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Archive for the ‘Analysis’ Category

Take Five with MakeFive for List Junkies

Lists, lists, lists!

People’s fascination with lists is understandable. For some reason or another, when we see a list it ranks things for us, provides us a perspective, perhaps even influences us in a way we don’t even recognize. We put so much emphasis on lists that now a site has been created that is strictly dedicated to lists.

MakeFive is a site that basically says “you are what you think.” How true. The site has Top 5 lists for just about anything and everything. Top 5 favorite fonts, SNL cast members, people that inspire, just to name a few from the front page.

You can share lists, connect with others that list similar items, and comment on one another’s lists. The interaction is there, but I went cross eyes after being on this site for too long. WARNING: View this site in small doses, you’ll lose your vision…or at least go crosseyed like I did.

The site was useful professionally as I got top ranked business books, design sites, education sites, etc. So basically the site can be as useful or as silly as you want it to be. I definitely recommend this site as a “to pass the time” reference. I think you’ll be surprised at what you find.

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iPhone 3G only $99, it’s Possible

Some hot news for those of us that have with held buying an iPhone (all 2 of you). Word on the street is that Apple has had an excellent 4th Quarter, and with sales of iPhones surpassing previous estimations, there is some wiggle room when it comes to price.

The iPhone which currently resides in an exclusive contract with AT&T, sells for $199 with contract. Millions and millions of people jumped on board with the first iPhone came out, and the second generation was just as popular. With over 15 million iPhone sold worldwide, it has dominated the mobile market. Outstanding sales have given Apple a cushion in case the current economic downtown starts to effect sales, they can afford to drop the price of the iPhone to $99.

What would a $99 iPhone do to the market? For starters, with such a low barrier to entry, the iPhone will clearly bleed further into the consumer market, even those on the fence would be tempted to purchase, and the market dominance would only leave true niche mobile companies like Blackberry able to withstand the onslaught.

Conjecture? Possibly, but only time will tell. Get those Christmas wish lists ready and stay tuned for more info!

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“Danger Will Robinson…Danger”

For those of you not following TechCrunch’s Layoff Tracker, the tech industry is taking a major hit. So far a total of 44,283 (to include HP‘s release) people are gone from their respective companies. Is this another Dot Com Bust?

How bad is this? Well, pretty bad considering that most tech startups are staffed minimally to keep costs down. Some companies have been forced to cut as many has 1/3 of their staff, some up to 50%.

I were Chicken Little, the sky would definitely be falling right now!

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Brightstorm Online Tutoring Goes Public

Korean backed company, Brightstorm, is making headlines by going live for the public. With $6 million invested, Brightstorm looks to offer students of all ages an opportunity to receive online tutoring through a series of web videos based on the subject. There are currently 20 instructors on the site offering assistance with a variety of courses including History, Government, Math, and SAT prep. I’m sure the site will expand its offerings and possibly increase the number of instructors as the site grows.

Now there is a price involved. For $50 a course, the videos are made available for you to watch, ranging from 10-20 min. in length depending on the subject matter. Students and parents are able to watch samples in order to decide whether they enjoy the instructor or not, and obviously to decide whether the quality and value is worth the money. The video courses will also offer pop-quizzes, interactive challenges, and other dynamics to keep the student aware and involved as much as possible.

I commend the efforts of Brightstorm, and while they may not be the only fish in the sea in terms of online tutoring sites, they appear to be the best organized. Can a student learn better from an online video tutor as opposed to an in person tutor? That will remain to be seen.

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TechCrunch Creates Layoff Tracker

Image representing TechCrunch as depicted in C...

Image via CrunchBase

Here on Crenk there’s already been at least two posts on how the social media world has been hit by the economic downturn, here and here. Just about every industry has been effected, and as such we’ve seen companies begin to layoff whole portions of their employed team. If employees were not let go, there were changes in management, as seen in Twitter‘s case.

That being said, TechCrunch has created a Layoff Tracker for all the layoffs that have and will be occuring in the coming months ahead. Already last week alone we saw companies like Zillow, Pandora, Adbrite, Hi5, etc, all get listed as companies doing some trimming to their employed staff.

Keep up with the latest as it happens and see if your favorite company gets listed.
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Apple’s New Ads Poke Fun of Microsoft

Image representing Apple as depicted in CrunchBase

Image via CrunchBase

Long gone are the commercials with our friends Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld. Mysteriously the advertising campaign stopped, changed directions, and Seinfeld was no more.

Was it the churros? Was it the conquistadors? Perhaps no one wanted to take them in after leaving their last family. Either way, Microsoft has taken a new direction, but some just can’t let a good joke die.

Apple has just released two commercials that are sure to get Microsoft’s feathers ruffled, but all’s fair in and love and war.

Check them out and share your thoughts. Whether you love them or hate them, you’ve got to admit that the marketing from both attacking the other does provide for some interesting conversation.

and here…

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You Could Be Britney Spears New Boyfriend!

Okay, it’s a long shot, but with her track record, you actually might have a chance. I’m not saying anything is wrong with her, she just likes to meet a lot of people.
Well watch out world, Britney is online in the social media world. Where? You can connect with Britney on Twitter…or with her “people” at least. To coincide with the launch of her new blog site, fans can follow her on the Twitter stream and even reply to her. I wouldn’t hold your breath for direct answers, but stranger things have happened.
Any way you look at this, whether you like Britney or not, enough “mainstream” artists, performers, and other entertainers jump on Twitter, it will be hard to ignore its dominance in the market.
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Kongregate Offers A Lesson on Flash Games

Gaming site, Kongregate, has officially found a new way to keep users on their site. Before it was the over 8,000 games they offer for user entertainment, but now Kongregate looks to not only allow users to play games, but to make games as well.
The site will offer Flash Game Making tutorials so that users can interact more with the site. Instead on relying on hard to understand How-To books, the videos will instruct users step by step in creating a game and allow them to play as they go to make adjustments according to their desires. The hope is to encourage independent developers to take charge of their dreams, and make them a reality utilizing the tools Kongregate is offering. Currently there are only a few well known, established developers on the site, but the purpose has always been for the independent developer to gain exposure and experience.
Kongragate is definitely doing something right, since its inception, it has garnered 4.5 million users. The addition of the Flash tools looks to build on the already existing robust user base. As of right now 3 of 8 tools have been released, but with the future tools on the horizon, Kongragate might really be onto something by empowering their users to be a part of the experience.
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Twitter Shakeup Leaves Market Wondering

Recently there were reports of something very big happening inside of Twitter. Many were left to speculate that layoffs were to ensue, or perhaps a big announcement, but either way, the word was that it would indeed by monumental.

Yesterday it was announced that Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey would be stepping down from his position, allowing Evan Williams, former Chairman to move into the position. Jack Dorsey is not gone from the scene, but rather will be taking over Evan’s former position as Chairman.

Why the sudden move? Economy? Direction?

Many of us are familiar with the problems Twitter experienced earlier this year with scalability issues, ultimately making Twitter unreliable, and forcing users to seek out alternatives such as Friendfeed. While dealing with this problem, this gave competition like Friendfeed the chance to move ahead of Twitter in terms of innovation, offerings, and development.

Could Twitter have become too stagnant and in need of fresh blood? Kinda ironic since both Evan and Jack are considerably young in the industry, but just goes to show you how fast things can move in the tech world.

It will be interesting to see what Evan Williams can do with Twitter and what new ideas might be implemented into the Twitter property in the near future.

New Release Keeps Flock Soaring

When Flock was launched last fall, it was the browser geared towards the social network savvy surfer. It was a new way to integrate all the most popular social sites and keep them at your finger tips while doing your standard day to day browsing online. No longer were you forced to open tab after tab, window after window for each network you wanted to connect with. Now, with some minor prep time by inputting accounts and passwords, Flock will keep everything on file and load all of your chosen networks as soon as you start your browser.
 
Flock has just released the latest version of its broswer software, and already it’s looking like the browser to beat. When Google release Chrome, it was a mad dash by early adopters to test out this mysterious new entry into the browser wars. The excitement lost steam pretty quickly as users were left wondering exactly what the purpose of Chrome was because the bells and whistles were just not there. The browser that was meant to be used not seen seemed to be the mantra. Flock flies directly in the face of such philosophy by making sure every aspect of the user interface is useful and interactive.
 
The new release integrates Media RSS which can now keep the most watch media on the front page of your start window for immediate viewing; pics, movies, podcasts, all accessible with a click of a button. New to the social network offerings is MySpace, which has finally been brought into the fold, allowing users to chat with their friends directly from the sidebar without having to visit the actual site.
 
Since it’s founding 3 years ago, and with the first release this past fall, Flock has attracted 6 million downloads. A true testament in its efforts to get attention from users. Having been built on Firefox’s code, similarities are welcoming with a taste and flavor all its own.