Gmail and other Google services go down (update 2: outage details)

and a host of other Google services have gone down or otherwise broken. The company's status board doesn't show any issues, but Gmail users are seeing notices that their accounts are "temporarily unavailable." We're reaching out to Google and will let you know if there are any updates.

Update: That was quick; Gmail, Google

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Ask A VC: Foundation Capital’s Charles Moldow On How Startups Are Disrupting Financial Services

Next StoryYahoo Acquires Virtual World Gaming Startup Cloud Party, Will Shut It DownFacebookTwitterLinkedInCharles Moldow Talks Finance, Bitcoin and Mobile Startups

In this week’s episode of Ask A VC, Foundation Capital’s Charles Moldow joined us in the TechCrunch TV studio.

Moldow has a number of interesting financial services startups in his portfolio including peer to peer lending platform Lending Club and alternative stock investing company Motif. Moldow tells me that he sees a huge opportunity in startups that are aiming to tackle the financial services industry and also talks about where he sees the next wave of startups emerging in the space.

He also talked mobile monetization, and more.

Check out the video above!

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Feedback Loop: TiVo services, getting fit with apps, fun with a NAS and more

BYDave Schumaker1 day ago 0

Welcome to Feedback Loop, a weekly roundup of the most interesting discussions happening within the Engadget community. There's so much technology to talk about and so little time to enjoy it, but you have a lot of great ideas and opinions that need to be shared! Join us every Saturday as we highlight some of the most interesting discussions that happened during the past week.

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Housecall App Pulls Up The Long-Tail Of Services From Appliance Repair To Plumbing

In the wake of Exec’s sale to Handybook and Homejoy’s big $38 million round, there are still plenty of other startups doing home services on-demand from your mobile phone. Housecall, out of San Diego, is a startup that handles the long-tail of services like electrical or swimming pool work and carpet cleanings.

The team came out of Qualcomm Labs, where CEO Ian Heidt had been working on a context-awareness platform called Gimbal that would infer meaning from a smartphone’s sensors.

“We wanted to start our own new thing. That initiative had done really well,” he said. “We were super intrigued by people making new mobile businesses out of these older-school ideas. With Housecall, we really wanted to accentuate that relationship between the homeowner and the service provider.”

The six-person startup currently offers more than 20 types of services, including housekeeping, junk removal, plumbing, painting, locksmith work, window cleaning and so on. So while other platforms like Homejoy laser in on cleanings, Housecall has a much more expansive range of offerings. They follow in the footsteps of other web-based platforms like RedBeacon, a TechCrunch Disrupt winner that went on to be acquired by Home Depot.

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Samsung's new Smart Home service outlined, wants to connect to third-party services and products

We heard whispers that Samsung was planning big for CES, and we're not just talking TV panels. It's now revealed Smart Home, which attempts to tie together Smart TVs, home appliances and handheld smart devices into one single platform. Perhaps more importantly, the company says it's going to collaborate with third-party partners to extend the platform to products and services beyond only those with Samsung branding.

At the middle of it all, there will be a single app that (as the picture above suggests) will get its hooks into all your wearables, phones and white goods with a cloud-based server keeping your data moving. Device Control will let users adjust lighting and temperature management through your smartphone. Meanwhile, Smart Home will also included embedded voice commands: if you say "going out" into your Galaxy Gear, then the system will automatically turn off your smart lighting and "selected appliances", so presumably not your fridge. The, once out, Home View will let you tap into devices with cameras inside your house, offering up some not-so-covert video streams to your Galaxy phone. Alongside the new system, the company announced a new software protocol too, hoping to forge a new ecosystem -- with Samsung in the middle of it all. Expect to hear more later this week.

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Source: Samsung

Tags: ces, ces2014, hdpostcross, mobilepostcross, samsung, smarthome Next: LG's 105-inch UHDTV isn't coming to CES alone: flat 65-, 79-, 84- and 98-inchers on the way .fyre .fyre-comment-divider

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Should You Use the Services of a Fashion Consultant?

Have you ever heard of a fashion consultant before? A fashion consultant, which is also commonly referred to as an image consultant, is an individual who consults with you or gives you advice on the latest fashion trends.



Now, it can be relatively easy for you to learn about fashion on your own, but there are some individuals, who just want to seek professional assistance. If you are unsure as to whether or not you are one of those individuals or if you should be, you may be wondering when someone uses the services of a fashion consultant or for what. If you are, you will want to continue reading on.



When it comes to using the services of a fashion consultant, many of those who are looking to get a new job or who have recently been hired for one turn to a professional fashion consultant. Starting a new job or even just interviewing for a new job can be a stressful time. There are many individuals, possibly just like you, who want to make a good first impression and one of the best ways to do so is with the clothes that you wear.



Unfortunately, workplace fashion can be tricky, as different businesses have different needs. For instance, if you were to work in a clothing store, there is a good chance that you would want to dress trendy, but if you worked in a law office, professional attire may better suit you. Professional fashion consultants are those who spend hours each week reviewing the latest trends in fashion, including workplace fashions. Therefore, if you are interested in revamping your appearance for a new job or even just an interview, you may want to think about using the services of a professional fashion consultant.



In keeping with business related activities, a fashion consultant also helps those who are planning on taking extended business trips. Business trips are nice because although you are there on business, you are often given you own private, personal time. While this can be nice, it may pose a problem. You may want to toss on a bikini and relax with no worries, but you need to remember that those who you may be meeting with for business may be staying at the same hotel or resort. To keep up your professional look, feel, and appearance, you may be unsure as to exactly what you should do, namely what you should wear. If that is the case, you may want to think about using the services of a fashion consultant.



Weddings are another time when many individuals seek professional assistance. Unfortunately, many do not realize that a fashion consultant can help with planning of a wedding. Many just believe that the only help you can receive is with hiring a wedding planner. A fashion consultant cannot only help you find the perfect wedding dress to fit you and your body type, but they can also help you choose the perfect dresses for your bridesmaids. If you are about to be married soon and still have no idea what you would like the wedding attrite to be, you may want to think about hiring the services of a professional fashion consultant.



Fashion consultants can also be hired for other special occasions, like important business meetings or elegant dinners. Unfortunately, many individuals mistakenly believe that fashion consultants only work with clients who need their attention for an extended period of time, not just one night or for one person. This is simply not the case. If you have an important dinner event that requires formalwear or elegant eveningwear, you may want to think about hiring the services of a professional fashion consultant, especially if you want to make a good impression.



As you can see, there are a number of different instances where you may want to turn to a professional fashion consultant. In all honesty, you really dont need a reason to do so. If you would like to hire the services of a fashion consultant, you may be able to find one by using your local phone book, the internet, or recommendations from those that you know.

AOL Sells Winamp And Shoutcast Music Services To Online Radio Aggregator Radionomy

Some more detail on the fate of Winamp and Shoutcast, the legacy digital music services that owner AOL (which also owns TechCrunch) originally planned to shut down but then halted pending a sale. They are not being bought by Microsoft, as we had heard when we first reported news of a sale. The properties are instead being acquired by Radionomy — an international aggregator of online radio stations headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

The Radionomy connection was first noticed by a couple of people, including one Bryon Stout on the Winamp forums and Carsten Knobloch, who saw that Winamp’s nameservers, but not Shoutcast’s, had been transferred to Radionomy. We have since learned from a reliable source that the deal is for both properties and should be finalised by Friday, if not sooner.

Radionomy has some 6,000 stations in its catalog already, with an emphasis on a do-it-yourself platform that anyone can use to create a channel. Shoutcast’s 50,000-strong catalog of radio stations will be a major boost on that front. Winamp’s media playing software could be used to help program those radio stations and offer additional services.

The acquisition may also see the two products and platforms put to work in more commercial settings. One of Radionomy’s strategic investors is MusicMatic, which develops audio and video experiences for stores and other venues.

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Page-Out helps emergency services save lives and wins The Mobileys. Here are all the finalists

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What passes for an innovative mobile product these days? The folks at Mobile Future wanted to find out, so they hosted a competition called The Mobileys to look for ways to support the best startups in the space. Yesterday, the organization selected an app aimed at helping save lives as the winner of its inaugural event.

At stake was a $10,000 prize that would be awarded to the mobile app that made the world a better place. The victor was a service called Page-Out that specializes in helping police, fire, and medical emergency personnel assembly staff quickly. Other winners include HeadsUp!, a windshield-mounted communication display so you don’t take your eyes off the road, and Learn with Homer, an educational reading assistance app for children.

Each of the other winners took a $5,000 and $2,500 prize, respectively.

In addition, a People’s Choice award was also issued, going to INRFood, which helps consumers better understand what they’re eating.

What is the Mobileys?

In its first year, the Mobileys is a competition geared towards finding those entrepreneurs seeking to

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