ka-ching

iPhone SDK terms relaxed to allow lotteries (Poll)

Updated February 25, 2010 at 8:06 a.m. PST: Update and correction to reflect that the app is now free and the prize is up to $1,000 daily.

According to a report by RegHardware, Apple is now allowing developers to add contests, lotteries, or sweepstakes to iPhone and iPod Touch apps, thanks to a new SDK rule, if those contests follow some strict guidelines:

Developers must be the sole sponsor of a promotion. The app promotion must comply with all local laws. Developers must clearly state that Apple has no sponsorship or responsibility for the in-app promotion.

This … Read more

KaChing takes on mutual fund industry

When I wrote about KaChing last December, the site was a fantasy stock market where you could track the pretend portfolios of other investors. But the game of make-believe is coming to an end at the company, and KaChing is now letting users attach real money to their accounts. In doing so, this company is taking on the $11.5 trillion U.S. mutual fund industry. It looks like a great opportunity, both for the investors in the company and consumer equity investors.

KaChing lets anyone create and manage a portfolio on the site, and any user can see these … Read more

KaChing: A well-balanced site for stock enthusiasts

I have never been a big fan of fake stock markets. I don't play fantasy sports, either. I feel that if you're going to invest, nothing replaces skin in the game. A "market" with play money can't, I have always thought, provide real-world value.

But that's a superstitious conceit. Some stock games might be able to make you real money. Take KaChing, a new stock market community site officially launching Tuesday. Marc Andreessen just announced that's he's an investor in this company.

In KaChing, as in other stock game sites, users can … Read more