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Venture capitalists: We are open for business, but take our advice...

At a VentureBeat panel about managing through the economic downturn, the vibe was oddly upbeat. Yes, we're in a slump. Yes, it is systemic, not limited to the tech economy. But each of the venture capitalists on the panel said, "We're open for business." There is capital available. Although, perhaps, not for business as usual.

The strategies for muddling through this economy start with these 10 tips from legendary VC John Doerr:

1. Act now. Focus your business, cut what you need, or sell if you must.

2. Protect the vital core of your business. If … Read more

Beats on the go: Akai's XR20

So you love creating hip-hop beats, right? I mean come on, who doesn't? Let's say one day, a particularly awesome beat pops into your head but you're nowhere near home.

Now you're in a race against time to get home before it's lost forever, deep within walls and walls of other memories. According to Akai, you should not have to worry about such things ever again.

Akai's XR20 Beat Production Station is a portable beat production station that allows you to create hip-hop and R&B beats wherever you are.

The device contains … Read more

Report: Amazon to have iTunes-like app for Android

Android, Google's highly anticipated mobile phone software set to launch Tuesday, and Apple's iPhone have often been mentioned in the same breath, for features they may--or may not--have in common.

Add one more feature to the list, if a VentureBeat source is right: Amazon is said to have an iTunes-like application for Android. VentureBeat says it got a tip that an HTC phone running Android was spotted in a bar in the San Francisco Bay Area over the weekend and that it had such an Amazon application on it.

But, according to VentureBeat, the source said he believes … Read more

Samsung bangs out new Beats

Thursday, Samsung announced two music-focused phones appropriately named Beat b and Beat s (That's not going to be confusing. No, not at all). Much like the Sony Ericsson W910, the key feature of these two phones is that it has "Motion Play", a technology that lets you control your music with a specific motions: Tap the phone to pause, flip it over to silence the phone, and shake it to forward to the next track. Both devices will have 2-megapixel cameras, 3.5mm headset jacks, stereo Bluetooth, FM radios with RDS, and microSD card slots.

The M3510 … Read more

Photos: Monster Beats by Dr. Dre headphones scream cool

It's not always easy to get excited about a pair of headphones on first glance. Generally, the listening experience, which is gathered only after putting a set on and sitting down with some favorite music, is what draws people in. Not so with the Monster Beats by Dr. Dre headphones, a sweet-looking set that will relieve you of $350. While their sound quality is nothing to scoff at, their appeal as eye candy is undeniable. For audio enthusiasts who are tired of the same old look, the Beats are a must.

Read the Beats by Dr. Dre headphones review.… Read more

TrekStor i.Beat move S: Boring, meet cheap

"Is there any reason not to buy an iPod?" It's such a common question for us, and the answer is usually, "Yes and no, but mostly yes." There are heaps of other players out there that don't cut the condiment, but more and more are starting to compete.

An illuminous contender for your digital music dollars this month is TrekStor's daftly named i.Beat move S, from the company that brought you the pseudo-racist i.Beat Blaxx.

This is a flash-based MP3 and video player with support for MP3, WMA (including DRMed stuff), and WAV only, though it wouldn't actually play our CD-quality WAV files. Little AVI videos can be converted using some bundled software. It's also got a radio and comes in 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB capacities, but isn't expandable.

We've got one in to look at and we're not exactly blown away. The 38mm screen is about as attractive as Kelly Osbourne bathing in rotting organs, and the interface conjures similarly grotesque emotions. … Read more

BeatThat pays you to find online deals

I've mentioned in the past that I'm a frequent Slickdeals and Fatwallet user. The two are must-bookmark sites if you want to stay abreast on big savings for consumer electronics. Newcomer BeatThat might be more lucrative to deal submitters though, the voracious group of users that feeds these sites with the best deals. BeatThat is trying to woo people like this away from those sites with something a little more useful than community cred--cash.

The site is paying users up to $2 per deal on an item that's lower in price than any pulled in by its … Read more

Interesting insights from MobileBeat 2008

On Thursday, I attended MobileBeat 2008, a new conference here in Silicon Valley focused primarily on cell phones broad enough to encompass closely related gizmos like Apple's iPod Touch and--at least in theory--mobile Internet devices.

The event was hosted by VentureBeat, where a great many blog posts can be found that go through all the sessions and significant announcements from the conference. (My thanks to VentureBeat writer Dean Takahashi, who invited me to the conference.)

… Read more

Facebook virtual goods turning into real money

Who would have thought that virtual pets would be the thing that lets independent developers monetize the Facebook audience.

Over on VentureBeat, Eric Eldon pulls in some great stats on users and monetization of Facebook apps.

Like grizzled miners panning for gold on a river high in the Sierras, Facebook applications developers have been toiling away, trying to figure out how to make money from the millions of people who use their apps every day. Those developers who focus on games are starting to find gold -- by which I mean revenue gained from doing things like selling virtual goods … Read more