FiftythreePaper
Latest
FiftyThree's new Mix service invites Paper users to collaborate
Some artists find inspiration in their peers' artworks and even think it boring to draw alone. If you feel that way and you use FiftyThree's Paper app (and maybe its Pencil stylus, as well) religiously, you can take advantage of the startup's new service to collaborate with anyone you want. This new product is called Mix, and it's an open platform where all users can share their work by uploading it straight from the Paper app. The latest version of Paper comes loaded with the Mix sharing option, as you can see in the video below -- after you've uploaded your work, other members can finish it or put their own spin on it.
FiftyThree's Paper app updated to play nice with its Pencil stylus
FiftyThree's shipping out its first Pencil styli early this December, but before you can work its sketching magic, the firm's Paper app will need the appropriate updates. Good thing the company's released those changes today, because waiting on a software upgrade to use new hardware breeds a special kind of frustration. As you'd expect, the refreshed app comes with the features FiftyThree promised when it announced the $50 tool, including palm rejection to avoid accidental hand marks on sketches. There's also the erase function that activates the device's built-in eraser, and the blend feature that lets you use fingers to blend colors and edges. Based on the firm's Twitter posts, it's sending out emails to people slated to get their Pencils soon, but those who've only just ordered one have an excruciating three-to-four week wait ahead of them.
Paper for iPad developer receives $15 million in funding
What do you do when your one and only iPad app is a runaway success? If you're FiftyThree, the development firm behind the beautiful journal / art app Paper (free, many in-app purchases available), you get funding for expansion into new areas. FiftyThree announced today that it received US$15 million in a Series A funding round led by Andreesen Horowitz, with such stellar investors as Twitter's Jack Dorsey, Bright Capital, Highline Ventures and SV Angel joining the party. Paper has been profitable from day one; it's usually in the Top 10 Paid Apps on the App Store, and over 80 million users have downloaded the app. What's FiftyThree planning on doing with $15 million? Co-founder and CEO Georg Petschnigg says that he wants to add to his team of employees in Seattle and NYC, and create a suite of software, hardware and services. GigaOM's Erica Ogg talked with Petschnigg and although he wouldn't elaborate, the idea of a Paper-branded stylus is a natural outgrowth. Petschnigg's big picture for the firm appears to be collaboration: "We've been focused on iPad there, but the next part we're working on is services that will start to answer the question of how people work together and collaborate." All secretive talk aside, we're looking forward to seeing what's next from the team at FiftyThree.
