Total Pageviews

Thursday 19 December 2013

Loop Upgrades Its Mobile Survey App, Adds A Pro Account For $99 A Year

ipad mini

Loop, a startup that makes it easy and quick for retailers to collect feedback from customers, has released version 2.0 of its iOS app. The most important change probably isn’t a product feature, but the fact that Loop is ready to start charging.


With Loop (which I tried out in May), it’s easy for business to put together a survey with a few questions, and then to display that survey on an iPad that they hand to the customer while they’re still in the store. As a result, co-founder and CEO Rajit Marwah said consumers are much more likely to respond than they would to, say, an email survey (though businesses also get a survey link that they can share via email, Facebook, Twitter, or anywhere else). The mobile app also allows businesses to see real-time results.


Marwah said that since launch, Loop has been used by more than 10,000 businesses to collect more than 500,000 responses. During that time, he has also been testing pricing in “11 currencies” and settled on a price of $99 a year for Loop’s pro product. He argued that’s a “disruptive” price compared to someone like SurveyMonkey, which charges between $204 and $780 annually for its paid plans.


Like SurveyMonkey, Loop is using a freemium model — there’s a free version, but businesses have to pay to use more devices, to collect more responses, and to receive customer support. During the tests, Marwah said he found that Loop had three times the conversion rate of “typical” freemium products, and that the low price was “more than offset” by the fact that more people are buying.


The company says other new features in the app include a redesign for iOS 7, the ability to conduct surveys from an iPhone, and the ability to include a page highlighting the business before starting the survey, and easier survey creation. Interested businesses can download the app here.


Loop received seed funding from Archimedes Labs, an incubator whose chief product officer Keith Teare also co-founded TechCrunch.








via TechCrunch » Startups http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techcrunch/startups/~3/RNSEVBT3TJA/

Ubuntu finally embraces solid state drives as it preps for mobile push



via Engadget RSS Feed http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/EbKUyy7uAdA/

Spain fines Google $1.2 million for allegedly violating privacy laws



via Engadget RSS Feed http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/kWDbGiqiofc/

Lanzado el telescopio espacial Gaia de la Agencia Espacial Europea


Esta mañana a las 10:12, hora de España, el telescopio espacial Gaia de la Agencia Espacial Europea despegaba del puerto espacial de Kourou a bordo de un cohete Soyuz ST-B que 42 minutos después la dejaba en la órbita de transferencia que la llevará en 20 días al punto de Lagrange L2, a unos 1,5 millones de kilómetros detrás de la Tierra según se mira desde el Sol.


Una vez allí Gaia estudiará mil millones de estrellas de nuestra galaxia, lo que representa tan sólo el 1 por ciento de las que hay en ella, unos 200.000 asteroides, y se calcula que descubrirá varios miles de objetos más como enanas marrones, blancas, supernovas, cuásares, e incluso planetas extrasolares.


Para explorar todo el cielo Gaia rotará cuatro veces al día



Durante su misión de cinco años observará cada uno de estos objetos unas 70 veces con un par de telescopios que son tan precisos que podrían ver algo del grosor de un cabello humano desde 1.000 kilómetros de distancia.


Estos telescopios recogen luz para la cámara de mayor resolución enviada jamás al espacio; de hecho es probablemente la cámara digital con mayor resolución jamás construida, aunque con un poco de trampa: usa 170 sensores CCD que con una superficie total de 0,38 metros cuadrados le dan una resolución de 1.000 millones de pixeles.



Entre los telescopios y los CCD Gaia será capaz de detectar objetos hasta un millón de veces más tenues de lo que podemos ver con nuestros ojos.


Procesará la luz que recoja con tres instrumentos distintos, ASTRO, que fija la posición de cada una de las estrellas que ve; el espectrómetro de velocidad radial o RVS, que mide la velocidad a la que cada una se aleja o se acerca de nosotros; y el BP/RP, que captura un espectro en baja resolución de cada estrella, lo que permite saber su temperatura, masa, y composición química.


Combinando los datos de ASTRO y del RVS podremos saber la posición y velocidad exactas de cada estrella.


Para poder mantener los telescopios enfocados en objetos a muchos años luz Gaia apenas tiene partes móviles y sus diversos subsistemas están montados sobre una estructura de silicio y carbono que ni se expande ni se contrae a causa del calor.


Además, Gaia cuenta con un parasol que apunta siempre hacia el Sol para mantener todos los sistemas a una temperatura constante de 120 grados bajo cero. Este parasol se lanzó plegado, y abrirlo era uno de los momentos críticos de la misión:



Obtiene su energía de unos paneles solares colocados en el lado Sol del parasol, y para evitar que la Tierra bloquee tan siquiera mínimamente la llegada de luz, al mismo tiempo que se evitan cambios térmicos, sigue una órbita de Lissajous alrededor del punto L2.


Enviara datos durante unas ocho horas al día a una velocidad de unos 5 Mbit/s, que serán recibidos por las parábolas de 35 metros de la ESAen Cebreros, España, y New Norcia, Australia. En total se calcula que al final de los cinco años de misión habrá enviado 200 TB de datos.


Se pueden seguir los progresos de la misión en el blog de Gaia y en su cuenta de Twitter, @ESAGaia.


Si te pasas por La Coruña, en la Domus hay una pequeña exposición sobre la misión.


# Enlace Permanente







via Microsiervos http://www.microsiervos.com/archivo/ciencia/lanzado-telescopio-espacial-gaia-agencia-espacial-europea.html

Verizon to publish regular reports on government data requests



via Engadget RSS Feed http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/QFeqeFRzOlg/

Microsoft's Project Siena lets you create Windows apps with ease



via Engadget RSS Feed http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/xASv1OBsr98/

LED Mood-Sweater Shows People How You Really Feel



via Tech http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/mashable/tech/~3/l-ayTyLERro/

BlackBerry bringing Channels and Voice Chat to BBM for Android and iOS next year



via Engadget RSS Feed http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/qMAnDPZNuoM/

Moto G gets KitKat, improved camera features in the US



via Engadget RSS Feed http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/aB5xNxuBDTU/

Can an App Change How Students Prep for College Admissions?



via Tech http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/mashable/tech/~3/tCIxFubR3Pc/

Samsung Galaxy Gear notification update reaches the US three weeks late



via Engadget RSS Feed http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/m2PKy3fNltY/

Can Giving Free Houses to Writers Help Revitalize Detroit?

Switched On: What's become of the $100 laptop



via Engadget RSS Feed http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/wWHVQPcACNs/

Google Glass collision detection could one day save you from yourself



via Engadget RSS Feed http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/_pyyr7kGapk/

Gift Guide: Four Sweet Presents For Your Sweetheart

The most important gift you give this holiday season will be the gift you give your sweetheart. After all, this is the person you get sex from.


That said, these are some cute last-minute ideas that will keep you out of the dog house come New Year’s Eve.


HBloom Subscriptions ($75/delivery)


Screenshot 2013-12-18 13.01.39


HBloom is a creative flower delivery service that offers a wide range of products — these are the same folks that came up with the SuperHero package, which delivers flowers to a guy’s work so that he can be the one to give them to his sweetheart. Now, the company offers floral delivery subscriptions, with new arrangements arriving weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. All you do is meet up with a design consultant who checks out the space and learns about your tastes and the deliveries begin. Starts at $75 per delivery.


HowAboutWe Couples ($10/month)


Screenshot 2013-12-18 13.00.48


HowAboutWe keeps the romance alive by offering up interesting date ideas based on your location. Awesomely enough, the service offers a $10/month membership for couples, which hooks you up with up to 75% off the dates, one free date, and access to sold out shows and booked clubs. There are some cute ideas on there, but the best idea of all is you showing your partner how important it is to go on special, interesting dates. You know, like you did when you first fell in love.


Couple (Free)



Ok, you caught me. This isn’t necessarily a gift because technically it’s free. However, signing up for Couple and inviting your partner to join you in your own private social network can be pretty romantic. Couple lets you chat, share pictures, drawings, and location, and it even lets you draw simultaneously in a live sketch. With the new foursquare integration, users can suggest date spots and the thumbkiss feature is cheesy but fun. The app automatically stores important dates for your partner and the relationship, like birthdays and anniversaries, and you can share lists to stay on top of things as a couple. Hey, some of the best things in life are free.


HelloTouch ($55)


Screenshot 2013-12-18 12.59.05


Or you could spend $55 on a really, really fun night in the bedroom. The Jimmyjane HelloTouch vibrator may seem a bit awkward at first — after all, it is reminiscent of those Spider Man-style shooter toys you wear on your wrist. But once those finger pads get to buzzing it won’t seem so awkward anymore. The HelloTouch can be worn a few different ways so that everyone can enjoy, and it even comes in a Holiday package, including a stocking, handcuffs and a blindfold.








via TechCrunch » Startups http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techcrunch/startups/~3/6ZAmDkgUSz0/

Tizen ready to unveil its newest devices in February at Mobile World Congress



via Engadget RSS Feed http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/fifKxmjVU84/

Atheer Labs wants to make its augmented reality glasses a reality on Indiegogo



via Engadget RSS Feed http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/ZbR8SOfVtyo/

A closer look at Apple's new Mac Pro workstation (hands-on)



via Engadget RSS Feed http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/-TUP3Xd9j30/

Air-Powered Lego Car Is Ultimate Nerd Invention



via Tech http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/mashable/tech/~3/jS0USCfI8c4/

Google Transparency Report: government takedown requests are on the rise



via Engadget RSS Feed http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/108RbISsyec/

The Engadget Podcast is live at 3:30PM ET!



via Engadget RSS Feed http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/rU8dN3Bj2k8/

What's Your Favorite Smartphone?



via Tech http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/mashable/tech/~3/ghqP6wyzYhk/

Google Glass App for iOS Debuts, This Time for Real



via Tech http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/mashable/tech/~3/KJobs9eRZlE/

This iOS-Inspired OS X Concept Looks Good Enough to Touch

SwiftKey update simplifies setup process, adds festive keyboard theme



via Engadget RSS Feed http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/7Pg1EBgn3Nc/

A Tiny DSLR for a Tiny Price, Bond 50, The Godfather [Deals]

Nokia Black update brings imaging enhancements to Lumia 1020



via Engadget RSS Feed http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/C5qprCNArss/

Dolphin Zero Android browser protects your privacy, hides your shame



via Engadget RSS Feed http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/axo4jcSCt8A/

Facebook Home update to bring new lockscreen and gestures to select Android phones



via Engadget RSS Feed http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/PFK9PjZnALQ/

Verizon's 2013 Droid line now does KitKat



via Engadget RSS Feed http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/papj52zQHGc/

BitTorrent's peer-to-peer Chat service will use strong encryption to protect your identity



via Engadget RSS Feed http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/q1X0MkA8FuQ/

Cómo incrustar fotos de Flickr en cualquier web


Flickr ha anunciado una nueva función que permite incrustar fotografías e imágenes en cualquier otra web . Aunque esto se podía hacer antiguamente de forma un tanto rudimentaria los más viejos del lugar recordarán que ya hubo algún armegedón en que que todas las fotos incrustadas a machete como JPEGs desaparecieron de repente de las webs externas – o simplemente tardaban demasiado en cargar. Ahora todo eso ha cambiado para mejor.


Los nuevos códigos permiten incrustar códigos los tags iframe o img como se suele hacer con YouTube o cualquier otro servicio; el primero es más completo porque añade el nombre del autor y el título de la foto; el otro es más rústico pero también hace su trabajo.


Para usarlo:


Flickr-Embed



  1. Abrir la foto deseada

  2. Pulsar el icono de compartir

  3. Elegir Grab the Link, el tamaño y el tipo de código (iframe)

  4. Copiar y pegar el código HTML en el editor del blog o en la página web


Esta función tiene todavía sus limitaciones: por ejemplo, no permite limitar las fotos del «carrusel» a un set concreto y cuando las fotos son de distintos formatos y proporciones dejan bandas a los lados (difícil arreglo tiene esto). Eso sí: al menos filtra (a) las fotos que se comparten de forma que solo se puedan ver las públicas (no las privadas) y (b) las que tienen licencias abiertas Creative Commons. Pero todo se andará y probablemente estas funciones se mejoren y se puedan tunear en el futuro.


Pero… cuidadín con abusar de este tipo de «incrustaciones»: es bien sabido que se traducen en una lentitud de carga si se abusa de ellas –sobre todo de muchos tipos distintos en la misma página– porque el navegador de los visitantes tiene que cargar código de distintas webs, que puede «atascar» el dibujo de la página completa. Por el lado bueno: puedes tener una web en la que el gasto de ancho de banda de las imágenes pase a Flickr directamente, puesto que las imágenes ya no se alojan en tu servidor, lo cual puede venir bien en hosting muy pequeños y limitados o en momentos de picos de tráfico.


(Vía Hoja de Router.)


# Enlace Permanente







via Microsiervos http://www.microsiervos.com/archivo/internet/incrustar-fotos-flickr.html

Smart Glasses Reveal What It's Like to Have Superpowers



via Tech http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/mashable/tech/~3/WnOm3xATHVM/

Shazam for iPhone can now listen for songs and shows in the background



via Engadget RSS Feed http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/z6jcoWqXJiU/

With $2.2M In New Funding, SeatGeek Acquires And Shuts Down Ticketing Competitor FanSnap

seatgeek

Ticketing startup SeatGeek is announcing that it has acquired FanSnap from Wize Commerce, which purchased the ticketing site two years ago.


Co-founder Russell d’Souza told me that the deal closed in late November, around the same time that SeatGeek (which launched at the TechCrunch50 conference in 2009) closed $2.2 million in new funding from existing investors. The timing, he said, was “not a coincidence” — the round was intended to fund the acquisition.


The two sites are competitors — both of them allow users to search for tickets across resale sites like StubHub and eBay. d’Souza said he made the acquisition (SeatGeek’s first) for two reasons. First, he wanted to expose SeatGeek to new users. Second, he wanted to acquire FanSnap’s technology, partly to use at SeatGeek, and partly to keep it out of the hands of potential competitors.


The FanSnap website is being shut down today, with users being redirected to SeatGeek. I asked if some people might not be happy about being forced to switch, and d’Souza said, “That’s possible, but I wracked my brains and honestly I can’t think of a reason why that would happen,” because he thinks SeatGeek has every feature a FanSnap user might want.


“[FanSnap has] great technology, I’m not putting down what they’ve built at all, but I do think those users, once they become accustomed to SeatGeek, they’ll be using it regularly,” he added.


The financial terms of deal are not being disclosed, but d’Souza noted that none of the Wize team members working on FanSnap will be joining SeatGeek. Since Wize (previously known as Nextag) was willing to part with the site and see it shutdown, I wondered if FanSnap had been underperforming.


“I don’t think that’s the case,” d’Souza said. “It wasn’t languishing, I just think that for all companies, focus is an important thing, and from Wize’s perspective, they need to focus on their core shopping vertical.”


He also said SeatGeek is currently selling $6 million worth of tickets each month, about triple what it was selling at the same time last year, with 3.5 million monthly visitors across desktop and mobile. (d’Souza said his agreement with Wize precludes him from disclosing FanSnap’s numbers — I asked comScore, and apparently it doesn’t have data about FanSnap, but it said SeatGeek’s unique desktop visitors in the United States grew from 697,000 in November 2012 to 757,000 last month.)


In a blog post, d’Souza offered more perspective on how FanSnap influenced SeatGeek:



When we started SeatGeek in 2009, FanSnap’s incumbency cast quite a shadow on us. They were two years old at that point, with a formidable team, an impressive set of advisors, and more than $15 million in venture financing. We had an idea and a couple of laptops.


Then, as now, we had great respect for the FanSnap team and what they built. FanSnap helped make ticket search a thing. They introduced users to the benefit of seeing multiple ticket sellers on the same screen, showing just how often the secondary market can have the best deal for any game or show.









via TechCrunch » Startups http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techcrunch/startups/~3/1Qyh2llB0Wo/

MyGlass, an app that pairs Google Glass with iOS devices, is back on the App Store after briefly app

Credit Card Stolen? Don't Panic. Here's What to Do

Wired's LED-powered Moto X ad lets you try custom colors before you buy



via Engadget RSS Feed http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/flU4N4gpq7w/