SoundCloud raises money from KPCB and GGV

SoundCloud has raised money from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and GGV Capital. The company raised $50 million on a pre-money valuation of $200 million, according to TechCrunch Europe. Regardless of the exact valuation and financing terms, big congratulations to Eric, Alex & the rest of the team at SoundCloud!

Specialized consumption devices connected to the Internet

Over the Christmas holiday I've gotten a Kindle and an Apple TV. These purpose-built content-over-Internet Protocol devices are interesting as they change usage behavior (and changed usage behavior, mainly mobile, is a major reason why we're entering a post-PC world in terms of Internet connections).

The Kindle hardware seems to be built and optimized to compete with a paperback for reading experience rather than to compete with the iPad or iPhone, but the ability to store multiple books and the connection to a large store with digital distribution makes it so much better than a paperback. I've just had it a couple of days, but I'm pretty sure I'll read more as it is a convenient and cheap reading device.