Meet Sidebar: Student programmer creates popular Android app at CodeDay Seattle

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We’re pretty geeky up here in the Pacific Northwest. With messenger bags full of the latest Windows gear and too many new startups to count, we’re in no short supply of tech gurus. So it’s no surprise that in Seattle we have StudentRND preparing high school techies for the real world that awaits them. StudentRND’s multi-annual CodeDay hackathon took… Read More…

Smashing Ideas helps bring Wizard of Oz back to life on the tablet

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L. Frank Baum, author of the classic children’s book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” probably wouldn’t have guessed that his timeless novel would one day be transformed into an interactive reading application, complete with music, sound effects, and narration. Furthermore, he wouldn’t have even dreamed that his 1900 novel would be available as an iPad… Read More…

Amazon to iOS users: Don’t install Kindle app update

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Normally, app updates are supposed to allow for improvement and efficiency. That’s not the case with Amazon’s latest update for its iOS Kindle app, which went into effect yesterday and now seems to have a bug that can delete your entire book library. “Note: There is a known issue with this update,” it reads under… Read More…

Weekend-special: Netflix unlocked for all Xbox Live users

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Microsoft is giving all Xbox Live users access to the Netflix app — just for this weekend. Normally, the app is only available for Gold-level subscribers who pay $60 per year. But Major Nelson announced today that all Live users with a Netflix subscription will have access this weekend. It looks like a move to… Read More…

Randomized food delivery service nomON takes 1st place at Startup Weekend UW

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It was already 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon of Startup Weekend UW when a group of five collegiates realized their business idea was not going to work. There was an already-established competitor in the same space and a huge pivot was needed. “We were that team huddling around the table going, ‘What are we going to… Read More…

Fishing with a smartphone: ReelSonar helps you catch fish

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Say goodbye to going home after a long day of fishing with nothing to show for it. A sweet new system called ReelSonar just made catching fish a whole lot easier with a little help from your smartphone. ReelSonar is a Bluetooth-enabled portable sonar fishfinder for your smartphone or tablet. It essentially tells you exactly… Read More…

Smarter address book: LinkedIn, Microsoft vets launch ‘addappt’ for iPhone

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Over the years, plenty of companies have tried to tackle the problem of keeping our contact information up to date. (Remember when everyone was all abuzz about Plaxo?) But a startup founded by veterans of Microsoft and LinkedIn is taking another run at the problem — starting with a new iPhone app, launching today. It’s… Read More…

Breaking down borders: Bing translator app now available for Windows Phone 8

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Whether or not Microsoft is poised to lead the way in the tablet, video game and search engine arenas is still to be determined. But when it comes to language translation technology, the Redmond-based software company is certainly making strides. We wrote about the company’s potential breakthrough in speech recognition technology a few weeks ago and… Read More…

Podcast: Xbox tries politics, tipping goes digital, and a chat with new LiquidPlanner CEO Liz Pearce

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What happens when Microsoft’s Xbox Live tries politics? It gets a little confusing, and reveals a few things about the Xbox demographic. This week on the GeekWire radio show and podcast, we start our news segment by discussing what happened this week when the Redmond company’s game division streamed the first presidential debate along with an… Read More…