LAUNCH Blog

LAUNCH Blog

Written by: Kirin

Google Groups Redesign Adds Tons of White Space, Could Become as Hated as Reader

If you hated the Google Reader redesign launched two weeks ago and the Gmail redesign the day after that, get ready for the Google Groups redesign that appears to be rolling out to select groups (like this one) although there's no official announcement yet.

While you'll now be able to navigate between all your groups from the left-hand nav [ "My Groups" ], the redesign places a considerable amount of space around a prominent search bar across the top and large buttons for marking all messages as read, refreshing the page, reporting the group and viewing messages in the compact or standard view.

Those design changes push Group content down, especially on small screens. If you do most of your work on a...

[ Screen shots after the jump. ]

About Time: Google Apps Customers Get 24x7 Phone Support for Core Services

Four years after launching Apps for business, Google has gotten a clue from Zappos and added 24/7 phone support for its millions of Apps customers to "improve the experience" for them, according to a post this morning on the Google Enterprise blog. Previously, phone support was only for "critical issues," and Google handled most service issues through web forms/email.

The post notes that Apps phone support is for core services, meaning Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Groups for business, Google Docs, Google Sites and Google Video for Business. If you've got problems with your Google+ page through your Apps account, it looks like you're stuck with web and email.

Google says in the post, "All support cases are handled directly by trained Google Apps experts," but it's not clear if

Why Is Popular Siri-for-Android App Speaktoit Not Raising More Money on Kickstarter?

[Speaktoit demo video on its Kickstarter project page. ]

We've seen plenty of cool hardware projects on Kickstarter, which has become a great place for tech entrepreneurs to test the market as well as raise money.

That's why we were surprised to see that Speaktoit -- a free talking-assistant app for Android phones whose Android user numbers have soared past 300K since Apple's Siri debuted last month -- has raised just over $4.5K of its $80K goal from 137 backers. The company needs to raise the remaining $75K by Sunday morning.

Speaktoit's app, most recently updated Nov. 2, gets 4.5 stars from over 4K reviews in the Android Market. Although Alan Henry of Lifehacker recently wrote that Vlingo is the best talking-assistant app for Android right now, he said that Speaktoit "has a lot of potential and it gives you a very personable and customizable caricature to interact with."

So why haven't Speaktoit's fans stepped up? Has the company simply not marketed its Kickstarter campaign very well? We found...

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Zynga Stock Scandal Prompts "In Defense of the Google Chef"

[ Former Google chef Charlie Ayers is now a successful restaurateur in Palo Alto. ]

We won't get into the debate around Zynga's policy of getting certain employees to give up stock options [ see the original Wall Street Journal article and the response from Fortune's Dan Primack. ]

But here's how the WSJ describes the rationale behind Zynga's intention to keep certain early employees from benefiting too much from their options: "Many in Silicon Valley cite an early-hired Google Inc. cook whose stock was worth $20 million after the firm's 2004 IPO. Zynga attempted to avoid such pitfalls. In meetings last year, Zynga executives said they didn't want a 'Google chef' situation, said a person with knowledge of the discussions."

Now a blog post entitled "In defense of the Google chef" -- a response to the WSJ article and written by early Google employee Ron Garret -- is burning up Hacker News.

Ron writes, "As someone who was there in the early days I can tell you that [chef] Charlie Ayers

Wish Apple's App Store Was Social? Try Crosswalk

We all know the App Store isn't designed for app discovery beyond what's already popular and Apple chooses to feature. Existing apps for app discovery haven't solved the problem either.

Considering how social everything else is, you should be able to see what apps your friends have downloaded/favorited, follow interesting people and share comments/reviews on apps you use as well as get relevant recommendations. And developers should be able to know more about who's downloading their apps and when as Apple doesn't offer real analytics.

Just-launched Crosswalk, built on Apple's iCloud API and requiring Facebook to log in, has created the social layer that Apple has not, making all of those things possible -- the platform for developers will launch soon and provide the company's primary revenue stream.

For app users, it's actually

Google Copies Facebook Badges and Icons Pixel for Pixel

Now that Google+ pages are out, Google is promoting its Google+ badges and icons for "growing an audience" from any site without having to leave it. These badges, which come in two sizes and the icons in three, are an exact copy of Facebook's badges -- and Google does not care.

Facebook copied 90% of what Google+ has done. These include circles (Facebook's improved "friend lists"), hangouts (integration with Skype isn't nearly as robust, however), larger photos, and the ability to take game notifications out of your stream.

Google is now doing to Facebook what Facebook has done to everyone else in the social space. For example, Facebook added

Sweet: Tweet Directly from Hacker News with New Chrome Extension

We can't live without Hacker News (you probably can't either), but its lack of features can be frustrating. Go figure why developers have made alternate interfaces and Chrome extensions to improve the experience.

The newest Chrome extension adds tiny "tweet" links to the right of the comments in both the listing view and the discussion view [ see below ] so you can tweet an article without copying/pasting.

The tweet includes the article headline and the link to the original -- not HN -- so if you want to promote the HN discussion of your piece, you still have an extra step.

Developer/entrepreneur Wesley Zhao wrote the code...

Roundtable Is an Elite Version of Quora (with Sponsorships)

Folks want to pretend the internet is powerful because everyone has a voice, but the truth is everyone having a voice leads to Yahoo Answers and YouTube comments more often than TED talks and the New York Times opinion page.

New York-based Roundtable is an elegantly designed message board in which people are put on two levels: selected experts and everyone else. After signing in with Twitter, you can comment on what MG Siegler and Nick Bilton are saying on this discussion about blogging -- but you're relegated to second fiddle, with your comments appearing on the right-hand side. Ditto this discussion on online communities chaired by Clay Shirky.

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Facebook Won't Build Games, Zuckerberg Tells Charlie Rose (and Sheryl Keeps Him in Line)

We already know Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg talks smack about Google's social efforts in the interview he and COO Sheryl Sandberg did with Charlie Rose, which will be broadcast tonight. But if you thought Facebook would take on Zynga directly and make its own games, well, Mark and Sheryl make it clear that's not happening -- and note how Sheryl steps in:

Mark Zuckerberg:...So I mean, does Facebook build any games? No. We build no games.

Charlie Rose: You say that today --

Mark Zuckerberg: No, we ---

Charlie Rose: You say that today.

Mark Zuckerberg: Actually --

Here Are 30+ Companies to Follow on Google+

Blogger Robert Scoble has created and shared a circle of 38 brand pages already set up on Google+.

Companies that have set up Google+ pages since they launched this morning include Pepsi, Toyota, Macy's, the New York Times, Burberry and AT&T as well as bands like Cold Play and Train and media properties like Fox News, Meet the Press, Dateline and Anderson Cooper 360.

Comments on Scoble's post note that

Another Google Easter Egg: "Tilt" SERP Is Tilted on Your Web Browser

In April, Google made its search results page for the words "tilt" and "askew" literally appear tilted when viewed on Android phone and iPhone browsers. But search "tilt" on your desktop browser today -- Chrome, Firefox or Safari -- and you'll see the same thing: a tilted page in which even the underlines for each result are titled (or jagged, depending on your point of view).

Products Groupon Has Launched since Its IPO Filing: Are You Impressed?

Groupon Rewards launched Sept. 28.

Groupon's IPO today -- the largest since Google in 2004 -- raised $700M and gave the Chicago-based deal company a market value of $12.7B. The price has jumped from $20 to as high as $31 a share, trading at about $26 a share at press time.

But what has Groupon done since its IPO filing June 2? We compiled this list of Groupon's products and features launched in the past five months (and included the one acquisition). Are you impressed, or do you think Groupon could have done more if it hadn't had the distractions of accounting questions, a leaked memo, etc.?

Vizify Takes on About.me with Profiles That Bring Together Pieces of Your Online Persona

Vizify is part of the 2011 TechStars Seattle class -- see our Demo Day coverage.

WHAT: Build a visual, interactive profile of yourself from pieces of your life contained in the online services you already use. Vizify's teaser product Tweetsheet turns your tweet activity into a sharable infographic.

LAUNCHERS: Todd Silverstein, CEO; Jeff Cutler-Stamm, CTO; Eli Tucker. All three worked at ecommerce solutions company Monsoon Commerce.

WHY: Resumes (and sites like LinkedIn) don't tell the whole story about a person. Sites like About.me are pretty but only point people to your info, not bring it into your personal site.

WHEN/WHERE: Nov. 3, 2011 / Seattle [ product still in private beta ]. Tweetsheet launched Oct. 26.

BACKSTORY: Todd and his co-founders read a ton of resumes while at Monsoon Commerce. "We found ourselves always wanting to know more about people than what we could glean from that piece of paper, and eating up a lot of time trying to elicit that information from phone screens," he says. "We quickly realized that we were equally frustrated with the online profiles we used in our day to day lives -- I always felt that my profiles never really did a good job of expressing the different facets of who I am. Vizify came out of our desire to change that."

BUSINESS MODEL: Freemium. Prices to be determined, but Todd says premium features will include exclusive data visualizations and enhanced profile capabilities (like portfolios).

COMPETITION: About.me, Flavors.me, Naymz, XeeMe, LinkedIn, Zerply.

CUSTOMERS/GROWTH: On Tweetsheet, Todd says, "We've had thousands of people create their own so far."

GOAL: To empower people to make the online impression they want.

WHO BACKED IT: TechStars, the Portland Seed Fund. Current round includes Jonathan Sposato (CEO of Picnik, sold to Google in 2010) and Geoff Entress (partner at Founders Co-op and Voyager Capital).

RAISING: $750K Series A.

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 3

CONTACT INFO

Vizify
Website: http://vizify.com
Tweetsheet: http://vizify.com/tweetsheet
Twitter: @vizify

Todd Silverstein
Email: todd at vizify dot com
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/todd-silverstein/1/224/9b

Eli Tucker
Email: eli at vizify dot com
Twitter: @etucker
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/elitucker

Jeff Cutler-Stamm
Email: jeff at vizify dot com
Twitter: @jeffcutlerstamm
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffcutlerstamm

Yelp Adds Saved-Search Function, New Search Filters -- But Only for App on Select T-Mobile Phones

As part of its deal with T-Mobile to have the Yelp app preloaded on select phones, Yelp has added the ability to save frequent searches and search with new filters like free wifi, price range and outdoor seating.

These features are not part of the Yelp iPhone app or other Android apps. The saved-search function is exclusive to T-Mobile "for now" Yelp Senior Director of Communications Stephanie Ichinose confirmed to LAUNCH (we take that to mean iPhone and other Android app users could be waiting awhile).

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Costume Mash Is Hot or Not for Halloween Costumes

How is it possible no one made a hot-or-not site just for Halloween costumes until now? Sign into Costume Mash with Facebook and either upload your own costume photo or start voting on which of two Halloween costume photos you like better. The percentage of votes your choice received is in the top-right corner. The leaderboard is not finished yet (and we imagine it won't be done before the holiday is over).

If you only want to rate the ladies' outfits, be aware that you'll see some cleavage, not quite NSFW but close.

The site is a "Halloweekend Hack" from

Fetchnotes: Better Than Emailing Yourself Reminders, Will Integrate with Evernote and Google Calendar

WHAT: Take, organize and save short notes by hashtags. Anyone with a feature phone [ limited to the U.S.for now ] as well as a smartphone can text themselves notes, which are synched with the web app.

Ability to share notes with groups or individuals planned. Android app out before end of 2011, iOs app eventually. Will integrate with Google Apps (calendar is top priority), Evernote and Outlook. Founders also plan to release the Fetchnotes API.

LAUNCHERS: Alex Schiff, CEO, and Chase Lee, CTO. Both are full-time students at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.

WHY: People still email and text themselves notes for their to-do list and ideas. Evernote can be too clunky/take too much time to set up for jotting down six- to seven-word notes. Feature phone users don't have an easy way to save notes.

[ Screen shots after the jump. ]

Mightybell Working with Top Magazines, Well-Known Experts to Add Experiences

You don't have to be famous to create an experience on Mightybell in which you break down a goal into actionable steps and have people follow/learn from you. But the young startup, founded by Ning co-founder Gina Bianchini and launched in September, has sought out relationships with magazines like Cooking Light, social celebs like Soleil Moon Frye and experts like author/coach Gabby Bernstein to create some pretty compelling (and evergreen) experiences that appeal to a broad audience.

Gina tells LAUNCH that these folks now "see the potential of Mightybell to engage their friends, fans, and followers to master a topic or achieve a goal."

At the top of the just-launched "Discover" section -- which Gina says was long planned -- you'll see "10 Vacation Rules to Save Your Life" from Conde Nast Traveler columnist and digital community director Wendy Perrin (484 followers or "travelers" in Mightybell-speak).

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We've Seen Flipboard's Long-Awaited iPhone App, Launching Soon (for Real This Time)

Almost as soon as Flipboard's social magazine for the iPad launched in the summer of 2010, people wanted to know when the iPhone version would debut. Co-founder and CEO Mike McCue confirmed at SXSW earlier this year that an iPhone app was in the works and told Bloomberg in April that it would ship at the end of the summer.

Having seen a version of the app a few weeks ago, we know it's for real. And just yesterday, McCue tweeted a reply to Ustream's Jeff Finkelstein, who asked McCue about the summer ship date: "yes well that's the last time I preannounce a ship date :-) bottom line is it has to be great before we ship. It's close."

McCue's other telling tweet yesterday was a response to a similar question: "well, I'm replying to you with the app now. Still a bit more polishing needed. Getting close."

The iPhone app most definitely does not feel like Flipboard for your iPad. The big difference we noticed: you

Cool Ripples from the Dalai Lama to Kevin Rose (Three Degrees of Uber-shares)

It's hard not to love the Ripples feature Google+ added yesterday, though the most impressive graphics come from those with hundreds or thousands of public and recent reshares.

We dig the list of cool Ripples Google+ Product Marketing Manager Louis Gray posted -- which itself got reshared hundreds of time to create the Ripple you see above.

For kicks, we followed the trail of best resharers, starting with the top Ripple from Louis's list, the post about the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu Hangout. A handful of Google execs saw their shares about the Hangout rehared, but

Finally -- Google Lets Apps Customers Build Google+ Profiles

[ Google Apps account administrators can read these tips for rolling out Google+ here. ]

Since the day Google+ launched in late June, we've wanted Google+ profiles linked to our Google Apps accounts, and now we can.

The process took nearly four months because "It took more technical work than we expected to bring Google+ to Google Apps, and we thank you for your patience," according to the official post on the Google Enterprise blog.