Here is a three step how-to with deeper explanations on how startups should think about working with brands. It will be different depending on whether you are social, e-commerce, etc. I think the framework applies broadly to many startup business models, mobile apps or web. The tl;dr summary: Understand the relationship between the brand you […]
Below I’ve listed the #1 and #2 companies in a sampling of consumer web markets. Facebook No #2 – Myspace effectively died. Google+ has been laughable. Tumblr No #2 – Posterous acquired & shut down (can count WordPress though blogging / microblogging had different origins and compete indirectly). Snapchat No #2 – FB Poke failed Google […]
When Google launched Chromecast I assumed it was based on the open source version of Airplay. Seemed logical as a bunch of people are working on standardized cross-platform approaches to Airplay, and the Wifi chip supports these variants. But Chromecast is not using mirroring or Miracast or Wifi Direct. As others have reported, all data […]
Admittedly, Groupon is a work in progress. They continue to spend insane amounts of money to acquire customers and merchants to try to extend their dual-sided network effect with consumers and merchants. Many people see this as unsustainable, some adamant it’s all just a Ponzi scheme. But these naysayers who are fixated on the current […]
This post originally appeared on TechCrunch Lately it seems like there is endless news around messaging, VoIP and video calling. Apple recently announced they’d added FaceTime support for the Mac, and had shipped 19 million FaceTime-enabled iOS devices since June. Google Voice also made headlines last week for an outage, but I think the bigger news […]
TechCrunk Link During the “Back to the Mac” event two weeks ago, Steve Jobs made a particularly witty remark as he unveiled the MacBook Air, one that made the audience chuckle in laughter: “We asked ourselves, what would happen if a MacBook and an iPad hooked up? Well, this is the result, we think it’s […]
TechCrunch Link Intel’s recent acquisition binge has been enormous—they’ve spent almost $10 billion in the past month on TI’s cable modem division, security software maker McAfee, and Infineon’s Wireless Solutions (WLS) business. At last week’s Intel Developer Forum, CEO Paul Otellini talked about this massive acquisition spree like it’s predestined to succeed. But if we […]
TechCrunch Link As I was writing this, news of the HP / Dell bidding war for 3PAR broke on the front page of Yahoo. This made me laugh, as it typified just how crazy this story has become—few things outside of a bidding war will make a storage acquisition sexy enough to make mainstream news. […]
Over the weekend it was reported that Apple hired Benjamin Vigier, an expert in near field communication (NFC), a short range wireless protocol most synonymous with contactless payments. This key Apple hire is perhaps the strongest public signal yet of Apple’s intent to use NFC to build on its micropayments franchise and disrupt traditional point […]
Apple’s earnings and revenue growth in mobile have been awe-inspiring to witness. From zero presence three years ago, Apple is now the most profitable cell phone maker in the world. Apple’s success in this compressed period has helped it become an enormous buyer of components. In fact iSuppli projects that next year Apple will become […]