TechCrunch » Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com Startup and Technology News Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:50:58 +0000 en hourly 1 Elevator Pitch Friday: Duck Duck GO, The Hybrid Search Engine http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/12/elevator-pitch-friday-duck-duck-go-the-hybrid-search-engine/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/12/elevator-pitch-friday-duck-duck-go-the-hybrid-search-engine/#comments Fri, 12 Dec 2008 22:20:38 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=33284 It's Elevator Pitch Friday, which means another startup has created a video that's worth showing you. This week's presentation comes from Duck Duck Go, a start-up that wants to make it easier for you to find what it is that you are looking for on the Internet. Duck Duck Go combines a search engine's algorithmic search technology with Wikipedia's user generated content. They argue that the combination of these two technologies makes it quicker and easier for people to find what they want on the Internet. ]]> Duck Duck Go

It’s Elevator Pitch Friday, which means another startup has created a video that’s worth showing you. This week’s presentation comes from Duck Duck Go, a start-up that wants to make it easier for you to find what it is that you are looking for on the Internet.

Duck Duck Go combines a search engine’s algorithmic search technology with Wikipedia’s user generated content. They argue that the combination of these two technologies makes it quicker and easier for people to find what they want on the Internet.

CrunchBase Information
Duck Duck Go
Information provided by CrunchBase

Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/12/elevator-pitch-friday-duck-duck-go-the-hybrid-search-engine/feed/ 54 This Week on the CrunchBoard http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/10/this-week-on-the-crunchboard-3/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/10/this-week-on-the-crunchboard-3/#comments Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:46:49 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=32968 Make sure to look at the latest job listing on CrunchBoard. While doing that take a look at our new Crunchboard Service and Sales Directories. They are a great way to connect with the start-up community. Click through to see some of jobs posted in the past week:]]>

Make sure to look at the latest job listing on CrunchBoard. While doing that take a look at our new Crunchboard Service and Sales Directories. They are a great way to connect with the start-up community. Here’s some of jobs posted in the past week:

TechCrunch is also still looking for a Ruby Developer to work on CrunchBase, as well as a fulltime writer to work on TechCrunchIT at our office in Atherton, CA.

International readers are encouraged to visit the British and French job boards as well.

Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/10/this-week-on-the-crunchboard-3/feed/ 0 Thank You TechCrunch Sponsors and Get a Free LeWeb Ticket http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/05/thank-you-techcrunch-sponsors-and-get-a-free-leweb-ticket/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/05/thank-you-techcrunch-sponsors-and-get-a-free-leweb-ticket/#comments Sat, 06 Dec 2008 01:30:01 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=31827 20% discount Thank You LeWeb Without our sponsors TechCrunch would not be possible. Accordingly, we want to thank the following sponsors for their support.]]> Our friends at the LeWeb conference, in Paris on December 9th and 10th, are going to be giving away one ticket to the TechCrunch reader who leaves the best comment about why they want to go (and includes a contact e-mail address). We are also excited that LeWeb’s organizers are offering TechCrunch readers a 20% discount Thank You LeWeb

Without our sponsors TechCrunch would not be possible. Accordingly, we want to thank the following sponsors for their support.

Clarion is a leading manufacturer of car audio and video systems, marine audio products, navigation systems, and other multimedia products.

RackSpace a provider of managed hosting solutions

MediaTemple TechCrunch’s exclusive hosting provider, and a worldwide leader in managed hosting solutions across all major platforms

eBuddy a web and mobile instant messaging client with over 18 million users.

IronScale the world’s first fully automated dedicated managed hosting solution

Perflect the makers of PSD2HTML and other solutions to turn design documents into W3C compliant XHTML

Seesmic the video micro-blogging service that powers video commenting on TechCrunch

Conduit, the makers of the Crunchbar, and other toolbars

ServePath the maker of GoGrid, the world’s first multi-server control panel that allows you to deploy cloud server networks in minutes

MailPronto a hosted e-mail solutions provider

TechCrunch also is happy to announce two new sponsorship opportunities. First, CrunchGear is publishing a Holiday Gear Guide, which is the perfect way for your company to reach people as they research their purchases this holiday season. Second, we are now offering a full banner (468×60) on TechCrunch’s RSS feed, which has over 1.2 million subscribers. If you are interested in either of these opportunities, please e-mail Dan Kimerling

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/05/thank-you-techcrunch-sponsors-and-get-a-free-leweb-ticket/feed/ 41 This Week on CrunchBoard http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/03/this-week-on-crunchboard-11/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/03/this-week-on-crunchboard-11/#comments Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:06:04 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=31763 Make sure to look at the latest job listing on CrunchBoard. While doing that take a look at our new Crunchboard Service and Sales Directories. They are a great way to connect with the start-up community. Click through for some of jobs posted in the past week.]]>

Make sure to look at the latest job listing on CrunchBoard. While doing that take a look at our new Crunchboard Service and Sales Directories. They are a great way to connect with the start-up community. Here’s some of jobs posted in the past week:

TechCrunch is also still looking for a Ruby Developer to work on CrunchBase, as well as a fulltime writer to work on TechCrunchIT at our office in Atherton, CA.

International readers are encouraged to visit the British and French job boards as well.

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/03/this-week-on-crunchboard-11/feed/ 0 Get a Free Ticket to LeWeb and Thank TechCrunch’s sponsors http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/21/get-a-free-ticket-to-leweb-and-thank-techcrunchs-sponsors/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/21/get-a-free-ticket-to-leweb-and-thank-techcrunchs-sponsors/#comments Sat, 22 Nov 2008 01:03:47 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=29834 20% discount Thank You LeWeb Without our sponsors TechCrunch would not be possible. Accordingly, we want to thank the following sponsors for their support.]]> In partnership with the LeWeb conference, in Paris on December 9th and 10th, we are going to be giving away one ticket to the TechCrunch reader who leaves the best comment about why they want to go (and includes a contact e-mail address). We are also excited that LeWeb’s organizers are offering TechCrunch readers a 20% discount Thank You LeWeb

Without our sponsors TechCrunch would not be possible. Accordingly, we want to thank the following sponsors for their support.

RackSpace a provider of managed hosting solutions

MediaTemple TechCrunch’s exclusive hosting provider, and a worldwide leader in managed hosting solutions across all major platforms

eBuddy a webware meta instant messaging client with over seven million users

IronScale the world’s first fully automated dedicated managed hosting solution

Perflect the makers of PSD2HTML and other solutions to turn design documents into W3C compliant XHTML

Davison a product design and engineering firm

Seesmic the video micro-blogging service that powers video commenting on TechCrunch

Conduit, the makers of the Crunchbar, and other toolbars

ServePath the maker of GoGrid, the world’s first multi-server control panel that allows you to deploy cloud server networks in minutes

Code42 the makers of CrashPlanPro, an automatic backup solution

MailPronto a hosted e-mail solutions provider

TechCrunch also is happy to announce two new sponsorship opportunities. First, CrunchGear is publishing a Holiday Gear Guide, which is the perfect way for your company to reach people as they research their purchases this holiday season. Second, we are now offering a full banner (468×60) on TechCrunch’s RSS feed, which has over 1.2 million subscribers. If you are interested in either of these opportunities, please e-mail Dan Kimerling

Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/21/get-a-free-ticket-to-leweb-and-thank-techcrunchs-sponsors/feed/ 49 This Week on the Crunch Board http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/19/this-week-on-the-crunch-board/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/19/this-week-on-the-crunch-board/#comments Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:45:46 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=29302 Make sure to look at the latest job listing on CrunchBoard. While doing that take a look at our new Crunchboard Service and Sales Directories. They are a great way to connect with the start-up community. Click through for some of jobs posted in the past week.]]>

Make sure to look at the latest job listing on CrunchBoard. While doing that take a look at our new Crunchboard Service and Sales Directories. They are a great way to connect with the start-up community. Here’s some of jobs posted in the past week:

TechCrunch is also still looking for a Ruby Developer to work on CrunchBase, as well as a fulltime writer to work on TechCrunchIT at our office in Atherton, CA.

International readers are encouraged to visit the British and French job boards as well.

Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/19/this-week-on-the-crunch-board/feed/ 0 Free Ticket to LeWeb and Thank You to TechCrunch Sponsors http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/14/free-ticket-to-leweb-and-thank-you-to-techcrunch-sponsors/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/14/free-ticket-to-leweb-and-thank-you-to-techcrunch-sponsors/#comments Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:44:09 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=28297 20% discount Thank You LeWeb Without our sponsors TechCrunch would not be possible. Accordingly, we want to thank our sponsors for their support.]]> Every week leading up to LeWeb, in Paris on December 9th and 10th, the conference’s organizers are going to be giving away one ticket to the TechCrunch reader who leaves the best comment about why they want to go. We are also excited that LeWeb’s, organizers are offering TechCrunch readers a 20% discount Thank You LeWeb

Without our sponsors TechCrunch would not be possible. Accordingly, we want to thank the following sponsors for their support.

RackSpace a provider of managed hosting solutions

MediaTemple TechCrunch’s exclusive hosting provider, and a worldwide leader in managed hosting solutions across all major platforms

eBuddy a webware meta instant messaging client with over seven million users

IronScale the world’s first fully automated dedicated managed hosting solution

Perflect the makers of PSD2HTML and other solutions to turn design documents into W3C compliant XHTML

Davison a product design and engineering firm

Seesmic the video micro-blogging service that powers video commenting on TechCrunch

Conduit, the makers of the Crunchbar, and other toolbars

ServePath the maker of GoGrid, the world’s first multi-server control panel that allows you to deploy cloud server networks in minutes

Code42 the makers of CrashPlanPro, an automatic backup solution

MailPronto a hosted e-mail solutions provider

TechCrunch also is happy to announce two new sponsorship opportunities. First, CrunchGear is publishing a Holiday Gear Guide, which is the perfect way for your company to reach people as they research their purchases this holiday season. Second, we are now offering a full banner (468×60) on TechCrunch’s RSS feed, which has over 1.2 million subscribers. If you are interested in either of these opportunities, please e-mail Dan Kimerling

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/14/free-ticket-to-leweb-and-thank-you-to-techcrunch-sponsors/feed/ 28 This Week on the CrunchBoard http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/12/this-week-on-the-crunchboard-2/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/12/this-week-on-the-crunchboard-2/#comments Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:36:01 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=27894 This week on the CrunchBoard we want to welcome Mirego and Brilliant2 to the new services and sales directories on CrunchBoard. They are great ways to reach the start-up community. While you are checking out these new directories, make sure to look at the latest job listing on CrunchBoard. Click through to see some of jobs posted in the past week.]]>

This week on the CrunchBoard we want to welcome Mirego and Brilliant2 to the new services and sales directories on CrunchBoard. They are great ways to reach the start-up community.

While you are checking out these new directories, make sure to look at the latest job listing on CrunchBoard. Here’s some of jobs posted in the past week:

TechCrunch is also still looking for a Ruby Developer to work on CrunchBase, as well as a fulltime writer to work on TechCrunchIT at our office in Atherton, CA.

International readers are encouraged to visit the British and French job boards as well.

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/12/this-week-on-the-crunchboard-2/feed/ 0 This Week on the CrunchBoard http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/05/this-week-on-the-crunchboard/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/05/this-week-on-the-crunchboard/#comments Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:27:04 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=26533 This week on the CrunchBoard we want to welcome Mirego and Brilliant2 to the new services and sales directories on CrunchBoard. They are great ways to reach the start-up community. While you are checking out these new directories, make sure to look at the latest job listing on CrunchBoard. Click through to look at some of jobs posted in the past week:]]>

This week on the CrunchBoard we want to welcome Mirego and Brilliant2 to the new services and sales directories on CrunchBoard. They are great ways to reach the start-up community.

While you are checking out these new directories, make sure to look at the latest job listing on CrunchBoard. Here’s some of jobs posted in the past week:

TechCrunch is also still looking for a Ruby Developer to work on CrunchBase, as well as a fulltime writer to work on TechCrunchIT at our office in Atherton, CA.

International readers are encouraged to visit the British and French job boards as well.

Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/05/this-week-on-the-crunchboard/feed/ 0 Thank you TechCrunch Sponsors http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/31/thank-you-techcrunch-sponsors-6/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/31/thank-you-techcrunch-sponsors-6/#comments Sat, 01 Nov 2008 01:07:32 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=25748 20% discount Thank You LeWeb ]]> We are excited to announce that LeWeb, in Paris, December 9th and 10th, is offering TechCrunch readers a 20% discount Thank You LeWeb

Without our sponsors TechCrunch would not be possible. Accordingly, we want to thank the following sponsors for their support.

RackSpace a provider of managed hosting solutions

MediaTemple TechCrunch’s exclusive hosting provider, and a worldwide leader in managed hosting solutions across all major platforms

eBuddy a webware meta instant messaging client with over seven million users

IronScale the world’s first fully automated dedicated managed hosting solution

Perflect the makers of PSD2HTML and other solutions to turn design documents into W3C compliant XHTML

Davison a product design and engineering firm

Seesmic the video micro-blogging service that powers video commenting on TechCrunch

Conduit, the makers of the Crunchbar, and other toolbars

ServePath the maker of GoGrid, the world’s first multi-server control panel that allows you to deploy cloud server networks in minutes

Code42 the makers of CrashPlanPro, an automatic backup solution

TechCrunch also is happy to announce two new sponsorship opportunities. First, CrunchGear is publishing a Holiday Gear Guide, which is the perfect way for your company to reach people as they research their purchases this holiday season. Second, we are now offering a full banner (468×60) on TechCrunch’s RSS feed, which has over 1.2 million subscribers. If you are interested in either of these opportunities, please e-mail Dan Kimerling

Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/31/thank-you-techcrunch-sponsors-6/feed/ 1 This Week On CrunchBoard http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/29/this-week-on-crunchboard-10/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/29/this-week-on-crunchboard-10/#comments Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:25:13 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=25322 This week on the CrunchBoard we want to welcome BeenVerified, Design About Town, and Span to the the new services and sales directories on the CrunchBoard. The directories are an easy way to reach the start-up community. While you are checking out these new directories, make sure to look out the latest job listing on CrunchBoard.]]>

This week on the CrunchBoard we want to welcome BeenVerified, Design About Town, and Span to the the new services and sales directories on CrunchBoard. They are great ways to reach the start-up community.

While you are checking out these new directories, make sure to look out the latest job listing on CrunchBoard. Here’s some of jobs posted in the past week:

TechCrunch is also still looking for a Ruby Developer to work on CrunchBase, as well as a fulltime writer to work on TechCrunchIT at our office in Atherton, CA.

International readers are encouraged to visit the British and French job boards as well.

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/29/this-week-on-crunchboard-10/feed/ 0 What Will Jobs Announce at MacWorld 2009? http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/25/what-will-jobs-announce-at-macworld-2009/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/25/what-will-jobs-announce-at-macworld-2009/#comments Sat, 25 Oct 2008 17:30:53 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=24229 Amongst many things, Steve Jobs is a master story teller. Every year he delivers two signature keynotes: one at MacWorld in January and one at Apple's World Wide Developer Conference in June. However, these keynotes are more than just new product introductions. They are true stage craft and accordingly they have become major media events. Job's keynotes happen so infrequently and are so central to Apple that their importance cannot be understated. A great keynote sets the tone for the year to come. This happened at MacWorld 2007, where Jobs announced the AppleTV and the iPhone. At the same time, a weak keynote can be a significant disappointment. ]]>
Amongst many things, Steve Jobs is a master story teller. Every year he delivers two signature keynotes: one at MacWorld in January and one at Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference in June. However, these keynotes are more than just new product introductions. They are true stage craft and accordingly they have become major media events. Job’s keynotes happen so infrequently and are so central to Apple that their importance cannot be understated. A great keynote sets the tone for the year to come. This happened at MacWorld 2007, where Jobs announced the AppleTV and the iPhone. At the same time, a weak keynote can be a significant disappointment. This happened at MacWorld 2008, where Steve showed the world the MacBook Air for the first time. Given how important keynotes are for Apple, and that updated MacBooks and MacBook Pros all but complete Apple’s 2008 holiday product line up, the question now turns to this: What will Steve Jobs talk about during his keynote at MacWorld 2009?

I have no insider knowledge of Apple or its products, so analyzing Apple is a bit like reading tea leaves. But one particularly interesting tool in understanding the introduction of Apple products is MacRumors‘ Mac Buyer’s Guide. Looking at the buyer’s guide, it is clear that almost all of Apple’s consumer facing products have been refreshed, with the exception of the iMac, Mac Mini, Apple’s Cinema displays, and Mac Pros. Both the iMac and Mac Mini lines are likely to be refreshed any day now, whereas Apple’s monitors have been partially refreshed with the introduction of a 24″ LED Cinema Display monitor equipped with a DisplayPort. So, three obvious things that Jobs is likely to introduce in January are new Mac Pros, the 17″ MacBook Pro, and additional LED displays. This would unify Apple under the display port interface, something that Jobs stated as a goal for the company during Apple’s October Laptop event.

It is also likely that during the MacWorld 2009 keynote, Jobs will talk about Apple’s software. It is natural to expect that Apple’s the 2009 versions of the iLife suite of photo, video and music editing software, the iWork office productivity suite will be launched at MacWorld 2009. This is especially true given that the rumors suggesting that Apple would announce these software packages at its October laptop event turned out to be false. Normally such an announcement would not be very interesting. However, MobileMe, even with all its failed promise, could make the announcement of iLife and iWork ‘09 far more exciting. If its over-the-air syncing platform were integrated into a cloud based collaboration platform for Apple’s iWork, iLife, and professional applications, this would to create a truly powerful user experience, and especially differentiate iWork from other office productivity suites. I am sure that Steve will given an update on OS 10.6, Snow Leopard, during MacWorld 2009, because at WWDC 2008, he said that the next version of Apple’s operating system would be released during the second quarter of 2009.

Three other less likely product introductions at MacWorld 2009 are a larger iPhone/Web Pad, a revision to AppleTV which integrates the product into networked flat-screen televisions, and iPhone Nanos. This week saw an interesting story come out of the New York Times. The Times reported seeing traffic from an Apple product which has a screen resolution greater than that of an iPhone but less than that of a MacBook. This seems to correlate very well with reports of Apple building something that is akin to a new Newton, although whether it is a bigger iPhone or a MacBook Tablet is still any one’s guess. Leaving the product pipeline aside, a large touch screen product makes complete sense for Apple, especially given the amount of money invested in their multi-touch intellectual property, something that has been largely limited to the iPhone and simple motions on the MacBook and Macbook Pro. While the economics behind Apple branded flat-screen televisions seem questionable, Jason Calacanis claimed to know that Apple was going to announce Apple brand flat-panel TVs that are networked and have integrated AppleTV functionalities. Jobs continues to call the AppleTV a hobby, and given that it has been close to a year since the AppleTV was updated, some sort of revision to the product seems to be in order. Finally an iPhone Nano seems a natural extension to the current product mix. If using non-GAAP accounting, the iPhone made up 39% of Apple’s revenue during the third quarter of 2008. An iPhone Nano priced at $99, would sell at significant at volume, and speed Apple’s growth in the mobile space.

Finishing 2008, Apple has a tremendous set of products to offer, with the iPhone 3G, MacBook, and MacBook Pro being at the center of the mix. If Jobs only announces updates to the rest of Apple’s core products, refreshes Apple’s software, and reveals more information about OSX 10.6, he would have extremely good content for his keynote. But, any one of the three products floating around the Apple rumor mill would make his keynote at MacWorld 2009 one to remember. Even without them, though, Apple is poised to have great product line up during the beginning of 2009.

CrunchBase Information
Apple
Information provided by CrunchBase

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/25/what-will-jobs-announce-at-macworld-2009/feed/ 68 Elevator Pitch Friday: RouteYou makes it easy to find the perfect driving, hiking, or biking route http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/24/elevator-pitch-friday-routeyou-makes-it-easy-to-find-the-perfect-driving-hiking-or-biking-route/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/24/elevator-pitch-friday-routeyou-makes-it-easy-to-find-the-perfect-driving-hiking-or-biking-route/#comments Fri, 24 Oct 2008 23:30:55 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=23766 It's Elevator Pitch Friday, which means another startup has created a video that's worth showing you. This week's presentation comes from RouteYou, a startup that wants to make it easier for you to find outdoor routes that are optimized for your needs. RouteYou wants to make it easy for you to find the best route from one place to another, whether in a car, on foot, or riding a bike. They do this by taking raw geo-spatial data and structuring it, turning mapping information into routes with turn-by-turn directions that people can use. They also offer a route planner that allows for collaborative route planning. ]]> RouteYou

It’s Elevator Pitch Friday, which means another startup has created a video that’s worth showing you. This week’s presentation comes from RouteYou, a startup that wants to make it easier for you to find outdoor routes that are optimized for your needs.

RouteYou wants to make it easy for you to find the best route from one place to another, whether in a car, on foot, or riding a bike. They do this by taking raw geo-spatial data and structuring it, turning mapping information into routes with turn-by-turn directions that people can use. They also offer a route planner that allows for collaborative route planning.

CrunchBase Information
RouteYou
Information provided by CrunchBase

Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/24/elevator-pitch-friday-routeyou-makes-it-easy-to-find-the-perfect-driving-hiking-or-biking-route/feed/ 17 CrunchBoard This Week: Two New Services http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/22/crunchboard-this-week-two-new-services/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/22/crunchboard-this-week-two-new-services/#comments Wed, 22 Oct 2008 23:30:38 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=23637 Starting a high tech company often means going at it alone, but eventually every start-up needs some outside help - whether from lawyers, accountants, real estate agents, or special types of vendors. And other times, a company just needs to sell things. Unfortunately, startups don't always know where to find help or list items for sale. To help them in these regards, we've added services and sales directories to CrunchBoard's existing jobs directory. These new directories are intended to make it easier for high tech start-ups to find the professional services they need and sell the things that they no longer want or need. Conversely, the services directory in particular provides a door for professional services organizations into the high tech startup community.]]>

Starting a high tech company often means going at it alone, but eventually every start-up needs some outside help – whether from lawyers, accountants, real estate agents, or special types of vendors. And other times, a company just needs to sell things.

Unfortunately, startups don’t always know where to find help or list items for sale. To help them in these regards, we’ve added services and sales directories to CrunchBoard’s existing jobs directory. These new directories are intended to make it easier for high tech start-ups to find the professional services they need and sell the things that they no longer want or need. Conversely, the services directory in particular provides a door for professional services organizations into the high tech startup community.

While there are several such directories on the web from which to choose, we believe that CrunchBoard reaches an unparalleled audience. Companies can list themselves in the services directory for $200 per quarter or post items for sale for $25 per month. As before, jobs can be listed for $200 per quarter.

While you’re checking out these new directories, make sure to check out the newest job listings as well. Here’s some of jobs posted in the past week:

TechCrunch is also still looking for a Ruby Developer to work on CrunchBase, as well as a fulltime writer to work on TechCrunchIT at our office in Atherton, CA.

International readers are encouraged to visit the British and French job boards as well.

Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/22/crunchboard-this-week-two-new-services/feed/ 0 VMWare Update: Two Rough Quarters http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/18/vmware-update-two-rough-quarters/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/18/vmware-update-two-rough-quarters/#comments Sat, 18 Oct 2008 16:06:46 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=23484 VMWare has had a string of bad luck during the Summer and Fall. Their CEO was fired, the share price for VMWare stock has gone down by 75% this year, they have lost significant market share, Microsoft has launched an competitor priced intentionally low in order to gain market share, and three different investment banks have downgraded them. All this while the market for their product has gotten more interesting, as it helps companies save on IT costs.]]> VMWare has had a string of bad luck during the Summer and Fall. Their CEO was fired, the share price for VMWare stock has gone down by 75% this year, they have lost significant market share, Microsoft has launched an competitor priced intentionally low in order to gain market share, and three different investment banks have downgraded them. All this while the market for their product has gotten more interesting, as it helps companies save on IT costs.]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/18/vmware-update-two-rough-quarters/feed/ 0 Elevator Pitch Friday: Marcellus makes delivering video cheap and easy http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/17/elevator-pitch-friday-marcellus-makes-delivering-video-cheap-and-easy/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/17/elevator-pitch-friday-marcellus-makes-delivering-video-cheap-and-easy/#comments Sat, 18 Oct 2008 00:15:16 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=23466 It's Elevator Pitch Friday, which means another startup has created a video that's worth showing you. This week's presentation comes from Marcellus, a startup that wants to dramatically reduce the cost for companies to deliver video on their websites. Marcellus wants to make delivering video cheap, easy, and on demand, by offering video delivering through the Software-as-a-Service model. This greatly reduces both the infrastructure costs and human capital needed to deliver video on websites, while making it far more flexible and scalable for companies to use. And, because Marcellus charges companies a metered rate for delivering video, companies can use as much or as little of Marcellus' service as needed.]]> Marcellus

It’s Elevator Pitch Friday, which means another startup has created a video that’s worth showing you. This week’s presentation comes from Marcellus, a startup that wants to dramatically reduce the cost for companies to deliver video on their websites.

Marcellus wants to make delivering video cheap, easy, and on demand, by offering video delivering through the Software-as-a-Service model. This greatly reduces both the infrastructure costs and human capital needed to deliver video on websites, while making it far more flexible and scalable for companies to use. And, because Marcellus charges companies a metered rate for delivering video, companies can use as much or as little of Marcellus’ service as needed.

CrunchBase Information
Marcellus
Information provided by CrunchBase

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/17/elevator-pitch-friday-marcellus-makes-delivering-video-cheap-and-easy/feed/ 42 Thank You TechCrunch Sponsors http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/17/thank-you-techcrunch-sponsors-5/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/17/thank-you-techcrunch-sponsors-5/#comments Sat, 18 Oct 2008 00:00:12 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=23463 Two exciting conferences are on the horizon. LeWeb, in Paris, December 9th and 10th, is offering TechCrunch readers a 20% discount while O’Reilly Media is presenting iPhone Live, November 18th in San Jose. Thank You LeWeb and O’Reilly.

Sponsors enable TechCrunch to provide you the news and analysis that you have to expect, and so we want to thank them.

Conduit, the makers of the Crunchbar, and other toolbars

Seesmic the video micro-blogging service that powers video commenting on TechCrunch

MediaTemple TechCrunch’s exclusive hosting provider,
and a worldwide leader in managed hosting solutions across all major platforms

Perflect the makers of PSD2HTML and other solutions to turn design documents into W3C compliant XHTML

RackSpace a provider of managed hosting solutions

eBuddy a webware meta instant messaging client

ServePath the maker of GoGrid, and other cloudware products

Code42 the makers of CrashPlanPro, an automatic backup solution

SocialText the creator of wiki-oriented webware for the enterprise space

3Tera a cloud computing provider

Davison a product design and engineering firm

TechCrunch also is happy to announce two new sponsorship opportunities. First, CrunchGear is publishing a Holiday Gear Guide, which is the perfect way for your company to reach people as they research their purchases this holiday season. Second, we are now offering a full banner (468×60) on TechCrunch’s RSS feed, which has over 1.2 million subscribers. If you are interested in either of these opportunities, please e-mail Dan Kimerling

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/17/thank-you-techcrunch-sponsors-5/feed/ 2 This Week on CrunchBoard http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/16/this-week-on-crunchboard-9/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/16/this-week-on-crunchboard-9/#comments Thu, 16 Oct 2008 23:47:02 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=23448 Is the highlight of your day the time you spend at the water cooler? Maybe you should start looking for new opportunities. Check out the latest job listings on CrunchBoard. ]]> Is the highlight of your day the time you spend at the water cooler? Maybe you should start looking for new opportunities. Check out the latest job listings on CrunchBoard. Here are some of the postings from the past week:

Since you already read TechCrunch, why not work here? We are looking for a Ruby Developer to work on CrunchBase and a fulltime writer to work on TechCrunchIT at TechCrunch’s Atherton California Office.

To our international readers, please check out the British and French job boards.

Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/16/this-week-on-crunchboard-9/feed/ 0 Elevator Pitch Friday: Palo Alto Software Makes Collaborative E-Mail Intelligent http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/10/elevator-pitch-friday-palo-alto-software-helps-with-collaborative-e-mail-intelligence/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/10/elevator-pitch-friday-palo-alto-software-helps-with-collaborative-e-mail-intelligence/#comments Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:30:55 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=23164 It's Elevator Pitch Friday, which means another startup has created a video that's worth showing you. This week's presentation comes from Palo Alto Software, a software company startup that wants to make it easier for organizations to manage and collaborate using e-mail, to save time and be more productive. Palo Alto Software wants to make organizations more efficient, by taking community wide e-mail boxes, such as info,sales, or admin, and applying logic and analytics against them. For organizations that deal with large quantities of e-mail, managing that e-mail can become a task onto itself. Palo Alto software's E-mail Center Pro automates this task, freeing employees up to focus on the content of the e-mail instead of just managing it. E-mail Center Pro is sold through a Software as a Service model, with pricing based upon e-mail volume. ]]> PA Software

It’s Elevator Pitch Friday, which means another startup has created a video that’s worth showing you. This week’s presentation comes from Palo Alto Software, a software company startup that wants to make it easier for organizations to manage and collaborate using e-mail, to save time and be more productive.

Palo Alto Software wants to make organizations more efficient, by taking community wide e-mail boxes, such as info@, sales@, or admin@, and applying logic and analytics against them. For organizations that deal with large quantities of e-mail, managing that e-mail can become a task onto itself. Palo Alto Software’s E-mail Center Pro automates this task, freeing employees up to focus on the content of the e-mail instead of just managing it. E-mail Center Pro is sold through a Software as a Service model, with pricing based upon e-mail volume.

CrunchBase Information
Palo Alto Software
Information provided by CrunchBase

Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/10/elevator-pitch-friday-palo-alto-software-helps-with-collaborative-e-mail-intelligence/feed/ 26 This Week on CrunchBoard http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/08/this-week-on-crunchboard-8/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/08/this-week-on-crunchboard-8/#comments Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:53:24 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=23121 Is your boss like Lumbergh? Maybe you should start looking for new opportunities. Check out the latest job listings on CrunchBoard. Click for some of the postings from the past week.]]> Is your boss like Lumbergh? Maybe you should start looking for new opportunities. Check out the latest job listings on CrunchBoard. Here are some of the postings from the past week:

Since you already read TechCrunch, why not work here? We are looking for a Ruby Developer to work on CrunchBase and a fulltime writer to work on TechCrunchIT at TechCrunch’s Atherton California Office.

To our international readers, please check out the British and French job boards.

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/08/this-week-on-crunchboard-8/feed/ 0 The Seeds of the Next Big Thing Are Being Planted Now http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/04/the-seeds-of-the-next-big-thing-are-being-planted-now/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/04/the-seeds-of-the-next-big-thing-are-being-planted-now/#comments Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:00:14 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=22960 While the economy might look bleak, please do not stop working on start-ups. The innovation that they bring helps the global economic engine in every phase of the business cycle. But, it is most important in downturns, to help reduce its severity and length. While operating a start-up is always difficult, and will likely be more difficult over the next few years, the seeds of the new new thing, of Web 3.0, are being incubated now on cocktail napkins, whiteboards, and computer science labs across the globe.]]>
September 4th 2008 marked Google’s tenth birthday. That means that during 2000 and 2001, when all the air was being let out of the dot-com bubble, Google was in its infancy. That was a good idea that survived the bleakest time for high tech companies. On the flip side, Facebook has not even reached its fifth birthday, but as a company it is worth well more than four billion dollars. Great ideas can scale and become big businesses very quickly. And incredible organizations like Six Apart, Plaxo, and Ning were all started before the Web 2.0 boom. What does this say about the nature of technological development and its relationship to the economy? That technological developments breed innovation, and that innovation can produce economic benefits with demonstrable impacts on the bottom line. No one knows what the next Google will be, but if it is not being built now, then someone will probably start working on it in the near future. Don’t stop working on side projects and ideas that interest you, because those ideas not only might turn into brilliant products or services but also might turn into the economic catalyst that spurs our economy onward.

When someone like Ron Conway says not to leave your day job, serious people listen. But, here I need to say that I respectfully disagree with Ron. Times are tough, but it is important to not stop coming up with new and innovative solutions to people’s problems. It is the people who are tinkering in their garage or coding in their dorm room, people who are really trying to do something new, that will hopefully spur the next boom. Given the current economic environment, continued technological innovation is one of the things that is likely to turn the economy around and help restore confidence in the health of the world wide economic engine. Logistically that is easier said than done, given that VC funding, essential for many startups, will not come if VC funds do not see IPOs occurring because the IPO market is all but non-existent and corporate buyers cannot go to credit markets in order to fund acquisitions. But, please do not stop tinkering and coming up with new ideas.

Of course this places the technology community in quite a tricky situation. How can startups grow, something essential to returning the US economy to a normal business cycle, if banks, VCs funds, PE interests and others, are unable to provide that funding? Unfortunately, I do not have an answer to such a tough question. Obviously angels will be doing the brunt of the investing, and that is a good thing. Angels can wait longer for a liquidity event, and also have an higher tolerance for failure, whether because the company and/or ideas was bad, or because of the macro-economic environment. Similarly incubators and seed funding sources, such as Y Combinator and TechStars will play an even larger role, as other funding sources dry up. Business plan competitions and good old-fashioned bootstrapping, also become much more attractive, as are asking family and friends.

Thankfully the costs associated with starting a company have gone down, with open source and webware software, along with ever cheaper and more powerful hardware. Pay roll will still be hard to make, but the more money you can spend on head count and the less you can spend on everything else the longer you can keep your organization going. Getting lean is one of the best ways to stay afloat during a bad economy.

One thing that is really excites me about the moment is seeing all innovation that is coming. If advertising dollars dry up, and there is some early suggestion that they might, then you will see startups experiment with new revenue streams. Some of them will fail, but some of them will work, and when the start-up community finds those that do work, start-ups will evolve to incorporate these new revenue models. Recall that it took Google a relatively long time to figure out how to make money from search ads. As funding because tighter and tighter, it means that the rate of technological innovation will likely speed up, out of necessity to find new ways to make internet companies profitable quickly. And, just as people say it will be hard to get VC funding, the large VCs will have money to invest. For those gems, funding will still be available, as it was in 2000 and 2001. It will just be much harder to get that money.

So to all those start-ups out there, know that we are in a rough patch as is the global economy. But it is the tech sector that can keep the global economy moving, even as other traditionally bellwether sectors fall by the way side. And it is at moments like this that the next Facebooks, Myspaces, and Googles are being born. So please keep working. Lets just hope that new giants can grow quickly enough and sturdy enough to restore confidence not only in the high tech space, but also in the global economy’s ability to withstand such strong disruptions such as the one we currently face. Google and Facebook show that it can be done.

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/04/the-seeds-of-the-next-big-thing-are-being-planted-now/feed/ 107 Elevator Pitch Friday: eRepublik takes strategy games to the Web http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/03/elevator-pitch-friday-erepublik-takes-strategy-games-to-the-web/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/03/elevator-pitch-friday-erepublik-takes-strategy-games-to-the-web/#comments Sat, 04 Oct 2008 02:44:20 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=22955 This week's presentation comes from eRepublik, a Spanish startup that wants to take strategy games and make them more social, more interactive, and therefore, more fun. eRepublik wants to change the way that strategy games are played by taking out the hours of game play. Anyone who has played Risk or Diplomacy knows how long traditional strategy games can take. eRupublik has built an online virtual geo-political simulator that allows the player to "make history" in its virtual world with as little as fifteen minutes of daily game play. And, it is both free and completely browser based, two things that most strategy games are not. ]]> Brand Jury

It’s Elevator Pitch Friday, which means another startup has created a video that’s worth showing you. This week’s presentation comes from eRepublik, a Spanish startup that wants to take strategy games and make them more social, more interactive, and therefore, more fun.

eRepublik wants to change the way that strategy games are played by taking out the hours of game play. Anyone who has played Risk or Diplomacy knows how long traditional strategy games can take. eRupublik has built an online virtual geo-political simulator that allows the player to “make history” in its virtual world with as little as fifteen minutes of daily game play. And, it is both free and completely browser based, two things that most strategy games are not.

It plans to make money from by selling the virtual currency used in the game. eRepublik is currently in private beta, and has raised one million dollars.

CrunchBase Information
eRepublik
Information provided by CrunchBase

Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/03/elevator-pitch-friday-erepublik-takes-strategy-games-to-the-web/feed/ 24 Thank you TechCrunch Sponsors http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/03/thank-you-techcrunch-sponsors-4/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/03/thank-you-techcrunch-sponsors-4/#comments Fri, 03 Oct 2008 19:43:55 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=22954 Without our sponsors TechCrunch would not be possible. Accordingly, we want to thank the following sponsors for their support.

Loopt, a cross-platform, location enabled, mobile social network, and our partner in the TechCrunch mobile social community.

MediaTemple, TechCrunch’s exclusive hosting provider, and a worldwide leader in managed hosting solutions across all major platforms

Seesmic, the video micro-blogging platform that powers TechCrunch’s video commenting

Conduit, the makers of toolbars, including the CrunchBar

ServePath, the makers of GoGrid and other managed hosting, cloudware, and serving solutions

RackSpace, a provider of hosting services

Norton by Symantec a premier Internet Security and Anti-Viral Software provider.

MailChimp, a provider of turnkey e-mail marketing services

Codefortytwo, the maker of CrashPlanPro and other software

eBuddy, web-services meta instant messenger

Geni, the premier web tool for bringing families together

BrightCove, an Internet TV Platform

ScribeFire, a firefox extension for integrated blogging in your broswer

SocialText, the maker of third generation social software for businesses and organizations.

3Tera, a provider of cloud computing services

Interested in becoming a TechCrunch sponsor?

See details here or contact Dan Kimerling.

Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/03/thank-you-techcrunch-sponsors-4/feed/ 0 This Week on CrunchBoard http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/01/this-week-on-crunchboard-7/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/01/this-week-on-crunchboard-7/#comments Thu, 02 Oct 2008 01:14:20 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=22860 Does this remind you of your team? Maybe you should think about a new job. Check out the latest job listings on CrunchBoard. ]]> Does this remind you of your team? Maybe you should think about a new job. Check out the latest job listings on CrunchBoard. Here are some of the postings from the past few weeks:

Since you already read TechCrunch, why not work here? We are looking for a Ruby Developer to work on CrunchBase at TechCrunch’s Atherton California Office.

To our international readers, please check out the British and French job boards.

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/01/this-week-on-crunchboard-7/feed/ 0 Stop Complaining about Apple and the App Store http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/27/stop-complaining-about-apple-and-the-app-store/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/27/stop-complaining-about-apple-and-the-app-store/#comments Sat, 27 Sep 2008 18:00:48 +0000 Dan Kimerling http://www.techcrunch.com/?p=22697 This week there have been several stories on the blogsphere (here, here, and here, for example) which consist of developers complaining that Apple has rejected an iPhone application that they submitted to be part of the App Store in iTunes, or because they believe that the process for submitting an application is too cumbersome. At least two of these have been because Apple believes the applications would be competitive with a product or feature set that Apple already has in the iPhone. This has, in turn, devolved into a chorus of voices (Ryan Block for example) exclaiming the virtues of openness and transparency, along with opining on the evils of Apple's terms of service for iPhone developers. To all those who are annoyed at Apple here is what I have to say to you: Get Off Your High Horse.]]> This week there have been several stories on the blogsphere (here, here, and here, for example) which consist of developers complaining that Apple has rejected an iPhone application that they submitted to be part of the App Store in iTunes, or because they believe that the process for submitting an application is too cumbersome. At least two of these have been because Apple believes the applications would be competitive with a product or feature set that Apple already has in the iPhone. This has, in turn, devolved into a chorus of voices (Ryan Block for example) exclaiming the virtues of openness and transparency, along with opining on the evils of Apple’s terms of service for iPhone developers. To all those who are annoyed at Apple here is what I have to say to you: Get Off Your High Horse.

Apple, like Facebook, Microsoft, and virtually every other major software producer is in the business of platforms. They create the environment that developers want to develop in. Developers need platforms, whether the platform is a distribution channel or operating system. When you create the platform, you set the rules. If Apple wants to restrict iPhone applications to those that do not compete with features built into the iPhone, well, they can go right ahead and do so. It is right in the SDK’s user agreement. Developers will go out and develop for another environment, or make a product that complies with the rules of the road. No one is forcing developers to build for the iPhone. Six months ago, it was not even possible for developers to create programs for the iPhone. So, to all of the developers who are annoyed with Apple, just go out and develop for Android, Blackberry OS, Windows Mobile, Palm OS or S60.

However, lets be honest here. Serious developers, those that really want to distribute and monetize their applications will keep on developing for the iPhone. There are many reasons to believe this. The first is just the hardware. High end software requires high end hardware, and there is no more capable mobile device from a hardware perspective than the iPhone 3G. The competing Android G1’s paltry 1GB of native storage and lack of an onboard 3.5MM headphone jack, let alone its clunky industrial design, puts it at a slight disadvantage.

Then there are the approximately fourteen million iPhones. The size of the installed base alone makes developing for the iPhone a strategically advantageous move for developers. Finally, the ability to distribute applications over the air and to the desktop makes the Apple distribution scheme much more appealing to those who care about actually getting software in the hands of consumers. The fact that more than 100,000,000 applications have been downloaded in the past three months from the App Store is indicative of the strength of the eco-system which Apple has built. If you want access to that eco-system, it means that you need to comply with Apple’s rules not the other way around.

Android is exciting because it is open, but openness does not come without its tradeoffs. From a developer’s perspective this means having a free-for-all distribution system.  And don’t forget that Google’s partners have yet to sell one Android phone, though no doubt they will. As more Android based phones come out, with the ability to pick and choose which modules are included, support, stability, and usability—all essential on a mobile device—will likely suffer.

What about the other mobile platforms?  S60 just is not robust enough for most developers to build applications for, and it does not have a solid distribution system for mobile apps. Windows mobile devices suffer from the perennial and proverbial blue screen of death, and the next generation Palm OS might very well turn out to be vaporware. The Blackberry could be a real platform if RIM ever comes up with a better way to distribute apps (more in terms of making them easy to find than actually getting them on the phones).

So to developers out there, those who love the App Store and those who loathe it, recall that the power of the platform is to create a system which connects software developers and consumers of that software. But when someone makes a platform, they also control the rules which go along with that platform. And right now the platform to be on is the iPhone platform. To those who are unhappy with the restrictions that Apple places on the App Store, don’t complain.  Just keep on coding.

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

]]> http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/27/stop-complaining-about-apple-and-the-app-store/feed/ 187