Review: King of Fighters XIII is right where the franchise should be

King of Fighters XII, released in 2009, was notable for administering a much-needed graphical overhaul, something the 15-year-old series was sorely in need of. While it had the looks, it came up short on content, eschewing any story element whatsoever and, among other things, limping in with a paltry 22 characters, one of the lowest in the franchise’s history. Two years later and King of Fighters XIII is upon us. Has developer SNK learned anything? … Continue Reading

The color of money: Survey sheds light on racial makeup of VC industry

The professional venture capital community is more diverse than ever, but employment is still largely dominated by white men, according to the results of a joint census conducted by the National Venture Capital Association and Dow Jones VentureSource, which was released today.

The greatest ethnic diversity  in the venture capital industry is among those who have less than five years’ experience.

“As the venture capital industry continues to contract and the number of professionals declines … Continue Reading

As Palm bidding continues, HP wants a sweet deal to keep webOS in printers (exclusive)

For some strange reason, HP is still really hot on the idea of mating webOS with its printers — to the point where it has become a crucial part of its negotiations to sell off its Palm assets.

In addition to settling on a good price for the Palm goodies, HP is also demanding that potential buyers license webOS back to it on the cheap for use in printers, a source with knowledge of the … Continue Reading

Nexus TV? Samsung working with Google on new Google TV device

Samsung is apparently in “last-stage talks” with Google to produce a new device running the search giant’s Google TV software, reports Reuters.

The Google TV software, which optimizes internet video content for viewing on a television screen, is currently available on Logitech and Sony set-top streaming boxes as well as select Sony smart TVs. With Logitech getting out of the set-top box business, Samsung would take over as the second large electronics manufacturer to produce … Continue Reading

Peter Thiel will give you $100K not to go to college, opens 2012 Thiel Fellowship class

“Don’t go to college.” Four words you probably never heard your mother or father say to you growing up. But that’s exactly what famed entrepreneur Peter Thiel is saying, and he’s upping the ante. “Don’t go to college, and I’ll give you $100,000.”

Pete Thiel, who was an early investor in Facebook and co-founder of PayPal, doesn’t subscribe to the traditional notion of finish high school, getting a degree and then moving into the working … Continue Reading

Facebook phone could be available in 18 months, sources say

The rumored Facebook phone is real and will be manufactured by HTC under the codename “Buffy,” anonymous sources have told AllThingsD.

Although the news site doesn’t indicate where its information comes from, it must have more to report, because this is the first of what AllThingsD says will be a week-long series on the mysterious device. The so-called “Facebook phone” has been at the heart of rampant speculation for more than two years, although the … Continue Reading

Netflix needs cash, selling $200 million in convertible bonds

Netflix is selling $200 million in convertible bonds to Technology Crossover Ventures after a dismal third quarter earnings report.

The company lost north of 800,000 subscribers in its third quarter, rounding out the number to 35.4 million subscribers of both Netflix’s streaming and DVD-rental services. The major subscriber loss came after the company raised its prices 60 percent and then split the company into two parts: Netflix, the streaming arm of the company, and Qwikster, … Continue Reading

Ex-Googlers launch recommendation engine Stamped, with help from Google Ventures

A team of former Googlers has launched an iPhone app, funded by Google Ventures, for recommending experiences you might want to partake in.

Stamped connects to your Facebook and Twitter networks. It seeks to turn the social services into fun and useful sources of experience recommendations, but in a structured way. With luck, the makers hope, Stamped will eliminate the last minute group text messages and chain emails searching for the best places to eat, … Continue Reading

Meg Whitman: HP getting into research, out of big acquisition deals, and “reducing drama”

Meg Whitman said Hewlett-Packard wants to grow more organically in the future.

“If we get out of the big M&A business, we have to invest in R&D,” the chief executive of HP said Monday on her first analyst conference call.

HP is still digesting its $10 billion acquisition of Autonomy, a commercial software company, which was heavily criticized because it commanded so much of HP’s market value in exchange for a gain of about a … Continue Reading

Guardian Media to sell PaidContent.org for up to $20M

Guardian Media Group, which is best known for publishing British newspaper The Guardian, wants to sell its ContentNext group of publications, reports AllThingsD.

The sale would comprise all the publications within ContentNext Media umbrella, which includes PaidContent.org (as well as a U.K. spin-off), MocoNews.net and India-based ContentSutra.com.

Guardian Media is reportedly seeking $15 million to $20 million for the group of publications and affiliated conferences, according to AllThingsD’s report, which cites people familiar with the … Continue Reading

Meg Whitman’s first HP analyst call: We’ll get back to business fundamentals in 2012

Hewlett-Packard will get “back to business fundamentals” in 2012, said Meg Whitman, the newly appointed chief executive of the world’s largest technology company, in a conference call with analysts today.

Whitman’s words will be closely scrutinized on Wall Street, since HP is seen as a bellwether for the overall tech economy.

At the same time, Whitman warned that the macroeconomic problems of the world economy and flooding in Thailand make the company cautious about its … Continue Reading

Cyber criminals attempt to hack into AT&T, no accounts compromised

AT&T was the target of an attack today when cyber criminals attempted to access customer information by connecting phone numbers to online accounts.

“We do not know the intent, but we are concerned they may attempt to deceive our customers by sending them unsolicited texts or emails claiming to be from AT&T and requesting sensitive personal information like Social Security numbers or passwords,” an AT&T spokesperson said in an e-mail to VentureBeat regarding the company’s … Continue Reading

eBay targets couch potatoes with new iPad app feature

Online auction site eBay is launching a new feature for its mobile applications today to help boost purchases from customers while they’re on the couch watching TV.

The move is part of eBay’s new “Couch Commerce” strategy. Users that open up the company’s iPad app will see a new “watch with eBay” tab that lets them type in their zip code, cable provider and current channel. Based on your viewing experience, the app will then … Continue Reading

IPv6 adoption has grown 1,900%, largely due to GoDaddy

Love ‘em or hate ‘em (or their ads), the GoDaddy folks have been the main force behind driving IPv6 adoption, according to a recent census.

The IPv6 Census shows that over the past year, the percentage of zones under .com, .net and .org top level domains with IPv6 support has increased by 1,900 percent.

“This dramatic increase can be primarily attributed to the introduction of support of IPv6 by a single registrar, GoDaddy,” said Infoblox, … Continue Reading

HP beats earnings estimates in Whitman’s first quarterly report

Tech giant Hewlett-Packard reported better than expected earnings today, beating expectations despite a tough world economy and fierce competition.

The report for the fourth fiscal quarter ended Oct. 31 was the first since Meg Whitman took over as chief executive of the technology industry giant in September.|

HP reported non-GAAP earnings of $1.17 a share on revenue of $32.3 billion, compared with $1.33 a share and revenue of $33.3 billion a year ago.

“HP has … Continue Reading

Bradley Manning, alleged WikiLeaks leak, finally gets his court date

PFC Bradley Manning, the U.S. Army soldier who was arrested in May 2010 for passing information to WikiLeaks, has finally been given a court date.

Manning’s hearing will begin December 16, 2011, at Fort Meade, Maryland, and is expected to last around five days.

The majority of the proceedings will be open to the public, except when classified information is being discussed.

The accused’s lawyer says the hearing is being held “to evaluate the relative … Continue Reading

Apple, Microsoft-backed trade group now says “SOPA needs work”

After stirring up controversy with its support of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), the Business Software Alliance (BSA) — an industry trade group that counts the likes of Apple, Microsoft, and 27 other tech companies among its members — now says that the controversial bill “needs work” before it can be passed.

“Valid and important questions have been raised about the bill,” wrote BSA president and CEO Robert Holleyman in a blog post today. … Continue Reading