It’s no secret that the current ratings system most online app stores use is slightly broken. Users often use them to file bug reports and request new features, but that’s not exactly an efficient way to contact developers

Anyone who’s ever driven in a city can attest to the fact that it’s an utter pain in the rear to find somewhere to park.

Fotopedia , the company best known for it’s travel-focused iOS photo apps, launched its new ad model for the iPad today that will allow advertisers to buy highly targeted ads to its over 12 million users in more than 120 countries. The company, which recently updated many of its apps for the new iPad’s Retina display, says that it’s regularly seeing 10% click-through rates for the ads its featuring in its apps. Fotopedia launched and tested this new model with Flipboard , Jetsetter and National Geographic as its first advertisers.

Do local businesses really need another social media channel for reaching consumers? Well, here’s the thing: How many restaurants, bars, and other neighborhood businesses do you follow on Twitter?

Eventbrite has been on a roll lately, doubling the number of events and tickets sold in 2011. Part of that growth has come through increased international usage, but most users around the world can only access the service through the English-language Eventbrite.com site. Well, it’s changing that with localized sites throughout Europe, including the latest two markets, Germany and the Netherlands.

Open Garden was definitely one of the most interesting and ambitious startups to launch at TechCrunch Disrupt in New York last month. The service, which helps you share and crowdsource your mobile connectivity, was one of the Startup Battlefield finalists and even though it lost to Uberconference , the company got a lot of momentum out of its launch.

Podcast aggregator Stitcher has just added Stitcher Smart Station to their updated mobile app, effectively creating a recommendation engine for podcasts. The service scans 10,000 shows for content, style, and other factors and recommends podcasts that are similar to podcasts you already enjoy. On average, new users will discover five new podcasts they like in the first month.

Oh what a night. The TechCrunch Mini Meetup in Philadelphia has officially come to a close, but it will surely live on in our hearts and minds. (At least for those of us who were sober enough to still remember it.) We had some appearances from NextDocs , TheWhoot and SnipSnap, a former Disrupt battlefield company .

Facebook and Yahoo are looking to settle two patent-infringement suits between the companies, according to a court filing from Yahoo. Yahoo’s lawyers confirmed that the company is in negotiations with the social network and they requested the court grant them a two-week extension to file replies to the lawsuit and a two-week delay in a motion. Yahoo says it believes an extension will facilitate settlement.

Blumberg Capital is raising $100 million for what appears to be its third venture capital investment fund, according to documents filed today with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Blumberg focuses on early-stage funding opportunities in technology companies, and it typically acquires its first stake in a startup during the seed or Series A round.