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SXSW Interactive

No winners, just ties

There was no winner, but does there need to be? That idea came up in an otherwise dull interview with the founders of insanely popular photo-sharing app Instagram. Mike Krieger was asked if his iPhone app, once it moves to Android (coming soon!) and the web, could take on Facebook. He bristled at the question. Stop asking how companies will compete against each other and start asking how they will work together.

Read the full report from the on-stage interview here.


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Bumvertising 2.0

Before SXSW Interactive started, BBH Labs, a New York agency, went trolling in an Austin shelter for “homeless hot spots,” street people to whom they could attach 4G MiFi devices. The homeless people then became wireless hot spots for festival-goers in need of a signal. The signal BBH received from most people here, though: “What a sleazy idea.”


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Festival highlig.ht

There was no South By South best, as annoying people say down here, but there was a buzz product. The Highlight app is a location-based friend finder that searches for people around you whom you might know or want to know, and connects you based on similarities in your Facebook profiles. (As soon as the festival is over and I can stop being outgoing, I’m deleting it.)

You can read about it and other location apps here.


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Acquisition action

Austin-built travel app Gowalla was bought by Facebook, and blogging tool Posterous by Twitter. Gowalla is now closed, and Posterous’s future is uncertain, further proof there are no property rights online. You think you own or live in a space or social network, but you realize you don’t when it gets unceremoniously shut down.


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Consumer craze

Buying, eating, shopping, drinking: why does every new start-up have to revolve around consuming more? If anything, I need apps that help me to buy, eat and drink less.


Read more from South By Southwest Interactive here.

joshuae@nowtoronto.com | twitter.com/joshuaerrett

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