Jordan Crook studied English Literature at New York University before entering the tech space. Prior to joining TechCrunch, Crook dabbled in mobile marketing and mobile apps as well as doing device reviews for MobileMarketer and MobileBurn. Crook is fascinated with alternative energy production and greentech.
She is now a writer for CrunchGear.
I’m notoriously cynical when it comes to new social services and apps. I’m already drowning in the madness of Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and the list goes on and on and on. But every once in a while a service pops up that fills a gap. No, it may not be the next Facebook or Twitter (or maybe it will), but it will make for a fun time when you feel like interacting with others on the interwebs.
This is how I feel about Balloonduck. It’s a brand new service that basically works as a Twitter for questions, with curiosity being the special of the day.
So why not just ask questions on Twitter? That’s the question on your mind and I might as well answer it. Well, I think the fundamental difference is user interface. Balloonduck is a sort of mix between the beauty of Pinterest (albeit horizontally) and the information of Twitter. → Read More
Over the past few weeks, you may have noticed that Netflix wants you to “Agree” to something. The company has updated its terms of service, and within the new version, there lies an interesting little tidbit that you may want to review.
From the “Arbitration Agreement”:
These Terms of Use provide that all disputes between you and Netflix will be resolved by BINDING ARBITRATION. YOU AGREE TO GIVE UP YOUR RIGHT TO GO TO COURT to assert or defend your rights under this contract (except for matters that may be taken to small claims court). Your rights will be determined by a NEUTRAL ARBITRATOR and NOT a judge or jury and your claims cannot be brought as a class action.
Awesome. → Read More
According to an internal Sprint source that spoke with S4GRU, the Galaxy Nexus will show up on Sprint shelves on April 15. You know, just over three months since the Verizon version launched and mere months away from the launch of Samsung’s next flagship: the Galaxy S III.
Talk about good timing.
Still, Sprint could use this phone on its network, even if the Nexus heyday has already come and gone. The Nexus line is like the Galaxy line, or the Droid line, or even the iPhone line. It’s a brand people trust, and will offer a super solid option to power users bumbling into Sprint stores. → Read More
Sonos has just announced an update to their Sonos Controller software, specifically for Mac and PC. The app, which runs on Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, and Android, now comes in 12 different languages, including Brazilian Portuguese, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, and Swedish. And that’s only the beginning.
The Mac and PC versions of the app have undergone a rather hefty makeover and now have new features. For example, Sonos software now allows for a Mini Controller on the desktop or laptop, allowing you to change songs or control the volume without leaving the app you’re working in. → Read More
The LG Spectrum isn’t necessarily my favorite phone. It’s got pretty nice specs and a killer screen, but there’s something to be said about the way a phone draws you in from across the room. I don’t mean to get all romantic or dramatic about it, but it’s still true: appearance matters. Windows Phones have that engaging, compelling live tile interface. The iPhone has its stunning design and piano black shine. Motorola’s Razr has that crazy thin profile, and Samsung has the ultimate combo in the form of its Galaxy series: giant, gorgeous screens with beautiful design.
LG doesn’t really have that, and this is particularly apparent on the Spectrum. I’ve been spending the past few weeks with it (full review to follow), and despite the fact that it’s pretty slick, has a gorgeous display, and packs badass specs, I can’t get over the fact that it’s ugly.
But maybe you like the specs, and just want something that’s as similar as possible to the Spectrum. Or maybe you want the latest and greatest? Well, that’s why we put together this here infographic which pits the LG Spectrum against the Nitro HD and the Galaxy Nexus. → Read More
Opinions on the new break-out social location app Highlight certainly aren’t in short supply.
Alexia thinks that friend-of-friend notifications should be customizable and that women may have trouble getting on board with the idea of constantly broadcasting their location. Eldon thinks that Highlight goes past social networking to be a potential business card swapping service, leaps ahead of a similar style app called Bump. He also thinks that the new update is quite clever. Then of course, Mr. Butcher over in the UK thinks that Highlight is a recruiter’s wet dream, while 500 Startups mentor Brenden Mulligan feels like SXSW wasn’t necessarily the best launchpad for Highlight.
But a few extra thoughts on the SXSW sweetheart can’t hurt, right? → Read More
In a world where we can build all kinds of crazy apps and software, it’s a bit shocking that more hasn’t been done to stop the proliferation of child pornography on the Internet. But Microsoft is trying to do its part with the company’s PhotoDNA technology, which helps find and remove some of the worst images of child sexual exploitation from the web.
The software is already used by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) along with Facebook, and should be rolled out across Bing, Hotmail and Skydrive soon. → Read More
Motorola has really been stepping up lately. If you would have asked me six months ago to choose between a Samsung handset and a Motorola phone, I probably would have chosen Samsung hands-down. But as Motorola evolves its design language and nails down some of our most necessary features — solid battery, thin profile, premium feel in the hand, and badass specs — I find myself more and more infatuated with the stuff Moto’s putting out.
Take this leaked Droid Fighter, for example. If information from the PhonesHK forums is correct, Motorola is improving on its already successful Razr design language with an even bigger HD screen. While the original Razr had a 4.3-inch 540×960 display, this new (officially) unnamed beast has a massive 4.6-inch display, boasting a 720p resolution. → Read More
15-month-old Hatch Labs is but a baby compared to incubators like Y Combinator, but CEO Dinesh Moorjani has a very different idea on what an incubator should look like.
The “sandbox”, as Moorjani would call it, is a joint venture between IAC and Xtreme Labs, and aims to grow mobile startups that are scalable and move beyond being minimally viable, and actually offer the user a sense of delight. How very Microsoft of them.
Moorjani says what makes NYC-based Hatch really different from other incubators is that it finds the middle ground between seed funding/accelerators and VC. → Read More
If you’re reading this right now, you already know what day it is: iPad day.
We headed down to the 5th Ave. flagship store in Manhattan this morning to see just how crazy things would get, but truth be told, the mood was quiet. In fact, the media seemed to be the most raucous, while soon-to-be iPad owners simply tried to keep warm in the freezing mist. → Read More
Here at TechCrunch, we live, eat, sleep and breathe startups. But sometimes we can get a little too focused on Silicon Valley and forget that there are startup scenes blossoming all over the country and the world.
Two up and coming startup states just so happen to be Michigan and Ohio, and one accelerator, Bizdom, is looking for the next generation of entrepreneurs.
The accelerator is accepting applications for its April 2012 accelerator session, which will last three months. The program offers seed funding and mentoring to help young founders and creators leverage their talent as much as possible within Detroit and Cleveland. → Read More
We sort of saw this coming, given the fact that Ben Silbermann said so at SXSW, but Pinterest has just revamped its profile pages. Those of you familiar with the hottest new social network will know that profile pages originally displayed all of your boards, their titles, with thumbnails of each pin in every board. It got the job done to be sure, but was also pretty simple.
Today, all that changes. If you meander on over to Pinterest, where you’ll likely spend more than an hour of your life pinning, liking, and browsing in general, you’ll notice that if you click on an individual user, things look a bit different. → Read More
Meet Jean.
He’s one of a few very lucky owners of the brand new iPad. And he’s thrilled.
I’ve been excited about Angry Birds Space since before I even knew about it. It’s like that awful Savage Garden song: “I think I dreamed it into life.” The only thing is that I didn’t dream it into life; Peter Vesterbacka and his amazing team at Rovio did.
And after getting a sneak peek at the latest and greatest Angry Birds, I can confidently say that this will be the best version to date. → Read More
If you were thinking that the Lumia 800 would somehow go for less than it is at Microsoft stores — $899 with Nokia Play 360 Bluetooth speakers, Nokia Purity HD headphones and a Luna Bluetooth headset — let me just do you a favor and burst that bubble right here and now. Amazon has just joined Microsoft retail stores in offering the Windows Phone device, and unfortunately the 800 won’t be any cheaper on virtual shelves.
Worth noting that this isn’t an awful deal considering what you’re actually getting for the $900, but here in the States we’re really not used to paying more than $300-$400 for a premium phone (thanks to carrier contract subsidies). The phone will play nicely with AT&T’s network, though T-Mo subs should expect EDGE speeds. → Read More
The writing was on the wall for Flip, but when Cisco decided to shutter its rather popular Flip video camera business in April 2011, the company promised a smooth transition for existing users. That said, Givit video sharing service will be integrating with Flipshare, Flip’s online video sharing platform, to store the content that will soon be permanently deleted from Flipshare.
Even though the iPhone completely disrupted Flip’s business, there are still more than 3 million Flip users out there in the world who need a place to store their videos. Givit aims to solve that problem through its cloud service. → Read More
If you’re looking to get a new iPad and happen to have an old one (and by old, I mean the iPad 2), Apple just made it that much easier.
Apple’s Reuse and Recycling Program has been updated today to reflect the values for various models of the iPad 2. The program offers Apple gift cards in exchange for your old gadgetry, which will hopefully entice you to trade-in instead of lopping your perfectly good components into a land fill. Not only are you saving a few bucks, but you’re being green.
And more importantly, the savings you’ll get by trading in your iPad 2 for a new one are pretty great. → Read More
Oh, Pinterest…
Over the course of the past few months, what once was a colorful haven for Midwestern mothers and Mormons is now an even more colorful haven for even more pin-tastic peeps. The growth has been staggering, even in what many would call an overly social era. But surrounded by Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc., Pinterest has really made a name for itself.
And while many are scurrying to set up their pinboards for FOMO’s sake, we in the tech world are curious as to what’s going on behind the scenes. What’s the growth rate? What does the demographic data look like? Referral traffic? Marketing? How does Pinterest really stack up against the big guys? → Read More
Though it’s far and away the best iteration of Android to date, 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich has only made its way to a very small percentage of the Android population. I mean, we’re talking less than five percent, and that’s generous.
Luckily, HTC is doing its part to bring the cold creamy goodness of Roboto, facial unlock and a brand new UI to its handsets. → Read More
The Spectrum has been a busy little diva the last few days, strutting in and out of our NYC studio like she belongs there. So much in fact, that I’ve given her a gender and started to refer to her in gender-specific pronouns. A scary thought, to say the least.
Matt seems less perturbed by her presence, though I was (and still am) more than willing to duke it out with him over the value of this here phone.
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