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.

stories by Sean Ludwig

Study: Facebook mobile ads are 4 times more engaging than Twitter ads (updated)

Update 7/20/2012: TBG Digital has revised its report. The company said Friday that Twitter’s engagement rate on Promoted Tweets is between 1 and 3 percent on desktop and is even higher on mobile.

In a sign that Facebook may finally …

Split your work & personal lives with Divide for the iPhone

Mobile business software startup Enterproid has brought its ingenious Android-based Divide app for separating your business and personal life to the iPhone, a move that will increase its exposure with the enterprise.

Enterproid’s Divide software has become a popular solution …

IBM beats expectations for Q2 with net income up 6%

While the world economy has been jittery in recent months, IBM was still able to pull off decent Q2 earnings with net income up but revenue slightly down.

IBM reported Q2 net income of $3.9 billion, up 6 percent versus …

Early iPad prototype revealed in court documents (photos)

Photos of the earliest known iPad prototype from the early 2000s have hit the web, thanks to some digging by the fine folks at NetworkWorld.

The photos, which have been lifted from Apple and Samsung court documents, show a bulky …

AppDirect grabs $8.5M to power cloud app stores, partners with Rackspace

Cloud marketplace platform AppDirect has raised $8.5 million in its first round of funding.

AppDirect’s platform has made it possible for companies like Deutsche Telekom, Bell Canada, Appcelerator, and new partner Rackspace to launch cloud service marketplaces. High-profile apps, including …

Google says Nexus 7 orders will arrive soon

If you’ve been waiting patiently for your Nexus 7 tablet to arrive, your wait is almost up. Google’s hotly anticipated device will ship by Thursday to most U.S. customers who preordered, unless you ordered accessories with the tablet.

The Google …

The Onion spoofs ‘the cloud’ — and it’s hysterical

Satirical news organization The Onion has set its sights on “that cloud thing” with a new video spoof that makes fun of Hewlett-Packard’s cloud push and the incessant jargon that gets thrown around when talking about the cloud and technology …

Barnes & Noble debuts Nook for Web for browser-based reading

Bookseller Barnes & Noble has debuted Nook for Web, a way to read Nook titles through a browser without having to download software, the company announced today.

Barnes & Noble is in the middle of an e-reading war with Amazon …

Autodesk to buy hot video app Socialcam for $60M

Software company Autodesk has agreed to buy quickly growing video app Socialcam for $60 million, the company announced Tuesday.

Socialcam, along with video sharing rivals Viddy and Klip, aims to be the next “Instagram for video,” but the startup’s buy …

Hybrid cloud storage biz Egnyte snags $16M from Google Ventures, KPCB, & Polaris

Enterprise cloud storage startup Egnyte has raised $16 million from Google Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and Polaris Venture Partners in its third round of funding, the company announced Tuesday.

Egnyte helps businesses with various hybrid cloud storage solutions …

Zadara Storage raises $7M to speed up Amazon’s & Rackspace’s clouds (exclusive)

Cloud startup Zadara Storage has completed a $7 million first round of funding, cash that should help get the word out about its service that gives you much more control over the public cloud.

As we’ve written before, Zadara can …

Like Windows 8, Office 2013 pushes clean design and versatility (hands on)

After numerous rumors and leaks, Microsoft has finally unveiled Office 2013, a versatile version of the well-known suite that tentatively embraces the future.

I was able to get my hands on the software running on a Samsung-made Windows 8 tablet …

Microsoft debuts Office 2013, a modern reimagining of Word, Excel, & more (updated)

Microsoft has finally announced Office 2013, a modern, touch-friendly, and cloud-connected version of its widely used productivity suite.

The next 12 months will bring major changes for Microsoft, which will release a new version of Office, its Windows 8 operating …

Prolific YouTuber Dan Bull censored by copyright claims (video)

What happens when people who protest about copyright law are silenced by copyright infringement claims? YouTube rapper and commentator Dan Bull believes this has happened to him, so he’s taken to YouTube to document his experience.

The case begins with …

On the ‘startup bus’ to Montreal, early-stage founders network and chase dreams

It’s 11 p.m., I’m drinking a can of Molson, and the bus passengers are finally quieting down as we get closer to New York City, where we departed two days ago. Many founders from promising early-stage startups from around the …

Kinect-based medical startup Jintronix wins International Startup Festival’s top prize

Founder of new startup gives physical therapy a technological boost after watching his father struggle with recovering from a stroke.

DNS inventor Paul Mockapetris to startups: ‘Complexity is your enemy’

When Paul Mockapetris invented the Internet’s Domain Name System (DNS), he had no idea his creation would come to shape parts of the web for many years to come. But because he started simple and had a future-looking plan, his …

What it’s like pitching to grandmas acting like VCs

If you ever thought pitching a VC was hard, maybe you should try giving your talk to a pack of grandmothers who aren’t afraid to ask tough questions.

Among the most popular events happening today at Montreal’s International Startup Festival …

Paul Kedrosky: Only 8 Valley startups matter & that’s a serious problem

Investor Paul Kedrosky and StockTwits CEO Howard Lindzon were supposed to debate each other Thursday at the International Startup Festival but instead ended up agreeing on almost everything, including that the world needs more “startups that matter.”

“On an annual …