BizOrigin - The Art of Business

Hot Start-ups: The innovation, The people, The money

Google phone: The tongue wagging just won’t stop.

ImageWhich mobile phone does not exist, but continues to generate almost as much hype as the iPhone? The answer is the Gphone, Google’s supposed mobile-phone-in-development. We keep hearing rumors, and more rumors about google coming out with its own phone. Now Rediff reports that Google is in talk with Indian carriers regarding the imminent roll out of the Gphone. Gigaom calls the report speculative, and we tend to agree.

Google started tongues wagging when the put their hat into the ring for the 700 MHz spectrum auction , for which it is prepared to shell out $4.6 billion. So news of Google’s upcoming foray into the mobile space continues to do the buzz rounds.

According to Google spokespeople “Google is committed to providing users with access to the world’s information, and mobile becomes more important to those efforts every day. We’re collaborating with partners worldwide to bring Google search and applications to mobile users everywhere.”

Google has, of course, come out with a lot of handy applications for the mobile phone, such as icalendar. I understand, though, why companies would want to keep mum about their upcoming launches these days. Gone are the times of the quick releases, followed by endless patches. These days a product has to be perfect, please everybody, and work straight out of the box. It is little wonder then that even small websites take great pains to indicate when they are in alpha or beta, lest their star rise too pre-maturely, and be followed by a fast crash and burn.

Google has developed a reputation of producing apps that work. I am sure they would be as cautious when (and if) they decide to release any hardware - specially a mobile phone.

» Sphere: Related Content


Share: del.icio.us:Google phone: The tongue wagging just won't stop.  digg this:Google phone: The tongue wagging just won't stop.  wists:Google phone: The tongue wagging just won't stop.  newsvine:Google phone: The tongue wagging just won't stop.  blinklist:Google phone: The tongue wagging just won't stop.  furl:Google phone: The tongue wagging just won't stop.  reddit:Google phone: The tongue wagging just won't stop.  fark:Google phone: The tongue wagging just won't stop.  blogmarks:Google phone: The tongue wagging just won't stop.  Y!:Google phone: The tongue wagging just won't stop.

August 24th, 2007 Posted by Toni DasGupta | Technology, Opinion | no comments

BuzzDash social polling: Jump in - Be heard - Have fun

ImageI visited the BuzzDash website recently, and I must admit I was hooked! BuzzDash is a social voting site - they feature daily polls on a variety of topics: Sports, Entertainment, Current events.

I have visited social polling sites before, but this is one of the best I have seen in terms of layout. The home page has two fixed polls at the top (under daily buzz) and two rotating polls that cycle through all the categories such as News and Politics, Business and Finance. It is almost impossible to resist clicking on the polls as they go by.

For each of the following polls on BuzzDash, can you guess which is the more popular answer (link to results below)?

1. Would you support a boycott of goods made in China?
a. Yes
b. No

2. Paramount, DreamWorks Animation choose HD DVD. Will the tide change?
a. Yes HD DVD on the comeback
b. No Blu-ray will emerge on top

3. Simon Cowell will leave American Idol in three years. Without him, it:
a. Will do better
b. Will be as successful
c. Will do worse

4. NY Times online asks users to post potential terror scenarios. Okay?
a. Yes helps us prepare
b. No, gives terrorists ideas

5. Will Clinton being a woman ultimately help her or hurt her more
a. Help her more
b. Hurt her more
c. Doesn’t have an impact

Results

BuzzDash (www.buzzdash.com) is a social polling site with thousands of live polls on issues spanning everything from news, politics and sports to relationships, philosophy and religion. It’s built upon individual polling modules called buzzbites, which form the building blocks of the site and can also be posted and shared by users across the web.

According to David Gerken, Founder and CEO of BuzzDash, they raised seed funding from a private investor in September and launched the beta site in February. Now six months into launch, they are gaining traction in the market, with rising traffic and growing media exposure (BuzzDash was picked by PC World as one of “25 Web Sites to Watch” in June and have also been referenced by The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times and Boston Herald, among other publications).

BuzzDash is currently seeking series A funding.

Image

Sphere: Related Content


Share: del.icio.us:BuzzDash social polling: Jump in - Be heard - Have fun  digg this:BuzzDash social polling: Jump in - Be heard - Have fun  wists:BuzzDash social polling: Jump in - Be heard - Have fun  newsvine:BuzzDash social polling: Jump in - Be heard - Have fun  blinklist:BuzzDash social polling: Jump in - Be heard - Have fun  furl:BuzzDash social polling: Jump in - Be heard - Have fun  reddit:BuzzDash social polling: Jump in - Be heard - Have fun  fark:BuzzDash social polling: Jump in - Be heard - Have fun  blogmarks:BuzzDash social polling: Jump in - Be heard - Have fun  Y!:BuzzDash social polling: Jump in - Be heard - Have fun

August 24th, 2007 Posted by Toni DasGupta | New Media, Startup | no comments