By The Editors 5/17 5:36pm

shameless rumormongering

(Photo: Tumblr)

Rumor Roundup: Betabeat Becomes a Bunch of Glassholes, Prince Harry Hails a Hailo and Zuck Celebrates a Bday

Glasshole Missed Connection Betabeat finally had the distinct pleasure of trying the dorky looking face computer we love to mock so much at a party last night at Meetup HQ. We (only slightly drunkenly) approached a tall white dude donning Google Glass and timidly asked if we might be able to try it on. When we slipped on the device (in slate!), the display was incredibly blurry–not due to our eyesight, but because Glass specifically calibrates to the wearer’s eye. It was hard as hell to see, but the voice commands worked almost seamlessly, impressive since we were at a loud party.

The device’s functionality is fairly limited: you can take a picture, record video and get directions to and from places. It also has the added benefit of making you look like a complete dork while somehow also attracting swaths of attractive ladies to get up real close to your face. Read More

By Kelly Faircloth 5/02 9:36am

Ride or Die

Taxi and Limousine Smartphone

Here We Go Again: Appeals Court Puts the Kibosh on the TLC’s Taxi Apps Pilot Program

If this back-and-forth keeps up, we’re all going to get whiplash. Bloomberg News reports that once again, the courts have blocked the Taxi and Limousine Commission’s ehail pilot program, just days after it was given the all-clear. The black car business has appealed the dismissal of its suit against the program, and an appeals court judge has granted a temporary injunction until there’s a decision.

Good thing this broke after the end of TechCrunch Disrupt, or we might have had a disruptors’ riot on our hands.  Read More

By Kelly Faircloth 5/01 3:10pm

Ride or Die

Look out, Jay! (Photo: screencap)

Hailo’s Now Approved for the TLC’s Taxi App Pilot, But Sidecar Sure Isn’t

Guess the Taxi and Limousine Commission is willing to let bygones be bygones. Last week, Hailo launched a “beta test” of its ehail app; almost as quickly, the TLC said that actually Uber was the only company that’d officially been accepted into the pilot program, meaning Hailo had no clearance to operate. But at a TechCrunch Disrupt panel this morning, CEO Jay Bregman announced they’ve got the go-ahead and will begin operations today.

He got a couple of minutes to shine, calling for a round of applause for the TLC, before the panel turned into a tiff between the TLC’s Ashwini Chhabra and Sidecar CEO Sunil Paul. Read More

By Kelly Faircloth 4/26 3:20pm

Ride or Die

Mr. Bregman (Photo: Hailo)

Hailo Launches Taxi App Beta Test; Uber Approved for TLC Pilot Program [UPDATED]

Well, that sure didn’t take long. On Tuesday, a judge dismissed the lawsuit against the city’s taxi apps pilot program. And today, Hailo began rolling out a beta test of its own app for yellow cabs.

Earlier today, “founding passengers” received a chipper email from CEO Jay Bregman, which announced: “I can’t tell you how long I have waited to say this; Hailo Beta is LIVE in New York City! Think of Hailo as The Taxi Magnet – the app that brings Yellow Cabs to you.” Read More

By Jane Gayduk 2/06 3:42pm

startup rundown

What about a V-day date at MakerBot? It could work.

Startup News: Classes at MakerBot, a Birchbox for Valentine’s Day and Lady Makers on PBS

Your heart-shaped Birchbox. Tired of cellophane-wrapped boxes full of chocolate-flavored fat? On February 7, Birchbox is launching a limited edition V-day box—the “We Heart” Collection. For $36 you can have goodies like nail polish, bobby pins and some mascara product advertised as “triple action,” in case you’re not getting any this year.

Newsreels Tonight at 6 p.m. marks the premier of “MAKERS: Women Who Make America,” at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. This video and broadcast initiative is a collaborative effort between AOL and PBS that aims to communicate stories of revolutionary women who help shape today’s world. Read More

By Patrick Clark 2/05 8:00am

Linkages

Mr. Dell (Photo: Wikipedia)

Booting Up: Dell Said to Near Announcement for $23 Billion Buyout

Dell’s board of directors were said to vote last night on a $23 billion deal to take the company private, with private equity firm Silver Lake Management, Microsoft and company founder Michael Dell among the key players. [AllThingsD]

Competition between on-demand taxi service startups continues to simmer. Later this month, New York City will launch its pilot program for e-hailing yellow cabs. Meanwhile, Uber competitor Hailo is launching a subsidiary in Tokyo. [TechCrunch]

Nearly half of single women research prospective dates on Facebook before they meet, according to Match.com. Also in the survey, promiscuous sexters! Thirty-two percent of singles have sent a sext, while 51 percent of singles have received a sext, which by our math means some of you are sending more than your fair share.   [Mashable]

A group of Florida investors is hosting something called the “pitch house” at the Startup Conference next week. Sounds like a pilot. [Nibletz]

Benchmark Capital’s Bill Gurley, Chamath Palihapitiya of Social + Capital Partnership and SurveyMonkey’s Dave Goldberg talked Venture Capital and IPOs.  [Bloomberg Television]

Twitter is hiring engineers to beef up security after a recent hacking attempt. [Wired]

By Nitasha Tiku 12/13/12 3:30pm

Ride or Die

771px-Yellow_cabs_2

After Fears That TLC Would Kill Taxi Apps, E-Hailing Gets a Pilot Program

In a packed meeting at the Taxi and Limousine Commission headquarters this morning, commissioners voted 7-0 in favor of adopting a year-long pilot program to test out e-hailing apps that let riders flag down yellow cabs from their smartphone. The pilot won’t commence until February. After reviewing data from the test run, the TLC will assess whether to make it permanent. The more limited pilot program is an abrupt change from an earlier proposal by TLC chairman David Yassky: to vote on e-hailing rules that would have opened New York’s taxi market up to any app that met guidelines and secured a license. Read More

By Nitasha Tiku 12/12/12 5:18pm

Ride or Die

yassky

Q&A With TLC Chairman David Yassky About Tomorrow’s Big Vote on Smartphone Apps for Taxis

Tomorrow morning, New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission will hold a momentous vote at its headquarters on 33 Beaver Street concerning two sets of proposed rules–one of which could radically alter the taxi hailing experience for New Yorkers.

That highly contested proposal calls for changing e-hailing rules that have traditionally given yellow cabs province over street hails, where black cars and livery cabs focus on prearranged rides. If passed, those e-hail rules would open up New York’s massive, much-coveted market for yellow cabs to any request-a-ride app that meets guidelines and secures a license.

So rather than having to hail a taxi on the street, these apps will let you flag down and pay for a taxi with a few taps of your smartphone. Read More