AllThingsD » pricing

Uber Gives D.C. Residents Presidential Treatment

Lauren Goode — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:20:41 +0000

After running into some early opposition in the nation’s capital, Uber, a technology company that allows users to order a car service from a smartphone app, applied the full-court press in Washington, D.C., on President’s Day.

In the video below, the San Francisco-based start-up shows how a few lucky Uber users received the presidential treatment and got to ride yesterday in an “Ubercade,” which featured three Uber “Secret Service agents” and two Suburbans flanking their town car. The promotional stunt and the video are, no doubt, part of Uber’s campaign to show residents how slick the Uber experience can be, just as the city’s taxi commissioner has vocally opposed Uber’s operations there.

Uber, which launched in 2010, is now fully operational in six U.S. cities, and recently began testing its service in L.A. and Toronto. It’s also available in Paris.

Co-founder and CEO Travis Kalanick didn’t respond to request for comment on the current state of affairs for Uber in Washington, D.C. But have a look to see how Uber, as the company put it, is “stepping up its game” in the District:

(Photo courtesy of Steve_P_NYC/Flickr)

Was New Year's Eve a Netflix Moment for Uber?

Lauren Goode — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:10:24 +0000

On New Year’s Eve, some users of Uber’s driver-on-demand service discovered that a quick tap of a smartphone app could cost them $75 or more for a ride across town, thanks to demand-based pricing.

But despite the fact that some customers were dismayed, Uber isn’t throwing in the towel on dynamic pricing. In fact, the company, which is usually very transparent about its surge pricing plans, is considering whether to raise fares regularly on weekends.

Could this be a Netflix-like moment for small start-up Uber, just as it’s trying to grow?

You’re probably thinking, and rightly so, that Netflix and Uber are two very different companies: Netflix is a 14-year-old public company that faces tough competition in a growing premium video-streaming market; as of the quarter ending Sept. 30, it had around 24 million subscribers. Uber is a 1-and-a-half-year-old start-up using a mobile phone application to create a marketplace that connects consumers with a limited number of town-car drivers. Netflix is available in the U.S., Canada and 43 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean; Uber currently operates in six U.S. cities and in Paris. Subscribers pay a monthly fee to Netflix; Uber users pay per ride.

But Netflix provides a recent example of price adjustments that resulted in negative consumer reaction, to put it mildly. The company said last July that it was eliminating the option to combine DVD and streaming video services, and in doing so, hiked the price by 60 percent for consumers who wanted both options. Netflix’s stock plunged; the company later cut its guidance by one million subscribers, and eventually reversed its plans to offer a DVD-only service.

As Uber has explained a few times now, the sticker shock some customers experienced on New Year’s Eve was the result of surge pricing, which Uber has started putting into effect on nights when drivers might be busier than usual. Travis Kalanick, Uber’s founder and CEO, has pointed out that if Uber doesn’t make it worth its drivers’ while to be on the platform, there won’t be any drivers available.

When it comes to tech products and services, users often don’t react well to change — at first. Professionals and consumers alike become accustomed to a product, and some initially see change as disruptive to their productivity or proficiency in that tool. There’s also often a backlash when the change results in a threat — real or perceived — to privacy, as we’ve seen with reactions to Facebook’s ever-evolving settings.

But when the change ultimately costs users or subscribers something they can peg a dollar amount to — such as the Netflix price change, or as with last week’s Verizon Wireless convenience fee — the options being weighed become that much clearer for the consumer.

In other words: Should I stay, or should I go now?

Uber does not have to worry about shareholders, or FCC scrutiny. The number of complaints logged — 97 disgruntled users and 15 whose Uber apps on their smartphones might not have been working correctly — was a small percentage of the thousands of Uber rides that were booked on New Year’s Eve. It could be said that this is more of an Airbnb moment than a Netflix moment for Uber: A case of a small start-up needing to do a little damage control.

From a business perspective, Kalanick says, New Year’s Eve was still a success. Early-stage Uber investor Jason Calacanis tweeted that he “loves” Uber’s surge pricing, as it ensures availability. (Calacanis did not immediately respond to AllThingsD’s request for comment on his tweet.)

Love uber’s surge pricing as it helps drivers & ensures availability. 5x 3 days a year is ok by me. #angelinvestment http://t.co/v2XuLT80

January 1, 2012 6:44 pm via Tweet Button ReplyRetweetFavorite

@Jason

Jason Calacanis

Another regular Uber user, SproutSocial CEO Justyn Howard, said he used Uber on New Year’s Eve, and noted that his car ride didn’t seem any different than usual. He said he believes Uber is especially good with data-driven strategy, and that supply-and-demand management will become easier for Uber over time. “Overall, I expect the feedback and data gathered from NYE will be put to good use,” Howard said.

Uber is currently refunding some unhappy customers, on a case-by-case basis.

But for Uber, and many other start-up companies, reaching the average consumer will be critical if it wants to grow into a bigger company. By working with town-car companies and not taxis — as some other app platforms do — and charging a $7 to $8 base fare for rides, Uber is already a company that delivers a premium service that not everyone can afford.

If Uber institutes dynamic pricing on regular weekend nights, the company could solve the problem of ensuring there are enough drivers willing to opt in to Uber’s app platform, but at the risk of losing out on customers that aren’t willing to pay two times or more the standard fare.

The tech-savvy crowd, after the initial sticker shock, might accept this.

The “normals,” however, will likely stand outside a little longer hailing taxi cabs — or find other means of getting around town.

(Image courtesy of Flickr/McSmith86)

RIM Blindsided by Kindle Fire Pricing

John Paczkowski — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:40:04 +0000

If you recently purchased one of Research In Motion’s BlackBerry PlayBooks at a significant discount, you may have Amazon to thank for it.

The move to slash $200 and then $300 from the device’s retail price was evidently made to battle the Fire’s loss-leading $199 price. “Our understanding is that RIM was blindsided by Amazon pricing its Kindle Fire aggressively at $199,” says Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu. “We estimate that the company is losing $50-$75 per PlayBook sold.”

And it may lose more in the future.

Remember, when RIM announced last week that worse-than-expected sales of its PlayBook tablet will cause it to fall short of financial targets for its third quarter, it said it must expand its “aggressive level of promotional activity” to drive PlayBook adoption. It also said it “now believes that an increase in promotional activity is required to drive sell-through to end customers.”

Zynga Ups the Ante on IPO to Raise as Much as $1.15 Billion

Tricia Duryee — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 11:16:43 +0000

Zynga is officially on its way to IPO-Ville.

The company filed documents with the Securities & Exchange Commission this morning, indicating that it intends to raise between $850 million and $1.15 billion in its public offering.

At the high end of the range, that would translate to roughly $150 million more than it had previously estimated it could raise.

The company is seeking to sell 100 million shares at $8.50 to $10 a share and will reserve 15 million additional shares for extra demand. It expects to trade on the Nasdaq under the ticker ZNGA.

Under the best circumstances, the company will be valued at nearly $7 billion based on 699.3 million shares outstanding. That falls below some of the rumored expectations that have been floating around over the past few weeks.

Still, at that value, it will come close to the public valuation of Electronic Arts, which hovers around $7.8 billion, but falls short of other game publishers, like Activision, which has a value of $14 billion.

Zynga has made its riches off selling virtual goods in social games on Facebook. Some of its most recognizable titles include FarmVille, CityVille, Poker and Words With Friends.

Virtual goods often allow players to continue to play the game and level-up faster, such as an energy boost. They also can be decorative in nature, like an outfit for an avatar or seeds to plant on a farm. Of the roughly 230 million monthly active users, very few players ever bother making a purchase.

Since the beginning, the company has a very close relationship with Facebook, which has been contentious at times, especially since the platform started collecting a 30 percent tax on all virtual goods sold. More recently, the company has tried to expand to other platforms, including the launch of several games on mobile and Google+. It also has its own online game network in production.

The company’s IPO will be one of the largest tech offerings in recent memory.

In early November, Groupon raised $700 million including overallotments. It had originally sought to raise $750 million. Other recent tech IPOs include Angie’s List, Pandora and LinkedIn.

But some critics think Zynga is rushing its offering before a broad financial collapse. If it waited until reporting fourth-quarter results, it could paint a stronger growth story as it completes the busy holiday period.

The San Francisco company, which was founded in 2007, was named after Founder and CEO Mark Pincus’s dog named Zinga.

In 2010, Zynga recorded a profit of $27.9 million on revenues of $597.5 million. In the first nine months of 2011, it broke even on revenues of $828.9 million.

While its revenues continue to grow, the number of daily active users that play its games has fallen two quarters in a row and some critics question whether the company can keep up its aggressive growth.

In recent weeks, Pincus has come under harsh criticism for his heavy-handed leadership approach. But to his credit, he has overseen rapid growth, including the acquisition of dozens of smaller game studios. Today, his company has 2,500 employees.

At the mid-range of its expectations, Zynga will bring home proceeds of $889.4 million after selling shareholders take their winnings.

The primary purpose of the sale is to increase its visibility in the marketplace and create a market for its stock. Proceeds will go towards working capital, but also $83.6 million will be spent to satisfy tax withholding obligations related to stock of current and former employees. Additionally, it plans to use a portion of the proceeds for charitable causes through its Zynga.org initiative.

As part of the sale, the company will have three classes of shares. Class A stock will have one vote per share; Class B stock will have seven votes; and Class C will have 70 votes.

Pincus owns some Class B shares, and all of the company’s Class C shares. Following the offering, he will control 36.2 percent of the company’s voting power.

As Kara Swisher previously reported Pincus will not sell any shares in the offering.

No other executives have plans to sell stock, either. But a number of the company’s early investors will sell stock, including Institutional Venture Partners, Union Square Ventures, Foundry Venture Capital and Avalon Ventures. Other interesting names that made the list include Google, which will sell 1.7 million shares.

The company’s largest institutional holder, venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, which owns 11 percent of the shares, will not sell any of its stock in the offering either.

Exclusive: Groupon's IPO Road Show Set for Next Week

Kara Swisher — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:37:43 +0000

According to multiple sources close to the situation, Groupon plans to conduct its road show for investors next week, starting either on Monday or Tuesday.

While the decision to move forward could still change, it comes amid continued criticism of the Chicago-based daily deals company, which has had one of the rougher IPO processes for an Internet company in recent memory.

Just yesterday, the New York Times took aim at Groupon and its Wall Street bankers, retreading over the same list of issues, including controversial accounting, a too-large payout to its founders and issues around its marketing costs.

In addition, the social buying service has had some management turnover, with two COOs departing.

Lastly, it has amended its S-1 filing several times, for a variety of reasons, including an email to employees by its CEO Andrew Mason that struck regulatory agencies as a bit blabby.

That said, the initiation of the road show — where company execs will pitch its business to possible shareholders — might be an indication that Groupon’s results have improved in its recent quarter.

In the last quarter, the company lost $102.7 million on revenue of $878 million.

Also of concern is the stock market itself. Groupon, like several Web IPO candidates, had delayed its offering due to turbulent conditions.

Now, sources said, the company will go public on the Nasdaq exchange soon after the road show is complete and after pricing by its bankers.

That valuation will also be under scrutiny. Some had previously estimated that Groupon would have an IPO of up to $25 billion. Now it could be half that, sources said.

Well, we will presumably soon see, as Groupon plans to proceed.

Viral Video: Netflix Pricing Becomes Conjoined Twin Drama

Kara Swisher — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 07:06:51 +0000

The CGI imps at Next Media Animation of Taiwan are at it again, with their unusual take on the controversy over Netflix’s recent pricing changes and its splitting of its video streaming and DVD-by-mail business (now called Qwikster).

Somehow those two businesses are portrayed as mutant Siamese twins. I have no idea why, but it works.

Enjoy:

Exclusive: France Telecom CEO on Apple, Android and How You Can Kiss Your Unlimited Plan Goodbye

Ina Fried — Mon, 23 May 2011 19:00:46 +0000

Stephane Richard knows a thing or two about the iPhone.

In addition to carrying one of Apple’s iconic smartphones, Richard is also the CEO of France Telecom, whose networks carry traffic from more iPhones than any other carrier except AT&T. France Telecom, with its Orange brands, sells the iPhone in 15 countries.

“They just created smartphones with the iPhone,” Richard said during an hourlong chat over breakfast in Downtown San Francisco last week. “Everybody should be grateful to them to have put such a product in our market.”

But, while he praises Apple, Richard is wary of the power that the company holds by having total say in which apps do and don’t get on its network.

Unlike with Android, where the carrier can largely configure phones the way it would like to, on Apple, the company has to settle for putting various services in the App Store. And, ultimately, it is Apple that controls what makes it into the App Store.

“Everybody is talking about net neutrality,” Richard said, but “net neutrality is not only dealing with pipes.”

“It also deals with management of application shops,” he said. “If you have people like Apple managing their application store and saying ‘This is OK and I don’t want to see this app in my shop,’ it’s a problem.”

In the interview, Richard offered a blunt take on a number of other key industry players and topics ranging from the need for variable pricing to the fates of Nokia and RIM.

Richard has been outspoken before, including calls last year for those flooding networks with data–companies like Apple and Google–to help pay some of the costs of making necessary network investments.

Though RIM and Nokia both face challenges, Richard said in our interview that he is glad that there are still a number of competing smartphone operating systems duking it out.

“For us we are quite happy with the existing landscape in terms of operating systems,” he said. “A world with 90 percent of Android-based devices would not be attractive for us, but we are far from that.”

Oh, and as for that report that France Telecom and Apple are working together on a standard for smaller SIM cards. That’s true, Richard said, and it’s a compromise designed to appease Apple’s desire for something smaller without resorting to a software-only virtual SIM card that Apple had initially been advocating.

Here were some of his more interesting comments from our conversation:

On the massive increase in mobile data use and the dangers that creates:

The real risk of everything is collapse. Nobody utters this loudly enough, but the real issue for the world is a collapse of the network or some local collapses.

We are the people with pipes. We are supposed to invest heavily in pipes in order to bring the capacity which is necessary to sustain the explosion of consumption and usage and data traffic in our networks. At the same time, the people that create this traffic…are not really incentivized to manage properly, globally, the traffic.

There is an unbalance in the overall system, which in our view is a major problem.

It is totally impossible to absorb such an explosion in traffic without first, clearly investing massively in spectrum and equipment, and second, without introducing some new pricing approaches.

On Microsoft-Nokia:

There are a lot of questions around Microsoft and Nokia–-capacity really to reverse the quite negative trend that they have in the market. It seems difficult, but we will see. We are still definitely in favor of seeing at least three or four big families of operating systems in the market. But it is true it is going to be difficult for them.

On RIM:

It’s not really declining. It’s still popular in Europe. They have customers and users that are quite faithful to them. It works more or less like a community of people. It’s often families that are big BlackBerry users, and of course companies.

They have had some quality problems in the recent period which is a concern, especially with the next generations of devices.

In my view as a customer, or as a partner of them, I think they really should fix very quickly their quality problems.

On Google and Android:

Android is, I think quite a solid and reliable operating system and doesn’t suffer with bugs. We have regularly problems with RIM. We have no problem with Apple and with Android. Let’s be frank and clear.

To me, the risk theoretically is more for Google to use releases–Android releases–as a weapon in their relationship with device manufacturers and indirectly with telcos than anything else. So far they have not really tried to do it.

On Apple and App Store openness:

Everybody is talking about Net Neutrality. Net Neutrality is not only dealing with pipes. It also deals with management of application shops. If you have people like Apple managing their application store and saying “This is OK and I don’t want to see this app in my shop,” it’s a problem.

So far, we have been able to come to solutions with Apple people, even though they are a little tough….We are able to find solutions. We are not at war with the Apple guys. But it is true that it can be tough.

Of course Ideally we would like to have those services embedded natively in the handset which is what we do with Android-based devices like with Samsung or HTC or people like that. It is not possible with Apple. We still are in a position to bring those apps to our customers through the app stores, provided clearly we have access to the App Store.

The problem is the day when Apple says “I don’t want this one.”

Definitely if we face these kind of problems we will go to court. Because competition is not only something that should be applied to telcos and to carriers. For us it should be a principle for the whole Internet environment.

On working with Apple on smaller SIM cards:

As you probably know, Apple has been working for years on reducing the size of SIM cards because they need space in the phone. They even thought about a device without any SIM card, that is what is known as the e-SIM project.

All of us told them it was a bad idea because the SIM card is a critical piece of the security and authentication process. It would be very difficult for a telco or carrier to manage the customer relationship. I think that they understood this point. We had a very constructive exchange and dialogue with them.

We are going to work with them in order to standardize a new format of SIM which takes into accout our needs with security and authentication and also is compatible with their wishes in terms of size.

I understood that the next iPhone would be smaller and thinner and they are definitely seeking some space.

This is good evidence we can work properly with Apple people, Apple teams. In that particular case, we have been able to find, I think, a good answer which is good for everyone.

On Tablets:
To be honest, I am still a little skeptical of the size of the world market in tablets. First, I do think the iPad is very well ahead of the competition in terms of tablets. To me as a user and as a partner, there is the iPad and there is the rest.

I think there will be a world market for the iPad. What will be, really, the size of this market, is difficult to say, because in fact it is a new market.

In fact I think that in the future people will have several devices, several screens. Nobody knows what is the mix or the range of devices that we will have.

Facebook Communications Kingpin Joins Pixazza as Strategic Adviser and Board Observer

Kara Swisher — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 16:02:41 +0000

Yesterday, BoomTown posted a video interview with Pixazza CEO Bob Lisbonne about the photo tagging service that has nicknamed itself “AdSense for images.”

Now, the Mountain View, CA, start-up has added someone who might know a thing or two about it. Former Googler Elliot Schrage–who is now Facebook’s global communications, marketing and public policy head–is joining Pixazza’s board as a strategic adviser and observer.

Before joining both the Silicon Valley search giant and social networking powerhouse, Schrage had another thing in common with Pixazza–he also worked at retail behemoth The Gap, one of the companies that uses Pixazza’s technology tools.

“I’m impressed by Bob, Jim and the Pixazza team and delighted to have the chance to work with them,” said Schrage in an email to me.

The Pixazza network now reaches about 85 million unique visitors per month, according to Quantcast.

Essentially, the company lets publishers match and link images of products or places with its network of advertisers, via a single line of code.

When users on that site mouse over the photos, they get rich information about pricing and more, as well as a clickable way to purchase the items.

Here is Lisbonne’s blog post on the Schrage appointment, as well as the video of the interview I did with him recently:

Pixazza Is Now Friends with Elliot Schrage

One of many favorite lines I remember from Netscape’s CEO Jim Barksdale was “smart isn’t what you know, but how fast you learn.” The history of Silicon Valley demonstrates the wisdom of that adage when you consider that no company starts life with perfect knowledge; they all experiment, discover, and iterate rapidly. The best startups not only harness the knowledge of their employees, but look to their investors, advisors, and supporters as well.

Today, we feel particularly fortunate to welcome someone new to the Pixazza fold, a world class executive responsible for helping to expand the reach of two of the Internet’s premier companies. Elliot Schrage has agreed to join our board as a strategic advisor and observer.

Elliot’s current role as vice president of global communications, marketing and public policy at Facebook, coupled with his previous experience as vice president of communications and public affairs at Google, make him an ideal resource as we work to change the way consumers interact with images on the Internet. In an auspicious coincidence, Elliot previously served as the senior vice president of global affairs at The Gap–one of Pixazza’s long time advertisers.

Pixazza is pioneering the use of images as a new canvas for delivering to consumers relevant information, ecommerce, and advertising. We look forward to collaborating with and learning from our new “friend” Elliot.

[ See post to watch video ]

Video: Pixazza's Bob Lisbonne Talks About "AdSense for Images"

Kara Swisher — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 19:50:34 +0000

Recently, BoomTown took a walk down digital Memory Lane with Bob Lisbonne, CEO of Pixazza, the photo-tagging service that has nicknamed itself “AdSense for images.”

That’s because Lisbonne used to be a big wheel at Netscape Communications, the iconic Internet browser company that truly changed the digital world–before crashing and burning in a very public way.

We talked about the old days, of course, but more about the new days and his business focused on putting all kinds of advertising within online images.

The Mountain View, CA, start-up–which is backed by Google Ventures, CMEA Ventures, August Capital, Foundation Capital and Shasta Ventures, as well as by angel investors Ron Conway, Gideon Yu and Maynard Webb– aims to do for Web photos what the search giant did for text.

At least that’s the hope.

Pixazza is selling itself as a win-win for online publishers–who certainly could use one.

Essentially, the company lets publishers match and link images of products or places with its network of advertisers, via a single line of code.

When users on that site mouse over the photos, they get rich information about pricing and more, as well as a clickable way to purchase the items.

Quite possibly annoying, but Pixazza is growing quickly anyway, with the company claiming 20 billion image views per year and reaching 70 million unique visitors a month on sites deploying its technology.

There are rivals in the space, of course, such as GumGum and Vibrant, but Pixazza does come armed with $18 million in venture funding, as well as that relationship with Google.

Here’s Lisbonne talking about it all in a video interview I did at Pixazza’s Silicon Valley HQ:

[ See post to watch video ]

Texas Wants Google to Spill Its Secrets–Here's the List

John Paczkowski — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 16:14:45 +0000

The antitrust investigation Google is facing in Texas is quite a bit broader than originally thought. A civil investigative demand sent last July by the office of Attorney General Greg Abbott, and first reported by Bloomberg, reveals an inquiry not just into ad pricing, but site ranking and “the manual overriding or altering of” search results as well.

The 13-page CID includes 39 different requests for documents ranging from those setting forth Google’s policies and procedures for calculating AdWords prices and minimum bids to minutes and agendas from search quality team meetings and records of the “black listing” or “white listing” of specific Web sites. Also requested: Documents that “describe, analyze, or discuss competition for advertisers from Bing and Yahoo” and others concerning the strategy for e-commerce services like Froogle and Google Shopping.

It’s an extraordinarily thorough set of demands and shows the Texas AG to be reviewing not just Google’s ranking of search results and setting of advertising prices, but questioning whether the company favors its own businesses and advertisers in results. Has Google complied with them? That’s not yet clear, though company spokesman Adam Kovacevich says discussions with Abbott’s office continue.

“Since we started Google we have worked hard to do the right thing by our users and our industry, and while there’s always going to be room for improvement, we’re committed to competing fair and square,” he said. “We’re continuing to work with the Texas attorney general’s office to answer their questions and understand any concerns.”

Texas_GOOG_CID –

Analysts Dub HP TouchPad a Legitimate Contender for Second Place

John Paczkowski — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:51:35 +0000

It might lack a firm launch date and hard pricing details, and its application and content ecosystem might need further work, but Hewlett-Packard’s forthcoming TouchPad looks like it’s got a real shot at becoming the frontrunner in the massing horde of tablet hopefuls trailing Apple’s iPad.

Certainly the hardware and OS seem formidable enough to at least differentiate the device in an increasingly crowded market. And if HP’s integration story proves to be as good in practice as it sounded on stage in San Francisco yesterday (printers, phones, PCs and tablets all connected via webOS), the TouchPad could mount a decent challenge to the iPad–even if it doesn’t arrive at market until after the debut of the iPad 2.

Though he feels the summer ship date is just too late, Barclays analyst Ben Reitzes was impressed by the TouchPad’s hardware and OS. “[The TouchPad] appears to have very good software and syncing capabilities (HP Synergy feature) and some promising features,” he said in a client note today. “Also we point out that HP is clearly still investing not just in tablets but its smartphone business, which provides a good link between products for the future. Along with a nice OS, we believe that HP’s channel strength, link to its printing franchise, and overall brand strength could enable it to be one of the few relevant tablet players far behind Apple over the long-term.”

J.P. Morgan’s Mark Moskowitz had good things to say as well. “Our initial take on the TouchPad: better than expected,” he said. “Beyond Apple’s iPad, we previously had not been impressed with the other tablet entrants. HP’s TouchPad moderately changes this view.”

Interstingly, Moskowitz doesn’t seem quite as concerned about the device’s launch date. His feeling is that with the TouchPad, HP isn’t taking on Apple as much as it is the conga line of vendors chasing it. “For HP,” he said, “we believe the initial mission is to capture meaningful share among the non-iPad tablets, i.e., Android and Windows-based devices.”

Which is an interesting way of looking at the company’s strategy. Perhaps HP isn’t trying to out iPad the iPad–it’s trying to out iPad the iPad’s imitators, a far less daunting task.

Chances Are You're Paying Way More for Mobile Than You Need To

John Paczkowski — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 20:24:34 +0000

Does your wireless plan suit your needs? Truly suit your needs? Because if it doesn’t, you’re potentially wasting hundreds of dollars. According to a yearlong BillShrink survey of more than 230,000 wireless users, people waste an average of $336 annually by miscalculating their voice and data needs. And in doing so, they unnecessarily hand an estimated $79 million to their carriers.

A few key findings from the survey:

People estimate they need 711 wireless anytime minutes per month, but in truth they need quite a bit less. BillShrink found 651 minutes to be the average.
The average person uses 1,555 text messages per month, yet most consumers believe they use 2,566. (1,555 per-month is the average!?!)
People assume they need 54MB of data per month, yet most need 81MB. Ironically, most tiered carrier plans start at 150MB.

What’s driving these disparities? Consumers’ skewed perception of their wireless needs, obviously. But the carriers are to blame too. Their tiered pricing plans might offer more choice, but they also make it tougher to assess our voice, text and data needs, and make it quite a bit easier to overpay for them.

Twitter Offers Metered Pricing for Firehose of Tweets

Liz Gannes — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 01:43:44 +0000

Twitter data is a hot commodity for all sorts of projects, including search, brand monitoring and customer relationship management. But pricing and access to its data is not something the company has prioritized. Starting today, one much-clamored-for Twitter data option has been made available: Filtering the full, ever-growing real-time Twitter data set for keywords on a per-tweet basis. Gnip, Twitter’s only official data reseller, will give customers access at a cost of 10 cents per thousand tweets in a new joint product called “Power Track.”

For back story, Twitter has for the last year sold access to its “Firehose” real-time stream of every tweet to companies like Google and Microsoft. It gives other developers access to a random sampling of tweets (a.k.a. the “Gardenhose” and “Spritzer.”) Then in November it gave Gnip permission to sell more precise sampler products like the Decahose (10 percent of tweets for $5,000 per month).

But many companies, especially social media monitors, would rather get just the relevant tweets from the total data set. With Gnip’s Power Track they’ll be able to avoid Twitter’s polling rate limits and get exactly what they want, for a fee.

As for the actual Twitter users slaving away to produce those 140 character updates? No, they don’t get a cut.

This story was updated to correct Power Track pricing.

Microsoft Takes Another Stab at Selling Its Own Ads–By Getting Someone Else to Do It

Peter Kafka — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 11:00:53 +0000

It’s about time! Or, more accurately, “real time”: It’s taken Microsoft several years to get its head around the idea, but the company is finally going to start selling its ad space via a “real-time bidding” exchange, just as Google does.

The difference: Instead of running the exchange itself, as Google does, Redmond is going to outsource the work.

In February, ad tech start-up AppNexus will begin selling Microsoft’s “non-premium” display ads via its own exchange. And Microsoft will essentially pull the plug on AdECN, the exchange it bought in 2007 but only began testing a year ago.

If you’re not remotely interested in advertising technology, here’s the takeaway: Lots of smart people predict that display advertising will be moving to “real time bidding,” which allows buyers and sellers to set the price of a single ad impression in milliseconds.

That efficiency makes plenty of sense from a buyer’s perspective, but it will inevitably chip away at publishers’ pricing power–which is one reason big sellers like Microsoft haven’t embraced it yet.

Microsoft sort of announced the move last October, when it participated in a $50 million investment in AppNexus. Microsoft and AppNexus have been deliberately playing down the move, for reasons I can’t quite fathom–it’s not as if players like Google haven’t picked up on it.

(And that Microsoft-AppNexus connection may or may not have had something to do with a falling-out between AppNexus and Google last year.)

In any case, it’s now formalized: Microsoft will throw all of its unsold inventory into an exchange that AppNexus will power, starting with ad space on Windows Live Hotmail. Then it will add in all of the inventory on MSN properties, and eventually ads from third-party publishers that Microsoft is working with, like Viacom.

Which doesn’t mean Google will be quaking in its boots.

At the start, AppNexus figures it will be moving more than 10 billion ad impressions a month through the exchange, which sounds like a lot. And it is! But Google’s AdX is many times larger–it’s a safe bet that it’s doing more than one billion impressions a day, and likely much more.

Still, Google’s giant lead isn’t necessarily insurmountable. For starters, the universe of display advertising is much more fragmented than search. So no matter how much inventory AdX picks up, there’s always going to be lots of ad space that Google doesn’t get its hands on.

And because Google’s so big, there’s a very deliberate effort by lots of buyers and sellers to make sure they have other options. So underdog Microsoft–I can’t get over how odd it is to type that–will get at least a look-see for quite some time.

Verizon Earnings Fall Short as Company Confirms $30 Unlimited Data Plan for iPhone

Ina Fried — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 15:45:48 +0000

Verizon’s earnings report on Tuesday was closely watched, in large part for any hints about the impending arrival of the iPhone to the company’s wireless service.

The numbers themselves were lackluster, with Verizon Communications reporting per-share earnings, excluding pension and other items, of 54 cents on revenue of $26.4 billion. The earnings were a penny short of expectations, Bloomberg said, with revenue about in line with what analysts predicted. After initially dipping, Verizon shares were trading recently at $36.35, up about 3 percent.

Once again, though, much attention focused on the Verizon iPhone, which goes on sale next month.

Ahead of the company’s earnings conference call, Verizon Chief Operating Officer Lowell McAdam told The Wall Street Journal that the company would offer a $30 unlimited data plan, similar to what it offers for other phones.

“I’m not going to shoot myself in the foot,” he told the Journal. AT&T used to offer a similar plan, but switched to usage-based pricing for new customers last year; plenty of the subscribers that Verizon is courting, however, have been able to keep their unlimited plan with AT&T.

Verizon has announced it will sell the iPhone at prices similar to what AT&T charges for the iPhone, so its service pricing has been one of the big remaining unknowns. Verizon is also likely to charge an extra fee for customers who want to take advantage of the device’s ability to act as a wireless hotspot. AT&T’s iPhone doesn’t have such a feature.

The iPhone also impacted Verizon in other ways last quarter, McAdam said, noting that it appeared to hold back subscriber growth, although the company did add some 870,000 new customers.

“It wasn’t what I hoped it would be,” he told the Journal.

Verizon’s earnings report suggests an opportunity to sell some iPhones to its existing customer base; only about a quarter of its contract subscribers have smartphones.

The company said it expects that, with the addition of the iPhone and devices running on its new LTE network it expects that number to roughly double this year, with smartphone penetration accounting for more than half of customers by year-end.

PREVIOUSLY:

Verizon to iPhone Users: You Will Buy The $30-Per-Month, Unlimited Data Plan and You Will Like It

Verizon iPhone to Debut With Unlimited Data Plan

Tool for Creating iPhone and Android Games Now Speaks Windows as Well as Mac

Ina Fried — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 12:30:11 +0000

Corona, a tool for creating games that can be played on both Android and iOS devices, is getting even more versatile.

Until now, the software development tool has worked only on Macs. However, its creator plans to announce on Tuesday that Corona work can now be done on Windows machines as well.

Corona has been used to create games such as Doodle Dash (now called Tilt Monster) and Bubble Ball–a physics game created by a 14-year-old Utah boy that has risen to the top of free games in the App Store.

Moving Corona to Windows should open it up to more developers, according to its maker, Palo Alto, Calif.-based Ansca Mobile.

“We’re excited to finally bring the power of Corona SDK to the Windows operating system,” CEO Walter Luh said in a statement. “Windows’ vast number of users will clearly mean a larger Corona SDK community and ecosystem, but more importantly, we think Corona SDK will play a big role in making mobile development much more popular and accessible.”

However, although the Windows program can be used to finalize Android games, iOS games still have to be compiled on a Mac because Apple requires the use of its Mac-only Xcode tool. Also, the new Windows version is still classified as a beta.

Ansca Mobile is also changing the pricing for Corona. It will remain free while programs are in development. Programmers who want to use the tool for only Android or iOS development can now do so for $199 per year, while the pro account for publishing to both platforms will remain priced at $349 a year.

Verizon to iPhone Users: You Will Buy the $30-per-Month, Unlimited Data Plan and You Will Like It

John Paczkowski — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 11:29:22 +0000

When the iPhone goes live on Verizon’s network on Feb. 10, the carrier will indeed offer it with an unlimited data plan, as I reported earlier this month. But not because of an exception it’s made for the iPhone–because it’s doing away with its tiered smartphone data plan entirely.

A data-service pricing document leaked to Engadget suggests Verizon has scrapped its $15-for-150MB plan, leaving a mandatory $30-per-month unlimited data plan as the sole option for “feature phones and 3G smartphones” like the iPhone. Note the specificity of that designation–it excludes upcoming LTE handsets, which will presumably debut with higher, tiered data-pricing plans.

Meanwhile, rival AT&T continues to offer the iPhone with two capped data plans–200MB for $15 a month, and 2GB for $25.

[Image Credit: Engadget]

Lacking an iPhone, Scrappy T-Mobile Promises to Stay Aggressive in 2011

Ina Fried — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 18:52:52 +0000

With shades of Avis’s old “We try harder” campaign, No. 4 U.S. carrier T-Mobile said on Thursday it will claw its way up in the market with aggressive pricing and new product launches.

At a meeting with investors in New York, the company said it aims to cut the rate of customer churn and return to growth as early as this year. Among its financial goals are to increase U.S. revenue by $3 billion by 2014 while at the same time shaving a further $1 billion in costs.

“T-Mobile is ideally positioned to grow in the expanding U.S. market with the mobile Internet, if possible to a disproportionately large extent,” T-Mobile Group CEO Rene Obermann said in a statement issued by parent company Deutsche Telekom. “Philipp Humm and his team have a broad-based strategy to put T-Mobile USA back on course for growth.”

Among its plans are to offer the most competitive data rates while also introducing a faster version of its HSPA+ network, the one T-Mobile bills as America’s largest 4G network. Lacking an iPhone to offer, T-Mobile has been running a pointed ad campaign poking fun at AT&T and, more recently, also at Verizon.

T-Mobile also hopes to boost its fortunes by increasing sales efforts to businesses and allowing other carriers–so-called MVNOs–to sell services on its network.

The company reiterated its plans to eventually move to a Long-Term Evolution network (the same technology being adopted by Verizon and AT&T). However T-Mobile said this will “probably not be for a few years.”

While T-Mobile spoke to the business and technical hurdles associated with moving too quickly to LTE, it also acknowledged the other big stumbling block–it lacks enough spectrum to do so.

“Deutsche Telekom is exploring various options to acquire additional spectrum and reduce the gap regarding economies of scale compared with its larger competitors, including partnering with other companies,” T-Mobile said.

T-Mobile also announced the Samsung Galaxy S 4G and said it would bring back the Sidekick brand with a 4G, Android-based device to be introduced in the spring.

Nintendo's 3DS on Sale March 27 for $250, Boasting iPhone-Like Features

Tricia Duryee — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:56:32 +0000

Nintendo announced the pricing and release date today for the 3DS, which it hopes will rejuvenate sales as its other hardware platforms start aging.

The 3DS will be available in the U.S. on March 27 for a competitively priced $249.99. The handheld game player’s big selling point is that it offers 3-D without the need for special glasses. The device will come in Cosmo Black or Aqua Blue. Prices will vary outside the U.S.

At an event today in New York, Nintendo revealed more of the device’s capabilities, and many of them sound like features found on the iPhone and many other smartphones.

Apple’s ability to turn its MP3 players and phones into portable gaming devices has been a competitive threat to Nintendo, which with the 3DS release looks like it is willing to recognize.

For example, the new 3DS has an online store, called the eShop, where users will be able to download games. It also has three cameras and a built-in gyro, so the device can be tilted and turned to affect game play. It will also have location-based features, where users can elect to receive new content from Nintendo or other 3DS users as they travel around. The feature can connect to Wi-Fi hotspots when in sleep mode to collect this content or to function as a pedometer, which counts a user’s steps.

Additionally, users can take pictures with the camera, or listen to music and surf the Web on an Internet browser, which will come soon in a system upgrade. Users will also be able to play with one another by exchanging a simple code. About 30 games are expected to be available by June for the device.

It’s some of these more nuanced features that could make the device more competitive, but it’s the 3-D interactivity that Nintendo is really pushing, and so far consumers have not gravitated to 3-D as a reason to upgrade a TV, so it’s unclear whether it will be a draw for the 3DS.

Nintendo’s enthusiasm for 3-D also suffered a blow when it issued a warning that it is not healthy for kids under the age of 6 to view 3-D images. Nintendo says the impact from that should be minimal because the 3-D effect can be ratcheted up or down, and even turned off completely.

Microsoft Brings the First Piece of Office to the iPhone: OneNote

Ina Fried — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 17:49:16 +0000

While Microsoft still hopes to one day rival the iPhone, the company’s Office unit is the latest part of Redmond to acknowledge that, for now at least, the iPhone reigns supreme.

Microsoft is releasing on Tuesday a version of its OneNote note-taking application for the iPhone. The program will be free for a limited time, Microsoft said, adding that notes taken on the iPhone will automatically be synchronized and backed up to the Web using Microsoft’s Windows Live SkyDrive.

“We know people care more about what they do than where they do it,” Microsoft Office unit Vice President Takeshi Numoto said in a blog post published on Tuesday. “Whether it’s on a PC or Mac, a mobile phone or online through the Web Apps on multiple browsers, we continue to bring Office to the devices, platforms, and operating systems our customers are using. It should be about the ideas and information, not the device, right?”

Of course, OneNote is just one piece of Office–and one of the newer and least used of the main components at that. It’s also an interesting choice, since OneNote isn’t available natively for the Mac. But Microsoft seems to be leaving the door open to bring other pieces of Office to the iPhone.

In an interview, Microsoft senior director Jason Bunge said that the company had been working on OneNote for the iPhone for the past 18 months. Bunge wouldn’t say whether other Office components are also in the works, saying only that the company had no other apps to announce at this time.

“You can absolutely expect Office to expand its presence across other platforms,” Bunge said.

As for whether Microsoft plans to eventually charge for OneNote or other iPhone apps, Bunge said he didn’t know how long OneNote would remain free and had no other details on Microsoft’s pricing plans.

The goal in bringing OneNote to the iPhone, he said, is to allow those who do use the program on the PC to have it with them wherever they are. Rival programs, such as Evernote, have already been available on the iPhone.

Bunge did put in a bit of a plug for Windows and Windows Phone, saying, “We want Office on our Windows devices to be the best productivity experience that’s possible.”

OneNote is not Microsoft’s first app for the iPhone. Redmond already offers a Bing app, as well as Windows Live Messenger and the Microsoft Tag barcode reader, among other programs.

Update, 12:15 pm PT: Some people, including Mobilized, are getting an error message when they try to log in with their Windows Live ID. Since OneNote for the iPhone requires a Windows Live account, it effectively means those encountering the bug can’t use OneNote for the iPhone at all for now.

Microsoft says it is aware of the issue and is investigating.

1:45 pm PT: Microsoft has posted a blog noting the issues and says they are appearing intermittently as a result of high demand, with the recommended approach as “just keep trying.”

RIM: Don't Worry About PlayBook's Battery Life

Ina Fried — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:59:40 +0000

Speaking about its business plans on Thursday, Research In Motion briefly addressed its forthcoming PlayBook tablet and reported issues around the product’s battery life.

Senior Product Manager Ryan Bidan said that the tablet will have a 5,300-milliamp-hour battery that will offer plenty of battery life, but he wouldn’t quote a specific estimate.

“We’ll have good battery life,” he said. “Don’t worry about the battery life.”

Among other details, Bidan said that, unlike with the BlackBerry, RIM will deliver software updates directly to PlayBook devices. He also said that there would be a version of App World for downloading programs created by third-party developers.

The company also listed a number of technical specs for the device, including a 1GHz dual-core TI processor, a 3MP front-facing camera and a 5MP rear-facing camera, as well as mini-HDMI and mini-USB ports. Developers, he said, will have unfettered access to the camera and HDMI port, paving the way for all kinds of cool video-conferencing and presentation-delivery applications.

As for the key details, Bidan stuck to the company line, saying only that it will ship in North America this year and refusing to talk exact timing or pricing. “We’ll be competitively priced,” he said.

Bidan also demonstrated the tablet synching with his BlackBerry to display email and calendar information stored on the handheld. Each PlayBook can only synch with one BlackBerry at a time, Bidan said.

Update, 12:21 pm ET: Asked whether RIM is still aiming for eight hours of battery life, as it claimed at CES, Bidan said, “That is the case–our goal is to get a full day.”

That battery, by the way, is a fixed, nonremovable battery.

Asked about the size of the marketing campaign that will accompany PlayBook’s release, RIM executives declined to give specifics, but said it will be big.

“It’s not going to be a soft launch,” said VP Alec Taylor. “The magnitude will be commensurate with the opportunity.”

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Amazon's Android Appstore Will Lean Heavily On E-Commerce Mechanics

Tricia Duryee — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 00:42:43 +0000

Amazon officially stepped into the mobile applications ring last week by opening up a platform to developers that will eventually make way for an Android superstore.

To get a bigger picture of the retailer’s plans, we caught up with Aaron Rubenson, category leader for Amazon Mobile Services, and Ameesh Paleja, general manager for the Engineering Division of Amazon Mobile Services.

The one message that was exceedingly clear was that Amazon’s app store efforts will lean heavily on its years of retailing experience in an effort to change the way applications are marketed and sold on phones today.

So far, the shopping experience on Google’s Android Market has been disappointing. Developers have had to deal with sub-par marketing techniques and inadequate payment methods. Likewise, customers have to wade through thousands of applications that are difficult to pay for.

The difference in the approaches of Google and Amazon are as easy to explain as saying that one was built by a search company and the other a retailer.

“We have a lot of infrastructure and technology to maximize revenue. At the end of the day, our hope and goal is to leverage the systems we have built and to bring it to the app world,” Rubenson said. We can have a broad array of merchandising and marketing tools available to get developers’ apps in front of the customers and make them really simple to buy.”

To break it down, there’s at least three ways Amazon can differentiate itself from Google’s own Android Market: pricing, recommendations and payments.

Pricing: This is by far and away the biggest differentiation between Amazon’s Appstore vs. the Android Market, or even Apple’s App Store. When it comes to price, Amazon will decide how much to sell a game or application for — not the developer (although he or she will have some influence).

Amazon will set a sales price for an app, and developers will set a list price. Developers will earn 20 percent of the original list price, or 70 percent of the sales price, whichever is greater. The benefit of this model is that Amazon has the resources to monitor sales across the board and come up with a strategy that will maximize sales much faster than a developer or publisher would normally be able to react.

Recommendations: Amazon will also be able to increase sales by making recommendations that are based on a consumer’s wide range of interests, spanning across all of Amazon, including books, music, movies and more — not just apps. Apple and Google don’t have that insight because they don’t have such a wide variety of inventory. “That tech and the recommendations right now are so-so, there’s a lot opportunity to improve,” Paleja said.

For instance, Amazon would know if you bought a fancy cooking utensil and could recommend a recipe app, or cooking game.

Payments: This is also a huge differentiator. While the app store will initially only be available to consumers in the U.S. that’s expected to change. It has “tens of millions of customers who have credit cards on file” in dozens of countries worldwide.

Google’s Checkout payments system, which is one of the only payments systems available on the Android Market, doesn’t have that scale or scope. It’s flawed to the point that in some countries users can only download free apps. Often times, consumers have also not gone through the trouble of signing up for Checkout. Amazon’s payments system is more comparable to how consumers have a credit card stored in their iTunes account.

Despite Amazon’s list of competitive advantages, it is not the only third-party trying to make better app stores. Other companies, such as PocketGear, which recently got funding from the investment arm of Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt, and GetJar has a head start in working with developers. Carriers and handset-makers are also prepping developer programs.

It’s not clear when the store will be open to the public, other than that it will launch sometime this year. The store will support both free and paid apps and will be available both on Amazon’s homepage and both handsets and tablets.

Unlike Google, Amazon will have an approval process for apps, which has the goal of making sure apps work and don’t impair the device, but it won’t be selective based on content. “We are big believers in innovation, and that we’ll find a large range of innovation,” Rubenson said.

The two declined to comment on whether Amazon would share revenues with the carriers, handset makers or Google, although would confirm they are in discussions with a number of players in the space to get their app store on devices.

Microsoft talks ARM at CES

Ina Fried — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 21:19:00 +0000

As expected, Microsoft on Thursday showed off Windows running on new kinds of processors, specifically those that use an ARM core.

“The next generation of Windows is going to evolve on new hardware,” said Windows unit President Steven Sinofsky.

Before the demo though, Sinofsky traced the history of Windows, noting that from 1992 through Windows Vista the system requirements increased significantly from one version to the next. With Windows 7, though, Microsoft held most technical requirements steady and even lowered some of them.

As for the demo of the new stuff, Sinofsky began with a few caveats.

“We are calling this a technology demonstration,” he said, cautioning it wouldn’t show any new user face stuff or address pricing, timing, etc.

Sinofsky said it is too soon to talk about what requirements will be for the next version of Windows, but said the company is keenly aware of the need to have Windows running on ever-smaller devices.

Update 1:25 pm Microsoft has three demos and it is saving Windows on ARM for last. It’s starting by hoeing off some new PCs running on the current version of Windows–Windows 7.

The second demo will be an update of touch input on Microsoft’s tabletop Surface computer, and the final one will show Windows running on ARM.

1:33 pm The next-generation Surface is thinner and uses infrared cameras inside the screen’s pixels instead of a big projector, allowing for devices that can be either a tabletop or mounted vertically. It will be cheaper as well, though Microsoft doesn’t say how much the machines will cost. First-generation Surface machines had a price tag in the thousands of dollars.

On to the chip demos.

Microsoft starts by showing a development board using a next-generation Intel design running Quicken.

Okay, nod to Intel complete.

Next up is Office running on an ARM chip. This demo is on Microsoft Word and has it printing to an Epson printer. Microsoft shows demos of chips from Qualcomm, Nvidia and Texas Instruments.

On the Nvidia machine, Microsoft shows hardware, accelerated browsing in IE9 running on a Tegra 2 processor, as well as running PowerPoint and an “Iron Man” movie preview.

1:48 pm Asked by Mobilized what work still needs to take place to make Windows on ARM a reality, Sinofsky says that it is the case that programs compiled for x86 processors won’t immediately run on ARM chips, but said the company isn’t ready to talk about the programming model. He does say it is unlikely Microsoft would use virtualization to make old programs, suggesting there will be some work for developers.

Sinfosky says that Microsoft has done the work to enable Windows to run and create a framework for third parties to build software and device drivers.

As for the timing, Sinofsky doesn’t give a date, but does reiterate that Microsoft these days aims to have a new release of Windows every 24 months to 36 months. “I don’t think it’s that long away,” he says. He notes some people want Windows releases faster while other large customers would rather have more time between releases. “Somewhere [around] 24 to 36 months between releases seems about right.”

The ARM compatibility will go into the next release of Windows, but Sinofsky takes time to point out to Mobilized that once again, he isn’t calling it Windows 8.

“This is the next generation of Windows,” he says.

Real Estate Site Trulia Acquires Movity

Kara Swisher — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 05:53:57 +0000

San Francisco real estate site Trulia said it has acquired Movity, a buzzy stealth start-up that searches and aggregates geodata for home buyers and renters, such as noise, crime and pricing, from a variety of sources. Trulia declined to provide financial details of the transaction, but said the move was to provide better information for its users.

Movity was founded this year, with $1.3 million in funding.

Here is the full press release, along with some real estate news about Trulia’s new HQ:

TRULIA ACQUIRES MOVITY TO ACCELERATE AND ENHANCE THE ONLINE REAL ESTATE EXPERIENCE

Trulia Moves into New 30,000 sq foot Downtown San Francisco Location as the Company Continues to Grow at a Rapid Pace

SAN FRANCISCO, December 21, 2010–Trulia.com (www.trulia.com), a top site for homebuyers, sellers and renters, acquired Movity (www.movity.com ), a stealth start-up focused on surfacing geodata to help new movers make better decisions and creator of social check-in tracker www.weeplaces.com. Movity was part of the Winter 2010 YCombinator class and the team includes Eric Wu, co-founder of RentWiki.com, Sha Hwang, design technologist from Stamen Design, Vaughn Koch, program manager from Bing, and Zain Memon, a contributor to the open-source framework Django.

“The consumer real estate experience will continue to change dramatically and we believe adding this team of talented individuals will accelerate our innovation and growth,” said Pete Flint, CEO and co-founder of Trulia. “Movity brings strong engineering skills, visualizations specialists and a passion for real estate. We looked at their vision and our vision and we knew we had a perfect match.”

“We are excited to join a leader and innovator in the real estate market and contribute to a world class engineering organization,” said Eric Wu, co-founder of Movity. “I’ve been impressed what Trulia has accomplished in the past few years, and together, we want to change the way people discover local information and find a place to live.”

New Office Space

In 2010, Trulia doubled the size of its workforce and today moved in to a new 30,000 sq foot office in the heart of SOMA in downtown San Francisco. Trulia occupies multiple floors and built the space to include user experience testing rooms, 27 conference rooms and a handful of cool design elements including bike racks, a library and open collaboration spaces to foster an environment of innovation and collaboration.

“About 18 months ago we asked our employees what they wanted in a new office and it was pretty clear they wanted to be closer to public transportation, they wanted a bright open office and they wanted to be in the center of the activity downtown,” said Sami Inkinen, COO and co-founder of Trulia. “We took their feedback and we found an office that meets all our needs and allows for future growth opportunities. Moving into the new office today you could feel the sense of pride in our employees and this begins another new and exciting chapter in Trulia’s history.”

What Does an iAd Look Like on an iPad? It Looks Pretty Awesome (Of Course)

Peter Kafka — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 03:56:00 +0000

Apple’s iAd program was supposed to make its way to iPads in 2010. Instead, it won’t make an official rollout till next year. But Apple is offering a preview of what an iAd will look like right now, via a campaign for Disney’s upcoming “Tron” sequel.

The best way to see it is by downloading the TV Guide iPad app, where you’ll find it prominently displayed. It’s like any other “in-app” ad you’ve seen before–click on a banner, and you get a barrage of multimedia–except that in this case it’s intensely fun.

It helps that the ad is for a movie, which translates perfectly on the iPad. And that the movie fuses action, nerddom and nostalgia. And Jeff Bridges!

And note that Apple has always understood the appeal of movie trailers and the Web: Remember when Apple’s movie trailers site was one of the most novel and well-trafficked places on the Internet?

So if you’re wondering if the iPad is a great place to advertise movies via iAds, that question should be answered. The real question is how the format will fare for other products: So far, Apple’s pricing and control issues have made iAds on iPhones and iPods less than a resounding success.

But that’s business talk! Ignore that for now! Get your iPad out and go look at the pretty moving pictures!

No iPad? Then you’re going to have to imagine. Here’s a screenshot:

And here’s a shakycam video: