Category: Tech news

TechStars Boston alum Kinvey, a backend-as-a-service provider for web and mobile applications, is today announcing support for Facebook’s Open Graph in the iOS and Android applications built on its platform. The additional feature will allow development shops of all sizes to take advantage of the real-time sharing mechanism on Facebook, often proven to have direct impact on a mobile app’s virality and subsequent success.

Kinvey, faces a number of backend-as-a-service (BaaS) providers, including Parse,  Stackmob, FatFractal and Applicasa, to name a few. However, of that group, only it and Parse have significant amounts of outside funding at this point. Parse is backed by $5.5 million in Series A funding from Ignition Partners, which also invested in Heroku’s Series B before the Salesforce acquisition. Kinvey, meanwhile is backed by Atlas, SK and Avalon.

If there’s a battle among these BaaS providers, Kinvey’s Open Graph support is an interesting addition, in terms of competitive advantage. However, it’s not the only one with this feature. Applicasa also offers Open Graph integration, but the company is more targeted towards game developers. Neither StackMob, Parse, nor FatFractal offer full Open Graph support today, though.

Kinvey co-founder and CEO Sravish Sridhar explains that, right now, Open Graph essentially only applies to web apps. “Native mobile apps – unless they have a web backend (like Spotify, Instagram, RunKeeper) – cannot integrate with Open Graph, because Facebook needs to read data in a web database to then publish to members’ timelines,” he says. “Since most app developers lack the time and resources to build and operate a web backend, they are effectively blocked from Open Graph.”

Open Graph integrations currently require that apps serve their data into Facebook’s Open Graph web endpoints, Sridhar says. “This backend dependency breaks down with native iOS and Android apps where the primary form of access and experience is solely on a mobile device with no web accessible backend, thus creating a significant crack in Facebook’s Open Graph strategy when it comes to mobile.”

With the new support in Kinvey, iOS and Android apps built on its platform can now publish to Open Graph because Kinvey is now storing the data for the apps in question, and then auto-generating the web end points that Open Graph needs in order to connect with apps, and get the information being fed. Kinvey apps can send images, videos, or other content type to Open Graph, and they can make API calls to publish, retrieve, or update that content, as well. Once published, Facebook users can also interact with the content through Open Graph action links.

The new feature isn’t available for an extra charge, but is rather built into Kinvey’s current pricing model. The company doesn’t charge baded on features, but rather on active users of an app. Sridhar says that the company chose this business model, because the company didn’t want developers worrying with how often they used a particular feature in their applications. He says there are “thousands” of developers on Kinvey today, but declined to provide specific numbers, only noting that the size of its install base helped the company gain the Open Graph support.

LiveU, a provider of video transmission technology that works over cellular and WiFi networks, and is used by media companies (including TechCrunch, but also the BBC and NBC) that need to record and transmit video on the go, has raised another $27 million in funding. This round was led by new investor Lightspeed Venture Partners, and also included participation from existing investors Canaan Partners, Carmel Ventures and Pitango Venture Capital. The total raised by LiveU since 2006 is $50 million.

The company says that funding will be used to build out its business into offering more solutions, growing beyond its roots in hardware, which have up to now been typified by its LU70 product, a 3G/4G LTE backpack that hooks up to a video camera and lets a producer transmit high-quality video streams in real time. Those solutions compete against satellite-based solutions that are often more costly to implement, and it looks like the next generation of LiveU’s products will be even more disruptive to the old guard. They include laptop and mobile apps that let users manage multiple feeds from LiveU units in different locations.

LiveU notes that its technology has notably been used by top-tier broacasters like NBC and the BBC, and that its units were used widely during the U.S. Presidential campaign and events like Hurricane Sandy and the London Olympics. In total, its tech has been implemented in more than 60 countries over 4G LTE/3G, HSPA+, WiMAX and Wi-Fi cellular networks — using whatever network is available at the best level of quality.

The growth of online video content has had a knock-on effect for those companies that develop products to enable it. Samuel Wasserman, LiveU’s CEO, says in the news release that it has been witnessing year-on-year growth in a market with “fast-growing demand for cellular-based live video transmission” both among traditional broadcasters and online outlets.

“As we move from being a product-based to solutions-based company, this substantial investment will enable us to expand our mobile offerings, continue our technological innovation and extend our geographical presence,” he said. That will see the company looking to offer more managed services — and itself receive a more regular revenue stream as a result — on top of its hardware offerings.

LiveU’s last investment prior to this was $11 million raised in 2010.

We did it Chicago. Thanks to you, we had a great meetup to close out our northern meetups series last week. People made the trek out to the Zhou B gallery on Chicago’s south side for a night of networking, complete with an impromptu pitch battle.

As with other cities on the tour, we spent one day meeting with local area businesses and entrepreneurs at office hours, and then the next at the big event itself. In general, I think we saw a lot more very early stage (read: idea phase) projects come across our temporary desks than in previous cities, and we seemed to attract entrepreneurs from farther afield, with people making the trek in from Iowa and Arkansas, for example, to show off their projects.

You might expect Chicago’s startup scene to resemble New York’s, and it did in that many businesses getting started there seem to place a priority on building sustainable revenue models early, unlike west coast startups that repeatedly seem to talk about building user numbers fast and worry about money coming in later.

Chicago’s startup community was no less enthusiastic than we’ve seen elsewhere, however, and that was obvious during the heated pitch battle. All in all, it was a fitting end to a great trip introduced us to a lot of smart, innovative companies we might not have come across otherwise. Thanks again, Chicago.

All change in tech media! Ziff Davis, best known for PCMag.com, ComputerShopper, ExtremeTech, Toolbox.com and Geek.com, has been acquired by j2 Global, Inc. a provider of business cloud services. According to the announcement the purchase price was approximately $167 million in cash. But don’t cry for j2 – it still has over $300 million in cash and investments. Hemi Zucker, j2’s chief executive officer said the acquisition was driven partly because j2 has a lot of “experience and significant interest in the digital media and online marketing space” as a media buyer and seller. So this is clearly an advertising aggregation play.

As a result of this transaction, j2 anticipates that its revenues for 2012 will exceed the top end of its previous estimate of between $345 million and $365 million. In addition, j2 reaffirms that its 2012 non-GAAP earnings per diluted share will exceed that of 2011. j2 Global says the transaction will contribute about $60 million to its 2013 revenues.

Founded in 1995, j2 provides cloud services to individuals and businesses globally in 49 countries offering cloud services like IP phone services, email marketing, backup, and CRM solutions. Brands it holds that you might recognise tend to be venerable (but clearly profitable) ones of yore such as eFax, Onebox, eVoice, FuseMail and KeepITsafe.

The existence of Samsung’s Verizon-bound Ativ Odyssey smartphone was one of the bigger surprises at Microsoft’s recent Windows Phone 8 launch event — it was the only handset highlighted that hadn’t already been revealed — but no one was willing to talk details at the time.

That’s unfortunately still the case now, but thanks to a newly-released photo from @EvLeaks, we at least know what the damn thing looks like.

Bad news, design nuts: any of you expecting the Odyssey (a.k.a the SCH-i930) to be as sleek or as stylish as the Galaxy S III or Ativ S will probably come away disappointed with the final product. The device naturally retains some of the design language used in its more handsome cousins (especially the striated finish on its back plate), but the Odyssey seems to be a rounder, chunkier affair. Personally, I get a distinctly mid-range vibe from this thing, but it’s tough to see where it fits into Verizon’s current line-up of Windows Phones considering the dearth of details on the Odyssey right now.

That’s not to say there’s absolutely no information on the device floating around out there — if a product document that Samsung submitted in the midst of its legal battle against Apple holds true, the Odyssey may end up sporting a 4.65 Super AMOLED HD display, an 8-megapixel rear camera, and a Snapdragon MSM8960 chipset. That would essentially make the LTE-friendly Windows Phone a slightly smaller version of the Ativ S, but we’ll soon see how accurate that is — the Ativ Odyssey is slated for a stateside launch sometime in December.

Online sports betting exchange Betfair has confirmed its UK MD, Peter Marcus, is leaving the company. Marcus, who was hired just over a year ago, oversees its UK-facing business including the Sports Exchange, Poker and Casino products — which account for around half of Betfair’s total revenues. We’ve contacted Betfair for a statement and will update with any response.

CEO Breon Corcoran, who took up the reins this August, is reportedly undertaking a strategic review of Betfair’s global operations, according to various gambling trade publications – although the company would not confirm any restructuring when contacted today for comment. GamblingKingz quotes analyst Morgan Stanley’s view that “new management is making ongoing changes to the geographic profile of the business”.

Last week Betfair announced it was pulling its exchange from Germany because of a higher tax rate of five percent on sports betting stakes. The FT reported the company’s statement that the new tax rate would make its exchange model “unviable”. It also recently emerged Betfair would be reducing headcount in “selected regional operations” — namely the Nordics, Asia and Eastern Europe.

The company is due to announce interim results on December 13 — so expect Corcoran to put a bit more meat on the bones of his grand (or not-so-grand) plan next month.

Since Betfair’s 2010 IPO, we haven’t written much about the UK-based peer-to-peer betting exchange — largely because, despite some attempts to expand (legal) betting activity in the US, the hoped for broader regulatory reprieve has failed to materialise.

Betfair has also been through the mill in recent years. It shed around half its value within months of its 2010 flotation on the London Stock Exchange — leading to a plan to buy back £50 million in shares. Then-CEO David Yu also decided he would not renew his contract. Yu was eventually replaced by Corcoran.

Today the company’s shares are trading at just over half the value of the £13 per share IPO offer price.

When it comes to financing small businesses, loans remain an important option. Biz2Credit simplifies the process greatly by removing the need to contact different institutions. With the new iPad app, companies can even get a credit score from Dun & Bradstreet in minutes. By partnering with 1,100 lenders, companies can get a clear view of their options and secure capital easily. So far, Biz2Credit has provided $750 million in loans.

Biz2Credit is all about providing a centralized interface to handle everything when it comes to business loans — evaluate your credit rating, explore options and get business loans. The company has applied big data principles for risk analysis of business loans.

With that amount of data, Biz2Credit attracts important institutions as well to get insights. According to the company, the White House President’s Council, the Federal Reserve and the FDA all turn to Biz2Credit to evaluate the current state of business loans.

Biz2Credit has released the BizAnalyzer app on Android and iOS. It allows you to get a credit score from Dun & Bradstreet, directly from your home. Today, the company has updated the iPad app. With that second version, BizAnalyzer can pull data from more sources, including the Internal Revenue Service, and put it all together in one place. The app gives an instant snapshot of your financials and indicates the chance of receiving funding.

Many different types of loans are available. But the typical startup loan ranges from 15 to 25 years. As long as you make less than $2 million a year and get approved, you will probably have more interesting terms than traditional loans from your existing business bank.

Thousands of applications are received every month. While it was founded in 2007, over the past 14 months, the amount of deals completed has greatly increased from $400 million to $750 million. It’s no surprise given the targeted market, companies that don’t receive VC money. In other words, the vast majority of the private sector.

Click to view slideshow.

If you haven’t seen Apple’s adorable Heart and Soul iPad mini ad, you’ve probably been living under a rock. But chances are you haven’t seen the last two ads, highlighting iPhoto and iBooks.

Interestingly enough, both ads feature the iPad mini and its big brother iPad, just like the Heart and Soul ad.

On the one hand, it makes sense that the company would want to show the difference in shape and size, emphasizing the iPad mini’s large screen packed into a tiny form factor. Plus, the team act went over quite well on stage at the unveiling, and it allows Apple to advertise two products in one ad.

On the other hand, I’d assume that many iPad owners won’t shell out a ton of money for the same thing in a smaller package. The iPad mini is aimed toward that new demographic who always believed the iPad was too big, or slightly too expensive.

The iBooks ad plays on the same “heart and soul” theme, showing books that have similar but different titles, like Moby Dick and Gone Fishing. Like the iPad and iPad mini, similar but different.

The iPhoto ad also plays on that team act, showing photos continuing from iPad to iPad mini. It’s cute, but it sort of begs the question why not build that out as an actual feature.

In any case, here are your latest iPad mini ads:

iBooks:

iPhoto:

Lots of people today already use eBay and its ticketing site StubHub for ticket event purchases and trades; today eBay extended and further formalized that role, with a new global partnership with AEG, the sports and entertainment venue giant, to provide ticketing, merchandise sales, and sponsorship for AEG events across eBay and its StubHub and PayPal subsidiaries. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed but we are asking and will update as we learn more.

The companies are describing the deal as a multi-year, multi-platform partnership. It will help eBay continue to raise its profile as a payment platform and further associate it in people’s minds with entertainment services outside of its core, original business of online auctions as the company continues to try to diversify itself.

“Technology is revolutionizing commerce, and eBay Inc. is working with leading companies around the world to use our platforms to bring innovative new experiences to consumers,” said Devin Wenig, president of eBay marketplaces, in a statement. “Integrating our technology platforms with AEG is a natural fit for eBay Inc., and allows our companies to give fans nearly unprecedented access to the events, performers and athletes they love.”

The companies say the partnership will kick off in Q1 2013 with a StubHub integration: the eBay division will be the exclusive secondary ticketing partner for AEG venues and AEG’s own online ticket sales service AXS Ticketing. This will be done by way of special barcodes on the tickets that will let people pass tickets back to StubHub for resale and also to let users transfer them from one person to another without risk of fraud or duplication. For now there doesn’t appear to be a device partner of any kind announced in connection with this but you can easily see how this might work, for example, with Apple’s Passbook.

At the same time, StubHub is taking on a sponsorship role at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, as well as the LA Kings (NHL) and the LA Galaxy (which are partly owned by AEG), by becoming the secondary ticketing partner for all three. Ebay and AEG say that European venues will be added to the list as part of StubHub’s strategy to pick up more traction outside the U.S.

PayPal, meanwhile, is getting added as an official payment method for AXS Ticketing in the U.S. and UK. And AEG’s merchandising company, BandMerch, will start selling its products — covering some 135 music acts — on eBay. The companies say more integrations will be announced in due course.

While this deal is a good move for eBay in its attempt to raise its game outside outside of ecommerce and auctions; it’s also an interesting sign of AEG trying to flex more of its tech muscle, and try to develop revenue streams outside of its very brick-and-mortar based business of live events. Merchandizing and ticketing are the two most obvious areas for the company to expand online, although you can imagine AEG also making further moves into live streaming or selling downloads of the events themselves as well — services that it only seems to provide as a B2B option at the moment.

AEG, of course, has partnered with a number of other tech brands mainly in the form of venue sponships, from the Nokia Center in LA to the O2 venues in London. The latter sees O2 also offering perks to mobile subscribers to visit the venues, such as early ticket purchases.

eBay Inc. and AEG Announce Industry-Leading Global Partnership Across Multiple Platforms
eBay Companies, Including StubHub & PayPal, to Align with AEG Platforms;
Through Official Partnership with AEG’s AXS Ticketing, StubHub to Become
Official Fan-to-Fan Ticket Marketplace for AEG Venues Worldwide,
LA Kings, LA Galaxy Sports Franchises and Other Properties

SAN JOSE and LOS ANGELES (November 12, 2012) – eBay Inc. and AEG announced that they have signed an unprecedented global partnership to facilitate multiple venue sponsorships and technology integrations, designed to create a constantly evolving showcase of world-class digital technologies for the live event experience for fans across the world. A variety of eBay companies and initiatives will be included in elements of the multi-year partnership.

Beginning Q1 2013, StubHub will become the exclusive secondary ticketing solution for AEG venues and AXS Ticketing, the innovative ticketing platform launched by AEG in 2011. StubHub will also serve as the Official Secondary Partner of STAPLES Center, the 2012 Stanley Cup Champion LA Kings (NHL) and the LA Galaxy starting with the 2013-14 seasons for each franchise. Globally, the deal will look to integrate with a number of major venues across Europe as StubHub continues to expand internationally. Global commerce leader, PayPal, will become one of AXS Ticketing’s new methods of payment, providing to their fans in the United States and United Kingdom access to tens of thousands of events on any given day. AEG’s industry leading music merchandise company, BandMerch, will also begin to extend its rosters of over 135 artists to the eBay Marketplace. As the multi-year partnership continues, further integrations will take place between eBay Inc.’s portfolio of businesses and AEG’s collection of assets, which includes more than 100 of the world’s preeminent facilities.

“Technology is revolutionizing commerce, and eBay Inc. is working with leading companies around the world to use our platforms to bring innovative new experiences to consumers,” said Devin Wenig, president of eBay marketplaces. “Integrating our technology platforms with AEG is a natural fit for eBay Inc., and allows our companies to give fans nearly unprecedented access to the events, performers and athletes they love.”

”eBay is one of the most complete and well-rounded ecommerce and technology companies in the world and pairing our combined capabilities and global reach is an exciting opportunity” said Tim Leiweke, president and CEO, AEG. “This partnership will help bring even deeper digital resources and online marketing reach to the AXS Ticketing platform and will allow us to continue to transform the live event fan experience.”

As the exclusive secondary ticketing partner for AEG’s ticketing platform AXS Ticketing, StubHub will provide a barcode cancel/re-issue solution for the seamless transfer of tickets between buyers and sellers. Additionally, StubHub will become the Official Fan-to-Fan Ticket Marketplace for more than 30 AEG facilities worldwide, including such iconic venues as STAPLES Center (Los Angeles), Sprint Center (Kansas City, MO), BBVA Compass Stadium (Houston), The Warfield (San Francisco), Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE and Best Buy Theater (Times Square), as well as additional AEG venues throughout the world, which will be announced at a future date.

With activation beginning in January 2013, StubHub will be designated as one of 11 “Founding Partners” of STAPLES Center, receiving a variety of customized signage and activation components including prominent interior and outdoor marquee signage, in- game/event branding elements and enhanced online presence. It will also create the ability to offer StubHub Fan Rewards members with opportunities to experience the venue in a whole new way – with seat upgrades, behind-the-scenes tours and access to exclusive VIP hospitality opportunities such as STAPLES Center’s Hyde Lounge and Lexus Club. The agreement also provides StubHub with additional marketing assets at L.A. LIVE as well as opportunities with the LA Kings.

AEG’s industry leading music merchandise company, BandMerch, will begin to extend its online storefronts to the eBay marketplace, bringing seamless payment options and integrated access to eBay’s tens of millions of customers to its roster of 135 world-class bands and performers.

The companies will collectively explore additional, future opportunities for innovative solutions to better serve fans for their entertainment needs.

About eBay Inc.
Founded in 1995 in San Jose, Calif., eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) is a global commerce platform and payments leader connecting millions of buyers and sellers. We do so through eBay, the world’s largest online marketplace, which allows users to buy and sell in nearly every country on earth; through PayPal, which enables individuals and businesses to securely, easily and quickly send and receive digital payments; and through GSI, which facilitates ecommerce, multichannel retailing and digital marketing for global enterprises. X.commerce brings together the technology assets and developer communities
of eBay, PayPal and Magento, an ecommerce platform, to support eBay Inc.’s mission of enabling commerce. We also reach millions through specialized marketplaces such as StubHub, the world’s largest ticket marketplace, and eBay classifieds sites, which together have a presence in more than 1,000 cities around the world. For more information about the company and its global portfolio of online brands, visit www.ebayinc.com

About AEG
AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, owns or is affiliated with a collection of companies including over 100 of the world’s preeminent facilities such as STAPLES Center (Los Angeles, CA), The Home Depot Center (Carson, CA), Best Buy Theater (Times Square, New York), Sprint Center, (Kansas City), Rose Garden Arena (Portland, OR), Target Center (Minneapolis, MN), Mercedes-Benz Arena (Shanghai, China),
MasterCard Center (Beijing, China), O2 World Hamburg, Allphones Arena (Sydney, Australia), Ericsson Globe arena (Stockholm, Sweden), O2 World arena (Berlin, Germany) and The O2 arena and entertainment district (London, England) which are all part of the portfolio of AEG Facilities. Developed by AEG, L.A. LIVE is a 4 million square foot / $2.5 billion downtown Los Angeles sports, residential & entertainment district featuring Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE and Club Nokia, a 54-story, 1001-room convention “headquarters” destination along with entertainment, restaurant and office space that “officially” opened in 2010. In addition to overseeing privately held management shares of the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA), assets of AEG Sports include franchises and properties such as the Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings (NHL), MLS Cup Champion Los Angeles Galaxy two hockey franchises in Europe, the Amgen Tour of California cycling race and Zazzle Bay to Breakers foot race. AEG Live, the company’s live-entertainment division, is the world’s second largest concert promotion and touring company and is comprised of touring, festival, exhibition, broadcast, merchandise and special event divisions with fifteen regional offices. AEG Global Partnerships, a division responsible for worldwide sales and servicing of sponsorships naming rights and other strategic partnerships and AEG Merchandising, a multi-faceted merchandising company are also core business units of AEG. In 2010, AEG launched its AEG 1EARTH environmental program with the announcement of 2020 environmental goals and the release of the industry’s first sustainability report while in 2011, AEG introduced axs Ticketing, the first phase of its new entertainment platform serving as the company’s primary consumer brand which will also feature a mobile service as well as a video content service now in development. For additional information, visit www.aegworldwide.com.

Cursive may be going the way of the Dodo bird and newspapers: Kansas is mulling a decision to cut cursive education and prioritize typing skills. “Parents want to know what your school is doing to teach kids to be prepared for the world of technology,” said Bob Voboril, superintendent of schools for the Wichita Catholic Diocese. “That’s a higher priority for parents than what we would call the penmanship arts.”

On Tuesday, the Kansas State Board of Education will consider what role — if any — cursive will have in elementary education and collect survey responses from the districts. The Wichita Eagle reports that cursive lessons have declined in the city, but isn’t sure how seriously board members are taking the decision to completely erase it  from the curriculum (pun intended).

“We’ve got to be able to communicate with each other in written form,” said Wichita education board member, Walt Chappell. “Technology is great, but it doesn’t always work. There are all kinds of situations where you have to know how to write longhand.”

A new national curriculum, the Common Core, which has been adopted by 46 states, contains no formal requirement for cursive instruction. The trend has some experts worried, as a series of recent studies finds that handwriting enhances brain development. Indiana University researchers found, for instance, that children who printed letters in a four-week study, rather than saying them, showed brain activity more similar to adults. “For children, handwriting is extremely important. Not how well they do it, but that they do it and practice it,” said Indiana University Professor Karin Harman James. “Typing does not do the same thing.”

Whatever its value, as electronics become ubiquitous, cursive may find itself edged out of existence by sheer inconvenience.

Now I’m not in the business of completely fabricating conspiracy theories to see if fringe groups will take the bait, but I will insinuate a cause for concern: The Constitution is written in cursive, and some could call this a move by the liberal education establishment to make America’s founding document unreadable to the next generation through, ironically, a national curricular standard. I could make that argument, but I won’t.

Some buyers of Apple’s 4th generation iPad with LTE are receiving notices (via 9t05Mac and MacRumors) that their shipments will arrive by November 16, otherwise known as this coming Friday. The latest iPad had originally been announced with an anticipated shipping date of mid-November, which would mean Apple is making good on its promises with shipping coming soon.

The ship times for Apple’s latest iPad with cellular connectivity recently jumped to 7 business days in the U.S. store, which could be an indication that those models didn’t make up the bulk of the 3 million iPad pre-orders (both mini and standard sizes) that Apple crowed about following its launch weekend of both devices. The LTE-capable iPad mini is still listed at 2 weeks anticipated shipping time in the U.S. store, but the longer lead times could just be a result of a more mature supply chain already existing for its larger sibling, which inherits a lot of similarities from its predecessor terms of components or assembly. Anticipated delivery dates for the iPad mini with LTE remain a bit further out, according to recent reports.

An earlier report also pegged the in-store selling day of the iPad mini and 4th generation iPad with LTE at November 16, at least at AT&T locations in the U.S. Apple’s non-LTE iPads and iPad mini models have been available for purchase in-store since November 2, although certain SKUs continue to remain scarce.

The 16GB Wi-Fi-only iPad mini has been the strongest seller to date, according to a recent survey by Topeka analyst Brian White of retail stock levels, with the 32 GB black version coming in second. It’ll be interesting to see if buyers continue to opt for lower capacity versions when the cellular-capable versions hit stores, and how the added value of LTE sways buying decisions.

Photo courtesy of Aston Martin

James Bond is nothing if not consistent — shot, drowned, pushed out of an airplane with no parachute, he always comes back. And he’s always wearing an impeccable tux. That’s what makes an icon. And that rule to consistently deliver the goods — and to look good doing it — is one followed not only by Mr. Bond, but also by one of his favorite automakers.

Aston Martin has remained consistent for most of its 99-year history, producing sharply designed, poshly appointed and distinctly British sports cars for the luxury market. The company has stuck to the formula with its new range-topping Vanquish.

But consistency can be a double-edged sword. Just as you can throw out a Bond film title and your average Joe may struggle to tell you which actor portrayed 007 in that particular flick, show anyone (aside from Aston enthusiasts) a contemporary Aston Martin and they won’t be able to tell you whether it’s a Vantage, Virage, or DBS. That holds true for the new Vanquish — it’s essentially the same tuxedo with some new bits underneath.

It is a damn good-looking thing though, building subtly on the shape of the Vanquish that debuted in 2001. While similarly sized, the new Vanquish looks leaner, its lines sharper and more tapered amidships. It also borrows cues from Aston’s recent One-77 supercar (out of production after just 77 were built) including the tighter waistline, elongated side strakes, and LED light blade rear clusters. There are hints of carbon fiber, too, visible on the front splitter, side skirts, door mirrors and rear diffuser.

Every body panel on the new Vanquish is constructed from carbon fiber, a choice Aston made because of its high strength-to-weight ratio and reduction in mass (though Ferrari would disagree). Fewer individual body panels are required and the panel gap on the C-pillar joint is no longer present. A new rear Aero Duct (fancy spoiler) is fashioned via an innovative method of laying-up carbon fiber.

Because Aston does bespoke like Chevy does floor mats, there will likely be a completely naked carbon-fiber Vanquish available. (Aston already has a “cutaway” Vanquish display model in exposed carbon.)

Photo courtesy of Aston Martin

Beneath the carbon cloak sits an evolution of Aston’s decade-old VH platform. Aston insists VH — “vertical horizontal” — is a methodology rather than an architecture, so we’ll just call it the re-engineered DBS chassis. The lightweight bonded aluminum structure incorporates a tub with carbon-fiber components. Compared to the outgoing DBS, according to Aston, the weight is down, 75 percent of the parts are new, and rigidity is up 25 percent.

The engine is a considerably re-engineered 6.0-liter V12 (Bond requires 12 cylinders). The block has been revised, there are new heads with dual variable valve timing, an uprated fuel pump, enlarged throttle bodies and an improved “big wing” intake manifold, to cite a few changes. Peak power is 565 hp at 6,750 rpm, and peak torque is 457 pound-feet at 5,500 rpm. With a curb weight around 3,834 pounds, Aston reports the Vanquish can attain 60 mph in 4.0 seconds on the way to a 183 mph top speed.

It feels that fast, especially on the narrow “B” roads (about 1.5 lanes) of the English midlands where I drove it. These are some of the most gritty, undulating, curvy roads in the U.K., and Aston develops its cars on them. The Vanquish’s three-mode (Normal, Sport, Track) suspension handles them with aplomb, combining admirable compliance with excellent body control. The stiff chassis provides the foundation for front and rear double wishbones with coil springs and adjustable shocks. Cocktails all ’round for the Adaptive Damping System engineers who’ve done a bang-up job.

The steering is similarly well-sorted, giving little up to that of the new Porsche 911 I got into following the Vanquish launch. Aston’s rear-mid mounted, six-speed Touchtronic 2 automatic/sequential manual gearbox does the business well and more smoothly than competitors’ double-clutch transmissions. That said, it was flummoxed twice whilst puttering through quaint English villages.

The Vanquish isn’t really a track car, but it’s quite capable of outrunning the bad guys. Your fairer driving companions will approve of the fine-scented cockpit materials like Bridge of Weir Luxmil leather and Alcantara, all hand-stitched. Even the headliner looks tailored.

Photo courtesy of Aston Martin

If there’s one area where the Vanquish falls flat, it’s in ergonomics and infotainment. Familiar elements from the glass key/starter module to the gear-selection buttons remain, though the center stack is a bit different. The speedometer and tach dials are attractive but difficult to read, hence a new digital speedo display. Suspension mode and cruise control buttons on the steering wheel look like afterthoughts. Aston trumpets the center information screen’s haptic feedback, but it’s still too small and saddled by lackluster navigation and menu logic.

The standard Bang & Olufsen sound system wasn’t quite tuned up on the early production cars I drove. Aston says final adjustments on the audio system is ongoing. Tire noise on the funky roads was an unexpected issue. Space wasn’t, though, the Vanquish enjoying more occupant space than the DBS. Back seats are optional, but most suitable for those bound and gagged. Rear and rear three-quarter visibility isn’t great, but the exhaust note is.

The Vanquish breaks little new styling ground — but then, Daniel Craig could probably throw on Sean Connery’s old tuxedo and look just right. That’s a good thing. Class doesn’t go out of style, and neither will the Vanquish. Carbon fiber? That’s another question.

WIRED Sexy shape. Highly composed driving dynamics and near 600 horsepower. Hand-finished interior smells like Ralph Lauren’s saddle cabinet.

TIRED Occasional hitches in the auto-trans at low speed. Standard paddle-shifters should be longer. The optional squared-off steering wheel feels awkward when cruising. As nice as the shape is, there’s just something too familiar about it.

Photo courtesy of Aston Martin

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The war of the Windows 8 hybrids — all of which will seemingly be known as “Duo” — is finally heating up, and Sony’s taking its stand on the side of the slider.

Well, sort of a slider. Sony calls the Vaio Duo 11 a “Surf Slider,” where the screen pops up at a laptop-like angle, revealing a micro-sized keyboard underneath. (The screen angle isn’t adjustable.)

This design is the most notable aspect of the Duo, and it brings with it plenty of pros and cons to consider. First is the number of moving parts involved. Peeking behind the curtain reveals the Duo is festooned with all kinds of clips, springs, and hinges needed to make this operation work. Sadly, it is not particularly successful at that task. The screen never sits well against the backstop, causing the whole thing to rattle around when you move it. The fit just isn’t up to snuff, and I’m ultimately not convinced of the long-term viability of the design.

Performance is another problem area. Nothing amiss from the specs; the Duo 11 is equipped with the increasingly standard 1.7GHz Core i5 and 128GB SSD drive. Ports include VGA, SD/Memory Stick, Ethernet, HDMI, and two USB 3.0 ports. In an odd twist, Sony drops 6GB of RAM into the Duo instead of 4GB, but that doesn’t seem to help with app load times. The Duo performs fine on non-graphics tests, but I encountered serious lag with loading and installing apps, especially if I had to use a USB port to grab an install file. Even downloads from the Windows Store were agonizingly slow, and the Duo refused to download updates to any previously installed apps. (Sony was unable to offer any troubleshooting guidance on these issues; it’s ultimately unclear whether the difficulties lie with Sony or with Windows 8.)

On the plus side, the screen is a knockout: 11.6 inches with 1920 x 1080 resolution and plenty of brightness. It’s so detailed that using the Windows Desktop via touchscreen is difficult because the text and buttons are so much smaller than your fingertip. Sony figured this out early and supplies a stylus to save you considerable frustration. This helps immensely, but since there’s no built-in storage for the stylus, you’re on your own for safeguarding it.

Why not just use the keyboard, then? That’d be a swell option if it weren’t so incredibly tiny. Sony wedges six rows of keys into just 3.5 inches of vertical space, and there’s a surprisingly vast amount of emptiness between each key. The result is a true chiclet keyboard experience (albeit a backlit one), where touch typing is a bit of a challenge. Worse, however, is the pointing device. There’s no room left for a touchpad, so Sony uses a device that looks like a pointing stick but works like a trackpad, wedged in among the G, H, and B keys. You’ve likely seen similar pointing devices on some Blackberry handsets. And perhaps they account for one reason why Blackberry’s sales are plummeting.

The overall design is very Sony, with angular edges galore. It’s actually uncomfortable to hold for more than a few minutes, with sharp plastic and vent grilles literally digging into your hands at every turn. While it weighs just 2.8 pounds, it’s a major reason why the Duo feels “big.”

Sorry Sony, but this Duo’s a dud no matter which way you try to use it.

WIRED Restrained pricing for Sony. Performance is fine once you get apps going.

TIRED Slider feels rickety. Lots of general performance concerns. Screen auto-rotation takes forever to kick in. Keyboard is functionally useless. Sad battery life (3.5 hours). Uncommonly homely.

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

The first time I ran in these Brooks trail shoes, I launched myself over a rock within the first tenth of a mile. No fault of the shoes, just my own clumsiness. So after surveying my bodily damage, I shook it off and set out again.

Shortly, I wasn’t thinking about the onset of swelling, or the stiffness and bruising that would surely greet me later. All I could think about was how very good the Cascadias felt on my foot. Twelve miles and 1,800 feet of ascending later, my love for these shoes was still occupying more headspace than visions of ice packs waiting at home. Seriously, they’re that good.

Designed with input from ultramarathoner Scott Jurek, the Cascadia 7′s utilize a breathable, microfiber upper with an asymmetrical anatomical design and a curved lacing system. This design hugs your foot without feeling tight. They’re snug in a way that feels like the shoe was custom-made just for you. In my case, the curved lacing is an added bonus — it puts less pressure on the top of my foot, where I have bone spurs from years of running in shoes that do the opposite.

The cushioning system delivers just as much comfort to the bottom of the foot. There was a softness to every foot strike, and it lived up to Brooks’ claim that the liquid midsole and heel technology responds dynamically to the amount of force placed on the foot, dispersing it accordingly. Each step feels more stable, even on irregular terrain.

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

Even though there’s a thermoplastic rock plate in the sole, the Cascadias are more flexible than many other trail shoes I’ve tried. During multiple test runs, my foot felt like it was bending and flexing as naturally as it would in a road shoe, but without the undesirable twisting across the foot that happens when you wear road shoes on the trails.

When the Cascadias arrived, I was actually quite pleased with the look of them. The current trend is all about crazy neons, but these were more muted with a nice pop of accent color. They’re heavier than your average trail shoe — my women’s size 8.5 were a substantial 12 ounces — which is noticeable out of the box. But when you lace them up, the snug fit contributes to them feeling much lighter than the numbers would indicate.

These shoes are truly all about comfort and stability. I recommend them to everyone (men and women) who likes to run off-road. I don’t gush often, but just writing about the Cascadias makes me want to lace them up and head out one more time.

WIRED The asymmetrical anatomical design offers unsurpassed comfort. Fluid-filled cushioning in the heel and sole. Great flexibility, even with the EVA rockplate and the stiff plastic toe protector. You’ll get happy and excited to hit the trails just looking at them.

TIRED Toe box may be narrow for those with wider feet. Heavy, even for trail shoes.

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

Custom product company Zazzle just announced that it’s teaming up with Dodocase, the manufacturer behind what we’ve described as “one of TechCrunch’s favorite iPad cases.”

When I met with Zazzle’s co-founder and Chief Product Officer Jeff Beaver a few months ago, he told me that one of the company’s goals is to partner with local manufacturers. Zazzle is based in the Bay Area (Redwood City, to be precise), and it says that each case produced through this partnership will be “handcrafted in San Francisco.” The company is offering Dodocase iPad cases in the style of hardcover books and iPhone 5 wallets. As with any other product offered on Zazzle, you can customize the cases with your own images and text.

Zazzle writes:

The Dodo bird remains on the list of extinct animals but thanks to DODOcase, bookbinding continues to thrive. DODOcase has expanded and grown their San Francisco operation to include an in house print shop, bookbindery and woodshop. Combining DODOcases’ style and quality with Zazzle’s customization — now that’s something you can hold onto for years to come.

You can browse the selection of iPad cases here.