Point, click: a review of gesture control technologies

The first big hit in gesture control technology was the mouse. If you’re too young to have any pre-digital memories, this might seem like an odd claim. My three-year-old is no more mystified by mice and touchpads than she is by building blocks. Once upon a time, though, we needed lessons in how the motion of a peripheral device rolling around on the table related to the motion of something on the screen called the … Continue Reading

Ranker nets $750K in seed money

Up-and-coming list aggregator Ranker.com is announcing another $750,000 in seed financing, part of a planned $1 million second round. The first $1 million came from company founder Clark Benson, who sold eCrush to Hearst Media in 2006. The second round is led by Siemer Venture Capital and includes a group of angels affiliated with eCrush.

Ranker began in 2008 with Benson’s initial capital investment, and launched a beta site in August 2009. The company claims … Continue Reading

HubCast offers cloud printing for professionals

Billing itself as “the only worldwide cloud print service,” HubCast has been around for a few years now. Today the company is announcing the launch of a professional version of their on-demand commercial printing service with some extra bells and whistles.

It’s a little counterintuitive that a commercial printing company would offer anything other than professional services. That said, the features in the new professional version sound cool enough — you can supposedly upload and … Continue Reading

Tune identifier SoundHound announces new version with Pandora, tour dates

SoundHound, a music discovery app for iPhone, is announcing the release of version 3.1 today. The release includes updates that make the app respond more quickly on launch, as well as integration with Pandora and the addition of tour information.

SoundHound, like the better-known Shazam, is built around the core functionality of tune identification — holding up your iPhone to a radio and being told the name of the song and artist. You can also … Continue Reading

Songza debuts curated playlists to wrestle market share from Pandora

Cool news for music geeks: Songza Media has launched a new internet radio service it is calling Songza Sets. Free to use, it organizes songs into playlists created by actual humans (“music curators” who work for Songza). The concept is not unlike the lists users compile on sites like eMusic and Amazon, but it’s Songza Sets’ exclusive focus.

“There is an abundance of good music online, but a lack of high-quality music programming,” said the … Continue Reading

Skype announces embedded TV service, high-def video calls

LG and Panasonic will be adding Skype service to their internet-connected high-definition TVs, the popular web-telephone company announced today. The television companies are set to debut their new models on Wednesday, the day before the Consumer Electronics Show kicks off in Las Vegas.

Skype-to-Skype voice and video calls will be free, while video calls will require a webcam that is specially designed for the new televisions, with a price tag between $100 to $200. The … Continue Reading

The future of mobile: Q&A with GetJar CEO Ilja Laurs

Ilja Laurs is the founder and CEO of GetJar, the multi-platform app retailer with strong claims to being second only to Apple in number of downloads. Laurs runs GetJar from offices in the UK, Silicon Valley, and his native Lithuania. I spoke to him recently about where he sees the next opportunities in mobile apps.

VentureBeat: Earlier this year in an interview with the BBC, you stated that mobile apps would become “as big … Continue Reading

MIT breaks new ground in gesture control

A group of MIT researchers claims to have made a significant leap in gesture-controlled computing, due to a new kind of LCD screen configuration they describe as a “lenseless camera.” Leveraging recent advances in LCD technology, the team’s so-called BiDirectional or BiDi Screen display is capable of both capturing and displaying images on a very thin screen, creating the possibility for highly sensitive gesture control in devices as small as smart phones.

They debuted a … Continue Reading

Is Google about to gobble up Yelp?

Updated

Google is in the advanced stages of a bid to acquire Yelp for more than half a billion dollars, according to a report in TechCrunch. The acquisition of the popular review site would advance Google’s position in the local search marketplace considerably, given Yelp’s devoted following in metropolitan areas across the U.S. and deep review content on local businesses. Local search blogger Greg Sterling reports that Yelp is estimated to have 8.5 million reviews.… Continue Reading

Time and other publishers announce digital newsstand

Several major magazine and newspaper publishers announced today that they are collaborating on a joint venture that would offer digital magazine content to consumers on a variety of devices, confirming reports of the venture earlier this month. Time Inc.’s John Squires will be interim general manager at the new as-yet-unnamed company.

The consortium of publishers includes many of the biggest names in traditional media: Time Inc., Condé Nast, Hearst, News Corp., and Meredith. Though early … Continue Reading

Print media regroups to launch "iTunes for magazines"

Rumors have been circulating for months that a consortium of major magazine publishers has been at work on a plan to provide digital content through an online store similar to iTunes or Amazon. John Koblin of the New York Observer reported on November 23 that rival magazine publishers Time Inc., Condé Nast, and Hearst appeared to be moving closer to an agreement on the joint venture.

Now the London Times is reporting that News Corp. … Continue Reading