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SweetLabs is a software distribution company based in San Diego and Seattle. SweetLabs has raised at least $21.5 million in venture capital from Bessemer Venture Partners, Google Ventures, Intel Capital, and O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures.

Products

SweetLabs creates products primarily designed for use by software developers, advertisers, and manufacturers of devices that run on Android and Windows.

In May 2014, SweetLabs released the App Install Platform, cloud-based and client-side services which include an App Ad Server designed to give manufacturers the ability to customize and manage the apps that are delivered to devices. This includes an advertising network that opens a marketplace for app install ad-space, as well as analytics and data collection related to these advertisements. The App Install Platform was used by device manufacturers including Acer, Toshiba and Lenovo.

In June 2011, SweetLabs launched Pokki, a replacement for Windows 8's Start Menu Pokki is designed to return the core functionality of the Start Menu, to restore features such as the ability to find and launch programs and apps, access folders and files, search the computer and the web, manage settings, and shut down. The Pokki Start menu also includes a notification center, a smartphone-like home screen to organize apps, sites, files, and folders, an app store, and access to web and desktop apps such as Pixsta. Pokki is classified as a malicious program, i.e. "viruses and spyware" by Sophos antivirus software.

SweetLabs also produced an adware module called OpenCandy. This software is classified as malware by many anti-virus vendors, due to the software's use of invasive browser hijacking.

References

1. Takahashi, Dean (29 September 2011). "SweetLabs raises $13M for desktop apps interface". VentureBeat. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
2. Wauters, Robin (29 September 2011). "SweetLabs Raises $13 Million From Intel, Google And Others For Pokki App Platform". TechCrunch. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
3. Protalinski, Emil (16 May 2014). "SweetLabs' new App Install Platform helps Android and Windows OEMs take the crap out of crapware". TNW | Insider. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
4. Frank, Blair (16 May 2014). "SweetLabs helps OEMs lose bloatware with new service". GeekWire. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
5. Mlot, Stephanie (June 25, 2013). "New Acer PCs to Come Pre-Loaded With Pokki, Zynga Games". PC Magazine. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
6. Bass, Dina (Aug 22, 2013). "Lenovo Turns to a Startup to Bring the Start Menu Back to Windows". Bloomberg. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
7. Chang, Alexandra (16 October 2012). "Pokki Brings the Start Menu Back to Windows 8". Wired. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
8. Newman, Jared (16 October 2012). "Pokki Aims to Fix Windows 8 with Replacement Start Menu". TIME. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
9. Molt, Stephanie (16 October 2012). "Pokki Brings the Start Menu to Windows 8". PC Magazine. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
10. Whitney, Lance (17 October 2012). "How to restore the classic Start menu with Pokki for Windows 8". CNET. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
11. Zuckerman, Erez (23 October 2013). "Pixsta review: This is the Instagram desktop client you've been waiting for". PC World. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
12. Pokki - Viruses and Spyware - Advanced Network Threat Protection | ATP from Targeted Malware Attacks and Persistent Threats | sophos.com - Threat Center
13. PUP.Optional.OpenCandy, Malwarebytes, retrieved 3 February 2018
14. OpenCandy, Sophos, retrieved 3 February 2018
15. ADW_OPENCANDY, Trend Micro, retrieved 3 February 2018
16. Virustotal analyses of OpenCandy, Virus Total, retrieved 3 February 2018
17. Richards, Gizmo (16 April 2017), Controversial Advertising Program Now Being Embedded in More Software, Tech Support Alert, retrieved 2 February 2018

External links

• sweetlabs.com

• Software distribution platforms
• 2008 establishments in the United States