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Thursday, February 13, 2014
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trackback-spam

A new Apple patent application published today (via AppleInsider) details a system for heading off email spam and tracking its source. The tech automates a process many people now use manually, setting up temporary email addresses to be used for web service signups, which can then be thrown away when compromised by a spammy service, and provide clues as to which provider betrayed your trust.


The system would automatically generate disposable email addresses based on the service you want to use it with, and possibly contain an identifier in its construction to let you know where spam is coming from. So, for instance, if you signed up for Service X, the email might be “First.last.service@provider.com.” Managing said email addresses and dealing with cutting off the ones that are subject to spam can be done through web and app graphic user interfaces, as described in the patent, too.


Spam is a problem that only increases the more we use email and the web, and addresses not diligently maintained can quickly become overwhelmed with inbound communications from services not necessarily being responsible with your shared information. Apple may seem like an odd candidate as someone trying to tackle this problem, but the company has iCloud and acts as an email provider as part of that product’s suite of cloud services. It’s in the company’s best interest to minimize spam and help pare down on email address churn – if users can manage to keep one permanent address safe from spammers, they won’t have to change their main contact info frequently, which has benefits in terms of protecting the integrity of iTunes and Apple ID accounts.





7:09 AM

A new Apple patent application published today (via AppleInsider ) details a system for heading off email spam and tracking its source. The ...

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I haven’t online dated in a while,* but everyone I know who does it laments the current state of matchmaking technology. When being able to swipe right to express interest in a person is a major technological achievement, you know something is broken.


Y Combinator alum The Dating Ring thinks it has a better way of getting people to meet one another and hopefully start dating, by matching up users in groups of six. After several months of operating in New York City, the startup has brought its group match making service to San Francisco.


The service works like this: Users do an initial consultation with one of the Dating Ring’s matchmakers, and then the company sets them up on a series of dates with five other single people. (For now, it’s three men and three women on each date.)


Initial matchmaking consultations are $25, and each date costs $20. After the specify dates and times available, The Dating Ring sends users invites to group dates. Those dates usually last about two hours at informal meeting places — like casual bars and restaurants — where people can get to know each other better.


The hope is that by having a larger group all meet each other, there’s a higher likelihood of two people hitting it off than there would have been with just two people. (Grouper, also a YC alum, does the same thing, but without the matchmaking.)


Once the dates are done, they give feedback on the other folks who were on the date, and let the company know if there were any attendees they were interested in.


According to co-founder Lauren Kay, the company chooses matchmakers based on their emotional intelligence and receptiveness. The belief is that they are better qualified to determine what users are like than those uses would be able to in some sort of self-reporting manner.


On the back end, The Dating Ring has algorithms that use information from its matchmakers to decide who to place on dates with each other. That data only gets better as it also receives feedback from other members of the dates.


Now that The Dating Ring is in San Francisco, it’s trying to determine where to go next. Kay said it’s looking at cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, and Washington, D.C. The hope is that by connecting more people with each other, it might make dating a little more bearable everywhere.


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* See here for context





7:09 AM

I haven’t online dated in a while,* but everyone I know who does it laments the current state of matchmaking technology. When being able to ...

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jawbone-band-bad

As the wearable tech space hits a boiling point, Jawbone is pressing onward and upward with a new $250 million investment led by Rizvi Traverse Management on the horizon, according to a report.


The maker of the Up wristband, a fitness tracker that pairs to a user’s smartphone, is looking to secure the six-digit round at a $3.3 billion valuation.


According to Re/Code, general partner Suhail Rizvi may join the Jawbone board as a part of the deal, which would put him in good company. Jawbone’s board members include Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, Ben Horowitz, and superstar designer Yves Behar.


Jawbone’s growth has exploded alongside the ever-booming wearables vertical, but that’s not the only thing the company brings to the table.


Jawbone has been successfully offering Bluetooth products to consumers for years, including adorable little Jambox speaker systems and various Bluetooth headsets.


Thus far, Jawbone has raised more than $275 million in venture capital (not including this deal, which has yet to close), along with $100 million in debt and equity financing.





6:54 AM

As the wearable tech space hits a boiling point, Jawbone is pressing onward and upward with a new $250 million investment led by Rizvi Trav...

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affectiva

Affectiva, an emotion tracking startup with big-name investors, is announcing the launch of its mobile software development kit.


The company says it can analyze a user’s emotions by tracking their facial expressions, and it uses that technology to measure the effectiveness of ads. With the new SDK, mobile developers will be able to add these capabilities to their apps as well.


This means Affectiva’s technology could be embedded into consumer products — Senior Marketing Manager Elina Kanan suggested via email that the possibilities include healthcare, education, and gaming apps. (Moving into the consumer market was one of the stated goals when the company raised a $12 million Series C back in 2012.)


Existing uses of the technology will continue to be the core of the company’s business, Kanan said, “But even our clients (market researchers, brands and media publishers) are making a big push for mobile to better reach and engage their consumers emotionally.”


Affectiva can supposedly use the smartphone camera, video footage, or a single image for its emotion sensing. Kanan added that since the SDK allows processing to take place on the device, rather than in the cloud, apps can “not only capture facial expressions, but also mine the emotion data in real time.” (For privacy purposes, the facial images are not saved or transmitted.)


“This is a relatively new methodology (using automated facial expression tech on mobile), so we’re haven’t amassed the large database of emotion data for mobile, as we have for our main platform (over 1 billion face videos),” Kanan added. “We continuously use this database to iterate and improve our existing facial classifiers, so updating our classifiers and validating them for mobile will take more time as we continue to gather more data.”


The company spun out of the MIT Media Lab and its investors include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Li Ka-Shing’s Horizon Ventures.


“Mobile is growing exponentially,” Stephanie Tilenius, an executive in residence at Kleiner Perkins said in an email statement. “With social networking and geo-location, our devices are enabled to know who we are, where we are and what we’re doing. However, these smart devices are still missing the key element to understanding human sentiment. As technology innovators, Affectiva is creating a platform for passive and active emotion-sensing — the next generation of social communication.”





6:09 AM

Affectiva , an emotion tracking startup with big-name investors, is announcing the launch of its mobile software development kit. The compan...

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streamnation

Media storage startup Streamnation was founded with the idea of making it easy for users to store, view, and share content from the cloud. And now, the startup is making it easier for users to get their content onto its service by connecting with a wide range of other social networks and cloud storage services.


Today, Streamnation is launching a new, unified media stream that will bring together all of your photos and videos stored on services like Instagram, Facebook, iPhoto, Google Drive, Google+, Flickr, Lightroom, Aperture, Picasa, Dropbox and OneDrive. By simply entering in your login service for each one, you can seamlessly have that content added to your Streamnation account.


Once that’s done, users will now be able to back up all of their media, regardless of where they choose to initially share it. And they will also be able to have their media automatically pulled into their Streamnation account from those other services once uploaded. Media is then viewable through the Streamnation website, as well as through apps for Windows, Mac OSX, iPad and iPhone.


In addition to hooking into other services, Streamnation has added a new, “timeline” view of all your photos and videos, making it easier to keep track of what you’ve taken photos of or shared at a particular time or event.


While providing users with easy ways to access and share their media, Streamnation is also aiming to be the cheapest cloud storage service out there. New users get up to 20 GB of storage free. They can pay for additional storage, starting at $4 a month for 100 GB and going up to $19 a month for unlimited storage.





6:09 AM

Media storage startup Streamnation was founded with the idea of making it easy for users to store, view, and share content from the cloud....

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Flyfit

When you think about it, it’s odd that wearable tech makers are so obsessed with wristbands. Most wearable tech products currently focus on fitness, and the most popular cardio exercises–biking, running, swimming–are powered by the lower body.


Several of the bestselling fitness trackers, including the Nike Fuelband, aren’t recommended for cyclists, while others, such as the Misfit Shine, are supposed to be attached directly to your shoe.


Husband-and-wife team Jimmy Leu and Beatrice Chu created Flyfit, a fitness monitor that is worn on the ankle, after Chu, an avid cyclist, got annoyed that other fitness trackers weren’t accurately recording her workouts. Flyfit just launched its Kickstarter page today and wants to raise $90,000 by March 25. The early bird package starts at $89 for the first 200 supporters and includes a tracker and two interchangeable ankle bands. Shipment of mass produced Flyfit bands are scheduled for August, while beta test versions will be sent out in May.


Flyfit is one of the latest entrants to the wearable tech market, but its creator, Taipei-based QBit, wants to differentiate by focusing specifically on measuring different leg movements for cycling, swimming, running, or stair climbing. Plus, it will appeal to people who dislike wristbands, which are meant to be worn all day, but tend to get in the way while typing, irritate your skin, or snag on sleeves.


Chu says that she wanted to create an ankle monitor after realizing that her wristbands did not register movements accurately if she gripped her bike’s handlebars too tightly. For avid cyclists, the Flyfit is meant to be a portable alternative to cadence sensors that are installed on bicycle frames. Leu points out that this is especially handy if you use a bike lending service, like Citi Bike in New York City, or workout at the gym. Like a cadence sensor, the Flyfit lets you track distance, speed, and rotations per minute (RPM).


The app connects to an iOS app with Bluetooth 4.0/LE and lets you see your exercise data in real time, as long as you are willing to keep your eye on your smartphone while working out. Flyfit’s creators are working on an Android app and its development will be speeded up if the project reaches its $150,000 stretch goal. They also plan to open Flyfit’s API, add an online racing game so you can compete with your friends, and perhaps integrate it with other apps like Nike Run Keeper.


The tracker consists of a hardware module that is powered by a rechargeable Li-ion battery and interchangeable bands that are currently available in five colors. It has a simple LED panel that lets you check what activity you are tracking and battery life. The Flyfit claims to have an eight-hour battery life with real-time syncing and can run up to a week in off-sync mode.


The Flyfit may remind some people of the infamous ankle monitor worn by certain celebrities, like Lindsay Lohan, while under house arrest. The Flyfit is small and easy to hide, however, and can be worn over or under socks, so I can definitely see it appealing to people who are intrigued by wearable tech but sick of the ubiquitous wristband.





5:39 AM

When you think about it, it’s odd that wearable tech makers are so obsessed with wristbands. Most wearable tech products currently focus on ...

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The right diving gear makes all the difference. Here's what's trending in underwater technologies. Scuba divers always have relied on gear that lets the essentially fragile, air-dependent human body descend into oceanic depths. While air tanks, regulators, buoyancy control devices and dive computers have been around for years, digital technologies are altering how they function, how they're used, and how well they work. One recent innovation is iGills, a system that with an app and a waterproof case turns an iPhone into a dive computer.


5:09 AM

The right diving gear makes all the difference. Here's what's trending in underwater technologies. Scuba divers always have relied...

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