Trackpad++ Greatly Improves Your MacBook's Trackpad in Windows [Gestures]

Windows (On a Mac): If you're running Windows on your killer Mac hardware, then you've probably noticed that the trackpad isn't quite as smooth and feature-filled as it is in OS X. Trackpad++ Brings more gestures, better scrolling, and lots more to Mac trackpads in Windows 7. More »


from Lifehacker http://lifehacker.com/5927160/trackpad%252B%252B-greatly-improves-your-macboo...

Google VP: Here’s How to Get Bought By Us




If you're a startup looking for the fabled goldmine of a Google exit, here's the guy you'll want to meet: David Lawee.

The search giant's VP of Corporate Development, along with CEO Larry Page, signs off on the dozens of acquisitions and acqui-hires made every year, large and small. (One got added to the latter category Tuesday: design firm Cuban Council, which will be shipping off a portion of its team to help improve the look of Google+.)

So what does it take to impress Lawee? Well, for one thing, being lucky enough to have a startup that covers a particular area of tech Google is curious about right now (and naturally keeps close to its chest).

"It's like a giant puzzle," L…
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More About: Google, acquisitions


from Mashable! http://mashable.com/2012/07/18/google-acquired/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_med...

Twist app automatically tells people when you’ll get there

My wife tells me she’ll meet me at a certain time, but she’s often a little too optimistic about when she can depart and how much time she’s set aside to get there. But a new app might just solve our problem.

The Twist app for iOS helps you share your estimated time of arrival with friends and colleagues, so they have an up-to-date sense of when they should expect you. The app uses your location and current traffic data to communicate an accurate arrival time. But it doesn’t start broadcasting your ETA until you leave.

The company, founded by serial entrepreneur and investor Bill Lee and Mike Belshe, an original Google Chrome team member,  just raised $6 million in funding from Bridgescale Partners and a number of other investors.

Users start a Twist by identifying where they are headed, which can be either a place or an address. The app plots a route for them by car, public transit or foot and provides an ETA. Users then decide with whom they want to share their Twist. The recipient gets a notice via text message or email when you leave your present location, as well as an estimate on your arrival time. Recipients can also request an update on your location while you’re en route. And if you run into traffic or stop off at a place, Twist updates your recipients on your new ETA. The app gives a notification when the user is one minute from their destination.

The service is kind of a mash-up between location sharing services like Glympse, which broadcast your current location, and Google Maps, which helps you navigate and plan trips. There are some nice touches like prompts to tell you when to leave to be on time, calendar integration which helps with easy routing to upcoming events and information about your destination. But the service has some limitations too. It only really works if you prepare ahead of time. You can program in favorite places, but you still have to remember to set a Twist beforehand to share your ETA. And it doesn’t work underground, which is how my wife and I usually travel.

I feel like Twist might be one of those apps you really wish your friends and family will use, but it might not be something you get into the habit of using yourself. Punctuality and communication are things that are easier to demand of others but harder to carry out yourself. But if you can remember to use it, Twist might be a nice way to be on time more often or, at least, it can help you be more thoughtful about communicating when you aren’t.

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from GigaOM http://gigaom.com/2012/07/18/twist-app-automatically-tells-people-when-youll-...

More Americans Are Using Mobile Phones While Watching TV




Watching TV

Thanks to the growth of smartphone adoption, about half of U.S. mobile phone owners use their devices while watching TV, a new study suggests.

According to a Pew Internet & American Life Project report, cellphone users not only look up information online in real time and keep themselves occupied during commercials via their handheld devices, they are also interacting with friends.

About 23% of cellphone users send text messages to others watching the same show in a different location. Other popular "connected" activities include looking up information mentioned on TV (20% have done so in the last 30 days), posting comments online about a show (11%), playing on phones during commerc…
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More About: Entertainment, Mobile, Pew Internet, Pew Internet & American Life Project, smartphones, social tv


from Mashable! http://mashable.com/2012/07/17/mobile-phones-tv/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_me...

‘Now TV’ could be BSkyB’s low-risk revolution in IPTV

BSkyB will worry Netflix and set sail for new pay-TV growth in the post-satellite age from Tuesday, when it switches on its internet-only new Now TV service – its biggest digital gambit to date.

But this week’s launch is only a partial and low-risk debut version of what, in time, could become a significant, era-defining strategy for the operator.

At a Covent Garden, London, briefing on Monday, Sky unveiled only one of Now TV’s three expected bundles (Sky Movies) and committed to launch the other two (Sky Sports and entertainment) only by year’s end. (Release).

What is it?

Although the UK pay-TV leader, the largest slice of which is owned by News Corp, already offers its live and on-demand TV to internet devices through Sky Go, that is as a value-add for core satellite subscribers. In a brave move, Now TV will stream the same programming over a range of internet devices instead of satellite, and for flexible monthly and pay-per-view fees instead of an annual monthly contract.

Sky, whose premium content includes exclusive first-run Hollywood movies and Premier League soccer, has signed up over 10 million satellite households to date, but this growth is plateauing. Now TV gives it a shot at attracting a new generation of paying viewer from the remaining 30 million non-pay-TV households.

Now’s movie advantage

Although the recent launches of Netflix and Lovefilm’s UK online movie subscription services might be said to pose a challenge to Sky Movies, they do not enjoy Sky’s top-tier movie line-up. By pricing its Sky Movies Pass at £15 per month versus Netflix’s £5.99 and Lovefim’s £4.99 (“introductory”), Now TV is being upfront about the relative value of its own content.

Netflix’s heavy recent UK marketing efforts have been establishing online movie rentals in consumers’ mindset – now Now TV intends to market its quality differentiation. Interestingly, the £15 pricepoint is also roughly equivalent to Sky Movies on satellite (but Now TV will benefit from the absence of traditional satellite and set-top box infrastructure capex).

Aside from subscription movies, Now TV is also effectively rebadging BSkyB’s satellite Sky Store – on-demand PPV movies priced £0.99 to £3.49. This access method enjoys quicker movie availability after cinematic release, and sees Now TV go up against Blinkbox in internet video.

Availability:

  • Web and Android from Tuesday.
  • Xbox, iPad, iPhone in a few weeks.
  • YouView when or soon after it launches.
  • Execs discussing carriage with Sony (Playstation 3), Roku and others.
  • No connected TV plans yet.
  • No HD, Xbox at 720 soon.

Sky Movies

  • Sky Movies Pass – £15 per month, 600 titles, including five new premieres per week and 11 live movie channels.
  • Pay & Play – 1,000 movies to rent, £0.99 to £3.49 each.

Sky Sports

  • Price/features TBC.
  • Alternative payments to rolling monthly subscription. Potentially: Sky F1 subscription, Premier League season pass, Heineken Cup match fee.

Entertainment

  • Price/features TBC.
  • Containing Sky Atlantic, Sky 1, Sky Living, Sky Arts

Sport late off the blocks

Launching Now TV now with movies but without sports and entertainment suggests Sky wanted urgently to counter the threat from Netflix and Lovefilm.

Now TV’s Sky Sports carriage, including Premier League soccer, could be a huge hit. But Sky executives, asked why it is not available at launch, said only that it would be available around autumn in what is an incremental evolution. Missing the season’s August opening could damage its chances.

“There will be subscription options that aren’t a rolling monthly contract, less than 30 days,” a spokesperson told paidContent. We might imagine Sky F1, Premier League or Heineken Cup weekend or season passes. As a fan of some sports and teams but not all, I would happily pay to watch Scarlets Heineken Cup matches or the Monaco grand prix, for instance, but not for a service that also includes the overkill of cricket, tennis and rugby league.

A low-risk revolution

With all the rights and much of the technology already in place, Now TV is able to dip Sky’s toe in IPTV subscription waters without much effort.

In fact, the launch seems positively lightweight. Although BSkyB is investing heavily in Scottish call centres, there will be no telephone customer support, which will be delivered only via staff live chat. The primary support avenue will be customers themselves, who will be encouraged to share their own solutions in a forum, earning kudos and badges in a manner reminiscent of the low-cast, crowdsourced mobile network Giffgaff.

Cannibalisation vs growth

If there is a risk, it is that Now TV proves so popular that Sky subscribers swap their Sky satellite, broadband and telephone packages (average annual customer revenue: £546) for Now TV.

Making more granular sports available could grow Sky Sports’ overall take – but it could also see it reap ever-smaller fees from an otherwise growing customer case. Informa Telecoms & Media senior analyst Ted Hall writes:

“Now TV represents a potentially dangerous move away from the bundled approach to selling pay TV … towards an a-la-carte model. Consumers are finally being introduced to the cherry-picking model they always wanted. The allure of such freedom could be stronger than Sky intends. What started out as a defensive move against the new OTT players in town could backfire if cannibalization of its core business takes hold. The key will be to keep Now TV on a leash.”

But that prospect, if it exists, is far down the line. To use Now TV, customers must sign up for a Sky iD account – that gives it the opportunity to up-sell Sky’s other services to Now TV viewers.

“Although Now TV is likely to grow the overall market it will be some time before it significantly impacts Sky’s overall revenues,” writes Strategy Analytics’ head digital analyst Ed Barton.

Before then, BSkyB can use many leverage points to make Sky TV more appealing than Now TV – for instance, HD and 3D programming. Although the Xbox application will soon offer 720 streaming, other devices will get only adaptive-bitrate quality. Spokespeople assure paidContent this is for bandwidth, not business, considerations – but it’s easy to imagine the operator holding back best quality for dish renters.

And, though connected TVs like those from Samsung and LG are soon to produce a living-room internet TV explosion, Now TV currently has no firm plans to stream to these sets, saying it is only now talking with manufacturers.

» Interview: Now TV boss goes ‘lean’ to repackage Sky online

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from GigaOM http://paidcontent.org/2012/07/16/now-tv-could-be-bskybs-low-risk-iptv-revolu...

Cord Cutters: Using Chrome as a Google TV remote

Still looking for the perfect remote control for your Google TV? How about using your laptop? That’s exactly what a new Chrome extension called Chromemote enables. Check it out below:

Previously on Cord Cutters:
The Cord Cutters e-book
A first look at Plex for Roku
Plex adds DLNA support
Lilyhammer, Battleground & Co.
A first look at Boxee Live TV
Browse the show archive for a complete list of episodes, and subscribe to the Cord Cutters podcast RSS feed so you don’t miss any future episode.

Show notes for this episode:

How do you like Chromemote? Check it out, and then please share your thoughts in the comments, get in touch with us on Twitter (@cordcutters) or email us at cordcutters @ gigaom.com.

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from GigaOM http://gigaom.com/video/cord-cutters-using-chrome-as-a-google-tv-remote/?utm_...

Greenhorn Connect Weekly Countdown: July 15 – July 21

Keep your Startup Summer Going with Greenhorn Connect
Summer’s about halfway over but you still have time to take advantage of Boston’s startup life! Boston has 37 startup networking events and office hours this week to keep your summer days fun!

Cheers,

Pardees, Paul, Will and Jason

Greenhorn Weekly Countdown

July 15 -July 21

/ / / Monday, Jul 16

In Person Crowd Funding for Start-Ups with RockThePost.com

Description: Meet the CEO’s of exciting Start-Ups face to face and support them by making a pledge with new “In Person” Crowd Funding. In an exciting speed dating format, you’ll meet 8 CEO’s in 20 minute sessions over the course of the evening.  In these sessions Founders will pitch their business to you and explain the one project they are trying to fund including its costs and impact.
Time: Monday, Jul 16, 5:45pm – 9:30pm
Place: Space with a Soul, 281 Summer Street, Boston
Cost: Free to attend

/ / / Tuesday, Jul 17

Intelligent.ly: Customer Segmentation (and why it’s not just for marketers!)

Description: You saw an opportunity in the marketplace and have spent months building a product to address it.  Whether your “product” is a consumer good, technology, service or website, it’s easy to lose sight of your customers in those early days, even after launching the business.  This workshop will help you to see which customers you’ve actually attracted, which ones you’re missing and how to connect with the most important segments through your messaging and product offering.  Best of all, you’re sure to find new business opportunities in the mix, too.
Time: Tuesday, Jul 17, 6:00pm – 7:30pm
Place: Intelligent.ly Campus 500 Harrison Ave Boston, MA 02118
Cost: $30

/ / / Wednesday, Jul 18

Selling Your Company

Description: Selling a company is one of the most challenging phases of the business lifecycle, for entrepreneurs and investors alike. In this program, Nick MacShane, Senior Managing Director and founder of investment banking firm Progress Partners, will discuss the basics and common pitfalls of the M&A process.
Time: Wednesday, Jul 18, 9:30am – 11:30pm
Place: Cambridge Innovation Center One Broadway 5th Floor – Havana Training Room Cambridge, MA 02142
Cost: FREE

/ / / Thursday, Jul 19

Boston Beta :: Health and Biotech

Description: Home to some of the United States’ leading research institutes and medical and research universities, Boston is recognized as a global epicenter of health and biotech industry.

Boston Beta’s fourth event features startups focused on health and biotech. We’re introducing Boston’s healthcare professionals, policymakers, academics, athletes, and authors to the area’s leading heath startups. Participating startups exhibit their innovations, connect with innovators, and compete for recognition and glory.
Time: Thursday, Jul 19, 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Place: Microsoft New England Research and Development Center: 1 Memorial Dr # 1 Mid-Cambridge, MA 02142-1346, US
Cost: $15 general, 2 for $20

Event of the Week Sponsored by Microsoft NERD

In Person Crowd Funding for Start-Ups with RockThePost.com

Why? Crowd fund and help out early stage Boston entrepreneurs!

from BostInno http://bostinno.com/channels/greenhorn-connect-weekly-countdown-july-15-july-21/