PopCap, BigOven.com among those with top selling iPad apps
By John Cook on Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 1:25pm PDT
Apple's iPad hasn't even been out a week, so I'll grant you that it is a little early to be doing a deep analysis on who the winners and losers are in the app store. But I was interested to learn that two of the top 25 selling applications for the new touchscreen device -- at least as of this afternoon -- were developed by Seattle startups. PopCap Games currently ranks 14th in the paid apps category for its $9.99 game "Plants vs. Zombies HD." And not too far behind is BigOven, which ranks 24th with its app "170,000 Recipes and Grocery List." | | SPONSORED POST | Don't leave money on the table
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By John Cook on Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 12:40pm PDT
Want to check out some geek comedy? We've got free tickets to give away for Chris Hardwick's stand-up comedy show this Saturday at the Showbox in downtown Seattle. Hardwick is host of G4's "Web Soup" and the gadget reviewer on "Attack of the Show," so his comedy routine certainly will appeal to those who enjoy watching a little bit of digital failure. Hardwick also writes the popular Nerdist blog, and contributes to Wired magazine. If you want the free tickets, just email me at johncook@bizjournals.com with the subject line "laughs" and why you'd like to go. The first two people to email me coherent responses will win a pair of tickets each. (Please include contact information). Enjoy, and thanks to our friends at the Showbox for thinking of the TechFlash community for this special offer. | | SPONSORED POST | Seattle University Software Engineering
Upgrade your career! Earn your Masters degree while continuing to work full-time. Our balanced curriculum of technical and management courses enhances professional leadership in planning, design and development of today's software systems. More information here. |  | | Microsoft pledges not to scan email for ads, and other notes
By Todd Bishop on Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 12:00pm PDT
Microsoft is publicly promising not to engage in the practice of serving up ads based on the contents of emails, according to a report by InfoWorld, citing remarks by Tim O'Brien, Microsoft's director of platform strategy, during the SaaSCon 2010 conference in Santa Clara, Calif. Google's Gmail is probably the highest-profile example of the practice, which can be unnerving, especially for casual computer users who don't realize what's going on. The search company reassured InfoWorld in a statement that "no human being ever reads the emails sent or received during this process." A preliminary version of the first big service-pack update for Windows 7 has apparently leaked out ahead of schedule. GeekSmack posted screenshots of Windows 7 SP1, noting that the installation process was faster than they experienced with Windows Vista service packs. (Via Engadget) More 'Industry Speak': KING-TV reporter Tim Robinson's head would be spinning over this one: Microsoft Announces Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Nonprofits and NGOs. Translation: Microsoft is offering a version of its customer-relationship management software that has been customized for use by nonprofit agencies and non-governmental organizations, helping them manage donations, volunteers, and other important stuff. Microsoft this morning released a new test of the next iteration of its Windows HPC (High-Performance Computing) Server, which is used by scientists and others with massive computational needs. Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 Beta 2, as it's known, adds new features including integration with Windows 7 workstations. The final version is due out later this year. Real-time info for computer-security geeks: Microsoft's Security Response Center, the team that investigates and addresses reports of online threats against (and vulnerabilities in) the company's software, has just launched a Twitter account: @MSFTSecResponse. More information available on the team's blog. | | SPONSORED POST | Attention Web Developers
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By John Cook on Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 11:34am PDT
Spending on online advertising declined 3.4 percent to $22.7 billion during 2009, according to a report out today from the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers. And while many companies hoping to make money through online ads would see that as bad news, today's report also was filled with some positive nuggets which indicated that the industry might be headed for a rebound. For one, the fourth quarter of last year saw a record amount of spending at $6.3 billion. Secondly, the 3.4 percent drop is rather small compared to the double digit declines which occurred during the dot-com meltdown of 2001 (ad spending off 12 percent) and 2002 (ad spending off 16 percent). | Steve Jobs forgets iPad camera, Seattle app developer fills void
By John Cook on Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 1:00am PDT
One of the biggest criticisms we've heard about Apple's new iPad is the lack of a built-in camera. But even though Steve Jobs and crew may have left that crucial feature off the list this time around, an enterprising Seattle app developer is looking to fill the void. Michael Burford, who ironically had his Strip Poker apps removed from the App store two months ago during Apple's infamous porn purge, is back in action with a 99 cent app called "Camera for iPad." When the app is running on both the iPhone and the iPad simultaneously, it wirelessly connects the devices via Bluetooth. That allows photographers to use their iPhones to take photos with an iPad, which Burford describes in the product description as nothing short of magic. | Trulia knocks on Zillow's door with new rental listing service
By John Cook on Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 12:24am PDT
Over the years, we've been entertained by the public duel between the online real estate upstarts Trulia and Zillow.com. The rivals always seem to be about two steps apart from one another when it comes to releasing new features. So, I was hardly surprised to learn tonight that San Francisco-based Trulia was adding rental listings to the mix. Why? Zillow.com unveiled a similar offering about four months ago. [Post updated] | Judge denies Paul Allen's request in litigation with former workers
By John Cook on Tuesday, April 6, 2010, 10:42pm PDT
Billionaire Paul Allen has received another legal setback in a complex case involving the financial rewards of two former investment professionals at his private investment firm Vulcan Capital. A King County Superior Court Judge today upheld an arbitration panel's previous ruling, denying Allen's claims that one of the members of the arbitration panel was "tainted." David Capobianco and Navin Thukkaram, who were laid off from Vulcan in 2008 and say they are owed money from previous investments made while at Allen's investment firm, issued this statement. | TechStars featured on King 5
By John Cook on Tuesday, April 6, 2010, 5:54pm PDT
I always get a kick when the local TV news covers the startup community. And that was the case today as King 5 interviewed Seattle angel investor Andy Sack about the upcoming launch of the business incubator TechStars. It is absolutely hilarious when King 5's Tim Robinson gives Sack a hard time for talking in "industry speak." Robinson ends the piece -- which also features Andy Liu of BuddyTV -- by giving some basic startup advice. "It starts with an idea. But the difference between most of the people who make it and and the rest of the people with all of the ideas, is that the people who make it really stick to it and they work hard." Hat tip to Xconomy, which has a good roundup of all the interesting tech media coverage today. | Well known angel investors bring Twiistup event series to Seattle
By John Cook on Tuesday, April 6, 2010, 5:15pm PDT
Some of the region's best known angel investors have acquired the Twiistup conference business, and plan to bring a new series of educational events to Seattle beginning later this month. The backers of the project include Geoff Entress; Andy Sack; John Cunningham; BuddyTV co-founders Andy Liu and David Niu; and others. Twiistup already has quite a following in L.A. where the biggest bash attracted close to 1,000 people about 18 months ago, said Twiistup investor Neil Patel. Large events also are being planned for LA and New York later this year. In Seattle, Patel said they plan to start out with smaller educational events which are designed to help early-stage entrepreneurs get their ideas off the ground. | Microvision lands $8.5m order from unnamed industry buyer
By Todd Bishop on Tuesday, April 6, 2010, 4:26pm PDT
Microvision, the Redmond company behind the SHOWWX laser-based portable pico projector, says it has received an $8.5 million order from "a consumer electronics customer" that plans to build Microvision's underlying PicoP display engine into "a high-end mobile media player for release in late 2010." The buyer isn't named, and the "high-end mobile media player" isn't identified, which of course only adds to the intrigue surrounding the deal. Current speculation on Engadget is focusing on Apple or Microsoft as logical candidates, but that doesn't appear to be based on any inside knowledge. Which means we'll have an interesting mystery to try to solve between now and the end of the year, so stay tuned. | |
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