Sean Ludwig is a staff writer for VentureBeat, and he covers mobile tech, cloud computing, and streaming media. Previously, he has written for PCMag, Fast Company, Computer Shopper, LAPTOP Magazine, Seattle Weekly, and others. When he’s not writing into the late hours of the night, he’s seeing ridiculous concerts, walking New York City, and eating Ben & Jerry’s. You can follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. Sean stands behind everything in VentureBeat’s ethics statement. Please send all pitches to tips@venturebeat.com.

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MessageMe nabs $10M from Greylock, Google, & others to take on WhatsApp

Better watch out, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Hot messaging app MessageMe has just raised $10 million in its first round of funding.

Marketing automation firm Marketo shares jump 55% in energetic IPO

Marketing automation business Marketo made its debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange today, and early trading looks strong, with shares up 55 percent over initial pricing.

‘Big data’ biz Tableau shares explode 60% in strong IPO debut

Enterprise tech IPOs have seen some big movement over the past few years. Now we can add big data and data visualization company Tableau Software to the list.

Yahoo said to be mulling investment in, or acquisition of, Tumblr

If you can't be cool, why not buy someone who is? That's what Yahoo is looking to do with a potential investment in hot blogging service Tumblr, according to Adweek and All Things D.

Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey is terrible at Vine

You'd think Twitter cofounder and Square CEO Jack Dorsey would be a whiz at social media. But his posts to Twitter's young video-sharing service Vine are a mix of weirdly creepy and just-plain-boring clips.

Bitcoin startups get hotter: BitPay nabs $2M from Founders Fund & others

There's no shortage of money being thrown at digital currency Bitcoin. Now relatively young Bitcoin startup BitPay has announced that it has raised $2 million more in funding

Car-sharing startup RelayRides halts NYC service after cease and desist

Sometimes regulation puts the brakes on innovation. Now car-sharing startup RelayRides has suspended its service in New York City after being served with a cease-and-desist letter.

Gmail gets ‘quick action’ buttons that let you RSVP to events & more from your inbox

While Google already added sending cash via Gmail, it has also debuted new "quick action" buttons in Gmail that let you RSVP to events and more -- all without leaving the inbox.

Google makes sending cash to a friend as easy as sending an email

As if today's other announcements weren't enough, Google is also bringing Google Wallet support to Gmail, making it incredibly easy to send friends and family payments by just sending an email.

Google opens up AWS competitor Compute Engine to all, adds PHP to App Engine

Google cloud infrastructure service Compute Engine is now open to all developers who want to use it.

Google has rebuilt Maps from ‘ground up,’ with iPad version coming this summer

One big key to the revamp is that Google Maps is based on vector imagery and delivered via WebGL.

Hangouts, the best part of Google+, gets standalone iOS, Android, & Chrome apps

Hangouts, the free multiperson video chat and messaging service inside Google+, has been broken out into its own standalone apps for iOS, Android, and Chrome.

Automated video editing app Magisto launches one of Google’s first ‘native’ Chrome apps

Just ahead of Google I/O, "magic" movie editing application Magisto has announced it is one of the first apps to launch on Google Chrome’s packaged app platform.

Expensify takes on Freshbooks with invoicing & billing features

Popular expense report startup Expensify has added the ability to invoice and bill clients from inside its cloud-based dashboard.

Square shows off $300 ‘Stand’ to help retailers ditch old-school cash registers

Mobile payments business Square has debuted a new piece of hardware called the Square Stand that makes using an iPad as a cash register a more elegant solution.

Microsoft ditches Blue for Windows 8.1 and tabs it as a free update

Microsoft corporate VP Tami Reller said today that the next major update to Windows will be called Windows 8.1 and that it will be available for free before the end of the year.

BlackBerry updates enterprise software for BB10, iOS, and Andriod devices

BlackBerry has always been primarily known as a smartphone for the workplace, but it has lost that status in recent years as iPhone and Android have steadily gained ground in enterprises. But that doesn’t mean BlackBerry won’t keep vying for …

Microsoft boldly adds Google to list of chat services in Outlook.com & SkyDrive

In a move to get more people to try its sleek email app Outlook.com, Microsoft has smartly added Google to its list of chat services, joining Facebook and Skype chat.

Database-as-a-service Cloudant nabs $12M from Devonshire, Rackspace, & more

Hot database-as-a-service startup Cloudant has raised $12 million in its second round of funding.