AWS Launches Cluster Compute EC2 Instances For High Performance Applications

TechCrunch: Brand Affinity Technologies (BAT), the company that creates a technology that matches celebrities with endorsement deals, has just raised $20 million in Series C funding led by Miramar Venture Partners, with existing investors Newport Coast Investments, RimLight Capital, Fulcrum Venture Capital, CGI Opportunity Fund II, and Ad Pepper Media International also participating. This brings the company's total funding ... (more)

TechCrunch: YCombinator-funded database analytics company Chart.io launches today, giving businesses access to enterprise level analytics tools that they need to rock their databases in realtime. In the same space as Metricly and Stats Mix, a tool like Chart.io would have been unnecessary 10 or so years ago, but now co-founder Dan Levine says, "It's easier than ever to have a database" so everyone and their mother... (more)

TechCrunch: Up until a few months ago, I was using Facebook the same way I was using Twitter. That is, I was allowing anyone to follow me. But it was different. With Twitter, anyone can follow me without my approval. On Facebook, everyone needs my approval. Though perhaps ill-advised, I was simply blindly approving anyone. Then I stopped. There was no single reason why I switched my Facebook habits, but I decided that I was ... (more)

TechCrunch: At one point the Chatroulette V.2 anticipation was so thick over at TechCrunch HQ that even we were, how you say, premature. But not as premature as the folks over at Chatroulette themselves, who ominously lured us in yesterday in with, “The experiment #1 is over for now. Thanks for participating – Redesigned and updated version of the website will be launched tomorrow" and then well, nothing. The silliest p... (more)

TechCrunch: You would think most people know how to get a simple web site up and running these days just on something like Wordpress, but the fact remains that millions of people don't have these skills. As a result Moonfruit, the web site building business which has survived the dotcom bust to return in the age of Web 2.0, is on a charge. It's profitable, growing internationally and as a result has chosen to fundraise to rea... (more)

TechCrunch: Apture, the startup that lets online publishers enhance content with rich media pop-ups from a variety of sources based on the context of linked words and terms, is launching a nifty new plug-in today that brings instantaneous search to content on the web. Called 'Apture Highlights,' the browser extension aims to plug the “search leak” that the company says is taking place with content on the web. Apture highlig... (more)

TechCrunch: A few weeks ago, location-based game SCVNGR launched a new feature called Rewards that makes it an increasing threat to the likes of shopkick, Foursquare, and every other company looking to combine the power of coupons and deals with location.  The premise is simple: complete SCVNGR challenges to earn points, which you can in turn redeem for rewards at select merchants like Journeys. And today SCVNGR is adding a ... (more)

TechCrunch: The (in my opinion entirely justified) hype surrounding private sales sites like Gilt Groupe, Vente Privée, Beyond The Rack and One Kings Lane have prompted publicly listed Internet retailer Overstock.com to launch one of its own. Dubbed Eziba.com, the site will feature exclusive deals on the home decor products from major brands. (more)

TechCrunch: Barnes & Noble has reported earnings for its fiscal 2011 first quarter ended July 31, 2010. Total sales for the first quarter were $1.4 billion, a 21% increase compared to the prior year. Sales increased 42% as compared to the prior year to $145 million. Unsurprisingly, Barnes & Noble in-store sales decreased 2% to $1 billion. For the first quarter, the company reported a consolidated net loss of $63 mill... (more)

TechCrunch: Apple this morning said iTunes U downloads have topped 300 million, making it one of the world’s most popular online educational catalogs. The company also says over 800 universities throughout the world have active iTunes U sites, and nearly half of these institutions distribute their content publicly on the iTunes Store. Currently, iTunes users have access to more than 350,000 audio and video files from educ... (more)