Archive of TheNextWeb.org
Written on November 21, 2008 – 6:44 pm
Mircea Goia, Next Web US Webtipr
Having big problems at home where the stock is still plummeting Yahoo, finally, sells Kelkoo, the Paris-based shopping comparison search engine, according to Techcrunch.
Kelkoo was bought by Yahoo in 2004 for 475 million euros. Sadly enough, Yahoo couldn’t make it more profitable and known among other international shopping comparison search engines and thus Kelkoo usage has fallen down the hill (see the general trend record on Google Trends - the trends might vary for different Kelkoo domains).
Nothing new here, some of the acquisitions Yahoo made had the same fate…falling down to the competition.
The new acquirer of Kelkoo is Jamplant, a UK-based private equity firm (some details about this company here) and the amount they have paid is around 100 million euros.
Kelkoo will still continue to power Y! Shopping, Cars and Travel.
You can read the announcement from the former Kelkoo CEO Pierre Chappaz here (in French) and here is the internal email Glen Drury, Kelkoo’s managing director for the UK, sent to the employees.
I hope you like that post!
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Written on November 19, 2008 – 8:53 pm
Zee M Kane, Internet Marketer, Design Connoisseur & Web App Devotee
**see end of post for an update**
I know where i’ll be staying next time i’m in Paris, Philippe Starck’s latest hotel, the geek chic Mama Shelter.
The hotel, located in the Saint Blaise quartier (which is the 20th arrondissement and on the edge of Paris), has 174 “digital” guest rooms all fitted with an iMac and a high spec multimedia center which includes; a HDTV, music, radio, CD, films and of course, the Internet.
Through a partnership with French tech provider DirectStreams, Mama Shelter offers a little something different called “iBooth”, giving guests the opportunity to take photos of themselves and have them become part of the hotel - arranged in the lobby and hotel rooms. I quote:
This is a solution (also using the iMac) that allows visitors to take “instant” pictures and see them distributed in the lobby and rooms. Conceived and realized for Mama Shelter by DirectStreams in collaboration with Jeremie Trigano, iBooth is simple and fun and offers everyone the opportunity to become part of the history of the place and its decor by leaving a sign of their stay at the hotel. In the middle of the [restaurant] tables, columns display screens where you can put up announcements to swap, meet, discover or just to dream.
You may be concerned that you’ll have to sell your home for a night at Mama Shelter’s, but fret not, at prices starting at 79Euro’s per night—Paris could be much more expensive.
Why not visit their site or click here for plenty more photos.
In our eagerness to share the greatness of Paris hotels, Apple gadgets and of course “stuff you should be hearing about”… we posted the same story twice. I hope you enjoyed both and had a laugh at our expense. :)
Written on October 4, 2008 – 7:40 pm
Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief
Sometimes your blogger misses news throughout the week. Fortunately, there’s always the weekends to catch up. How about this one: “Microsoft steps up Web search R&D in Europe” on Reuters.com. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer traveled all the way to Paris to announce that his company is about to open three research centers in Europe. Why? Well, to catch up with Google on the field of Internet searching. The offices, or “hubs”, will be based in Paris, London, and Munich.
Quite a challenge, and an interesting new approach after Microsoft failed to acquire Yahoo, which now lures with Google. The current Microsoft budget for R&D in Europe is around $600 million a year, but this will increase dramatically. Since Ballmer said that “over the next few years we expect to employ several hundred people, software developers, in these centers in Europe.”
Ballmer told the press that he believes search is still in its “infancy” and thus there’s enough room for innovation. He called Microsoft the “challenger in search”. “For companies like Microsoft search is the key for unlocking huge new opportunities in advertising,” he said.
According to Web research firm ComScore, Microsoft has about 2 percent of the European online search market, compared with Google’s 79 percent.
Written on September 29, 2008 – 4:57 pm
Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief
Just received an email from Loic Le Meur with the Le Web 08 program. This Paris-based two day conference still one of Europe’s hottest web gatherings. Our dear web celebs from Silicon Valley feel the same way, as Michael Arrington, Steve Gillmor, Dan Farber (Editor-in-Chief, CNET News), Om Malik (GigaOm), Robert Scoble, and Kara Swisher cross the ocean for this gig. The theme of the fifth edition is love, oui, l’amour:
For 2008 technology will still play a central role in the proceedings, but we will expand our talks by bringing an even more unique topic to the stage - love. And that is love in all permutations from romantic love (of course) to love of innovation, entrepreneurship, to the way in which our now truly connected “global village” can be a platform for championing critical social issues.
The full program is after the click. See you in Paris on December the 9th and 10th! (more…)
Written on August 31, 2008 – 4:54 pm
Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief
Europe knows some language barriers, we all know that. Every time we compare the Valley with our continent, that’s the first thing which comes to our minds. But trying to break those barriers can be really worth it.
Next Web team in Paris
My Next Web colleagues Patrick and Arjen plus I tried that in the beginning of this year, when we made a road trip through Europe. We’ve visited Geneva, Brussels, Gent, London, and Paris. The latter was a particularly interesting experience, as the city has a really vibrant and cowboy-like start-up community. Anything seems to be possible there. You don’t even need an Internet connection at home, just work at a free Internet hub. Seeing all that was really interesting. We’d like to offer you a similar experience.
Therefore, we’ll give away two invites for WebDeux.Connect, a meet-up in Paris with over 400 web professionals. It takes place on the 11th of October. Some basic knowledge of French is vital, but if you have that, you’re good to go. Leave a comment and we’ll pick two winners next Sunday with a raffle.
Written on July 4, 2008 – 11:07 am
Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief
The subversive-looking Google Streetview cars have hit Paris to shoot a touristic stroll past highlights like the Tour d’Eiffel, Place de la Concorde, and, the Place Charles de Gaulle (depicted below). Not the touristic part, as the ‘normal’ areas of the city aren’t covered. Some Valleywag commenter complains that the Google Cam didn’t shoot anything east of the Louvre. Anyway, when you DO cross a well-known area on the Google Map, this is how it looks like:
Google Streetview shows 360 panoramic photos of cities from ground level. So far, lots of US cities and some parts of Italy and France have been covered. The ultimate goal of Google is to cover the whole world, which is obviously pretty ambitious, really exciting as well as a touchy subject. As you can imagine, ladies in bikinis and men leaving strip clubs aren’t really fond of Google Streetview.
Written on June 6, 2008 – 11:03 am
Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief
The line for the Louvre museum will get some serious competition as there’s a new touristic highlight coming up which might attract too many visitors as well. Apple enters the museum area with the opening of a new flagship store. Who will win? The faint smile of the Mona Lisa or one of Steve Jobs’ new shiny gadgets?
The upcoming store has something in common with the ones in New York (Fifth Avenue) and London (Regent street), it’s located at one of world’s busiest touristic hot spots. Every year, 8.3 million visitors stroll by. A large percentage of those people won’t be able to resist the wonderfully designed window displays of the 7,696-square-feet store.
When we - The Next Web team - harassed Parisian Web 2.0 companies during the Open Office Road Trip last February, Charles Nouÿrit from MyID.is took us to a bar in the Louvre. I remember that when we were enjoying the over-priced cocktails of Le Saut du Loup, we praised the rather impressive atmosphere of the gigantic building (see picture). I’m sure Jobs thought the same thing when exploring the new location for his next retail hit.
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The Next Web Blog is closely associated with The Next Web Conference which is held annually in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. At this event speakers from all over the world come together to talk about, and show of, the future of the Web. (
