Lookout Mobile Security raises $40M for smartphone security

Lookout Mobile Security has raised $40 million in a new round of funding led by Andreessen Horowitz, the venture fund co-led by Silicon Valley uber investor Marc Andreessen.

That’s a nice vote of confidence for San Francisco-based Lookout, which makes security software for smartphones such as Android mobile devices. Now that mobile phones are becoming a dominant computing platform, protecting them from threats is becoming a lot more important.

Lookout protects more than 12 million … Continue Reading

Remixed Kazaa launches iPhone app to take on Spotify, Rdio

Not to be forgotten in the wake of popular subscription music services like Spotify and Rdio, the revamped (and legal) Kazaa has now launched its own iPhone app.

Kazaa — which was infamous as a peer-to-peer network before it was shut down in 2006 and forced to pay a $100 million settlement to record labels — was brought back to life as a music subscription service in 2009 by the media company Atrinsic. The company … Continue Reading

Pandora launches slick HTML5 site with free unlimited listening

Just ahead of the launch of Facebook’s much anticipated music service, Internet radio service Pandora has unveiled a slick new HTML5 website and removed the cap on how much music free users can stream each month.

“In late 2010 we started with a clean sheet of paper, challenging ourselves to create a new Internet radio experience that was fast, social and easy while still being familiar to the tens of millions of people that listen … Continue Reading

AdRise launches TV-like advertising platform for connected devices

With set-top boxes quickly becoming a preferred way for people to watch TV shows and movies, you’d think there would be better solutions for advertisers.

New startup AdRise agrees, which is why it’s launching an advertising platform today for set-top boxes and other connected devices (including Internet-connected TVs and video applications for tablets).

AdRise’s ad platform offers clients both ad targeting and analytics that aim to provide as much value as traditional Neilsen ratings, the … Continue Reading

HP considering Meg Whitman to replace current CEO?

Hewlett-Packard shares are rising this morning on reports that former eBay chief executive Meg Whitman is being considered by HP directors as a possible replacement for current boss Léo Apotheker.

AllThingsD and Bloomberg are reporting that a “significant contingent” on the board wants to remove Apotheker after a series of foul-ups. HP shares rose 7.9 percent to $24.24 today, gaining $3 billion in market value, on the report. The move would be a big upheaval … Continue Reading

Yes, you can clean your keyboard in the dishwasher

I would not have believed this if I did not see it myself. We have an older Apple keyboard that was just disgusting. Instead of trying to clean it by hand, someone recommended putting it in the dishwater. What? But my friend gave it a shot and lo and behold, the keyboard still worked! Not only that, the keys are not sticky anymore.

So I did a quick Google check and seems this technique has … Continue Reading

Vimeo launches music store to help you license music for videos

Popular video sharing site Vimeo launched a new service today called Music Store that makes it simple to find and license music for online videos.

One of the biggest problems with creating videos for the web is obtaining a licensee to use copyrighted content. Many fan-made music videos on YouTube and Vimeo, for example, infringe on the copyright of the musicians and publishers by using music without permission.

Vimeo’s music store takes a major step … Continue Reading

Stitcher raises $10M to improve web-based talk radio

Personalized web talk radio company Stitcher on Wednesday announced it has raised $10 million to improve the state of non-musical streaming content on the Web.

Stitcher wants to tap into the $5 billion in annual revenues generated by talk radio advertising. The service lets users build personalized talk radio stations from more than 6,000 different shows that cover news, sports, entertainment, comedy and more. High-profile shows that Stitcher pulls content from include NPR’s Fresh Air, … Continue Reading

6waves Lolapps launches $10M fund for social and mobile game developers

The Gold Rush for talented app makers continues. 6waves Lolapps is announcing it has created a $10 million fund to invest in mobile and social game developers. The so-called 6L Fund will help the company find talented developers, fund their games, and publish them for social networks such as Facebook.

The fund marks the company intent to be a serious player in social games as well as its first foray into mobile games.

San Francisco-based … Continue Reading

Yelp cooperating with FTC on antitrust lawsuit against Google

Following Google’s recent purchase of Zagat, social review and discovery site Yelp will cooperate with the Federal Trade Commission’s investigation’s antitrust lawsuit against the search giant, the company announced today.

Since Google now directly competes against Yelp in terms of reviewing local businesses via its Places product, Yelp agreed to the FTC’s request to discuss its experiences with Google’s conduct.

“We have responded to these requests and told officials that we believe Google has acted … Continue Reading

Amazon’s Kindle library lending is a go

Amazon announced today that its long-awaited Kindle library lending feature, which will be available at over 11,000 local libraries across the US, has finally gone live.

While Amazon is a bit late to the party — both Barnes & Noble’s Nook and Sony’s Reader already let consumers borrow e-books from libraries — the company appears to have made its library lending feature far easier to use than its competition.

To borrow a Kindle book from … Continue Reading

Iconicfuture creates easy way to license brands for virtual goods

Iconicfuture believes in the virtual future. The German startup hopes to be a matchmaker that puts together the owners of brands with developers who want to use branded virtual goods in their online games. It is doing so by setting up a digital marketplace where licensors and licensees can cut a deal.

The Hamburg-based company is the brain child of Ze’ev Rozov (pictured right), chief executive of Iconicfuture and a 17-year veteran of the media … Continue Reading

Apple’s iPhone 5 event said to be held Oct. 4, starring CEO Tim Cook

Apple is gearing up for its iPhone 5 debut at an event on Tuesday, October 4, reports All Things Digital. And alongside the new iPhone, newly crowned CEO Tim Cook is also expected to be the star of the show.

Sources “close to the situation” (aren’t they always?) tell the site that Apple has targeted the October date. Other rumors have pointed to Apple announcing the iPhone 5 in late September, but All Things Digital … Continue Reading

Dropcam makes surveillance consumer-friendly, gets $5M from Facebook investors

Smile, you’re on camera! Wi-Fi video camera company Dropcam raised $5 million in its first round of funding today led by storied venture firm Accel Partners and Google+ vice president of product Bradley Horowitz.

Many people opt to install security cameras, nanny cams, or even office live feeds. But many of the current options on the market, such as Logitech‘s Wi-Fi video cameras, are battery-powered, involve software set up, are security focused, and are overly … Continue Reading

Zimride raises $6M for ride-sharing car service

Zimride is hoping to change transportation one seat at a time. The San Francisco startup is announcing today it has raised $6 million in funding for its online ride-sharing service.

The company lets drivers sell the empty seats in their car to passengers who need a ride along popular routes, such as between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Zimride not only puts cash in your pocket, it connects people with new friends.

Mayfield Fund led … Continue Reading

Graphicly brings digital comic book publishing to Facebook

With the large amount of time people spend of Facebook every month, it’s no wonder that publishers are gravitating towards the giant social network with Facebook apps featuring their content.

Digital comic book platform Graphicly is keenly aware of this trend, which is why it launched a new Facebook app Tuesday that lets comic book publishers host their content within the social network.

The app makes it much easier to expose new and casual fans … Continue Reading

Yoics offers free and secure remote desktop connectivity

Yoics, a cloud networking firm, is revealing today its remote desktop connectivity service for users who want to get their data from afar.

Yoics has found a way to balance simplicity and the need to access data from anywhere with the need for corporate computer security. Now the company has added a second-generation cloud service to better serve its clients.

Palo Alto, Calif.-based Yoics operates a portal at yoics.com that gives users the ability to … Continue Reading

Neo Technology raises $10.6M to help enterprises manage increasingly complex data

Database solutions startup Neo Technology on Wednesday announced it has raised $10.6 million with a goal of helping enterprise companies manage and interpret increasingly complicated data sets using NOSQL.

“People have been using SQL databases for many years, but we’re shifting into a new era where data is getting more complex to process.” Neo Technology CEO Emil Eifrem told VentureBeat. “Companies need real-time data processing abilities with a flexible data model and scalability, and we … Continue Reading

Top10 curates “best-of” lists using your social data, gets $3.5M

How many times have you gone looking for that list of the top 10 best X, Y and Z’s? For most of us, the answer is “constantly.” Top10 received $3.5 million in its first round of funding led by Accel Partners today to create “best of” lists using social data.

Finding a good list of the best this or that can be a hard task. This is because they are often hard to make. In … Continue Reading