This is the sort of stuff I would be excepeting out of YCombinator startups. Instead we got mostly lame web 2.0 websites with no clear business model. Okay, that was a bit harsh, but still - I think most of the YCombinator applicants don't have enough ambition and the ideas are too focused on the web 2.0 world.
Is this really that innovative? for $299, I can get a Dell mini 9 or countless other netbooks (some of which can be hacked to run OSX). In terms of providing value, give me a web 2.0 tool that helps my business or helps me lose weight or whatever... over this thing.
The other advantage of a laptop is that it includes a "kickstand" by default (the keyboard). When I'm laying on the couch, I have the laptop on my chest and use a wireless mouse.
I agree. I would like to work on a hardware startup, but I wouldn't focus on consumer hardware like TechCrunch is. Once you start concentrating on the average Joe, the costs go way up. Industrial hardware is better for a garage startup environment.
thats because coding up a site doesn't take as much effort.
Here you'd need to figure out how to build it, then find a factory to build it, then figure out how to sell it to retailers, then figure out shipping etc etc
Why would you consider this suspicious of being made up? I think his path to success is far more realistic than almost all of the web 2.0 stuff out there.
- I haven't read "almost all of the web 2.0 stuff out there."
- How would you know (that is personally)? Perhaps you've already done what he describes and can confirm it? If so, please post it on a blog, along with your name and your company's name. Unveil your product (not some imaginary "parking lot software").
- How would you know (that is, objectively whether what he's saying is true or BS)?
- Because "On the Internet no one knows you're a dog."
Because it is either the startup scene is in such a bad state that Pownce (which is one of the worst me-too startups I've seen) is among the exciting startups to watch or the writer of the article has little knowledge of startups and innovating technology in general.
I prefer to believe the latter, I believe there are quite a few exciting and innovating startups to watch out there.
This is not just for bloggers: it is (or better will be) also for anyone publishing content on the web. Newspapers are moving (or better, moved) to the internet. This can bring a lot of value(reduce costs) to big companies so it is a valuable startup.
In my opinion a lot better than any of the YCombinator startups yet. It has a cool (non-trivial) technology underneath and it actually brings value.
edit: About it being the next Google - granted it is far from being the next Google, but I can see it being very sucessful.
I can really see this startup succeeding: unlike most web 2.0 companies, they actually have the technology (if it works as they say -- I believe they are using some quite sophisticated NLP/AI stuff on the backend) that provides added value to the users.
Currently it only support a few blogging platforms, but I believe Joomla and other CMS support is also coming, as well as an API.
I am not sure. I got the impression they'll be pursuing those ideas (as in the case of the cancer-filter product), not just charging companies to use their patents.
The article was pretty inspiring, knowing not everyone is just interested in making yet another social website or a twitter clone, but something that can really substantially change people's lives.
