The goal of the “Nielsen Twitter TV Ranking” will be to measure the unique audience tweeting about individual programs. [Read more]
Nielsen to roll out Twitter ratings for TV shows on Monday
Chủ Nhật, 6 tháng 10, 2013
Nielsen to roll out Twitter ratings for TV shows on Monday
Nielsen to roll out Twitter ratings for TV shows on Monday
Google works to demote mug shot sites in search results
While legal, many Web sites charge fees to have removed the very images the sites posted themselves. [Read more]
Google works to demote mug shot sites in search results
LG's New Nexus Phone Gets Detailed In Leaked Service Manual
There has been no shortage of leaks that claim to show off Google’s next Nexus smartphone (including this not-so-subtle nod from Google itself) over the past weeks and months, but we may have just hit the mother lode this weekend. The folks at Android Police have gotten their hands on a hefty, near-final draft of a 281-page service manual for the forthcoming device, which still technically bears the LG D821 model number.
Really though, LG isn’t fooling anyone here. The document is chock full of diagrams and images (some of the device in various states of disassembly) that depict a very familiar-looking phone sporting some Nexus 7-like branding on its rear end. An earlier FCC filing already revealed some of the juicy details — the inclusion of a 4.95-inch 1080p IPS screen and a 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 with 2GB of RAM — but this newly leaked manual manages to shine a little extra light (not to mention extra credibility) on those earlier reports.
The new Nexus will likely be available in 16 or 32GB variants, and will feature an LTE radio and an 8-megapixel rear camera with optical image stabilization (there’s no mention of that crazy Nikon tech, though). NFC, wireless charging, and that lovely little notification light are back, too, but don’t expect a huge boost in longevity — it’s going to pack a sealed 2,300mAh battery, up slightly from the 2100mAh cell that powered last year’s Nexus 4. That spec sheet should sound familiar to people who took notice of what happened with the Nexus 4. Just as that device was built from the foundation laid by the LG Optimus G, the Nexus 5 (or whatever it’s going to be called) seems like a mildly revamped version of LG’s G2.
At this point I’d usually urge you to approach such leaks with caution, but it hardly seems necessary now. As much as I love my mental image of a lone prankster toiling into the wee hours of the morning on a meticulously crafted forgery, the sheer complexity and granularity of the information contained in this document makes that scenario an unlikely one. And the icing on the cake? LG asked Android Police to pull the offending document and images earlier today — AP complied with the request, but there’s no way to get the cat back into its bag now.
It’s hard to argue with the timing, too. The first anniversary of the Nexus 4’s unveiling is fast approaching, and as solid as the device was, it found itself being outclassed by a more powerful breed of smartphone within a matter of months. The Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus 4 made their official debuts in October 2011 and 2012 respectively, and now that we’ve got persistent rumors of a Google event scheduled for October 14 floating around, I’d wager all this cloak-and-dagger business should be dispensed with very shortly. Until then, feel free to dig around in the full document below for more technical tidbits — happy hunting!
LG's New Nexus Phone Gets Detailed In Leaked Service Manual
Seedrs Lets Armchair Investors Take A Punt On WebStart Bristol's First Incubator Cohort
If the premise of equity-based crowdfunding is to enable a greater range of individuals to take a punt on a startup, while oiling the wheels of investment overall, then a natural evolution of the model would be to enable would-be investors to place bets on a group of promising startups in one pool. In what it claims is a first for the equity-based crowdfunding industry, the UK’s Seedrs has done just that by offering investors the chance to take a stake in ten companies with a single investment via a partnership with WebStart, a soon-to-launch startup incubator based in Bristol, UK.
Interestingly, however, they won’t know who those ten startups are, since they’ve yet to be selected for participation in WebStart, which doesn’t open till January next year. Like similar incubator/accelerators, the programme will see the chosen companies put through a 10-week bootcamp involving mentoring in areas such as product development, finance and marketing, along with providing co-working space and other support, cumulating in a final demo day in front of potential further investors. In that sense, what Seedrs is offering is the chance to crowd invest into a “fund” unpinned by WebStart.
The fact that investors are essentially being asked to invest blind makes this an especially interesting development
In total, the fund is looking to raise £150,000 in return for ten percent of equity in each of the ten startups. At an average of £15,000 a pop, that works out pretty generously compared to other fundraising campaigns on Seedrs and isn’t a million miles away from most European accelerators who tend to offer the same sort of money per startup for around six to ten percent equity. The fact that investors are essentially being asked to invest blind, however, trusting the selection process of WebStart Bristol, makes this an especially interesting development — though, again, this doesn’t deviate from the usual accelerator play, aside from how the money is being raised.
It could, in fact, even be seen as diversifying the risk of backing idea/early-stage startups via equity-based crowdfunding, as Seedrs is claiming. In addition, Seedrs is keen to point out that investors in the WebStart Bristol fund will be able to access the UK Government’s Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) which gives tax-relief on investments.
Cue a statement from Jeff Lynn, CEO of Seedrs, who said: “We set out to be a new kind of financial services firm that makes investing in startups simple and rewarding. Setting up this fund complements that by making it much easier for people to diversify their investments and show their support for the thriving tech ecosystem that has emerged in Bristol over the last several years.” Lynn also says that WebStart is likely to be the first of a number of funds run by the equity-based crowdfunding site.
Finally, it’s good to see WebStart cropping up to support Bristol, as the centre of gravity in the UK continues to be drawn to London. Perhaps equity-based crowdfunding will in future offer another avenue for startup bootcamps to run outside the UK capital city or in other smaller tech hubs in Europe that don’t have the same draw as the major tech cities, especially as these more regional offerings have tended to rely quite heavily on state funding through various EU-funded regeneration schemes.
Seedrs Lets Armchair Investors Take A Punt On WebStart Bristol's First Incubator Cohort
The Already Abysmal NSA Surveillance Panel Is Now On Hold Due To The Government Shutdown
Under-promise, and then under-under-deliver is the name of this game. The panel to vet the NSA set up by the President, and nurtured by current Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, is now on hiatus, its funds being frozen as part of the larger governmental shutdown.
The panel, one of the President’s small promises that were given in the wake of sweeping leaks concerning the actions of America’s intelligence and surveillance apparatus, was to contain outsiders who could take a critical look at the actions of the NSA, investigating their legality and relationship to personal privacy.
Instead, the panel was a miasma of what I called “insiders, former insiders, and a previous colleague of the president’s.” For example, one member is Michael Morell. He was the CIA’s director until August. I’m sure he is bursting with enthusiasm for change.
Following the revelation that the makeup of the panel itself left it neutered out of the gate, it later became known that Mr. Clapper’s offices houses the group, and manages its public relations operation. The panel, at that moment, moved from potential laugh to utter farce.
And now it’s iced until Congress kicks off again. According to Politico, who broke the news of the panel’s shuttering, the funds in place to allow for travel to Washington for its members are now unavailable. Given that the participants, it points out, work for free, they can go on if they wish, but it’s effectively on hold for the time being.
What will the result of this be? That our impending disappointment at the panel’s future set of recommendations will disappoint us a bit later than expected. Oh, and don’t forget that whatever the panel does produce, the White House has to approve it for public distribution. So, we might get nothing at all, slightly later.
Progress!
Top Image Credit: ttarasiuk
The Already Abysmal NSA Surveillance Panel Is Now On Hold Due To The Government Shutdown
An appreciation for the Nexus 4, the little smartphone that could
The Nexus 4 proved that you could offer a great smartphone with a fantastic off-contract price. Will the Nexus 5 continue that welcome trend? [Read more]
An appreciation for the Nexus 4, the little smartphone that could
Airport Car Rental Service Silvercar Is Headed To LAX In November
Silvercar continues to expand its tech-focused airport car rental service into new markets, and in a few weeks will be making its biggest debut yet. According to an email sent to customers late last week, Silvercar said that on November 4 it will be launching at LAX, which will soon house its largest fleet of Audi A4s.
As we’ve written before, Silvercar hopes to revolutionize the airport car rental business, by simplifying the process of getting a car and paying through its mobile app. In doing so, it does away with all the usual issues that people run into when renting a car — the long lines, the constant upsell, having to worry about whether a car has GPS and whatnot.
Instead, Silvercar has one make and model of car available — the Audi A4 — so there’s no choosing between different classes of vehicles or worrying overly much about upgrades or features. All cars can be unlocked through the Silvercar mobile app and have GPS and in-car WiFi for getting around. So all a renter needs to do is show up and take the car out.
The launch at LAX is a big move for Silvercar, which has been gradually expanding since launching at Dallas/Fort Worth late last year. Since then, it’s launched in Austin, Houston, and Dallas Love Field before opening for business at SFO in August.
The Los Angeles airport will house the company’s largest fleet of vehicles, as it seeks to go after what is one of the largest airport car rental markets in the country. LAX not only does a huge volume of rentals — but it also is home to a number of tech-savvy business people who like to drive in style. So offering up an Audi A4 and a VIP, no-hassle experience to renters could be a huge win for the startup.
Believe it or not, customers have already begun booking rentals from LAX even though the service doesn’t launch for about three weeks, according to a representative for SilverCar. As for why Silvercar is waiting until November 4th before launch — the company is expecting huge demand for Austin City Limits, and will have a lot of its fleet in town for that, before moving several cars over to LAX.
Check out a screen grab of the email sent to customers below:
Airport Car Rental Service Silvercar Is Headed To LAX In November
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