when paypal will take over the world.

i just came back from the army for a few days so sorry for the slow blogging.
All most everyone around the web heard about paypal an Ebay company actually Ebay bought them for 1.5B $ back in 2002 and that was there best and last good M&A (skype for 2.6B?? or StumbleUpon for 70M? come on... they will never return there investment ).
By now paypal is the way people do business in the web using one acount and with out the need to retype your credit card again and again.
Actually MS had the same vision back with passport but it never took off.
Paypal is very good integrated into eBay which probably give them there main income source but now you can pay almost anywhere with paypal (itunes, amazon, etc...).
I think that the next step for them will be to issue a "paypal credit card" a card that will give credit on credit.
this direction will take paypal out of the virtual world to the real one to become the bank of the world where user can sell something on ebay and 5 minutes later buy coffee with the money they earned in the sale at a local starbucks.
it will be interesting to see what the major banks would do about it.
please feel free to comment.

are we in a bubble?

i have a day off from the army reserve... and i had a lot of time to think about out there... and to figure out what i want to write about...
once in a while i will review some of the recent company funding round and give my thought about it because it seems we are in a small "bubble".
let me start by saying that i don't think we are in a bubble but i defiantly think that VC's are in quite a mess.
They don't know which company to fund and which tank. (all thanks to youtube).
that way you see weird funding like 12M$ to zlango a pic talk service...
that right 12M... for what? my bet is that they never going to get it back, but i would like to be proven wrong (because they are an Israeli company).
please feel free to comment.

slow blogging

hi all,
tomorrow i am going to "miluim" (army reserve) for a few days so there will be slow blogging...
sorry.

the full Bittorrent guide for the mac user

beginners some time get the feeling that torrents for the mac OS are not as advanced as at windows.
if you just switched thinking about switching here is may guide for Tottents on MAC OS.
first there are the clients
there are 3 popular clients for MAC (i bet there are a few more please comment if you can recommend on one).

1. Azureus i think this is the most famous client of them all: pure java (for good and bad), open source and has some really good features the winning one for me was the ability to choose which files to download from a .torrent file.
pros: alot of features, open source.
cons: very slow, pretty heavy on the memory.

2. Transmission a very nice open source BitTorrent client only for mac OS X seems to work very fast and doesn't have a lot of effect on the memory. but this client is also thin in the features part although it has a great UI.
pros: very small and fast, great UI.
cons: not to many features and seems very basic.

3. xtorrent from my point of view the best BitTorrent client for the MAC OS, a lot of features (the only one who has built in search) and all kind of features. the only problem is that you have to pay 20$ for the full version.
pros: very light and beautiful, packed with features.
cons: you have to pay 20$ to really enjoy it.

ok now that you have the right client you need to start download torrent files.
there all kind of torrent sites out there some great some not...
but a most have little software if you download TV shows is TVShows that automatically download the latest episodes of your favorite tv shows.

that it please feel free to comment.

why thanks to windows vista i switched to mac (thank you mr gates)

All of my life i was a Microsoft user, first with the DOS and after that with windows 95 and so on...
and i allways didn't quite understood why someone will buy a mac.
I told my self and everyone else that why use an expensive computer that can't run anything... and so what it has a beautiful design and you guys are saying that MS are ripping it off who cares.... windows Rulez!
my feeling for windows even got stronger back in 2002 when i saw this


and i said WOW this is looking great with WINFS and all the other features.
then after almost 4 years i got to see on of vista beta at Microsoft offices and the only feeling i had was that it? you are giving us a windows XP with transparent windows, widgets, search and a nice feature that let you browse trough your open windows
that it? in 4 years this is what you have?
maybe i'll try a mac, it can run windows these days so I'll give it a shot and if i it doesn't work for me i can always use windows using bootcamp.
since i bought my macbook (4 months ago) im enjoying it like a little fan boy... I hardly use parallels (only for dev stuff) and i get questions every place i go (there aren't to many mac's in Israel).
so thank you Bill Gates for developing such a poor OS like vista so i had to switch to OS X.
who knows maybe one day in 2009 when your new OS will be release we will meet again.

6 MAC APPLICATIONS i use and no one else recommend

i bought a macbook, I gone over all the mac "must have application list".
downloaded some, used some, deleted a lot! and then decided to do my own list of application that no one i saw recommend them.
so this is my list:


1. alarm clock 2 a great little alarm clock that all the feature you could ask in an alarm clock (snooze, easy alarm, mp3 support) and in the right size. and memory foot print.

2. appzapper i know everyone talked about this little app but it's simple the best uninstaller for mac os and worth 7$



3. audio hijack pro one of the macbook main problem is it's lousy speakers volume, they are very weak that's where you can use audio hijack to get some more volume into your macbook.

4. BitTyrant from my experience the best torrent client out there for mac OS X it's main features are fast and fair it's the fastest torrent client i saw and it make sure you don't upload more then you download.

5. UNrarx the smallest fastest and simple rar extractor just extract those files you need support all the features you need (password protect, multiple files etc) just do the job with out a big fuss about it.

6. spanning sync Synchronize Google Calendar and Apple iCal. Share calendars between multiple Macs. Share calendars with your coworkers, family, and friends. And while you're at it, connect Google Calendar to your iPod, mobile phone, and other devices.

another applications i use that everyone else recommend them too are: adiumx (the best IM solution for MAC), cyber duck (a great ftp client), disco (a very good cd/dvd burn software)
and VLC (the best video playback software out there)
plesae feel free to comment.

push technology will come back

Do you remember back in the 90s when the buzz was push technology?
can you remember pointcast and how they died? and what about backweb?
In the old days push technology used to download content when your computer was idle...
A very useful idea back in the 14400 dial up modems.
after that back in 2000 everyone said that push technology is dead and may rest in peace.
until blackberry started pushing emails.
I believe that content push technology has not said it last words.
and i am not talking about blackberry or any other messaging service that did a revolution in the way users use mail.
i am talking about push content.
we all ready seeing it in widgets that bring us content with out the need to enter a web address or do something.
imagine these widgets on your mobile? wouldn't that be cool?
there are all kind of widget engines for the mobile environment (i talked about them in previous posts).
but none of them implement push and they are still very difficult for the simple user.
I believe that the first company that will provide a widget engine with push capabilities plus a configurable web UI will take this growing market by a storm.
(apple are starting it in the IPHONE)
Push is not just for mobile there is a lot to be done in the PC world too but we will leave it for another post.

why mobile web doesn't cut it.

Every once in a while i get to read that there is a new mobile web browser out there that is much more advanced and from now on using the web from your mobile is going to be as easy as using it from you PC.
Guess what? i am earing this mantra for the past 3 years and still almost no one is using mobile web and no one cares... and it doesn't care if you have installed:

Opera which consider a leader in the mobile market (BTW: great way to survive)
or MS mobile IE or some other browser.

they are all surfing from the same problem.
Web browser has we know it is not a mobile tool.
And here is why
No one care that these browsers becoming more and more like their bigger brothers, users still wont use it because you can't force the web into the mobile just like you can't on TV because:

1. no one want to type www.google.com on there mobile.
2. the screen is small.
3. the needs of the mobile user are different from the PC/laptop user who have much more time.
4. the content consuming is different in the mobile world. (mobile users doesn't have time...) the time they have to consume content is when they are waiting (for a bus, train, in line)

because of these reasons the solution is not keep improving the mobile web browser and upgrading the mobile networks but to find a better, more suitable solution for the mobile.
and until this happens still no one will use web on the go.

please feel free to comment and suggest your ideas.

5 mobile killer app

Has i mention in the previous post i am a strong believer in mobile content and the mobile carriers keeps updating there networks (UMTS, HSDPA etc..) but still there are not yet real applications that you might consider has killer apps for the mobile.
but here is 5 that i think that can become "killer app" in the near future.

1. GMAIL mobile- the popular mail in your mobile, the same interface and as easy has it's bigger brother web version GMAIL mobile really get the job done regarding reading mails with out the need for a expensive Blackberry. (writing emails is a different story)

2. I-GO- navigation is definitely going to be on of the mobile killer apps and in that category if you have a winmobile device then I-GO is a winner because of it's great UI and great UX.
if you don't have a winmobile device there are other solutions for other OS one of them that i had a chance to see is telmap which was pretty cool.

3. worldmate- another application that understand mobile and takes the true advantage of mobility is Worldmate which is a must have tool if you travel a lot (and if not it's still pretty cool) it's give you currency convector, world clock, flight schedule and a lot more.

4. widsets- widsets is a Nokia owned company who deliver the world of widgets to the mobile world. there solution is still in beta but it's look like they have a bright future.

and the winner is...
5. yahoo mobile- Yahoo really did an amazing work studying the mobile market and what the mobile user need.
yahoo provide a mobile application that let you access your yahoo services (search,mail flicr,news etc..) with a mobile adjust UI and a very full all around solution (if you are a Yahoo user).
I think that in this round Yahoo won over Google and MS by putting there foot in the mobile market with a great solution and understanding of mobile user needs by understanding that mobile is not the web and you can't just copy the interface you have to develop for mobile, and that what they did.

please feel free to comment if you feel i left someone out or you disagree with me.

15 tips for starting your own start up company

in this post i would give a few tips for any one out there who consider to start his/her own company from my experience after i have done almost every mistake in this list hope it helps.

1. try to solve a problem that hurts you and not do not try to guess what other people need most chances you are wrong trying to figure out other people.
   even if you give your product for free try to imagine how many users will pay 1$ to use it.
   if it's not worth 1$ it's not worth for free.
   
   
2. choose the right people to work with you need a technology expert, CFO for the money and a marketing expert. you don't need to much people in your leading team and pick them carefully the first 5 people is what makes the company.
   
   
3. choose the right technology do you remember how many start ups decided that Java applets is the right web technology back in the 90s.... where are they now?
   the best tip here try not to be the first to use (for example don't be the first to develop a java app for windows vista) and always pick the technology that is best fit for the user (and not what your technology guys knows).
   
   
4. know your customer, if you are facing the consumer then know who is he/she, try to gather as much information has you can on your user and fit your product according to his/her needs (for example do not try to sell a Paris Hilton stuff to someone older then 21). the same goes to B2B.
   
   
5. know the law if you have a great idea but it's illegal (for example a service that let you download songs for free) try to think of legal use for it or drop the idea (no one will put his money on piracy company)
   
   
6. how are you going to make money? free is nice but how are you going to earn money try not to write down advertising VC's don't like this model (and frankly neither do you).
   
   
7. how are you going to recruit costumers? no one cares about your company but you... you need to think how are you going to get costumers (letting Google index and buy some ad words is not enough).
   
   
8. make a good business plan no one read it after the executive summary but everything has to be in there if you don't know to write one hire a pro for 5000$ to write you one.
   
   
9. build a small no more then 25 slides presentation do not over load it with information and do not write slides about Gartner or some other research group saying your niche is going to worth billions (your investors saw them all and they are not impressed by it).
   
   
10. don't over pay your self no investor will invest on a start up that let his entrepreneurs a huge pay check.
    
    
11. get a good usability expert and designer every product can't based only on technology it has to be user friendly and look good (even if you have a great product if it's look bad no one will use it).
    
    
12. be ready to loose your self-respect, investors (mostly VC's) will tell you that your idea is crap, there are millions just like you.
    do not give up.
    
    
13. prepare an answer about your barrier. every investor like to ask it.
    do not tell him that Microsoft/Google/yahoo are stupid and slow... think on something else.
    
    
14. choose the right investors some investor will try to change your company remember when coming for an investment it's not just they are checking you, you are checking them too don't take money from people you are going to fight with, it will kill your company.
    
    
15. no one like to loose money remember even if your investor is a billionaire he still hates to loose money even a few millions, make sure you let your investor know you spend his money wisely.
    

that it, please feel free to comment me and suggest something that maybe i forgot.
Navot.

what will be the next web blockbuster

These days everyone is trying to figure out what will be the next BIG thing around the web.. a lot of guys are betting on video services but they are wrong because video is huge now.... and to say that video will be the next big thing is like betting on yesterday lottery numbers...
another companies/VCS are betting on social networks and again from my point of view they are allso wrong because of the same reasons.
1. the market is full (no one need another wikipedia/digg/myspace/youtube)
2. the big players are in the market (MS,google,yahoo) and you don't want to go head to head with them.

so has for the million dollar question... WHAT IS THE NEXT BIG THING?
well i can defiantly point out two things that are going to go strong throughout 2007 & 2008.

the first LIVE HD video services:
when communication becomes non issue (in 1-2 years) and pepole will get enough of Shakira spoffs the demand for live video will grow rapidly and in every field (from reality TV to sports) a lot of the web will become live and in time HD.

a very interesting company in that field is http://www.ustream.tv/
as for they now only provide for blogs but I'll bet they have a bright future.
another very hyped player is joost that been spoken a lot and there is no need to introduce.

another BIG thing that will happen is mobile content and mobile application.
the mobile phones becoming smarter every day (Iphone, blackberry, winmobile nokia s60) and my guess (and knowledge) is that 2007-2008 will be the year that the mobile content and applications will blossom, but first the control has to move from the operators to the user , can you imagine that your ISP tells you what software to use? well this is what happening in the mobile industry right now.
some player that need to be consider for the upcoming year are:

1. plusmo a mobile software that let you run widgets on your phone..
2. widsets the same concept from a nokia owned company.
these two are in the right way another player is of course google with gmail mobile and Microsoft has some surprises up there sleeve.

Thats it for now, Navot.

why personalized news site will die and user driven social content will prosper

In this post i will try to explain why from my point of view the personalized news sites (netvibes, page flakes, spotback) will die and user driven content web site (digg, reddit myspace) will prosper.
there is a hough buzz these days about the personalized news site and everyone is making his/her own page in one of the sites (netvibes for example), these pages has a very nice UI and very simple to use... but they all fall down in the relevancy of the content.
the IT industry is tackling the content personalization for years now and there is no good solution so far because pepole can't define what they want.
i will give you an example let say i want content on the iphone and i insert it as my tag words.
for now on i will get every text that has the word iphone in it.
sound cool? not really because even if the system see an article with a sentence "this is not an iphone story" i will still offer me to read it.
another serious problem is that pepole actually don't know what they want to read... they need someone else to entertain them (that's why CNN will all ways win because they have an editors)
that exactly where the user driven content site are wining...
why try to build a smart personalization engine when you can use thousands of users who rate articles and the most popular are on top.
this system is currently the best solution for content management.
that why personalization and tagging are useless...
i hope i made my self clear.

5 free useless but fun software for your MAC

for my second post i decided to write about a phenomenon that called useless but fun.
it's a bunch of software that are not improving your productivity by nothing but still fun...
so here is the top 5 and feel free to add your own.
and here is the list

5. DOSBox http://sourceforge.net/projects/dosbox/
who will want/need to emulate DOS on a mac???

4. disctop pro http://mekentosj.com/disctop/
Now you always know if there's a disc inside, and what type it is.
(come on... who needs it? but it's fun

3. Desktop Web Browser 2.0 http://alphaomega.software.free.fr/desktopwebbrowser/Desktop%20Web%20Browser.html
You want to navigate on the internet directly on the desktop of the Finder? You want to display a webpage as your desktop picture? Then Desktop Web Browser is what you need! (and you don't)

2. Dock Dividers http://brandon-kelly.com/downloads/
Separate your dock apps into groups... i didn't found one use to it but it was fun doing it....

and the winner is....

1. Thunderbird http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/
why will someone use it on a mac when you have OS X mail and gmail....

that it this is my list please feel free to comment on the list and post your own apps.

why to blog

well everyone these days are blogging in this blog i will try to give my opinion on VC. start ups, WEB 2.0, mobile, and everything funny...
if you read it have fun...