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I don't think I've read a Mashable article about a startup in a long while. Really interesting company though, Google won't compete with this and it's a huge market. Facebook is the internet to a large percentage of the population.

I completely agree. You sometimes hear in interviews partners talking about how some companies sometimes convince them of one thing but turn out to not be able to execute on their plans. As in they sound really convincing but don't really know what they're talking about. Of course, what is "hacking"? Most of what founders do to get into YC isn't hacking the application. Writing a good application and getting lots of feedback isn't hacking it.

Asking founders you don't know for recommendations could be but in a negative way but a recommendation isn't easy to get as it's on their back.

If you lie about or fake parts of your application the partners will very quickly pickup on this as they've seen thousands of teams and YC founders who have applied themselves. By the way, this could be considered a trick/hack to attempt to butter-up the reader and instill a level of confidence in the authors credibility.

What's even worse is that they announced their new SDK in June and haven't given it to developers until today, they have devices releasing in days.

This is interesting, not sure that I'd pay $200 for a lightbulb and $60 for every additional bulb, which is actually worse. I estimate that it'd cost about $1500 to light my house. It might be something someone would buy for just their bedroom or office. The app doesn't look very intuitive, the woman in the video tapped on five icons to change the brightness of the bulb.

I think a startup will eventually launch something similar on Kickstarter but more like the nest. I don't want to touch the controls, want to have the ability to but I shouldn't have to press about fifteen buttons to switch off each bulb in my house.

Also Original Source: http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/48235/philips-demos-hue-led-...

Microsoft left it so late for developers to get on the platform. The consumer announcement was yesterday, the developer summit was in June! Yet there's been no SDK until today. Even Apple releases a number of beta's for developers. The first Windows Phone 8 devices will be released in a matter of days.

All of the people that bought Windows Phone 7 devices (even if it was last month) won't be able to run any of the apps complied for Windows Phone 8 because it's core is based on Windows 8.

How do you expect your dedicated user-base that for years has been complaining about slow hardware and a lack of apps while the iPhone, GS3, etc has been blowing up to react? All of the current Windows Phone users are not going to buy a new phone to make their current phone, that they purchased six months ago work. They're going to pickup and iPhone 5 or a Galaxy Note. They have a core base of users that are passionate about Windows Phone, many of those I know are leaving.

Having spoke to startups that have apps on Windows Phone, most of them have been paid by Microsoft to hire a developer to build it and aren't going to be updating it. Unless Windows Phone got a huge lift in traction but the chicken and egg problem is stopping them and all of these old apps have to be rebuilt for Windows Phone 8.

This seems like a positive move considering people in parts of the East Coast don't have an internet connection right now.

Will the reviews process will be pushed back too? Good luck to everyone applying.

If I was an ex-Zynga employee, the easiest way to get revenge without getting blamed and possibly sued is to blame anonymous. Because anyone can be anonymous.

Agreed but there's a difference between being on video and someone writing about your talk. Some people just don't like the pressure of a talk being recorded and prefer people to write about the general talk if they want to write about it.

Maybe not controversial but just talking about portfolio companies or commenting on them directly can be risky when you have a big fund and LP's to deal with.

I'm guessing he was just open and honest to all of the founders and sometimes being open when you run a huge VC firm is a risky challenge. So not recording it means he can offer insights without a clip of it going on TechCrunch.

It's true that the Surface is coming in at a 10" form-factor when the iPad holds 70% of the market and the real battle is happening on the 7", slightly lower end market.

I hope so, I really enjoyed Founders at Work. I read it when I was 16, loved making things on the web but had no idea about startups in the Valley, being from London. Jessica's talk at Startup School felt like an update, which was great.

This is incredibly annoying. I didn't realise how much I replied on Tumblr. I was trying to get the contact email for a few people for my YC application and they all have tumblr site's, I do too. Luckily Google has a cache.

Liking a post is a signal, especially when you're the first 'liker'. If it was posted by someone you don't see every day it's unlikely you'd immediately like something.

People are like a heard of sheep, when others that starting something it makes them feel like they can too. These people that don't speak to you every day now feel like they can like it too and it's no longer a direct signal to you.

Getting rid of the number of likes would change this dynamic (getting people to break down social barriers) but Facebook's answer is the 'Promote' button which really just changes the context of the post as it becomes an ad.

Useful piece. I started breaking down our YC application and rewriting answers and I realised that I could write much of what I've put in a much shorter manor that is to the point.

This is quite cool, the coding alternative to NaNoWriMo.

I've found that people tend to feel the need to fill applications with useless jargon, especially when they aren't sure if their answer or they aren't good enough. They feel that they need to make what they're doing sound more impressive over being honest. When 90% of readers will always see through bullshit. If they doubt what they're writing they just continue until they have a lengthy piece of writing.

Adding value to the reader. Why the reader should read their post vs the Venture Beat quote. As writers that should be their aim.

They shouldn't completely change what they do but focus on quality valuable content. When I read something on AVC, Paul Graham's Blog or Ben Horowitz' blog I find direct value. I learn something new or how to fix a problem I'm facing. Many TechCrunch posts are "Is Instagram for Video a big market?" or "Why the internet is dead?". You sometimes get clicks but it devalues the content.

I don't mind funding announcements when they're mixed with product announcements or are an overall profile. I like how Sahil did it with Gumroad, he announced Gumroad has raised X amount of money and has launched our product and the article included a video interview. Copying a press release or quoting a company blogpost doesn't add value.

Many people still value TechCrunch, it's source for investors and influencers too, to track companies they may be interested in investing in. If TechCrunch just became editorial it would lose this and most of the value.

It depends, I usually listen to a couple of talks and go outside to chat to some people. There's also half an hour at the start to just talk to people and eat pizza.

I went to the pub after and it turns into a slightly more one-on-one setting as only 30 people or so will go. I've been going for a year and a bit and it's definitely worth it.

I totally agree, everyone believe that Samsung replicated much of the iPad. I wouldn't have necessarily disagreed if the court decided that no infringement occurred and that was it but the idea of forcing a company to release an apology in a newspaper comes straight from the 19th century, I have little faith in common law in this case.

Exactly, although they have a tarnished brand. They could find the most talented developer and become somewhat of a Mobile incubator. They've got a lot of deals and scale having dealt with Verizon, physical space and employees. They could use Color labs as the shell for lots of products.

This is quite a personal story and It's not near this level but I grew up with a parent with Schizophrenia and still am.

I'm 18 and currently live alone with this parent and am moving out soon as I work on my company. The situation is fine (for me) because there are few things to set them off these days and I've just had to learn how to deal with many of the disturbances. Like paranoia of me (What I talk about to others), using certain words in relation to illness like saying something is "mental" or even how are you. The illness only pops up at certain times. People wouldn't know they are ill from speaking to them, most of the time. It's 10X better than it was when I was much younger and lived with both of my parents.

I won't go into detail out of respect to my family but their illness has broke up their marriage (Although sometimes couples don't work) and now they refuse to take any medicine or see anyone. Because they aren't anymore at the level that they are forced into treatment there's nothing that can be done.

What I've learned from this is most policy on mental illness is under the assertion that if the person is at extreme harm to themselves or the public, they require treatment. If this isn't the case and the person refuses to believe they are ill or that they need treatment, little is done.

To start I think 3D printing is just making it easier for hobbyists and small professionals to manufacture products, lowering cost for the consumer and increasing competition. In time they'll start to come into the home if we can find further compelling reasons for them.

Some YouTube partners I know get paid per 500 views so if you got another 500 you'd make a few dollars.

Interestingly they don't seem to want to own the whole phenomenon. Which could be a good thing for what they want to achieve. They want to focus on creative projects over being a platform to fund anything or a store with little accountability.

I believe that content should be written for a platform. Which is why putting magazines on newsstand by putting images in an application hasn't sold well. This content targets the iOS using audience and is written for the format.

The tools iOS provide will at least allow them to test if selling an iOS only publication works.

That's an interesting one, I'd guess Spotify would be whitelisted if not as they started using the open graph before the public launch.

Most apps hook you in to click from seeing a post on someone else's timeline and auto posts what you're looking at to yours like a virus. Spotify posts because you've decided to share what you're listening to and it's disable-able. It's slightly less passive.

Social Cam sold at a good time, Viddy on the other hand are going to have to try and convince investors they're worth their $400m valuation.

Hacker News is a great meetup and the original London tech meetup for real hackers and startup folks. Highly recommended for newcomers. Other good meetups to checkout are Silicon Drinkabout and Digital Sizzle.

Agreed but the fact that they acquired Svpply means they were working on this and wanted to use Svvply's team to build upon this.