Google Wave

This week Google sent out 100,00 copies of it's newest toy Google Wave. Google Wave is "an online tool for real-time communication and collaboration. A wave can be both a conversation
and a document where people can discuss and work together using richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more". I watched the demo on Google's website it looks pretty cool. It's a fun thing for displaced friends, web meetings, and even large company meetings to take place.

I think Google might be onto something but it's to expected from a company who revolutionized pricing models as we know them. It appears to be a very cool way to exchange ideas and is seen as one the biggest Web 3.0 ideas. I'll write further on the Wave once I get my invitation to test out the software. For now all I have to look at it the website here.

The Business of IPhone Apps

The IPhone is an amazing invention and is prime example of discontinious innvoation. The IPhone acts as phone, music player, camera, and so much more. The apps have led to its popular success as Apple has a first mover advantage in the phone app category and I don't think anybody can really catch them. As I type this there are over 75,000 IPhone Apps. 90% of the most popular apps on the IPhone our free.

With an average price of $3 and Apple taking 30% from developers the platform is filled with entrepreneurs. Hitting the jackpot on these Apps is like playing in Vegas. With so many apps and so many free ones, it's proved to be hard to make a mint in this domain. To date Apple states that there have been 1.8 billion downloads so if the average price is correct, Apple has brought in over 1.5 billion in revenue in about 2 years for merely being a middleman. The developers have shared in the other 4 billion, but outside the top apps not much money has trickled down the money tree. Thumbs up to Apple in their endeavors. Best of luck to IPhone app developers in breaking through as well.

TechCrunch 50

This conference is held every year around this time to "get the best startups and launch them in front of the industry's most influential VC's, corporations, and press". Launching a startup is never easy. The best ideas out there are sometimes poorly timed or managed. 98% of startups fail within 5 years. On the flipside if all goes well, I will be there next year myself with my own green company. Here are this year's finalists: http://http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/08/announcing-the-techcrunch50-finalists/ (I figured out how to link on my blog!)

A few of what I think our the best ideas:

Blah Girls - it's has Ashton Kutcher's backing and gossip, it's a winner for the tweens
LiveHit & QuantNews - both use web based applications to track web PR/clicks
Exchange P - fantasy stock market for private companies
ICharts - Youtube of stock charts
Mobclix - monetizing IPhone apps
Bojam - musical collaboration over the Internet
Closet Couture - like the Clueless closer on the Internet

Twitter+Google = Your New Stock Broker?

I my downtime I stumbled upon a site called: StockTwits. Ths site is an aggregate site for Twitter. Anytime there is a tweet/post about stocks it grabs it. I really like the idea of an open area to discuss stocks. Good work by the founders of this company. Stock trading is one space that works well for Twitter because to you can "tweet" and trade in real time. On the flipside, I feel like it's an area that is open to fraud like those penny stock e-mails we've all received over the years. I am going to give it a try next week.

Alos, I found on Google Finance they have a domestic trends category which allows to you use their search data to see what stocks you'd like to play with by sector only. You can graph Google searches vs the stocks. You have to do your own work on this one though. I think Google is onto something here especially with Russell and pre-IPO stocks if they ever get that far. If I could track little companies most searched for in Google, I'd be a millionaire already. I'm suprised Google doesn't haven't their own hedge fund for this exact purpose. Information continues to be the most valuable commodity out there and Google is leading the new as the "information leader" of the the 21st century.

PS Stock picks coming tommorow too don't worry

The World Is aTwitter

So I figured I'd have to weigh in on Twitter. For the longest time I was against the whole thing. I kept saying all it was is an AIM away message for all to see. They have over 50 million users worldwide so I wanted to see what the fuss is about. I joined to much chagrin and suffice to say I get it but it's not for me. It's cool to follow some celebs and writers. I like the idea and the concept, but my daily actions are not important enough to update constantly nor so do I care what Ryan Seacrest or Ashley Tisdale are doing right now (well Ashley's plans can include me if she wants) This was coming at some point we live in a 24-7 newscycle filled with Blackberries. I think Twitter was onto something but I think they are headed for some troubles down the road.

Read this...
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/07/16/
and scroll half way down the page to the Twitter post

First off, as I reminder never make your password to your server password if you are a big company. Secondly, I do think Microsoft-Google-Yahoo-Facebook will duplicate the technology or attempt a buyout real soon. They can't compete with the big boys. They have constant outages and much like Facebook haven't monetized their product yet. Somebody will buy them and figure out how to make some dough off it or if Twitter gets smart they'll call the SEC tomorrow to IPO their little company in order to compete.

I'm going to go and update my Twitter. No really I'm not, but if you care to follow me it's davidesimmons for your 5 tweets a week. Twitter-like apps are here to stay, I just won't be an active participant.

PS http://twitterholic.com/ for all the top Tweeters

MSFT Word Banned from sales and fined

For those of you who haven't heard a Toronto company sued Microsoft and won. No that is not a typo. A small company beat the almighty Microsoft in court. Microsoft owes $240 million and is banned to selling Word in 60 days over copyright infringement. MS Office is a $3 billion dollar property for Microsoft and they are appealing the ruling. I don't foresee this having any effect on MSFT as they have good management. They'll pay the fine and it'll be over.

Next week there will be patch from Microsoft circumventing the court ruling. As I type this there are people working in Seattle to work themselves around the lawsuit. They used the same tactic around a European lawsuit a few years back.

Moreso, I was just proud of i4i, Inc for beating Microsoft in court. Large firms have great lawyers and wads of cash so things like this do not happen. Congrats to i4i,Inc and good luck to anybody suing Microsoft in the future.