Sunday, May 5, 2013

revamps RockMelt Web Browser for Social Media

Within nine months after the public beta in March 2011, RockMelt, a web browser-based cloud, taking more than 1 million users and made two discoveries convincing: About two-thirds of younger users over 25, and people who use the browser personally on several computers, iPad and iPhone. "It says that we have created the first browser for mobile phones, social media generation," said CEO Eric Vishria.

Sweet justification for Vishria and CTO Tim Howes and chairman. In 2007, they were looking for the next big thing to pursue after leaving Hewlett-Packard. They know that they want to take advantage of the potential of social media, but how? Enlightenment them: ignore web browser, and then dominated by Internet Explorer and Firefox.

"Ninety percent of what we do online is through the browser," said Vishria. "But we live in a browser designed before there was social media. And clouds, going online is now a multidevice running between, iPad laptops and smartphones. It does not make sense to us that you need to organize your bookmarks and passwords for each device. '

Vishria and Howes Setting up shop in Mountain View, California, and secured nearly $ 10 million in funding from investors like Andreessen Horowitz VC firm. With the infusion of an additional $ 30 million last summer from Andreessen, Accel Partners and Khosla Ventures, co-founder ready.

RockMelt users log in with Facebook and set up the left side vertical toolbar with access to social media or news apps. Right toolbar populates with Facebook chat app. The result is that users of a social network that is always available and not hidden. And as can be seen in the cloud, RockMelt can be accessed on any computer or device.

"If we thought of the idea in 2006, we can not do it," said Howes. Solidified the notion that the availability of Google Chrome (browser RockMelt is built on the same platform with Chrome open source) and affordable cloud storage from Amazon.

Revenue is through a partnership with Google, RockMelt default search engine. Vishria said the deal is worth "a few dollars per user per year."

Attack social media startups seem ludicrous familiar with RockMelt investor Marc Andreessen, the Netscape browser father.

"It reminds me of the search engine wars during the dot-com boom last - all the different companies before I came to fight," he said. So what he saw at RockMelt? "They're developing a browser if I make social media in the 90's."

More Social Media Brilliance

GetHired: find your next job resume form video. Companies can post jobs and questions to be answered by the candidates through a video.

turntable.fm: Users can play DJ music platform to discover songs and create playlists assessed by your Facebook friends.

GiftSimple: Allows users to register for gifts they want, pool contributions from friends on social networks.

Mingly: A "social interaction mapping" machine that sends an alert to the user does not belong to anyone in their network contacts.

Dwolla: This cash payment-inspired network gives users the ability to bypass the credit card by connecting directly to the bank account of each other 'for cheap (the bill is 25 cents or less) mobile or online transactions.

Evaluation: Instead of telling your friends where you have a check-in, a smartphone app from Hurricane Party allows you to share where you later.

BenchPrep: This test-prep app full of educational materials and social features that allow for real-time virtual learning groups.

Coffee & Power: An online marketplace where people can buy and sell small jobs - from knitting software development octopi.

BlogFrog: Helping big brands connect with consumers by tapping into a network of bloggers and influencers led "sponsored" conversations and communities.