VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Raleigh, US-based wedding photo and video-sharing app WedPics scored $1.5 million in its Series A financing round led by IDEA Fund Partners to scale up its platform and beef up its workforce.

Starting April, United Airlines will roll out a free in-flight entertainment service for iOS devices and laptops that has more than 150 movies and 200 TV shows that passengers can stream.

Newport Beach, US-based micro investing app Acorns raised $5.5 million in a Series B funding round led by Jacobs Asset Management to let people invest in index funds using their spare change.

Former Apple chief John Sculley is teaming up with former HTC India head Ajay Sharma and Singaporean investment firm Inflexionpoint to launch a yet-unnamed smartphone brand in India, which will release its first units in April.

Facebook Messenger can now be downloaded for free on the Windows Phone via the Windows Phone Store, the software giant has confirmed the news through its blog.

Penzance, UK-based firm Acoustic Stream launched a $50,000 crowdfunding campaign via Kickstarter to develop a 4-in-1 device that allows guitarists to tune their guitar, and record, stream, and share their performances to the world.

Chicago, US-based firm Savor is putting together an online deals aggregator app for iPad that personalizes coupons according to the user's likes interest and organizes offers into catalogs for easier browsing.

New York, US-based machine-learning technology startup One Llama is developing a mobile app for smartphones and wearable devices that can alert users when danger is coming their way.

Tel Aviv, Israel-based smart calendar app Cal added a new feature called HeadsUp that simplifies meeting and appointment tasks such as taking notes, composing minutes, and assigning tasks to attendees.

With the spotlight suddenly turned on messaging apps after Facebook acquired WhatsApp, Chinese app WeChat released a major upgrade for the iOS and Android versions with new features such as real-time location sharing and chat history search.

Threatened by the news of the Mozilla Foundation developing a $25 Firefox OS smartphone, Finnish phone maker Nokia also launched its own set of new Android smartphones for emerging markets during the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona.

Android still remains at the top for smartphone sales, getting 70% of sales in the last three months that ended January. However, the real war is among Android makers, TechCrunch reported citing data from Kantar.

Sunnyvale, US-based mobile security solutions provider Good Technology announced its purchase of Columbia, Maryland-based enterprise mobility management software maker Boxtone for an undisclosed amount to boost security in joint products and widen its client base.

San Francisco, US-based real estate online marketplace Trulia released new photo-focused iPhone and Android apps to help home buyers find and choose homes or properties faster.

Google Ventures general partner Rich Miner will join the board of directors of San Francisco, US-based mobile app performance management (mAPM) firm Crittercism to replace Wesley Chan, who left Google Ventures to establish his own company.