With Facebook getting into search , some Boston tech companies may have more to worry about than just Google . There’s a big trend toward recommendations for places to go and things to buy, and now every startup and their brother has a different approach. There’s Spindle in local discovery, Nara Logics for restaurants, LoopIt for shopping, and even TripAdvisor is becoming increasingly social . They’re basically all trying to provide more personalized advice on the Web. Meanwhile, I’m wondering if people will ever think for themselves again.
In other innovation news:
The latest venture capital numbers are in, and Massachusetts and New York companies have gained on California over the past two quarters. While software deals held steady around the country, healthcare has been on the rebound and cleantech continues to decline.
Our startup issue of the week is crowdfunding . ByteLight co-founder Dan Ryan argues that the model pioneered by Kickstarter and others doesn’t work for hardware projects, because young companies often can’t deliver those products at scale.
And lastly, on the eve of the AFC Championship Game, the New England Patriots have been working on wireless technology. Local firm Enterasys Networks has outfitted Gillette Stadium with a new Wi-Fi system that will let 70,000 fans get online and try out new mobile apps next season. But let’s not think about next season just yet.
