Online video player Brightcove prices IPO at $10-12 a share, could raise $60M

Online video startup Brightcove has set the price range for its initial public offering at $10 to $12 a share and could raise up to $60 million, according to its latest S-1 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Brightcove makes it possible for large and small content providers to publish video content to the web completely using HTML5 rather than Adobe Flash. On top of standard video, the company also has live, on-demand, and … Continue Reading

HTML5 versus Adobe Flash (infographic)

One of Steve Jobs’ last major acts before passing was to launch an attack on Adobe Flash. Mobile Apple devices began blocking Flash-powered content, and Apple even went so far as to prevent iOS developers from using Flash — one of the most popular multimedia programming platforms — in their apps. Apple positioned HTML5 not as an alternative, but as a replacement. A few months later that decision was reversed based on “developer feedback” (i.e. … Continue Reading

Grooveshark launches HTML5 mobile app to get around being banned in app stores

Streaming music service Grooveshark has launched an HTML5 web application that can stream music through iOS and Android mobile web browsers, the company announced today.

Grooveshark has been in legal hot water with the major music labels because it doesn’t have broad licensing agreements to play the majority of its music, unlike Spotify, MOG, Rdio and Rhapsody. Much like YouTube, Grooveshark depends on users to legally upload music that can be enjoyed by the community. … Continue Reading

The top gaming technologies of 2011

Each year brings a host of new technologies to the table that make the gaming landscape seem significantly different from what came before, and 2011 was no different. Here are some of the most important technological advancements the game industry saw in the past 12 months.

Nintendo 3DS

After Nintendo’s press conference just before E3 2010, it seemed all anybody in the game industry could talk about was the “wow factor” of Nintendo’s newest portable … Continue Reading

The DeanBeat: Game industry predictions for 2012

We all know how worthless predictions can be, but they’re kind of irresistible. They’re easy to make, particularly if nobody pays attention to whether they came true or not. I could come up with a lot of crazy forecasts, like Zynga buys Ubisoft. But I’ll try to stay real this year. If you have some ideas of your own, please leave them in the comments and take our poll at the end.

1. Social and … Continue Reading

Facebook phone could be available in 18 months, sources say

The rumored Facebook phone is real and will be manufactured by HTC under the codename “Buffy,” anonymous sources have told AllThingsD.

Although the news site doesn’t indicate where its information comes from, it must have more to report, because this is the first of what AllThingsD says will be a week-long series on the mysterious device. The so-called “Facebook phone” has been at the heart of rampant speculation for more than two years, although the … Continue Reading

Sibblingz exploits Adobe’s retreat from mobile Flash with Spaceport 3.0

Sibblingz, the maker of a cross-platform game engine, is exploiting Adobe’s retreat from the mobile Flash plug-in business with the launch of the Spaceport 3.0 platform today.

Adobe created a hole in the market when it admitted finally that it will be unable to create a version of its Flash that can run on mobile devices. Sibblingz is stepping into that hole to provide game developers with a platform that enables them to create web … Continue Reading

Korean game startup Pangalore targets HTML5 games

More and more game companies are turning to the HTML5 web format to create cross-platform games. The latest is Pangalore, a social and mobile game startup based in Seoul.

Pangalore was founded in May to create games that can run on multiple platforms by using HTML5 as their technical foundation. Pangalore built from scratch a game engine that can work within the limits of HTML5, said Doyon Kim, chief product officer and co-founder of the … Continue Reading

Adobe confirms mobile Flash is dead, will focus on apps and HTML5

Adobe has confirmed that it will cease development of Flash on mobile devices, saying that it will instead focus on HTML5 and apps for mobile platforms.

News about mobile Flash’s demise hit last night from ZDNet, and Adobe confirmed the report in a blog post this morning.

The announcement comes after Apple boldly chose not to support Flash on the iPhone in 2007, citing concerns about the technology’s performance. Now it seems Steve Jobs was … Continue Reading

Salesforce debuts Do.com, a smart social productivity app for small teams

Salesforce has revealed a new web-based application called Do.com that combines task management with social features to create a smart way to get things done on your own and in groups.

Several other companies have tried and failed to make task management successful (there’s fresh competition from former Facebook staffers with Asana), so it’s telling to see Salesforce, which is known for its enterprise apps, trying to take a stab in this space. This suggests … Continue Reading

Appcelerator acquires HTML5 platform company Particle Code

HTML5 development platform-maker Particle Code has been
acquired by Appecelerator for an undisclosed sum, the company announced Monday. The deal brings together the business side of the house, as well as deep tech, says Particle Code chief executive officer Galia Benartzi.

Particle Code, which was a DEMO 2010 DEMOgod winner, allows developers to create a unified web experience across devices. Appcelerator is known for its Titanium tool, which is used by clients such as NBC, … Continue Reading

The DeanBeat: What does Zynga’s big unveil event mean for its IPO?

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, I’m writing a column on business and technology called The DeanBeat, while executive editor Dylan Tweney is writing a column on business and technology called Dylan’s Desk. They are available to newsletter subscribers a whole day before they appear on the VentureBeat website.

Zynga’s announcement of 10 mobile and social game initiatives on Tuesday was a clear attempt to set the stage for the company’s initial public offering. Was it a … Continue Reading

MocoSpace acquires location-based mobile game platform Geocade

Mobile game maker MocoSpace, has acquired Geocade, a location-based mobile game platform, the company announced today.

The deal shows that MocoSpace wants to take its web-based mobile apps to the next level by imbuing them with location-based elements. Geocade’s location-based social game platform is used in games that have been downloaded more than 30 million times.

As part of the deal, Geocade founder and chief executive Jim Caralis will join MocoSpace as vice president of … Continue Reading

Can a single game reach a billion players?

A growing number of game visionaries are saying a single game can reach a billion people. That idea has become a cause célèbre, providing a target for an industry that is expanding beyond its old boundaries.

For skeptics who believe we’re in the midst of a gaming industry bubble, the idea is just more evidence of mass hysteria among game makers. But the believers say that they can see the stepping stones to the goal, … Continue Reading

More evidence Facebook will make a mobile announcement next week

Social network giant Facebook may kick its mobile strategy into high gear next week, debuting both its long-awaited iPad application and an HTML5-based mobile app platform, and now there is more evidence in the form of leaked screenshots of an HTML5 Facebook project discovered by TechCrunch.

Despite 350 million of its 800 million total active users accessing the social network through mobile devices every day, Facebook hasn’t made any significant strides in mobile for over … Continue Reading

SlideShare boosts mobile abilities with new HTML5-powered site

Presentation sharing startup SlideShare on Tuesday launched a new HTML5-powered site that eliminates the need for Adobe Flash for slideshows and works seamlessly on mobile devices like Apple iPad and iPhone.

The popular service follows others like LinkedIn and Pandora that have based their sites completely on HTML5 to improve the mobile experience and work seamlessly on Apple iOS devices, which are growing more popular by the day and famously don’t support Flash in the … Continue Reading

Facebook may launch iPad and HTML5 iPhone apps at Apple’s Oct. 4th event

Facebook is finally launching its iPad application and will be doing so at Apple’s October 4th event, rumored to be the release of the iPhone 5.

According to Mashable‘s sources, the social network may also introduce its latest iPhone app, potentially revamped in HTML5, at the same event.

The app has been long-awaited. In July, iPad-wielding Facebookers were given a taste of what may come when screenshots of the app were leaked. The app has … Continue Reading

After three pivots, Playhaven finds a niche in monetizing mobile apps

Playhaven started life as a gamer’s social network. Then it morphed into making communities for mobile games. Now, after its third pivot, the company is focused on how to make money for mobile app developers via a real-time game marketing platform.

Andy Yang, who took over as chief executive in March at San Francisco-based Playhaven, acknowledges the company has been on a rollercoaster in the past few years as it adapted to all of the … Continue Reading