Startup Spotlight: Decide’s Mike Fridgen taps power of data to change how we shop

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Mike Fridgen already helped change the way people buy airfares, getting Seattle startup Farecast off the ground in 2005. Now, the Internet executive (and loyal Husky) is trying to transform how we shop for power saws, smartphones, treadmills and everything else as the CEO of Decide.com. The Seattle company, which like Farecast was started with… Read More…

Decide CEO Mike Fridgen: ‘Branding, startup style’

Mike Fridgen, CEO of Decide.com

Mike Fridgen has learned a few things about branding in his life as a serial entrepreneur. The CEO of Decide.com was co-founder and CEO of TripHub before going on to work for companies including Farecast and Microsoft. He shared some of his branding lessons learned at Seattle 2.0 Startup Day, presented by GeekWire this past weekend…. Read More…

Nebulous ‘cloud computing’ term baffles most Americans

Clouds over Seattle. Flickr photo via Dan Hershman

Geeks like us hear the words “cloud computing” almost every day, using it ourselves to explain a host of different online-based services. But how do folks in the heartland or other less tech-savvy places feel about cloud computing? Well, there’s still a ways to go in terms of grasping the concept, if a new survey… Read More…

Pay too much for that TV? Decide.com may make up the difference with new guarantee

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A new service from Decide.com could guarantee that you never overpay again for that exercise bike, digital camera or lawn mower.  The Seattle startup today unveiled a new price guarantee on over 200,000 products, allowing consumers to get cash refunds if Decide.com’s price prediction algorithms incorrectly tell consumers to buy at what they believe are… Read More…

GeekWire Podcast: Where The Hell is Matt? On our show!

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Even if you don’t recognize Matt Harding’s name, you’ve probably seen one of his videos. He’s the globetrotting YouTube star behind the site WhereTheHellisMatt.com. His videos, showing him dancing with people in countries around the world, have been viewed millions upon millions of times. Matt is our guest this week on the GeekWire radio show… Read More…

Consumer Reports for geeks: New ‘Decide Score’ uncovers the best and worst products

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Decide.com already tells consumers when they should buy cameras, phones, refrigerators and other gadgets and appliances, analyzing price drops and increases. Now, the Seattle startup and brainchild of University of Washington computer scientist Oren Etzioni and others is getting into the recommendation business, assigning a score of 1 to 100 on more than 22,000 products… Read More…

Get out your wallet: It is the best time of the year to buy a laptop

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Are you in the market for a new laptop? You may want to hit the stores this Independence Day before prices creep back up. New research from Decide.com, the Seattle startup that predicts whether prices will go up or down on consumer electronics products, indicates that we are currently in one of three periods during… Read More…

GeekWire Radio: Google’s crazy glasses, text-spresso and predicting the price of your next gadget

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This week on the GeekWire radio show and podcast, we debate the merits of Google’s augmented reality glasses, talk about the world’s geekiest coffee machine, and assess the prospects for the Nokia Lumia 900, and its chances for helping Windows Phone. Our guest in the studio is Mike Fridgen, the CEO of Decide.com, the Seattle… Read More…

Geek of the Week: Oren Etzioni on Siri, Burning Man and the promise of algorithms

Oren Etzioni. GeekWire photo via Annie Laurie Malarkey

Our new Geek of the Week, Oren Etzioni, is a computer scientist and serial entrepreneur who has a knack for building businesses based on complex algorithms that help people make decisions. If you’ve used the price prediction engine in Microsoft Bing Travel, you’re familiar with his work. Etzioni was the founder of Farecast, which Microsoft… Read More…

GeekWire Radio: Kinect on Windows, Apple on the rise, and Xconomy’s Curt Woodward

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This week on the GeekWire radio show and podcast, we talk about Microsoft’s plan to develop a new Kinect device for Windows PCs, a research firm’s prediction that the iPad will lift Apple to the top of the personal computer market in 2012, and John’s discussion-generating commentary on the need for a top-notch, tech-oriented private university… Read More…

Amid California sales tax kerfuffle, Shopobot relocates to Seattle

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As a new Amazon affiliate, Shopobot co-founder Dave Matthews found himself in the middle of a big tax fight in California recently. It was a battle they couldn’t win. So, he and his co-founder, Julius Schorzman, packed their bags and moved to Seattle. “It was these two giants fighting between the State of California trying to get sales… Read More…

Looking for iPhone 5 rumors? Here’s the feed you need

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It’s one of the hottest topics right now for gadget geeks: When will Apple release its much-anticipated iPhone 5? Now, you can follow along with all of the rumor, speculation and leaked design docs. Seattle-based Decide today is unveiling a new Twitter feed and category on its Web site that will allow iPhone fanatics to… Read More…

The 14 hottest startups in Seattle (at least in the view of Business Insider)

Does anyone want to move to Seattle? (Schlosser photo)

We’ve been talking a lot about the lack of investment dollars flowing to entrepreneurial ventures in the Seattle area. But let’s not forget all of the good stuff going on. A post today from Business Insider and a comment on GeekWire from Founder’s Co-op director Andy Sack brought that message home. It has been a… Read More…