TechCrunch
RoboCoin, The First $20,000 Bitcoin ATM, Now Available For Pre-Order
RoboCoin, a kiosk that allows you to trade Bitcoin for other currencies, is now available for pre-order and should be shipping for “Fall 2013.” Lest you decide to become the Bitcoin bank for your neighborhood, remember that the machine costs $20,000 ($18,500 for early birds) and can currently trade BTC for USD.
The device is essentially a hardened, ATM-like machine with biometric time locks and privacy-shielded touchscreen. It can accept and dispense cash (and is “International denomination-ready”) and is Wi-Fi and 3G-enabled.
According to a blog posting the team is ready to change the way Bitcoin is bought and sold.
“RoboCoin represents a compelling investment for business owners,” they write. “They’ll earn a percentage of transactions and attract Bitcoin’s loyal user-base, while also offering unprecedented access and ease-of-adoption to Bitcoin newcomers. Furthermore every Robocoin on the market increases Bitcoin liquidity and usage, putting upward pressure on the digital currency’s valuation, awareness, and legitimacy.”
Robocoin first surfaced in in San Jose at a Bitcoin conference and is directly competing with Lamassu Bitcoin Ventures Bitcoin ATM. This model connects directly to Mt. Gox or Bitstamp, two BTC exchanges, for instant funding.
Having a real, working ATM will add a considerably energy to the Bitcoin market. While these units are arguably expensive (a cheap ATM tops out at about $3,000) it’s clear that the back end is what matters here and not the box. Wheeling one of these into, say, a hacker conference or other con would get you plenty of traffic and improve the standing of Bitcoin in general. Once BTC to other currency transactions are commonplace, it’s clear that cryptocurrencies may have even more of a fighting chance.
Facebook To Capture 15.8% Of Global Mobile Ad Revenue This Year, Predicts eMarketer, Up From Just 5.35% In 2012
It’s no secret that Facebook has accelerated its mobile ad business in recent quarters. This mobile ad monetization push is resulting in “dramatic gains” in worldwide mobile ad marketshare, according to estimates put out today by researchers at eMarketer. The figures suggest Facebook’s share of global mobile Internet ad revenues will reach 15.8% this year, up from just 5.35% in 2012. eMarketer expects the overall mobile ad market to grow 89% in 2013 to $16.65 billion.
Facebook’s mobile ad growth tear is the result of the social networking giant pouring a torrent of ads into the news feed in its mobile apps — effectively dressing ads in the same clothes as genuine news feed items to encourage people to click, rather than tune them out.
Facebook only started injecting ads in its mobile apps last year so their mobile ad growth rates are all the more impressive. Last month, in its Q2 earnings, Facebook reported that mobile ads now make up a staggering 41% of its total ad revenue, up from around a third in May, and just over a fifth (23%) in the quarter before that. After its Q2 earnings Facebook noted that mobile revenue will soon outstrip its desktop ad incomes.
One type of mobile ad that has been performing well for Facebook are app installs. Back in May, Facebook’s product director of advertising Gokul Rajaram told TechCrunch that mobile install ads were “performing well” and resulting in “really high quality users that take actions”. Translation: news feed app ads are resulting in a lot of apps being installed.
Despite Facebook’s impressive growth in mobile, Google of course remains the leader for capturing worldwide mobile ad revenues. eMarketer estimates Mountain View will take 53.17% of the market this year, up slightly on its 2012 performance — which eMarketer says is “primarily a result of continued growth in mobile search usage and further mobile monetization of YouTube”.
Android’s domination of the smartphone OS market is keeping Google strong here, with its close to 80% share of the global pie — allowing it to preload YouTube on millions of mobile devices worldwide. Android users are of course the eyeballs powering Google’s mobile ad business.
Across all devices, Google remains the undisputed kingpin digital ad publisher in the world. eMarketer estimates it will take in nearly 33% of all digital ad dollars globally this year, up from 31.46% in 2012. Facebook, buoyed by its growth on mobile, will also increase its share of the total, to 5.41%. Meanwhile Yahoo! is expected to lose some ground, while Microsoft’s share is predicted to hold steady.
Help Wanted: Social Media Volunteer Intern For TechCrunch Disrupt SF
So TechCrunch is hosting a little shindig in San Francisco this September. Disrupt SF, it’s called. And we’re looking for a couple of over-qualified social media types who are willing to be overworked and underpaid (and go to parties and get free cool stuff). Apply below.
The perfect candidate consumes Twitter like it’s oxygen, interacts with Instagram more than most porn spam bots, and reblogs on Tumblr like it’s their job. This person knows how to make memes, Vines, and capture life in 140 characters or less.
This person will be granted full access to the five days of Disrupt including all the parties. But of course they will be working, Tweeting, Instagramming and all that jazz at these events. You will work directly with TC staff at the events to make some cool social media for the world to consume.
The duties are pretty straightforward — assist our Social Media Director, Elin Blesener, in broadcasting the happenings at Disrupt through all of our social media channels. You will get training from one of the best social media managers around. This includes tweeting pictures and videos, uploading to Tumblr and Instagram, and creating one-off memes from the craziness that generally happens at Disrupt. This also means interacting with guests, hosts and exhibitors throughout the event.
The lucky candidate will report for duty starting at the Disrupt Hackathon on September 7th at 12:00 PDT and stay on site, tweeting and Instagramming through the night. It’s a 24-hour event. Then, on Monday the 9th and for the following two days, they will need to report on site by 9:00am. Plan to be out late and up early. Plan to have a great time. We’ll also give you a 16GB iPad Mini or Nexus 7 tablet at the end of your successful tenure.
You will need to provide your own computer, camera, and smartphone. TechCrunch will not provide housing or transportation to the event so it’s best if you’re in the SF area.
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