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Microsoft sends invites to a ‘small’ Surface event on May 20th

May05
by on May 5, 2014 at 11:47 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Gadgets

Microsoft today sent out press invites to a private event for its Surface tablet line on May 20th in New York City. The text of the invite says “Join us for a small gathering,” hinting at the announcement of the rumored Surface Mini device. Microsoft is said to have been working on a smaller-screened Surface for some time now in preparation for release this Spring. The tablet is expected to run on the ARM/Windows RT architecture and feature a screen that’s between 7 to 8 inches. In addition to its Surface event, Microsoft is gearing up to release Windows Phone 8.1 later this month. Thumbnail credit: TIMOTHY A….

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Members-only investment club Q Ventures launched to connect super angels with fast-growth startups

May05
by on May 5, 2014 at 11:01 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

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A new private investment organization called Q Ventures has launched today in a bid to bring ‘super angels’ and venture capital firms closer to startups facing the ‘equity-gap’ experienced by fast-growth companies. The “highly vetted” network includes members like Michael Acton Smith, CEO of the company behind Moshi Monsters; Richard Reed, co-founder of Innocent Drinks, and music producer Harvey Goldsmith. It’s also being backed by more traditional VC firms like DFJ Esprit, Balderton and Octopus, as well as equity crowdfunding providers like Seedrs. Centered around the online platform and open to UK and European investors, Q Ventures is focused on…

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Criptext’s super-secure messaging system wants to dethrone aging BBM

May05
by on May 5, 2014 at 10:42 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Insider

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The leak wasn’t even a screenshot. It was a photo of a BlackBerry with a BBM on the screen. A secure text-messaging network had been compromised by the low-tech screenshot. Innovative Ventures CEO Mayer Mizrachi’s team was building an app for the Navarro presidential campaign in Panama in 2013 when the security breach occurred. The photo of the phone was leaked by the opposition and Mizrachi realized that BBM (The messaging system that prides itself on being secure) was a security liability. It stored messages on a device that could be compromised by anyone with a cheap point-and-shoot. In response, Mizrachi’s…

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Mela promotes collaborative filmmaking via hashtag #hashtag

May05
by on May 5, 2014 at 8:26 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Product Launches

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It’s all in the hashtag. Mela, a brand new social video app for iPhone, uses crowdsharing via hashtag to mix user videos into unique sequences. Somewhat like Avos’ Mixbit and Vimeo-owned Cameo, you can integrate other people’s videos into your own to tell a unique, cross-cultural and universal story. Viewers can watch clips with the same tag play one after the other as a seamless video–which the creators call a Mela. Shoot a 15-second video to get a 2.5-second clip. “We created this app so that people can capture the most significant moments from their daily lives, and through that,…

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Google Now for Android updated to alert you of nearby stores with products you’ve searched for

May05
by on May 5, 2014 at 8:16 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Google, Insider, Mobile

Google today updated Google Search for Android with a new shopping feature: a card that lets you know about stores nearby that carry products you’ve previously researched on Google. The company didn’t say how long it will remember which products you’ve searched for, or whether there is a limit to how many it will keep track of. You can download the new version now directly from Google Play. As you can see above, the Google Now card shows you the product and its price to remind you that you were interested in it. All you have to do is physically…

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