Author Archive

Strange how social networks behave today.
Bebo, a network with a strong member base in the UK, today announced its partnership with Facebook ? yes, partnership ? through which the two competitors will engage in cross-platform cooperation in the Web application space. Cooperation with one another only.
Yes, ?tis true. The company thought for weeks to be well in pursuit of the common OpenSocial goal some dozen online entities have espoused to hold allegiance to, Bebo has now come out [...]

We’ve mentioned several times before the engaging and quite cutting-edge (metaphorically, not literally) device known as the XO Laptop, a project that has developed from MIT experiment to captivating reality now backed by a full-fledged mission-esque organization, called One Laptop Per Child, or OLPC.
Many a question has been raised about the green and white and mostly-waterproof invention since it’s first public showing. Some have challenged the tenacity of the project’s pilot and foremost spokesman, Nicholas Negroponte, for even so much [...]

Recognize the name Cisco? Of course you do. It's the name of the company responsible for maintaining much of the telecommunications infrastructure for companies big and small in the US and elsewhere. It’s distributed fiber all across this here corn-fed land (a tired pun, I know), and established great numbers of switching stations keep those lines lit with activity. It’s even gotten into the business of making gadgets like phones and WiFi routers and such in recent years.
And now it’s [...]

Happen to be a fan of free open source software? How ‘bout Open Office? Pretty useful suite of software, right? Indeed.
But what if you’re equally enthralled by things Web-based? You like what Zoho’s got. You may admire what Google has done thus far. Wouldn’t it be nice to have the best of both worlds? Open source software for use online?
Enter, Ulteo. A company that adheres strongly to the basic mantra stipulated by Torvalds and Tux, Ulteo has exercised its [...]

The LeWeb 3 conference startup competition we highlighted earlier this week commenced yesterday. And oh how unlucky we’ve been. All of the budding companies we’ve mentioned so far have failed to make it to the awards ceremony.
Nevertheless, winners have emerged from the feisty Parisian melee that has ensued for the past 24 hours or so. Without further adieu, we bring you some brief profiles of the last startups standing.
We’ll begin from the bottom, m’kay? Third place: G.ho.st. Which, I’m sure [...]

News outlets all across the media sphere yesterday published stories on YouTube’s decision to grow its pilot ad revenue sharing program to encompass interested parties in the general public.
The company, owned by Google, was known for several months to operate a limited, roughly 100-user program to formulate a system by which registered site members would be given a percentage – presumably quite small – of advertising income generated via AdSense.
According to YouTube, however, the site “will now accept partner [...]

The LeWeb 3 conference is underway, and since we highlighted yesterday a couple of startups slated to walk the stage at the event, we figure, why not another?
The next company we profile, dubbed eXo Platform, is a company with a diverse number of holdings in the Web software space. From developments in the realm of cloud-based operating systems, to specially-designed applications and utilities (email, client management, etc.), to those nifty little things we call widgets.
Having taken several glances at [...]

You may recall back in mid-summer when Ask.com delivered a message about a new search feature it planned to launch by the end of the year. Well, here we are. December 11th. And Ask has apparently made good on its promise.
The promise was to bring about a search function that enables Ask Search users to browse the engine’s digital stacks in complete anonymity. No keyword cookies saved. No records of foot- and fingerprints filed away. Nope. Just you and [...]

Today we profile another startup contestant slated to present its business plan at the LeWeb 3 competition tomorrow. It?s called ZYB, and if I may say so myself, it appears at first glance to be almost completely useless. Or not. Honestly, I can?t decide.
ZYB, in a nutshell, is a Web-based contact storage service. According to the company?s homepage copy, ZYB ?stores your phone?s contacts, calendar and messages online and connects you with people you know.? Which, in my view, [...]