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Bridge span collapses over I-5 near Mount Vernon
Interstate 5 is snarled this evening after a bridge spanning the Skagit River near Mount Vernon collapsed. According to KING 5, the incident occurred around 7 p.m. and northbound and southbound lanes are now closed. It's unclear at this point what caused the collapse and how many people were injured, but eyewitnesses indicated that some cars were submerged in the … Read More...
High school hackathon: 500 budding teen geeks learn how to code
It's no secret that Washington is falling behind when it comes to educating our future geeks. While the state ranks fourth in the nation for tech-related companies, Washington comes in a disappointing 46th for participation in science and engineering graduate programs. Which makes what happened on Thursday inside the gymnasium of Rainier Beach High School all the … Read More...
Earn a Graduate Degree Aligned to Seattle’s Top Employers
Top-tier Northeastern University–Seattle provides graduate degrees in science, technology and engineering that are aligned to industry in Seattle and around the world. Flexible start dates and classes online and on-campus fit your busy schedule.
GeekWire Calendar Picks: Comic Art Fest, Wonder Northwest and PolyglotConf
There's a LOT going on in the Pacific Northwest this weekend. Aside from Crypticon (where I'll be spending my weekend), folks looking for fun have options! Everything from the Comic Art Festival and PolyglotConf in Vancouver to a smorgasbord of geek culture at Wonder Northwest in Portland. Take a peek at our picks from the GeekWire Calendar. Women’s Career at … Read More...
ITC sides with Microsoft, says Xbox 360 did not infringe on Motorola patents
A major chapter in the Microsoft v. Motorola patent war finally came to a close Wednesday and it's good news for the Redmond software giant. A U.S. International Trade Commission judge ruled that Microsoft did not infringe upon any Google-owned Motorola Mobility patents with the Xbox 360. One month ago, a federal judge in Seattle sided with Microsoft in a … Read More...
Startup lesson #3: Don’t make up a brand, be yourself
[Editor's note: Seattle entrepreneurs Barry Chu and Dave Cotter share some of their startup lessons in starting the new mobile app SquareHub. The three-part series is running this week on GeekWire, starting Tuesday with their thoughts about minimum viable products. In part two, they talked about figuring out key product features. Part three, running here today, covers … Read More...
New look: Rhapsody iOS app gets complete makeover
It's makeover time for the Rhapsody iOS app, as the Seattle online music streaming company just debuted a completely redesigned version of the app. There are several differences from the old look, including a new visual homepage, updated artist and album pages, personalized organization and a new full screen player. Earlier this month, Rhapsody became the first … Read More...
Amazon’s Bezos: Urban campus is ‘inherently environmentally friendly,’ even before biospheres
Amazon's expansion in Seattle was back in the news this week with the release of new plans for biospheres at the base of one of the buildings in the proposed complex at the northern edge of downtown Seattle. Jeff Bezos didn't talk about the biospheres during Amazon's annual meeting this morning — in fact, the drawings he showed didn't include the spheres — but he did … Read More...
Holy, Womp Rats! Check out this amazing full-scale Lego model of an X-Wing Fighter
OK, now this is about the coolest thing we've seen today. The folks over at Gizmodo get an inside look at a full-scale X-Wing Fighter — made out of Legos. That's right. Legos. In fact, it took 5,335,200 bricks to create the 11-foot tall and 43-foot long masterpiece. Seeing is believing, so take a look at some of the images and video over on Gizmodo. The … Read More...
So this is how you make a point about sexism in gaming
This week I walked into the Idea Room at HUB Seattle and met two people whose office prank calling out sexism in gaming went all over the Internet as a positive story. A positive thing. Really. One of them, "K2" and @k2_said on Twitter, won't reveal her name in public. The other is artist Sam Kirk. Both work at Meteor Entertainment, a Seattle gaming company that runs a … Read More...
Commentary: 3 important tips for young entrepreneurs
[Editor's note: Gravity Payments CEO Dan Price was the winner of the "Young Entrepreneur of the Year" category at the 2013 GeekWire Awards] Sometimes, when recapping a meeting at Gravity Payments, we will summarize by determining three things we should stop doing and three things that we should start doing as a result of the information learned in the … Read More...
Bezos to Amazon shareholders: It’s not only Day One, ‘the alarm clock hasn’t gone off yet’
The official business at Amazon's annual shareholder meeting at Seattle Center this morning was quick and to the point, as shareholders re-elected Amazon's board and rejected a shareholder proposal asking for more transparency in the company's "politically motivated spending." Then Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos took to the podium for a broad overview of the company's business, … Read More...
Bezos: 3D printing ‘exciting’ but not disruptive for Amazon in short term
One of the more interesting questions for Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos during the company's annual shareholder meeting this morning was about 3D printing, and its potential to change the distribution of products and reduce the need for traditional delivery via the company's growing network of distribution centers. In other words, will 3D printing enable the digitization of … Read More...
FAA ban on electronic devices making us less productive in the air
Earlier this year, we wrote a post about flying with our gadgets and wondered if the takeoff and landing restrictions for electronic devices actually had any validity. Several of you chimed in with some insightful comments on the matter. Now, a report from the USA Today notes that we're becoming less productive because of the ban on electronic devices — in fact, the … Read More...
Jeff Bezos grilled over violent games, movies during Amazon shareholder meeting
Amazon just wrapped up its annual meeting of shareholders at Seattle Center, with Jeff Bezos giving a broad overview of the company's business and fielding questions from shareholders. But the hot-button issue during the Q&A wasn't profit margins or taxes — it was the company's policies about sales of violent games and movies. Three shareholders questioned … Read More...
WildTangent brings Penguins Escape to mobile, launches games on Asus tablets
For the second time this year, Wild Tangent is making the move to mobile. Four months after releasing its first iOS game, Polar Bowler 1st Frame, the Redmond-based company is out with its second mobile title, Penguins! Escape. It's the mobile version of the classic WildTangent game Penguins! but with updated graphics and animations for both iPhone and iPad touch … Read More...
Ride sharing service Lyft zooms forward with $60M from Andreessen Horowitz
Lyft, the ride sharing service known for the distinctive pink mustaches that drivers attach to their vehicles, has raised $60 million in venture funding from Silicon Valley powerhouse Andreessen Horowitz. The new funding values the San Francisco-based company at $275 million, according to The Wall Street Journal. The new money will be used to supercharge efforts, … Read More...
Next-gen Kinect coming to Windows in 2014
Among the array of new features unveiled at Microsoft's Xbox One revealing on Tuesday were the upgrades to the new Kinect sensor. Today Microsoft announced that same improvements to the motion-tracking system for Xbox will be coming to the next-generation Kinect for Windows and will arrive on shelves at some point next year. Microsoft wouldn't disclose details about … Read More...
Amazon annual meeting on tap in Seattle this morning
Amazon.com is holding its annual meeting of shareholders this morning in Seattle, and it looks like the company will avoid the labor protests and related drama that surrounded the event last year, as the meeting concluded with police leading protesters out of the room. The annual meeting is an opportunity for CEO Jeff Bezos to speak directly to shareholders, although … Read More...
Medical device maker Ekos acquired in $180M deal
Ekos, a Bothell medical device maker whose catheter-based ultrasound devices are used to break up blood clots in legs, has been acquired by British pharmaceutical company BTG for $180 million. The deal also includes up to $40 million in additional payouts if milestones are met. In addition to Ekos, BTG also agreed to purchased Nordion's Therasphere unit for $200 … Read More...
Calling all entrepreneurs: Startup Weekend and Startup America launch UP Global
Startup Weekend is joining forces with Startup America to launch UP Global, a new program designed to help entrepreneurs through the entire startup journey. As part of the effort, UP Global will combine the education-oriented programs of Startup Weekend with the regional community networking programs of Startup America. “Startup Weekend and Startup America … Read More...
Big Fish cloud gaming app now available on Android phones, Roku players
Big Fish announced today that its cloud gaming app Big Fish Instant Games is now available on Android smartphones and Roku devices. That means that the Seattle game maker, founded by former RealNetworks employee Paul Thelen in 2002, now offers its cloud gaming service across four screens: PC, tablet, smartphone and TV. A little less than a year after its debut, Big … Read More...
Amazon expands Android Appstore to reach nearly 200 countries
On the same day Amazon rolled out Kindle Fire HD availability to 170 countries, the Seattle online giant also announced that its Appstore for Android is now available internationally to countries such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, India, South Africa and South Korea — reaching nearly 200 countries around the world. The Appstore was previously available only … Read More...
Going global: Amazon to offer Kindle Fire HD in 170 countries
Previously available to only a handful of countries, Amazon announced today that it will be shipping both its 7-inch and 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD tablets to 170 countries around the globe starting June 13. The 8.9-inch version is available for preorder starting today for $284, while the 7-inch tablet is also available for preorder at $214. Two months ago, when Amazon … Read More...
Jawfish Games going all in with real-time, fast-paced poker tournament app
Just a month ago, Jawfish Games CEO and professional poker player Phil Gordon joined us on the GeekWire Radio Show and shed light on the similarities between playing poker and running a startup. "You want to wait, wait, wait until you really have something," Gordon explained. "Once you know you have something, you devote a lot of resources to it. A lot of what we do at … Read More...
Microsoft uses Siri to ridicule iPad in latest commercial
Microsoft is taking another swing at a competitor and this time it's Apple's iPad getting the backhand slap. In its latest Windows commercial titled "Less talking, more doing," Microsoft uses Siri's voice to show how Windows tablets can perform tasks that the iPad cannot, all at a cheaper price. Important to point out that the featured tablet is a 64GB Asus VivoTab … Read More...
Card-counting startup founders look to place a bet on Google Glass
Colin Jones and Ben Crawford have a tremendous story to tell, and one that you may have already read about or watched. In a nutshell, the Seattle natives went from waiting tables to becoming expert card counters at the Blackjack table to organizing a Christian card-counting team that was backed by investors, shared profit and won millions. Now they're immersed in the … Read More...
Report: Zulily rival Totsy is going down the tubes
Did Totsy just tumble? That's the word from PandoDaily, which reports that the money-losing New York-based flash sales site is chopping its staff of 83 and looking to sell its list of four million email subscribers. That could mean one less competitor for Zulily, the fast-growing Seattle e-commerce giant which, like Totsy, specializes in selling kids clothes, toys and … Read More...
Journalists, look out: Tableau Public projects will soon be even more public
Tableau Software charges for its premium software and technologies to visualize data in interactive charts, with security protections for confidential information. The company's free Tableau Public service is different. As its name implies, Tableau Public is designed to be used with public data. It's popular among journalists, bloggers and others. Tableau cautions … Read More...
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