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Posts Tagged ‘nike’

Facebook Gives Harman His Name Back, Apologizes

An update to our post last night – Facebook Snatches User’s Vanity URL And Sells It To Harman International. Facebook says they’ll be giving Harman Bajwa his /harman vanity URL back shortly:

Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Mike. We made a mistake in this instance and are in the process of returning the username to Mr. Bajwa. To be clear, the move was not driven by monetary reasons, rather trademark protection. We strive to protect trademarks from ’squatters’ — those who try to take protected term with no legitimate claim. The message Harman received was along those lines, but clearly not applicable. Once we understood the nature of our error, we moved quickly to resolve it. We want to apologize to Mr. Bajwa for being overzealous in our efforts and regret the disruption to his account.

Here are the Facebook guidelines on trademark squatting. Which is fine for Nike or coca-cola, but definitely a grey area for trademarks that are also legitimately in use as people’s names. I’d pay to see the emails that must have been flying around Facebook this morning. But they did the right thing here, and that’s all that matters.

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University of Oregon shows off engraved MacBook Pros

Filed under: Hardware, Apple, Macbook Pro

I’ve always been jealous of the folks who get free laptops from their work or school (back when I was in school, I used a paper notebook and a pen and liked it!), but I’m especially jealous of the folks from the University of Oregon’s Center for Student Athletes, who not only get some sweet MacBook Pros to use courtesy of Apple and Nike, but have each one laser engraved with the school’s symbolic O.

The engraving isn’t just aesthetic; it’s useful, too. In addition to the school branding, each laptop has a specific number engraved on the bottom of it, which helps prevent theft and helps the school track down wayward laptops. Cult of Mac has a great little interview with the engraver, with some fun insider info about how this is all done (he’s even engraved fingernails, which sounds a little gross). We’ve seen some cool engraving projects before, but I like this one; functional and good-looking.

TUAWUniversity of Oregon shows off engraved MacBook Pros originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 23 Jan 2010 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Get Satisfaction Raises $2.3 Million In Ongoing Funding Round

Startup Get Satisfaction has raised $2.3 million in funding according to an SEC filing. It appears that the startup is looking to raise a total of $3.5 million in the round. The company previously raised $2.5 million in funding.

Get Satisfaction makes a network of customer support forums where customers can post their own questions, ideas, problems, or conversations about a product. Companies can also claim their board and put their own employees on to moderate the boards. Zappos, Mint.com and Nike have all created customer support communities on the site. Currently there are over 25,000 communities that have been created on the Get Satisfaction platform.

The startup has also incorporated social media into its platform, incorporating Twitter into forums. A year ago, the startuo brought on a new CEO, Wendy Lea, to help the company expand its forums to a greater audience. And it looks like Lea is doing her job well; the startup was just invited to the White House to discuss government customer service practices.

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

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Pedal Brain’s Gadget Turns Your iPhone Into A Powerful Cycling Computer

For years, runners have been able to take advantage of Nike+, a nifty accessory that lets your iPod communicate with your shoes to turn it into a personal running coach of sorts. Soon, cyclists will have access to a tool that’s in the same vein as Nike+, but far more powerful. It’s called Pedal Brain, and it allows your iPhone or iPod Touch to receive and interpret data from a variety of exercise devices that use the ANT+ wireless protocol. ANT+ is used by cyclists (including many professionals) to accurately measure and analyze their performance over a ride, but until now there hasn’t been a way to connect these devices to your iPhone.

That’s where Pedal Brain comes in. The bootstrapped startup is making a small device called the Pedal Brain Synapse that plugs into your iPhone or iPod Touch and allows them to receive this data, which is then interpreted by an iPhone app. The application shows you how you’re performing in real-time (you’ll want to mount your iPhone in plain view) and can also use GPS to show the position of your team members. Once you’ve completed your ride, you’ll be able to log on to the Pedal Brain site to get more detailed analysis. The site will also have an integrated platform for coaches, so you sign up to get your own trainer to help plot your future rides and track your progress.

Pedal Brain founder Matt Bauer acknowledges that there are a handful of other cycling applications available for the iPhone, like Map My Ride, but says that these only offer basic data. That’s because they rely on your phone’s GPS for data, which can help gauge the distance you’ve travelled but can’t measure many of the things that ANT+ devices can. Bauer explains that power (in Watts) is a common metric used to gauge your progress, and can’t be accurately determined using GPS alone.

Pedal Brain’s iPhone/iPod accessory, which has already been approved by Apple, will be available through local bike shops this spring. The company is targeting a March release date and plans to sell the device for between $130 and $190. The online service will be subscription based, though users will be able to get a limited version for free (you won’t be able to track your data for longer than a couple weeks).

Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

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Forget the Web 2.0 Glamour – the Money’s in the Enterprise

The Web 2.0 world may seem at times like a glamorous, hip place. Services get wild attention. The names are something out of the space age. The companies work out of coffee shops and lofts.

But the money has a way of running out before the entrepreneur can find a way to make a profit. No wonder the enterprise world can look so enticing to a Web 2.0 company.

So, we thought it might provide some perspective by looking at companies that are showing signs of reaching into the business market or have made the big switch.

Sponsor

Posterous is a stylish miroblogging service that has gained attention for its ease of use, especially the simplicity in it as a publishing tool. We corresponded with the company today and were told that it will launch a “Posterous for Business,” service.

The news follows an update to Posterous that allows multiple users to create group blogs that allow users to post to a group page on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks. A company logo may be placed in the Posterous blog with a description. That’s a big deal. Facebook group pages are becoming important for business users. It can be a bit clumsy trying to update to group pages from outside Facebook.
This is an important development for the microbogging service, pointing to its entrance into the business market.

Box.net started as a consumer service for people to store online files. In 2007, the company turned to the enterprise and has not looked back. In February, the company launched a new interface. Today, their client roster includes companies such as Nike, Oracle and Marriott. Its direction is pretty clear. The enterprise is where box.net sees its future.

Xobni launched in January of 2008. The company billed itself as a social network for your inbox. Cool service. Today, Xobni places a good bit of its attention on the enterprise market.

Xobni offers a service that allows administrators to provide Xobni for employees. It can be customized and has features to make it regulatory compliant. Control features are built into the service. In November, the company announced its integration with Salesforce.com. Xobni’s future looks more and more like an enterprise play.

No Going Back

There is no looking back once Web 2.0 companies switch to a business focus. The business market is so entirely different than the consumer world. Free services can remain intact but once the move happens, it’s rare to find a small company that can manage to dive deep into the enterprise while maintaining its focus on the Web 2.0 world. Some have been able to do it. Wordpress is an example of a company that has had success with both consumers and the enterprise. Perhaps that will be the case with Posterous, too.

Discuss

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Switched On: Where the Withings are

There is a sleek new Wi-Fi tablet on the market that is only 0.9 inches thick, gets months of battery life from four AAA batteries and is so durable that its manufacturer encourages users to regularly step on it. After all, it’s a scale — the Withings WiFi Body Scale.

The market for Internet-connected fitness gadgets has come a long way since 2000, when SportBrain introduced a pedometer that used a modem-equipped docking base to upload physical activity records. The past few years have seen products for fitness enthusiasts such as the Garmin’s ForeRunner watches and the Nike+ system for iPod, but they are now migrating to more casual personal data nerds. Recent tech products like the Fitbit (a modern-day reworking of the SportBrain) can measure your activity throughout the day and night and the Neo Personal Sleep Coach can provide detailed reports on your sleep patterns. But all these products digitally measure efforts at healthier living — few have digitally measured results.

Continue reading Switched On: Where the Withings are

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Switched On: Where the Withings are originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple quietly updates the 5th Generation iPod nano to 1.0.2

Filed under: Audio, Software Update, iPod nano

• Fixed audiobook playbook setting so Normal, Slower, Faster, works for audio podcasts
• Resolved issue where Genius Mixes did not work when using the Nike+ Sport Kit
• Accessibility setting for Mono Audio in now working
• Fixed bug so VoiceOver menu items are no longer skipped when using headphone + and – volume buttons to navigate

As always, you can download this update by clicking on the “Check for Update” button in iTunes when you connect your iPod nano to your computer.

TUAWApple quietly updates the 5th Generation iPod nano to 1.0.2 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone and Exercise: What apps do you like?

Filed under: iPhone, iPod touch

For the most part, I’ve been disappointed with iPhone fitness applications. I’m not talking about Nike+ but rather the third party apps found in the Health & Fitness section of the App Store.

Apps that track your routes tend to be battery-killers (not really their fault, more due to the way the SDK insists they work). The ones that create exercise playlists depend on time-exhausting Mac-based solutions that have to analyze your iTunes tracks for their beats-per-minutes, creating a heavy investment with a minimal payoff. Genius on the iPhone does a decent job, without that time commitment.

I don’t quite get the food and exercise logging apps — I find that it’s simpler to do all that on my primary Mac, using a physical notebook (you know: paper, pen, old tech) when I’m on the go. As for the stretching and exercise guides, I find them awkward. I’d rather use a DVD or a Wii-based game (I adore Gold Gym’s Cardio Boxing, for example) where I don’t have to keep referring to a 4-inch screen all the time and the sound is clear, and the instructions are easier to follow.

So what am I missing here? What are the really good iPhone-based fitness apps? I feel like all the ones I’ve tried just keep missing the point: to make exercise better or funner([TM] Apple). Yes, they make exercise more portable, but do they provide a better win over Nike+, a bike computer or a garmin?

Please do chime in in the comments. Let me know what iPhone Apps I have been missing, and which ones will improve my exercise experience, whether in the home or on the jogging path. Surely, there have to be some winners out there, and I’d love to hear about which apps are working for you, and why.

TUAWiPhone and Exercise: What apps do you like? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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