Facebook says “mobile” is big risk — starting with Android and iOS

Facebook said its users are increasingly using mobile devices, and that this is risky because the social network still hasn’t figured out how it can make money from mobile ads.

A majority of Facebook users still access the site on their personal computers, where Facebook makes a lot of money from ads served on its web pages. However, increasingly, more users are going mobile (indeed, 425 million of them and counting), partly because of Facebook’s … Continue Reading

Silicon Valley and Colorado companies — Do you sizzle? (Reminder)

Just a reminder to Silicon Valley- and Colorado-based companies: VentureBeat is joining up with two great venture capital firms to offer feedback on your product.

Yes, there’s something in it for VentureBeat. We’re on the prowl to find the most exciting products to write about (eventually, when your product is ready), and also to invite to launch our upcoming DEMO conference. The next DEMO takes place April 17-19 in Silicon Valley.

And yes, there’s something … Continue Reading

Silicon Valley companies: Get feedback from VentureBeat and Kleiner Perkins

If you’re based in the Bay Area, and are building the next tech product that will change the world, consider joining me for a feedback session with one of the city’s most respected venture capital groups, Kleiner Perkins.

Kleiner has offered to give feedback to your idea before it comes to market, including on your technology, business model and go-to-market strategy. And if there’s a fit, we can also discuss your launching opportunities at DEMO … Continue Reading

BlackBerry’s leadership failure: The symbol of software’s triumph over hardware

The decline of Research in Motion‘s Blackberry smartphone, reflected in the resignations tonight of co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis, represents the admission of failure — finally — by a leadership regime that had been in place for a decade.

More significantly, it represents the official triumph of software over hardware.

RIM has been killed by the guys in the valley, who offer superior software platforms, Apple and Google. But it’s entirely another question whether … Continue Reading

Boston companies: Get feedback on Feb 14 from the best mentors in town

If you’re an entrepreneur based in the Boston area and are building the next big disruptive tech company, join us for a private feedback session with three of the top tech mentors in town.

VentureBeat is on a world tour. We’re prowling to find the most exciting products to write about and to invite to the upcoming DEMO conference. The next DEMO takes place April 17-19 in Silicon Valley.

The free pre-DEMO Boston session will … Continue Reading

With Google+ favoritism, Google has decided to sell its soul — and it may pay

Google’s introduction of Google+ links into its search results is a big departure from the company’s previous more neutral approach to search, and it exposes the company to a huge risk.

It opens up the company to significant criticism from not just insiders but regular folks too, if they come to realize that Google is now favoring itself in search results, and therefore is no longer as useful. On the other hand, Google is making … Continue Reading

Obama’s anti-SOPA stance seeks compromise to Silicon Valley-Hollywood standoff

Updated with response from the pro-SOPA lobby

The Obama administration issued a statement earlier today saying that it supports a serious legislative response to piracy problems but will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk or undermines “the dynamic innovative global Internet.”

While the statement did not mention the much debated Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) by name, it was clearly intended to respond to the furious debate around it – … Continue Reading

iPad 3 completes checklist: With speedy LTE by March, it maintains marketing edge against Android

The iPad 3 will run on the next-generation wireless networks called long-term evolution, or LTE, according to a report by Bloomberg. This lets Apple’s iPad keep the marketing edge against Android tablets.

Some manufacturers of Google’s Android-based tablets are hitting the market first with LTE. But overall, if the iPad gets LTE support by March, as expected according to these reports, Apple will have completed a checklist of extremely compelling features for the device — … Continue Reading

GamesBeat aspires to become bible of the games industry: acquires Bitmob

I’m delighted to confirm that VentureBeat has acquired Bitmob, the respected gaming news site known for its passionate community of users. Bitmob will be integrated with our GamesBeat channel.

The best part of the deal: Bitmob co-founder Dan “Shoe” Hsu, an industry veteran with significant street cred with gamers, will become the Editor-in-Chief of GamesBeat. He’ll join Dean Takahashi, our lead games writer, who has done an incredible job getting GamesBeat off the ground over … Continue Reading

Denver-Boulder companies: Get feedback from VentureBeat and Foundry Group

Are you in the Boulder, Colorado area and have the next big disruptive tech idea?

If so, you’ll want to apply to join a special meetup we are hosting with one of Boulder’s most respected venture capitalists, Foundry Group.

Basically, we’re offering awesome, free feedback about your idea.

Here are the details: We’re inviting 10 companies who plan to launch products soon to pitch their ideas to a few key members at Foundry as well … Continue Reading

How to tell your story in 2-4 minutes…and win

One of the things I’ve learned over the past two years years while leading the DEMO conference is that great entrepreneurs are able to pitch their company stories clearly and engagingly in about two minutes.

I’ve now seen thousands of pitches, and it’s surprising how few entrepreneurs have mastered this. A flat or unfocused pitch can cause serious harm to your chances. Potential investors give up trying to see magic in you. Potential business partners … Continue Reading

Leonard Nimoy to join Woz at our DEMO Enterprise tomorrow

I’m delighted to announce that Leonard Nimoy will joining us at our special event tomorrow that focuses on technology innovation that is hitting the enterprise.

The event, “DEMO Enterprise Disruption: An Evening of Change & Innovation,” which takes place in San Francisco, is already full, so we can’t take anymore registrants. However, we’ll be running a live feed of the event on our home page. So tune in to VentureBeat starting at 6:15 pm PST … Continue Reading

Can you code PHP like a Ninja? We should talk

Wanted!

Someone to help us change the face of modern news reporting.

VentureBeat is looking for an experienced PHP coder with experience working on WordPress VIP.

Design skills are a big plus. We’re looking for a coder who is creative, and who is also familiar with the LAMP stack.  You’ll be working on various widgets and CSS JS interactions, but also more ambitious products that we’re rolling out on VentureBeat over the next year.

You will be … Continue Reading

Are you a student, with a sexy enterprise company? We want to hear from you

Here are more details on VentureBeat’s special event in SF on January 5 focused on innovation in the enterprise. Why enterprise? Well, it’s one of the sexier areas for entrepreneurs right now.

Sure, the consumer companies — Facebook, Zynga, Twitter — led the revolution. But now the disruptive social media and cloud computing trends are hitting the enterprise — and there’s a lot of action there.

As mentioned, the first part of the event in … Continue Reading

Groupon co-founders invest $1M-plus into an anti-Groupon: Belly

Belly, a loyalty and customer rewards program for small and medium sized businesses, launched today in Chicago, announcing it has received more than $1 million in seed capital from Lightbank, the firm owned by the co-founders of Groupon.

In a way, New Belly can be considered the opposite of Groupon. Groupon is known for helping businesses with customer “acquisition,” and has been criticized for being a pump and dump sort of business — maximizing customers … Continue Reading

Are you New York’s next huge e-commerce startup?: Get feedback from RRE Ventures tomorrow (reminder)

[Update: Couple of spots left for tomorrow; last call.]

If you’re based in New York and looking to launch your next big tech product soon, join me for a private feedback session on Tuesday, December 13 with one of the city’s most respected venture capital groups, RRE Ventures.

VentureBeat is on a world tour, going country-to-country looking for exciting products. We’re looking for great stories to write about, of course. But we’re also … Continue Reading

College students (and other tech startup addicts): We want you!

VentureBeat, as mentioned, is kicking off 2012 by co-hosting a special event in San Francisco on January 5, focused on disruption in the enterprise.

Among other things, we’ll feature an on-stage demonstration by Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple and currently chief scientist at Fusion-io, which is co-hosting the event. Can’t say more at this point, but it will be pretty cool (press can request access here). That is a closed-door, invite-only event. But we’ll follow … Continue Reading

BioLite — a camping stove that cooks meals with nothing but twigs as fuel

BioLite, a company that has produced a safe, efficient cooking stove that uses wood or twigs as fuel, has gotten a boost from a $1.8 million infusion of cash from investors.

The company has so far produced a cooking stove for use in developing countries (see picture top left). But the funding will help it produce another nifty stove for campers just wanting to be efficient while off the grid, to be available next year … Continue Reading

Didn’t know about Amazon Price Check? Well now you do — rush to save $15 tonight

Amazon kicked up a stink yesterday, after it announced a special offer to save $15 today (Saturday) when customers using its price-comparison feature to check out prices at offline merchants.

The offer, valid for today, and still announced on Amazon’s Price Check app page, lets you get a 5 percent discount (up to $5 on select items in electronics, toys, sports, music and DVDs), on up to three times. You just check prices on any … Continue Reading

Tens of thousands rise in Moscow. Will social media spur another revolution?

Tens of thousands of Russians protested in streets of Moscow Saturday chanting that Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin is “a thief,” in one of the largest anti-Kremlin demonstrations since the struggles of the post-Soviet collapse in 1993.

The protests have put Putin in a bind. The unrest doesn’t appear to be dissipating anytime soon: The crowds vowed a larger protest on Dec. 24.

And it comes as a surprise to Putin, who just a few months … Continue Reading