Nick Tippmann - 4/9 - Serious Startups

Instagram For Android, Why Did We Even Need It?

Instagram for Android came out today, and by searching Twitter, you could find either utter stupidity in the hatred or joy that it’s finally on Android. Both views though are utterly stupid. For one, those iPhone users are idiots and need more proof just reread what was said above, or click on Twitter in the first sentence and just follow the stream of stupidity down to your local Apple store.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Instagram isn’t a “good” application, it’s just Android really never needed it. We have applications such as Paper Camera, puddling camera , Retro Camera Plus . Just to name a few. What Instagram did for the iPhone is something that has been done since Android first came out. Third party Camera applications with trendy filters that the camera couldn’t do on it’s own.

What’s In Your Bag: Brent Burzycki

I first meet Brent Burzycki on Google+ on the Behind The Lens Critique group. We quickly hit it off, as his love for a failed futbol team and my love affair for the great Chelsea gave plenty to talk about at first. Later on it was his beautiful photography of women, two guys, what else you expect? To helping me when ever I had questions with my own photography.

During his busy schedule in between him going to the Air Show this weekend we are able to have him inventory his bag for our What’s In Your Bag feature, and here it is.

T-Mobile: We Are Sorry We Got Caught Spamming You, We’ll Stop

T-Mobile is coming under pressure today for an update they pushed to Android phones who’s users have downloaded the My Account Application. Not for battery drain, but for getting caught Spamming users. Knowing what they where doing, only to back peddle when it came to light it was them.

During a recent software update, a message to promote T-Mobile’s free VIP Zone was mistakenly sent to certain customers and appeared on the notification bar for some Android devices. After T-Mobile was made aware of this mistake, the company stopped the notifications. T-Mobile apologizes for the inconvenience this may have caused customers.

The company sent as an apology to TmoNews who broke the story. Sadly, this isn’t the first time that T-Mobile has done this, nor will be their last. This time they where trying to push their VIP Zone.

T-Mobile isn’t the first to push Spam via the notification on Android. Numerous reports are other applications have as well. Yet time and again users praise Android not Apple either though one OS has always issues of Spam and malicious Apps while the other doesn’t.

Source: The Verge

Startup Quick Byte: Marker.to

Today on Startup Quick Byte we take a look at a Startup out of Chile called Marker.to. What this company does is make it so you’ll be able to after installing their plugin Highlight words and phrases on websites. You can then share that page with the words Highlighted easily so others can see what you are talking about specifically.

Sony To Launch Their 4K Camera At $9,000

In the film industry, Red cameras were all the rage for the past couple of years. However, as we’ve seen during this past CES a new format has came out called 4K. The name is derived from the horizontal resolution, which is approximately 4,000 pixels. While we saw a sneak peak at what Sony was to reveal, we are now getting more information about it. NEX-FS700E will be released at NAB and the estimated price will be around $9,000, well bellow the price Canon is to release theirs at.

With slow motion options includes 120, 240 and 480 at 960fps. As of now we are unsure as of now if the camera records internally to 1080p or the full 4K. With a June release date.

Source: Engadget

Google Tries to Prove It’s Self Driving Cars Are Safe By Putting A Blind Man Behind The Wheel

Google, never one for standing still and always trying to push the boundaries of what it can do, upped it’s self with it’s latest video. They put a legally blind man behind the wheel of one of their self driving cars to show that on public roads, that anyone can get behind the wheel of one of their cars safely. First thing they did was take a drive to Taco Bell, as you’ll be able to see in the video, there was a Google employee next to him to make sure nothing happened.

The car moved with ease stopping at red lights, as well as going through the drive through. One of the major advantages of this is that in the future when this becomes widely adapted, those with disabilities could go around with no issues at all.

Breaking: Anonymous Hacks Chinese Site

Anonymous, has in the past shown great “humanitarian” beliefs by going after government sites in which those countries take away the freedom from their people. That is just what Anonymous did yet again by Hacking multiple Chinese related sites. But instead of defacing them, left messages explaining how people in China can have a free internet, without the censorship of it’s dictating Government.

A new Twitter account has been opened just for Anonymous attacks against China, which we have a feeling will start to become very active in response to preventing it’s people from having a free world.

MasterCard And Visa Hack, Work Of Anonymous Again?

Both Visa and MasterCard are reporting that over 10 million customers of both Credit Card companies have had their information hacked into.

As a result, we have alerted payment card issuers regarding certain MasterCard accounts that are potentially at risk

Krebs has been quoted on their Security blog. What they’ve failed to mention though is if this is payback from Anonymous as they have gone after both companies before. Or if this is another group of hackers. Alerts where sent out last week to banks as the Hack happened between Jan. 21 and Feb. 25.

Credit Cards them selves where not the target, however the processing of them was.

We’ve seen in the past that after both companies stopped letting donations to Wikileaks, that Anonymous hacked into both companies. Could this be their doing again is the question.

Both Visa and MasterCard have refused comment on this so far as the investigation is still on going. As well as the fact it’s yet another black eye on both companies as they continue to feel heat from Hackers who continue to go after both companies.

Rumor: Anonymous To Take Down Internet This Saturday

Rumors are starting to go around, thanks to a Paste Bin post by someone claiming to be part of a larger group under the name Anonymous. That this Saturday, they’ll “crash” the net.

To protest SOPA, Wallstreet, our irresponsible leaders and the beloved bankers who are starving the world for their own selfish needs out of sheer sadistic fun, on March 31, anonymous will shut the Internet down. We’ll look to shut down the Internet by disabling its core DNS servers, thus making websites inaccessible

Read More…

Startup Quick Byte: SquadMail

For today’s Startup Quick Byte we take a look at another cloud based service, SquadMail. This like yesterdays is based out of Berlin, but aims to make email between multiple people easier. If you are working with someone else, or a team of people, SquadMail makes it so attaching documents, or files into a single folder for easy secure use.

Hacktivism, All Explained In An Infographic

Anarchist, Hackers, Criminals, Freedom Fighters, which ever you want to call them. Hacktivist has become part of the vocabulary over the past two years with groups like Anonymous, LulzSec and others. Below is a graphic explaining where it started recently, the cause and effect of such actions which we’ve seen.

Startup Quick Byte: Buddy Beers

For Startup Quick Byte we’ll take a look at Buddy Beers based out of Berlin Germany. Buddy Beers takes being a friend to the next level by enabling people from even countries away to buy drinks for their friends. The concept is pretty easy, you buy a drink for your friend with the app, they’ll then receive an email and link to the app, if using an iPhone. Show the bartender at the bar in question, then hit redeem and you are now just waiting for the bartender to make the drink your friend just bought you.

I Won The Windows Phone 7 Challenge But They Didn’t Let Me Win In The End

Microsoft might have to sweat this one out for a while as Sahas Katta walked into a Microsoft store today, took the Windows Phone 7 Challenge, WON, but was denied his prize. For those that don’t know the back story on the Challenge here we go…

This is a skill-based Contest. The object of this Contest is for You to come into the Microsoft Store and try to beat the Microsoft Windows Phone in a series of five (5) “Smoked by Windows Phone” challenge scenarios selected by Microsoft at its sole discretion including: (1) Pocket-to-Picture-to-Post, (2) Real-Time Information with Live Tiles, (3) Using the People Hub to Stay in Touch with the People You Care About Most, (4) Updating Your Status Across Multiple Social Networks, and (5) Local Scout (“Challenge”)

This Week In Funding 25 March 2012

This Week In Funding we have seen over $78 million dollars in investments go to Startups. They have raised it in all different ways, some going after big name Hollywood types like Ashton Kutcher. Or the more traditional rout with rounds Andreessen Horowitz leading the way. Everything from a Series A round to an E round happened. Bellow are a list of some of those that brought in investments this week.