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Too controversial: Why TED won’t post Nick Hanauer’s talk about taxing the rich
Seattle venture capitalist Nick Hanauer -- an early investor in Amazon.com and aQuantive -- certainly has strong opinions on economics and politics. And that's one of the reasons why he was invited to give a TED talk a few months ago, sharing his pointed views on why the wealthiest Americans should pay more in taxes. “Rich businesspeople like me don’t create jobs," … Read More...
T-Mobile also adding 550 jobs, cushioning blow of cuts
A day after announcing plans to cut 900 jobs as part of a restructuring, T-Mobile USA this afternoon issued a clarification to say that it will also be adding 550 jobs in other parts of its business -- resulting in a net reduction of 350 positions overall. The company isn't giving specifics about exactly where jobs are being cut and where they're being added, but it … Read More...
Splunk celebrates one year in Seattle, 6/20/12
In case you haven’t heard, Splunk’s Seattle office is responsible for the company’s developer platform and Microsoft offerings. Join us for our open house, where you can geek out at demo stations, enjoy food and drinks, and meet our CEO, Godfrey Sullivan, and more Splunkers. The event is free, but if you’d like to make a donation, check out Year Up Seattle.
RSVP for this free event, and we’ll see you on Wednesday, 6/20, 5-8 PM
Coffee, pictures and gadgets: Inside Coinstar’s bid to build a kiosk empire
Coinstar may be best known for its automated coin-counting machines and Redbox movie rental kiosks. But based on what we saw today at the company's analyst day in Bellevue, they've got a lot more up their sleeves. From automated coffee kiosks to a next-generation photo booth, Coinstar is diversifying its lineup of products through an innovative venture model that … Read More...
For sale: Lendle e-book lending service for Amazon Kindle
The creators of the Lendle e-book lending service for Amazon Kindle put up a "for sale" sign this afternoon in the form of a blog post announcing their intention to find a buyer who can build upon what they've created. "Lendle has always been a huge undertaking, and as our community has grown, so too have our responsibilities," they write in the post. "On top of all … Read More...
Q&A: Twitter’s Del Harvey on trust, safety, bullets and kittens
Del Harvey is the director of trust and safety for Twitter -- a big job that covers areas including account activity and abuse, user safety, spam, legal issues and many other areas. This morning at the Privacy Identity Innovation conference, Harvey answered my questions on stage about many of those issues -- explaining how Twitter's approach to spam has evolved; how the … Read More...
How to make a shower karaoke with your iPad
Have you heard this coming from your neighbor’s shower in the morning: "Just small town girl, livin' in a lonely world. She took the midnight train goin' anywhere. Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit. He took the midnight train goin' anywhere." Be honest: We all have the urge to belt out ballads while soaping up in the shower. It’s the perfect place … Read More...
Microsoft stuck behind Samsung Bada in smartphone sales
Microsoft is aiming to make Windows Phone a strong No. 3 in the smartphone market, behind Android and iPhone, but first it has a different rival to overcome: Samsung's Bada smartphone operating system. Not to mention RIM and Symbian. The Redmond company remained in sixth place in smartphone operating system sales in the first quarter, slipping to 1.9 percent of the … Read More...
Mixed state jobless numbers ‘confound’ economists, but signs point to better times
Numbers sometimes tell strange stories, and that appears to be the case in the latest unemployment report from the Washington State Employment Securities Department. The analysis found that the unemployment rate actually dropped to 8.1 percent in Washington state during April, down from 8.3 percent in March. However, the good news came with a dose of bad news, since the … Read More...
Auction Edge makes another buy in bid to upend used car business
A couple days ago we told you about Auction Edge, the stealthy Seattle startup which is looking to transform the way automobiles are sold at auction. At the time, we reported that the company -- led by startup veteran David Weld -- had acquired Auction Pipeline of Spokane. We also noted that it planned to buy other online auction companies as it rolled up players in the … Read More...
Let the good times roll: Optimistic entrepreneurs plan to boost hiring
Entrepreneurs, by their very nature, are optimists. This shouldn't come as a big surprise. You've got to be a bit positive if you want to take the startup plunge. That optimism is on full display in a report being released today by Silicon Valley Bank, which surveyed more than 270 U.S. software, life science, clean tech and hardware executives during the month of … Read More...
Where ‘Where are you?’ is: The future of location and discovery
“There’s a graveyard of geo experiments,” says Amber Case. She’s the CEO and co-founder of Geoloqi, a company that helps mobile developers integrate, track and measure their users’ location data, and she was a panelist at the Location & Discovery discussion at the Privacy Identity Information conference (pii) in Seattle. And she’s right. As … Read More...
Hey, NYC: There’s a tech hub out here called Seattle
Don't get me wrong. The growth of New York's technology community over the past five years has been nothing short of amazing. The city that never sleeps is thinking big, pushed by a mayor who wants to diversify the economic base beyond Wall Street. I love the Big Apple's desire to build a world-class tech campus -- something I've encouraged Seattle to do -- and things … Read More...
Microsoft unveils new ‘Halo Infinity Multiplayer’ plan
Halo is the franchise that introduced many people to the power of multiplayer gaming, and Microsoft will attempt to make new strides with a new experience called "Halo Infinity Multiplayer," launching with Halo 4 on the Xbox 360 later this year. Microsoft unveiled the plan a short time ago, saying that the approach aims "to continue to innovate and redefine the way … Read More...
It’s getting even better to be a geek, new survey finds
Mark your calendar, because May 25 is Geek Pride Day. And geeks have even more to be proud of this year, according to the results of a new survey. In advance of this very special day, IT staffing services firm Modis is back with a new survey on the state of geekdom, asking more than 1,000 Americans a wide range of questions about the status of geeks in the workplace … Read More...
Bill Gates-owned Corbis faces $12.75M in damages in fraud case
Corbis, the digital image company owned by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, must pay $12.75 million in damages as part of a three-year fraud and breach of contract case brought by Infoflows, according to a decision by the Washington State Court of Appeals. That's down from an initial $36 million in damages that a 12-person jury initially awarded to Infoflows in a case … Read More...
Biometric apps for Kinect: Microsoft wants to avoid creeping everybody out
A woman walks into a store, and a computer recognizes her, welcomes her by name, compliments her on the weight she's lost, and points out that the store has lots of good deals in her new size -- which happens to be two sizes larger than she had been telling her friends, who are with her on this particular shopping trip. Is this the future of technology? Let's hope … Read More...
‘The Bachelorette’: KOMO says tweetup boosts ratings
Can tweeting really boost ratings? If KOMO-TV's tweetup event last night for The Bachelorette is any indication, then yes. The ABC affiliate reported a "significant increase" in its ratings over 2011 for last night's show premiere, according to social TV blog Lost Remote. KOMO used the hashtag #liveonkomo for viewers to fire up discussion about Emily & Co., hosting … Read More...
Google’s geeky glasses, now with a handy patent
Google has patented the design on its "Project Glass" high-tech spectacles. Now, no one else can copy the snazzy look of the official Google glasses that will guide you around town. Engadget spotted the patent filings earlier today. As documented in the promotional video below, the augmented reality eyewear can tell you stuff, like the temperature outside; it can … Read More...
A little piece of Facebook: Would you invest in Zuck’s big IPO?
Facebook has the Internets abuzz this week in advance of its IPO announcement. It is coming with plenty of speculation: Is the wunderkind of Silicon Valley worth its reported $105 billion valuation? We're wondering, would you buy Facebook stock, its value tottering between $34-$38 per share? In a piece today in the The New York Times, even MIT profs are questioning if … Read More...
Consumer suit vs. Apple and book publishers gets the go-ahead
It's game on for a class-action lawsuit against Apple and several major publishers accused of colluding to illegally fix prices on e-books to undercut Amazon. Today, a U.S. District Court judge denied court petitions from Apple and publishers to dismiss the lawsuit. The suit was filed on behalf of e-book customers forced to collectively pay "tens of millions of dollars … Read More...
Microsoft CEO Summit: Immelt, Huffington, Buffett and other titans in town
More than 130 corporate chiefs from around the world are descending on Seattle starting today — but don't expect to hear much, if anything, from them over the next three days. The occasion is Microsoft's CEO Summit, an annual gathering now in its 16th year. It's an opportunity for Steve Ballmer and other Microsoft executives to host some of the biggest names in … Read More...
T-Mobile USA plans 900 job cuts as ‘rebuilding’ continues
Updated with details on job cuts. T-Mobile USA will be going through another round of job cuts as part of an ongoing restructuring following AT&T's failed attempt to acquire the Bellevue-based company. A company representative says in a statement, "With these changes, some jobs will be eliminated, some outsourced and some created. In total, approximately 900 … Read More...
Startup to bring cell phone charging stations to sports stadiums, airports, conferences
At the Consumer Electronics Show last year, Seattle area entrepreneur Leigh Hunt struggled to keep his cell phone charged as he bounced between exhibits, talks and parties. Realizing that other people we're likely encountering the same troubles at the week-long geek fest, Hunt decided to do something about it. The result of that frustration is Sionic Media, a new cell … Read More...
Privacy: Facebook and Google baking it in, but will startups follow the recipe?
High-profile privacy breaches have increasingly been making headlines, putting the issue further onto the agenda of the tech industry. But the message hasn't necessarily reached those aspiring entrepreneurs who are collecting user data as they try to develop the next blockbuster app. That was one of the messages this morning at the Privacy Identity Innovation conference … Read More...
New technology turns Seattle fire trucks into mobile hotspots
Firefighters rely on real-time communication when responding to emergencies, so having a robust wireless system could mean the difference between life and death. Working in conjunction with In Motion Technology, the City of Seattle Fire Department has rolled out a new onBoard Mobile Networking System that's designed to improve response times to incidents. (The Seattle Fire … Read More...
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