Skylock Bike Lock Alerts You When Someone Tries to Steal Your Bike

Even the toughest bike locks won't stand up to the most determined and well-equipped bike thieves. But a new startup is trying to prevent bike thefts altogether with the Skylock, its connected bike lock that can be controlled with a smartphone and sends real-time alerts when a lock is tampered with.

Velo Labs, the startup behind the device, launched a crowdfunding campaign on its website on Thursday to raise $50,000 for the production of its app-enabled lock.

"People have these emotional connections with their bikes," Gerardo Barroeta, cofounder of Velo Labs, told. "We think an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

The Skylock pairs to a smartphone via bluetooth and will automatically disengage when users get close to their bikes. It works in conjunction with a smartphone app, which will be compatible with iOS and Android handsets.

The lock is equipped with an accelerometer that enables its crash and theft alert systems. If the sensor detect a lot of motion around the bike, like someone tampering with the lock, the app will send a notification alerting the bike's owner.

Crash detections also relies on the lock's accelerometer. The sensor communicates with data collected by a user's iPhone to determine when a rider gets in an accident. If the crash or fall is severe, the app will send a push notification asking the user to confirm that he's O.. If he fails to respond, the app will alert emergency responders and users can designate up to three emergency contacts who will also be notified.

The lock is solar powered so users don't have to to worry about recharging. The creators say one hour of sunlight is enough for about a week of regular use. It also has a built-in touchscreen that can be used as a backup locking and unlocking method, should a person not be able to use his phone.

Velo Labs is also building bike sharing functionality into the app that will allow cyclists to rent out their bikes to others; prices will be determine based on the demand of each location.

The Skylock will ultimately retail for $249, but you can snag one for $159 during the crowdfunding campaign. The founders say they anticipate shipping the first units by early 2015.

Image: VELO LABS

Read full Article…

Alibaba Finds Another Place for Its Cash — China's Version of YouTube

Chinese eCommerce retailer Alibaba is entering the online video space with an investment in Youku Tudou, the Chinese equivalent of YouTube.

The $1.2 billion stake comes from Alibaba Group Holding Limited and Yunfeng Capital, a private equity group founded by Alibaba executive chairman Jack Ma.The deal provides the groups with a 16% and 2% stake in the video site, respectively. Jonathan Lu, CEO of Alibaba, will take a seat on Youku Tudou's board of directors.

Alibaba has been working to diversify its business, investing in a variety of companies and industries. The position in Youku Tudou is another in a line of strategic moves aimed at Tencent, Alibaba's most powerful competitor. Together the companies dominate many aspects of China's 618 million Internet users.

Alibaba recently moved into the messaging market with a $215 million investment in Tango, a WhatsApp-like messaging service popular in Asia. Reuters reports that Alibaba has spent $4 billion in the past six months on various investments. Tencent owns messaging services QQ and WeChat, the latter of which has more than 270 million users.

Alibaba remains a private company but is expected to issue an initial public offering in the near future. The ecommerce company is already a giant, claiming to process more sales than Amazon and eBay combined. The company's IPO could be the biggest ever.

Youku Tudou is a publicly traded company, created in 2012 by a merger between two competing video sites.

"We are excited to cooperate and work closely with [Youku Tudou CEO] Victor [Koo] and his team to support their innovation in this key emerging space as well as accelerate our digital entertainment and video content strategy," Ma said in a press release. "This is an important strategic initiative that will further extend the Alibaba ecosystem and bring new products and services to Alibaba's customers."

Read full Article…

Microsoft Hotline Helps Entrepreneurs in India Build Tech Startups

Microsoft has offered tech support by phone for decades, from guiding business customers through a tricky Windows installation to making sure grandmas successfully locate Solitaire on the Start menu. But this month, the company launched a new kind of hotline in India to help entrepreneurs navigate the minefield of starting their own business.

In a novel move, Microsoft Ventures, the company's startup investment and accelerator arm, opened JumpStart, a toll-free number where support specialists will field calls from Indian entrepreneurs. Microsoft insists there are no restrictions on the type of questions an entrepreneur can ask, but expects its dedicated call center staff to be mostly advising customers on legal, funding or marketing issues. Microsoft says workers will walk callers through the processes of registering a company, preparing taxes, tracking down an accountant and finding a good lawyer. They're also happy to suggest technology solutions. (Microsoft Azure, perhaps?)

These days, dial-in tech support seems old-fashioned to say the least, but Indians could use whatever help they can get. It's one of the toughest countries to start a business in, according to the World Bank. Part of that can be attributed to the 2012 "startup tax" that treats Indian investments as income, essentially penalizing companies that raise money locally. Amid complaints of over-regulation, last year was also the worst for Indian technology IPOs in more than a decade.

But investors there are optimistic, pointing to the increase in the number of startups and the growing interest from Silicon Valley giants, such as Facebook's acquisition of Bangalore, India-based Little Eye Labs in January. Satya Nadella, Microsoft's new CEO and a native of Hyderabad, India, is searching for ways to align the company with startups in his home country that could one day be big-budget customers.

The JumpStart 800-number is staffed Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in India. Microsoft Ventures, which has six accelerators worldwide, plans to use feedback gathered from the program to fine-tune its various Indian startup-centric efforts.

Microsoft is currently the dominant software provider for companies in India, with 31% of the market, according to research firm IDC. The overall value of corporate software in India is expected to swell to almost $45 billion this year, the researcher said. If data gathered as part of JumpStart's free hotline helps the company stay ahead of the competition, answering some phone calls won't seem like such a big effort.

This article originally published at Bloomberg

Read full Article…

With Educational Apps on the Rise, Textbooks Are History

With more educational apps being developed everyday, smartphones and tablets are on their way to replacing those clunky textbooks in the classroom.

In the latest video of our Mobile Minute series, Market Developer Paul Sowada discusses the future of education and technology.

"Bringing your phone to class used to be a one-way ticket to detention," says Paul. "Fortunately, schools all across the country are easing up on their outside technology policies. Pew research says 73% of teachers now allow smartphones and tablets inside the classroom".

Educational apps such as eduPad can help students both in and out of the classroom, while parents can use apps like Common Core to look up teaching standards for their local school district.

The Mobile Minute is a series from Mashable and Mutual Mobile, an emerging technology company that pushes innovation for top brands such as Audi, Google and Citigroup.

Read full Article…

A Liquid That Makes Any Pair of Gloves Touchscreen-Friendly

Touchscreen gloves are an essential accessory for smartphone addicts battling the winter chill, but the options for consumers are fairly limited. Purchasing a pair of attractive, touchscreen-compatible mittens usually means paying a pretty penny or sacrificing aesthetics for something a little easier on the wallet.

Nanotips, which is currently funding on Kickstarter, proposes a third solution: Use a conductive, polyamide liquid solution to add touchscreen capabilities to any pair of gloves.

The project has received an enthusiastic Kickstarter backing, racking up more than five times its funding goal of $10,000 CAD, or roughly $9,070.

The solution uses conductive nanoparticles to mimic the electrical conductivity of human skin, just like a normal touchscreen glove. Creator Tony Yu claims the solution will work on any material, from pricey leather to canvas gloves, for construction, golfing, cycling, skiing and snowboarding.

Yu hit upon the idea after purchasing an expensive pair of motorcycle gloves without touchscreen capabilities. Rather than buy a new pair — "touchscreen leathers are expensive and they wear down really quickly," Yu says — he searched for a solution that would integrate with his current gear.

The resulting conductive liquid is applied to the gloves' thumbs and forefingers by swiping an applicator, not unlike applying nail polish. As it dries it soaks into the fabric or forms a conductive film on each fingertip, depending on the material.

"It wasn't so hard to get a product that would interact with a touchscreen device," Yu says. "The hardest part was making it last long enough."

The Kickstarter campaign offers two separate touchscreen solutions, Nanotips Blue and Nanotips Black. The Blue solution covers standard fabrics, such as knits, while the more durable Black treats leathers, rubbers and other thick materials. Each solution leaves behind a slight color residue, however. Blue dries to a translucent blue, while the more versatile Black is, well, black. Yu is still experimenting with creating a fully transparent solution. He also warns the Black solution may alter the texture of certain fabrics.

At $22 CAD (or $20) for a single bottle, the solution is fairly inexpensive, although consumers can purchase actual touchscreen gloves for roughly the same price. The solution lasts for a few weeks (Blue) or months (Black), depending on wear, and can be re-applied. Blue treats an average of 15 fingers, while Black treats up to 30.

The Nanotips Kickstarter campaign ends Feb. 25.

Image: Nanotips

Read full Article…

Beep Speaker Is the Chromecast of Music

Two former Google staffers launched a new startup on Thursday called Beep that aims to change the way you listen to music at home.

The Beep, available in copper and gunmetal colors for $99, allows users to stream music wirelessly from any speaker with an input. Think of it like a Chromecast for music — instead of making a TV Wi-Fi-enabled, the Beep plugs into any speaker and makes it wireless.

Beep is the brainchild of former Google employees Daniel Conrad and Shawn Lewis.

"Bluetooth is a great portable listening solution, but it falls short in the home — you quickly run into range issues, and of course, you can't synchronize a bunch of Bluetooth devices together in different rooms," Lewis said. "We also found more and more users gravitating towards streaming services, like Pandora, but are unable to listen to streaming music on their existing speakers. Beep easily connects any speaker to the cloud."

To get started, users connect the Beep to the speaker and by touching the hardware, it plays the last song or station accessed on your mobile device. Another tap will turn it off.

From there, you can play music files or stream music directly from streaming services like Pandora or Spotify. The volume can be controlled via the accompanying Android or iOS app, but also be adjusted by turning a dial on the front of the Beep.


"In terms of the design, we’re referencing audio equipment of yesteryear," Lewis said. "Music used to be such a tactile experience, so we wanted Beep to bring back that experience with our volume knob and push to play or pause function."

You can also play audio from one room or many, depending on how many Beeps you have. Most Wi-Fi networks can hold up to about five.

"Music following you from room to room in your home is a magical experience, and we wanted to bring that to everyone. It was something we'd experienced, but felt was inaccessible, so we decided to build it and make connecting your speakers to your music easy," Lewis added.

The device, which is available for pre-order now, will still allow you to get phone calls without interrupting the music.

The product will ship this fall, when the price will jump to $149.


IMAGE: BEEP BEEP

Read full Article…