CubeCheater is one of the most innovative iPhone applications that I’ve seen so far.  CubeCheater teaches you how to beat the Rubik’s cube puzzle by inputting your current cube’s state.  You can either tap the Rubik’s cube colors into the iPhone or take a picture of the cube.

Nolan Bushnell has joined GameWager as an executive advisor.  GameWager is a website that awards gamers that achieve certain tasks with prizes.  For example, if a team excels in Counter-Strike or Team Fortress 2, they will be awarded prizes such as Nvidia graphic cards or Alienware laptops.  Bushnell is best known for founding Atari and Chuck E. Cheese.

Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) has released the numbers for their 4th quarter and WOW, are they stellar! Netflix’s 4th quarter profit climbed 45%. Netflix’s growth was driven by low prices and streaming video services.

It looks like Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) hired Keri Hilson to promote the Zune. The problem with this commercial is that it seems pretty bland. If I hired an R&B artist to promote my music device, then I would have had her do more than just list a bunch of artists that she likes. Heck, the commercial would have been a lot better if they had people break-dancing to Timbaland’s song featuring Keri Hilson, The Way I Are.

Feedback for Microsoft: Make Zune ads more creative.

Just when I thought that Facebook applications were slowing down after the new design, WedSnap has been acquired.  WedSnap is the parent company of WeddingBook, a Facebook application with about 400,000 active users.  WeddingBook is an application that connects Facebook users to wedding events.

WeddingBook features photos, dresses, stylish wedding decor suggestions, fellow brides and grooms to chat with, a wedding countdown.  There is also a built in Wedding profile box, a guest book, wedding party RSVPs, engagement photos, wedding statuses, links to registries and wedding websites.

WeddingBook won a $250,000 grant from the fbFund in October 2008.  The financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.  After the acquisition was made, TheKnot’s brand was integrated into the application.

[via Mashable]

As usual Warner Music Group (WMG) sent a DMCA takedown notice to YouTube.  The problem with one of their more recent takedowns was that it prevented Death Cab For Cutie from embedding music videos on their own website.  The music videos were quickly added back to YouTube again after several Death Cab website visitors complained.

Whoever uploaded Death Cab’s videos was clearly not authorized.  When Warner Music had it taken down, it left Death Cab’s website as blank.  This was pretty embarrasing for the band and I think that from now on the music label company will investigate the websites of their other band members before sending DMCA takedowns.

This isn’t the first time I have seen labels takedown music videos that negatively impact bands and movie producers.  I’ve seen Bollywood music videos taken down by record labels from the movie production companies that feature the songs in their movies.  And then there was the time when Jon Stewart mocked the parent company of Comedy Central two years ago for removing clips of The Daily Show from YouTube.

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) is rumored to be adding a new feature to Google Earth.  Google has shown us the sky, space, and the Earth.  But now they want to show us what is under the water as well.  The search engine company is expected to launch Google Ocean at the California Academy of Sciences next week.

Google Ocean will show topography and a layer showing the sea floor depth.  Users will be able to discover information about famous shipwrecks too.  And the service will feature underwater photography based on geographic location.

The feature will be announced by Al Gore, Eric Schmidt, and Marissa Mayer at the February 2nd Academy event.  More details to follow.

IAC/InterActiveCorp announced a deal to sell ReserveAmerica, an online camping reservationwebsite to another sports website called The Active Network for a stock deal.  Active Network Inc. raised $80 million in funding this past August.  In exchange for the site, InterActiveCorp received 3.5 million convertible preferred shares in The Active Network.  InterActiveCorp now owns about 9% in the company.  The deal will be wrapped up by the end of the month.

The $80 million in funding that The Active Network raised this past August was led by ESPN.  The funding will be used to make strategic acquisitions.

ReserveAmerica was part of IAC’s “emerging-business” division.  This division also includes sites like CollegeHumor, Busted Tees, RushmoreDrive, and TheDailyBeast.  “We don’t think emerging businesses are the tomorrow of our business,” stated Barry Diller in a Q3 earnings call this past November.  IAC will start selling more of their emerging businesses this December.

ReserveAmerica was founded in 1984.  Seth Rosenberg is the President of the company and he will remain in his current position.  ReserveAmerica has over 300,000 campsites in their database.