The U.S. needs to be more welcoming of startup founders, no matter where they were born. But the illegal immigration debate is so politically sensitive that startup founders, who create tons of jobs, get lumped in with migrant farm workers and the discussion sort of comes to a crashing halt there. Now is the time for us to rally, though, and avoid
this type of situation. There is real momentum behind the
Startup Visa Act, and there's a realistic chance that, for once, our government can do something to actually help the innovation ecosystem in Silicon Valley.
On Thursday 20 or so Silicon Valley entrepreneurs will
travel to Washington D.C. to talk with government officials about the Act, introduced last week by Senator John Kerry (D-MA) and Richard Lugar (R-IN), and drum up more support. Venture capitalist
Dave McClure is organizing the trip.
The Startup Visa Act of 2010 would create a two year visa for immigrant entrepreneurs who are able to raise a minimum of $250,000, with $100,000 coming from a qualified U.S. angel or venture investor. After two years, if the immigrant entrepreneur is able to create five or more jobs (not including their children or spouse), attract an additional $1 million in investment, or produce $1 million in revenues, he or she will become a legal resident.
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HootSuite, the Twitter clients that dubs itself as a social media dashboard for professionals, is launching an Android app, a new version of its iPhone app with Facebook integration and is integrating targeted ads in both apps via recently launched Twitter ad network, 140 Proof. HootSuite's features are targeted towards helping marketing professionals keep track of the Twitter conversations happening on the web. The startup offers a free and paid version of its web app, and mobile clients.
The Android app features much of the same functionality as the iPhone app, including the ability to manage multiple Twitter account, create streams for hashtags and searches, schedule messages for the future, add followers to lists and accounts, share photos and shorten URLs. The paid versions allow for unlimited Twitter accounts plus on-board, click-through statistics tracking. The updated paid version of the iPhone App will include Facebook integration and landscape view.
Troubled social networking giant 
Apple is using its strong patent portfolio to fight iPhone competitors in court. Its latest target is HTC. Apple has filed a 
Today, Google is 
Email marketing software giant 
Yesterday I visited Microsoft HQ on a surprisingly warm winter day in Redmond, Washington. This was an all day briefing with 
Yesterday brought the news that AOL 
Earlier today, Apple issued a press release stating that it has 
Microsoft will use geo-positioning startup 
Late last month, Apple made the abrupt decision to 
Film critic Roger Ebert has been unable to speak with his own voice since 2006, when he underwent surgery related to his battle with thyroid cancer. Since then, he's been using a computerized voice (notably, "Alex," a voice built-in to Mac OS X), to communicate all this time. But today on 
Toyota has been dealing with negative backlash from the massive safety recalls of its vehicles; and is even suffering in terms of 
Behavior-based marketing solutions provider 
This year's Winter Olympic games have come to a close, and while we may have 
Over the weekend, Citysearch pushed out an update to its 
Google has just sent out an Email to select Android developers informing them that they are eligible to receive either a Verizon Droid or a Nexus One, as part of its 'Device Seeding Program'. The criteria for getting one of the phones is to have an application with 3.5 stars or higher and more than 5,000 downloads, which sounds like it could include quite a few developers.
In an odd move, Google isn't actually allowing the developers to pick which device they're receiving — if you're in the US, you'll get a Droid or Nexus One, at random. If you're in Canada, the EU, Norway, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Singapore, you get a Nexus One. If you're not in any of those, you don't get a phone at all (Google explains that the phones aren't certified in other countries).
Finally. We finally have new TiVo models. The TiVo HD XL launched a long year and half ago and the UI is even older. But that's behind us now, the TiVo Premier is here and it's (nearly) everything we need in a DVR. Everything is different: the hardware, the interface, even the remote. (QWERTY!)
With the TiVo Premier comes a new interface that's been designed to present web videos just like live TV. But it's not just web videos. The whole system was reworked to allow users better access to their locally-stored content as well. Premiere's search function queries all sources and will find content whether it's on a web video or live TV. Pandora and FrameChannel join Netflix and YouTube as built-in apps.
As you've undoubtedly heard by now, 
Around 1976, when I was a very young lad, I somehow convinced my parents to spring for a home version of the most cutting edge consumer video game available at the time - 
Alright, lets pat the pockets and run through the mental checklist one last time before security: Passport? Check, front pocket. Headphones? Definitely in your backpack. Boarding pass? Uh oh. Where'd that boarding pass go?
Oh, that's right! It's on your phone - because you, like a rapidly increasing number of other people, opted to have it sent straight to your handset. Security scans the QR code right off of your handset's display, and you're on your way with one less thing to lose.
Trinity Mobile, one of the leading companies behind the mobile ticketing push, is today announcing a 1200% year-over-year increase with their mobile boarding pass offerings.
Pretty huge news in our book: 
Augmented reality app 
Fresh off a 