An upcoming update will bring a web browser, email and update store app to Barnes & Noble’s super affordable Nook Simple Touch line of eReaders, which will begin rolling out June 1 according to a source close to the matter who wishes to remain anonymous. The 1.5.0 update was created in response to the positive critical and customer response to the recent Nook tablet update that brought Google Play to B&N’s Android-powered devices.

The Nook Simple Touch and Simple Touch with Glowlight will be receiving the over-the-air update starting next month, and this marks the first time that Nook’s entry-level readers get official access to web browsing capabilities. Amazon’s competing Kindle devices have shipped with an “experimental” web browser since the Kindle 2, but have not offered an email client on anything except for the Kindle Fire tablets.

Making Nook hardware a little more flexible for users is a good way for Barnes & Noble to help counter flagging sales of dedicated Nook hardware, which were shown to be weak in recent quarterly results. Nook weakness probably ended up prompting the bookseller to offer promotional giveaways with on-hand inventory.

When B&N announced that Google Play would be coming to Nook tablets, I praised the decision as a key step in helping the company position them as affordable, fully-featured Android tablets, as opposed to just glorified eReaders that could do a bit more than most. The Nook Simple Touch is still pretty focused on eBooks, but as an email triage device and basic browser, especially for text heavy content, it probably becomes a lot more attractive to an audience that mostly wants books but would like a little more general use value as well. Especially for older buyers, I imagine a simplified device with a cheap price tag has the potential to carry appeal over a much more expensive full-fledged tablet.

Will a browser and email client be enough to right the Nook ship? Probably not on their own, but B&N is at least expending effort in the right direction to combat flagging consumer interest in dedicated eReader devices.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

The Nook HD and HD+ got a great update late last night (via Engadget), as Barnes & Noble finally moved away from its closed and system-specific app and media ecosystem. The two Android tablets now offer Google Play, and new devices will ship with the app pre-loaded, while existing owners can get it via a software update over-the-air or via direct download.

Other changes with this update include the introduction of some stock Android apps, including Gmail, Maps and Chrome (which replaces the Nook’s existing web browser as the default option). Essentially, Barnes & Noble is turning the Nook HD line into a very cheap Android tablet play, and not in the limited way it was doing so before.

Where once the Nook brand was a reader first, with Android-powered full-color readers with some tablet functionality, now it looks like we’ll see Barnes & Noble embrace the tablet identity much more fully. Another sign that the book seller is banking on tablets as a much broader attempt at reaching customers is the fact that the Nook Tablet and Color don’t get the Play update, meaning we could see those left behind in terms of future hardware updates.

John took a look at the updated Nook HD+, and found it impressive, especially at $269, or a full $60 cheaper than the cheapest iPad (16GB Wi-Fi iPad mini). The problem, though, was summed up in John’s conclusion: the Nook HD+ is a great upgrade as a reader, but not necessarily a real tablet competitor. Opening up the broader Android software market place and its selection of tablet apps definitely helps to change that.

The Nook line could be the key to Barnes & Noble’s future, but right now it’s also a weight hanging around its neck, as slow sales of the Simple Touch e-reader prompted a fire sale to help move more HD+ inventory, and the Nook division lost cash in the most recent fiscal quarter. There’s still an opportunity for a cheap Android tablet to capture the hearts and minds of consumers, however, and Nook is now in a better position to capitalize on that now that its ecosystem wall has come down.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

There is no shortage of hardware devices looking to change the way people watch TV. But most of those devices serve to stream services like Netflix or Hulu into people’s living rooms. In that respect, Simple.TV is a bit of an outlier, as it performs all the usual functions as a DVR, but it can then stream video that it captures to other devices. Well, the Simple.TV team has even broader ambitions than just that one box, and the team has raised $5.7 million to realize them.

The Simple.TV box was pitched mostly as a way for cord cutters to record programming that comes off of HD antennas, and to later stream those recordings to a wide range of connected devices. After connecting storage to their Simple.TV boxes, users could use the device to record individual episodes or full seasons of their favorite shows, then watch them on apps for iOS, Android, and Roku devices. In that respect, it was kind of like a combination TiVo-plus-Slingbox in one.*

Last May, Simple.TV introduced its first hardware device as part of a Kickstarter campaign. The company raised nearly double its original $125,000 goal, selling more than 1,000 devices as part of its first run. Later in the fall, the company shipped devices to consumers who backed the campaign, and also put the DVR boxes on sale to the general public, at $149 a piece.

But the company has broader ambitions than just being a hardware manufacturer with some cool software attached. The Simple.TV set ups has a sleek programming guide to help users find, access, and record their favorite programs, and that will be a key part of what seems like a new direction for the company.

According to founder and CEO Mark Ely, Simple.TV is looking to find ways to take its discovery and access platform and expand beyond just broadcast content through a digital antenna. It’s also looking to include cable content and over-the-top content from services like Netflix and Hulu as part of a broader consumer-facing opportunity.

In addition to more content, Simple.TV is also looking for ways to get on more devices. While it currently has apps on iOS, Android, and Roku for streaming back pre-recorded content, Ely says the company sees an opportunity to work with third-party CE manufacturers. So you won’t have to have a Simple.TV device to use the Simple.TV apps on these new devices.

With that in mind, the Simple.TV guys are also ready to move beyond bootstrapping, and the company has confirmed a $5.7 million funding round detailed in this SEC filing. The funding round was led by New World Ventures, with NWV partner Matt McCall joining Simple.TV’s board of directors. Also listed on the filing are Simple.TV CEO Mark Ely and CTO Bruce Randall, along with Accanto Partners founding partner Robert Doris. Doris worked with the Simple.TV founders at Sonic Solutions, which was acquired by Rovi back in late 2010.

We’ve reached out to Simple.TV to learn more about the funding and will update when we hear back.

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* It’s probably worth noting that TiVo has released the $129 TiVo Stream to enable users to watch things they’ve recorded or are recording, and to download shows to their devices. That is, provided that the mobile device, TiVo, and TiVo stream are all on the same home network.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

Since launch, online banking provider Simple has sought to provide an alternative to traditional banking services. It’s done that with built-in data visualization and a beautiful and intuitive mobile app for iPhone. Now it’s expanding to Android, with the launch of a native app designed for Google’s mobile operating system. That will greatly expand the number of potential users for the startup’s alternative banking service.

The Android app comes about eight months after Simple first became available on the iPhone. The Android app will have many of the same features that are available on the iPhone including the ability to make mobile check deposits and to find the nearest no-fee ATM.

But it’s not just a carbon copy of the startup’s iOS app: On the blog post announcing the app, Simple Director of Mobile Engineering Dustin Barker says the company worked with mobile product development firm Two Toasters to build the Android experience from the ground up.

Over the past few months, Simple has been adding a number of features to its iOS app and web experience, making both a lot more useful. That includes the launch of mobile check deposits. It also includes the introduction of Goals, which is Simple’s way of helping users save up without really having to think about it.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

From the outset, online banking startup Simple has been focused on supplanting the brick-and-mortar banks in its users’ lives, but they haven’t always been equipped to handle every little transaction that comes up. Case in point — what happens when someone cuts you a check (after all, the holidays are right around the corner)?

Well, that’s no longer the case. According to a post on the official Simple blog, users are now able to deposit money from those pesky pieces of paper just by taking a photo with the company’s iOS app.

If we’re being honest, the feature itself is nothing too special — mobile applications from more established players like Chase and Bank of America have been able to do this for a little while now — but it represents a big step forward in service for users still on the fence about making the switch completely. The process is very, well, simple: users enter the amount on the check, snap a photo of the front and the (endorsed) back. That money doesn’t all appear in your account at once though — up to $200 of those funds will be deposited in a user’s account within one business day, depending on how long that person has been a Simple user and how large the check in question is. Not to worry though, as the remainder will trickle into the associated Simple account within another day.

Interestingly enough, users looking in the iOS App Store for an update will come away empty-handed — instead, it appears that the Simple team flipped a switch on their end to enable the nascent feature for all users. Prior to that, Simple spent a few weeks quietly bringing the feature to life for certain subsets of Simple customers:

“Roughly three weeks ago, we shared a preview of the feature with an initial group of nearly 300 customers,” Simple CEO Josh Reich told TechCrunch. “We expanded that group by 750 the next day and pushed to an audience of more than 4,000 last week.”

Speaking as a Simple customer myself, I still don’t know that I’m fully ready to ditch my local bank branch. That’s not a jab at the company itself (though a recent spell that left certain users unable to view some recent transactions was a bit worrying) but there’s something to be said for sticking with a process that just works in spite of its annoyances. That said, the addition of photo check deposits closes a crucial gap in the Simple service — I’m just waiting for an Android app and integration with a service like Mint before diving in completely.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

You might have heard a few things about Ev Williams and crew’s new product, Medium. To some, it seems like “just another blogging platform,” but if you think about where Ev and Biz Stone come from, these folks are pretty hip to next-level publishing.

I don’t have to remind you that Williams’ company Pyra Labs sold a little product called Blogger to Google, which basically helped revolutionize and democratize publishing on the Internet. Then, Williams teamed up with Jack Dorsey and Biz Stone on a little product called Twitter. You’ve probably used it a few times; I know I have.

This latest product, Medium, allows people to create collections of content based on a theme or subject, and then invites others to add pieces to those collections. It’s truly collaborative, and after using it for the past week, it actually excites me to write a personal “blog” again. But it doesn’t feel like a blog, it’s something new altogether.

Many have wondered how that is, but today, Ev Williams put it into words in a post on Medium.

The part that sticks out to me about Medium is the editing interface; it’s unlike other services out there in that you don’t have to click tons of buttons, open up different views and windows and other nonsense. Williams explained this approach:

As I’m writing this, I see not just a WYSIWYG editor, I see the page I’m going to publish, which looks just like the version you’re reading. In fact, it is the version you’re reading. There’s no layer of abstraction. This is a simple (and old) concept, but I haven’t seen it in any other publishing tool—unless you count Google Docs and the like, where you’re basically always in editing mode (versus always in viewing mode). And it makes a big difference. Having to go back and forth between your creation tool and your creation is like sculpting by talking.

There are those who would argue that when you’re writing, you’re creating the words—the story—not the presentation. Certainly, professional writers tend to be comfortable with that (perhaps because they know there’s a production process that will make their work look good). And there’s a good argument that content should be able to flow to many forms and presentations. I agree with that, but I still like writing in at least one of the many possible nice presentations.

The editing functionality in-line is gorgeous. Simply hover over selected text for options:

Williams mentions removing “abstraction” from publishing, and that’s something that Twitter accomplished as well. In 140 characters, you were moments away from connecting with millions upon millions of people all over the world. It feels like Medium could be that for longer-form content. If you think about its name, it even situates the service right between a full-length blogging software and a short tweet. It’s just…Medium.

On Medium, there are no widgets, no share buttons, no comments and no annoyances — it gets out the way of itself. Like a great product does. There’s also a budding community of writers popping up on the service as it lets more people in every day. The topics are anything from technology to more personal matters like relationships. There are no limits and you can collaborate with someone’s collection if they choose to make it public. It’s like sitting down next to someone at a lunch table and starting up a conversation with them sheeply.

Once you post, people can “recommend” what you’ve written, pushing it up to the featured area of the site. But it’s not about getting featured or seen, it’s about getting your words out of your head, somewhere. And that somewhere could be Medium for many.

On what’s coming next, Williams had this to say:

We have a bunch more ideas on how to make this editor even better—allowing people to let their brilliance and creativity flow smoothly onto the screen. We will evolve the editor to add power and flexibility without adding complexity or distraction.

Already, Medium has already become my favorite place to write. (I may be slightly biased.) I hope it will soon be yours too.

Medium is about storytelling, something I’m very fond of. In fact, the company is hiring for a role called “Storyteller.“

I’ll put my publishing trust in the Obvious team, because they know how it’s done. Some of Williams’ old crew is joining him, too, including long-time Twitter employee Luke Esterkyn. The company is also hiring more than just storytellers, so keep an eye out for even more talent to flock to Medium. In fact, Medium was just opened up to all Twitter employees. Maybe for reasons.

[Photo credit: Flickr]

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

Clear, a simple task manager from Realmac software and Impending, has just announced that it will be delivering a Mac version of its client for OS X launching next Thursday for $14.99. The app looks an awful lot like it does on iOS, but offers additional features like the ability to break out different lists in new windows, as well as iCloud syncing with the iOS client.

Clear is heavily gesture-based on iOS, so we’re excited to see how that control scheme translates to the desktop. We’ll be sure to take a better look once it arrives and see how it works with its mobile predecessor.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

Well, it’s taken a while, but SimpleTV is finally shipping its $149 streaming TV box to users. After previewing its hardware and CES, and following a successful Kickstarter campaign, the combination Sling-TiVo device will soon be in users’ living rooms. For real, this time.

The SimpleTV box converts TV signals into video streams, which can then be watched on your PC, iPhone, iPad, Roku box, or Apple TV via AirPlay. In that way it’s kind of like a newer, cheaper Slingbox. But it also has a USB connection, letting users connect their own storage devices to create DVR-like capabilities. It’s sort of the ultimate time- and place-shifting device, for folks who care about those capabilities.

Since introducing the product to users, SimpleTV has been focused primarily on the cord-cutter market. It has no video out option or pass-through capabilities, so you can’t tie it into your cable setup without splitting the line. In its Kickstarter campaign, SimpleTV bundled its box with over-the-air digital antennas in some packages, which users without cable could use to get free local broadcast signals. One other downside is that users have to connect the box via Ethernet, since Wi-Fi isn’t available.

Basic service is free, including free streaming to any of the devices it’s built apps for. But for $4.99 a month, or $49 a year, users get access to premium features like Series Pass-like TV recording, an updated program guide and in-depth information on content, and unlimited remote streaming for up to five users.

I’ve played with a SimpleTV setup on and off over the last few weeks, and found it pretty easy to use. The web interface and program guide work pretty well for navigating shows that are available to stream now, and setting shows to record is a breeze, if you’ve connected a hard drive to do so.

The question is, would I recommend to users? For those who don’t care about having cable but want some of the same functionality — like being able to record 60 Minutes and watch it later — sure. At $149 for the hardware, it’s not totally out of range for the cord cutter set (although it’s tough to sell any TV add-on for more than $99). But users who want DVR will need to factor in the cast of a hard drive to connect, as well as monthly service fees.

All in all, it’s a decent value for the money, but in future versions it would be good to see video pass through, HDMI capability, and Wi-Fi connectivity… maybe some built-in storage. All of that will no doubt push up the price, but it would also make SimpleTV a more complete solution for cable users and cord cutters alike, potentially broadening its addressable market.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

Earlier today, online banking startup Simple unveiled new reporting features that will allow users to see how much — and where — they’re spending money in their bank accounts. Those features seemed aimed squarely at Intuit-owned Mint.com, which has been one of the leading online budgeting and data visualization tools.

One advantage that Simple has over Mint and other online budgeting tools is that is linked directly to a user’s bank account, meaning all of the data and reporting that it generates is directly actionable. And it can do that because users have their own Simple-branded debit cards and checking accounts. Well, it might not have that advantage for very long, as it appears that Mint will soon introduce its own debit card, called the Mint Control Card.

An advertisement for the card was spotted hidden in Mint’s code and sent in by a tipster earlier today. TechCrunch developer Vineet Thanedar has confirmed that yes, the code is there — but of course, we’re not sure how long it’s been there or how soon before Mint.com’s debit card will officially be launched and advertised to the public. [Full text of the ad is below.]

While it’s unclear exactly how the debit card will connect with Mint’s service, the pitch seems strikingly similar to what Simple is trying to accomplish with its service. In particular, Mint’s promise to let users “know exactly where [they] stand” sounds a heck of a lot like Simple’s “Safe To Spend” feature, which takes into account a user’s income and regularly scheduled expenses to determine how much discretionary spending money they have. Also, the ability to “reach savings goals faster” is similar to Simple’s recently released “Goals” feature, which lets users designate a certain amount of money they’d like to save and have it automatically deducted from their “Safe To Spend” amount.

Both Simple and Mint.com are seeking to provide data visualization tools to allow users to see exactly where their money is going and provide advice on how they can make better spending decisions. But while Simple is slowly rolling out debit cards as part of its public beta, Mint already has a very large and engaged user base tracking their finances through its platform. That could be a huge advantage, if it can convert existing users to use the card. It also is advertising a 2 percent cash back bonus for purchases made using the card, which is another competitive advantage.

All that said, getting users to switch is a huge pain, even for existing banks. It will be interesting to see how both Simple and Mint fare as they seek to convert online users to their services.

Introducing Mint Control Card: control your finances.

Now there’s a debit card that helps you control your financial life and make smarter spending decisions.

Know exactly where you stand.

You’ll instantly know what’s left on your card and where you stand with your budget, in real-time, so you’ll always know what’s left to spend.

Stay on-track with your spending.

You can set spending limits in any category you choose, so you’ll never have a negative balance or pay an overdraft fee again.

Make better decisions and save more.

Reach your savings goals faster with controlled spending — plus 2 percent cash back on everyday purchases — so you can get to where you want to go.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

The startup known as Simple (formerly BankSimple) has been busy rolling out new features since its public debut earlier this summer. Last week, the company unveiled “savings goals,” to help users more easily set money aside. Today, Simple again moves further into territory that has previously been the domain of third-party financial services platforms, like the Intuit-owned Mint.com, for example, with the launch of a detailed, and also very visual, reporting feature.

Although Simple doesn’t actually call out Mint.com by name, the implication is there in the blog post announcing the new feature. Writes Simple’s Matt Sacks, “we have an advantage over third-party visualization tools: because Simple has access to the full feed of your data, there’s no middleman between you and reliable, real-time understanding of your spending.” In other words, Simple is calling Mint.com and competitors (think HelloWallet, InDinero, LearnVest, etc.) middlemen, a term which Internet-savvy folks associate with old-school, redundant means of doing business. That’s funny because these third-parties are generally startups themselves, not the out-of-date traditional businesses Simple aims to disrupt. (That’s the banks.) And it’s funny because Simple isn’t actually a bank – since accepting deposits would put Simple up against tough regulatory challenges for a startup, funds are held in FDIC-insured accounts at a partner bank. So I guess you could argue that Simple itself is kind of a middleman between where you and your money really lives.

Still, it’s one sexy middleman. And it’s one that acts as the front-end which customers associate with banking, so you never have to actually deal with the boring old institution where the money is housed.

As for the newly announced reports, like everything that Simple has introduced so far, they have an element of thoughtful design to them. The reports let banking customers see their trends over time, including things like deposits and spending, and they break things down into categories like “business,” “personal,” “food,” and other standard ways of organizing transaction types. This is information that third parties allow for more insight into, going all the way back to the days of desktop software where you manually trained applications that Merchant X went into Category Y.

The new reports are available on the fly for custom queries. Simple offers some examples of sample questions you can type into its search box. You can search for “this month” to see monthly trends, “under 100″ to see small purchases, or “restaurants” to see trends by categories. If you’ve ever been stuck staring at your online bank account ledger in search of a transaction or just trying to make sense of your behavior, you know that this sort of feature could be hugely useful. With the report on the screen (Simple customers can use them now in the web app), you can also drill down into the transaction details, too, with the idea being that users need both the overview and the specifics in order to take action.

The reports are a nice, new addition to Simple, which has been working to onboard some 100,000+ waitlisted users as of July. You can add your name to the growing list from the company homepage here.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch