TechCat

The Car Charging Group, Inc. (CCGI) this weekend announced a partnership with LAZ Parking in New York and New Jersey to begin outfitting its facilities with smart, electric vehicle charging stations.

The Miami-based CCGI installs and maintains electric vehicle charging stations in government-owned lots, and at commercial sites like shopping malls, hotels, stadiums and corporate parking garages. LAZ Parking operates over 1,300 parking facilities in 21 states and 99 cities. The LAZ Parking sites will be equipped by CCGI with smart, ChargePoint Level II, 240 volts charging stations, manufactured by Coulomb Technologies.

Smart charging stations, unlike those designed for home-garage use, have metering and e-commerce capabilities, and are visible online. Drivers can find smart charging stations on Google Maps, for example.

Coloumb Technologies, the recipient of a $15 million Department of Energy grant (funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the Transportation Electrification Initiative) is a leader in sales of charging stations in the U.S.

The company is, with some of its government grant money, setting up — sometimes temporarily free — public electric vehicle charging stations throughout the country, including New York City’s first.

General Electric and Toyota have announced that they are developing and will sell their own smart charging stations, as well.

The Department of Energy estimates that charging station locations in the U.S. will increase 41 times over between 2009 and 2012.

Citing consumer demand and a slew of new charging station technology, and vehicle models — like the Nissan Leaf, GM Chevy Volt, Fisker Karma, and Tesla Model S — Car Charging Group, Inc.’s president Andy Kinard said Saturday that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Obama administration fulfilled its goal: getting one million plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles on the road by 2015.

To recharge at public or commercially installed stations, Kinard says hybrid and electric vehicle owners should be prepared to pay about $3 per hour. He noted: “It’s hard to get 220 volts out into the streets. [Parking facilities] do have to charge more than it would cost an electric vehicle driver to plug in at home. But that’s nothing compared to gas prices now. And it will still be cheaper than what you spend driving an internal combustion engine.”

One of the most exciting things to watch in tech these days is various groups’ estimates for Zynga’s revenues. Depending on what you read and on what day, they are all over the map. It’s been that way for a long time too, because the social gaming service is simply growing so fast and monetizing the hell out of their properties. Now that we’re more than halfway into 2010, the consensus seems clear that Zynga made about $300 million in revenue in 2009. But 2010 is proving even tougher to nail down, it seems.

The New York Times has a feature on Zynga that’s online now but running the paper tomorrow. In it, they cite data from Inside Network, a service that tracks Facebook and social games, stating that Zynga is on pace to make $835 million in revenue this year. That huge — unfortunately, it’s not true. NYT actually read the data from Inside Network’s wrong. Their data said that $835 million would be the revenue for the social gaming market as a whole in 2010. We’ve confirmed with both Inside Networks and Zynga that NYT got that wrong.

That said, even though it’s inaccurate right now, that moonshot estimate may not end up being that far off. Two weeks ago, we broke the news that Google had secretly invested over $100 million in Zynga earlier this year. For that story, sources told us that Zynga’s revenues for the first half of 2010 would be an amazing $350 million. So if you double it for the other half of the year, that’s $700 million in revenue for 2010. Not bad. Actually, amazing. But it’s certainly seems likely that Zynga will continue to grow and make more money as the year goes on, so again, the $835 million number may end up not being that far off. It’s just not correct right now.

Those numbers are up hugely from earlier this year when managing director at Lightspeed Venture Partners, Jeremy Liew, broke down what he believed Zynga’s revenues to be for us. At the time, Liew estimated that Zynga had made about $240 million year to date. That was May, so extrapolated out, that would equal a little over $500 million in revenue for all of 2010.

And those numbers were up from a BusinessWeek article in April, which stated that Zynga should do $450 million in revenue in 2010. Yes, the revenue estimates are soaring each and every month, it seems.

Two weeks ago, our sources told us that Zynga is projecting revenues of at least $1 billion in 2011. So it seems we’re going to be playing this game into next year as well. And at least until Zynga goes public, at which point they’ll have to release their actual numbers.

As a side note, the NYT story also confirms our Zynga Google-funding story from two weeks ago with their own sources. According to them, the Series D round was $300 million split “roughly” equally between Softbank and Google. This means Zynga now has about $520 million in funding.

Update: NYT has now updated their story with the following:

An earlier version of this article misstated the revenue Zynga was expected to take in this year, according to the Inside Network. It is as much as $500 million, not $835 million.

[image via ubergizmo]

Filed under: Sedan, Jaguar, Luxury

Tata Motors chief executive Carl-Peter Forster has acknowledged that Jaguar needs a smaller, higher-volume vehicle and it appears that just such a car is already under development. Unlike the less-than-stellar X-Type which was based on the second-generation Ford Mondeo, the new car should actually be a real Jaguar.

Jaguar is reportedly working on a new modular aluminum platform that would be shared between the new smaller car, the mid-sized XF and the next-generation XK. In renderings posted by AutoExpress at least, the baby Jag bears a strong resemblance to the XF but with curvier rear haunches and XJ-style taillamps. Of course, what the real thing will ultimately look like is anyone’s guess.

Power will likely come from downsized and boosted four-cylinder gas and diesel engines, with the current 3.0-liter diesel V6 as a range-topper. Also look for a hybrid to enter the mix. All of this will help Jaguar meet the new EU CO2 emissions limits once the new smaller Jaguar debuts, which could happen as soon as soon as 2012.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Rumormill: Jaguar working on aluminum X-Type successor originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Jul 2010 17:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I’ve been finding myself using the “snap-on-back-cover” style of case with my iPad more and more lately. I prefer the ease at which this style case allows me access to the iPad’s screen. There’s no cover to peel back and no annoying tab to push out of the way. The Speck SeeThru SATIN case has quickly become one of my favorite cases from this genre.

The SATIN is made from a soft, grippy material. If you’re familiar with the See-Thru SATIN for the iPhone 3Gs, imagine it, just on a much larger scale. It’s fairly light-weight at 9.0 ounces and is available in three color variations, Black, Blue and Purple.

Speck doesn’t include a screen shield with the SeeThru SATIN, so if you need one I suggest ordering up one of their ShieldView film kits when you order you case. The kits each include 2 screen films that are anti-fingerprint plus a cleaning cloth.

The case isn’t the easiest to get on. Since it’s all one piece it takes some work to get your iPad properly seated inside the case. But once it’s in the you appreciate the work it took it to get there. What you get is a super form-fitting case that doesn’t flex or creak from the iPad being inside it.

The lip of the SATIN is raised resulting in a nice “lay-on-the-table” design. This means if you happen to lay your iPad face down on your desk or table the screen will stay free and clear of any debris that might otherwise come in contact with it.

The volume rocker gets covered by a rubbery material yet you still get nice feedback when you press them

On the top of the case the sleep/awake button also gets covered with the same rubbery material and offers similar feedback when depressed. The headset jack and secondary microphone get their own cutout. The headset jack is shallow enough that most headphones should fit into the port without issue.

Where this case really shines is on the back. For starters the SATIN features a flip up back panel which allows you to dock your iPad into the Apple Dock or Apple Keyboard Dock without having to remove it from the case. I prefer the flip up panel design versus some of the other iPad cases that I’ve tried which have removable panels. This is just one less piece I have to worry about loosing.

The back of the case also features a raised traction pad which not only offers an incredible amount of grip but also helps with keeping the iPad in one place when it’s on a desk or counter top. At first glance I was somewhat turned off by the back panel. But after using it a few times I was immediately struck by how useful it is. I’ve yet to come across a case for my iPad that offers a more secure grip when holding it one-handed.

The Speck SeeThru SATIN is a perfect case for use while at your home or office, or once you’ve arrived at any destination. If you plan to take your iPad out on the road you’ll probably want to invest in something to protect the screen during transport, such as a carrying sleeve. Snap-on-back-covers are functional and easy to manage but they do worry me. The minimalistic look and feel they offer is great while you’re using it but you also do need to take care of your screen when you’re not.

You can learn more about the Speck SeeThru SATIN case for the iPad or order one of your own by visiting the product page on the Speck web site located here.

MSRP : $49.95

What I Like: Awesome grip, sleek and slender fit.

What Needs Improvement: Hard to get on and off.

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Tags: Apple iPad, Apple iPad Gear, Reviews

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The idea of driving around with a glass of water on your dashboard may seem ludicrous, but if Toyota told you that a single glass of water could help you reduce your fuel consumption by 10 percent, would you think differently? Now, Toyota doesn’t want you to literally place a glass of water on the dash. Instead, the company is pushing the idea that driving in such a way that a theoretical glass of water there remains full would reduce fuel consumption significantly. To spread the word about this fuel-saving concept, Toyota has created a website appropriately called “A Glass of Water.”

So, how do you keep this imaginary glass of water topped off at all times? Well, provided you aren’t in a hurry to get somewhere, it should be quite simple. Begin by accelerating gracefully, leave plenty of distance between you and the vehicle ahead, brake gently, and apply tactics used by hypermillers.

If you’d like to learn more about Toyota’s “A Glass of Water” challenge and are interested in giving it a try, then click here. iPhone users can also download a virtual glass of water app by clicking here.

[Source: A Glass of Water]

A glass of water a day can help keep your fuel consumption at bay originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earlier this year, you probably heard that Apple blocked Adobe’s Flash-to-iPhone App converter from the App Store on the eve of the tool’s launch. That may have crushed Adobe’s dream of allowing developers to write their Flash apps once and deploy them wherever they’d like, but its AIR platform still works with Mac, PC, and Linux, with support for Android devices coming later this year.  That means developers will soon be able to write applications that will work on both the desktop and smartphones.

Of course, the prospect of running cross-platform applications is a lot more impressive when you can see one in action. Which is why Adobe Technical Evangelist Christophe Coenraets has put together a demo showing off what AIR can do when it’s used to deploy the same application across both Android and desktop computers. He’s built a basic video conference app in 30 lines of code, which he demos in the YouTube clip above (the heavy lifting was pre-written, powered by Adobe’s LiveCycle Collaboration Services module). Obviously the application is quite basic, but it’s pretty impressive nonetheless.

I’ve never been a big fan of AIR — I’ve yet to run into an AIR app on my Mac that didn’t feel a bit out of place, with quirky window behavior and decidedly non-native UI (though this may be the fault of third-party app developers building on the platform). Still, it’s hard not to see the benefit of being able to build an application that runs on both mobile and PC.

One piece of the puzzle for a complete Droid X hack has fallen in place after only one week. Owners of the Droid X may now have root privileges on their phone.   Root privileges mean that you can modify any portion of the system area of your device., meaning in part that you can remove ROM built-in apps like the Blockbuster Application or the included games.  The thanks for this go mostly to a hacker known as birdman.

The hack uses the same security vulnerability that has before been used to hack the European version of the Droid, the Milestone. It takes advantage of a vulnerability found in Udev, which is a device manager that works hand in hand with the Linux kernel which is the core of Android.

However a ROM, or custom version of Android like CyanogenMod, cannot be loaded until the hackers figure out the bootloader issue.  A bootloader is the first program that phones and computers run when first turned on.  The bootloader on the Droid X utilizes a high amount of encryption which has yet to be broken.  Breaking this is not trivial and will take quite some time.

There is yet another stumbling block in front of the hackers for creating the complete hack.  Motorola’s use of eFuse makes this even more complicated since it expects to see specific things during the boot process.  If it does not see what it wants, it puts the phone into a mode where you can’t use it until you put the official software back on the device.   For more information on why you would want to fool with this in the first place, see our post on why you may want to load a custom ROM on your Droid X.

I have high confidence that ROMS will soon be loadable on the Droid X at some point. I don’t know when, but this little step should give Motorola a clue that people will find a way to improve their devices no matter how much technology they (or anyone else) try to put in front of it. Blocking the installation of ROMS only affect those who won’t use your support anyway. Typical users do not even know or care about what a ROM is, and they probably shouldn’t even attempt this process without the help of a geeky friend or family member.

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Somehow or other I found myself at a Dos Equis dealie the other day. And while I had zero in common with anyone else there—apparently trying to talk about the Dragon Quest lineage doesn’t work well at these things—I did spy several QR Code stations. Surely you’ve heard of QR Codes?

They’re the things that sorta look like rorschach tests that you may have seen at bus stops and the like. As you can see in the hastily cut video here, guests flash one of several different QR Code cards in front of a camera—not sure why some people all night long were trying to have the television monitor read the card when the camera was clearly marked—and up several safari-themed objects. Snakes, Olmec heads, treasure chests, etc.

I thought it was neat.

No, I did not get to meet the World’s Most Interesting Man since I had to leave pretty quickly. Maybe next time.

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

How does one make the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class more exclusive than it already is? If you’re Mercedes, you unveil the gonzo AMG variants. Appearance-wise, changes are minimal for the 2011 CL63 and CL65 AMG, save for the addition of Mercedes’ new corporate face, which includes the standard LED running-light strip and some small tweaks to the rear fascia. The big news, however, centers on the changes underhood.

Gone is the naturally aspirated 6.3 6.2-liter AMG V8 in favor of a smaller and more powerful 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged mill. In base form, this V8 cranks out 536 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque (increases of 18 and 125, respectively), and with the optional AMG Performance Package, these numbers increase to an even more robust 563 hp and 664 lb-ft. Sweet stuff, and when matched with Mercedes’ AMG Speedshift seven-speed automatic, 0-60 runs will take just 4.4 seconds (4.3 if you opt for the more powerful setup). What’s most impressive, though, is that even with this added power boost, fuel consumption has been reduced by 27 percent. The range-topping CL65 AMG will carry over its 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12, though Mercedes has managed to coax an additional 17 horsepower from it for 2011. Output for the CL65 is now rated at 621 horses and 738 lb-ft of torque.

Both AMG CLs get a host new standard equipment as well. Mercedes-Benz’s Direct-Steer system is on hand, as is a new crosswind stabilization feature that alters wheel-load distribution to keep things in line during heavy breezes. From there, a new torque-vectoring brake system applies one-sided braking during instances of understeer. The full suite of Mercedes-Benz driver aids is thrown in as well, including drowsiness detection, night-view assist, active lane-keeping assist and blind-spot assist. After all, with so much power on tap, you’ll need a nanny (or several) to help keep things in line. Interior upgrades are similar to what we’ve already seen in the 2010 S-Class.

Official pricing hasn’t been released yet, but expect MSRPs to increase slightly over the 2010 models ($145,200 for the CL63 and $207,170 for the CL65). Shoppers in that tax bracket shouldn’t have any trouble shelling out a few grand extra for the latest in CL-Class exclusivity.

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

Continue reading Twin-Turbo Temptresses: 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63, CL65 AMG

Twin-Turbo Temptresses: 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63, CL65 AMG originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Jul 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A feature that advanced users miss dearly in the Windows operating system is a centralized update repository, that informs the computer user of software updates. Software updaters, like Update Notifier, the Software Updates Monitor, and others, are a solid alternative, even though none has been 100% accurate so far.

Especially limited application databases and the detection of false positives, that is updates that are not existing, have been major problems in most update checkers so far.

R-Updater is a new program that can keep software up to date on a computer system. The program checks automatically for installed software on startup, and compares the versions of the discovered software in an online database.

The application divides the updates into three categories: Catalog versions, user versions and beta versions. Neither the homepage nor the program explain the differences, we assume that catalog versions refer to final releases on the developer website, user versions to versions that users of the R-Updater program run and beta versions to beta versions of the programs.

Not all categories are usually filled with version information, which highly depends on the developer’s developer and beta release code of practice. Software Updates are indicated in the updates section of the program. Each program is listed with its name and version, next to the updates that have been found in the database.

A double-click launches a website with direct links to the program and the developer website. False positives can be removed from the listing by right-clicking an entry and selecting the Don’t Call option.

R-Updater finds a solid amount of installed applications, the update check however sometimes failed to detect that an Internet connection was present, a restart resolved the problem on our test PC.

Update notifications can be configured individually for each software. It is for instance possible to only display stable updates for some programs, and beta or all updates for others.

The scheduler holds options to change the frequency of update checks and scans for new software on the system, both are set to once per week by default.

Another interesting option is the ability to add software manually to the software list in the program. Portable software, and software missed by the automatic scan, can be added this way.

R-Updater is a solid software updater for Windows. It is available at the developer’s website as an installer or portable version. The program itself is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Microsoft Windows operating system.

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© Martin for gHacks Technology News, 2010. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us, digg, facebook, reddit, twitter
Post tags: portable software, r-updater, software updater, update-checker, windows software

Say what you will about iTunes and the electronic age’s impact on music and the music industry but one thing is clear – they have been great about is giving talented people exposure long before they might come to the attention of agents, scouts and record labels. That’s the case with Applegirl, who caught the world’s attention with her rendition of Lady Gaga’s Poker Face performed with nothing more than a number of iPhones.

Over three million views later she has a contract with a record company. Pretty neat.

Then there is Ben, one of my students and an aspiring musician. I’ve watched Ben grow up and have been super impressed by his growing talent as a musician. I’ve seen him play a few times and have always enjoyed watching and listening to him. Since I’ve known him most of his life I guess the best word to describe it is that I… KVELL.

So imagine my surprise when, while browsing iTunes the other day I came across a three song EP entitled One Thousand Reasons. And the artist behind the EP? My student Ben.

No, Ben doesn’t have a recording contract, not even close, but thanks to iTunes his music can be out there and available to anyone interested. That’s the democratization of music in action. And who knows… maybe by having his music up on iTunes he will get discovered. After all, he is actually pretty darn good!

So here’s my shameless plug… You can check out his music here, and I hope you will.

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Filed under: Ford, Mercury

In life, Mercury was an under-funded brand mainly composed of waterfall grilles stapled to bone-stock Ford models. In death, however, Mercury apparently gets to see some of the money it always dreamed of having when it was alive. According to Automotive News, Ford CFO Lewis Booth claims that shutting down Mercury before the end of this year will cost the Oval roughly $500 million overall. Booth says Ford already took a $247 million charge in the first half of 2010 to cover the neglected marque’s mercy killing.

The lion’s share of the money being spent will go toward buying out 700 of the 1,700 Mercury dealers across the United States. Back in June, we told you about a package that Ford was presenting to dealers who sign a termination agreement. The reported buyout totaled as much as $200,000 per dealership. (Actual dollar amounts for individual dealers were based on the number of vehicles they sold over a three-year period; more cars moved meant more FoMoCo cash received.)

Would a half-billion invested in updated Mercury product instead of a cash-lined casket have made a difference? Mercury’s sales numbers (or lack thereof) suggest that few car shoppers would have even noticed. Ditching Mercury to concentrate on bread-and-butter Ford has seemed like a no-brainer for years. More importantly, Lincoln, which hasn’t exactly lit up the monthly By the Numbers reports of late, should only benefit from the much-needed infusion of resources that were previously being wasted keeping Mercury afloat.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Ouch! Killing Mercury said to cost Ford $500 million originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Jul 2010 12:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Los Angeles based CrowdGather, which offers forums for online communities, has aquired the assets of Silicon Valley based Lefora. The size of the all-stock transaction isn’t being disclosed.

Lefora, founded by Paul Bragiel, first launched in 2008. It’s notable because of how simple it is for users to create and embed forums onto their sites.

The much larger CrowdGather boasts around 4.5 million monthly unique users and 80 million monthly page views. The company has raised $3 million or so in funding and has been on an acquisition tear – albeit always very small deals.

CrowdGather is also licensing technology from Tal.ki, another company founded by Bragiel. Tal.ki is acquiring the remaining assets of Lefora as well.

Bragiel also recently cofounded i/o Ventures, a work/cafe incubator located in San Francisco.

This week’s episode of Speaking Of… (video below) features the founder/CEO of Halcyon Molecular, William Andregg.

Andregg grew up in Arizona. There’s a song by The Orb called Little Fluffy Clouds that describes the light-pollution-free Arizonan sky quite perfectly, with amazing clouds, sunsets and stars. Most Arizonans – at some point in their lives – will lay on the hood of their car and gaze towards the grandness of those fluffy clouds and the Milky Way, but most probably won’t come to the same conclusions that William did about it all.

William yearned to travel beyond the clouds to the stars, but become perplexed by the fact that he most likely wouldn’t make it due to an unfortunate condition that plagues us all — mortality. He knew that in order to reach the stars, which he so desperately wanted to do, he must dedicate most of his life to prolonging and increasing human lifespans so that he or others like him might have a chance to go where no man has truly gone before. In order to go big, he went very small. Our DNA.

Halcyon Molecular has come out of stealth mode, letting William tell his story in order to encourage a few good business women and men to join their plight to end aging. They’ve discovered an inexpensive and most importantly, fast way to sequence the entire human genome. If commercialized successfully, their discovery will change the world of medicine as we know it and increase our chances of living even longer.

Biotech startups are rare now, but we’re going to start seeing more and more of them pop up over the next decade. Technology that was once incredibly expensive is now becoming obtainable and the next wave of tech startups will delve into the largest market of all, human health. William is the only person I know with one of the world’s most powerful electron microscopes operating out of his garage, which is pretty damn cool.

What about frogs? Well, the dissection of frogs in high school almost led to William avoiding an entire career in biotech, which struck me as one of many things we should consider revising in our public education system. We need more Williams, not fewer.

(Exciting Note! Speaking Of… is now available via RSS/iTunes Podcast: )

Here’s something pretty neat. A man by the name of Linus Åkesson has turned an old organ into an 8-bit synth.

All the original tone-generating parts have been disconnected, and the keys, pedals, knobs and switches rerouted to a microcontroller which transforms them into MIDI signals. Those are then parsed by a second microcontroller, which acts as a synthesizer.

He kind of explains how he made it, so if you’re technically inclined, you could try and make one. If you succeed, then it’s time join the likes of Deadmau5 and Bassnectar and enjoy that sweet 8-bit sound.

[via Slashdot]

Hello Kitty fans have yet another item to add to their collection. This Hello Kitty Nerd Mimobot. Though if you ask us, Hello Kitty has always been a nerd. This year at San Diego Comicon 2010, Mimoco has rolled out 4 all new MIMOBOTS and this is one of them.

Here the kitty is done up in thick-rimmed black spectacles, a pocket protector, and a checkered bow on her head. This nerd comes preloaded with MIMOBOT-themed content like wallpapers, screensavers, and videos, and it comes in capacities of 2gb through 16gb.

[Chip Chick]

Sometimes the simplest gadget can be one of the best, or at least most useful! That’s been the case with the Scosche flipSYNC USB Charge and Sync Cable for iPod and iPhone that I reviewed back at the beginning of June. The small piece of plastic has a permanent place on my key-ring now and has already come in handy a few times. Always having a cable for my iPhone and touch with me is a huge help… and it means I no longer have to keep a long iPhone cable in my bag when I am out and about.

Unfortunately a number of my devices, such as my Livescribe Echo Smartpen, are not from Apple and use a mini or micro-USB. That’s where Scosche’s flipSYNC – Micro & Mini USB 2.0 Charge and Sync Cable comes in.

The flipSYNC is small… about the length of an iPod shuffle and less than twice as wide. It has a loop for the keyring built into it in a way that, once on the keyring, won’t be coming off until you want it to.

It is almost exactly the same as its Apple-related cousin but has a distinct enough shape that you can carry both without confusing one from the other.

To use it you first pull out the flat edge. (You can’t actually do it in the reverse order thanks to the design.)

You then pop out the other side to reveal the USB 2.0 connector.

You then pull the first side apart to reveal that the flipSYNC has both a mini and a micro-USB.

Sure the cable is short but it works just fine and the convenience of always having with you is priceless… but your for the MSRP of $19.99 if you want one.

The flipSYNC Micro & Mini USB 2.0 Charge and Sync Cable is available from Scosche.

MSRP: $19.99

What I Like: Small, strong; has both mini and micro-USB; secure loop for the keyring

What Needs Improvement: Expensive for what it is; short cable by necessity

Want One? We have a flipSYNC – Micro & Mini USB 2.0 Charge and Sync Cable to give away to one lucky read this Tuesday. To enter to win just leave a comment with one or two of the devices that you would use the flipSYNC with on the go.

Note- If you’re entering this giveaway using Facebook connect, you MUST have your Facebook page set to accept messages from non-friends so we can contact you through your page if you are the winner. If you are unsure how to set your privacy settings to allow this, feel free to contact us for assistance or read facebook’s instructions here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/privacy/explanation.php

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• Learning a Language on a Budget: Episode Seven – Enter the iPad (4)

Samsung has been quietly giving out free Galaxy S handsets (the European version) to a few lucky British Twitter users. Apparently four of them were complaining about their iPhone 4s, while the fifth guy needed help to choose between the Desire, iPhone 4 and Galaxy S.

It looks like they are only picking certain ones though for some cheap publicity. For instance, Tiffany works in Digital Marketing for Condé Nast. The other ones also appear to be involved in marketing or publishing, with the exception of one student.

So you probably won’t be getting one if you go tweeting about it.

[Engadget]

Editor’s Note: The following is a guest post by Steve Faulkner. He is the CEO of the GeoHuddle, a Madison, Wisconsin based startup developing community geothermal heating and cooling systems. You can follow him on twitter @southpolesteve.

Most people associate Wisconsin with cheese and beer, but you should think about adding startups to that list. Led by a tidal wave of mostly young entrepreneurs, Madison, Wisconsin is staking a claim as the startup capital of the Midwest. Madison was recently ranked as the 7th most innovative city in the country by Forbes magazine – just above perennial powerhouse Boston, MA.

Several key organizations are driving the growing startup community. Capital Entrepreneurs is a group of over 56 companies that meet on a regular basis to help founders network and develop connections. MERLIN Mentors provides free mentoring services to new startups. Applicants are assigned a team of experienced entrepreneurs who help founders navigate many of the challenges facing a new company. These groups, along with the University of Wisconsin, are fostering a great culture for new startups.

Here are just a small selection of technology companies in the area:

Entrustet is a free online service that allows you to securely list all of your digital assets, which are all of your online accounts and files on your computer, and decide if you would like them transferred or deleted when you pass away. It is like a Will for your digital life.

Virent is commercializing a proprietary sugar to hydrocarbon conversion process developed at the University of Wisconsin. This means they can take biomass and directly convert it to gasoline, which has attracted a lot of interest from the oil industry. Most recently, they received a $46 million dollar investment from Shell.

PerBlue is a mobile and social gaming company. They are the makers of the popular mobile game Parallel Kingdom, which currently has over 150,000 players worldwide and was the first location based RPG for the iOS and Android platforms. PerBlue was founded by University of Wisconsin students with their own limited cash, and continues to grow.

Alice is changing the way people shop for everyday household items. It allows users to buy home essentials directly from the manufacturer and have them shipped, for free, to your door. Based on your user profile, it will also remind you when it is time to restock on common items. This is CEO Brian Wiegand’s fourth company. Previously he sold Jellyfish.com to Microsoft for approximately $50 Million.

Networked Insights was founded in 2006 by CEO Dan Neely and provides social media analytics. Clients include P&G, Kraft, American Family Insurance, EA Games, Omnicom, and Starcom MediaVest. SocialSense, the company’s social media listening platform, analyzes conversation from 300 million individuals and 20 million sites that matter most to a brand. Networked Insights has raised over $9 million in VC funding.

Photo Credit/Flickr/infowidget

Filed under: Government/Legal, GM

A year ago, General Motors needed a $50 billion U.S. government bailout to stave off liquidation. One year later, the Detroit-based automaker is on the precipice of filing for one of the largest initial public offerings in American history. Automotive News quotes unnamed sources who claim GM will file with the Securities and Exchange Commission by August 16. These anonymous sources reportedly added that the goal is to complete the company’s IPO before the November elections – unsurprising when you consider the highly-political nature of The General’s current status (the federal government holds a 60.8% stake in the automaker).

Assuming GM files by August 16 as AN’s sources allege, the move would come just days after the company’s second-quarter earnings announcement. If that’s indeed the case, we think GM plans to announce a sizable profit for the quarter that ended on June 30. After all, there’s nothing more unattractive to investors than a fresh batch of red ink on the ledger.

[Source: Automotive News sub. req.]

GM shooting for mid-August IPO filing? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Jul 2010 11:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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