Silicon Valley Wire

Report: Women Out-Shop Men Online for First Time During Holidays

Herndon, Va. -- For the first time since the inception of online retailing a decade ago, more women than men purchased items online during the 2005 holiday shopping season, according to a new study by WebSurveyor. The firm said that the data is part of a larger trend that has seen the Internet transform from a male-dominated shopping bastion into one that must take into account the buying preferences of women. Among the key findings, women out-shopped men in every age category, including 75% of women in the 31-40 year-old age group who called the Internet their preferred purchasing method.  "As a result of this, many online retailers must now consider transforming themselves from male-oriented `hunter' sites to female-oriented `gatherer' sites that provide a richer online purchasing experience," said WebSurveyor.
http://www.websurveyor.com/company/websurveyor-press-release.asp?c=702

Shares of Santa Clara-based Synaptics Fall 18% Following Earnings Report

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Shares of Santa Clara-based Synaptics fell 18% on Friday after the developer of interfaces for mobile computing, communications and entertainment devices reported an 18% drop in revenue and 51% in net income for the most recent quarter. The company reported net income of $4.8 million, or $0.18 a share -- $0.06 lower than consensus analyst estimates, according to a survey by Thomson First Call. Synaptics, which makes touchpads that are integrated into more than half of today's notebook computers, also said that it expects revenue for the current quarter to again fall, the result of seasonal declines. The company's stock closed at $25.26 a share, down $5.58 on the day.
http://www.synaptics.com/
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060119/sfth051.html?.v=39

Google Vows to Fight Government Request for Search Records

Mountain View, Calif. -- In a move being watched by Internet privacy advocates, Mountain View-based search engine giant Google said that it plans to "vigorously" fight the Bush administration's demand to reveal what million of its users have been looking up on the Internet, several media outlets reported on Friday. The Justice Department is asking to see a random sampling of one million searches conducted on Google over a one-week period as part of its effort to revive the 1998 Child Online Protection Act (COPA), designed to protect minors from sexually explicit material. The measure was previously struck down by the Supreme Court on First Amendment grounds. Though several of Google's competitors, including Sunnyvale-based Yahoo, America Online and MSN, already have complied with the request, Google told CNN that the government's demand for information "overreaches." "We had lengthy discussions with them to try to resolve this, but were not able to and we intend to resist their motion vigorously," Nicole Wong, an associate general counsel for Google, wrote in a statement to the network. The government filed a motion on Wednesday with the U.S. District Court in San Jose demanding that Google turn over the records.
http://money.cnn.com/2006/01/20/technology/google_subpoena/index.htm
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/13669361.htm

Hayward-Based Guava Technologies Lands Up to $10 Million from Hercules

Hayward, Calif. -- Guava Technologies, a Hayward-based developer of cell-analysis systems for life science research, said that it has signed a deal to receive up to $10 million from Palo Alto-based Hercules Technology Growth Capital. The company said that $5.5 million will come in the form of secured debt financing, and the remainder in a one-year credit line worth up to $4.5 million. Guava said that it plans to use $4 million of the financing to retire previous debt. "We will have access to an additional $6 million that we can use to manage our working capital needs," said Larry Bruder, Guava's CEO.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060119/20060119005144.html?.v=1
http://www.guavatechnologies.com

Southwall Technologies to Shutter Palo Alto Facility, Cut 40 Jobs

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Needing to overhaul its cost structure, Southwall Technologies, a maker of thin-film coatings for the electronic display, automotive glass and architectural markets, said on Thursday that it will close its Palo Alto manufacturing facility and transfer its U.S. manufacturing operations to Germany. The move will mean the loss of 40 jobs, or 22% of Southwall's total workforce. Once the moves are complete, the company will employ approximately 40 people in non-manufacturing positions at its site in California. Southwall said that it plans to vacate its current Palo Alto facility, which also serves as its headquarters and houses its research and development, sales and marketing and general and administrative functions, and relocate to another Silicon Valley site. The moves are expected to save the company $4 million a year. "The continued growth and success of our manufacturing operations in Germany have allowed us to make this change," said Thomas Hood, the company's president and CEO. Southwall has been manufacturing in Palo Alto since the company's founding more than 25 years ago.
http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=swtx&script=410&layout=6&item_id=806293

IODA to Distribute Artists' Digital Music Royalties from SoundExchange

San Francisco -- The Independent Online Distribution Alliance (IODA), a San Francisco-based digital distributor of independent music, said that it has partnered with SoundExchange to become the first organization of its kind to offer royalty payments to independent labels. Under the deal, the IODA will distribute future and past royalty payments from SoundExchange to its roster of more than 1,000 labels. SoundExchange collects and distributes royalties for songs played on webcasts, satellite radio and cable and satellite TV. Kevin Arnold, the CEO of IODA, said that the move will allow many smaller record labels to more easily monitor their digital earnings in a central location.
http://www.iodalliance.com/press.php

Report: Europe Overtakes U.S. as World's Largest PC Market

Stamford, Conn. -- Europe has overtaken the U.S. as the world's largest PC market, according to a new report from market research firm Gartner. PC sales worldwide increased by about 15% to more than 218.5 million units last year, the firm said. Over the same period, PC shipments in the EMEA region (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) grew by more than 17% to 72.7 million units, while shipments in the U.S. grew by just 7.5% to 67 million. The Asia Pacific region and Latin America boasted the fastest growth last year. "The consumer market did well in the [EMEA] region, especially in the mobile PC market where significant promotions in all countries led to exceptional demand," said Ranjit Atwal, a senior analyst at Gartner.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060118/20060118006073.html?.v=1

Progress Software to Acquire Mountain View's Actional for $32 Million

Mountain View, Calif. -- Progress Software, a Massachusetts-based maker of software for developing and managing business applications, said that it will pay $32 million in cash and stock to acquire Mountain View-based Actional, a maker of software to manage web services. Upon closing of the deal, Actional will become an operating unit of Progress. In addition to the upfront acquisition payment, Progress also will grant stock options of 160,000 shares to 38 Actional employees who are joining the company.
http://www.progress.com/about_us/actional/index.ssp

Fremont-Based Pegasus Wireless Acquires SKI Technologies

Fremont, Calif. -- Pegasus Wireless, a Fremont-based maker of hardware and software for broadband wireless networking, said on Thursday that it has acquired SKI Technologies, a Taiwanese manufacturer of electronics and wireless communications products, for an undisclosed amount of cash and stock. Pegasus said that the acquisition, in conjunction with its recent acquisitions of AMAX Engineering and CNet Technology, gives it the capacity to engineer, manufacture, and distribute its wireless products through its own channels, eliminating the need for contract manufacturers. "This is a huge step toward the successful execution of our business plan," said Jasper Knabb, the president of Pegasus Wireless.
http://www.pegasuswirelesscorp.com/
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060119/20060119005700.html?.v=1

Sprint Nextel Invests $10 Million in San Bruno-Based IPWireless

San Bruno, Calif. -- Wireless giant Sprint Nextel said on Thursday that it has made an additional $10 million investment in San Bruno-based IPWireless, a developer of mobile broadband and multimedia technology. Sprint Nextel is currently testing the company's  technology in the Washington, DC area for wireless broadband access, as well as an array of wireless interactive multimedia services, such as online gaming, document collaboration and video-conferencing. Sprint, which merged with Nextel late last year, originally invested $4 million in IPWireless last July. IPWireless, which also has worked with such companies as T-Mobile and Orange, has raised more than $200 million since its founding in 1999.
http://www.ipwireless.com/news/press_011806b.html

San Jose-Based Cisco Names New Marketing Head

San Jose, Calif. -- Cisco Systems, the San Jose-based networking equipment giant, late Wednesday named Susan Bostrom as its new head of marketing. Bostrom takes over as the company's CMO, replacing James Richardson, who has been appointed senior vice president of commercial business, a new role created to focus on Cisco's fast-growing customer segment comprised of small and medium-sized businesses. Bostrom has been with the company for eight years, most recently leading its Internet Business Solutions Group. 
http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2006/corp_011806.html?CMP=ILC-001

Study: Internet Search Users Still Prefer Google… By Far

San Mateo, Calif. -- Google is still the king of Internet search, according to a new customer experience study released by San Mateo-based Keynote Systems. For the fourth straight year, Google topped the firm's rankings by outperforming its competitors in all 13 categories measured, including those for general search quality, local search quality and image search quality. Yahoo Search ranked second, Ask Jeeves third, MSN fourth and AOL's public site fifth. "Despite active competitive maneuverings, Google's challengers have yet to break the leader's grip on consumers' affections, although each of the search engines has their own loyal following," said Bonny Brown, the director of research and public services for Keynote. "The clear appeal of Google's homepage, as well as its presentation of sponsored ads and the overall usefulness of its ads continue to be important factors in Google's continuing success."
http://www.keynote.com/news_events/releases_2006/06jan19.html

Servion Acquires Milpitas-Based 5by5 Networks

Milpitas, Calif. -- Servion Global Solutions, a New Jersey-based provider of customer interaction management technology, said that it has acquired 5by5 Networks, a Milpitas-based developer of contact center technologies. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. 5by5 Networks previously raised $22.5 million in venture capital from Athenian Venture Partners and GMG Capital Partners. As a result of the acquisition, Servion will establish a new research and development center and a business office in Milpitas, and will hire 5by5 Networks' employees, the company said. Founded in 2002, 5by5 develops products that help clients converge legacy voice and data networks with existing and new devices. Clients include American Airlines, Combe and CSC.
http://www.servion.com/pressreleases/servion_global.asp

San Francisco-Based VideoEgg Lands VC from August Capital

San Francisco -- VideoEgg, a San Francisco-based developer of web-based video publishing tools, said on Wednesday that it has landed an undisclosed amount of venture capital from Menlo Park-based August Capital. The company said that the funding, its first since receiving seed funding from First Round Capital prior to its launch in September, will be used to accelerate the development of its flagship product, as well as to expand overall marketing and business development efforts. VideoEgg's plug-in product is designed to make it easier for Internet users to encode, upload, host and watch digital video.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060118/20060118005439.html?.v=1
http://www.videoegg.com

Web Users Relying on Search Engines to Find Common Sites

New York -- Web surfers are frequently using search engines to navigate their way to common web sites, such as "ebay" and "google," rather than typing the site's URL directly into the address bar, according to new figures released by Internet research firm Nielsen//NetRatings. The firm said that, based on information compiled during November, 43% of online searchers use the search box much like an address bar. Leading the top 10 most popular search terms for November was "ebay," with 13.9 million requests, followed by "google" and "yahoo." All told, five of the top 10 search terms were for sites with search engines themselves. "There are two types of online searchers that type a web site's URL into a search engine rather than into the browser's address bar: Those inexperienced enough not to appreciate the difference between the two, and those that are so experienced they have become habituated to using the search engine as their portal to the Internet,” said Ken Cassar, the chief analyst of Nielsen//NetRatings.
http://www.nielsen-netratings.com/news.jsp?section=new_pr

San Jose-Based NanoGram Raises $18.7 Million in Funding

San Jose, Calif. -- NanoGram, a San Jose-based developer of core process technology used to manufacture nanomaterials, said on Wednesday that it has raised $18.7 million in a new round of financing, led by Technology Partners. Other participants included previous investors ATA Ventures, Nth Power Technologies, Bay Partners, Harris & Harris Group, Rockport Capital Partners, Institutional Venture Partners and SBV Venture Partners. NanoGram said that it plans to use the funding to further develop technologies used in energy products and imaging applications. Since its founding, NanoGram has built an intellectual property portfolio of almost 100 internally developed patents.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060118/20060118005358.html?.v=1

Hitachi Names New Head of Brisbane-Based North American Unit

Brisbane, Calif. -- Japanese electronics giant Hitachi on Wednesday named Masahide Tanigaki as the president and CEO of its Brisbane-based unit, Hitachi America, which makes and markets consumer electronics and computers throughout North America. Tanigaki, who most recently served as executive vice president and general manager of Hitachi America's Power & Industrial Division, succeeds Masao Hisada, who will become the general manager of Hitachi's corporate procurement division. Hisada has served as the unit's president since early 2004. Both moves become effective on Feb. 1.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060118/20060117006437.html?.v=1

Report: 2005 U.S. Video Game Sales Rise 6% to Record $10.5 Billion

Port Washington, N.Y. -- Buoyed by the strong market for portable games, U.S. retail sales of video game hardware, software and accessories grew 6% last year to a record $10.5 billion, according to new data from market research firm NPD Group. Despite a 12% decline in console game title sales, the handheld market more than made up the difference. Sales of handheld console hardware nearly doubled, fueled by the release of the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS. Nintendo's Game Boy Advance continued to lead the segment, with nearly two-thirds of handheld game sales. "The real story for 2005 was the incredible expansion of portable gaming," said Anita Frazier, an analyst from NPD.
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060117005477&newsLang=en
http://www.npd.com/

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway to Acquire Business Wire

San Francisco -- Berkshire Hathaway, the investment firm run by
financier Warren Buffett, said on Tuesday that it will acquire San
Francisco-based Business Wire, a major distributor of corporate press
releases and regulatory filings on the Internet. Financial terms of the deal
were not disclosed. Business Wire will operate as a unit of Berkshire
Hathaway, with its management team and day-to-day operations
remaining unchanged. The deal is expected to close by the end of the
current quarter. "We have followed our blueprint of buying profitable
companies that are industry leaders, yet have significant growth
potential," said Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway's chairman and CEO. Lorry
Lokey, who founded Business Wire in 1961 and currently serves as its
chairman, said that the deal will allow his company to continue
expanding into overseas markets and capitalizing on "emerging
opportunities." Lokey will retain his role chairman, but will focus on
philanthropic pursuits.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060117/20060117005748.html?.v=1

Santa Clara-Based OnVantage Raises $18 Million in Second Round

Santa Clara, Calif. -- OnVantage, a Santa Clara-based developer of
corporate spend management and supplier marketing tools for the
professional meetings and events market, said on Tuesday that it has
secured $18 million in its second round of venture capital financing.
Norwest Venture Partners and Texas Pacific Group Ventures co-led the
round, which also included participation from previous investors Draper
Fisher Jurvetson, iD Ventures and MHM & Co. OnVantage was created
in 2004 through the merger of seeUthere Technologies and PlanSoft. The
company now connects more than 400 of the country's largest companies
to a network of over 40,000 hotel properties and 30,000 meeting
suppliers.
http://www.onvantage.com/news/press_releases/onvantage/pr_20060117.php

Santa Clara-Based TeleCIS Raises $10 Million in Third Round

Santa Clara, Calif. -- TeleCIS Wireless, a Santa Clara-based developer of
broadband wireless chipsets, said on Tuesday that it ha secured $10
million in its third round of funding, increasing the company's total
backing to $18.7 million. The round was co-led by Redwood City-based
ATA Ventures and an undisclosed corporate investor. TeleCIS said that
the funding will support the upcoming launch of its new chip, as well as
the development of a new chip. Founded in 2000, the company has
developed three commercial WiFi designs.
http://www.telecis.com/view_press_release.php?id=65

S.F.-Based 3VR Security Raises $10 Million in Second Round

San Francisco -- 3VR Security, a San Francisco-based developer of
security systems that convert raw video feeds into searchable information,
said on Tuesday that it has landed $10 million in its second round of
funding, led by Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers. Other investors in the
round included VantagePoint Venture Partners and In-Q-Tel, the venture
capital arm of the CIA. 3VR's video recorders are designed to allow
security professionals to find, sort and respond to data.
http://www.3vr.com/news_release_20060117.asp

Apple's Trademark of "Mobile Me" Hints at Phone, Mobile Services

Cupertino, Calif. -- Cupertino-based Apple has trademarked the phrase
"Mobile Me," prompting some to speculate the company may be planning
to introduce an iPod phone or other mobile content services, Reuters
reported. "We believe this is further indication of [Apple's] strategic
direction to extend its iPod + iTunes and Mac franchises into new
business areas including smart phones, value-added mobile content
services, and the broader consumer electronics space," said Shaw Wu, an
analyst at American Technology Research. The trademark application,
filed on Jan. 5, covers areas including computing devices, mobile devices
and mobile services including digital music, video, games, email and
messaging across Internet, intranets, extranets, television, cellular, and
satellite networks. Apple recently partnered with Motorola to put its
iTunes software onto cell phones, and some have speculated that Apple
plans to become a mobile virtual network operator, leasing network space
from an existing mobile network to sell as its own mobile phone service.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060112/tc_nm/apple_trademark_dc 

Private Equity, Venture Capital Fundraising Finishes Strong in 2005

New York -- With exceptionally strong activity in the fourth quarter,
private equity and venture capital firms posted record fundraising
numbers in 2005, according to a new report from Thomson Venture
Economics and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). On
the private equity side, fundraising by firms that specialize in buyouts
was particularly active. For the entire year, 159 buyout firms raised a total
of $86.2 billion -- the highest amount ever recorded by the NVCA.
Venture fundraising also increased 46% over the previous year's total.
"The question is: where will all this buyout money be deployed?" said
Mark Heesen, the president of the NVCA. "One logical opportunity
would be for these buyout funds to become active acquirers of venture-
backed companies, essentially fueling a new exit market."
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060117/nytu076.html?.v=35

Traffic to Shipping Web Sites Jumps 31% in December

Reston, Va. -- Traffic to shipping web sites grew 31% in December over
the previous year, the largest growth of any category during the month,
according to new figures released by comScore Media Metrix. UPS sites
led the way with 18.6 million visitors (up 42%), followed by USPS.com
with (15.2 million) and FedEx.com (11.4 million). Stamps.com, a site that
allows consumers to print their own stamps from a home printer, also
generated a 35% increase in December, thanks in part to a feature that
allows customers to personalize stamps by uploading their favorite
photos. The traffic reflected a general trend across the Internet, with
Americans increasingly turning to the web to aid with their holiday
planning.
http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=710

Mountain View-Based Google to Acquire dMarc Broadcasting

Mountain View, Calif. -- Looking to expand its targeted advertising platform to other forms of media, Google, the Mountain View-based Internet search giant, said on Tuesday that it will acquire dMarc Broadcasting, a Newport Beach-based provider of digital technology for the radio broadcast industry. Under the deal, Google will make an initial upfront payment of $102 million in cash, and could end up paying as much as $1.1 billion over the next three years, based on dMarc's ability to reach certain product integration, revenue and advertising inventory targets. Google said that it plans to integrate dMarc's technology into its AdWords platform, creating a new radio ad distribution channel for the company's advertisers. The technology is designed to automatically schedule and place advertising on radio stations through an automated platform.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060117/20060117005666.html?.v=1

Mountain View-Based Agitar Software Secures $10 Million in Third Round

Mountain View, Calif. -- Agitar Software, a Mountain View-based provider of testing technology to software developers, said on Tuesday that it has secured $10 million in its third round of funding, led by new investor Globespan Capital. Previous investors Sequoia Capital and New Enterprise Associates also participated. The company said that it plans to use a portion of the new financing to continue its international expansion. Agitar’s primary product is designed to eliminate most of the manual work associated with developer testing, a process in which developers test their software as they write it.
http://www.agitar.com/news/20060117-agitar_software_secures_10m_financing_to_accelera.html

Sunnyvale-Based FyreStorm Raises $25 Million in Third Round

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- FyreStorm, a Sunnyvale-based developer of power conversion and power management technology for mobile device manufacturers, said on Tuesday that it has raised $25 million in its third round of funding, led by Palo Alto-based Worldview Technology Partners Previously investors ComVentures, Texas Pacific Group Ventures, Telos Venture Partners, Sunrise Capital and Western Technology Investment also participated. FyreStorm also announced that it has moved into a new 20,000-square-foot facility in Sunnyvale, which it has leased. The new facility gives the company approximately double its previous space. Launched in 2002, FyreStorm develops power conversion and power management technologies for battery operated consumer electronics devices such as smart phones, portable media players and digital cameras.
http://www.fyrestormic.com/pressroom.htm

Fremont-Based Ikanos to Buy Product Line from Mass. Firm

Fremont, Calif. -- Marking its entrance into the fast-growingh residential
gateway market, Ikanos Communications, a Fremont-based developer of
communications chipsets, said that it will pay $30 million in cash to
acquire the network processor product line of Massachusetts-based
Analog Devices. The acquisition includes these broadband gateway
products, and the related technology, intellectual property and
development and support teams. The deal, expected to close by the end of
this quarter, will give Ikanos a total of approximately 220 engineers, half
of whom will be based in India.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060112/20060112005735.html?.v=1

Shares of Sunnyvale-Based AMD Fall After Analyst Downgrades Stock

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Shares of Sunnyvale-based Advanced Micro Devices
(AMD) fell 4% on Friday after an analyst from Deutsche Bank
downgraded the company's stock, adding that rumors of a pending deal
with computer-maker Dell appear to be groundless. "Contrary to some
recent market talk, our checks indicate that AMD is not likely to penetrate
the Dell account any time soon," wrote analyst Ben Lynch, who also
added that increased competition from rival Intel may cause this to be
AMD's "last quarter of strong momentum."
http://yahoo.reuters.com/financeQuoteCompanyNewsArticle.jhtml?duid=mtfh46243_2006-01-13_13-39-37_bng300685_newsml

Cupertino-Based Bay Partners Leads $13 Million Round for Convoq

Cupertino, Calif. -- Bay Partners, a Cupertino-based venture capital firm,
has led a new $13 million funding round for Massachusetts-based
Convoq, a maker of online communication and collaboration software,
the company said on Friday. In addition to Bay Partners, Convoq is
backed by North Bridge Venture Partners and Polaris Venture Partners.
http://www.convoq.com/corporate/press_releases.aspx

Digital Music Probe Centered on Labels' Price Guarantees

Los Angeles - New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's ongoing probe
into digital music price-fixing is centering on the "most-favored nation"
status that record labels have demanded when licensing their songs to
online services, ensuring they get the same rates as their rivals, the Los
Angeles Times reported. "Some of the major labels have proposed and re-
proposed and insisted on the inclusion in their licenses of most-favored
nations clauses which would grant that label the benefits and pricing
negotiated by a competing label," Jonathan Potter, executive director of
the Digital Media Assn., which represents Cupertino-based Apple,
Sunnyvale-based Yahoo and others, told the Times. "Collusion has never
been known to lower prices." While executives at some music companies
told the Times that such clauses have not been activated, executives at
online music retailers said that they have been enacted several times -- to
ensure that a label gets the highest-price download or even mandate that a
retailer exert equal marketing efforts to promote a label's artists.
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-labels12jan12,0,6437444.story?track=tt,0,4211680.story

Sony Computer Entertainment America to Release Six New PSP Titles

Foster City, Calif. -- Foster City-based Sony Computer Entertainment
America said that it plans to ship six new titles for its PSP handheld in
early 2006, increasing the number of titles available for the platform to
more than 70. The company plans to release "Ape Escape Academy,"
developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Japan, on Jan. 17, followed
on Feb. 28 by "Neopets: Petpet Adventures - The Wand of Wishing,"
which the company, itself, created. Titles shipping to retailers in March
will include "Daxter," "MLB 06 The Show," "Syphon Filter: Dark
Mirror," and "Pursuit Force."
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060112/sfth027.html?.v=36

San Jose-Based Techwell Files to Raise $86.25 Million in IPO

San Jose, Calif. -- Techwell, a San Jose-based designer of mixed signal
integrated circuits for video applications, has filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission to raise up to $86.25 million in an upcoming
initial public offering (IPO). the company, which has 73 employees, has
yet to disclose other details of the offering, such as the number of shares
or their expected price range. Techwell has applied to list its stock on the
Nasdaq National Martket under the symbol "TWLL."
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060111/sfw111.html?.v=21
http://ipoportal.edgar-online.com/ipo/displayFundamentals.asp?cikid=107797&fnid=48119&IPO=1&coname=TECHWELL+INC

San Francisco-Based PlayFirst Raises $5 Million in Second Round

San Francisco -- PlayFirst, a San Francisco-based publisher of casual
games to a network of over 450 gaming and other websites, said that it
has raised $5 million in its second round of venture capital financing.
Rustic Canyon Partners led the round, which also included participation
from previous investors Mayfield Venture Partners and Trinity Ventures.
PlayFirst provides independent casual game developers with funding to
create titles, which the company then distributes across multiple
platforms to portals, retail outlets and other destinations. The funds will
be used to expand PlayFirst's roster of games, as well as to rollout new
technologies and increase global distribution.
http://www.playfirst.com/about/news/rusticcanyon_20060111.html

Menlo Park-Based Sierra Ventures Invests $10 Million in Razorsight

Menlo Park, Calif.-- Razorsight, a Virginia-based maker of data capture
and financial management software, said on Thursday that it has raised
$10 million in its first round of funding from Sierra Ventures, a Menlo
Park-based venture capital firm focused on investments in information
technology. The five-year-old company said that it will use the capital to
expand its sales, marketing and research and development programs.
Razorsight's software utilizes data capture technology to mine
information from paper and electronic financial records, helping
companies to get a better handle on their accounts payable.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060112/dcth003.html?.v=40

Secure Computing Completes Acquisition of CyberGuard

San Jose, Calif. -- Secure Computing, a San Jose-based information
technology security firm, said on Thursday that it has completed its $295
million acquisition of Cyberguard, the Florida-based provider of
information security products. The deal closed after CyberGuard's
shareholders voted to approve the deal on Wednesday. The combined
company will have a combined customer base of over 17,000 clients and
1,300 resellers.
http://www.securecomputing.com/press_releases.cfm?p=irol-newsArticle&ID=803721

Apple Sold 14 Million iPods in Quarter, 42 Million to Date

Cupertino, Calif. -- Cupertino-based Apple has now sold more than 42
million iPod digital music and video players worldwide -- including 14
million in the more recent quarter -- beating the expectations of industry
analysts, The Washington Post reported. Apple CEO Steve Jobs made the
announcement during his keynote address at the Macworld Conference &
Expo in San Francisco, during which he also stated that the company's
iTunes Music Store has now sold 850 million song downloads and
commands 83% of the legal music download market.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/10/AR2006011001675.html

S.F.-Based AtomShockwave Renamed Atom Entertainment

San Francisco - AtomShockwave, a San Francisco-based distributor of
short films and online games, said that it has changed its name to Atom
Entertainment. The company said the name change was spurred by recent
acquisitions and the creation of a new video directory and advertising
network. Atom Entertainment operates the games sites Shockwave.com
and AddictingGames, and the video sites AtomFilms and AddictingClips.
The company recently acquired the online games portal AddictingGames,
and launched an in-game ad network for Shockwave.com.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060111/sfw071.html?.v=42

San Rafael-Based AutoDesk Completes $197 Million Acquisition of Alias

San Rafael, Calif. -- AutoDesk, the San Rafael-based maker of design software,
said on Wednesday that it has completed its $197 million cash acquisition of
Canadian 3D graphics technology firm Alias from Accel-KKR, a technology-
focused private equity investment firm based in Menlo Park, and Teachers'
Private Capital, the private investment arm of the Ontario Teachers' Pension
Plan. The deal was initially announced in October. AutoDesk said that the
acquisition expands its 3D software offerings in the manufacturing and media
and entertainment industries.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060110/sftu131.html?.v=24

EntreMed Completes Deal for Fremont-Based Miikana Therapeutics

Fremont, Calif. -- Less than three weeks after agreeing to the deal, Maryland-
based biopharmaceutical firm EntreMed said on Wednesday that it has
completed its $21.2 million acquisition of Miikana Therapeutics, a Fremont-
based developer of oncology drugs. James Burns, the president and CEO of
EntreMed, said that the deal's closing marks a "significant step forward" for his
company in building its oncology and inflammation drug business. EntreMed
could wind up paying as much as $18 million more under the terms of the deal,
if Miikana's drugs achieve certain clinical and regulatory milestones.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060111/dcw010.html?.v=77

Battery Ventures Co-Leads $10 Million Round for Spot Runner

San Mateo, Calif. -- Battery Ventures, a San Mateo-based venture capital firm,
said on Wednesday that it has co-led a new $10 million funding round for Los
Angeles-based Spot Runner, an  Internet-based advertising agency. Index
Ventures also co-led the company first round, which included an additional
investment from Comerica Bank's Technology and Life Sciences Division,
based in Palo Alto. Spot Runner's web-based service allows businesses to air
personalized television ads in their local markets.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060111/20060111005281.html?.v=1

San Francisco-Based Engage In-Game Advertising Launches

San Francisco - Engage In-Game Advertising, a San Francisco-based provider
of strategic planning and placement services for video game ads, said that it has
officially launched with the signing of restaurant chain Subway. Engage plans
to focus on helping companies looking to insert localized ads into console, PC
and mobile games. "Since it's a relatively new medium, many companies are
unaware of the promotional reach and creative flexibility video game
advertising can provide when trying to target the elusive 18- to 34-year-old
male audience," said David Smith, the vice president of business development
for Engage.
http://www.engageadvertising.com

Apple Takes Legal Action Against Developer of "Spodradio"

Cupertino, Calif. -- According to Silicon.com, Cupertino-based Apple has taken
legal action against Liquid Air Tab, the company behind a service called
Spodradio that enables podcast downloads to Nokia cell phones. Apple
reportedly wants Spodradio to stop marketing its services under the brand
"Spodradio," claiming the inclusion of the word "pod" infringes Apple's
trademark. Liquid Air Tab called the case "without merit." The Germany-based
firm recently raised $2.4 million in first-round venture capital financing from
BayTech Venture Capital.
http://software.silicon.com/applications/0,39024653,39155424,00.htm

Report: Federal IT Outsourcing to Continue at Brisk Pace

Reston, Va. -- The federal information technology outsourcing market will
continue to be one of the fast growing federal market segments over the next
five years, according to a new report from INPUT, a provider of market
intelligence for companies doing business with the government. The firm said
that the market is expected to increase from $12.2 billion in fiscal year 2005 to
$17.6 billion in fiscal 2010, "In a time of war, a deficit, and tightening federal
budgets, INPUT expects the federal IT outsourcing to remain one of the
healthiest federal markets," said Chris Campbell, a senior analyst in federal
market analysis at the firm. INPUT said that most federal agencies have
accepted the need for outsourcing as a means to cut costs, though it remains a
hot-button issue, with legislators concerned that too much work will be shifted
to the private sector. .
http://www.input.com/corp/press/detail.cfm?news=1127

Cupertino-Based Apple Unveils First Computers Made with Intel Chips

Cupertino, Calif. -- Shares of Cupertino-based Apple shot up more than
6% on Tuesday after the company unveiled new computers for the first
time running on faster chips made by Santa Clara-based Intel. The
company for years had used chips made by IBM. At the annual
MacWorld Expo in San Francisco, Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, said
that the company's new iMac is "two to three times faster" than the iMac
G5, with the company's laptops even faster than the latest PowerBook
models. The desktops are scheduled to begin shipping on Tuesday, with
laptops becoming available next month. Apple said in June that it would
switch to Intel chips.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060110/sftu094.html?.v=39

AOL Acquires Burlingame-Based Video Search Firm Truveo

Burlingame, Calif. -- In another step to beef up its video offerings, America
Online said on Tuesday that it has acquired Burlingame-based Truveo, developer
of a video search engine, for an undisclosed sum. It marks AOL's fifth acquisition
since the beginning of 2005. The company said that it plans to integrate the search
engine into its free AOL.com portal. Truveo launched in early 2004 and last fall
released its technology, which is designed to continuously scour video content
sites and automatically seek out video files and related information. AOL first
entered the video search engine arena with its acquisition of Seattle-based
Singingfish in late 2003, and launched its own video search tool last June.
Truveo’s corporate headquarters will remain in California.
http://media.timewarner.com/media/newmedia/cb_press_view.cfm?release_num=55254504   

Mountain View-Based Zonare Medical Systems Lands $30 Million

Mountain View, Calif. --  Zonare Medical Systems, a Mountain View-based
manufacturer of ultrasound technology, said that it has raised $30 million in its
sixth round of funding, led by 3i. Several of the company's previous investors also
participated in the round, which Zonare plans to use to expand its sales and
marketing capabilities, as well as for product development. Zonare makes
portable ultrasound systems that can be wheeled to patients on a cart.
http://www.zonare.com/opencms/Media/press_releases/press_release_0015.html

Mountain View-Based Mercury Interactive to Pay $105 Million for Systinet

Mountain View, Calif. -- Mercury Interactive, a maker of software designed to
help users optimize the business value of information technology, said that it has
signed a deal to acquire Systinet for $105 million in cash. Systinet provides
software and services used by companies to manage their service-oriented
architecture (SOA) services, as well as to build web services. "We believe the
combination of Mercury and Systinet will immediately position us as a leader in
the high-growth SOA market," said Tony Zingale, the CEO of Mercury.The deal
is expected to close later this quarter.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060109/sfm077.html?.v=35

San Francisco-Based iBloks Lands Funding from Angel Investors

San Francisco -- IBloks, a San Francisco-based start-up developing software for
personalizing media and entertainment online, said on Tuesday that it has landed
an unspecified amount of new funding from several high-profile angel investors.
The investors include Michael Ostin, a former Warner Music and Dreamworks
executive; Freddy DeMann, founding partner in Maverick Recording Company,
who previously managed the careers of Madonna and Michael Jackson; and
Maurice Marciano, fashion designer and founder of GUESS? The company said
that it will use the funds to complete development and begin marketing its first
product, scheduled for release later this quarter. The software will allow users to
share and mix digital content -- including music, photos, video and games --
online in an immersive 3D environment. 
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060110/20060110005372.html?.v=1
http://www.ibloks.com