This Should Upset Angie’s List

A new product coming out of Google’s Mountain View testing facility could become the first marketplace where people can buy and sell services via live video.

The new product, reportedly named “Helpouts”, has been quietly developed by Google as a new platform which leverages powerful cloud services to power live, real-time commerce. Merchants with Google Plus profiles will have the capacity to connect with consumers on both an immediate and scheduled basis.

Merchant profiles come with a number of other advantages, such as the ability to take control over reputation management, scheduling and payment tools, and the ability to determine how customers can search for offered services. The platform is likely to come integrated with the rest of Google’s web products, such as Google Wallet.

Google will continue internal testing, which started late last month, and it may be at least another month before Helpouts sees a public release.

Chipotle’s False Flag

Over the weekend, Chipotle appeared to be the latest victim to have their Twitter account hacked. Since then, the company has come forward to admit that it was a corporate hoax.

The publicity stunt began with a series of confusing and random tweets over the course of an hour. Unlike other hacked Twitter account hoaxes, Chipotle didn’t say one way or the other whether or not they were actually hacked. Once they revealed their role in the prank, it became clear that they simply wanted to draw attention to their 20th anniversary celebration.

Chris Arnold, a Chipotle rep spoke about the hoax, saying, “We thought that people would pay attention, that it would cut through people’s attention and make them talk, and it did that. It was definitely thought out: We didn’t want it to be harmful or hateful or controversial.”

Chipotle is by no means the first brand to fake having its Twitter hacked. Shortly after Burger King and Jeep had their accounts hacked in February, both MTV and BET decided to stage their own hacks to get in on the press coverage.

Greylock Parners-Up

Venture capital firm Greylock Partners has a new partner. According to an announcment by the investment firm, former project leader Josh Elman has been promoted.

In the past, Josh has been involved in companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.

After announcing his promotion, Elman got the opportunity to discuss his investment goals, saying, “I believe in investing in stuff that I know. That means I’ll likely be looking at consumer tech, with a focus on looking for companies that find the best ways to connect people with one another.”

It is believed that Elman will continue to work in designing, building, and scaling consumer products for social networks and platforms.

And I Can’t Get Cellphone Reception There…

Six years after the unsuccessful deal to blanket San Francisco with free Wi-Fi, the city will finally be able to offer free internet access in specific areas.

City Supervisor Mark Farrell announced a partnership with Google to bring public wifi to parks, recreation centers and plazas across the city. Google covered the$600,000 needed for equipment, installation, and two years worth of maintenance.

Mayor Ed Lee praised the plan, claiming it was a great example of “public-private partnerships that are key to delivering better services for residents in the 21st century.”

Installation of the wireless services are scheduled to begin by November and could be finished as early as April of next year.

Torbit Makes Pact With Devil

Wal-Mart’s innovation lab has acquired Torbit, a cloud-based website acceleration service.

The retailer’s technology focused group, dubbed @WalmartLabs, has already developed plans to use Torbit’s technology to improve Walmart.com’s performance on desktops, tablets, and mobile phones.

The buyout purchased the startup’s unique technology which minimizes the time visitors spend waiting for a site to load by optimizing content on-the-fly.

Walmart could have simply used Torbit’s services to build a better site, but the buyout makes it clear that the retailer would rather keep the technology for for their own use, and nobody else’s.

Old Tech, New Look

A new Kickstarter campaign by analog and film specialists Lomography could fund the development of a new version of the iconic Petzval lens.

The new technology combines old with new, blending the effects of the portrait lens developed by John Petzval in 1840, with a smaller, sleeker and more contemporary look. The lens was a popular choice with portrait photographers who wanted to achieve its artistic and dream-like appearance.

Lomography designed the project to be compatible with the Nikon F and Canon EF mounts, so the new lens should work with a wide range of both analog and digital SLR cameras. The Kickstarter campaign is looking for $100,000 over the next 30 days to put the lens into full production, where it will retail for $499.

Act now and the first 100 backers will get an opportunity to snatch up their own lens for a very reasonable $300.

Google Joins The College Textbook Racket

Just in time for the Autumn Semester, in August Google will begin offering a comprehensive selection of textbooks that will be available for either purchase or a six-month rental period.

Titles will be available from the five major textbook publishing houses, and Google promises discounts of up to 80%, which should outcompete nearly every school library in the country.

Textbooks purchased from Google will be capable of being synced across Android devices, and can even be accessed over the web on iOS, so a Google device is not required to use the service.

In May, Google unveiled a new section of its Play Store specifically focused on education, and it appears that this Fall textbook launch schedule will pair nicely with Google’s new education initiative.

Policy Changes Making The One More Like A Free-Sixty

In a surprising turn of events, Microsoft has revised its policy and will now allow indie developers to release games on the Xbox One without requiring a publisher.

To assist with the development process, Microsoft is allowing the Xbox to operate as a Dev Kit, which will open up aspects of the device not usually available to typical users.

Corporate VP Marc Whitten provided a statement on Microsoft’s change of heart saying, “Our vision is that every person can be a creator. That every Xbox One can be used for development. That every game and experience can take advantage of all of the features of Xbox One and Xbox Live. This means self-publishing. This means Kinect, the cloud, achievements. This means great discoverability on Xbox Live.”

This new policy marks a big reversal by Microsoft after the One’s initial reveal, which stated that publishers would be required to develop independent games.

And that’s all the news for today. If you want to keep up with this and more, be sure to join us every morning on NewsDesk with Kristin Feledy.

photo credit: somaya via photopin cc
photo credit: Thomas Hawk via photopin cc
photo credit: Walmart Corporate via photopin cc
photo credit: Johan Larsson via photopin cc