Monday, September 27, 2010

Facial Recognition Tech Startup Face.com Raises $4.3M From Yandex And Others

Just stop for a second and think of the endless possibilities such software will bring to the dating industry. With face recognition we will no longer have scammers and spammer plaguing the dating sites and lurking in the shadows seeking their next pray.

Yandex, operator of Russia’s largest search engine, has invested in Tel-Aviv based facial recognition technology startup Face.com, marking its first investment in an Israeli company. In total, Face.com has raised $4.3 million in Series B funding in a round led by previous investor Rhodium.

The news was first reported by TheMarker (in Hebrew) but we’ve confirmed the news with a Yandex representative, who declined to say how much it is investing in the startup.

Yandex did say they and Face.com are working on a “large joint project”, but failed to specify what that initiative entails exactly. Finally, Yandex CEO Arkady Volozh has joined the startup’s board of directors.

Face.com, founded in 2007, has developed a number of face recognition apps for Facebook (PhotoTagger and Photo Finder; the latter is currently in private alpha mode).

Last May, the company said its technology had helped users scan over 7 billion photos, and moved to launch a developer community and open API, providing third-party devs access to their core facial recognition technology.

One of the startup’s closest competitors, Polar Rose, was reportedly acquired by Apple for about $29 million.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Thursday, September 9, 2010

OKCupid Analysis Reveals Interests Of Different Races

MASHABLE - Sep 8 - According to OKCupid's blog, OKTrends, the website took 526,000 of its members’ profiles and split them into groups based on race. It then highlighted popular and unique words and phrases within each group to create the below graphics, which apparently reveal the inner desires of the various denizens of OKCupid. http://mashable.com/2010/09/08/okcupid-race/#Indian-Women

Nominations Open For The 2nd Annual iDate Awards

Idate awards logo MARKETWIRE - Sep 8 - The iDate Awards highlights both the people and companies who exemplify the best and most innovative aspects of the Internet Dating and Matchmaking Industry. The Award ceremony takes place on the night of January 20, 2011, during the Internet Dating Conference. iDate2011 takes place at the Miami Beach Convention Center from January 19 - 21, 2011. Nominations are now open to the public for submission at iDateAwards.com.

Here are the categories:

Best Dating Site
Best Dating Site Design
Best Software Provider
Best Mobile Dating Site
Best Matchmaker
Most Innovative Company
Best New Technology
Best Payment System
Best Affiliate Program
Best Marketing Campaign
Best Up and Coming Dating Site

The awards are organized by the Internet Dating Conference and Online Personals Watch.
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Nominations-Open-2nd-Annual-iDate-Awards-Online-Dating-Matchmaking-Industry-Awards-1315256.htm

Mark Brooks: The awards ceremony will happen in January at the Miami Internet Dating Conference.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Man Replaces Ex-Girlfriend With Silicone Clone [Sex Toys]

Click here to read Man Replaces Ex-Girlfriend With Silicone CloneSome men buy sophisticated, ultra-realistic sex dolls choosing face models, body types, bust sizes, and even adding sensors that make them moan. This is the first time, however, that I've heard of a man cloning his ex-girlfriend in silicone. More »

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

The Future of Screens, Circa 2014

Click here to read The Future of Screens, Circa 2014The ever-impressive Swedish interface gurus The Astonishing Tribe just posted a new video envisioning what kinds of screens we'll be using in the year 2014. They stretch fluidly and share seamlessly, and I want to use them right now. More »