Yesterday, the company [Google] released a video of the new game, which takes advantage of its Google Maps product. The video shows a cube with a map overlay. A small blue ball travels through the map based on the spinning and tilting of the cube. Judging by the video, it seems players will have to move through the map, hitting certain destinations to collect points along the way. When a destination is hit, a small piece of information about the place pops up, then you can go on to your next.
The game [WebGL based] is expected in February. The intro video, like other Google intro videos doesn't reveal much.
- VentureBeat
Poynt, a mobile local search and advertising firm, is now trading on the highest tier of the over the counter (OTC) market, OTCQX®.
- press release
[Walt] Doyle [CEO of Where, now owned by eBay] told me earlier this week that PayPal could be adding "several hundred people" in Boston over the coming years. (There are currently only three open jobs in Boston that I could find.) ... eBay's government relations staffers plan to pay another visit to Beacon Hill next week to continue the discussions.
- Boston.com
Foursquare's local recommondation engine is now live on the Web. It's been on mobiles since March 2011.
- VentureBeat
While the majority of dating websites do a good job of managing the privacy of their users, a class research project at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business found that 21 of 90 dating websites the class examined did not properly remove location data from pictures uploaded by their users.
- press release
by Adena Schutzberg on 01/13 at 05:48 AM |
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Narrow your search further:
boston,
dating websites,
ebay,
foursquare,
gaming,
google,
google+,
location based services,
poynt,
privacy,
where
Walt Doyle explained on the PayPal blog how Where was used in a few campaigns last year. A holiday one involved Best Buy prices/inteventory for local stores (not too exciting), but one for a thermometer was far more targeted and interesting (and perhaps a bit fear-mongering):
WHERE served up ads on mobile devices that would only appear to mothers in regions with a high incidence of flu who were within two miles of a retailer that carried the advertiser's thermometer - retailers included Target, Walmart, Babies R Us, Rite Aid and Walgreens. Mobile users who fit all criteria were shown a banner ad within an app that read "Flu levels in your area are high. Be prepared with Vick's revolutionary Behind Ear Thermometer" and then given the locations of the nearby retailers.
Doyle said that kind of highly targeted mobile ad campaign was standard practice at WHERE and was the "cornerstone for the demand generation side of PayPal's vision for the future of shopping."
I'm not clear at all how PayPal plays into these campaigns. Perhaps they provide key data to indentify the Moms based on their purchases online using PayPal?
- Auction Bytes
by Adena Schutzberg on 01/03 at 06:06 AM |
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Details
Terms were not disclosed but insiders, per Mass High Tech, put the deal at about $135 million. Here are the key points from a TechCrunch recap:
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Where offers a variety of LBS apps and has a deal offering, WhereBuys built from the acquisition of Local Ginger, last year. The apps run on iPhone, Android, and Blackberry with about 4 million users monthly. Where's LBS ad platform supports more than 120,000 retailers.
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Where will run under the PayPal division and PayPal will be integrated into Where’s mobile app as a payments mechanism for its local deals.
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E-bay may be acquiring the company in part for its patent portfolio, including a key LBS/geofencing patent granted last year.
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Where began using its products name only in 2010; until then it was known as uLocate.
My Take:
This is an indication generic LBS offerings are maxing out and the big players are looking to acquire their location technology staff while it's still small and inexpensive. That's why Apple jumped on Placebase and Groupon grabbed faltering Pelago just yesterday. Look for other big name and lesser LBS companies to be acquired before the economy fully turns around.
- PayPal Blog
- Mass High Tech
- TechCrunch
by Adena Schutzberg on 04/20 at 06:07 AM |
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