Call Genie announced today that it will partner with speech recognition company Vlingo to enable natural language searches across the CG product suite. This falls under the category of enabling technology that will make mobile local search easier to use…
Canadian IYP Yellowpages.ca announced a Facebook application that lets users of the social network tap into local listings and share recommendations with friends. This includes (according to release): Find, rate and review businesses Build lists of their favorite restaurants and…
More detail has come out on Seat Pagine Gialle’s proposed sale of its foreign properties. The goal, according to an interview with Reuters, is “to shift its attention back to Italy to mine a boom in Internet use in the…
Yellowbook has launched a new microsite to encourage consumers to download and share spots from its new ad campaign. The site also links to Yellowbook's YouTube channel. TKG recently posted on the new Yellowbook campaign and brand makeover. We see…
Microsoft will announce a new Live Search product today at Advance08, which gives cash back to users who purchase products through the system. The aptly named Cashback feature will place dollar sign icons throughout paid search results wherever there are…
Google has begun to place geotagged news stories in Google Earth. By mousing over news icons on the map, preview windows appear that show stories from Google News. This adds to the news stories it was already plotting via its partnership…
Yell Group announced results today that showed all its operating groups generated top-line growth in its 2007-08 financial year (ended March 31), with almost all the growth coming from the Internet. The company emphasized that it hit its EBITDA guidance for…
An innovative bar code technology, QR Codes, first developed in Japan by Denso-Wave has been introduced in Singapore by Singapore Press Holdings. Branded as ZapCodes, the two-dimensional bar codes enable mobile phones equipped with cameras and special software to download…
Here are last week's highlights from the TKG blog, in case you missed any posts. Click below to read each post in full. Of Video Games and Local Search The latest show of climbing video game sales came in April's…
Denver-based Local Matters announced a major deal with European Directories "whereby Local Matters will develop and enhance the online white and yellow pages websites across European Directories’ 8-country publishing operations," according to the press release issued today. European Directories is a…
Thomson Directories owner Seat Pagine Gialle has put the U.K. directory publishing group up for sale, according to an article in the Times Online. According to the article: “Thomson, which has been hit by competition from the web and reduced…
NearbyNow had a three-pronged announcement today including a $12 million series C round, a distribution partnership with TheFind.com and a new iPhone app. The funding was led by Norwest Ventures and will primarily be used to build infrastructure for traffic…
The latest show of climbing video game sales came in April's 47 percent year-over-year increase. The $1.23 billion in game & console sales was buoyed by continued success of the Nintendo Wii, as well as the release of the hotly…
In its bid to establish itself as a meaningful online company, CBS Interactive has downplayed its traditional strength in local vis-a-vis TV stations, radio stations and outdoor. The company’s just announced acquisition of CNET for $1.8 billion doesn’t necessarily change…
Shopper publications attending the International Classified Media Association meeting in Brussels this week -- the vast majority from outside the U.S. -- are showing resilience against the challenges of the Internet, and looking at new models to sustain their existing…
Google and Office Depot announced a partnership where Office Depot will offer advice and teach small businesses how to use Google AdWords. Any small business that registers and makes an AdWords purchase on the Office Depot site will receive a…
Since the social networking phenomenon began, I have been an advocate of the Yellow Pages developing a platform for niche social networks. Directories cover such a broad array of content that can be related to highly conversational topics, such as…
Two separate but related news items caught my eye today. First, Comcast has acquired social networking technology provider Plaxo in order to integrate social network-like features that let viewers share programming, among other things. Second, Turner Entertainment Networks announced a…
Internet legend Marc Andreessen waxed positive about social networking and VC opportunities for the next five years during a packed luncheon at the Think Tomorrow -- Today conference. Without spending too much time talking about his own social networking venture, Ning,…
Today, I'm at ThinkPanmure's Think Tomorrow -- Today VC summit in Half Moon Bay, California. As Where 2.0 is happening as we speak on the other side of the hill, some attention to location awareness has been paid here as…
