What you need to know, Tuesday - 8/24/2010

AppleITunes tops 300M downloads, Google bets on Scoop, Facebook deletes accts, Stumble hits iPhone

It's another business day, and you know what that means: The news roundup is here to give you a quick look at the news that matters. 

iTunes U tops 300 Million downloads. Appple announced today that iTunes U, a learning oriented section of the iTunes store that features free content created by universities and other large instutions around the globe has hit the 300 Million downloads mark. Particiapting universities include Harvard, MIT, Cambridge, Oxford, University of Melbourne and Université de Montréal. iTunes U content works on Mac computers, Phone, iPod or iPad, making it a versatile option. Also in the announcement also mentiond that with the addition of content from universities in universities in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico and Singapore there are more then 350,000 files avaliable for download.

Kodak releases Facebook friendly camera. The new Kodak digital camera, the EasyShare M590 is built with a dedicated share button on the camera, which allows it to quickly and easily share your photos and videos that you take with the camera with Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, and Orku as well as via email. The camera also features a 5X optical zoom, 2.7-inch bright LCD, Li-Ion rechargeable batteries and HD picture and video capture. It is also compatible with  Kodak'snew picture frame that features connectivity and allows end users show pictures directly from existing Facebook albums. The KODAK EASYSHARE M590 Digital Camera and frame will be available this fall for $199.95, each.
 
 StumbleUpon, the popular social networking site that allows end users to find new and interesting websites, has just released an application for the iPhone. The application, which is available now on the iTunes store is free of charge and will bring the mobile random fun to the mobile platform. In addition this application will Stumble not only text, but images and You Tube videos. For users without high bandwidth there remains the option to limit the types of media that they stumble. Sharing stumbles with other users is easy with your email, Facebook or Twitter account.

Google Earth for Android goes under the sea. The ocean makes up just about 75% of the earths surface, and for the most part the world of cell phone based navigation systems ignore this area. Yesterday, Google and Android eliminated that gap. When an end user wants to see under the sea all that they need to do is zoo in on Google Earth just off the coast. Then by using the look around feature to see the underwater geography. In addition a layer of educational tools called, Explore the Ocean, will allow end users to access hundreds of photos and videos from more than 100 contributors who are excited to share their stories of the sea.

Google's iPhone app get push capability and multiple accounts. Google announced that their new update for their iPhone application for iOS 4, which allows them to push notifications from their Google accounts to their iPhone. This will be most noticeable with application such as gmail and Google documents, where you can have rapid changes.The update will also allow end users to sign into mobile accounts without creating a conflict. The update is currently available in the App store.

Could Scoop dethrone Facebook? Google's CEO Eric Schmidt is betting that it will. TomorrowVentures, his private venture capital firm, announced that they were investing an undisclosed amount in Trumpet Technologies, a Palo Alto-based start up that is developing the Scoop site. The business will be targeted exclusively at college students with the application being released at selected college campuses, which have not yet been disclosed at some point during the next school year. The platform will have a strong mobile component, making use of end users smart phones to attempt their goal of becoming a mobile local search platform.

Zimride raised 1.2 Million Dollars for ride share. The start up promoting ride share, Zimride, has raised capital from Floodgate, K9 Ventures and individual angel investors. The company, which helps to match those looking for a ride with those who need a ride for carpool based on factors like you location, how often you need to go there and what kind of music you like. The company currently has more than 50 existing customers who include Stanford University, USC, Harvard University, and Esurance. Zimride is currently hiring both engineers and designers: you can apply online at zimride.com/jobs.

Facebook deletes North Korean accounts. Two accounts with claimed to be the official accounts of the North Korean government were shut down by owners of Facebook. Kumiko Hidaka, a Facebook spokeswoman gave the following reason for the deletions, "If a person poses as a person or entity that you don’t officially represent, that becomes a violation of our policy...", though this move may also have to do with South Korea's official policy requiring citizens to get official government permission before any contact with a North Korean, a law that they claim exists to protect their national security.

Brand Affinity Technologies a celebrity endorsement match service has raised $20 million in Series C funding from Miramar Venture Partners, Fulcrum Venture Capital, Newport Coast Investments, RimLight Capital, CGI Opportunity Fund II, and Ad Pepper Media International. The funding will help the company to extend BAT’s endorsement technology, a custom search that matches the campaigns with an appropriate celebrity, by allowing it to expand into music. Some of the funding will also be used for international expansion.