Biz Stone's Jelly spreads the search love

Biz Stone's Jelly spreads the search love
Twitter co-founder Biz Stone has unveiled his new, highly-anticipated project: a question and answer service for mobile that allows users to search for answers using their friends instead of algorithms.In a blog post, the company explained the idea: It's a question accompanied by a photo. For example, a user who spots something unusual can snap a picture, circle the befuddling object, and ask friends -- who are other Jelly users -- from social networks what it is. The thinking is that if no direct friends know, maybe a friend of a friend does. Users can also pass on other people's queries through text.On the other end of that query are contacts logged onto the service who see the photo and question. People who know the answer can reply or swipe down to show the query again later. The company even gives a slight callback to Stone's Twitter days when it explains Jelly's photo functions. "In a world where 140 characters is considered a maximum length, a picture really is worth a thousand words," the blog post reads. The bet on photos is looking more and more like a safe one these days. Snapchat and Instagram are immensely popular, with engaged daily users. "Photos are what make mobile, mobile," Stone told CNET. "Without cameras, smartphones would just be little computers." It's natural to make the comparison between Jelly and other Q and A platforms like Quora, Cha Cha, and Yahoo Answers. But there are certainly differences. For example, because of the mobile experience of Jelly, "it actively discourages conversation. If you don't know, it disappears forever," Stone said. "If you want to have a long discussion of what it's like to work at a certain place, Jelly's not the place to go." (That place would be Quora.) The company is quick to note in its introductory blog post that all of this is a specific form of search. And when viewed through that lens, Jelly is just the latest example of tech companies trying to shake up traditional search. Apple is said to be devoting more resources to Siri. Its acquisition of social media analytics firm Topsy could help that effort. And Yahoo plans to revamp its search efforts with more of a focus on personalization. Stone makes a distinction between simple information retrieval and what Jelly does. Where does his company sit in comparison to traditional search? "It's somewhere alongside or parallel to it," he says. "And it couldn't have existed until recently." There may be other uses for the service as well. A tool that lets users snap a picture then get instant feedback from friends could end up being very intriguing for a marketer in some permutation. Stone didn't rule out this type of business application as something the company could explore "down the line," but emphasized that he's more focused on trying to first give users a valuable experience.Update, 4:40 p.m. PT: Adds comments from co-founder Biz Stone.

The 404 382- Where Randall Bennett didn't start the fire

The 404 382: Where Randall Bennett didn't start the fire
We've had Randall on the show before, but this is the first time we've seen him since he moved back to New York from his brief but productive stint on the Left Coast. What the heck has he been doing this whole time? Well, Randall is a man of many many talents, and he tells us that he's been using those talents for projects including Tech Vi (pronounced vee), a constantly updated tech news outlet with frequent guests that include industry pundits from Engadget, Popular Mechanics, and a couple of lame dudes that have no idea what they're talking about.Randall also lets us in on some big news in the works for TechVi that actually involves the CNET departed, so be sure to listen closely to hear it first!Per usual, the second half is all about the latest news in the world of silly tech and beyond. Following up on yesterday's story about the young woman falling through a manhole while texting, we discuss an even worse occasion: a different woman has twittered through a bank robbery! How is that possible? Well, mainly because the trackball on her BlackBerry smartphone fell off, rendering her incapable of doing anything on her phone but twittering out asinine messages like "cant figure out how to call work without a trackball... police just arrived. maybe theyll let me go now." Me, I probably would've twittered something useful, like "OMFG call the cops frealsies, there's an effing gun in my face."Be sure to listen to the entire episode to hear Randall's hilarious story about how he saved the lives of countless Netflixers by stopping a man from burning down a post office box. New York needs more good Samaritans like you, dude! Also, feel free to leave us a voicemail (a clean one we can actually play on the air, sans caviar) at 1-866-404-CNET!EPISODE 382Download today's podcast Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) |Subscribe in RSS Audio |Subscribe in RSS Video This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.PlayFollow us on Twitter!The 404Jeff BakalarJustin YuWilson TangAdd us on Facebook!The 404 Fan PageThe 404 GroupJustin YuJeff BakalarWilson Tang