Ajax Girl

The first rule of Startup Club is take the money when you can. Spot Runner CEO Nick Grouf understands that, which is why he just raised $51 million in a C round from a group of strategic investors that include the Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT), Grupo Televisa, Legg Mason Capital Management, and Groupe Arnault/LVMH. And that’s on top of the $60 million in venture capital he raised in 2006 from a laundry list of A-list investors (Battery, Index, Allen & Co., Capital Research and Management, CBS, and Lachlan Murdoch), some of whom ponied up again this time. Surely, he didn’t burn through his cash already? Grouf says:

No, we were not running out of cash. This was an opportunity for us to build out a bit of a war chest that we will look to use in investments to expand our platform beyond just television and online but into other media, as well as expansion overseas, and acquisitions.

Basically, the money was there, so he took it. Grouf wouldn’t specify Spot Runner’s valuation, but when I asked him if it was higher or lower than the $250 million guesstimate that Silicon Alley Insider “>recently put out, he laughed and confirmed that it was higher. I’d hope so, with $110 million invested.

If Grouf wants to expand to markets overseas, this group of investors should be able to help. The Daily Mail and General trust is one of the largest media companies in Britain, with papers, Websites, and radio stations. Grupo Televisa is one of the largest media companies in Spanish-speaking countries, with TV channels, cable and satellite services, magazines, and radio stations. And Arnault/LVMH owns one of the biggest collections of luxury brands in the world (Moët & Chandon, Hennessy, Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Donna Karan, Sephora and TAG Heuer).

Spot Runner automates and the buying of regular TV ads for bothe local and national businesses. Both the creation and placement of the ads is all managed online. Grouf wants t expand beyond TV advertising. Last March, he bought Weblistic, which helps small, local businesses run online ad campaigns. Grouf is already dabbling in radio ads, but wants to ratchet that up, and move into print ads as well.

He’d better move fast because Google has some of the exact same plans—although Google admittedly doesn’t yet have much to show for its TV, print, and radio efforts. Grouf wants to scale up before Google gets serious.

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Source: TechCrunch
Original Article: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/285092109/

The race is on for software supremacy on Google’s Android platform, as developers compete to develop the applications that will eventually come preloaded on branded phones. Today TuneWiki, one of the most popular third-party developers for the iPhone, has announced a media player for Android that will feature an iPhone-esque interface, support for synching with iTunes, and the karaoke-like lyric functionality that put them on the map.

Owners of jailbroken iPhones may be familiar with TuneWiki already - As we mentioned last week, the iPhone version has seen “hundreds of thousands” of downloads since December 2007. The iPhone version of the software features a player that displays karaoke-style lyrics in time with songs in the device’s library. TuneWiki has partnered with Universal to provide lyrics legally, and has ongoing talks with other music labels.

The Android version of the software has the same karaoke synching, with added support for music videos that are synched with lyrics. While this is significant in itself, the real news here is the media player that will accompany the software. From the brief demonstration seen in the video below, the player seems to be every bit as usable as the one seen on the iPhone (it looks nearly exactly the same, which isn’t a bad thing).

Android may be an “Open” platform that will allow handset manufacturers (and possibly users) to install whatever applications they want, but we’re going to be seeing a few dominant leaders emerge in each space. There won’t be any shortage of iPhone-imitating apps, but TuneWiki has given itself a leg up by establishing a number of features that will be difficult to replicate. Whether or not these will be enough to lift TuneWiki above the rest of the pack remains to be seen.

You can try an emulated version of the software (minus some of the navigation seen in the video) here.

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Source: TechCrunch
Original Article: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/285020922/

The Park Inn Hotel (and attached City National Bank building) in Mason City Iowa is the last remaining Frank Lloyd Wright-designed hotel in the world. It’s in desperate need of financial support to save the building.

On March 12, Wright on the Park (WOTP) received a Vision Iowa grant of $7,500,000 from the Iowa Department of Economic Development for the continuation of the rehabilitation of both building segments. Along with the Vision Iowa grant, the sale of Historic Preservation Tax Credits is expected to yield another 67% of the total funding. For the first time, Mason City residents watching the Park Inn’s gradual deterioration since a modern, 250-room hotel was built here in 1922, can believe the project is do-able.

The Vision Iowa grant is double-edged: while providing a great financial boost, it carries a 180-day deadline. Counting from the day after the grant announcement (March 12), a match of $4,300,000 must be raised for this grant. This will be a daunting task for a town of 28,000, without outside help. For $2,000,000 of this match, WOTP must seek help from the wider Frank Lloyd Wright Community. Contributions can be made to Wright on the Park, Inc. by credit card through the WOTP web site: www.wrightonthepark.org, or by mail to P.O. Box 792, Mason City, Iowa 50402-0792.

If you’re a lover of architecture, and you want to see the last remaining Frank Lloyd Wright-designed hotel in the world survive to see another day, pitch in what you can. You can read more about the project on the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy site.

Source: Signal vs. Noise
Original Article: http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/1014-help-save-the-frank-lloyd-wright-designed-park-inn-hotel-in-mason-city-iowa

CrowdChess, which we covered last year, has initiated a match against chess Grand Master Gawain Jones, one of the top ranked players in England. CrowdChess members have twelve hours per turn to debate and vote on each potential move, at which point the winning move will be executed.

The game will be worth watching to see how the “wisdom of the crowds” fairs against the GM, but I fear that the voting system used is too democratic. In the current setup, each vote is weighted equally, independent of experience or rating. The concept of having a “human super computer” capable of beating any challenger is compelling, but we’ll never see anything like that if the voting pool is watered down by people who are clueless.

Crowdsourced chess matches against well-known figures are nothing new. In 1999, MSN Gaming Zone held “Kasparov versus The World”, a four month long chess match that Kasparov called “the greatest game in the history of chess.” The winner? Kasparov, after 62 moves.

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Source: TechCrunch
Original Article: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/284983262/

Last night, Andrew Ross Sorkin of the New York Times and our own Michael Arrington appeared on the Charlie Rose Show to talk about —what else?—Yahoo, Microsoft and the non-deal that everybody can’t stop talking about. The segment is embedded above.

Michael notes in the piece that Microsoft has a long-term problem in that it has to figure out its Internet strategy. And even putting together AOL, MySpace, and Facebook does not bring what Yahoo does to the table: a real player in search. He also suggests that Microsoft might come back with another lower bid. And that Yahoo should have accepted the bid back in February.

He also notes that Yahoo’s banker, Goldman Sachs, was rumored to have gotten an independence fee, meaning it will be paid extra if Yahoo stays free. If true, it could have been working at cross-purposes. As he points out, on Saturday, the most important day of the deal, the company sends Jerry Yang and David Filo. He asks: “Why wasn’t [chairman] Roy Bostock there to make the deal?” Good question. Here’s another one that Mike poses: “Is Jerry Yang still going to be the CEO of Yahoo?”

(Check out Michael’s first appearance on the show from March).

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Source: TechCrunch
Original Article: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/284950800/

Here’s the latest Yahoo rumor that we’re chasing: The Yahoo board of directors met earlier today and authorized chairman Roy Bostock, not CEO Jerry Yang, to call Ballmer about re-starting negotiations. In fact, this rumor may have been behind the small rally in Yahoo’s stock today, which closed up 5.5 percent to $25.72 (still down from where it closed on Friday at $28.67). If this is true, it makes you wonder who is really in charge at Yahoo.

Yang has been getting a lot of grief from angry shareholders for not taking Microsoft’s $33 a share offer, and instead holding out for $37 or $38. Now his story keeps changing on when he learned about the $33 bid. But when Ballmer balked and called off the deal, that may have been when Yang’s grip on power began to weaken. What happened next was curious. In Yahoo’s official press release on May 3 responding to Microsoft’s termination of negotiations, it was Bostock who issued the primary statement from Yahoo, not Yang.

As we understand the chronology of events from last week, Ballmer made his $33 offer on Wednesday, April 30. But fearing that the offer may not have been made clear to Yahoo’s board, says a source close to the negotiations, Microsoft’s general counsel Brad Smith called Ron Olsen, the lawyer for Yahoo’s independent directors, on Friday to reiterate the $33 bid. Then on Saturday, not hearing back anything new, Ballmer reviewed his $33 bid versus the $37 to $38 that Yang had been grasping for. And then he walked.

Now the Yahoo board may be rethinking that stance, and putting Bostock in charge of negotiations. The timetable for any new negotiations is about ten days, since Yahoo announced yesterday that its annual shareholder meeting will take place on July 3. That gives Microsoft (and anyone else) until May 15 to nominate an alternate slate of directors, should it choose to revisit that option.

Whether or not Yahoo’s board actually met today and authorized Bostock to restart negotiations is entirely speculation at this point, say our sources. But here’s one more interesting tidbit. Today, Yahoo board member Eric Hippeau was supposed to speak on a panel with me and others at the In-Call Media Summit in New York (where we both live). He didn’t show up. Another venture capitalist from Softbank took his place. When I asked around what happened to Hippeau, I was told by someone else at the conference who would have known that he is in Sunnyvale. So maybe the board did meet today after all.

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Source: TechCrunch
Original Article: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/284921702/

Twitter is certainly usable via SMS on a mobile device, but typing messages on a phone is cumbersome. A service that converts voice to text and then posts it to Twitter could be a niche hit.

A number of services have launched to allow users to record messages and link to the recording from Twitter (see Twitsay, Twittergram). And services like Jott and Spinvox are providing tools that allow voice to text conversion for Twitter, Facebook, Pownce and other social networks. But nothing I’ve seen so far is as simple to use as TwitterFone, a new service by serial Irish entrepreneur Pat Phelan.

The service launched moments ago into private beta. To use it you need to verify your phone number and Twitter account, and TwitterFone will then give you a local phone number to call to leave messages (they support the U.S., UK and Ireland now, adding more). Then, any message you send will be transcribed, and posted to Twitter along with a link to the recording (here’s a test message I left). If the message is longer than 140 characters, just the first part is transcribed, but the entire recording is still available. There is a time limit of 15 seconds on the recording.

The service is partially automated via voice recognition software, and flagged words go to a human for translation. For now the service supports English only; Japanese support is promised in 8 weeks or so.

One problem/slightly humorous aspect of the service is that there is no going back once you start recording. In this test message I started coughing and just hung up. The coughing was dutifully transcribed and posted. A simple option at the end of a call to delete the message is needed.

The service is free for now, they may add premium features over time. We have a handful of beta accounts to give out now. Tell us why you think you need it in the comments below - the most compelling get an account.

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Source: TechCrunch
Original Article: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/284918110/

We’re partnering with Supernova for the third year in a row this year. This time, we’re are creating a forum called “Mobile Connections,” to discuss important themes to advance innovation in the mobile environment. The forum will include both invited speakers and selected submissions from the community below.

You can be involved
For Mobile Connections at Supernova 2008, we’re looking for game-changing innovations that provide a glimpse of the wireless future. This is not a startup contest — it’s a search for ideas. We’re challenging anyone to make submissions… but, please, NO commercially-available products/services. We DO want to hear about innovative concepts, prototypes, research lab projects, hacks, and business ideas that can engage the mobile development community.

If your submission blows us away, we’ll invite you to join us on stage Monday evening at Supernova 2008. There is no charge to submit your ideas or to present as part of the Mobile Communications Forum. Additional details are available here. Email your submission to mobile@supernova2008.com by midnight PST, Friday May 23, 2008. We will notify selected participants by June 2.

Get tickets
Supernova is extending discounted registration to TechCrunch readers. Preferred pricing is $1,595 ($100 discount.)

Thank you Sponsors
Thanks to Nokia for sponsoring the Mobile Connections Forum and making this lively discussion possible. Several other sponsor slots remain open. Please email Supernova for additional sponsorship details.

Supernova will also have a special Technology Showcase for demonstrators during the opening Networking Gala, evening of June 16. Email Jeanne Logozzo to learn more about demonstrator sponsorships.

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Source: TechCrunch
Original Article: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/284866713/

Opera has posted what looks like a great new Web debugging tool Opera Dragonfly which is released in alpha.

Debug JavaScript, inspect CSS and the DOM, and view any errors – Opera Dragonfly makes developing using Opera easier than ever, both on your computer and mobile phone.

Shawn Lauriat has a nice write-up that tells the story:

It offers most of the familiar tools for DOM inspection (along with a nice DOM editing capability), error logging (with the same granularity as before wrapped in a more polished UI), a JavaScript debugger that rivals WebKit’s Drosera, a JavaScript thread logger, and a lot more that I haven’t explored yet.

Time will tell whether Dragonfly can get enough developers to use Opera and keep them there, and how much the developers behind the new developer tools listen to the community in the coming iterations, but so far this looks extremely promising.

Features

• Reach breaking point step by step: Opera Dragonfly’s fully featured JavaScript debugger makes building sophisticated Ajax applications easier than ever. Step through your code line by line, setting break points along the way. This allows you to make sure your application and scripts are acting as you designed them.
• Redefine your style: Its not just the DOM you can inspect. Check out what CSS rules apply to which element, and what rules are inherited or set by browser defaults. Overridden rules are highlighted so you can see what styles are or aren’t applied. Support for editing CSS rules will be added in an upcoming version.
• Spot your errors: An improved error console allows you to see, filter and log any errors in your scripts, pointing to the exact position the error occurred. Use this in combination with the other tools to hunt down and fix your site’s bugs.
• Debug the DOM: View source isn’t much use if you use DOM Scripting to alter the DOM. Opera Dragonfly allows you to inspect the updated DOM and all it’s properties. Support for editing the DOM will be added in an upcoming version.

The features that are not there yet, but are upcoming, include support for editing of CSS, JavaScript and the DOM, a single window mode, improved JavaScript thread handling, XHR and HTTP monitoring, improved keyboard navigation, and translation into a number of languages.

Have you checked it out? How do you like it?

Source: Ajaxian
Original Article: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ajaxian/~3/284855352/opera-dragonfly-new-web-tooling

Facebook
Sean Iams writes:

Very cool feature on Facebook: When you’re typing a message, and you happen to include a valid link (i.e. http://www.37signals.com) in the body, Facebook automatically looks up the site and pulls back a description and a list of images that help explain the site. You then have the option to send the message with the image + description as an attachment or send the message without any attachment. It drastically clarifies the message with no additional effort whatsoever. Quick, simple, and easy

MyPunchBowl
Matt Douglas at MyPunchBowl writes:

Thought you would be interested in this “pure design” feature. On MyPunchbowl.com (party planning site), users choose a party theme. Like most sites, you can choose by category and search by terms.

However, MyPunchbowl also has the ability to search by color—so if you’re looking for a red based theme, you can find it easily. You know what? Men seem to not care about this feature, but female users LOVE IT.

Nashbar
Ian Leckie writes:

Just got this email from Nashbar. What a great way to handle a
technology problem that affected some of their customer’s experience
with them…. love the “OOPS” coupon code too

Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics mails you an invoice and then has you pay at its site. They use arrows to show you exactly where the information you need to submit is on the invoice.

Bearskinrug
A smart little detail at Bearskinrug: The main points of the article have anchors for linkability

Have an interesting link, story, or screenshot for Signal vs. Noise? Contact svn [at] 37signals [dot] com.

Source: Signal vs. Noise
Original Article: http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/1013-screens-around-town-facebook-mypunchbowl-nashbar-quest-diagnostics-and-bearskinrug