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Q&A: Instacart CEO on competing with Amazon Fresh and the future of grocery shopping
While Amazon Fresh has been dominating the headlines lately, a San Francisco-based startup led by a former Amazon employee is looking to revolutionize the way people get groceries. We've all had those days: you meant to go out and get groceries, but something came up, and there just wasn't any time. Grocery delivery is supposed to be the way forward: instead of going … Read More...
Microsoft: Bing voice search now faster, more accurate
Thanks to some new technology, Windows Phone 8 is getting a better pair of ears. According to a new blog post from the Windows Phone team, Microsoft is using Deep Neural Networks (DNN) to improve the speed and accuracy of its Bing voice search and voice-to-text features. They claim the new technology makes voice search on WP8 up to twice as fast and 15 percent more … Read More...
Looking for fun, geeky stuff to do?
Have you checked out the GeekWire calendar yet? It’s your one stop shop for latest and greatest events taking place in the Pacific Northwest and beyond — meetups, hackathons, fan conventions, tech industry events and a whole lot more! Best thing of all, it’s self serve, so add your geeky event today!
Microsoft says you can tether your phone for Xbox One check-ins
Here's a solution for those wanting to play games on the Xbox One without an Internet connection at home: Your smartphone. Microsoft's newest console requires you to connect to the Internet at least once every 24 hours for games to work, so if you don't have Internet at home, you're basically screwed. But you may be in the clear if you have a mobile device that can … Read More...
Google calls veiled national security disclosures ‘a step back’
Facebook and Microsoft on Friday evening published new statistics about the data they provide to governmental agencies. The stats included national security requests for the first time, after the companies persuaded federal officials to loosen restrictions on public reporting. Apple followed suit on Sunday. The companies are aiming to alleviate concern over reports … Read More...
Yabbly raises cash to help consumers get product advice, names Ben Huh and Andy Liu to advisory board
Yabbly, the Seattle startup that's looking to help consumers get solid advice on consumer products, everything from smartphones to baby strollers, has raised an additional $500,000 in angel financing from a group of a dozen investors. Total funding now stands at $1.3 million, with investors such as former Facebook general counsel Rudy Gadre; former Qpass CEO Chase … Read More...
Early Amazon investor Nick Hanauer disappointed Amazon isn’t more civically engaged
Is Amazon.com doing enough to support its hometown? That question has been raised many times over the years, with local publications like The Stranger and The Seattle Times ripping the online retailer for essentially being a scrooge when it comes to corporate giving and engagement in Seattle. In a poll last year following The Seattle Times' four-part series, 45 … Read More...
Steve Jobs bio goes paperback, with new picture and afterword
The landmark biography of Steve Jobs is getting a younger look — but keeping the same pose — for its paperback debut. Simon & Schuster announced today that Walter Isaacson's best-selling biography of Jobs will be released in paperback this fall, nearly two years after the book's original hardcover publication, complete with a new cover featuring a far younger … Read More...
Thomas Penfield Jackson, 1937-2013: What if his Microsoft breakup order had been upheld?
Thomas Penfield Jackson — the federal judge who declared Microsoft a monopoly and ordered a breakup of the company— died this weekend at the age of 76 from complications of transitional cell cancer, according to a New York Times report. Jackson's landmark breakup order, issued on June 7, 2000, was later overturned by an appeals court, after his colorful … Read More...
Skype video messaging now available for free on every platform except Windows Phone
Skype's free video messaging feature is fully out of beta today and everyone can now send as many three-minute moving messages to your Skype contacts — whether or not they're online — as desired. Well, just about everyone. The feature is available on essentially every platform (Windows desktop, Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android, BlackBerry) except Windows Phone, … Read More...
Zillow rolls out new TV ad, plans to spend $20M to $30M in big marketing push
Zillow may be one of the leading online real estate companies in the U.S. But even so, most Americans still don't know anything about it. The Seattle company is hoping to change that perception this year, embarking on a huge $20 million to $30 million advertising campaign that's designed to position Zillow as the No. 1 brand in the category. Today, Zillow is taking … Read More...
Clearing out stock? Barnes & Noble extends Father’s Day discount for Nook
Father's Day may be over, but that isn't keeping Barnes & Noble from continuing its weekend sale. The Nook was heavily discounted this past weekend, and today Barnes & Noble announced that the low prices will stick around for an unknown time. The Nook HD tablet is currently selling for $129 (previously at $199), while the Nook HD+ is at $149 (previously at … Read More...
A new marketplace: Nimia offers one-stop shop for managing and licensing professional video
Zach McIntosh was busy wrapping up another video production project for National Geographic when he first realized a big problem: Someone at National Geographic had licensed content he had produced without him even knowing. "I realized there was a synergy to be made between contractual and license video production," McIntosh recalled. Fast forward two years later … Read More...
Bill Gates: ‘My dad is the man I aspire to be’
Normally, Bill Gates focuses his blog posts on work he's doing or books he's reading. For Father's Day, though, he had something else to write about: his dad. The Microsoft co-founder penned a short piece dedicated to his father, William H. Gates Sr., who is the co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the man Bill G. aspires to be. "I especially admire … Read More...
Here’s how much games will cost on Microsoft’s Xbox One
Worried about Xbox One games hurting your wallet even more so than Xbox 360 titles already do? Here's some relieving news for you. Microsoft's first-party games (made by Microsoft Studios) for the Xbox One will sell for $60, the same price that new Xbox 360 games typically go for. This was first spotted by Kotaku, and a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the pricing to … Read More...
They’re back: Zillow re-added to the Nasdaq Internet Index
I was a bit perplexed three months ago when the Nasdaq OMX Group announced that they were removing Zillow from the Nasdaq Internet Index, noting at the time that Zillow was not an Internet company. The weird thing about the decision was that in the same breadth that the Nasdaq OMX Group booted Zillow, they added Trulia to the Index. As I noted at the time, that was a … Read More...
Google’s next high-flying idea: Broadband Internet from solar-powered balloons
Google has come up with some wacky ideas lately, from driverless cars to Google Glasses. Now, here comes the next one: High-speed Internet from solar-powered balloons floating in the stratosphere. The goal? Provide remote areas of the planet with high-speed Internet. "We believe that it might actually be possible to build a ring of balloons, flying around the globe … Read More...
App of the Week: ‘Caspar Babypants Music Time’ is a must-have for young kids (and their parents)
Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. Our new App of the Week might just make the day more fun with your child (or children), at least those of a certain age. It's called Caspar Babypants Music Time, and if you're a parent of a younger kid, you probably don't need an explanation of the Caspar Babypants part of that name. For everyone else, it's the pseudonym of … Read More...
5 steps to prepare your geek child for college
As caps and gowns are returned for deposits while freshmen are readying to be deposited this fall in the college of their parents’ choice, it’s time to do some preparation. Not just for any new college student. For the geek college student. When I was preparing to send my geek son to college, I didn't want to be a helicopter parent. So I made it clear there were … Read More...
Facebook, Microsoft release stats on data requests — ‘tiny fraction’ of customers involved
In a pair of blog posts overnight, Facebook and Microsoft released new numbers that shed additional light on the volume of requests that they get from government officials — including national security requests. The carefully worded disclosures follow efforts by big tech companies to persuade federal officials to let them disclose more information publicly, to address … Read More...
GeekWire Radio: Nick Hanauer and Rich Barton on investing, technology, open skies and big bets
Nick Hanauer and Rich Barton are investors and entrepreneurs who have created and shaped some of the most significant companies in the Seattle region, and the world. They're also friends, and we're happy to have them both together in the studio this week for the GeekWire radio show and podcast. Barton is the co-founder of companies including Expedia and Zillow, a board … Read More...
50% of Fortune 500 uses Windows Azure, Microsoft says
Microsoft's cloud is gathering steam, according to new data released by the company today. Like Amazon and Google, Microsoft is trying to snag a piece of the cloud computing pie with Windows Azure. Microsoft has tried to make inroads with startups, which are traditionally Amazon's turf, while Amazon has tried to pick up accounts with larger companies that traditionally … Read More...
Teams from Amazon, Microsoft battle on StarCraft in After Hours Gaming League
It's not uncommon for company employees to organize teams for recreational sports leagues. Participating is a good way to leave the work environment, get the competitive juices flowing and bond with your colleagues. Some of us, though, may not want to get out on the field, but still would like a way to get some competition in. Enter the After Hours Gaming … Read More...
Facebook introducing something on June 20 — will it be a Google Reader replacement?
First hashtags, now a news reader? Joanna Stern at ABC News received a snail-mail invitation today from Facebook for a media event on June 20 that read, "A small team has been working on a big idea. Join us for coffee and learn about a new product." Many are speculating that Facebook will unveil some type of news reader. With the company knowing exactly what type of … Read More...
Ask Andru: Will OS X Mavericks be compatible with my Mac?
Apple announced OS X Mavericks a few days ago during the WWDC 2013 keynote, and we've been getting a bunch of questions about which Macs will work with the new operating system, like this one from Anette: Q: OS X Mavericks looks cool, despite the silly name. However, it seems that when new software is introduced, a bunch of hardware is left out of the mix. Apple … Read More...
GeekWire Calendar Picks: Seattle Tech Meetup, Sketch Comedy, Happy Father’s Day!
Well summer has finally showed up! Hopefully, we can all celebrate out in the sun this weekend. Rain or shine, there's plenty to do this weekend and in to early next week — get the lowdown on bootstrapping, have a laugh in Ballard, learn a thing or two about climate change and wrap up your weekend dancin' with dad! Here are our weekly picks from the GeekWire … Read More...
Need a tech job? Study shows 62 percent of Seattle CIO’s plan to hire IT staff in 3Q
If you're in search of an IT job, Seattle-area CIOs are hiring — though not quite as much as a few months ago. A study from Robert Half Technology surveyed 200 CIOs from companies in the Seattle area with 100 or more employees. Results show that 62 percent of those CIOs will be making hires for IT positions in their respective companies in the third quarter of … Read More...
After brutal week for Xbox, Microsoft strikes back against ‘incremental improvement’ in video-game industry
Microsoft's focus at the E3 video game convention in Los Angeles this week was ostensibly on video games, as the company showcased a series of titles for its upcoming Xbox One console — aiming to appeal to avid console gamers at the core of its traditional audience. But much of the attention was instead on price ($499 for the Xbox One vs. $399 for the Playstation 4), … Read More...
Calling all NSA agents: This 16-camera spy hut can be yours for $200K cash
If you're looking do to some spying, need to lay low and have $200,000 in cash on hand, there's a little spot in Seattle's Greenwood area just for you. Called the "most unique home on the market today," this one-bedroom house sure does look like it. There's 16 security cameras posted around the 510 square-foot spot, along with three electrical subpanels and a deep water … Read More...
Messages from our GeekWire members. Become a Golden Geek or Super Geek to put your message on the home page for the year.First Hill Partners: Capital raising and M&A for innovative high growth companies.
Nytec: Not Your Typical Engineering Company
Mary Jesse: Ivytalk. Powerful OTT messaging for business.
Seattle Interactive Conference 2013: Bringing our industry leaders back together Oct 28-30
Nat Burgess, Corum Group: Techmergers.com & World Financial Symposiums
David Niu, TINYpulse: Measure and Improve Company Culture
JP Nicols, Clientific: FinTech Future: Leadership, Advice, Innovation
Perry Atkins – Not Just Another Investment Geek
Spoken Communications: Keep every customer with our zombie-proof cloud. Save me.
Methodologie: Consulting in market strategy and brand differentiation. Stand out.
Bizible: Revenue attribution for offline purchases
Compensation Venture Group: Conscious Compensation ©, changing the workplace.
Redapt: Innovative Cloud and Data Center Infrastructure Solutions.
Matt Hulett, GameHouse: Entrepreneur turned casual game executive turned casino pit boss.
Context Relevant: Turning the big data dial to 11!
Keith Smith, BigDoor: Improving customer loyalty with gamification.
Carter Rabasa, Twilio: Changing business communications forever by empowering software people
Brad Sturgill, MarketFitz, Inc.: Maximizing returns on go-to-market investments.
Arrow: Private jet service to Silicon Valley, business class prices.
Brett Greene: Thoughts on society and our digital lives.
Lon McGowan, iClick: Be Remarkable
47 Degrees: Locally grown iOS & Android design and development, ready for the picking.
Matt Lucas: JobMonkey.com – Coolest Jobs on Earth!
Geir Hansen, Silicon Valley Bank: Supporting Geeks around the World since 1983
Patrick Husting, Extended Results, Inc. Personal Business Intelligence.
Paul Suzman, OfficeLease: We negotiate office leases for tenants.
William Carleton: America's #1 startup financing law blog is the daily Counselor@Law
Solveig Whittle: Social Media, Music and Marketing.
9Mile Labs – Pacific Northwest’s B2B startup accelerator.
Kent Hollenbeck: Be nice. Enjoy every sandwich. Create your own offense. Ok?
Madrona Venture Group — We support you, the builders of tomorrow
Andy Shawber, Summit Law Group: A different view from the Summit
Rich Barton: Zillow homes, Glassdoor jobs, Trover discoveries, Nextdoor neighborhoods, Avvo, Realself
Glenn Walcott: Double Down Interactive – Fun? Ohhhh Yeah!
PipelineDeals: Track Your Leads, Manage Your Sales Pipeline, and Sell More
Jawfish Games: Stop Playing With Yourself!
Institute for Systems Biology: How's your molecular health? Our science will reveal your future.
Alchemy Computer Solutions: WordPress theme developer Linux Sysadmin
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