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News Byte

TasteMakerX Raises $1.8M for Mobile Social App Platform

Kara Swisher in Social on February 8 at 3:00 am PT

TastemakerX, a San Francisco start-up that is developing a social mobile platform focused on “targeted taste graphs,” said it had raised $1.8 million in funding from a variety of venture firms, including Guggenheim Partners, Baseline Ventures, True Ventures and Tekton Ventures, as well as angel investors. The company said it will release its TastemakerX Music mobile app as a private beta in early March 2012.

Klout Acquires Local App Blockboard

Liz Gannes in Social on February 7 at 10:00 am PT

Social media influence scorer Klout has made its first acquisition: A local app maker called Blockboard.

The New York Times Bits Blog Gets a Billboard

Liz Gannes in News on January 18 at 12:03 pm PT

Competition in the technoblogoverse just got a little fiercer! The New York Times Bits technology blog now has its very own billboard on Highway 101.

Boss Talk: Zynga Chief Talks IPO, Lessons Learned

Shayndi Raice in Commerce on January 16 at 1:02 pm PT

Zynga Inc. Chief Executive Mark Pincus ended 2011 as the face of an overhyped Web initial public offering. Now he wants to show the hype was justified.

eBay Is the Most Recent Bay Area Transplant to Seek Access to Seattle’s Talent Pool

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on January 12 at 6:00 am PT

The e-commerce giant has joined a growing list of companies willing to brave the rain in order to gain access to a deep pool of technology engineers in Seattle.

Uber CEO Responds to New Year’s Eve Complaints, Plans More Surge Pricing

Lauren Goode in Commerce on January 1 at 8:31 pm PT

Even though some customers are uber-angry about the price of their Uber car rides on New Year’s Eve, CEO Travis Kalanick still says the night was a success.

Viral Audio: A Look Back at Tech in 2011, and Forward to 2012

Kara Swisher in Media on December 28, 2011 at 1:06 am PT

Should auld iPhone 5 be forgot and never brought to market …

Airbnb Hires Former Yahoo Legal Eagle Belinda Johnson as General Counsel

Kara Swisher in Commerce on December 9, 2011 at 7:44 am PT

Here’s the lawyer who’s going to write that ironclad lease — that promised espresso maker better be there! — for the lovely apartment in Italy we rented.