Social networking giant Facebook on Tuesday announced that it has bought Push Pop Press, a digital publishing company that develops the technology to help make interactive books optimized for iPad and other Apple devices. "We're thrilled to confirm that we've acquired Push Pop Press, a startup whose groundbreaking software changes the way people publish and consume digital content," Facebook said in a statement. Push Pop Press was co-founded by Mike Matas and Kimon Tsinteris, both former Apple employees, and was known for teaming up with former U.S. vice president Al Gore to create a digital version of his book "Our Choice". "Although Facebook isn't planning to start publishing digital books, the ideas and technology behind Push Pop Press will be integrated with Facebook, giving people even richer ways to share their stories," Push Pop Press said in a statement posted on its website. "With millions of people publishing to Facebook each day, we think it's going to be a great … [Read more...] about Facebook buys digital publishing startup Push Pop Press
Startup
Facebook to buy facial-recognition startup: sources
SAN FRANCISCO - Facebook Inc is paying US$55 million to $60 million to buy Face.com, according to people familiar with the matter, acquiring the company that provides the facial-recognition technology used by the world's largest social network to help users identify and tag photos. Photo: Reuters The deal bolsters one of Facebook's most popular features - the sharing and handling of photos - but the use of the startup's technology has spurred concerns about user privacy. The No. 1 social network will pay cash and stock for Face.com, potentially paying as much as $60 million, two sources with knowledge of the deal said. Media reports in past weeks have pegged the transaction at $80 million to $100 million. Neither Facebook nor Face.com disclosed terms of the deal, which is expected to close in coming weeks. Facebook, which will acquire the technology and the employees of the 11-person Israeli company, said in a statement that the deal allows the company to bring a "long-time … [Read more...] about Facebook to buy facial-recognition startup: sources
Facebook chief technical officer leaving for startup
Facebook's chief technical officer Bret Taylor on Friday announced he is leaving the world's leading social network to start a new company with a friend. Taylor revealed the move on his Facebook page less than a month after an initial public offering (IPO) of stock reported to have made millionaires of about a thousand of the California company's employees. "I've really enjoyed working with Bret and getting to know him as a friend and teammate," Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said in an email response to an AFP inquiry. "I'm grateful for all he has done for Facebook and I'm proud of what he and his teams have built." Taylor cited accomplishments including the "open graph" that lets outside websites or applications synch with the social network and mobile products such as Facebook Camera and integration with Apple gadgets. "I'm sad to be leaving, but I'm excited to be starting a company with my friend Kevin Gibbs," Taylor said, not indicating what the … [Read more...] about Facebook chief technical officer leaving for startup
Facebook buys mobile discovery startup Glancee
Mere weeks from a multi-billion-dollar debut on the stock market, Facebook has ramped up its focus on mobile lifestyles with the purchase of "social discovery" startup Glancee. Photo: Reuters Glancee founders behind the smartphone application for finding like-minded people nearby joined the Facebook team in what was seen as a talent grab by the Menlo Park, California-based social network. "We started Glancee in 2010 with the goal of bringing together the best of your physical and digital worlds," said a message at the San Francisco startup's website. "We wanted to make it easy to discover the hidden connections around you, and to meet interesting people," Glancee added. "We are therefore very excited to announce that Facebook has acquired Glancee and that we have joined the team in Menlo Park to build great products for over 900 million Facebook users." The Glancee application was removed from Apple's online App Store over the weekend after Facebook revealed the … [Read more...] about Facebook buys mobile discovery startup Glancee
Startups in Vietnam are only micro-innovations
Startups in Vietnam are only micro-innovations Rebecca Fannin is the author of “Startup Asia”, a book published worldwide in October. The Saigon Times Daily spoke with Fannin about Vietnamese startups she interviewed while she was writing the book. Excerpts: The Saigon Times Daily: Your research for “Startup Asia” brought you also to Vietnam, besides China, India and other Asian countries. And you’ve found Socbay. What can you say about this search engine? - Rebecca Fannin: Socbay is a Vietnamese, mobile version of Google. It is the market leader in mobile search market in Vietnam. It is quite an amazing success story from Vietnam. They even turned down an offer from Google to buy the company a few years ago. How about other startups you’ve met in Vietnam such as VNG, Vinabooks and Tamtay? - They are young startups in Vietnam, and many of them are copies of Western models or Chinese models. Can you go into details about the cloning? They are all … [Read more...] about Startups in Vietnam are only micro-innovations