With $3.2M In Funding, ‘Real-World Operating System' Startup Dekko Refocuses To Build Its Own Augmented Reality Apps
When we we last talked to augmented reality startup Dekko, back in September of last year, the company was building a platform on which it hoped to find developers to build a new generation of applications that blend computing with the real world. And, while it still hopes to be that platform, which it’s calling a ‘real-world operating system,’ the company is focusing its efforts on creating its own applications, in an effort to attract users and developers alike. The startup has built technology which can be used to map the real world using a mobile phone or tablet’s camera. It does that by building digital grids through 3-D mapping. Once that is done, Dekko (and other developers) can layer games and other applications on top of it. For now, its app is focused on creating a grid of small, independent spaces. But there’s the potential for it to be used to map full-scale real-world environments as well. Dekko co-founder Matt Miesnieks likened the company’s initial platform approach ...
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Google Makes It Easier To Turn Its Chromebooks Into Public Internet Kiosks
Google always said that its Chromebooks were “for sharing,” but even though they always had a guest mode, they weren’t necessarily set up to be used as public Internet kiosks. Today, Google is changing that with the launch of the new and imaginatively named “Managed Public Sessions” feature. Google says this new feature, which lets you turn your Chrome OS device into an Internet kiosk, “delivers a highly customizable experience for both customers and employees without requiring a login.” With this new mode, the Chromebook team believes, Chromebooks and Chromeboxes will become more viable options for stores that want to set up kiosks to allow customers to buy out-of-stock items, give employees the option to update inventory from the manufacturing floor or give hotels another option for their business centers. By default, all public session data is deleted after a user logs out. Admins, Google says, will be able to easily manage these devices from the usual web-based Chrome OS ...
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Travel Startup AnyRoad Tries To Provide Anything But Your Typical Travel Tour
Two years ago, I had a terrible experience at the Great Wall when I visited its most popular corridor in Badaling. Trapped between tens of thousands of local tourists for miles upon miles one scorchingly humid August day, I eventually managed to get off by riding a roller coaster down the Great Wall that ended up in a bear park. Really! I’m not alone. AnyRoad co-founders Daniel and Jonathan Yaffe almost ended up doing the same thing, but they were smarter. They asked around and found out about remote parts of the wall where you could walk for miles without seeing another soul. It took hours to get there, but they got lucky and met a courteous taxi driver who showed them exactly what they wanted — that endless, breathtaking view of the crumbling Wall stretching for hundreds of miles into the distance. With that as inspiration, they decided to do a startup together that would offer custom tours to people in cities like Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Jerusalem, San Francisco and more. The Yaffe ...
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Google's BufferBox Installs Its First U.S. Pick-Up Station At A Coffee Shop In The Heart Of San Francisco
At the beginning of the month, we broke the news that Google’s acquisition, BufferBox, was planning on setting up shop in the Bay Area. Today, it’s clear that this wasn’t just a plan, as its co-founder proudly shared the first U.S. BufferBox location, the nicely trafficked Coffee Bar in San Francisco. It’s no surprise that BufferBox will be setting up these shipment lockers in places that get high traffic, as it’s a more convenient experience than going to a post office or a shipping hub. Here’s the tweet from Mike McCauley, along with the photo he shared on Instagram: The location, in the Mission District of San Francisco, is a place where people could potentially route their packages to, knowing that they’re going to visit for a cup of joe at some point in the day anyways. BufferBox gives you a single-use address and locker number to have your items delivered to. Since worrying about packages being left on your doorstep, or, worse, missing the package delivery altogether ...
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To Expand Into Seattle And Beyond, Postmates Has Raised $5 Million From Founders Fund And Others
Mobile delivery startup Postmates is gearing up for expansion, and it’s raised a bit of funding to help it along the way. The company, which recently opened for business in Seattle, has raised $5 million in new funding to aid in its expansion, TechCrunch has learned. Sources say the round was led by Founders Fund, with follow-on participation from angel investor Scott Banister, among others. Representatives from Postmates wouldn’t comment on the round, but the new funding is not surprising, particularly as the company adds employees to lead its operations in new markets. The company wants its ‘Get It Now’ app to be the go-to delivery service for its users to get anything delivered in their city, whether it be food, groceries, or even electronics from the Apple Store. But so far, the app has only been available in two cities — San Francisco and Seattle. And it launched in Seattle just a month ago, after a lengthy but extensive test run in San Francisco. The company has about 200 ...
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