Vistar Media Raises $1.5 Million To Bring Real-Time Bidding To Digital Out-Of-Home Ads

A new startup called Vistar Media is looking to change the digital out-of-home advertising market by making it more programmatic, more targetable, and more predictive. In other words, it’s hoping to make buying ads on displays outside the home kind of like buying display ads online. Ya dig?

Vistar Media was founded by a couple of veterans from the real-time bidding world online, but it’s targeting the digital out of home market. That means TV screens in stores, malls, restaurants, bars — any display that is connected to the Internet and can serve ads to passersby. Up until recently, that market was pretty fragmented, with brands and agencies having to buy across multiple different locations, without a ton of data for where their ads would appear or how effective they were.

To go after this market, Vistar has raised $1.5 million in seed funding led by Valhalla Partners, with participation from Mercury Fund and Ben Franklin Technology Partners.

Vistar Media’s founding team Michael Provenzano and Mark Chadwick, who were both part of Invite Media — the DSP startup acquired by Google back in 2010. Also on the founding team is Jeremy Ozen, who was part of Goldman Sach’s European Special Situations Group in London.

With this background, the team hopes to bring real-time bidding to the digital out-of-home market. Already, it has a large number of screens and impressions that it can sell. It has 80,000 unique locations and 8 billion impressions available as part of its inventory. More important than that, it has a huge amount of data that can help it target certain demographics of viewers. It also can target certain areas, making ads more relevant to local users. Already, a number of brands and agencies have used Vistar to target certain regions and even zip codes with their campaigns.

Now that Vistar has built the platform and worked out the inventory, the company is now looking to get more sales and biz dev folks on board to actually sell the platform to advertisers. That’s where the funding comes in!

Cheers Raises $2.5M Series A To Expand Its Positivity Network And Make The Case To Brands

Cheers, the app and social network built around giving users the chance to celebrate the good things in their lives, has raised a $2.5 million Series A funding round led by MindFund and including Charles River Ventures, Trinity Ventures, AngelList founder Naval Ravikant and others. The startup launched just over a year ago in February, and is still very much experimenting with its positivity-based social network, according to founder Farhad Mohit.

The funding will help Cheers continue to explore and expand that experiment, Mohit says, and build on recent additions to the platform. This includes the addition of “Celebrations,” a feature introduced in an update a few weeks ago that allows users to build collections that are open to community contribution about any topic. This new feature was designed to address an audience focus issue by giving users ways to find and engage with content they’re specifically interested in, instead of having to wade through the firehose of the general feed.

The Cheers app is similar in concept to apps like Oink, the Kevin Rose project that closed up shop not long after launch after it failed to attract much of an audience. While Mohit admits that the membership numbers aren’t quite where Cheers would like them to be, he still feels the app is now doing something fundamentally different from Oink and others, and addressing a problem that still needs tackling. The key will be continuing to evolve the app’s approach in order to get it to the point where it’s striking a chord with a broader user base.

“If you look at the kinds of decisions that need to be made, there are several layers,” Mohit (who previously founded BizRate) explained. “There’s the purchase layer, when you want to decide whether or not to buy from somebody. For those, BizRate and its ilk were very satisfactory. Then one level above is sort of vendor choice. That’s where Yelp comes in. They [Cheers and Oink] come in at the awareness level - they help you decide whether something is even on your radar to consider.”

Other services in this category have failed because “they failed to realize what this simple text and picture and information is really good for.” They’re not good for comparison, he said. They’re good for generating awareness. Cheers, if it accomplishes its mission, will succeed by enabling a lot of fans and followers of things to create awareness about the people, places and locations that its network members are favoriting, instead of acting as localized, limited-scope comparison tools on the ground around specific locations.

To do that, Cheers hopes to eventually become a funnel for brands looking for sponsored content. The idea is that with Celebrations, brands can curate content from actual users and fans that is positive in nature while at the same time being genuine and spontaneous. It is essentially tailor-made for use in social media campaigns like Facebook promoted stories.

Cheers has a couple of advantages for organizations and groups. It provokes the kind of engagement you can see here in a Celebration called Starbucks, which was started by a user – not anyone associated with the brand. And the network is remarkably good at self-filtering, maintaining an overwhelmingly positive vibe. Mohit says that’s mostly due to the company’s dedicated core users, rather than any direct influence on the part of Cheers or its employees. Brands will soon be able to take advantage of tools designed for organizations on Cheers, Mohit says, which is in part what the funding is designed to help with.

Mohit is surprisingly candid about Cheers and the startup’s chances, saying that this Series A is mostly designed to set the company up to see if there should be a Series B or not. The company has an excellent model for helping organizations turn their biggest fans into a fount of quality user-generated advertising. Now it just needs the user-acquisition strategy to make that happen on a larger scale.

Crytek had Crysis 3 ready to launch on Wii U

At the beginning of January we learned that Crytek was more than willing to port Crysis 3 over to the Wii U hardware. Ultimately they didn’t because EA and Nintendo decided it just wasn’t worth it from a business perspective. Both publisher and platform holder didn’t think the game would sell enough to warrant the cost of publishing.

Two months on from that and Crytek president Cevat Yerli has revealed that they actually had the game running on the Wii U before it got canceled. Not only that, but the developer was “very close to launching it” according to Yerli.

His comments were made during an interview with GamesBeat where he went on to say there was no business support from EA or Nintendo for the game. There was also no way for Crytek to self-publish the game as they don’t hold the rights–EA does.

So to be clear, both Nintendo and EA rejected a game that was already running on the hardware and ready to launch, is an established series that is guaranteed to sell units, and is currently topping the sales charts on other competing platforms.

What possible reason is there not to release that game? Did they think it wouldn’t even make back the cost of producing the discs and marketing? Or was it a case that they decided Wii U owners were not the type of audience that would be interested in buying the FPS?

Whatever the case, it seems likely that if Nintendo is happy to make such a decision for Crysis 3, then other games in the same genre could meet a similar fate.

Now read: Former Sony engineer demands $9.80 for every Nintendo 3DS sold

First Ubuntu Touch tablet up for pre-order in Australia

Recently Canonical showed off a special Ubuntu build for tablets, and now Australian company Intermatix is offering its customers the chance to pre-order the first tablets running the new OS. Unsurprisingly, two models are being offered: the Intermatix U7 and U10, which sport screens measuring 7 and 10 inches, respectively.

As per Canonical’s announced guidelines, the Intermatix U7 Ubuntu tablet will pack a quad-core processor (details about the U10 haven’t been posted to the website yet). It’s clocked at 1.5GHz and teamed up with 1GB of RAM and a quad-core Vivante GC1000+ GPU. Internal storage is capped at 16GB, but a micro SD card slot is provided to meet your expansion needs. The 7-inch model’s display features a native resolution of 1280 x 800 — for a pixel density of around 275. There’s also a rear-facing 2MP camera, VGA cam on the front, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and an HDMI output. Power is provided by a 4000mAh lithium-ion battery. The U7 measures just 12mm thick and weighs only 350 grams, making it ever-so-slightly bulkier than the Nexus 7.

The Intermatix U7 featues hardware that’s pretty much identical to what you’ll find in the Ainol Novo7 Venus tablet, and it’s highly likely that the company has simply re-branded the Novo7 and pre-loaded Ubuntu Touch firmware. Intermatix is commanding a premium, of course, for loading Canonical’s OS over the default Android Jelly Bean. The Novo7 Venus can be found for as alittle as $161AUD in Oz, and Intermatix is asking $299 for the U7 — though you’ll score a 10% discount if you’re one of the first 50 customers.

But since Canonical is offering up daily builds and Ainol’s inexpensive tablets have a pretty active developer community working on them, you may just want to order a Novo7 Venus on the cheap and load Ubuntu Touch yourself. You’d also have your tablet in hand a lot sooner: Intermatix is projecting a delivery date in October, but that’s got a lot to do with the fact that Ubuntu Touch won’t see a stable build released for a few more months.

PadGadget Daily App Deal – 13 iPad Apps on Sale

For today’s Daily Deal we’ve found 13 great apps to add to your iPad collection. We have 6 productivity / entertainment apps and 7 game apps in today’s bundle.

We used our PadGadget Apps Tracker to find these great deals and we’ll continue to look for the best app deals as they pop-up. Some of these apps are up to 80% off, several are even free, so be sure to check them out because they are on sale for a limited time.

Game Apps

1. Castle Raid () – This medieval themed strategy game has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $0.99 instead of $1.99.
2. Hunters 2 () – This fun role playing game has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now available for $0.99. That’s a savings of 80% off the apps’ normal price of $4.99.
3. iBomber Attack () – This Chillingo action game has a 4 star App Store rating and is now available for Free instead of $0.99. This app weighs in at 252 MB so please be sure that you have enough space on your iPad before downloading.
4. Polymer () – This colorful puzzle game has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now available for Free instead of $1.99.
5. SCRABBLE for iPad – This very popular word game is now on sale for $2.99 instead of $9.99.
6. Super Stickman Golf () – This cool golf game has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now available for Free instead of $2.99.
7. Worms 2: Armageddon () – This turn-based-strategy game has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now available for $0.99. That’s a savings of 80% off the apps’ normal price of $4.99.

Productivity and Entertainment Apps

1. AllSync – Sync and Import your Contacts with Ease (Facebook & many more) () – This great contact syncing app has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now available for Free instead of $1.99.
2. Bike Repair () – This helpful bike repair guide has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $2.99 instead of $3.99.
3. FX Photo Studio HD – This very popular photo app has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $1.99 instead of $2.99.
4. Polaris Office () – This iPad app lets you view and edit MS Office documents. Polaris Office has a 4 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $3.99 instead of $12.99.
5. Runmeter GPS Running () – This very popular running aide has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now available for Free instead of $4.99.
6. Workout Hero – WOD and Fitness LOG for CrossFit , Tabata , and Paleo Diet () – This fitness app has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $0.99 instead of $1.99.

Also be sure to check out yesterday’s Daily Deal to find more great savings.

= Indicates app is Universal and will run on an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch.

We use our PadGadget Apps Tracker to constantly monitor the App Store to find the biggest price changes on iPad apps. Our editorial team goes through the data, picks the best deals on the most interesting apps and then brings them to you on a regular basis. All app prices are checked at the time of posting but prices are subject to change without notice. When developers put their apps on sale it’s usually for a very limited time, often 24 hours or less, so be sure to check pricing on iTunes before making a purchase.

Could the iWatch Be the Ultimate iPad Companion?

Bloomberg's report is big news in the tech world. Earlier today, we talked about the merits of an iWatch versus the potential of an Apple-built television set. No one knows which will come first, or at all, but it appears that the wearable computer is more likely to show up in 2013 than the living room media viewer.

In addition to Bloomberg's report on the profitability of the iWatch, The Verge reported today that unnamed sources told the tech blog that the iWatch will iOS based instead of being a stand-alone system like the iPod nano.

There is a lot of speculation as to what this purported watch will be capable of. Many believe the iWatch will be similar to smartphone connected watches already on the market. The Pebble, for example is big news in wearable computing because it allows users to check emails, see caller ID, view reminders and alerts, control music, and more. This device is compatible with iOS, as well as Android.

If Apple is making a watch, it is likely the gadget will be compatible with both the iPhone and iPad so that users can connect to either device, or even both.

The iWatch could potentially be a great companion to the iPad instead of a usurper of Apple's technology. Imagine being able to leave your iPad at your desk and be able to turn on your music anywhere in the room. Or, wouldn't it be nice to answer a Facetime call in the kitchen while you are baking cookies and not have to walk over to your device when your hands are busy doing other things? If the kids are watching something on Netflix on the iPad while you are cleaning the living room, you might be able to play the next episode of their favorite shows without having to stop what you are doing.

In addition, the iWatch could be useful for sending you alerts and reminders. When I hear that reminder chime coming from my iPad, I hate the idea of having to walk to another room and check it. If the alerts came on my wrist, I could stay snuggled under a warm blanket all night.

Apple could be on the right track with an iWatch that is meant to be an iOS companion, but it had better offer more than just music controls and reminder alerts. I'd be excited to see a gadget that allowed me to check and post to Twitter and Facebook, let me see pictures that are on my iPad and stored in the cloud, and interact with some apps without having to touch my tablet at all. I'd buy that watch, no matter how silly it looked.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes 'very frustrated' after returning from Antarctic trek

Fiennes, who was forced to drop out of charity trek across continent, may require surgery on frostbitten fingers

Sir Ranulph Fiennes has said he is frustrated after frostbite forced him to pull out of an expedition aiming to be the first to cross Antarctica in winter, but he will still be devoting all his energies to making the trip a success.

Revealing that he has spent five years preparing exclusively for the journey, and sporting a bandaged left hand, the 68-year-old serial adventurer nevertheless showed that he had not lost his sense of humour.

"I am very frustrated at being back six months before the expedition is due to finish," he said at a press conference, after flying back to the UK on Monday morning. "I am not good at crying over spilt milk, or split fingers, but it is extremely frustrating."

Fiennes was forced to drop out of the Coldest Journey", a 2,000-mile trip in temperatures as low as -70C, which is scheduled to begin on 20 March, after he fell while during training at a base camp in Antartica last week and developed frostbite after taking off his outer gloves in temperatures of -33C. He said a surgeon had told him two of his fingers may need to be operated on.

He now intends to dedicate his energies to raising money for the expedition's charity, Seeing is Believing, which aims to tackle preventable blindness. "Having spent five years on this I am going to make sure it succeeds," he said.

Fiennes was to have completed the expedition on skis with the remainder of the team in tractors with caterpillar tracks. The expedition will be the first vehicular winter crossing of Antarctica, if it succeeds.

Making a lighthearted comparison to when the Australians accused Team GB of winning Olympic medals only in sitting-down sports, Fiennes said the Norwegians would no doubt now beat him to completing the crossing on skis, and then mock the fact that the British had done it using caterpillars. But the actor Joanna Lumley, who is on the Coldest Journey board of trustees, said it remained an "extraordinary ... madcap" expedition.

Fiennes suffered frostbite 13 years ago, which could have made him susceptible to another bout. But he said that in that time he had undertaken other expeditions in conditions harsher than last week's, including three to Mount Everest, without suffering any recurrences.

He said of his attempt to fix his bindings, which led to the injury: "I tried fixing them with my big overgloves on but I couldn't do a thing. You couldn't even peel a banana with those on. So I took off my inner mitts in order to be able to do the bindings up.

"People will say, 'Surely you know you mustn't take your mitts off completely.' But if [I hadn't], I'd have sat there, gone nowhere, and died of cold. It's just one of those things."

Fiennes batted away questions about his age and whether he would be retiring soon by joking that he could not answer questions about his future without his wife. However, he said that after he was named the UK's top celebrity fundraiser by JustGiving, having raised 15m, he had said to himself he wanted to raise 20m before retiring; the Coldest Journey has a target of $10 million ( 6.6m).