Crazy For Tech - Gadgets,Cell Phones,Cameras » api

CAD Users Rejoice: Sunglass Brings Slick 3D Modeling To The Browser

vertical8 — Wed, 23 May 2012 01:35:08 +0000

Software is eating another part of the world. (Or at least the next generation of software is eating the older 1970s-era kind.) Sunglass , which is coming out of beta today at TechCrunch Disrupt New York, should bring a bit of joy to longtime CAD users and professional architects and designers. The company is launching very social, browser-based software for 3D modeling. “This is like Google Docs for 3D objects,” said CEO and co-founder Kaustuv DeBiswas. “We’re taking traditional desktop software from the architecture world and putting it in the cloud.” Sunglass is undercutting existing computer-aided design software dramatically. Normally, this older software can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000, he adds. In contrast, the most basic version of Sunglass is free and then designers can pay for extra apps or add ons. This is not a total replacement, however. It’s meant to be a collaboration tool for teams of designers or individual hobbyists. “Software modeling has seen 30 to 40 years of development. We don’t want to compete on a feature-by-feature basis,” he said. Inside Sunglass, designers can take a 3D model and rotate, flip or scale it without Adobe Flash. It’s built with HTML5 and WebGL. The team behind Sunglass comes from MIT. DeBiswas earned his Ph.D in design computation and was a TED fellow last year while his co-founder Nitin Rao is an MBA from Sloan that started his career out in social enterprise and microfinance. DeBiswas has spent years thinking about the future of design technology. ”Sunglass is a product that’s fluid enough that everyone from a kid doing a Maker Bot to a professional firm can use it,” he said. Sunglass works with more than different 40 different file formats, removing a hurdle that has long made it frustrating for designers to critique and give feedback on each other’s work. There’s also a Dropbox integration for storing and accessing 3-D files. It’s also a bit social. Sunglass users can simultaneously access a single 3D model and suggest tweaks through chat or voice chat. There’s also a sketch tool for marking suggestions. It’s easier to share 3D models with embeds like this one on DeBiswas’ Tumblr . He says that helps with virally attracting new customers. There is also an API that lets designers build tools for others. Because Sunglass is a platform play, the company is hoping that developers will eventually build specific tools that others will want on an as-needed basis. They’re not pursuing a classic monthly subscription model with one standard set of paid premium features. Instead, customers can pay for apps at a rate of about $25 a month. “Our vision for software in the future is that it will be a collection selected parts,” Rao said. “It won’t be a big company giving you a one-size-fits-all set of toolbars.” He gave an example app that does very fast cloud-based rendering. It takes about 45 seconds per object. Taking a page from Sequoia-backed Unity Technologies’ business model, there’s also a store where designers can buy one-off 3D models from others. Unity, which has a 3D gaming engine that powers titles like Shadowgun, has a store where game developers can buy 3D effects and models from other developers. “After cutting costs and fixing interoperability, the third thing we want to go after is building a community with this store. We have a lot to learn from the gaming industry and we think the comparable opportunity in the product design and architecture market is really massive.” Sunglass has raised $1.8 million in seed funding from General Catalyst, Sherpalo Ventures, Lerer Ventures and Maynard Webb. Q&A Q: What are the biggest technical difficulties in bringing this to the browser? And what are the benefits versus doing this on the browser? A: Most of the computation doing computation are doing it back stage. We have super computers. If you think about it one of our clients, their reactions were my client gives me large BIM files which I have no use for except that we have to go ahead and re-model. We support 45 file formats and you can drag at 3D file. We are working on technologies which will give you data on demand. We’ve taken this constraint as an opportunity. Q: Is this for professional users? Or for regular people? The presentation implies that you’ll have users who are not fluent with CAD. A: This spans from kids playing with the motorcycles above to professionals who are modeling fluid dynamics. Starting off, it’s aimed at professional designers, but it’s easy enough that you don’t need complex training. Q: Can you talk about price points? A: Bite-sized modules and apps for anywhere from $25 to 100 per month. Q: You guys are latching on to a huge trend in terms of designs. How do you help synchronous collaboration? Many of these designers don’t see themselves as early adopters. They may not feel comfortable with this or with their work in the cloud. How do you deal with this? A: Asynchronous collaboration is important. We’re working with a version where you can store a version. We have a version on Tumblr. Other people could view it on Tumblr. We have all the persistence of data on the back-end. It’s not transient. It’s not just real-time collaboration. The second thing is about behavior. Two things. We think the product has enough virality in it. I would send you a link. You don’t need a plug-in. It’s just HTML5, WebGL. We’ve made the interface light. We believe that tomorrow that software will be a collection of small pieces. We’ve intentionally kept it very simple. This has happened to every other industry. We believe it will also happen in design.

See original here:
CAD Users Rejoice: Sunglass Brings Slick 3D Modeling To The Browser

About.me Releases Public API, SDK At Disrupt, Now Integrates With Reputation, Smarterer, Forkly, Kred And Showyou

Budowniczy425 — Mon, 21 May 2012 20:00:44 +0000

About.Me is set to get a bit more social. The AOL-owned property just released a public API and SDK into the wild in partnership with Reputation.com, Smarterer, Forkly, Kred and Showyou. While the online profile site already worked with most popular social platforms, today’s announcement is huge for both about.me and their legions of users. Plus, for attendees of Disrupt NYC this week, the company is celebrating the news by having a professional photographer on hand to help create free killer profile pics. Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. About.me collects a user’s various online identifies and puts them in a single (and beautiful) location. Think of it a splash page for your identity online. Instead of directing people to various locations like LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram, the idea is to just send them to your about.me page, which neatly collates the rest of your accounts. Here’s mine . I think it’s lovely and only took about five minutes to make. Today’s news makes the first time that about.me has opened up for outside development. Tony Conrad, Ryan Freitas and Tim Young launched the company in 2010, which was then acquired by AOL, TechCrunch’s parent company, a mere four days later . Since then, the company had reserved its API for internal use only. The company foresees its API to be used as an alternative to the traditionally painful task of creating user profiles. For example, if a particular service implements this system, with just one click, the profile will be created automatically from pulling the info from about.me. With the SDK, platforms can add their badge to about.me’s profile pages. As about.me’s Ryan Fuiji explained to me at Disrupt, Smarterer, a launch partner, will integrate test scores on the about.me badge and Kred will display their influence data as well. But there’s still a fundamental problem with the gorgeous about.me layouts: A lot of potential users might not have access to a high-quality user profile images. I only have the one. Thankfully it shows my good side. However, for attendees of Disrupt NYC 2012, about.me is here to help. The company hired a professional photographer that will be around the show Monday through Wednesday. Stop by and get a great looking pic for your about.me profile page.

Google Missed The Boat On Buying Twitter. “Hasn’t Been Interested Since They Committed To Google+” -Fred Wilson

admin2 — Mon, 21 May 2012 19:45:03 +0000

Google got the chance to buy Twitter, but the search giant passed, says Michael Arrington. “Google hasn’t been interested in buying Twitter since they committed themselves to Google+” says Fred Wilson, Union Square Ventures founder and former Twitter board member, in his fireside chat this morning with Arrington at the TechCrunch Disrupt New York conference . Now Google+ is widely seen as a ghost town, and not buying Twitter could be a mistake that haunts Mountain View for years to come. Wilson has one of the most envied portfolios in venture capital , with Union Square Ventures getting in early on Twitter, Zynga, Etsy, and Tumblr. But the future might not be as bright. “I don’t think I’m going to be very good at investing in the next big thing. I don’t come from it. I didn’t work in it. The next thing isn’t going to be evolutionary. It’s going to be something completely different.” Arrington poked Wilson about writing “Silicon Valley could become the next Detroit” in a recent AVC blog post . Wilson explains “I didn’t mean to say [that]. Silicon Valley is the center of the digital revolution. But if there’s another revolution, [like] the teleportation revolution, and teleportation is invented in Mumbai, Silicon Valley might not be the locus of the next big thing.” Google Lost The Flock On the war for the future of social, Arrington asked “Do you think Facebook is overvalued?” Despite the newly public company’s share price dropping over 10% from its Friday close price, Wilson defend Mark Zuckerberg’s creation. “Markets come and go, good companies survive. The price of Facebook stock is not that important. Mark built an incredible platform and organization. I don’t think it matters that much if it’s trading at $25 or $50.” But Arrington pressed “is it going to be a half-trillion dollar company?” Wilson admitted “They’re going to have to grow into that.” Google had a big opportunity to compete with Facebook, but that’s passed. Arrington cites a rumor that Twitter CEO Dick Costolo took the company to Google saying it was raising this big a round at this valuation, and gave the search giant a chance to acquire Twitter, but ”Google pooh-poohed it”. After the chat, Arrington told me this was when Twitter ended up raising $200 million at a $3.7 billion valuation, so the price Google would have had to pay could have been around there. Wilson, who’s Twitter investment and former board seat must have made him familiar with the discussion, said Google decided to build social, and hasn’t considered buying something as big as Twitter in the space ever since. Google+ is off to a slow start, at least in terms of people actually using it, not just signing up. But Twitter might not have been the right fit. Google needed a social layer that could integrate into all its product, not just a micro-blogging platform. Still, Google is now a distant third in social, and Twitter’s off the table. Wilson says Twitter’s founders and board are now deadset on it staying independent. What’s The Value Of Angels? “I’ve never seen angels being lazy” says Wilson , refuting Ben Horowitz’s claim that angel investors make too much money for too little work. Wilson released a flood of insights into Facebook’s valuation, and the future of Silicon Valley “Venture capital is not the most risk-taking part of the equation. We wait until things are more developed” says Wilson. He trusts angels and the early legwork and diligence they do. “I don’t know where ‘lazy’ comes from. They’re probably the most important part of the capital stack because they believe in entrepreneurs before VCs do.” [Image Credit: Joi Ito ]

Original post:
Google Missed The Boat On Buying Twitter. “Hasn’t Been Interested Since They Committed To Google+” -Fred Wilson

The Disrupt 2012 NYC Hackathon Is Officially On!

jos — Sat, 19 May 2012 22:17:58 +0000

The anticipation is palpable. Hundreds of hackers have congregated outside Manhattan’s Pier 94, planning, strategizing, and praying to baby Jesus that their fates will be similar to those of Group.me and Docracy . We’ve seen plenty of Hackathon winners go on to do incredible things , make millions of dollars, and rise to startup stardom levels, but the journey isn’t a simple one. Click to view slideshow. Let me paint a little word picture for you: The hackers will be in a massive warehouse for the next 24 hours and beyond. They’ll have API sponsors and helpful workshops, sure, but the challenge of creating a product, or even a prototype, all comes down to them. Red Bull will be an unavoidable temptation, especially after a couple hours staring at white code on a black background. They know they might crash, but they don’t care. They need the energy. Snacks will abound, and snacks are all they have time for anyway. A huge meal is sure to weigh down the belly and slow their pace. After a few hours, fights are destined to break out. Maybe it’s a disagreement over which API to use, or which color the UI should be, or really anything. They’re under an insane amount of pressure, and even the slightest frustration or hindrance can cause a major break. Teams will turn against each other, and joyously reunite after a few moments of pensive reflection. When the clock strikes midnight, that’s when things get loopy. The empty cans of Red Bull will be joined by full cans of beer, heads and shoulders will begin to slump, and the fights that have since been resolved will resurface. Certain members of various teams will begin practicing their presentations, most certainly distracting other teams from their work, but this is, after all, a competition. The coffee pot will be refilled twice as often for the rest of the Hackathon, and bean bags, tables and even cold, hard floors will be converted into napping pads. And alas, the sun will rise. Obstacles will be overcome. Prototypes will be completed. Presentations will be perfected. And perhaps, just maybe, the beginning of a beautiful story will be written. Disrupt NYC is set to be one of our biggest shows yet, with returns from Michael Arrington and MG Siegler , along with a variety of big names like Marissa Mayer , Sarah Tavel , Fred Wilson , and David Lee and more. It’s going to be huge. If you’re interested in checking out Disrupt and/or the Hackathon yourself, tickets are still on sale here and info on the Hackathon can be found here . Companies who want to join the Battleground can apply for the last remaining spots in Startup Alley . You can find the full agenda here .

Read the rest here:
The Disrupt 2012 NYC Hackathon Is Officially On!

Gillmor Gang: Don’t Click Here

Budowniczy425 — Sat, 19 May 2012 22:00:17 +0000

The Gillmor Gang — Robert Scoble, John Taschek, Gabe Rivera, Kevin Marks, and Steve Gillmor — play toe jam football in the shadow of the Facebook IPO. Try as we might, we can’t shake the weight of Facebook’s dominance of Techmeme and maybe the fate of the global economy. Greece, move over. @gaberivera joins near the 30 minute mark. @scobleizer tries a reverse Statue of Liberty play around the forthcoming Samsung phone and the threat to Apple (nonexistent) but our hearts aren’t in it. I fail in a weak attempt to roll up everything under push notification. Face it: our hopes and dreams are now tied to our jobs as feeders of the Facebook Empire Please Twitter. Save us. @stevegillmor, @gaberivera, @scobleizer, @kevinmarks, @jtaschek Produced and directed by Tina Chase Gillmor @tinagillmor

The rest is here:
Gillmor Gang: Don’t Click Here

The Free Ride Is Over For Streaming Video

bestcbstore — Sat, 19 May 2012 21:45:12 +0000

Comcast’s plans to do away with its 250 GB data cap and charge users based upon usage marks the end of an era for cable TV providers, and for the online video industry. No longer will users be able to endlessly stream all the content their hearts desire. Not just that, but the fact that usage-based pricing is arriving at the same time that more, higher-quality content is appearing online could have a dampening effect on demand for services like Netflix or Hulu Plus. Comcast, of course, says that its new, usage-based pricing policy is pro-consumer, and to a certain extent it is. The average broadband subscriber — those who only use up about 8 GB or 10 GB of data a month — shouldn’t necessarily pay the same as those whose usage goes above 300 GB in the same period of time. But for those of us who are avid streaming video users, usage-based pricing models could change the overall value proposition of watching video on the Internet. Can streaming video be a TV replacement? I’m a subscriber to Netflix, Hulu Plus, and MLB.tv. I have a Roku box and an Apple TV, and I frequently purchase season passes to shows like Mad Men, Justified, and Sons of Anarchy. Even though I don’t pay for cable, I take advantage of access to TV Everywhere applications from the likes of Showtime and HBO, from my family’s Xfinity TV account, as well as test accounts that I occasionally get from some of the cable networks to check out their new services. In other words, I watch streaming video in the same way a lot of other people watch regular TV. But instead of recording shows and watching them from a DVR, I watch them on-demand online. I’m also a Comcast broadband subscriber, and I’m probably what the company would consider a heavy data user. While I’ve never bumped up against the 250GB cap, I’ve definitely started to come close over the last several months. In April I racked up 160 GB of data usage, and about halfway through May, I’ve already used 90 GB. That might be atypical for the average Comcast broadband subscriber, but I think that type of usage is becoming a lot more common, particularly for highly connected people like me. More importantly, the amount of data I’m using has rapidly increased over the last year or so. It wasn’t so long ago that I was typically using less than 100 GB a month. And I expect it to continue increasing, to the point where I wouldn’t be surprised if I hit and surpass Comcast’s new 300 GB data limit at some point over the next 12-18 months. Part of that is due to me just watching more stuff — I’ve been re-watching old episodes from The Wire, for instance, in addition to a regular slate of weekly shows. And with baseball season up and running, I’m streaming a lot more MLB.tv as well. But part of it is also due to more bandwidth being used by higher bit rate streams, as services like Netflix improve the video quality of their products. Putting things into perspective But what about data usage for everyone else? The average video on Netflix uses up about 1 GB of data per hour, but most of those streams aren’t in full HD. The highest quality setting for Netflix, which is what most viewers would like to stream to their TVs, uses more than twice as much data per hour. According to Nielsen, the average TV viewer consumes about five hours of video a day , or about 150 hours of video per month. For those keeping track at home, that means that you’d have to watch even more video online than your typical TV watcher if you ever plan to max out Comcast’s 300 GB allotment. Of course, that’s where things are now, but video quality continues to improve for all of these services, and that means higher bit rates and more data streamed per movie or TV show. What happens as these services improve, as more content and higher-quality content makes its way online? And what happens as more people tune into those services? Today, about 30 percent of users have streamed a video to their TVs, either because they own a so-called “smart TV” that came with access to streaming video services, or because they’ve connected a game console or streaming box (and in some cases a PC) to a dumb TV. What happens when that hits 50 percent? Or 75 percent? Hell, what happens when Apple’s mythical iTV gets released and users suddenly have access to a whole new set of streaming applications in 1080p? That will change the value proposition of online video dramatically. For me, between all the different subscription VOD services and the cost of 8-10 season passes that I buy every year, I’m probably already paying more for streaming services than I would pay for TV if I just purchased a basic cable package. But then, I wouldn’t have the convenience of on-demand access to most of the content that I want from a number of different services and devices. And I also wouldn’t have the pleasure of watching most of that content without ads. For now, it’s a trade-off I’m willing to make. But in the future, if I have to pay an additional $10 for every 50 GB of video I consume over a 300 GB limit, though? Then I’m not so sure it’s worth it. That’s the world we’re about to enter. What Comcast’s moves are really about For me, the debate over Comcast’s treatment of its streaming Xbox Live app isn’t even about net neutrality or whether it treats the traffic of online competitors any differently than it treats its own. What it really comes down to is, do you want to pay for a TV and VOD service that you can stream to your Xbox or an iPad, computer, or connected TV… Or do you want to piece together an alternative solution from a variety of different streaming services? It’s a judgment between the current value of online video offerings versus what you can get from TV. Due to the relatively cheap nature of most online video services, that made the choice easy for people like me. You could pay $100 for an HD cable package and DVR, or you could pay a couple of different services less than $10 a month each for a lot of similar content on-demand. And you could get those streams on pretty much any device you wanted to access them on. But things are changing rapidly. With the introduction of Comcast’s Xbox app, as well as new applications coming on devices like Samsung Connected TVs and other devices, the cable company is making its service a lot more attractive to potential customers. At the same time, the implementation of usage-based pricing changes the potential cost of online video services and makes bundled pay TV and broadband services a lot more attractive as a result. That’s not to say that the recent moves by Comcast are going to kill the online video industry — I think that Netflix, YouTube and others are beginning to create enough value on their own through device access and new original programming to begin offering a real alternative to cable. But it could make people think twice about how they choose to access content and through what services, if it means additional broadband charges down the line.

More:
The Free Ride Is Over For Streaming Video

From Disrupt NY To A $43 Million Skype Acquisition, GroupMe Tells All

Budowniczy425 — Sat, 12 May 2012 02:56:57 +0000

They have raised $11.45 million in both Angel and Series B funding since launch, acquired a company called Sensobi, and have been themselves acquired by none other than Skype (which was acquired by Microsoft). There may not be a wilder tale of a Disrupt success (though plenty of startups would beg to differ), which is why we’ve chosen GroupMe to kick off a series I’m doing on “Disrupt Startups: Where They Are Now.” We sat down earlier today to chat with co-founders Jared Hecht and Steve Martocci to find out their perspective on Disrupt as a launchpad. Try as I might to snip down the interview, the whole thing is basically gold. GroupMe is one of many Disrupt alumni startups that we’ll be looking at over the next week and a half, so stay tuned for more “Where They Are Now” posts. And if you’re interested in checking out Disrupt and/or the Hackathon yourself, tickets are still on sale here and info on the Hackathon can be found here . Companies itching to join the Battleground can apply for the last remaining spots in Startup Alley . You can find the full agenda here. Here’s that interview I promised: TechCrunch: Tell me how this all started. GroupMe: We were at the first Disrupt Hackathon in New York. We had group SMS working on Twilio’s API. You could add people to the group using commands on SMS, or you can use an HTML5 webapp. The only problem was that you had to know numbers and type them in. I mean, it kind of sucked. But we added in an offers tab, and in the demo we were talking about the LOST series finale. In the top corner, when you clicked on the offers tab, it took you straight to an actual ad for half-price if you check out the LOST series finale event at Brooklyn Bowl. We basically demoed that we had a working group chat with a functional business model. Back then it was called Groop.ly. We had investors interested right on the floor of Disrupt, and we ended up talking about fundraising. TC: So if you had to quantify it, how would you say that Disrupt affected your company? GroupMe: 100 percent. We probably wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Disrupt. I had won a Hackathon that was an internal contest at Gilt Group, but what was really interesting and intriguing was the chance to build something and show it on a real stage. We had the idea a couple days before, and after we decided to go in we found it was a massive springboard for acceleration and growth. TC: So, were you guys the first to do group messaging? GroupMe: People had tried to do it for a long time, even 10 years before us. But we kind of nailed it at the right time and the right place. The service was ripe for adoption once we got the ability to interact with the address book. Mobile had really taking off and with access to the address book, the timing was right to go to the next level. TC: What’s changed since then? GroupMe: Honestly, there hasn’t been a ton of change when you’re looking from a very high vantage point. When we think about why we were doing Groop.ly back then, not much has changed from that night at the Hackathon. We were talking about how we can turn Groop.ly into a business and how we would quit our jobs the next week. A lot of those initial thoughts from that night were right on point. We wanted people to be able to speak with groups that are important to them, buy better, and get together in the real life better. You can still see us executing things we talked about that very first night. At the same time, a lot has changed from then. We built a company, built a big team, sold the company. But we’re still trying to accomplish the things we’ve dreamed of on day one. We had a whole discussion on how we can rapidly iterate, and we continue to build an awesome company culture with that great seed as our core. We stay true to why we were building our product and how we were getting it done. TC: Do you think that being a part of Disrupt gave you a better platform with the media in general? GroupMe: We think it’s a great story to tell. It was a fortunate sequence of events, fun and relatable. It’s actually a bit of a fairy tale. The fact that this happened at a Hackathon, the TechCrunch Hackathon no less, made it something very easy to talk about and compelling and fun to tell a story about. It’s an even more fun story to hear. People were aware that we had built it at a Hackathon and they wanted to know how things were going. We kept up our relationship with TechCrunch and Disrupt and went back to later Disrupts and participated in the Hackathon again. That’s where we built our sponsored groups feature. We launched it the very next day on stage. But it really was the perfect case of timing. TC: What are your future plans? GroupMe: We can’t talk too much about that, but we’ve been cooking up some fun features but if you stay tuned you’ll see what we mean. TC: Would you recommend Disrupt for other startups? GroupMe: We think Hackathons in general have become crowded places. What we saw is people going in having the same idea. But the Disrupt Hackathon is fun, whether you want to build something or learn it’s a great place to be. Disrupt in general is getting a lot of visibility for startups, and it has this huge impact on getting mind share, which we think is really important. The Hackathon and Disrupt are great ways to network and meet people, whether you’re focused or having fun. We aren’t the only ones to come out of the Hackathon with a successful business, but what’s great about it is that you can just test out your ideas without much to lose. Once you’ve done that, Disrupt is for visibility. TC: What have you been up to since the acquisition? GroupMe: We love the culture we have here. Skype wants to foster that and let it grow. We’re working with them on some pretty awesome stuff. It’s been a great process so far. We’re happy and they’re happy and it’s a great thing. TC: What advice would you give to Hackers and young entrepreneurs in general? GroupMe: Think about it, but don’t put a lot of pressure on building a company in 24 hours. You should just go and have fun meeting great people and really take advantage of the fact that it’s a big stage. Don’t try to build too much. It’s hard to focus and get stuff done, but all we wanted was to get to a certain proof of concept. So try to get there and have fun doing it. Stay focused if you can, and think of a goal. Past that, all you have to do is meet the goal you entered with. But you’re also trying to learn new tools and test things out. If we hadn’t finished Groop.ly we wouldn’t have been upset. We were there to push ourselves. TC: OK guys, last question. I see a lot of beer at the Hackathon, and I see a lot of Red Bull. What would you recommend as the perfect sustenance. GroupMe: There are two options. A mix of 2/3 Red Bull and 1/3 beer, or a lot of coffee and water.

iOS 6 “Sundance” And The Sunsetting Of Google Maps

jos — Sat, 12 May 2012 02:56:23 +0000

For Google Maps, winter is coming. Potentially. As you’ve undoubtedly seen by now, with the upcoming iOS 6 software, Apple intends to replace the Google Maps aspect of their default Maps application with their own, in-house version. Mark Gurman of 9to5 Mac was the first to report this news , and dives into more of the detail behind it, including the 3D aspect. John Paczkowski of AllThingsD confirmed the change. And after talking to my own source, I can beat the dead horse in confirming the switch. I’ve also heard a little bit more. First of all, iOS 6, which is expected to be shown off in developer preview form at WWDC in June, is internally codenamed “Sundance”. Second, while Paczkowski’s source said the new maps functionality will “blow your head off”, I’ve been told that’s a bit of hyperbole (you think?). Specifically, while the 3D functionality is cool, it’s also not something people are going to use regularly. Think of it like Google Street View — cool, but how often do you actually use it when compared to the regular Google Maps product? (Having said that, I still expect Apple’s 3D maps to be cooler than Google Street View.) More interesting to me is the implication of this switch. Let’s assume that alongside this change, Apple will also be replacing the default hooks in the iOS SDK that currently use Google Maps. This is a big deal for third party developers. While some choose to use other maps APIs (like Bing Maps, for example), the vast majority go with Google Maps because it’s baked right in and easy to hook up. If that changes… Consider Foursquare. They recently made headlines when they switched away from Google Maps on their website. At the same time, they made a point of saying they weren’t switching away from Google Maps on their mobile applications (where maps are obviously the most important). Why not? Again, because Google Maps are standard in both the iOS and Android SDKs. More importantly, unlike with the web, developers aren’t charged to use these maps on mobile. At least not yet. Google recently made the change to start charging high volume customers of the Google Maps API on the web. Hence, the Foursquare switch, and several others larger customers are now either switching or considering switching. My guess would be that because of iOS, Apple may be the largest user of the Google Maps API right now. It’s not clear if Google charges Apple for this or not. Or if they’re about to start, as they have with other third-parties. But it doesn’t matter. Apple can afford any charge Google throws their way, and would undoubtedly pay it if they thought it was worth it to ensure iOS remains the best mobile platform out there. This move away from Google Maps is more about controlling essential technology, as John Gruber points out today. But the side effect of such a switch could seriously harm Google Maps as the de-facto mapping service. Again, because of their very nature, maps are most vital for mobile usage. And if Apple not only pulls iOS out, but takes millions of developers with them, Google Maps could suddenly go from behemoth to vulnerable. (Which makes their decision to start charging large customers all the more dumbfounding — this cannot be a huge source of revenue for Google, no matter the scale.) Of course, Apple will have to ensure that their mapping product is flawless, or developers will choose to go with Google Maps anyway (assuming that’s still an option — even if it’s slightly more complicated). But given what’s now leaking out about the product, it would seem that after years of work, Apple is finally ready to take on the mapping challenge. And this may be even more problematic for Google than it seems on the surface. As a quick aside, while there’s not much other iOS 6 information floating around out there right now, there have been whispers backing up Gruber’s assertion that Siri APIs are another possibility. There have also been whispers about Siri for iPad finally coming. Specifically, I’ve been led to believe it’s more of a UI issue than anything else. After all, Apple is using the technology for the Dictation functionality found on the new iPad. They’ve just been working on what Siri for iPad will look like , I’ve been led to believe. As we’ve seen the past few days, new iCloud functionality should be a key part of iOS 6 as well. And more deep ties into the forthcoming OS X Mountain Lion should be revealed. There is also some chatter about iTunes 11. It has been a not-so-well-kept secret that Apple has been trying to completely re-write the software for a long time. There have been several false starts and scrapping of projects. It’s believed (but far from confirmed) that Apple may be zeroing in on the major revamp they’re after. And a part of that may be both Apple and the labels warming to a full-on Spotify competitor… Pure speculation at this point, but fun speculation. Update : To back-up the “Sundance” information, Nima Moayedi reminds us that Apple has a history of codenaming iOS builds after ski resorts. Sure enough … [image: 20th Century Fox]

More:
iOS 6 “Sundance” And The Sunsetting Of Google Maps

Simple Rolls Out iPhone App, But Still No Word On Public Launch

ACMAir — Wed, 09 May 2012 23:40:02 +0000

Simple (formerly known as BankSimple), the startup with $13.1 million in funding to build a better banking experience for customers, has today introduced its first mobile application , surprisingly ahead of its public launch. Operating in private beta/invite-only mode for now, co-founder Joshua Reich says that anyone with a Simple account can now use the app, which had been limited to TestFlight distributions since its private launch last November. With the iPhone app, Simple says the idea is to create something that’s on par with the online banking experience, not “an afterthought.” The iOS app lets you use all the tools you could on the web, and access them in a way that’s mobile-friendly. Everything is tappable, and there’s been a focus on making it quick to see the most critical info – nothing is more than a few taps away. Plus, after signing in, you don’t have to continually enter your username and password – instead, the app is protected by your 4-digit PIN code. And another nifty feature – you can deposit checks by taking a picture of them – something you can’t do on the web. Simple has been covered by the media quite a bit, despite the fact that the service still operates behind closed doors – a testament, perhaps, to the growing desire for, as they say “a bank that doesn’t suck.” To be clear, however, Simple is not actually a bank – it’s working with FDIC-insured financial institutions to hold customers’ money, while it operates the user-friendly front-end for money management. Reich acknowledges the demand for the service, and tells us that there are now over 100,000 folks on the waiting list, and Simple is letting people in on a first-come, first-serve basis. He says they’re not sure when they’ll finish with the invite list and open up to the U.S. public. Any way to jump in line, we asked? “Either become an employee or marry an employee,” Reich joked. (Well, crap). The company was co-founded by Reich (CEO), CFO Shamir Karkal and CTO Alex Payne, the latter a notable hire following his announcement that he was leaving his role as Twitter’s API lead to join the team. And, as noted above, the company has raised a good chunk of funding, too, with a $3.1 million round in September 2010 and a $10 million round in August 2011. As for the service itself, customers can do all the usual things – make purchases, pay bills, earn interest, set up and track savings, view transaction history and more. But the big idea here is not the what , it’s the how . Simple, as you can guess by the name, wants to make things, well…simple. Transactions appear instantly, you can see your balance and “safe to spend” amount at a glance, and you can send payments to friends, too. Simple is also different from other banks in that it doesn’t profit from fees – there are no overdraft fees, late fees, or domestic transfer fees, for example. In-network ATMs are fee-free, and there’s no extra charge for using an out-of-network ATM (although the ATM’s bank might charge you). In the few cases where there is a fee (e.g. international transfers are around $15), Simple just passes on the cost, but doesn’t add on top of it. Reich says the startup is targeting the U.S. market for now because banking regulations vary widely from country to country, but an international rollout is on the long-term roadmap for the company. At present, the Simple customer base tracks national demographics pretty closely, he says. “We are seeing that customers earn above average incomes,” says Reich. “The median customer is 29 years old, college educated, and fully employed.” And with this iOS app released to the wild, what comes next? “We’re hiring Android engineers right now,” says Reich. If you’re one of the lucky few, you can grab Simple’s iPhone app here . Everyone else, sign up and wait.

Read the original:
Simple Rolls Out iPhone App, But Still No Word On Public Launch

Disrupt NYC Hackathon – More Details

Achilles — Mon, 07 May 2012 22:03:14 +0000

We’re less than two weeks away from 24 hours of sheer hacking bliss. We’ve also released the final batch of tickets for the event, so if you’re planning on hacking, this is your final chance to get tickets. http://tcdisruptny-hackathon2012.eventbrite.com/ Developers looking to find a group to hack with, toss your hat in the ring at: http://bit.ly/nyc-disrupt-collab . Likewise, if you’re a designer looking to find a team for the event, add your details to the Design Trust form at: http://bit.ly/nyc-disrupt-dt New API Workshop Sessions We’ve added another lecture area to allow for a whole new batch of great API workshops. Microsoft – 2pm Presenter: Danilo Diaz, Microsoft Developer Evangelist where he helps developers understand Microsoft’s product offerings and strategy. Come learn more about the award winning Windows Phone platform and how to make your apps come alive on it! You’ll hear more from Developer Evangelist Dani Diaz on how to build beautiful apps on Windows Phone. To get yourself prepared, you should review the Windows Phone Training & Download Windows Phone Tools SDK Mashery – 3pm Presenter: Amit Jotwani, Developer Advocate & Front-end Developer at Mashery Mashery is the world leader in API technology and services helping over 150 companies manage their APIs. “Read Less, do more” is the mantra of this workshop. Developers will get a taste of API Explorer – an interactive documentation system designed to learn and explore RESTful APIs like Klout, USA TODAY, Rovi, Whit.li, NY Times and many more. Hacks built using any APIs listed in our API Explorer would be eligible for Mashery prize. Additionally, we’d be giving out beer-opening USB drives with code libraries and tools from our Mashery Hack Shortcut station onsite. Details regarding Mashery’s API can be found at: http://dev.mashery.com/iodocs CityGrid – 4pm Presenter: Kin Lane, Developer Evangelist for CityGrid Monetize your local web and mobile applications using CityGrid. Local advertising is expected to grow 18% from $15.7 billion this year to $18.5 billion according to Borrell & Associates. Local advertising is a primary way for developers to monetize their web and mobile apps. Learn how to monetize your apps with CityGrid mobile, web, or custom advertising APIs and Places that Pay. Developers can earn revenue from just displaying information about certain businesses and connecting users with merchants via reviews, offers, images, videos, social networks and on the phone. Understand how to maximize your applications revenue with local advertising, but also go beyond advertising by delivering valuable content to your users, while also generating money. Details regarding the CityGrid API can be found at: http://docs.citygridmedia.com/display/citygridv2/CityGrid+APIs City of New York – 5pm Presenter: Andrew Nicklin, Director of Research and Development, Office of Strategic Technology Development, NYC DoITT The City of New York provides an open data platform that gives access to more than 750 data sets structured in a way the makes them available using just one API. Join Andrew as he gives a guided tour of the catalog and demonstrates the use of the API that will unlock city data for you. Details regarding NYC OpenData can be found at: https://nycopendata.socrata.com/ Contests With all the workshops taking place, it might get a little bewildering deciding which technologies to use. To help you with your decision, we’ve got a handful of contests designed to help you get the most out of your hacking experience. AT&T will be awarding $5,000 in cash plus up to five mobile devices for the team that develops a mobile app using AT&T Cloud Architect (free trial promo code to be provided) CityGrid will be awarding $5K to the winning team that can bring our local content and monetization platform to life. Apps built on the platform during the official hackday will be judged based on the following criteria: inventive use of the APIs overall product concept overall product delivery Mashery will be offering a Red JAMBOX – bluetooth speaker and speakerphone for best hack built using any API(s) listed on their API Explorer ( http://dev.mashery.com/iodocs ) Microsoft will be awarding “Best Use of the Windows Phone Platform”. The prize will be a Nokia Lumia 800. Mobli will be giving the top implementation of their API a $10,000 cash prize on the spot! TokBox will be offering up an iPad 3 for best use of OpenTok. More details on the API at: http://www.tokbox.com/opentok/api The EchoNest will be offering two iPad 3s for the best two uses of The Echo Nest and a patented Echo Nest Sweatsedo for the 3rd place. Knod.es will be awarding 1,000 $1 bills and a $250 JetBlue gift card to help fly your team out for A-list VC meetings…orrr just to take your winnings on the road to Vegas. metaLayer is sponsoring an AppleTV for the best use of their image API and an Amazon Kindle for the best use of their text API. Another Judge in the Mix We’ve also added one more judge to the Hackathon competition. Her merits speak for themselves and she’s an amazing addition to our current panel. Christina Cacioppo, Investment team at Union Square Ventures Christina works on the investment team at Union Square Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm in New York City and teaches in SVA’s Interaction Design department. Previously, she’s been on design research teams in Germany, worked as a reporter in East Africa and as a Googler in Mountain View. Christina studied economics and design at Stanford. You can find Christina on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/christinacaci and her personal site at http://christinacacioppo.com

View post:
Disrupt NYC Hackathon – More Details