Paid Twitter wannabe App.net hits $500K target with time to spare

DNP Paid Twitter wannabe Appnet hits $500K target with time to spare

Paid Twitter-style service App.net has achieved its self-imposed $500,000 funding goal with almost two days still left on the clock. The social platform is the brainchild of Dalton Caldwell, who said he wanted to spawn a service dedicated to users instead of advertisers. It was originally pitched to Facebook, but the two companies came to loggerheads when it clashed with the social network’s own App Center — inspiring Caldwell’s Kickstarter-style campaign. Though the software is still in alpha, over 10,000 backers have paid $50 for an annual membership or put down $1,000 for support, developer tools and a meeting with the founder. The company will now start working on its terms of service, letting users offer feedback and discover new features — and if you wanna be @John instead of @JohnFDoe99427 on the new service, you may want to pony up, quick.

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Paid Twitter wannabe App.net hits $500K target with time to spare originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Aug 2012 09:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Select iBall Approved by FIFA for Confirming Goals

When it comes professional soccer around the world, FIFA is the league where most of the major teams play. It’s not uncommon for the referees to have a difficult time calling a goal during a match because it can be hard to determine when the ball passes the goal line. FIFA has just approved a new high-tech soccer ball that will eliminate any misunderstandings when it comes to scoring a goal or not.

SELECT iBall

The ball itself looks normal on the outside, but has bands of copper sensors on the inside that wrap completely around the ball. When a player kicks the ball through the goal, as soon as the entire ball crosses the goal line antennas mounted to the goal pick up the score. A light on a watch worn by officials then comes on to signify the score.

It’s not clear at this point when the ball will make its first appearance in a professional soccer match. However, this technology should easily end any arguments about whether or not the goal was good down at the pub.