TinyCo Launches $5 Million "TinyFund" to Support Mobile Game Developers
Creating iOS or Android Titles
Leading Mobile Gaming Company to Equip Developers with Capital, Marketing and Business Support
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, May 25, 2011 - TinyCo, a leading developer of iOS and Android games, today announced the launch of the TinyFund -- a $5 million gaming fund -- to provide mobile game developers with capital and resources needed to successfully launch their games. Developers around the world are invited to submit their proposals for consideration, and games of all stages of development -- from early concepts to completed games -- will be considered for support.
Within a year, TinyCo has launched five top grossing iOS games including hits Tiny Chef, Tiny Zoo and Tap Resort, which have all appeared on the Top 10 free games charts in the App Store. In total, TinyCo's games have over 20 million downloads. The Company recently closed an $18 million funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz.
The TinyFund is designed to provide monetary assistance, of up to $500,000 per title, to game developers creating any type of game played on iPhone, iPad or Android including paid and free titles. In addition, TinyCo will offer marketing, development and business assistance as needed.
"There are some amazing mobile games being developed right now, but due to lack of funds or industry experience, many of these outstanding titles will never be played by the public," said Suli Ali, co-founder and CEO of TinyCo. "TinyCo is proud to offer the TinyFund to empower top gaming talent with the tools they need to realize their dreams of creating successful games."
"Competition on iOS and Android has quickly heated-up. Long gone are the days where a great game is all it takes to get downloads. Now, in order to make a splash, developers not only have to have enough marketing spend, but also the business know-how. We've been able to accumulate both and want to help other promising developers bring hits to market," continued Ali.
Games that are supported through the TinyFund will receive access to TinyCo's large and rapidly growing user base. A specially selected team of TinyCo execs will be reviewing all applications to determine funding and additional support needed to help make the best games possible.
Developers can submit their proposals at www.tinyco.com/tinyfund. TinyCo plans on announcing recipients of funding in the third quarter.
About TinyCo
TinyCo makes beautiful, fun and engaging games that can be played anywhere on mobile devices. Our mission is to make millions of people happy five minutes at a time. TinyCo was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in San Francisco. In February 2011, TinyCo closed an $18 million funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz. For more information, please visit www.tinyco.com.
"It includes proprietary software from Skype that allows Asterisk to join the Skype network as a native client. Skype has decided not to renew the agreement that permits us to package this proprietary software,” according to the letter.
Digium BlogIs the acquisition good for Skype? Given the valuation, it’s certainly good for the Skype shareholders. But what about the service itself? In a word, no. History suggests that Microsoft’s tendency towards notoriously proprietary tactics will slow the development of Skype as a business tool. Will Microsoft wall-off Skype from competing products, completely? Or, at a bare minimum will Microsoft ensure their products work much better with Skype than those from competitors? Time will tell.
This transaction has attracted speculation from around the globe regarding the future of Skype, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, incumbent phone companies, VoIP, video communications, Apple, the Iphone, Andriod, and I’m sure even pork belly futures. Regardless of your view on how the merger will ultimately shake out, it’s hard to deny at least this one fact: disruptive communications companies and technologies are changing the world at a rapid pace – and in this case, they are generating gigantic value for their shareholders in the process.
Bits and Pieces from Googlers at the Faire
Most of these are 20%-project output of the new open-source project called Easy Peripheral Controller..Project Tricorder: Using the ADK and Android to build a platform to support making education about data collection and scientific process more interesting.Disco Droid: Modified a bugdroid with servos and the ADK to show off some Android dance moves.Music Beta, by Google: Android + ADK + cool box with lights for a Music Beta demo.Optical Networking: Optical network port connected to the ADK.Interactive Game: Uses ultrasonic sensors and ADK to control an Android game.Robot Arm: Phone controlling robot arm for kids to play with.Bugdroids: Balancing Bugdroids running around streaming music from an Android phone.
The BoardsWe gave away an ADK hardware dev kit sample to several hundred people at Google I/O, with the idea of showing manufacturers what kind of thing might be useful. This seems to have worked better than we’d expected; we know of no less than seven makers working on Android Accessory Development Kits. Most of these are still in “Coming Soon” mode, but you’ll probably be able to get your hands on some at the Faire.
Lodsys’s threatened claims are barred by the doctrines of patent exhaustion and first sale. As the Supreme Court has made clear, “[t]he authorized sale of an article that substantially embodies a patent exhausts the patent holder’s rights and prevents the patent holder from invoking patent law to control postsale use of the article.” Quanta Computer, Inc. v. LG Elecs., Inc., 553 U.S. 617 (2008).Therefore, Apple requests that Lodsys immediately withdraw all notice letters sent to Apple App Makers and cease its false assertions that the App Makers’ use of licensed Apple products and services in any way constitute infringement of any Lodsys patent.
Be fixed by clamping the bed, iPad still available without having slept at hand. Therefore, graceful moments before bedtime can be comfortable!It might also help injured and bed ridden people to keep in touch with outside world or even work! :) But how can you justify paying $61 for articulated desk lamp with a clamp to hold something like iPad or similar upto 18mm thick. I guess if you can pay $9 per month for the popular mag 4980 Yen is nothing.
(そのため、就寝前の優雅なひとときを、快適に過ごすことができます!!)
In terms of lending itself to incredibly broad interpretations and infringement allegations, MacroSolve's patent-in-suit is similarly dangerous as Lodsys's in-app upgrade patent. MacroSolve is suing companies over U.S. Patent No. 7,822,816 on a "system and method for data management", "including the steps of: creating a questionnaire; transmitting the questionnaire to a remote computer; executing the questionnaire in the remote computer to prompt a user for responses to questions of the questionnaire; transmitting the responses to a sever via a network; making the responses available on the Web." In other words, anyone who distributes electronic forms via the Internet or to mobile devices and then collects and evaluates the answers could be accused of infringing the patent.
Playboy Press release via TechcrunchFrom the inaugural issue with Marilyn Monroe to the current issue with rock heiress Lizzy Jagger on the cover, iPlayboy features every pictorial, interview, Centerfold, investigative reporting piece, story, advertisement and image that ever appeared in the magazine, more than 130,000 pages in total. Readers can search for a groundbreaking interview they read years ago, find classic fiction, or read about the most-recent celebrity cover model, all in one place. The site will be updated with each monthly issue so that it includes current content as well as archival features and pictorials.In addition to providing users with access to all issues from December 1953 to present, the site will also feature exclusive videos and curated content recommendations submitted by members of the Playboy Commission, a high-profile panel of celebrated individuals from art, design, fashion, media and technology. Commission members will provide their own content suggestions from the Playboy archives for users to explore and enjoy each month, beginning in June
We just announced today that Ericsson, the industry leader in managed services, will manage the day-to-day operations of the Clearwire 4G network. The seven-year, managed services partnership will allow Ericsson to implement their proven global best practices in network management while allowing Clearwire to focus on increasing operational efficiencies and reducing operating costs.So what does this mean for the folks that built the nation’s first 4G network? We’re happy to report that approximately 700 Clearwire employees are expected to begin performing their network functions as Ericsson employees in locations around the United States before the middle of this year. This also means that network performance isn’t going to suffer because the work we’re seamlessly transitioning to Ericsson will still be performed by the same skilled and talented network employees who perform the work today.What about our customers, you say? As we just mentioned network performance won’t be an issue so they’ll still have the same great 4G experience. But also, customers will see no change in their interactions with Clearwire because we will remain the priority point of contact. (The same is true for our wholesale partners and vendors.)As for the significance of this anouncement? We want to direct your attention to a third-party perspective that we found to be quite profound.“This managed services partnership is the next logical step for both Clearwire and Ericsson, one that will have significant near -term and long-term benefits for Clearwire’s employees, customers, retail distributors and investors,” observed Berge Ayvazian, Senior Consultant with Heavy Reading. “It also represents Ericsson’s second managed services contract in the U.S., building on the Network Advantage agreement that has already delivered major operational and economic benefits for Sprint.”In short, while we have entered into an agreement with a company whose core competency is network excellence, Clearwire will continue to own our 4G network and remain responsible for network design, network strategy, vendor selection and long-term investment decisions. Our network is still ours – Ericsson is just managing it – allowing us to streamline the business and deliver a high-quality mobile broadband experience to our customers.
FAIRFIELD, CT, May 17, 2011—In an effort to aggressively introduce Europe’s leading conference phone to United States resellers, Novus, a boutique telecommunications and IP distributor serving value-added resellers throughout North America, is offering a competitive replacement program of Polycom conference phones with Konftel conference units. This limited-time promotion is available through May 31, 2011, and it is backed by a Try and Buy program that allows resellers to try the Konftel units at no charge if they return them within 30 days.Novus sells and supports Allworx, Epygi, ESTOS, Ferrari Electronics, Primus Cable, SmartVue, Phybridge, VXi, Konftel, NEC, and snom technology products. Novus also supports legacy products of Nortel, Mitel, Avaya, and Vodavi. For more information, visit www.novusllc.com or call (866) 331-1112.
“Polycom has tremendous brand recognition in the U.S., but Konftel has remarkable technology and offers a memorable user experience,” said Novus Managing Partner Chris Meehan. “This is an exciting opportunity for resellers to carry a differentiated product with cutting-edge technology and better margins. Konftel’s forward-thinking design creates a great opportunity to call on existing enterprise customers with an attractive product that costs less than comparable Polycom conference units with a better warranty— 2-years—and it enhances the user experience by delivering noticeably superior call quality.”
Konftel has been the dominant supplier of conference phones in Europe since 1988. All Konftel conference phones feature high-quality audio technology known as OmniSound®, providing high-quality sound to all parties. Users can talk and move freely in the meeting room, and remote participants on the call will never notice a change in the audio quality. No irritating sound clipping, crackles, damping, or echoes. OmniSound, with its full duplex communications and 360 degree sound pick-up, offers users the benefit of enjoying an excellent sound, every time—in every situation. The microphone provides omnidirectional sound pick-up and the three built-in surround speakers fill the room with crystal-clear sound.
To take advantage of this competitive replacement program, resellers can call Novus at (866) 331-1112 and provide the model numbers and quantities of the Polycom conference units they would like to trade in for Konftel units. All qualifying Polycom units must be in good working condition, contain all power supplies and cords and be cosmetically acceptable with unscratched housings. Novus will provide pricing and shipping information, and Novus’ expert staff will help resellers select the ideal Konftel units for their needs.“Our products support connection to a wide range of devices, which is important to have in times when telecom is merging into IT. Konftel opens up a variety of applications for having audio conferencing. Whether you communicate via your mobile, over the Internet, or through a regular phone line, good sound quality is the most important for efficient communication, and Konftel has a solution for every situation”, said Clarence Jacobson, VP at Konftel.
Resellers can also contact Novus at (866) 331-1112 to order a Konftel unit through the Try and Buy program a free 30-day trial. “Konftel conference phones are the coolest looking and best sounding units available, enabling resellers an opportunity to differentiate themselves in the market,” said Meehan. “Everybody carries Polycom today, limiting the resellers’ abilities to differentiate their offerings. In addition, not enough companies deploy true conference phones in conference rooms, so there’s a real opportunity for resellers to engage enterprise customers with an attractive and cost-effective family of conferencing units that offer superior sound at a time when companies are cutting back on travel budgets and utilizing conference calling to a far greater extent.”
Meehan added, “The technology is so good that Avaya just recently acquired Konftel, so it is a perfect time for U.S. resellers to capitalize on superior technology already well-established in European markets to reenergize existing accounts and attract new ones. Avaya's intention was to gain access to the world-leading audio technology OmniSound and Konftel's product portfolio for Avaya's solutions. The Konftel brand remains, and the company will continue to develop, support, and sell conference phones under the Konftel flag.”
Session Number: 10024
Track: Professional Development
Room: Neopolitan 4
Session Type: General Sessions
Presenter: (The SIP School)
Time: May 25, 2011 (08:30 AM - 09:30 AM)REGISTRATION SITE IS HEREProfessional Roadmap: Managerial
Experience Level: Basic/Introductory Overview
Category: General Overview
Objective #1:: Generate an understanding that SIP Trunking is the Future and to prepare for it.
Objective #2:: Understand how to approach Service providers in order to understand what they do offer and should offer an enterprise. i.e. How not to get caught out with a 'poor' provider.
Objective #3:: Understand some of the technical challenges of getting SIP Trunking right 'before' you even talk to a provider.
Liat Segal, the inventorThe IOIO (pronounced "yo-yo") is a board specially designed to work with your Android device (OS versions 1.5 and greater). The board provides extensive and robust connectivity to an Android device via a USB connection. The IOIO is fully controllable from within an Android application, using a simple and intuitive Java API - no embedded programming or external programmer will ever be needed, even for firmware upgrades!
DROID X2 by Motorola Coming to Verizon Wireless with Double the Power, Double the Does
Fast and Powerful DROID X2 by Motorola to be Available Online Beginning May 19May 18, 2011BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and LIBERTYVILLE, Ill.– Verizon Wireless and Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE: MMI), today announced the second-generation Android™-powered DROID X2 by Motorola, designed for the consumer who does everything on their smartphone.
Fly through the Web with the DROID X2, which boasts Verizon Wireless’ first dual-core 1GHz processor for fast webpage loading and Adobe® Flash® Player, allowing customers to experience rich content online. The 4.3-inch scratch-resistant and anti-reflective qHD display delivers a sharp, clear view ideal for watching movies, typing emails and playing your favorite games. Never miss a moment using the 8-megapixel camera with continuous autofocus and stunning HD video capture. Use the new Gallery app to view, tag and post photos on sites like Flickr® and Facebook®, all from one place.Additional features:
- Powered by Android 2.2, to be updated to Android 2.3
- Mirror Mode allows you to view and share your photos, videos and downloaded movies on a larger TV via HDMI output
- Enterprise-ready with security and IT-grade policies, allowing you to use your DROID X2 for work and play
- Support for Google™ Mobile Services, including Gmail™, YouTube™, Google Talk™, Google Search™, and Google Maps™, as well as access to more than 200,000 apps available to download from Android Market™
- Mobile Hotspot capability, allowing you to share your 3G connection with up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices
- Virtual QWERTY keyboard featuring SWYPE technology for quick and easy typing of messages and emails
Pricing and availability:
- The DROID X2 will be available online at www.verizonwireless.com on May 19 and in Verizon Wireless Communication Stores on May 26for $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.
- DROID X2 customers will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan and a smartphone data package. Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 for monthly access and an unlimited smartphone data plan is $29.99 for monthly access.
Twitter via GigaOM"The app is fast – you can quickly scroll through your timeline, move between tabs and compose Tweets. It’s rich – it takes advantage of capabilities that high-end device browsers offer, such as touch gestures and a large screen. And it’s simple – it’s easy-to-use and has the features you’d expect from a Twitter application, including your timeline, @mentions, messages that you can read in conversation view, search, trending topics, lists, and more."
RIM determined that approximately one thousand BlackBerry PlayBook tablets (16 GB) were shipped with an OS build that may result in the devices being unable to properly load software upon initial set-up.Crackberry also has a list serial numbers that are affected. Follow the link to see if yours is recalled. It seems that these faulty tablets were shipped to Staples Inc stores.
The majority of the affected devices are still in the distribution channel and haven't reached customers. RIM is working to replace the affected devices.
In the small number of cases where a customer received a PlayBook that is unable to properly load software upon initial set-up, they can contact RIM for assistance.
Customer satisfaction with wireless telephone service drops 1.4% to an ACSI score of 71, but remains much stronger than it was prior to 2010. Customer satisfaction with the cell phone devices themselves also dips slightly, down 1.3% to 75, with Motorola (+1% to 77) outpacing last-place Nokia (-4% to 73), whose U.S. market share has contracted.
The aggregate of smaller wireless providers, such as TracFone and U.S. Cellular, continues to lead the category, up 1% to an ACSI score of 77. Among the big providers, Verizon Wireless dips 1% for a second straight year, falling to 72 to tie Sprint Nextel, which continues its upward trend, rising 3% following consecutive double-digit gains. In just three years, Sprint has emerged from 15 points below even the second worst in the category to claim a share of the industry lead.
In the wake of their proposed merger, AT&T and T-Mobile show a large deterioration in customer satisfaction and in customer service. T-Mobile falls 4% to an ACSI score of 70, matching a 5-year low, while AT&T descends by 4% to 66, its worst score since 2006—the year before the launch of the iPhone.
ACSI: Customer Satisfaction Turns Positive Despite Drop for Information Services
Few Information Providers Improve Their Customer Relationships; Large Drops for AT&T, T-Mobile, Nokia, and DISH Network
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (May 17, 2011)—After two quarters of negative change, customer satisfaction as measured by the ACSI turns positive this quarter, but only because gains in the utilities and health care sectors, released in April, more than offset a drop for the information sector. For the first quarter of 2011, the Index rises 0.4% to 75.6 on the ACSI’s 0-100 scale.
“For an economic recovery to take hold and generate long-term profit potential, which would be necessary in order to make a significant dent in unemployment, repeat business is going to be critical. And, for that to occur, customer satisfaction is important,” said Claes Fornell, founder of the ACSI and author of The Satisfied Customer: Winners and Losers in the Battle for Buyer Preference. “However, in view of the lack of overall strength in aggregate customer satisfaction, it is difficult to envision much of an increase in consumer spending in the near future, except from inflation in gasoline, commodity, and food prices.”
Even though customer satisfaction in the aggregate rises, the news for the information sector is mixed. The sector as a whole drops 0.7% to 72.3, second lowest in ACSI next to government services, and many more companies decline than improve. For this release, ACSI covers customer satisfaction with information services, including cell phones, computer software, fixed-line and wireless telephone service, motion pictures, newspapers, subscription TV service, and TV news.
Wireless Telephone Service
Customer satisfaction with wireless telephone service drops 1.4% to an ACSI score of 71, but remains much stronger than it was prior to 2010. Customer satisfaction with the cell phone devices themselves also dips slightly, down 1.3% to 75, with Motorola (+1% to 77) outpacing last-place Nokia (-4% to 73), whose U.S. market share has contracted.
The aggregate of smaller wireless providers, such as TracFone and U.S. Cellular, continues to lead the category, up 1% to an ACSI score of 77. Among the big providers, Verizon Wireless dips 1% for a second straight year, falling to 72 to tie Sprint Nextel, which continues its upward trend, rising 3% following consecutive double-digit gains. In just three years, Sprint has emerged from 15 points below even the second worst in the category to claim a share of the industry lead.
In the wake of their proposed merger, AT&T and T-Mobile show a large deterioration in customer satisfaction and in customer service. T-Mobile falls 4% to an ACSI score of 70, matching a 5-year low, while AT&T descends by 4% to 66, its worst score since 2006—the year before the launch of the iPhone.
“It is common to find a reduction in customer satisfaction after mergers, but it is rare for customer satisfaction to drop ahead of a merger,” said Fornell. “Assuming the deal is approved, it remains to be seen if a much larger AT&T can regain the strength of its customer relationships.”
Fixed-Line Telephone Service
As telecommunications companies devote fewer resources to the shrinking fixed-line telephone business, customer satisfaction falls by 2.7% to an ACSI score of 73. The aggregate of smaller local and long distance providers such as Vonage and Frontier also falls 3% to a score of 76, but remains ahead of the top two larger companies: Qwest at 73 (+1%) and Cox Communications at 72 (-3%).
Other major fixed-line providers either decline or are statistically unchanged. AT&T drops 5% to 71, erasing the gain it earned one year ago and tying Verizon (down 3%). CenturyLink is unchanged at 70. Comcast advances for a second straight year, up 1% to 69, but remaining at the bottom of the industry.
Subscription TV Service
Customer satisfaction with subscription TV service is unchanged at an ACSI score of 66, a year after surging 4.8% to an all-time high. Quality, especially from fiber-optic and satellite, has improved in recent years, but higher fees are significantly dampening customer satisfaction, more so than in other industries.
“Bundling of services such as phone and Internet access may have been both a blessing and a curse for the industry,” said Fornell. “A couple of years ago, a variety of bundling promotions boosted what people saw as value for money; but now, as many of these promotions have ended, subscribers with bundled services are becoming less satisfied and more concerned about price.”
Verizon’s fiber-optic service, FiOS, holds the top ACSI spot for a second straight year even though its ACSI score drops slightly by 1% to 72. DIRECTV is next at 69 (+1%), recapturing the satellite lead from DISH Network, which falls 6% to 67. AT&T’s U-verse, Verizon’s fiber-optic competitor, drops 6% to 68. Customer complaints about picture quality, particularly for HD channels, have increased, as AT&T grapples with bandwidth challenges across several of its telecommunications services.
Cox Communications remains the highest-scoring cable provider (unchanged at 67), well above the other three cable companies. Comcast (-3%), Time Warner (-3%), and Charter Communications (-2%) are all tied at the bottom of the industry with ACSI scores of 59.
Computer Software
Customer satisfaction with software surpasses all other information-related categories, rising 2.6% to an all-time high ACSI score of 78. Smaller software companies like Adobe, Intuit, and Symantec lead, up 3% to 79, with Microsoft close behind after a 3% improvement to 78. This year marks a third straight year of ACSI gains for Microsoft. Nevertheless, recent sales of Windows software have declined as a result of a similar drop-off in PC shipments. Customers are more satisfied with Microsoft software, but, for now, the company is selling less of it.
Information and Entertainment Media
Reader satisfaction with the waning newspaper industry is unchanged at a very weak score of 65—the lowest of all ACSI categories. Both TV news and motion pictures do better, but they are moving in opposite directions. Network and cable TV news programs improve 4% to 77, while motion pictures retreat 4% to 73.
About ACSI
The American Customer Satisfaction Index is a national economic indicator of customer evaluations of the quality of products and services available to household consumers in the United States. ACSI releases results for various sectors of the economy on a monthly basis to provide up-to-the-moment coverage over the entire calendar year. The national index is updated each quarter and factors in scores from more than 225 companies in 47 industries and from government agencies over the previous four quarters. The Index was founded at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and is produced by ACSI LLC.
"The Android phone took only two and a half years to achieve the momentum that we're talking about. I would expect the same thing on Honeycomb tablets,"Apple currently enjoys the marked lead in tablets with iPads. The original iPad was a huge success and the next iteration, iPad2 has only helped the cause.
"It's got to be at least ten. We have five major phone companies and we have five major PC (manufacturers),"Huang also mentioned that Android OS is evolving;
"As a result of so many different parties working together, the first versions tend to be a bit clumsy to roll out. However, as is the nature of these organic industries with very, very large players, you have continuous improvement at a very rapid pace, Everyone recognized the shortcomings of Honeycomb 3.0, jumped in working on Honeycomb 3.1, and if you haven't had a chance to play with it -- it's just delightful,"Via Reuters
