8 posts and columns on Berlin

News Byte

TrialPay Bulks Up Its Executive Team, Opens Office in Berlin

in Commerce on May 24 at 9:00 am PT

TrialPay plans to announce today that it is opening a European office in Berlin and adding three new executives to its management team. Managing Director of Europe Rob Schneider, formerly of Zanox, will head up the new office, while Jim Gerber, formerly of Google, will join the company’s offices in Mountain View, Calif., where he will be SVP of sales and partnerships. Lastly, Chris Davis, former SVP of Gaia Interactive, will become VP of Brand Sales. TrialPay helps online companies boost revenues by placing offers at the point of checkout.

Readmill Aims to Make Digital Reading Social

in Social on August 31, 2011 at 4:13 pm PT

As e-books become popular, there are increasing opportunities to share and personalize the digital reading experience. That’s where the upcoming Readmill iPad app and social network come in.
ReadmillShantaram

EBay Acquires Berlin-Based brands4friends for $200 Million

in Commerce on December 20, 2010 at 9:05 am PT

It’s been a busy shopping season for eBay, which has made its third acquisition in as many weeks.

Viral Video: "Unknown"

in News on October 25, 2010 at 12:34 am PT

Another freaky but compelling movie trailer–this one for “Unknown,” a bad-guys-stole-my-identity thriller set in Berlin and starring Liam Neeson and January Jones. It’s got a lot of action and special effects, but it looks like the complex story is at the center of the action.

Index, Union Square Like SoundCloud's Web-Based Tune

in Media on October 15, 2010 at 9:25 am PT

Here’s another bet on Web-based music: SoundCloud, a start-up that makes it easy to share streaming music, is about to land a funding round from high-profile investors.

Exclusive: The (Digital) End Is Nigh–News Corp. Unloading Beliefnet and Considering Jettisoning Jamba/Jamster

in News on May 27, 2010 at 10:17 am PT

Beliefnet, the spirituality site bought by News Corp. in late 2007, is being shopped around for sale, according to several sources. Sources said that the media giant is also considering selling off Berlin-based Jamba/Jamster, a mobile content provider now called Fox Mobile Group. News Corp. paid $187.5 million to VeriSign for a 51 percent stake in Jamba in 2006 and bought the rest in 2008.

Sony Hopes 3-D Pops TV (And Blu-ray and Vaio and PlayStation) Sales

in Media on September 2, 2009 at 7:25 am PT

Big, beautiful high-def TVs are so plentiful and so cheap that nearly everyone who wants one has one. So what can TV manufacturers do to goose sales? Add new features and hope consumers clamor for them. Hence, Sony’s announcement that it’s making a big bet on…3-D TVs. CEO Howard Stringer is using the IFA Technology Show in Berlin to announce that Sony will make 3-D Bravia sets. And 3-D Vaio laptops. And 3-D PlayStation3s. And 3-D Blu-ray DVD players.
3d-glasses-life

Kara Visits studiVZ in Berlin! (Yes, the Facebook of Germany–Lawsuit Pending!)

in News on July 21, 2008 at 12:59 am PT

A few months ago BoomTown was in Berlin and visited a number of Internet companies there, including studiVZ, which I called the Facebook of Germany in the video posted below of my visit there. Ooops! As it turns out that is apparently the illegal way to describe it, at least according to Facebook itself, which sued the German company in a California court last Friday, accusing it of making a “knock-off” of the popular social networking site. Apparently, studiVZ is also trying to block the suit in German court too, creating what amounts to an international SuperPoking incident (called a “gruscheln” on studiVZ).