All posts in Business

Turn your WordPress websites into iPhone Apps using Appifier

By | January 12, 2012 | Startups |

A new Montreal-based startup, Appifier, has developed a solution that can turn into WordPress based website into a native iPhone app within minutes of signing up for their service without a single line of code.

Appifier charges $39.99 a month or a one-time $499.99 lifetime for the app development which includes submitting the app to Apple’s App Store. Appifier requires that you are a registered Apple developer ($99 per year). Appifier will submit the app on your behalf but after the submission you should have access to handle anything you wish with the app including charging fees to download the app.

The only other requirement I could find on their website is that their service currently works only with WordPress.org websites, not any of the premium WordPress.com websites.

One question that seems to pop up a lot on Appifier’s Twitter Feed is how Appifier validates the ownership of a specific WordPress website and the good news is that there are two safeguards. The first is that a plugin needs to be installed on the WordPress website and then there is a second unnamed verification method during the publishing process.This definitely would come into play as if there wasn’t a validation system in place anyone could create a mobile version of any WordPress website including websites like CNN and NY Times blogs.

Checkout the video below to learn more about the Appifier process.

Apple looking at opening stores inside 25 Target locations

By | January 7, 2012 | Business |
target-apple-stores

Apple Insider is reporting that Apple is planning on opening store-within-a-store locations in up to 25 Target retail locations later this year focusing mainly in locations that currently can’t support a standalone Apple store. It is unknown if these stores will operate in the same manner as the current Best Buy locations with “Apple Shops” or if they will have a larger footprint.

Seismic Games secures $2 million in first round funding

By | January 5, 2012 | Startups |

Los Angeles-based Seismic Games has just completed its first round of funding and secured $2 million to help the studio create high quality, next generation social games franchises across digital platforms.

The studio has yet to release a game to the marketplace but hopes to debut their first title during the first quarter of this year.

The folks over at Inside Social Games has a great in-depth interview with Seismic’s CEO Greg Borrud.

Parse.ly to launch Dash, a startup to predict future blogging trends

By | January 3, 2012 | Startups |
Parse.ly Dash Logo

For publishers, the ability to see what the next hot topic will be before their competitors is basically the holy grail and Parse.ly hopes their new startup, Dash, will do just that. Read more…

SoundCloud raises reported $50 million in new round of funding

By | January 3, 2012 | Startups |

Web audio service SoundCloud has raised a reported $50 million in funding in the latest round led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

SoundCloud has seen exponential growth this year in terms of users and greatly evolved our product offerings. With Kleiner Perkins’ impeccable track record for recognizing and investing in companies with a long-term view, and their understanding and support for the potential of sound, we couldn’t be more excited about working together. — Alexander Ljung, SoundCloud Founder & CEO

According to SoundCloud the funding “will allow SoundCloud to continue to expand more rapidly.”

Make learning how to code one of your New Year’s Resolutions

By | January 2, 2012 | Startups |
code-year-learn-to-code

My Twitter feed was blowing up this morning with tweets such as “My New Year’s resolution is to learn to code with Codecademy in 2012! Join me. http://codeyear.com/ #codeyear” and I couldn’t be more happier. No, I don’t work for CodeAcademy.com nor am affiliated with them in any way, but the fact that so many people (51,705 as of this post) have pledged to learn to code in 2012 makes me think that 2012 will be a very special year. Read more…