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Silicon Valley Geek-out (Ashlee Vance's book is out--finally)

My pal and host of our Open Season podcast series Mr. Ashlee Vance finally had his magic tome: Geek-Silicon Valley hit the streets. It's an entertaining read and considering that Ashlee spends the majority of his time talking smack about software companies it's good to see that he can actually write :>

Link to The Duck Rabbit minisite

FlipStart gets price cut

Note: This blog has been corrected to reflect the new price of the OQO Model 02.

I wonder if it's OK to feel bad for UMPCs. They're cute, cuddly (OK, maybe not) and perhaps even useful, but unfortunately, not very practical. The PC industry wants us to buy them, but very few of us are biting so far. Part of the problem is how expensive they are--more than twice the price of the cheapest notebook--which is why the price drop of the FlipStart is fairly good news.

Not great news, though. Chopping $500 off a UMPC that was … Read more

TechCrunch at DigitalLife: A taste of Valley culture amid consumer-tech blitz

You'd think it would've drawn crowds.

TechCrunch founder and controversial Valley 2.0 icon Michael Arrington was making a rare appearance in New York, moderating a panel at the DigitalLife trade show on Thursday night. And the panel in question, called "The Disruptors," included a few of the start-up world's hottest names: Napster, Plaxo, and Facebook veteran Sean Parker (currently of the Founders Fund); Oovoo CEO Philippe Schwartz; SpinVox co-founder Daniel Doulton; IGA Worldwide CEO Justin Townsend; and Ooma founder Andrew Frame. Considering the resurgence of tech culture and startup spirit in New York in … Read more

FlipStart UMPC gets a parasitic camera

Remember that nauseating scene in Total Recall when the secretive rebel leader reveals himself as a mutant growing out of his brother's stomach? That was the first thing we thought of upon seeing this hybrid camera stuck onto the lid of Vulcan's FlipStart ultramobile PC.

The FlipStart "Snap Camera" is a $150 shooter that snaps onto the lid of the UMPC and takes images "up to" 5 megapixels, as well as VGA-quality video, according to the company. It connects wirelessly to the computer, which uses its screen as a viewfinder for its parasitic friend, … Read more

Only2Clicks does eye-friendly start pages

Only2Clicks is one of the few Web services I've seen lately whose name tells exactly what it does. The concept is pretty straightforward--set up your favorite Web sites, and the service will load them up in a grid, with photo thumbnails for each. You can add and remove any number of sites, and the thumbnails will be refreshed each time you reload the page. You can also re-organize the links with simple drag and drop. The idea is to set Only2Clicks as your start page, so you'll be able to quickly eyeball each site before figuring out where … Read more

Script Start and the 'open source on Microsoft' movement

I just saw this in Application Development Trends: Script Start, a Windows logon scripting tool, is going open source. Entrigue Systems, the company behind Script Start, is still mulling over licensing options - GPLv2 or v3, most likely - but the code should be released in the September timeframe.

All good. And especially interesting because it's yet another Windows-focused open-source tool.… Read more

Pitch overload at AlwaysOn

PALO ALTO, Calif.--Another line of start-ups made their case at the AlwaysOn Stanford Summit here on Thursday. A mix of more established and fairly new companies with services that are in beta--some that have already had one or two rounds of funding but are now seeking investors' attention again.

Here is a chunk of the start-ups: Technology enablers • Flock is a Web browser that lets you add tools and applications to share media and interact online. We have mentioned it before and the last version of the social browser is now up for beta before its official launch … Read more

LeapFrog's new junior computer preps tots for career in blogging

LeapFrog's new ClickStart My First Computer may not run Windows, Linux or the Mac OS, but it's designed to introduce kids aged 3-6 to the whole concept of computing without messing with daddy or mommy's expensive PC. The $60 system features a "child-friendly" wireless keyboard with nice big buttons, a console and a mouse that converts for right- or left-handed play. The console comes with a few built in games and activities, and you can buy additional software cartridges ($19.99) that plug into the top of the console.

Not surprisingly, there's a friendly … Read more

'JumpStart World': A 'Second Life' for second graders

Summertime conjures visions of endless outdoor activities, but what protects a kid's brain from melting in the day's heat? JumpStart World, 2nd Grade (there's also a kindergarten version) is one of CNET Download.com's many educational software programs to keep students' brains sharp over vacation.

From the beginning, JumpStart World reminds me of a Second Life for second graders--the download and installation are lengthy, and slurp up quite a bit of memory. Users begin by registering, choosing an avatar, and entering an interactive 3D world replete with an orienting tutorial. The main difference is that kids go on "hero" missions at their virtual summer camp, earning shields and gems--the in-game currency--for following instructions, doing good deeds, and mastering fun games.… Read more