Twofish adds new tools for measuring the economics of social games

Twofish adds new tools for measuring the economics of social games

As companies implement virtual goods on applications in Facebook and other social networks, they need better tools for analyzing how people are buying and selling these goods and how to make more money.

Today, Twofish is offering these companies a set of e-commerce analytics services, called… Continue Reading

Roundup: Brin backs Parkinson’s study, iPhone gets shakable ads, and more

Roundup: Brin backs Parkinson’s study, iPhone gets shakable ads, and more

Google co-founder backs major Parkinson’s study –  Sergey Brin says he plans to contribute money and DNA to a study run by his wife Anne Wojcicki’s startup 23andMe.

Dockers introduces shakable iPhone ad — Users can shake their iPhones to make urban street dancer Dufon perform his moves…. Continue Reading

Twofish announces customers for its virtual goods micro-transaction platform

Twofish announces customers for its virtual goods micro-transaction platform

Twofish is announcing today that it has several customers using its Twofish Elements platform for creating virtual goods and micro-transactions in online games.

The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company outsources the function of creating a transaction system and virtual goods tracking platform for online games. Today, it… Continue Reading

PlaySpan raises $16.8 million for gaming virtual goods platform

PlaySpan raises $16.8 million for gaming virtual goods platform

Virtual goods sales are starting to look better than real world goods sales these days. PlaySpan announced today that it has raised $16.8 million for its virtual goods platform and online payments business for online games.

Karl Mehta, chief executive of the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company… Continue Reading

Twofish raises $4.5M to create economies for virtual worlds

Twofish raises $4.5M to create economies for virtual worlds

Twofish has raised $4.5 million in a second round of funding for its business of creating the economic infrastructure behind virtual worlds. The deal is another indication that the virtual goods economy is heating up, even as the real world economy spirals downward.

The Palo Alto,… Continue Reading

Roundup: Digg, Zunephone, Twofish, and MontaVista’s curious layoff

Roundup: Digg, Zunephone, Twofish, and MontaVista’s curious layoff

Latest tech roundup:

Digg removes listing of top diggers — The news ranking company has removed its list of the people who have contributed most do top Digg stories, to stop gaming of the site, or at least the perception of gaming. For starters, it removes the… Continue Reading

PayPal’s “other” story, and Wikio, Infinera, Zoho, Omnidrive & more

PayPal’s “other” story, and Wikio, Infinera, Zoho, Omnidrive & more

Roundup of the latest action in Silicon Valley & tech:

PayPal’s origin explored, one more time — Online payments company Paypal has spawned more Internet entrepreneurs from its founding team than any other company we know. Yet PayPal had a rushed and tumultuous birth; if you’re curious… Continue Reading