startups

Six 'startups' stories October 2013 - April 2016

Steve Wozniak one of three judges of tech company competition, prize is one-on-one time with him

Ben Lovejoy Apr 19 2016 - 4:58 am PT

woz

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has been announced as one of three judges of Talent Unleashed, a competition to identify the best tech companies in five categories. Fellow judges are Virgin founder Richard Branson and Facebook VP Nicola Mendelsohn.

The Talent Unleashed Awards are on the hunt for ground breaking technology superstars across five global categories across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Europe and the UK. Celebrating today’s passionate leaders, tomorrows change makers, bold innovation and game changing ideas.

There are five categories, including Best Start-up (Social Impact), Best Start-up (Tech Innovation) and Best Digital SME.

The prize is one-on-one time with Woz, but as this is described as time with him ‘at an exclusive cocktail party,’ it’s not clear that this is the kind of consultancy input entrants might hope for.

Woz retains an honorary position with Apple, but does not play an active role. He does, though, sometimes comment on the company, siding with Apple against the FBI but expressing concern at the complexity of the Apple Watch line-up.

Via Business Insider

iPhone-based eye-exam kit raises $6.1M to bring eye care to a billion people across the globe

Ben Lovejoy Jun 22 2015 - 6:16 am PT

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The equipment needed to carry out a proper eye examination typically costs $20-40k; the Smart Vision Labs SVOne aims to reduce that cost to just $4k by using an iPhone as part of the kit. The iPhone takes a series of photos of the eye, while an app performs the analysis and generates a prescription.

We were given a demo of the kit last year (video below), but the company needed funding to make it possible. Smart Vision announced today that it’s raised $6.1M in institutional funding led by Techstars Ventures. The funding allows it to scale its production and expand the team, helping it reach an estimated billion people around the world who don’t currently have access to eye examinations …
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Google launches Primer mobile app to help startups with their marketing needs

Mark Hearn Oct 9 2014 - 10:29 am PT

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Primer

Today, Google launched a new mobile app for startups called Primer, an interactive tool that helps companies with their marketing needs. Available now on iOS, the software cranks out five minute lesson plans for subjects like Content Marketing, PR & Media and Search Advertising. A simplified experience, Primer is packed with case studies, insider tips and quizzes designed to make marketing easier.

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Ringly introduces new iPhone-connected smart ring

Sarah Guarino Jun 10 2014 - 9:00 am PT

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New startup Ringly seeks to help solve a problem that many busy women have: missing important phone calls, texts or notifications because they cannot hear their phone go off in their purse, or find the phone quickly enough to get to it. Personally, I’ve run into this problem several times.

Ringly’s solution looks like an ordinary fashionable ring, but is actually a high-tech smart ring that can notify users of incoming messages, notifications, phone calls, and more.

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Former iPhone camera engineers create 360-degree video camera

Ben Lovejoy May 1 2014 - 5:21 am PT

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CENTR, a startup created by a group of former iPhone camera engineers, has developed a video camera that creates 360-degree views, allowing viewers to pan around the image during playback.

CENTR allows you to capture your experiences and share them in a whole new way. Capture 360° video in real-time on a camera that fits in the palm of your hand. With decades of experience working on cameras at Apple, the CENTR team knows what it takes to bring beautiful design and groundbreaking technology together in one product …

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Google acquires gesture-based interface development startup Flutter

Mike Beasley Oct 2 2013 - 4:21 pm PT

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Flutter, the startup that created a gestured-based music controller for iTunes and Spotify, has been acquired by Google according to a splash page on the company’s website. The Flutter app used a computer’s webcam to detect hand gestures for starting, stopping, or switching songs on iOS, OS X, and Windows. Aside from iTunes and Spotify, Flutter is compatible with a variety other apps, including Quicktime Player, Rdio, and even Google Chrome.

Based on the existing Chrome integration (which allows for control of Netflix, YouTube, Grooveshark, and Pandora), it’s possible that Google is looking into some kind of gesture controls for browsing the web. However, the technology could be for a wide range of uses such as Google Glass, which currently uses gestures across a touch-sensitive bar on the side of the unit.

Google has not yet confirmed the acquisition.