• Will iTunes Match Really "Stream" Music?
    About that cloud-based iTunes Match developer beta that Apple just debuted, and which most analysts celebrated for its ability to stream songs. As it turns out, the new service might not technically "stream" anything. "An Apple spokesperson confirms that any music you want to access from your cloud-based 'locker' will still need to be stored on your iPad, or iPhone, or whatever device you're using to listen to the song," All Things D reports. "This applies both to music you've purchased from Apple's iTunes store, and, when Apple's iTunes Match service starts up this fall, with music you've …
  • Groupon Suffers Internal Dissent
    Is Groupon coming apart at the seams? Bradford Williams, Groupon's (now ex) vice president of global communications, seems to think so. After only two months on the job, he's reportedly left due to the way Groupon has responded to critics during the "quiet period" ahead of its IPO. Specifically, a source tells Business Insider that Williams objected to a memo that Groupon CEO Andrew Mason recently sent to employees, in which he responded to mounting criticism over the company's business operations. The internal memo quickly leaked to the press, in what BI explains "felt like an orchestrated plant." …
  • Amazon Eyes Sleeker, Tablet-Ready Future
    Sure to reshape the world of ecommerce overnight, Amazon will reportedly launch a new -- and what The Next Web calls "vastly improved" -- Web site in the not-too-distant future. Perhaps its biggest innovation, not only will does the new design look great on the desktop, according to The Next Web, "but [it] has been designed to appeal to tablet owners, signaling that the company could soon announce the launch of its own tablet devices." So, what does the new Amazon look like? "Gone are the blue menus and buttons, making way for a slicker white and grey …
  • Yelp And The Future Of Daily Deals
    Having already launched a daily deal service, Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman isn't immune to the hype surrounding the sector. In light of a new findings and forecasts, however, Stoppelman felt it necessary to articulate his position, learnings and outlook on daily deals. "Daily deals have been a hit with consumers, and since we launched Yelp Deals last year, we've learned a lot about the business," Stoppelman writes on Yelp's official blog. "Certain types of businesses have really benefited from this wide exposure, and it's a breakthrough to finally be able to connect online marketing to offline customers in the door." …
  • Sina Invests In Video Heavy Tudou
    In Shanghai, Sina Corp. -- owner of China's third-most-popular Web site -- has put down $66.4 million for a stake in Tudou Holdings, Bloomberg reports. "Sina is adding video, social-networking and electronic commerce services to attract users in the world's biggest Internet market. The investment in Tudou, China's second-biggest video Website, follows Sina's acquisition of a minority stake in online apparel retailer Mecox Lane Ltd. this year." Per the deal, Sina has acquired 1.075 million American depositary receipts at Shanghai-based Tudou's IPO in the U.S. for $31.2 million, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchanges Commission. …
  • Justin.tv Spinning Off Socialcam
    Live video-streaming site Justin.tv is spinning off its Socialcam app as an independent company. Leading a small team of Socialcam's original engineers, Justin.tv co-founder and CEO Michael Seibel will become CEO of the new company. Taking the reins at Justin.tv is co-founder and current CTO Emmett Shear. "The app adopted a model that's very similar to Instagram's, with a 'follow' system and quick sharing to services like Twitter and Facebook," TechCrunch explains. Successful beyond anyone's expectations, the app was downloaded 1 million times in its first four months on the market. Also promising is the fact that 32% …
  • Google: +1 Will Reorder Search Results
    In other Google+ news, Google has confirmed plans to turn its +1 button into a crowd-sourcing tool to helps it re-order search results and fight Web spam. "While not surprising, the move would bring Google's search engine into the social networking era, while simultaneously creating a new avenue for blackhats [sic] to manipulate search results and potentially incurring the wrath of trust-busting authorities," Wired.com writes. Still, in an email to Wired, a Google rep writes: "Google will study the clicks on +1 buttons as a signal that influences the ranking and appearance of Websites in search results." The …
  • Is Google+ Eating Facebook's Young?
    Is Facebook losing its edge? Maybe -- at least if you think "edge" demands the persistent attention of younger consumers. That's because, according to recent comScore findings, Facebook had a larger percentage of searchers over the age of 35, while Google+ trended younger. Specifically, 34.2% of searchers looking for Google+ were under 35 years old, while only 24% of Facebook searchers were under 35. Still, can't one assume that any respectable young person is already well acquainted with Facebook, which would therefore minimize their need to search for the social network? We think so. Meanwhile, comScore also found …
  • App Engine Quixey Finds $3.8M
    App search engine Quixey has secured $3.8 million in Series A funding from US Venture Partners, WI Harper Group, Web Investment Network along with additional funding from Innovation Endeavors. What sets Quixey apart from the growing pack of app finders? For one, $400,000 in initial seed funding from Eric Schmidt's Innovation Endeavors. Also, "Quixey is trying to stand out by offering what it calls a functional search engine, which takes in more than just a title and description of an app, but pulls in information from blogs, forums, review sites and social networks to better understand what an app actually …
  • Salesforce.com Pushing "Social" Envelope
    Is Salesforce.com getting into social networking? Well, as the San Francisco Chronicle notes, the cloud-computing company already has. Dubbed Chatter, the year-old application is already being used by 100,000 businesses, according to Salesforce. "It's part of a broader move to bring social-networking features into businesses, an effect boosters call 'the social enterprise,'" SFGate.com reports. And it represents a major part of Salesforce's strategy going forward, Woodson Martin, an SVP at Salesforce, tells SFGate.com. Chatter lets workers "follow" one another, collaborate on projects, and exchange ideas. "The result is a constantly evolving discussion of office life that executives can …
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