Author: Serkadis

  • FlixUp brings its movie Twitter tracker to the web

    flixup logoIf your family is anything like mine, your holiday traditions include a moment when the presents are unwrapped, the Tofurky (hey, it’s my family) is eaten, and everyone drives to the theater to a catch a movie. But how will you decide what to watch?

    Well, if you want to see which movies the masses are talking up on Twitter, or what your friends are recommending, you should check out a new site called FlixUp. The team is putting the final touches on the site, and it should go live either tonight or tomorrow morning. (I’ll update the post once it’s available.)

    Bazaar Labs, the San Francisco startup that created FlixUp, started out by releasing an iPhone app earlier this month. The company compares its website and app to Rotten Tomatoes, the site that aggregates (mostly professional) movie reviews. There are other review aggregators out there (I’m a big fan of Metacritic), and those sites often include a place for users to post their own reviews. What’s missing however, is a site that measures the general population, or at least a sizable subset, not just select critics.

    That’s where FlixUp comes in — it pulls in movie-related comments from Twitter, then calculates both how “hot” a movie is (basically, how many people are tweeting about it) and whether those comments are positive or negative. For example, I see there’s a thermometer showing that the movie Avatar is getting the most buzz right now. The thermometer is green and is adorned with a happy face, so I know that most of the comments are positive. Meanwhile, New Moon comes in second when it comes to buzz, but the thermometer is yellow, so the comments are more mixed.

    You can also bring up the actual tweets about each movie. Of course, you could do this via a search within Twitter itself, but FlixUp says it uses an algorithm called the “Twitter Noise Assassin” to focus on higher quality, useful comments. And you can limit yourself to what your friends are saying about the movie, which strikes me as particularly useful. I’m usually curious about what people I know think about new movies, but if I’m not checking Twitter right after they make a comment, there’s a good chance I’ll never see it. You can also post your own comments to Twitter directly from FlixUp.

    The website doesn’t really offer a ton of new features compared to the mobile app, but it’s important nonetheless, since it makes the app available to non-iPhone users. Bazaar Labs plans to add more social data soon, like updates from Facebook and MySpace. It also plans to release apps for topics other than movies.flixup ratings

    flixup avatar


    Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

    Read Original Article

  • Recent Crashberry E-Mail Outages Anger Users

    BlackBerry users are still fuming over the near-total collapse of e-mail this week, and the impact on manufacturer Research In Motion could last a lot longer than a New Year’s Day hangover. Users got an early piece of coal in their stockings Tuesday when many BlackBerry smartphones — now deemed “Crashberries” by some wags — stopped sending and receiving e-mails.

    BoxTone, a mobility management software provider, said the outage started between 3 and 4 p.m. Tuesday and reached a critical state by 7 p.m. “At each of our customers, BoxTone detected a greater-than-normal quantity of users with messages pending, based on our learned baseline of what is normal for each server and carrier, and immediately generated a warning alert to our customers before the flood of user calls,” the company said.

    On Wednesday, RIM released a status update, explaining the outage and apologizing to users. The problem appeared to be a software glitch in new versions of BlackBerry Messenger. Users are advised to download the latest version, 5.0.0.57, which solves those problems.

    A Security Threat?

    “A service interruption occurred Tuesday that affected BlackBerry customers in the Americas,” RIM’s statement said. “Message delivery was delayed or intermittent during the service interruption. Phone service and SMS services on BlackBerry smartphones were unaffected. Root cause is currently under review, but based on preliminary analysis, it currently appears that the issue stemmed from a flaw in two recently released versions of BlackBerry Messenger (versions 5.0.0.55 and 5.0.0.56) that caused an unanticipated database issue within the BlackBerry infrastructure.”

    BlackBerry users weren’t mollified by the announcement, judging from angry comments on the popular Crackberry blog. In a post entitled “WOW … just WOW,” one user wrote, “BBM causes a system-wide crash?!?! Glad RIM isn’t responsible for y’know, security or Wall Street or something.”

    Indeed, a major outage on the eve of Christmas…

    Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

    Read Original Article

  • VIDEO: Travis Pastrana’s New Year’s Jump. Take two

    Filed under: ,

    Travis Pastrana’s New Year’s Jump Practice – Click above to watch the video after the break

    Has your inner stunt driver ever wondered what it would be like to fling a ridiculously overpowered rally car off a ramp and onto a waiting platform some 250 feet away? Don’t have enough Red Bull running through your veins to actually attempt such a stunt yourself? Well, we have good news for you.

    Travis Pastrana is just the type to try it out in your stead, and the helpful folks from the aforementioned Austrian energy drink company have mounted a camera to the car’s bumper during practice so you can see exactly what the scene looks like from behind the wheel. As with the last video, this is just a teaser to whet our appetites before the real jump (over water and onto a barge, no less) takes place on New Year’s Day, meaning that the actual landing is left up to your imagination… for now. Click past the break to see it unfold.

    [Source: YouTube]

    Continue reading VIDEO: Travis Pastrana’s New Year’s Jump. Take two

    VIDEO: Travis Pastrana’s New Year’s Jump. Take two originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments


    Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

    Read Original Article

  • Windows Mobile SMS Sync Updated

    SynergeTech Solutions has released a substantial update to their popular Windows Mobile SMS Sync software.  Windows Mobile SMS Sync is an application that allows you to backup the text messages from your Windows Mobile phone to a universal CSV (comma seperated values) file that can be read using Microsoft Excel or the special text message viewing application that comes with the application on your desktop computer.

    Windows Mobile SMS Sync

    With the release of so many new Windows Mobile 6.5 phones, many people are upgrading their phones.  In the past, this would mean losing all your text messages in the transition.  This new release of Windows Mobile SMS Sync allows you to restore the backup created from your old phone on your new one!  It even maintains the same folder structure of your messages.  In essence, you can now transfer your text messages from your old phone to your new one!

    The desktop application for viewing your text messages has also been overhauled in this new release.  The new desktop viewer application has the ability to do complex searches of your text messages on a number of criteria.  Once you have filtered your text messages to those you are seeking, you can export them to a seperate file, print them as a report, or even upload them to a SQL Server database for further analysis.

    The other minor enhancements included in this latest release are better support for international phone numbers, non-latin character sets, improved performance, a streamlined user interface, and the ability to backup your call history log.

    Windows Mobile SMS Sync runs on Windows Mobile 5, 6, 6.1, and 6.5 devices – both on standard (smartphone) and professional (pocket pc) models.  The included text messages viewing application requires Windows 2000, XP, Vista, or 7; although this application is not required to backup or restore your messages.

    Click here to learn more about the new Windows Mobile SMS Sync release on SynergeTech Solutions’ website!

    This post was submitted by Brian Hamachek.

    Share/Bookmark

  • Elementary My Dear Watson….It’s Called The Public Domain… Or Is It?

    Fletch writes “Here’s an interesting little article on why Sherlock Holmes remains so popular. Of course it happens to come right before the new movie opens and I am just sure it is pure journalism even though CNN and Warner are owned by the same company. Though I do find it rather odd that they don’t mention a small part of the reason why Holmes is still so popular is that he is in the public domain and new and varied stories are created about him daily. Yes, he has always been a widely loved fictional character but there are a great many characters with fan bases. Holmes has stretched his by being used in almost all genres and having been written by some of the most popular authors even today. People like Stephen King and Neil Gaiman have written Holmes short stories and will continue to because of his public domain status. Even TV shows have gotten into the act with House M.D. which is a thinly veiled Holmes knock off. I find it odd that the same companies who decry the public domain are more then happy to use it when it suits them.”

    Definitely an interesting point from Fletch, but there is some dispute over the state of Sherlock Holmes’ copyright status. While the character is in the public domain in some countries, there’s still at least one book in the US covered by copyright, The Case Book, and the legal representative of the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle seems to suggest that this means the character itself is protected by copyright until 2023, though that doesn’t seem correct to me. My understanding of other characters that have gone into the public domain is that when their first works enter the public domain, the characters themselves enter the public domain — but only the aspects of their characters originally covered by copyright that were included in those works.

    Of course, this is made even more complex because it’s still something of an open question as to what, exactly, about a character is covered by copyright. It used to be believed that the characters themselves were not covered by copyright, since it was only the expression, not the “idea” that was covered. But, a variety of court rulings in the US have ruled in favor of the claim that characters themselves can be covered by copyright — leading to highly questionable legal results like the recent banning of a book using an updated version of Holden Caufield, the protagonist of JD Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye.

    Not surprisingly, the estate who owns the copyrights tries to present the situation as saying that all uses require a license. But, then again, it’s not like they’re going to tell you what’s in the public domain when it’s in their best interest to claim that nothing is. Either way, it appears that the initial claim concerning the public domain isn’t quite the case — and I would bet that the studio that made this latest movie paid for a license to avoid a legal fight. Why they should have to — especially given the fact that when the content was written there was no way for it still to be protected today under copyright law — is a separate (but rather important) question.

    Permalink | Comments | Email This Story





  • Windows Mobile outselling RIM, iPhone in India by 200-300%

    india Rishi Srivastava, consumer and online marketing officer of Microsoft India has revealed in a Wall Street Journal interview that Microsoft in trouncing its competitors (besides Nokia of course) in the small but rapidly growing Indian smartphone market.

    Rishi claimed, according to IDC, that Windows Mobile had been outselling RIM and also the iPhone for more than 3 years now, and that both in terms of installed base and sales Windows Mobile was 3-4 times larger than RIM or Apple.

    Rishi admitted however that Microsoft could do better, but said with recent launches such as Windows 7, Internet Explorer 8, the Bing search engine and also Windows Mobile 6.5, Microsoft has “rediscover(ed) our DNA as a consumer company”.

    Saying Microsoft was best placed to integrate the PC, phone and the Web to provide a digital lifestyle, the company intended to, with the help of their partners, push for greater market share, .

    “We want to get a bigger piece of the pie.”

    Read the full interview at LiveMint.com.

    Share/Bookmark

  • Viral Video: Have Yourself a Merry Little Festivus! (Now, for the Airing of Grievances and the Feats of Strengh!) [BoomTown]

    funny-pictures-merry-freakin-christmas-cat

    There are a lot of Christmas classics, many of which are now but a click away, in a cavalcade of online video clips available from movies and television.

    While I style myself as a Scrooge, each and every one gets to me right where it counts–most especially the first I posted below: Judy Garland at the peak of her promise, singing, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in the movie, “Meet Me in St. Louis.”

    Every time I hear it, all is right with Judy and with the world

    Which it wasn’t and it’s not, but the clip will make you believe it for a moment.

    So, have yourself a Merry little Festivus now, and enjoy four others too:

    “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”

    “It’s a Wonderful Life” (colorized version, last scenes)

    “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (not the Jim Carrey horror show):

    “The Brady Bunch” (Christmas minisode)

    “Seinfeld” (”Festivus” episode)

    Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

    Read Original Article

  • FlixUp bringing its movie Twitter tracker to the web

    flixup logoIf your family is anything like mine, your holiday traditions include a moment when the presents are unwrapped, the Tofurky (hey, it’s my family) is eaten, and everyone gets in the car to a catch a movie. But how will you decide to watch?

    Well, if you want to see which movies the masses are talking up on Twitter, or what your friends are recommending, you should check out a new site called FlixUp. The team is putting the final touches on the site, and it should go live either tonight or tomorrow. (I’ll update the post once it’s available.)

    Bazaar Labs, the San Francisco startup that created FlixUp, started out by releasing an iPhone app earlier this month. The company compares its website and app to Rotten Tomatoes, the site that aggregates (mostly professional) movie reviews. There are other review aggregators out there (I’m a big fan of Metacritic), and those sites often include a place for users to post their own reviews. What’s missing however, is a site that gauges the group closer to the general population, not just select critics.

    That’s where FlixUp comes in — it pulls in movie-related comments from Twitter, then calculates both how “hot” a movie is (basically how many people are tweeting about it) and whether those comments are positive or negative. For example, I see there’s a thermometer showing that the movie Avatar is getting the most buzz right now. The thermometer is green and has is adorned with a happy face, so I know that most of the comments are positive. Meanwhile, New Moon comes in second when it comes to buzz, but the thermometer is yellow, so the comments are more mixed.

    You can also bring up the actual tweets about each movie. Of course, you could do this via a title search within Twitter itself, but FlixUp says it uses an algorithm called the “Twitter Noise Assassin” to focus on higher quality, useful comments. And you can limit yourself to what your friends are saying about the movie, which strikes me as particularly useful. I’m usually curious what people I know think about movies that just came out, but if I’m not checking Twitter right after they make a comment about it, there’s a good chance I’ll never see it. And you can post your own comments to Twitter directly from FlixUp.

    The website doesn’t really offer a ton of new features compared to the mobile app, but it’s important nonetheless, since it makes the app available to non-iPhone users. Bazaar Labs plans to add more social data soon, like updates from Facebook and MySpace. It also plans to release apps for topics other than movies.flixup ratings

    flixup avatar


    Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

    Read Original Article

  • Recent ‘Crashberry’ E-Mail Outages Anger Users

    BlackBerry users are still fuming over the near-total collapse of e-mail this week, and the impact on manufacturer Research In Motion could last a lot longer than a New Year’s Day hangover. Users got an early piece of coal in their stockings Tuesday when many BlackBerry smartphones — now deemed “Crashberries” by some wags — stopped sending and receiving e-mails.

    BoxTone, a mobility management software provider, said the outage started between 3 and 4 p.m. Tuesday and reached a critical state by 7 p.m. “At each of our customers, BoxTone detected a greater-than-normal quantity of users with messages pending, based on our learned baseline of what is normal for each server and carrier, and immediately generated a warning alert to our customers before the flood of user calls,” the company said.

    On Wednesday, RIM released a status update, explaining the outage and apologizing to users. The problem appeared to be a software glitch in new versions of BlackBerry Messenger. Users are advised to download the latest version, 5.0.0.57, which solves those problems.

    A Security Threat?

    “A service interruption occurred Tuesday that affected BlackBerry customers in the Americas,” RIM’s statement said. “Message delivery was delayed or intermittent during the service interruption. Phone service and SMS services on BlackBerry smartphones were unaffected. Root cause is currently under review, but based on preliminary analysis, it currently appears that the issue stemmed from a flaw in two recently released versions of BlackBerry Messenger (versions 5.0.0.55 and 5.0.0.56) that caused an unanticipated database issue within the BlackBerry infrastructure.”

    BlackBerry users weren’t mollified by the announcement, judging from angry comments on the popular Crackberry blog. In a post entitled “WOW … just WOW,” one user wrote, “BBM causes a system-wide crash?!?! Glad RIM isn’t responsible for y’know, security or Wall Street or something.”

    Indeed, a major outage on the eve of Christmas…

    Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

    Read Original Article

  • FCC Commissioner Blasts Verizon’s Early Termination Fee

    Instead of wishing Verizon Wireless a happy holiday, FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn has sent a not-so-happy message to the wireless carrier. In an open letter, the newly appointed commissioner said Verizon has some explaining to do.

    Clyburn wants Verizon to provide better justification after the company last week announced a higher early termination fee (ETF) for contracts associated with the purchase of smartphones, PDAs and netbooks offered at a reduced price.

    The commissioner called Verizon’s reason for increasing the ETF from $175 to $350 “troubling” and “unsatisfying” and expressed hope the company will reconsider the fee hike that may affect tens of thousands of Verizon users.

    What also troubles Clyburn, her letter says, is the $1.99 fee that users without a data plan are being charged to go the mobile home page.

    Black and White

    Verizon defended its changes and added clarification in a 77-page response to the Federal Communications Commission. The wireless carrier cited advertisements, contracts and other materials to show that consumers know about the ETFs before making a purchase.

    “Our ETF for all other devices remains at $175, which was set long before the advent of these expensive, sophisticated, mini-computers that also make calls and can be carried in pockets and purses,” said Thomas Pica, a Verizon spokesperson.

    Verizon argues that ETFs allow customers to have it either way. They can have no ETF on a month-to-month service and pay full retail for a mobile device, or they can get a discounted device with an ETF.

    An example is a recent Verizon offer. Consumers pay $179 for a BlackBerry Storm 2 with a two-year contract. If the user breaks the contract very early and before the first $10 incremental decline, he or she will have paid $529, including the ETF. The full retail price of the phone is $539.

    Verizon said…

    Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

    Read Original Article

  • LA Times details Toyota history of concealing safety issues

    Filed under: , ,

    The unintended acceleration issue has reached critical mass for Toyota, but is it an isolated incident for an automaker with an otherwise stellar record for being frank with its customers? A recent investigation by the Los Angeles Times shows that Toyota may have concealed safety issues on several occasions in an effort to keep its name clean. The newspaper is reporting that it uncovered several incidents in which Toyota concealed defects or delayed recalls even after several complaints were made.

    For instance, there was an issue with a plastic panel that could be dislodged, potentially leading to unintended acceleration issues in some 2003 model Toyota Sienna minivans. Engineers reportedly discovered the problem and fixed the issue after 26,000 units were made. Toyota didn’t announce a recall until six years later. Then there was a steering issue with 2004 Toyota 4Runner models. Toyota recalled the vehicles in Japan but insisted that no recall was necessary in the U.S. even after there were dozens of complaints that showed the problem was real. The Japanese automaker finally recalled the SUVs in 2005. More recent was a suit filed by Dimitrios Biller; the ex-Toyota lawyer who alleges that his former employer hid safety data and evidence in rollover cases.

    And that’s not nearly all. Click past the break to keep reading about more possible safety defects the LA Times suggests may have been concealed by Toyota.

    Continue reading LA Times details Toyota history of concealing safety issues

    LA Times details Toyota history of concealing safety issues originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments


    Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

    Read Original Article

  • Report: Ferrari 599 Hybrid Concept coming to 2010 Geneva Motor Show

    Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano HGTE

    According to a report by Italy’s Quattroruote, Ferrari is planning to show a concept version of the 599 Hybrid at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. The report says that Ferrari will draw on the experience gained in this year’s Formula 1 with its energy-recovery Kers system.

    The concept will carry a set of lithium-ion batteries and an electric-motor while delivering supercar performance. Fuel-economy is expected to be reduced by 35 percent when compared to a V12 engine. That will improve fuel-economy from the current level of 9 mpg to 14 mpg.

    Stay tuned for more details.

    – By: Omar Rana

    Source: Quattroruote


  • Want to connect your iPhone and Bluetooth keyboard? There’s a (jailbroken) app for that (Update: video!)

    The wait has been long, but now there’s finally a means by which to connect your dear, yet almost buttonless, iPhone or iPod touch to a Bluetooth keyboard for some more intense finger tapping action. The project that delivered us this teasing video back in February has at long last reached the application stage, where simple commoners like us can use it to synergize our gear — provided we’ve had the wherewithal to free it from Cupertino’s overbearing clutches first. The BTstack Keyboard app is now available in exchange for $5 at the Cydia store, so if you want to be the first to write a bestseller on his or her iDevice, there’s no time like the present.

    Update: We’ve done the inevitable and had a quick play with the app ourselves. Pairing our iPhone and keyboard was a veritable cinch, and we were met by delightfully rapid responsiveness throughout, whether using it in Safari, composing text missives, or jotting those novella notes down. You should note that command, cut, copy, paste, and highlighting functions are not yet active, and then hurry along past the break to see a video demo.

    Continue reading Want to connect your iPhone and Bluetooth keyboard? There’s a (jailbroken) app for that (Update: video!)

    Want to connect your iPhone and Bluetooth keyboard? There’s a (jailbroken) app for that (Update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink   |  sourceBTstack Keyboard  | Email this | Comments

    Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

    Article

  • LA Times details Toyota history of concealing safety issues

    Filed under: , ,

    The unintended acceleration issue has reached critical mass for Toyota, but is it an isolated incident for an automaker with an otherwise stellar record for being frank with its customers? A recent investigation by the Los Angeles Times shows that Toyota may have concealed safety issues on several occasions in an effort to keep its name clean. The newspaper is reporting that it uncovered several incidents in which Toyota concealed defects or delayed recalls even after several complaints were made.

    For instance, there was an issue with a plastic panel that could be dislodged, potentially leading to unintended acceleration issues in some 2003 model Toyota Sienna minivans. Engineers reportedly discovered the problem and fixed the issue after 26,000 units were made. Toyota didn’t announce a recall until six years later. Then there was a steering issue with 2004 Toyota 4Runner models. Toyota recalled the vehicles in Japan but insisted that no recall was necessary in the U.S. even after there were dozens of complaints that showed the problem was real. The Japanese automaker finally recalled the SUVs in 2005. More recent was a suit filed by Dimitrios Biller; the ex-Toyota lawyer who alleges that his former employer hid safety data and evidence in rollover cases.

    And that’s not nearly all. Click past the break to keep reading about more possible safety defects the LA Times suggests may have been concealed by Toyota.

    Continue reading LA Times details Toyota history of concealing safety issues

    LA Times details Toyota history of concealing safety issues originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  • Are New Music Tiers Segregating Fans?

    Chris O’Donnell alerts us to a post from someone who originally thought things like Trent Reznor’s massively successful Ghosts I-IV business model experiment was a good thing, but who is now worried about the eventual consequences of somehow segregating fans. The argument is that only a small group of true fans will buy these really high end offerings, that include certain things that other true fans will recognize, making them part of an elite tribe. The fear is that these tribes will exclude those who don’t pay up for the super duper deluxe versions.

    It’s an interesting theory, but I don’t think there’s much to support it in reality. First of all, as a recent excellent Hypebot piece explained, true fan tribes are nothing new, nor is the fact that many will shun outsiders or newbies until they’ve really shown themselves worthy of acceptance. So I don’t see how this is particularly different. Also, a lot of these super deluxe packages aren’t necessarily about stuff you can “wear” that would be noticeable in gatherings. On the whole, it just doesn’t seem like that much of a problem. There will always be elitist fans and some will always snub less enthusiastic fans. I don’t see how that changes now that those more enthusiastic fans have more ways to support the artists they love.

    Permalink | Comments | Email This Story





  • Christmas Eve Sphinx

    Happy Christmas Eve!
    It really is the silly season here in Wales.
    I hope that everyone who celebrates it has a good day tomorrow.
    New Year yet to come. Exhaustion all round.

  • diabetic shoes and sox

    is there a big difference between regular shoes and diabetic shoes? and are the sox any good? just looking for some feedback because i may be interested in buying some if they are good. if so does anyone know of a place to get cheap ones?

    thank you

  • iPromote launches mobile ad network for local businesses

    ipromoteadsSmall local businesses are different from enterprises and Internet startups. They may not have anyone to sit around working out their media buys. They may not want to splurge on ad creation. But they do want to advertise to potential buyers who are nearby.

    iPromote, which already operates a Web-based local ad network for small businesses, has extended its reach onto mobile phones. For a minimum of $5 per day, iPromote will serve display ads — that means they’re not counting clickthroughs, they just show the ad and hope for the best — to mobile phones near an advertiser’s place of business.

    ipromoteCEO Michael Barr said in a prepared statement that this is “a major breakthrough for local businesses that can now access mobile advertising to directly reach new customers in their local area.” Mobile ads today are a small percentage of the online ad market, but no one seems to doubt that over the next few years, mobile ads are a guaranteed growth area. Especially if mobile ads prove more effective than outdoor advertising at getting shoppers to come in from the sidewalk.

    Barr said it’s “a tremendous opportunity for iPromote.” No argument there. What we want to know is how tremendous.

    venturebeatadMeanwhile, if you’ve got time to kill over Christmans, give iPromote’s automatic ad generator a spin. Punch a URL into the box on iPromote’s homepage, and it will mix images from that site with pictures from a stock photography database to create both Web and mobile display ads. (Remember, these are designed to get a brand name in front of consumers, not to get them to click.) You can edit the result, the premise being that it’s easier than starting from scratch. iPromote’s software put a ChaCha logo in place of ours, but we like the Guy From an Old Painting.

    iPromote, headquartered in San Luis Obispo, California, was founded in 2003 and is privately funded. The company has an estimated 16 employees.


    Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

    Read Original Article

  • BeenVerified’s iPhone app runs 110,829 free background checks in first week

    beenverified iphoneBackground checks are simultaneously one of the coolest and one of creepiest things you can do on your iPhone. Intelius made a splash at the most recent DEMO conference (co-produced by VentureBeat) with its DateCheck app, but users have to pay anywhere from $10 to $200 for each background check.

    BeenVerified, on the other hand, released an app a few days ago providing three free checks per week. It sounds like iPhone owners are getting plenty of use out of that offer.

    Since BeenVerified released its app on Dec. 18, the company says it has been downloaded and opened 54,423 times. It’s ranked 50 on the iTunes list of most popular free apps, and seems to be gaining steam, with 18,203 downloads yesterday, compared to 7,084 the day before. Those users have performed 110,829 background checks so far. (BeenVerified sent me those numbers at around 1:30 Pacific time today.)

    The New York company’s data includes criminal records, property records, social network accounts, and more. You can check one of your iPhone contacts with just a click. But if you want more than three checks a week, you have to upgrade to BeenVerified’s premium service, which costs $8 per month.

    BeenVerified launched its web-based background checks in September 2008. It has raised $800,000 in funding. Get the app here.


    Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

    Read Original Article

  • 2010 Fiat 500 first model to get company’s new 0.9-liter engine

    Filed under: , ,

    Last month Fiat head Sergio Marchionne put Chrysler’s five-year plan on everyone’s plate to digest. This month he’s done the same with Fiat’s 2-year plan. One of the first items to come out is that the dinky Fiat 500 will get an even dinkier motor: the 0.9-liter, 2-cylinder turbocharged MultiAir gasoline engine.

    Right now the smallest engine on offer in a 500 is the SOHC, inline 4-cylinder, 1.2-liter petrol with anywhere from 68 to 74 horsepower. The new unit will muster 65 horsepower in its naturally aspirated guise and 80 to 105 horsepower with the turbos on board. In addition to the reduced carbon dioxide output, the engine is lighter and more fuel efficient.

    The news here isn’t the output – the base three-door Fiesta, for example, has a 68-hp, 1.3-liter engine in the UK, and the Peugeot 107 has a 1-liter, 68-hp lump described as “zippy” – it’s the size of the engine. While Ferrari tries to see how much power it can extract from a slightly smaller engine, Fiat, on the other hand, appears to want to see how small it can build an engine and still extract anything.

    [Source: Carscoop]

    2010 Fiat 500 first model to get company’s new 0.9-liter engine originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments


    Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

    Read Original Article