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Who’s building BlackBerry apps in the Silicon Forest?

For all my crowing about Portland being the de facto hub of mobile development, I seem to cover primarily iPhone apps and maybe an Android app every once in a while. Inevitably when those posts go live a few people always ask Is there a Blackberry version?

[HTML1]For all my crowing about Portland being the de facto hub of mobile development, I seem to cover primarily iPhone apps and maybe an Android app every once in a while. Inevitably, when those posts go live, a few people always ask, “Is there a BlackBerry version?”

And that leads me to wonder, is there? Are people in the Silicon Forest building BlackBerry apps?

I’m not a Blackberry user, but I know quite a few people who are. And—basically in any town besides Portland—I run into a lot more BlackBerry users than iPhone or Android users.

That said, I don’t know that I’m following the BlackBerry development space as closely as I could be. Read More

Waze and means: Helping test drive Waze means a free Whiffies pie for you

While iPhone and Android app Waze isn’t Portland based, having Di-Ann working there does give us a Portland tie. And now there’s another opportunity to put Portland on the Waze map literally.

When it comes to geogeeking here in Portland, most everyone knows about Platial, one of the original social mapping efforts that was founded right here in the Silicon Forest. But what you may not know is that Platial’s cofounder and chair, Di-Ann Eisnor, is hard at work with another geolocation company called Waze.

While Waze isn’t Portland-based, having Di-Ann working there does give us a Portland tie. And now, there’s another opportunity to put Portland on the Waze map—literally. Di-Ann is inviting you to give Waze a test drive and provide feedback on the mobile. And the reward for your hard work? A free pie from the Whiffies food cart for participating drivers. Now, what could be more Portland-y than that? Read More

Strange Love Live: Portland, startups, entrepreneurs, venture capital, and the Silicon Florist

Last Friday, I was honored to be the guest on Strange Love Live—the best tech podcast in Portland, if not the world—to celebrate the second birthday of this little blog here.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Strange Love format, there’s generally a serious “tech” segment followed by a less serious “afterhours” segment. But you know me. Given the opportunity, I can’t help but continue blabbing about the Portland tech scene. Blah blah blah.

So if you’ve got a few minutes, take some time to listen in on the tech episode where we chat about Silicon Florist and whatnot. Read More

Silicon Florist is two today. What a short strange trip it’s been.

In the wee small hours of August 7 2007 I dragged my ass out of bed sat myself down in front of the computer and registered siliconflorist.com. I posted the first Silicon Florist post a few days later.

Roughly 730.5 days ago, I sat up in bed at 2 AM with an idea. Who knew it would be an idea that all but ensured I’d rarely be in bed at 2 AM ever again?

In the wee small hours of August 7, 2007, I dragged my ass out of bed, sat myself down in front of the computer, and—giving life to what seemed like a bit of a strange idea with a wacky name—registered siliconflorist.com. After some hosting setup and WordPress wrangling, I posted the first Silicon Florist post a few days later.

The concept, in my mind, was to highlight what folks in Portland were doing with tech startups. To shine a small light on developers and open source folks who were focused on building cool stuff, but who didn’t have the time to focus on promoting that stuff. Read More

Lunch 2.0 Ventures East to Slate Technologies

Yesterday, about 50 or 60 people make the eastern trek to Slate Technologies.

Actually, there might have been more, but I had to bail early, just as the festivities got going. It’s a good thing they got their signs put up earlier in the week, or so Chris told me, because Slate is in a pretty nondescript office space just east of the SE Foster and SE Holgate intersection.

Read More

City of Portland regarding PortlandOnline design contest: Oopie.

The City of Portland realized that the request was poorly worded. Now, they say: In partnership with Portland’s design and development community, we are in the process of revisiting our rules and criteria.

[HTML2]Given that I’ve covered some of the creative community’s response to the City of Portland’s contest to redesign PortlandOnline.com, I thought it would be wise to update you on what I’ve heard recently. All thanks to the work of the AIGA of Portland to keep the discussion going.

Long story short, while the City of Portland realized that the request was poorly defined and worded, they didn’t expect the kind of response it generated. So now they’re refining their position on the contest. To wit, “In partnership with Portland’s design and development community, we are in the process of revisiting our rules and criteria.” Read More

GadgetTrak featured on Portland’s KOIN 6 News

GadgetTrak is a great example. With software that helps people recover lost or stolen laptops or phones, it’s a technology that anyone can understand. And that translates into coverage by more traditional outlets, like TV.

One of the reasons I started Silicon Florist was the hope that I could recognize some local startup efforts that aren’t getting the attention they deserve. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to ignore the ventures that are getting attention from traditional media.

GadgetTrak is a great example. With software that helps people recover lost or stolen laptops or phones, it’s a technology that anyone can understand. And that can translate into coverage by more traditional outlets, like TV. Read More

Webtrends releases Webtrends Analytics 9, initial reviews are ecstatic

Fresh off the news of the Widemile acquisition, Portland-based Webtrends rolled out the latest version of their Web analytics software, Webtrends Analytics 9. The feedback on Webtrends 9 has been overwhelmingly positive.

[HTML2]Fresh off the news of the Widemile acquisition, Portland-based Webtrends rolled out the latest version of their Web analytics software, Webtrends Analytics 9.

Now in a day and age when folks can get Web analytics for free—or at a very low cost—you might think that an upgrade to the Webtrends offering might fall a little flat.

Well, think again, my friend. The feedback on Webtrends 9 has been overwhelmingly positive. Thanks to their opening up the platform to other data streams—and in so doing, helping folks do a better job of understanding what’s happening on their sites. Read More

Getting even more creative: Wieden + Kennedy launches Portland Incubator Experiment

Wouldn’t it be awesome if something positive did the same thing? Now it may. Introducing the Portland Incubator Experiment (PIE) from Wieden + Kennedy (W+K).

[HTML2]If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times, Portland is a town full of creatives. We’ve got creatives in technology. Creatives in startups. Creatives in graphic design. Creatives in writing. Creatives in the arts. Creatives, creatives, creatives.

But if there’s one thing I don’t like about the Portland creative scene, it’s this: how divested these creative groups seem to be from one another. It’s a crying shame.

Now granted, some recent negatives have helped bring these creative groups together. But wouldn’t it be awesome if something positive did the same thing? Now, it may. Introducing the Portland Incubator Experiment, from Wieden + Kennedy. Read More

WordCamp Portland: Let the registration begin

Once a year, Portland WordPress aficionados like to gather to share ideas, compare notes, and learn from our astute peers at WordCamp Portland. WordCamp registration opened today.

You know me. I like to state—some would say overstate—the obvious. So here we go. You may not know it, but Portland? Portland loves WordPress.

It’s true. We have user groups for it. Build themes for it. Code plugins for it. Heck, some of us even blog with it every now and again.

And once a year, all of us Portland WordPress aficionados like to gather to share ideas, compare notes, and learn from our astute peers at WordCamp Portland. Sound interesting? Well get moving, because WordCamp registration opened today and there’s only room for 200 folks. Read More

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