wakefield Research study, a Millennial is anyone born between 1980 and 1993....based on all the available evidence, Millennials are the most obnoxious, self-entitled, lazy and willfully ignorant generation ever to pollute the surface of the earth.

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Angry about Education? Go Here.

Sat, 09 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

TechCrunch - By Sarah Lacy - Oct. 09 (Opinion) - I seem to be finding myself writing about education a lot lately, whether it’s the latest round of elearning startups, innovative solutions that use technology to solve education problems in the developing world, or the wave of powerful figures in technology who are galvanizing around the new film “Waiting for Superman” and throwing huge sums ...

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Google Needs To Do A Lot More Than Fire Employees Who Abuse User Data

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0700

TechCrunch - By Michael Arrington - Sep. 15 (Opinion) - If a Google employee rampages through my email, Google Voice or other data for no justifiable reason I expect a lot more from the company than simply terminating them. There needs to be criminal charges brought as well. Weve asked Google if theyve pressed charges against either of the two engineers theyve fired for inappropriately accessing user data, and they wont comment. So much of our life is lived online, and so much of our highly sensitive personal data is stored on Googles servers, that it is absurd that there arent more dire consequences facing those that choose to molest that data. If a Google employee broke into my home and stole files from my office theyd go to jail. And frankly Id be far less concerned with that situation than if they were perusing my email for entertainment during their lunch break. a few days ago, for no particular reason, I asked people on Twitter if theyd trust Google with their money and data if Google launched a bank. The overwhelming response was no. Surprised, I wrote wow, most of you say no way youd trust Google Bank with your money. I certainly would. My bank sucks. I think Id like to amend my answer. My bank certainly does suck. But Im pretty sure theyd have an employee arrested if they, say, accessed my data and tried to exhort me with it. Im not so sure Google would do the same. [crunchbase url="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/google" name="Google"]

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Wow. If You Think Quitting Booze Freaks People Out, Wait ‘Til You Quit Twitter

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0700

TechCrunch - By Paul Carr - Aug. 28 (Opinion) - I promise this is my last word on the subject. I had already promised myself, actually, that I wouldn’t write any more about my decision to quit Facebook, Linkedin, Foursquare, Blippy, Yammer, Dopplr and every other social network other than Twitter. But then I added Twitter to the list – deleting my 10,000+ follower account and returning to more traditional blogging – and suddenly all (social media) hell broke loose. For reasons I can’t quite understand – it’s not like I’ve quit food or oxygen – my inbox has since been flooded with emails. Some are just standard notes of congratulations for cutting the cord while others scream that I’m a Luddite who doesn’t ‘get’ Twitter (by and large these are the same people who describe themselves as “social media ninja”s on their profiles: the modern day equivalent of those “My other car is the Batmobile” bumber stickers). The majority of messages, though, are from people who are strongly considering following my lead, but are worried that their body or mind might not be able to cope with the shock. How do I feel since quitting? Can I offer them any advice? The semi-amusing thing is, this isn’t the first time I’ve experienced this kind of email flood of congratulations, insults and pleas for guidance. It happened last October too: when I finally made the decision to quit drinking. Make of that what you will.

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Chop-Shop Workers and Bootstrappers: Chile Really Wants You

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0700

TechCrunch - By Vivek Wadhwa - Aug. 21 (Opinion) - Silicon Valley’s vitality depends on a constant influx of bright people who challenge its inhabitants to work harder and think smarter. And, as I noted in my last post, America’s economy depends on startups to create jobs and innovation. Skilled immigrants have provided both. So, given the miserable state of the economy, we should be laying out the welcome mat for the world’s best and brightest. Yet we’re doing the exact opposite. Meanwhile other countries have figured out the secret of the Valley’s success and are laying out their red carpets and welcome mats, not only for the foreign skilled workers we’re turning away but also for our techies.

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The Unauthorized TechCrunch iPad Review

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700

TechCrunch - By Michael Arrington - Apr. 02 (Opinion) - For some strange reason we weren’t invited to test drive the iPad early. But easy-to-get stories are never fun anyway. And there has always been another way to spend time with the iPad other than a freebie loaner from apple – the third party developers. Scores of developers have had iPad’s for weeks now. They’ve had to sign non-disclosure agreements, and have the iPad locked in a separate room that random employees couldn’t access. And even that wasn’t enough. The iPads are literally chained to the desk with steel cable and a lock. Apple comes by the office with a suitcase, installs the iPad in a bolted case, chains it to the desk and locks it there. And they they do occasional surprise visits just to make sure it’s still there.

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First iPad Reviews Hit The Net

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700

TechCrunch - By Devin Coldewey - Mar. 31 (News Analysis) - The first iPad reviews, from tech grand-daddies David Pogue and Walt Mossberg among others, are live.Pogue says it's no laptop replacement, but as a giant iPod touch, it's a huge success. Mossberg says he enjoys doing most tasks on it much more than on his laptop.

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Reputation Is Dead: It’s Time To Overlook Our Indiscretions

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700

TechCrunch - By Michael Arrington - Mar. 28 (Opinion) - We’re going to be forced to adjust as a society. I firmly believe that we will simply become much more accepting of indiscretions over time. Employers just won’t care that ridiculous drunk college pictures pop up about you when they do a HR background search on you.

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Why America Needs To Start Educating Its Workforce Again

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700

TechCrunch - By Vivek Wadhwa - Mar. 27 (Opinion) - Ask any old-time IBMer, and you will hear stories of IBM’s legendary workforce-development practices. When a manager identified a manufacturing worker with promise, the company would teach him how to dress, how to speak to clients, and how to service products. These technicians would then be trained to be computer programmers, sales reps, or product managers. IBM president Thomas Watson, Sr., considered education so important that, in 1932, he started a mini-university for employees, the Endicott schoolhouse.

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10 Technologies That Will Rock 2010

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

TechCrunch - By Erick Schonfeld - Jan. 02 (Opinion) - Now that the aughts are behind us, we can start the new decade with a bang. So many new technologies are ready to make a big impact this year. Some of them will be brand new, but many have been gestating and are now ready to hatch. Below is my list of the ten technologies that will leave the biggest marks on 2010.

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How to Profit off the Poor… and Keep Your Soul

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

TechCrunch - By Sarah Lacy - Nov. 16 (Special Report) - Even non-profits I’ve met over the last two weeks run themselves to rely on revenues not donors. An example is LabourNet, a company that seeks to move India’s huge informal workforce into a formal channel. The company organizes phalanxes of construction crews, drivers, cooks and retail clerks and matches them with the best employers. How does it reach them? Word of mouth and SMS. So far 7,000 workers are in the system.

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Facebook Responds To MySpace With Facebook Connect

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

TechCrunch - By Michael Arrington - May. 09 (News Report) - Facebook will announce later today Facebook Connect, which has similar functionality to MySpace Data Availability, announced just yesterday. The actual product won't be released for at least a few weeks, so the timing on this, coming immediately after MySpace, is somewhat suspicious. It is essentially a new version of their API for third party websites, which was first launched in August 2006. It will allow users to "connect" their Facebook identity, friends and privacy to any website. Third party websites will be able to implement and offer more features of the Facebook Platform off of Facebook - the same features available to third party applications today on Facebook. To make data portable, Facebook believes it's about giving users the ability to take their identity and friends with them around the Web, while being able to trust that their information is always up to date and always protected by their privacy settings. The next iteration will be available publicly within the next several weeks. One of their initial launch partners will be Digg. I spoke with Ben Ling, Director Platform Product Marketing, and Ruchi Sanghai, Product Manager for Facebook Platform, this afternoon about the upcoming changes.

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Widgets: The Marketer's Recession Survival Tool

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

TechCrunch - By Mark Hendrickson - Apr. 26 (Opinion) - While the recession-proofness of social media is a case study in the making, the idea that social applications can thrive in tight economic times because they are a cost-effective, precise way for companies to interact with customers and prospective customers, is right on the money - quite literally.

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Google, Microsoft Bidding For Digg

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0800

TechCrunch - By Michael Arrington - Mar. 07 (Opinion) - User-generated news site Digg has been working with influential investment bank Allen & Co. (the ones that recently got Slide a half billion dollar valuation) for a few months now, and pitching big tech and media companies on a sale. And despite a number of false starts, this time a sale looks likely, and soon. We hear from a source very close to the deal that four companies are in heavy due diligence with Digg - two media/news companies, and two big Internet companies - Google and Microsoft. And Google and Microsoft are on the verge of making their bids. Digg is prepared to take less than the $300 million Allen & Co. were floating late last year. Google, our source says, will likely bid $200-$225 million, which Digg would likely accept. Microsoft is looking at a somewhat lower price. That makes sense, since most of Digg's revenue today comes from a three year advertising deal that Digg signed with Microsoft last year. That deal has revenue guarantees - and Microsoft may be hesitant to value Digg based on revenue that they supply. Any sale is likely to give Microsoft an option to terminate that advertising deal, which means Google isn't valuing Digg based on revenue, either. But it is a big slap in the face to Microsoft to steal Digg away, and Google can certainly generate revenue on all those page views. More as this develops, but we may be looking at a bidding war between Microsoft and Google over Digg. Plus any late comers to the table. Digg was founded in late 2005 and has raised $11.3 million in funding.

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Google's Response to Facebook: "Maka-Maka"

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 23:45:30 -0700

TechCrunch - By Erick Schonfeld - Oct. 30 (Opinion) - Google may have lost the bidding war to invest in Facebook, but it is preparing its own major assault on the social networking scene. It goes by the codename "Maka-Maka" inside the Googleplex (or, perhaps, "Makamaka"). Maka-Maka encompasses Google's grand plan to build a social layer across all of its applications. Some details about Maka-Maka have already leaked out, particularly how Google plans to use the feed engine that powers Google Reader (known internally as Reactor) to create "activity streams" for other applications akin to Facebook's news and mini feeds. But Maka-Maka goes well beyond that. Maka-Maka will be unveiled in stages. The first peek will come in early November. As we reported previously, Google is planning to "out open" Facebook with a new set of APIs that developers can use to build apps for its social network Orkut, iGoogle, and eventually other applications as well. To recap what we wrote earlier: Google will announce a new set of APIs on November 5 that will allow developers to leverage Google's social graph data. They'll start with Orkut and iGoogle (Google's personalized home page), and expand from there to include Gmail, Google Talk and other Google services over time. On November 5 we'll likely see third party iGoogle gadgets that leverage Orkut's social graph information - the most basic implementation of what Google is planning. . . . Google is also considering allowing third parties to join the party at the other end of the platform - meaning other social networks (think Bebo, Friendster, Twitter, Digg and thousands of others) to give access to their user data to developers through those same APIs.

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The FCC Needs To Listen To Google

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 11:05:04 -0700

TechCrunch - By Michael Arrington - Jul. 22 (Opinion) - I was very pleased to see Google publicly wade into the upcoming FCC auctions for the 700MHz spectrum that will occur early next year. Should all go well, the new spectrum could be used to create a new open-access wireless broadband "pipe" into people's homes and devices. If things go less well, the existing wireless giants would buy the spectrum and impose similar usage restrictions that exist on cellular networks in the U.S. today, putting us further behind Europe and Asia.

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Google News: The End of News Indexing As We Know It?

Mon, 21 May 2007 14:21:21 -0700

TechCrunch - By Duncan Riley - May. 21 (News Report) - Scotland's Sunday Herald is running a story reporting that Google has secretly reached deals with several large UK news groups to formally license content for Google News. The report notes that the deals are being kept secret to prevent other media sites asking for a similar deal from Google. I've always bought Google's defense that Google News drives traffic to other news sites and that linking to external headlines and providing a snippet of the news story constitute fair use. Google lost that argument in Belgium and it would appear now that it no longer believes its previous position is sustainable in the United Kingdom, possibly even worldwide. Google has argued that as they do not run ads on Google News, they don't profit from it and morally this holds them in a superior position. Yet if Google is forced to sign deals to provide links and traffic to media outlets, is Google News sustainable in its current format?

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2007: Web 2.0 Companies I Couldn't Live Without

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 23:05:00 -0800

TechCrunch - By Michael Arrington - Jan. 02 (Opinion) - I enjoyed sorting through the hundreds of startups that we had written about, and picking just a handful that made a real impact on my life. It was so much fun, actually, that I'm updating the list this year. Seven of the companies are still on the list. Six have dropped off to make room for new products, and I've added two more to round out the list to fifteen total products. Here's the current list, in alphabetical order, of products I use every day and couldn't live without

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Google's Tipping Point

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 07:12:04 -0800

TechCrunch - By Michael Arrington - Dec. 31 (Opinion) - Taken in a vacuum, a fairly trivial thing happened a few days ago. The co-founder of Firefox, Blake Ross, wrote a post criticizing Google called "Tip: Trust is hard to gain, easy to lose". He takes issue with a new Google search feature that promotes certain ...

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