Nuance, a company known for its voice technology, is getting into the advertising business.

It’s launching a new product called Voice Ads, which brings Nuance capabilities to mobile advertising. These are ads that you can actually have a (limited) conversation with, potentially creating a much more interactive and fun advertising experience — which is particularly challenging for mobile advertisers who have to work with limited screen space.

The company isn’t ready to announce specific campaigns yet, but the team showed me a demo ad in a demo news app. The ad initially just looks like another mobile banner, but when you tap on it, it opens into a magic 8 ball promoting the fictional Alpha deodorant brand (with the slogan, “Don’t sweat it”). We asked questions like, “Is my girlfriend going to break up with me?” and the 8 ball would offer some follow-up questions before delivering an answer. (It was not very optimistic about this relationship.)

The ads can also take advantage of location data, and data from the microphone — so for example, if the noise level is too high, the app might show you a regular ad instead of a voice ad.

Behind the scenes, the advertiser has to write a Q&A script that the ad can follow. Thanks to Nuance’s technology, the ads take advantage of natural language processing, so they will still understand questions even if the visitor doesn’t use the exact wording that the advertiser expected. Plus, Nuance allows advertisers to improve the system by uploading their own terminology.

The company has a number of partners in the ad industry, including agencies like Digitas, OMD, and Leo Burnett, as well as mobile ad companies Millennial Media, Jumptap and Opera Mediaworks, plus mobile ad server Celtra. Not only are those partnerships necessary in order to ensure that the Voice Ads actually work, but they should also be crucial to actually bringing advertisers on-board, especially since Nuance isn’t building out an ad sales team of its own.

The company is also trying to fit into existing ad infrastructure. It’s charging on a CPM basis (that’s cost-per-thousand-impressions), rather than trying to use its own engagement metric. And the voice functionality could be included as an additional feature in existing ads.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

“Don’t want Google snooping on your Valentine?” That’s the question Microsoft is asking today in its latest “Scroogled” video. Last week, Microsoft picked up its anti-Google campaign to put the spotlight on privacy and the fact that Gmail looks at your email’s content to better target its contextual ads. Those ads were, to put it mildly, very aggressive. For Valentine’s day, Microsoft just launched a new ad that shows the evil “Gmail Man” opening and reading love letters as he delivers them to their recipients (though on a positive note, he does throw some random coupons into them to sweeten the deal). The Outlook postman, naturally, just delivers the letters without looking at them.

The message here doesn’t really need any explanation, but I had a chance to talk to Stefan Weitz, Microsoft’s director of Online Services and the lead spokesperson for the Scroogled campaign yesterday to discuss these ads.

Weitz was very open about the fact that this is indeed a very negative campaign. The reason for this, he argues, is that Microsoft is trying to get people to pay attention to its products like Outlook.com and Bing. Google, Weitz said, “is a habit” that even his girlfriend can’t quite break.

The problem for Microsoft, according to him, is that just focusing on features and speed may work when trying to attract early adopters, but for mainstream users, it matters for more how they feel about a product and that it is aligned with their values. With the Scroogled campaign, Microsoft is trying to get people to stop and at least reconsider their options.

Whether these videos really get people to stop and think about whether they want to use Google or not remains to be seen. While it’s hard to like the secret agent-like Gmail Man in today’s video, it’s at least a slightly more lighthearted take on the this message. Overall, I still think Microsoft would be better off if it just highlighted where its products outperform Google, but Weitz is probably also right that Microsoft also needs to have a more visceral message that doesn’t just focus on “features and speed.”

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

In a heartfelt tumblr, the girlfriend of fallen Internet activist, Aaron Swartz, explained why she thinks he committed suicide. After revealing intimate details of his seemingly chipper, curious lifestyle, Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman argues that “I believe Aaron’s death was caused by exhaustion, by fear, and by uncertainty. I believe that Aaron’s death was caused by a persecution and a prosecution that had already wound on for 2 years.”

Stinebrickner-Kauffman, who found Swartz hanging by his own belt on January 11, devotes the lion’s share of her post to dispelling the myth of Swartz’s depression. “Over the last 20 months of his life, Aaron spent more time with me than with anyone else in the world. For much of the last 8 months of his life, we lived together, commuted together, and worked in the same office,” she writes. “I was never worried he was depressed until the last 24 hours of his life.”

“The Aaron I knew was sociable and excited to spend time with his favorite people, right up to the very end. He had plans and ambitions — huge ones. On January 9, two days before he died, he spent hours deep in conversation with our Australian friend Sam about the new organization Aaron was in the early stages of building. Sam asked him whether he had support, and Aaron replied that everyone who was competent enough to support him was, in fact, supporting him — classic Aaron pessimistic arrogance, but also a reminder that he knew his friends were standing with him. Sam gave Aaron a quick overview of Australian politics; Aaron expressed astonishment at how easy it would be to “take over Australia”, but concluded that a country of only 20 million probably wouldn’t be worth it. Self-esteem, needless to say, was definitely not Aaron’s problem.”

Placing the blame on mental health, she argues, diverts attention to the true cause of his suicide: an overzealous prosecution. Swartz was the target of a controversial legal case for releasing millions of pay-walled academic papers from the popular JSTOR database. In response, Hacktivist organization, Anonymous, replaced part of MIT’s website with a statement condemning the prosecution and Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren has proposed a bill to limit the prosecutorial power of similar crimes, dubbed “Aaron’s Law.”

The AtlanticWire boldly surmised the opposite, that he may have in fact been depressed, even if he wasn’t outwardly showing signs, leading Stinebrickner-Kauffman to tweet:

Controversy aside, the post is heartbreaking and well written. Let us hope his death was not in vain.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

Technology is quickly disrupting one of the oldest industries in the country, fashion. And customization is at the heart of that, whether it’s personalized web fittings or Indie boutique pieces via Etsy or completely customized clothing. Bow & Drape, a company we met in Boston, is ready to rethink the way you shop for dresses.

In essence, Bow & Drape lets you start with a silhouette — A line, drop-waist, or whatever — and continue customizing from there. You can select the hemline, color, sleeve-length, and add special accoutrements like beads. The site asks for a quick set of body measurements before you get too in-depth to make sure that whatever you choose will fit like a glove.

According to founder Aubrie Pagano, Bow & Drape allows for over 30,000 different dress combinations, so ladies will no longer feel like they’re wearing the same dress as everyone else. A Bow & Drape is a true original.

We tested out the service, and found that the average dress runs between $120 and $180, but the pieces we tried fit very well and (according to my girlfriend who works in fashion) are made of premium materials.

Being out of Boston, the Bow & Drape dream is to revive women’s relationship to their clothing. Back in the day, the relationship with a woman and her seamstress was very special, and together they would create pieces that were worn forever. Today, we churn out clothing like it’s food to be eaten and digested, and since much of it is the same as what our friends are wearing, there’s no urgency to preserve it as special or unique.

And every Bow & Drape dress is manufactured in the U.S., unlike most of the clothing we buy today from major retailers.

Bow & Drape wants women to take control of their clothing, in a way that makes each piece special to own and wear. More colors and customizations are on their way, but in the meantime feel free to check out the already-wide selection that’s available. Shipping takes between two and three weeks, but it’s free. And if you’re worried about fit, there is a Fit Kit warranty you can purchase to make sure the dress fits properly.

Click to view slideshow.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

We don’t know much about how successful Google’s Chromebooks really are. Outside of talking about their adoption in schools and businesses, Google has never released any detailed sales figures. Most analysts assume they aren’t exactly a run-away hit. That hasn’t stopped Google from pushing forward with this initiative in the past, though, and this holiday season is no exception. Not only is Google running a massive campaign on Times Square and online, it also looks as if it has secured some prime real estate on Best Buy’s storefront windows.

Google’s “For Everyone” campaign includes an online component at galleryforeveryone.com, where users can upload their own images with a short message about who Chromebooks are for. A selection of these images and texts is then shown online and on billboards on Times Square, which is becoming an increasingly popular venue to highlight new tech products. Just like Google, Microsoft featured a Windows 8 booth in the middle of Times Square earlier this month and also rented out a number of billboards. Only Google, however, got somebody to propose to his girlfriend using its hybrid online/offline campaign.

Google’s intent here is clearly to make Chromebooks more of a mainstream product and it makes sense that it is also enlisting the help of Best Buy, the U.S.’s last major brick and mortar electronics retailer. Best Buy has been featuring various Chromebook displays for a while now, but as Google+ user Clayton Pritchard noted earlier this morning, some Best Buy’s now also feature massive “For Everyone” Chromebook ads on their storefront windows.

Specifically, Google is highlighting the new $249 ARM-based Samsung Chromebook in these ads. Despite mostly positive reviews, it’s not clear that mainstream users are all that interested in Google’s Chrome OS-based laptops. The company clearly believes in the product, though, and isn’t likely to pull the plug in this experiment anytime soon. Most kids, however, would rather get an iPad for Christmas than a Chromebook.

Image credit: Clayton Pritchard

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

Here’s a startup idea that’s close to my heart. If at any point in your adult life you’ve ever entered a bar, pub, night club, lounge, or other fine watering hole, you’ve probably dealt with the problem of waiting in line to order a drink.

It’s a huge pain in the ass for all involved: You’ve got the gal who’s just standing there and can’t figure out what it is she wants to drink, the bro ordering 12 shots of Fernet for all his friends, the poor guy who just wants to close out his tab, and the other guy who forgot his credit card and doesn’t have any cash, all those people holding up the line. And then there’s the bartender who’s running between them, trying to keep everything straight. Meanwhile, your date’s sitting alone by herself getting hit on while you spend 20 minutes trying to get her a raspberry martini.*

Or you could just use Coaster and save yourself the trouble of waiting in line. Instead, you just place an order from your phone, sit back, and wait for your drinks to be made. When they’re ready, you get a push notification telling you to pick them up, as well as a unique identifying code to make sure that you’re the person who gets those drinks. And the best part? There’s no worrying about running a tab or closing down at the end of the night — all payments, tips included, are done on their phone.

Sounds great for patrons, but what do bars get out of it? Well, a few things: Coaster streamlines the order and drink-making process, since bartenders can make drinks that have already been ordered while patrons in line figure out what they want. It means better tips, since users can choose to pay from right within the app. It also means no dead or declined credit cards holding up things, and no cards left at the bar at the end of the night.

Co-founder Inderpal Singh tells me that the idea for Coaster came from DJing at various bars and clubs over the last 15 years. After seeing the pain point that comes with ordering drinks first hand, he set out to do something about it and built an app. Now he and co-founder Kevin Callaghan are pitching it to bars and clubs and trying to get them signed up.

So far, they have about 15 different bars on board in San Francisco, including places like Public Works, Wish, Jones, Harlot, Eve Lounge, Temple, and 111 Minna. But they’re always looking to add more. Check out the app, drink up, and let us know what you think.**

==
* I have never actually dated someone vapid enough to order a raspberry martini. Although my girlfriend once did order something called a Junior Mint. It tastes just like it sounds.
** That’s right, comment drunk. Please.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

The next iPhone will be called simply “iPhone” if this pic is to be believed. Published by iPhonenieuwsblog.nl, the image is reportedly of the next, ahem, new iPhone’s packaging fresh off a massive printing press. And within, clear as day, is the new iPhone with five vertical rows of icons and the wording “The New iPhone.” Gone is the numerical designation that’s been with the iPhone for the last four generations. Apple is making it as simple as possible with the next iPhone — and this will likely be confusing to a lot of people.

The next iPhone is actually the sixth generation but the Internet has taken to call it the iPhone 5. Even Apple played with that naming a bit in the invite for the new iPhone’s launch. But it’s been speculated that Apple would drop the version number on the iPhone ever since it did so with the new iPad.

iPhone 5? iPhone 6? The rumor mill never really decided on what to call the next iPhone, but with Apple announcing the next iPhone next week, it really doesn’t matter at this point. Plus, logic dictates that this image likely tells the truth.

The iPhone was the lone product in Apple’s lineup to feature a version designation ever since the latest iPad launched. Throughout several major redesigns, the iMac has always been just the iMac. The Mac Pro is just the Mac Pro. The Apple TV has always been the Apple TV even when Apple completely revamped the product.

If this image is legit, Apple is blazing forward into unknown territories. Cell phones are selling at bulk commodity levels. Year over year, this simple naming scheme could be confusing as more models come out. That said, keeping it simple is what Apple does best.

Of course this pic could be easily faked. Anyone with a $100k printing press could run a job and have their girlfriend hold up the results. Because that’s what sane people do.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

Keeping things spicy in the bedroom can be tricky. Maybe you exhausted all your tricks early on in the game, or perhaps the sheer exhaustion that comes with balancing kids, a home and your work has taken its toll. But fear not, lovers of the world, for a new startup has entered the scene that may be the answer to your sexy prayers.

It’s called Dejamor, and it originally started out as an app. But once founder Rodrigo Fuentes realized that the engagement and input required with an app was only adding work to people's lives, he realized a subscription service was a better fit. Dejamor sends you a box every month with all the ingredients for a special, romantic moment with your significant other, and instructions to make sure you don't screw it up. It's as simple as that.

Think Boinkbox, but classier. And for couples.

When you receive your package, you'll see a box marked “His Eyes Only,” and a box marked “Her Eyes Only.” (If you're in a same sex relationship, obviously they both say His or Her.)

The starter His box contains bubble bath, a package full of rose petals, and a piece of paper with a clear canister. The instructions tell you to wake up earlier than your girlfriend, wife, whatever, and sprinkle rose petals in a path to the bathroom, where you've run a bubble bath and let a note (a message in a bottle, if you will) float along the top in that canister. Then start making her breakfast.

The lady's box is a bit different. It comes with a lace sash, with which you're told to tie up your man and let him undress you with his teeth. It's not entirely original, for either party, but the results should be pretty phenomenal.

The next month, you'll both get another surprise. Fuentes tells me that Dejamor will continue to learn more about you as you give feedback for each box, and each month should only get better and better.

Click to view slideshow.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

Texting-addled young minds are losing their grip on the English language, according to a new study from Wake Forest. The research, which reveals a correlation between the use of SMS-abbreviations and poor grammar proficiency, comes as bitter sweet vindication for modern teachers who have to waste time decrypting the odd new language of teenagers. “It’s like you have two languages in your head,” admitted 8th-grader Audrey Pound. “Sometimes, the language you use for texting bleeds into the work you do for school.”

Indeed, it seems that texting speak has evolved into it’s own sophisticated language. “My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we used 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & thr 3 :- kids FTF. ILNY, it’s a gr8 plc,” wrote one British student, in an essay composed entirely of texting gibberish (translation: My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend and their three screaming kids face to face. I love New York. It’s a great place.”) “I could not believe what I was seeing. The page was riddled with hieroglyphics, many of which I simply could not translate,” explained the exasperated teacher who had to grade the paper.

The newest study, conducted by Drew Cingel of Wake Forest University and  S. Shyam Sundar of Penn State University, found that students who self-reported using more texting abbreviation with their friends also performed worse on a grammar proficiency exam. Perhaps most importantly, it wasn’t texting itself, only the use of abbreviations (what the researchers called “adaptations”). “The results of this study lend support to a general negative relationship between text messaging and adolescent grammar skills,” they conclude.

Cyber-naysayers shouldn’t celebrate just yet: contradictory research has found that texting abbreviations can improve both spelling and reading proficiency. According to researchers Clare Wood and David Crystal, the cognitive muscle flexed while decoding text messages unwittingly helps students think about the properties of language.

So, here’s the lesson for parents and teachers: only take away the cell phone if children write an essay like they text to their friends.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

Every morning, my girlfriend walks through Grand Central Station in New York City on her way to work, and every morning, she sees something odd. Such is the nature of living in the Big Apple.

This happend: she saw a man — a regular dude in slacks and a button-down — carrying his iPad in his butt.

Witness the horror.

Admittedly, there’s very little news value to this story, but I have to wonder, is this a “thing”? An iPad easily fits in a bag, and there are plenty of covers that include handles, allowing you to carry the tablet like a briefcase. But to a New York straphanger, perhaps this isn’t accessible enough. Perhaps the tablet needs to be as available as the phone in your pocket, and thus the butt tuck.

My main question, if we just assume that this is acceptable behavior, is whether or not the iPad is safe. How tight are this man’s slacks to allow for a securely stowed iPad? And moreover, is it not totally sweaty and disgusting when he whips it out?

Unofficially, feel free to participate in a caption contest in the comments. There is no reward except our amusement.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch