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The best of NY Tech Day, a showcase of startups

NEW YORK -- Today, more than 200 startups, most from the Big Apple, came together for the first NY Tech Day, their chance to show off their wares to a gathering of more than 1,000 press, investors, and members of the public.

While the companies' offerings were diverse and rather uneven, there were some that stood out, and CNET did its best to pull together a list of the best that were on display:

FoundIt FoundIt is a useful service with an analog approach. The idea is to help you recover lost belongings. By signing up, you receive a sheet of stickers, each with an ID number assigned to your FoundIt account. Affix a sticker to your phone, your wallet, or anything worth recovering, and the finder can contact FoundIt via a phone number or by entering your code number on FoundIt's Web site. FoundIt then notifies the owner via text message or e-mail that the item has been located.… Read more

Apple's founding contract sells for $1.35 million

The papers that legally launched the tech giant were sold today at auction for $1.35 million, significantly higher than presale estimates.

The three-page document marking the founding of Apple was expected to fetch between $100,000 and $150,000 at Sotheby's Fine Books and Manuscripts auction. Bidding began at $70,000 and ended a few minutes later with a telephone bid of $1.35 million (see video below). Buyer's premium brought the total cost to $1,594,500.

The winning bidder was Eduardo Cisneros, chief executive officer of Cisneros, according to Sotheby's (PDF).

The Apple document, … Read more

The 404 895: Where we meet a schmuck in a suit (podcast)

Sir Jon of Strick-land is a longtime listener of the podcast, but we never knew he was fluent in Elizabethan English until today's episode--by my troth, this should be good.

Jon tells us about his adventures in cosplay at local Renaissance Faires back home in Georgia, and also gives us a preview of his costume at this year's DragonCon--a Renaissance-themed Lex Luthor!

We'll also hear a voice mail from a listener in Berkeley spearheading a movement to proliferate a sarcasm font called Sartalics--along the same lines as the SarcMark, but way cooler.

The 404 Digest for Episode 895

Follow Jon Strickland on Twitter. Woman gets duped by thieves, buys wooden "iPad." Listener "California from Maya" Photoshops the first Domino's Pizza on the moon. Convey sarcasm online using Sartalics. Survival tips for DragonCon, a gathering of sci-fi and fantasy fans.

Episode 895 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

iPod troubleshooting: Corrupt or not found firmware files

Some users may experience an issue when attempting to update the firmware on their iPods where the firmware file cannot be found or is found to be corrupt.

If your iPod software update cannot be found or is corrupt, meaning that iTunes could not update or restore your iPod, you can delete the iPod software update files. iTunes will then be able to download a fresh copy of the latest firmware update from Apple, and you should then be able to install it.

According to a recent knowledgebase article from Apple, follow these steps to delete the files:

Eject your … Read more

Twitter redesigns itself

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded: New Twitter is coming "Social Network" reviews are in HP webOS slate confirmed Google fired engineer over privacy breach

Inside CNET Labs 23: This is 23, not 24...

We remember James Kim. Just a couple minutes of remembrance. James is still missed to this day.

Then, the unsung heroes of CNET Edit finally get their song. Well not really a song, but just some props.

After that it's the obligatory "gadgets we're thankful for" segment. Ours is pretty funny, though, and we also go into a few gadgets we're not so thankful for.

Finally Dong goes on a bit about something we've talked about many times on the show. Well, hopefully you haven't heard this stuff before.

James Kim Tech Foundation… Read more

SendMeHome mixes lost and found with adhesive optimism

SendMeHome is a new and free lost and found database. It works by having users register their personal effects with little stickers that have special "phone home" codes on them. If someone finds something you've lost with one of these codes on there they can plug it into the service and get whatever contact information you've left--hopefully bringing you and your lost iPod (or whatever) back together.

Similar programs for bicycles have existed for years, and there is definitely a rate of return, although it obviously depends on what you lost and who has found it. … Read more

Superhero saves lost cell phones

It's a traveler's worst nightmare: a BlackBerry, filled with personal e-mails, bank account information, and family pictures, is suddenly missing from a pocket or carry-on bag. Not only is a pricey gadget lost, but so is valuable information and contacts.

Now, a cell phone superhero claims it can protect your confidential data and aid in safely returning your gadget.

No, it's not a dude wearing tights, but a service from YouGetItBack.com that launches today in the U.S. and Canada. The downloadable software lets subscribers go online and remotely lock their mobile phone once it goes … Read more

A site for the three little kittens

For children, it can lead to tear-rimmed eyes. For adults, it can lead to swearing. And for kittens, it can lead to the loss of pie privileges.

Yes, it's the lost mitten--or glove.

But have no fear. According to a story in the New York Daily News, a new site for New Yorkers slipped on to the scene earlier this month: OneColdHand-NYC.com.

The purpose of the site is to reunite found mittens and gloves with their rightful owners. Will New Yorkers warm up to the concept? Who knows. But the site's appearance does follow last month's … Read more

LEDs to help Fido avoid getting lost

No offense to canine lovers, but not all dogs are smart enough to lead humans out of danger, a la Lassie and the fire at the Old Mill. Truth be told, some have trouble just staying near their owners.

So if your four-legged best friend has a habit of wandering off without you, something like the "Pet Tag Flasher" might be worth considering. When worn around the neck (the dog's, not yours), it flashes four red LEDs to help identify the pet's whereabouts in a street crowd or even a packed watering hole because it's … Read more