Fridge blog | Keep it Fresh

Keep it fresh with Fridge and Google

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 10:45:43 -0400

We are pleased to announce that the Fridge team will be joining Google!

It has been an amazing ride developing Fridge, but most importantly we are very thankful to our enthusiastic community of users. We strongly believe in the group social experience and couldn’t think of a better place to realize our vision of bringing the nuance and richness of real-life sharing to the web as part of the Google+ Project.

Fridge is closing up shop — the team will be folded into Google+, where we’ll continue some of our efforts. We heard you loud and clear over the weekend, so we’re expanding the time during which your Fridge data will be available for offloading. While you will no longer be able to post anything new to Fridge, you will still be able to download and save your data until Saturday August 20, 2011 at 6pm ET. After that, in accordance with our privacy policy, we will delete all user data.

We look forward to continuing the vision of creating fresh and exciting social group experiences for users across the web.

Keep on keeping it fresh from Team Fridge, and see you on Google+.

Save Your Fridge Data!

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 11:22:18 -0400

Fridge is in the process of making some changes over the next few days, and we plan to shut down our product. Before we do this, we want to give our users the opportunity to download all their user information and data.

To download and save all your photos, media, files, and posts from your Groups just login and click “Export Group data” in each Group you want to save.

If you want to download and save your data you will have until Tuesday, July 19 at 6pm ET. After that, the current version of Fridge will no longer be available, and in accordance with our privacy policy, we will delete all user data at that time.

We thank each and every one of you for your support and contribution to the growing Fridge community. We can’t wait to share what we’re planning and we’ll have more to announce soon.

Fresh Startup: Nosh.me

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 10:01:05 -0400

This is part of our weekly series of freshness. If you find others out there, share them with us!

Fresh idea: Smartphone app that lets users share which food tastes good and which dishes to avoid

Fresh startup: Nosh.me

Calling themselves the cross between Foursquare and Yelp, Nosh.me allows you to share what you’re eating (and if it’s good) with your friends. You can take photos, rate your meal and leave tips for future visitors. Give your friends a hand and let them know if a certain place or dish is worth their time.

A new mobile app for iPhone and Android hopes to make it easy for people to share what they are eating, while rating what food is good — and what dishes to avoid.

Nosh.me bills itself as a cross between Foursquare and Yelp. The idea behind the app is to allow people to share “what’s good here” at a restaurant they’re visiting. Users can take photos, rate items or dishes, leave additional tips or comments and share their experience with their friends on Facebook or Twitter.

Visually, the app, which is available for Android and iPhone [iTunes link], is similar to Instagram or Path.

You can see a feed of what your friends have shared to the service, including a picture of the dish, its name, a star rating and the name of the restaurant. Tapping on an entry opens up a place to read a caption or review and to see any comments or likes associated with a post.

To share what you are eating, there is a Nosh location button on the app, similar to Foursquare, where users can add in a menu item, photo and review. Nosh already has 150,000 menus, 475,000 restaurants and 10 million menu items in its database.

Nosh.me is the first app from the Google Ventures-backed Firespotter Labs. Led by Craig Walker (former co-founder of GrandCentral, which went on to become Google Voice), Firespotter’s goal is to tackle big industry segments (like the restaurant industry) that have been resistant to modernization. “The restaurant dining experience today is essentially the same as it was 50 years ago,” Walker told me.

Recognizing the power of friend recommendations and reviews, as well as our collective love of food photography, Nosh.me was born.

The idea, while compelling, isn’t unique. Forkly has a similar aim. However, despite some early buzz, that product has failed to launch. Moreover, existing startups like Foodspotting are focused on creating visual experiences for food lovers. In an ironic twist of fate, I actually attempted to purchase the Nosh.me domain name in February, for a food app idea that I had.

Still, there is something compelling about not just looking at photos of food, but commenting on and sharing those photos and the quality of the dish itself. As a way to streamline the discovery process, we think Nosh.me has real potential.

This Is Your Brain On...

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:19:51 -0400

There’s an experimental Android app that’s been built in Japan that can allegedly measure your brainwaves. All you have to do is purchase the $100 headband (no, it’s not wireless) and plug it into your Android device.

Are you ready for this?

Spotify is here!

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 12:00:05 -0400

After what seems like decades of waiting, Spotify has officially landed on U.S. soil. With 1 million paying subscribers throughout Europe, Spotify is now the only FREE on-demand service available in the U.S. on mobile and desktop.

Who’s got an invite? Have you tried it out? Do you like it? I’m playing around with it.

Peter Pan in the Flesh

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:06:05 -0400

Don’t you still wish you could fly? Most everyone does, at least for an hour or so. If you didn’t catch Yves Rossy’s TED Talk about his invention that allows him to fly, you’ll get the gist from the video. The bottom line is, this guy created wings that allow him to fly. How cool is that?

Rebecca Black goes Potter

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:00:06 -0400

In anticipation of the final installment of the Harry Potter series, “Friday,” made famous by Rebecca Black, goes Potter. Don’t act like you didn’t see this coming. By the way, who’s going to check out Harry’s last hurrah?

Keenan Cahill Does It Again

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:00:06 -0400

Nothing can stop Keenan Cahill, who is coping well with Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome. This time Keenan takes to the screen with the cast of Glee.

Fresh Startup: Onesheet

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:28:10 -0400

This is part of our weekly series of freshness. If you find others out there, share them with us!

Fresh idea: Online one stop shop for bands

Fresh startup: Onesheet

If you’re in or involved in an up and coming band, you’re probably aware of the plethora of DIY online management tools that are available. You’ve probably been inundated with the unofficial rule that you have to be on every single social networking site that exists. This probably isn’t your main job, so managing and directing traffic to all of these profiles can get overwhelming. Enter Onesheet, the one stop shop that enables you to develop your band’s online presence from one spot.

Nowadays, bands are expected to be on an increasingly large number of networks — from Twitter to Facebook to Soundcloud to YouTube, you name it. Which means that a musician’s web presence is often scattered all over the place, floating about the web like so many half notes.

The obvious solution is to build a website that centralizes all that info, making it easy for fans to keep up with all your online going-ons. However, if you’re not particularly tech-savvy or you don’t have the funds to hiresomeone particularly tech-savvy, that whole website thing might be an issue.

Onesheet aims to solve that quandary by providing musicians with a way to tie together all of their online outlets in one place: from music to videos to concert dates to online stores to social sites, etc.

The service was founded by Brenden Mulligan, who has been involved in the music industry for five years, doing everything from working at a major label to living on a bus as a band’s road manager. Mulligan is also the founder of ArtistData, which allowed bands to distribute info across all of their web presences at once (that service was acquired by Sonicbids).

“I think a band having their own branded web presence outside of social networks is incredibly important,” Mulligan says. “Bands are told they need their own website, but setting one up and keeping it maintained is sometimes too much effort. So they either need people to help them, or their website becomes stagnant quickly.”

Since Onesheet is plugged into your social networks, it updates constantly as you tweet, Facebook and upload music.

If you’re familiar with Flavors.me or About.me, you’ll be able to figure out Onesheet rather rapidly. The service is still in beta, but bands can sign up to reserve their Onesheet in the coming days. Once you have one locked down, simply log in via Facebook and Twitter, and all of your artist data will be transferred to the page (you can tweak at will).

Next, you will be asked to connect third-party services, including ArtistData, Bandcamp, BandsInTown, Bandzoogle, Facebook, FanBridge, NextBigSound, Posterous, ReverbNation, Songkick, Sonicbids, Soundcloud, Tumblr, Twitter, Vimeo, WordPress and YouTube. CD Baby, Instagram, iTunes, Moontoast, Nimbit, Rdio and Topspin are coming soon. Choose a background image and adjust the appearance, and you’ll end up with a clean, slick page featuring all of your info, all in one place.

How to Save a Life

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 12:00:06 -0400

Ok animal lovers, this one’s for you. How would you get a kitten in distress dislodged from a pipe? A leafblower, duh. Thanks to these quick thinking firemen, another feline life was saved.

The Rent is Too Damn High: The Documentary

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:01:05 -0400

Remember the rent is too damn high guy, Jimmy McMillan? Did you go to any of his parties or did he show up at any of yours? Well, if you’re not sure who we’re talking about, no fear, there’s a documentary coming.

Spy Cameras and Fireworks

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 12:09:56 -0400

Tiny spy camera + awesome fireworks. Raise your hand if you wish you would’ve done something like this for the 4th of July. If by chance you did have the foresight, please show us! http://frid.ge/photostream

Fresh Startup: MoviePass

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:00:06 -0400

This is part of our weekly series of freshness. If you find others out there, share them with us!

Fresh idea: Netflix for movie theaters

Fresh startup: MoviePass

Raise your hand if you’re a Netflix subscriber? Chances are, you’re in good company. The Netflix subscription model has been held in high regard by consumers since they launched. MoviePass hopes to find the same success in their subscription based model for movie tickets. Similar to Netflix, MoviePass users would pay a $50 monthly flat rate for the opportunity to see unlimited movies in theaters. MoviePass has kicked off their private beta in the San Francisco area just in time for the July 4th holiday.

A new startup, MoviePass, is hoping that film fans will be interested in paying $50 a month to see an unlimited number of movies in the theater. Kicking off its private beta in the San Francisco Bay Area just in time for the big Fourth of July movie weekend, MoviePass is hoping to bring the subscription model that Netflix pioneered for movie rentals to physical movie tickets.

We spoke with Stacy Spikes, the co-founder of MoviePass, about the service, its plans for other markets, and other details.

The idea behind MoviePass is an enticing one. The price of movie tickets increases every year, so a monthly $50 subscription could pay for itself with just a few shows.

Right now, MoviePass is making deals directly with the major online ticketing services, which means that as long as a theater is serviced by a MoviePass ticketing provider, you can go to that theater.

Using a geo-aware HTML5 web app (with native apps in the works), you can buy tickets day-of-show from standard online ticketing companies like MovieTickets.com. Once you’re at the theater, the app will give you the redemption code to snag tickets from a kiosk or ticket counter.

To prevent abuse, there are a few rules and regulations regarding the service.

Users are limited to seeing one movie per day. We understand this limitation, but it’s a bummer for those of us who like to see multiple movies on a rainy Saturday.
Users can only see a movie one time. If you want to re-watch Transformers 3 or another summer blockbuster, you’ll need to pay for your ticket.
Tickets are non-transferrable.
Tickets must be purchased the day of the show.
3D and IMAX tickets will cost an additional $3. The user will just pay the difference in ticket price between 2D and 3D but can still purchase and pick up tickets the same way as with a regular 2D film.

How To Start A Social Media Frenzy

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:00:06 -0400

You want to start an online barrage? Call an arguably liked President a “dick” on national television. That will get it going for you.

iPhone's 4th Anniversary

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:00:06 -0400

Isn’t it crazy that four years ago, this phone literally captivated the world? What’s more amazing is that this product has been continuously reinvented to keep up with ever-changing technology. Have a look back on the journey of the iPhone.

Do you have an iPhone?

New Summer Updates from Fridge

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:55:58 -0400

We have been busy over here at Fridge trying to help everyone stay connected and in touch for the summer:

Fridge SHOUTS! Group messaging via SMS

Send a Fridge Shout to everyone in the group. Enter your phone number on your profile and activate a dedicated number for the group. OR tag a post with #shout to send a SMS to everyone’s mobile phone! (Sorry! US only for now)

File uploads with video/audio embeds

Fridge now supports file uploads of photos, music, video, or any document type (under 10mb for now). As a bonus upload those videos or mp3s you have wanted to share and we will prepare them for playback right in the group!

Realtime Message Alerts!

Now you can keep your Fridge open throughout the day and not miss a post! Fridge group feeds will now show an new alert when new messages are posted to your groups. Click on the alert to view the new messages!

We also have a fresh new look for our homepage and a brand new features page. As always thanks for supporting Fridge and hope you have a great start to the summer!

Sincerely made by Andrew, Dan, Drew, Snehal and Austin.

Conan on Apple's Final Cut Pro X

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:00:06 -0400

In typical Conan fashion, he’s poking fun at the latest release of Apple’s widely used Final Cut Pro.

Fresh Startup: BiteHunter

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

This is part of our weekly series of freshness. If you find others out there, share them with us!

Fresh idea: Aggregator for daily dining deals

Fresh startup: BiteHunter

With the sheer number of daily deal sites, both national and local, it’s almost difficult to pay full price for anything. Especially a meal. If you’re hungry, there’s likely a meal deal going on right around the corner. The problem with this is, you might not know it. Never fear, the “Kayak for restaurants” has arrived. Oh yeah, and it works in real-time.

With the recent explosion of daily deal sites adding to the specials that almost every dining establishment offers from time to time, there shouldn’t be an excuse for paying full price if budget is a priority.

But there is one: browsing through a hundred daily deals sites and combing the Twitter feeds of nearby hangouts is simply more trouble than its worth.

BiteHunter wants to make it less troublesome by creating what CEO Gil Harel calls a “Kayak for restaurants.” Since March, the website has enabled users to search through daily deals from partner sites and discounts at restaurants. On Thursday, it launched an iPhone app that does the same thing based on a user’s current location.

The real-time location aspect and the comprehensiveness of the app both differentiate its capabilities from daily deal aggregators like Dealery and Monster Offers — at least as far as dining is concerned.

In addition to incorporating APIs from sites like Groupon and deals newsletters, BiteHunter also developed a technology that searches restaurants and bars’ social feeds for mentions of specials or other offers. It includes these offers in its search results.

Currently the startup is pulling in revenue by referring its users to daily deal sites and reservation sites like OpenTable. Eventually Harel says he hopes to create his own ad network for the website and app. The smartest aspect of the startup, which is currently operating on a round of seed funding, is that as the deals space gets more competitive its product gets more useful.

“The more players that are providing deals in real-time, the better it is for BiteHunter,” Harel says about the current deals trend. “…for us its just another great service to pull information from.”

Fried Kool-Aid

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 11:57:00 -0400

Yep, that’s right. It will probably be at your next state fair.

Radiohead - Staircase

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 12:00:06 -0400

New music from Radiohead