Kogeto Launches Dot, Panoramic Video Camera for iPhone, in a Twist on Lifecasting

WHAT: Dot is a small 360-degree video camera that clicks onto the iPhone 4. Free app will allow easy uploading to Dot website and sharing. Expected retail price is $79. Patents are pending.

Dot is the second product from Kogeto. The first was a panoramic camera that resembles an overhead projector. Named Lucy, it is meant for educational use and costs about $3K.

Kogeto plans to make Dot for the iPod Touch and Android devices (iPad’s camera not good enough -- yet).

LAUNCHERS: CEO Jeff Glasse founded a museum and documentary film company that he sold to Teachscape -- tech-driven, online education for teachers. Co-founder David Sosnow worked with Jeff at Teachscape and helped design Lucy.

WHY: Lucy is a niche product. The iPhone 4 has a high-resolution camera, and millions of people own iPhones. People often spend time at an event trying to capture it -- Dot allows them to hit record and put the camera down. Take video of parties, car rides, concerts and games, or use for security. Jeff says, “Our users will show us how they want to use it.”

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Hudl Simplifies Video Editing and Sharing for Coaches to Help Them Win

Editor's note: Shortly after we published this piece, Hudl acquired its main competitor, Digital Sports Video, for an undisclosed amount. Read more here.

WHAT: Web-based video editing, analyzing and sharing for non-techie athletic coaches from the high school level through professional. Coaches can also share data reports and presentations with players, plus make their highlights public.

Hudl is targeted at football and basketball teams but works for most any sport where coaches use video to improve performance and/or study competition. Cost for high schools starts at $800 a year. Hudl has apps for iPhone and iPad, Android app in development.

LAUNCHERS:  David Graff (CEO), John Wirtz (COO) and Brian Kaiser (CTO), classmates at the University of Nebraska's Raikes School of Computer Science and Management.

WHY: It’s inefficient for coaches to print playbooks and burn DVDs for every game. Pricey software packages require certain hardware and/or charge license fees for each machine, and they’re not easy to use. High school football coaches can spend hours driving to a meeting point to exchange game DVDs with their upcoming opponent.

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Stitcher Streams Podcasts On Demand to Make Old Radio Even More Irrelevant

WHAT: Stream podcasts and talk shows from your smartphone, iPad or desktop browser on demand (i.e., Pandora for talk). Also available in cars via OnStar and Ford’s Sync. Content partners range from the BBC to Kevin Smith’s Smodcast Internet Radio to Rush Limbaugh.

This week Stitcher launched a recommendation feature for its iPhone and Android apps to help users discover new content.

LAUNCHERS: Noah Shanok, CEO, previously led sales for StubHub and was a consultant. Peter deVroede (CTO) worked in finance and managed tech for various gaming, software and entertainment companies.

WHY: Downloading every podcast is a PITA, plus downloads are not automatic. Mobile internet has become mainstream. Talk makes up 35% of traditional radio listening.

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CellScope Launches iPhone Device for Diagnosing Ear Infections, Expands Telemedicine Market

WHAT: A device called an otoscope that attaches to an iPhone so that doctors (and eventually parents) can take photos inside a child’s ear. Doctors use the image to determine whether there is an ear infection or show it to colleagues for a second opinion. CellScope images can be added to the child’s electronic medical record to compare them to future images of ear infections.

LAUNCHERS:  Erik Douglas has a doctorate in bioengineering from UC-Berkeley and previously founded a company that did due diligence for tech investors (company failed). Wilbur Lam is a pediatrician at Emory University who met Erik in their PhD program.

WHY: Ear infections are the top reason kids go to doctors (and emergency rooms), accounting for about 30M visits a year. The iPhone’s camera takes photos good enough for doctors to make an ear-infection diagnosis based on them. Doctors have become more open to tech solutions (including electronic medical records) that make them more efficient and reduce costs. Plus you don’t need approval from the Food and Drug Administration to make otoscopes.

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Celebrities on Google+ in Week One

It took nearly three years from Twitter’s 2006 launch before celebrities started flocking to the service en masse (although MC Hammer was an early adopter -- see timeline below).

But Google+ has attracted a number of big names in its first week beyond tech-savvy actor Ashton Kutcher. These celebs include singer Taylor Swift, 2012 Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, and yes, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, currently the most popular person on Google+.

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