Bump uses car plates to make connections
Of the 16 social and media technologies making their debut at the Demo conference in Silicon Valley, Bump.com was perhaps the most intriguing and original idea.
It’s social networking through your US number plate, or license plate as it’s called here – with possibilities for dating, car talk, safety messages and receiving offers all wrapped up in your bumper. Read more
Demo at 20 still full of tech ideas
Demo, a kind of Britain/America’s Got Talent for technology startups, is celebrating its 20th anniversary with its first conference in Silicon Valley.
The 66 companies showing their wares here are restricted to six minutes to make their pitches to an audience of VCs and media, with those only at the “alpha” stage of development limited to just 90 seconds.
It can be hard to pick out the winners from the crowd, but my “judges notes” from the Wednesday morning session featuring 17 consumer technologies are after the jump. Read more
| About this blog | Blog guide |
Richard Waters has headed the FT's San Francisco bureau since 2002 and covers Google and Microsoft, among other things. A former New York bureau chief for the FT, he is intrigued by Silicon Valley's unique financial and business culture, and is looking forward to covering his second Tech Bust.
Chris Nuttall has been online and messing around with computers for more than 20 years and since 2004 has reported from the FT's San Francisco bureau on semiconductors, video games, consumer electronics and all things interwebby.
Maija Palmer has been writing about technology for the FT since 1999 and is fascinated by cybercrime, privacy and all the other issues of the information society. Based in London, she covers European tech companies and hopes that they won't all get acquired by American rivals.
Robin Kwong is the FT's technology, media and telecoms page editor in London. Formerly he was the Taipei correspondent and wrote about the companies that manufacture the vast majority of the world's computers and gadgets. He is interested in the intricacies of the technology supply chain and how China is increasingly changing the tech landscape.
Tim Bradshaw is the FT's digital media correspondent, and has just moved from London to join our team in San Francisco. He has covered start-ups such as Twitter and Spotify, as well as the online ambitions of more established media companies, such as the BBC iPlayer. He also covers the advertising, marketing and video-game industries. Tim has been writing about technology, business and finance since 2003.
