CultureLick sings for net neutrality, led by Facebook’s Randi Zuckerberg
A group of wannabe-superstars from the tech world just released a video called “Bits Don’t Lie” (embedded below), a plea in favor of net neutrality based on the Shakira song “Hips Don’t Lie.”
The amount of musical talent on display is, uh, variable, but it definitely lays out the pro-neutrality argument in a memorable fashion. Sample lyric: “The bandwidth, the freedom, don’t you see, baby, this is so open.”
“Bits Don’t Lie” is the inaugural episode of… Continue Reading
Roundup: Layoffs hit Flickr, Apple’s 3D desktop, and more
Here’s the latest action:
Yahoo troubles hit Flickr — George Oates, one of the Yahoo-owned photo site’s early employees, is among the latest layoffs.
Apple to build 3D desktop? — It’s exploring the possibility, according to patent filings published by MacRumors.
Palm may unveil new operating system at Consumer Electronics Show – The mobile device company isn’t commenting, but at least one analyst thinks this is likely.
Former chairman says Intel should power cars — Andrew Grove is urging chief executive Paul… Continue Reading
DeviceVM’s ‘instant on’ software gets another $15M
DeviceVM, a company that allows you to use your computer while it’s booting up, has raised another $15 million in funding.
The San Jose, Calif. company’s software is called Splashtop, and it comes preinstalled on PCs and motherboards. When those PCs are turned on, or when users hit a special key, they can use Splashtop within a few seconds to check their email, chat with friends, get on the Internet and more. (See screenshot below.) Although… Continue Reading
Guidester rebrands as Searchandise, raises $7.5M
Guidester, a search merchandising company, has rebranded itself as Searchandise Commerce and raised a $7.5 million third round of funding, according to VentureWire. The company also has a new home-base, moving its headquarters from New York to Beverly, Mass.
Using Searchandise’s core product HitList, manufacturers can make cost-per-click bids to retailers to obtain a high-profile spot on their search results. The retailer gets extra revenue, the merchandiser gets the online equivalent of a prominent in-store display.
Searchandise’s… Continue Reading
Database company TrackVia raises first round
TrackVia, the maker of an online database with a point-and-click interface, has raised an undisclosed first round of venture funding, according to TechCrunch. Backers include Flywheel Ventures and Access Venture Partners, with participation from several angel investors, including Tim Draper.
The company, founded in 2005 and based in Denver, describes it product as “easy as a spreadsheet, powerful as a database.”
Roundup: Microsoft ads for News Corp., Paramount’s virtual goods, and more
1. WSJ Digital Network hires Microsoft for ads
2. Paramount Pictures, live in virtual world Habbo
3. Tim Draper raising fund for entertainment startups
4. MPAA downplay claim of movie piracy at colleges
5. Southern Cross first Aussie VC firm to open Silicon Valley office
6. How to find private photos on SmugMug
7. Redpoint Ventures does well with Fraud Sciences
8. Sprint and Clearwire revive WiMAX plan
9. VCs showed best returns of 2007 in Q2
Wall Street Journal Digital Network hires Microsoft… Continue Reading
Roundup: Six Apart’s memo, VCs and sex toys, WiMax in 2008, Newser.com & more
Here’s the latest (updated) action:
Six Apart’s headaches — The blogging software market is highly competitive, so small differences in quality can make a difference in user adoption. Six Apart, a Silicon Valley start-up that offers several blogging software platforms, including Movable Type, has released a product after acknowledging internally it could make developers mad. [Six Apart’s Anil Dash has since responded in comments, saying the company took time to fix the bugs for the release. The… Continue Reading
Roundup: Doppelganger targets SecondLife, Draper bankrolls sex toys & more
The latest in Silicon Valley:
Doppelganger raise $5M more for virtual world focused on teens — Doppelganger is the San Francisco start-up taking aim at the teen, or MTV audience (see our earlier coverage). It launched last year with a virtual club featuring the band the Pussycat Dolls, and is signing deals with other bands. Teens can design their avatars, chat with other sexy avatars, including of the band members themselves, and dance. Chief executive Andrew Littlefield… Continue Reading
IM service Meebo growing quickly, raises more cash
Meebo is an instant message service loved by students, because they can use it from any computer, even at school. Its usage keeps growing — it doubled registered users to more than a million over the past three months.
The meta-instant messaging service (it works across Google, AOL, Yahoo Messenger, etc) announced tonight it has raised $9 million in venture capital from Draper Fisher Jurvetson — a round we’d hinted was coming. In its statement, the… Continue Reading
Phonezoo offers free, extensive ringtone download service
Updated
Phonezoo is a new Silicon Valley start-up that makes downloading ringtones a fun activity, even for us at VentureBeat who have so far snubbed the trend.
Phonezoo, of Sunnyvale, has been in testing mode until now, but today launched publicly. We’ve tried it. You go through an easy registration process, where you list your phone, so Phonezoo knows how to best transcode ringtones for your particular phone.
Once enter the Phonezoo site, you can explore ringtones that… Continue Reading