Silicon Valley Wire

Santa Clara-Based Macrovision to Acquire New York-Based eMeta

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Macrovision, a Santa Clara-based developer of anti-piracy technologies for software and entertainment content, said on Wednesday that it has agreed to acquire eMeta, a New York-based maker of software that allows companies to sell digital goods and services online. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Macrovision said that the deal will extend its reach from physical distribution into the fast-growing online digital distribution segment. eMeta's information publishing customers, such as newspapers and financial information firms, use the company's software to offer their customers digital access to news sections or chapters of content.
http://www.macrovision.com/company/news/releases/newsdetail.jsp?id=Wed%20Feb%2015%2013:28:46%20PST%202006

IBM Completes $865 Million Acquisition of S.F.-Based Micromuse

Armonk, N.Y. -- Technology giant IBM said that it has completed its $865 million cash acquisition of Micromuse, a San Francisco-based provider of network management software used by banks, telecommunications carriers, governments and retailers. Micromuse's operations will be integrated into IBM's Tivoli software business, the company said. The deal was first announced in December.
http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/19247.wss

Redwood City-Based EA Completes Acquisition of Jamdat Mobile

Redwood City, Calif. -- Expanding its offerings for mobile phones, Electronic Arts, the Redwood City-based developer and publisher of video games, said on Wednesday that it has completed its $680 million cash acquisition of Los Angeles-based Jamdat Mobile, a publisher of wireless entertainment content. The two companies together plan to publish over 50 games for mobile phones in the first year, including such titles as Tetris, Bejeweled, Need For Speed and Madden NFL Football. Jamdat has 350 employees at offices in Honolulu, Montreal, Tokyo, London, Bucharest and Hyderabad. Mitch Lasky, Jamdata's CEO, will lead EA's mobile games business worldwide.
http://info.ea.com/news/news.php?catext=corp

Mountain View-Based Business Events Raises $12.7 Million

Mountain View, Calif. -- Business Events, a Mountain View-based developer of software designed to help companies predict future performance and revenue, said on Tuesday that it has raised $12.7 million in a new round of funding led by Israel's Carmel Ventures. Previous investor Gemini Israel Funds and a group of private investors led by Bobby Lent, the co-founder of Ariba, also participated. Lent also has been named the company's chairman. Business Events' technology is designed to give companies early warning about potential business changes, allowing clients to focus on the necessary issues before revenue and profitability are affected. 
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060214/20060214006051.html?.v=1
http://www.b-events.com/

BearingPoint Teams with Mountain View-Based Google on Corporate Search

Mountain View, Calif. -- BearingPoint, a large provider of management and technology consulting services, said on Tuesday that it has teamed with Mountain View-based Internet search giant Google to provide customized search technology to large companies. The companies said that they will offer search tools tailored for specific business environments in industries such as pharmaceuticals, banking, brokerage, high-tech and aerospace, helping employees to more quickly and easily access corporate information. Harry You, the CEO of BearingPoint, said that the companies "see a tremendous opportunity to address a significant and growing sector."
http://www.bearingpoint.com/portal/site/bearingpoint/menuitem.c6de6a71dff57aa2bb5c3610826106a0/channel/published/news/2006/february/26_02_14_2006

San Jose's EVE Lands $6 Million for Expansion

San Jose, Calif. -- EVE (Emulation and Verification Engineering), a French maker of hardware-assisted verification systems with U.S. headquarters in San Jose, said on Tuesday that it has landed $6 million in a new round of funding from previous investors 3i, Auriga Partners, CAPE, Siparex and Rothschild. The company said that it will use the proceeds to accelerate the introduction of new products and expand the size of its sales force. EVE said that closed 2005 with more than 30 customers, including eight of the 10 largest semiconductor companies.
http://www.eve-team.com./pr2_14_2006.html

Menlo Park-Based Mayfield Leads $48.5 Million Round for MovieBeam

Menlo Park, Calif. -- Mayfield Fund, a Menlo Park-based venture capital firm with $2.4 billion under management, said on Tuesday that it has led a $48.5 million round of financing for MovieBeam, a Burbank-based provider of movies-on-demand. The company's first round also included major investments from San Jose-based Cisco Systems and Santa Clara-based Intel, as well as Disney, which incubated the company.  "Music has led the way to the lifestyle of electronic media consumption, and movies are poised to follow," said Kevin Fong, a managing director at Mayfield, who will serve on  MovieBeam's board. MovieBeam was first unveiled in 2003, and is now launching its service in 29 major metropolitan areas. The company wirelessly sends subscribers movies, which they then play through a special player.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060214/20060214005306.html?.v=1
http://www.moviebeam.com/opencms/opencms/Content/Articles/PressRelease/article_0002.html

Gartner: Worldwide PDA Shipments Reach Record Level in 2005

Stamford, Conn. -- Worldwide shipments of personal digital assistants (PDAs) reached a record 14.9 million units in 2005, a 19% increase from the prior year, according to a newly release report from market research firm Gartner. Research In Motion (RIM), maker of the BlackBerry, became the No. 1 PDA vendor based on worldwide shipments, accounting for 21.4% of total shipments. Palm shipped 2.77 million PDAs, down 25%.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060214/20060214005869.html?.v=1

Report: Online Spending on Valentine's Gifts Rises 22%

Reston, Va. -- Online spending in the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day rose sharply across several key categories, according to new figures released by comScore Networks. The firm said that year-to-date online spending in the Flowers & Gifts, Health & Beauty and Jewelry & Watches categories rose 22% through Feb. 9, compared with a year ago. More than 29 million Americans visited sites in the Flowers, Gifts & Greetings category in January, alone, flocking to sites including AmericanGreetings, Hallmark, FTD.com and 1-800-FLOWERS.com.
http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=753

Cupertino-Based MySQL Raises $18.5 Million in Third Round

Cupertino, Calif. -- MySQL, a Cupertino-based developer of open-source database software, said on Monday that it has raised $18.5 million in its third round of funding, led by Menlo Park-based Institutional Venture Partners (IVP). Other investors in the round included Intel Capital, Red Hat; SAP Ventures and Presidio STX. MySQL said that it will use the proceeds to fund continued growth into the corporate database market, including new product development and the expansion of its business development, sales and marketing activities. The company now has landed a total of $39 million in funding since its inception.
http://www.mysql.com/news-and-events/press-release/release_2006_10.html

Caliper Life Sciences to Pay $80 Million for Alameda-Based Xenogen

Alameda, Calif. -- Caliper Life Sciences, a Massachusetts-based provider of products and services for drug discovery research, has agreed to pay $80 million in stock to acquire Xenogen, an Alameda-based maker of imaging systems for drug discovery and development. Once the deal closes, Xenogen's stockholders will own about 26% of Caliper. Xenogen's imaging and genetic modification technologies are designed to help expedite drug discovery and development, and reduce the cost and time to market for new therapies.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060213/sfm168.html?.v=4

Fremont-Based Genospectra Raises $12.2 Million, to Merge with Panomics

Fremont, Calif. -- Genospectra, a Fremont-based life science company developing cell-based assays and other genetic tools, said that it will merge with Redwood City-based Panomics, which makes an array of products for life sciences and drug discovery research. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. In connection with the merger, Genospectra has raised $12.2 million in a new round of funding, led by Sigma-Aldrich. The combined company will retain the Panomics name and will be based in Fremont.
http://www.panomics.com/aboutus.cfm

Milpitas-Based Solectron to Raise $150 Million in Debt Offering

Milpitas, Calif. -- Solectron, a Milpitas-based provider of electronics manufacturing services, said on Monday that it plans to raise $150 million in a debt offering. The company said that it will sell senior notes due in 2016 to institutional buyers in the U.S., and will use the proceeds, along with its current cash on hand, to repay $150 million of outstanding debt, which is due when other notes mature on March 1. The news sent company shares down about 2% in Monday's late trading. 
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=74829&p=irol-neNewsArticle&t=Regular&id=816353&

Detroit Police Use CompuDyne System to Manage Safety at Super Bowl

Fremont, Calif. -- CompuDyne-Public Safety & Justice, a Fremont-based maker of automated public safety and justice systems, said on Monday that the city of Detroit used its computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system to manage the increased call volume for public safety services during Super Bowl XL. The company said that the system processed over 6,280 emergency calls for in the 24 hours surrounding the game, automatically rerouting Super Bowl related calls to a special command post. It also provided support to the Department of Homeland Security in the days surrounding the event. The new system is just part of a multi-million dollar public safety project with aimed at upgrading Detroit's public safety technology.
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=62198&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=815906&highlight=

Redwood City-Based Electronic Arts Crowns Winner of Madden Challenge

Redwood City, Calif. -- Jarvis Thompson, an 18-year-old from Upper Marlboro, Md., has been crowed champion of the 4th Annual EA Sports Madden Challenge Tournament, video game maker Electronic Arts said on Monday. The tournament drew thousands of entrants to 32 regional competitions, held from August-December. In the finals, held this past weekend in Honolulu, Thompson, the Minneapolis regional winner, defeated Haarwun Brown, 18, of Mobile, Alabama, 42-18, using the Philadelphia Eagles. "There were some tough rounds but I used the Eagles to take advantage of Donovan McNabb," said Thomas, who walked away with the grand prize of $100,000.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060213/20060213006210.html?.v=1

San Jose-Based Cisco Systems to Raise $5.5 Billion in Debt Offering

San Jose, Calif. -- Cisco Systems, the San Jose-based networking equipment giant, said on Friday that it plans raise $5.5 billion in a new debt offering. The company said that the offering will include a mixture of three-year floating rate notes, and five- and 10-year fixed rate notes. Cisco said that it will use a portion of the proceeds to fund its $6.9 billion acquisition of Scientific-Atlanta. That deal remains subject to approval by regulators in various jurisdictions outside the U.S., but is expected to close during the current quarter.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060210/20060210005321.html?.v=1

Redwood Shores-Based Oracle to Cut About 2,000 Jobs

Redwood Shores, Calif. -- Oracle, the Redwood Shores-based business software giant, will cut about 2,000 jobs as part of its integration with recently acquired Seibel Systems, several media outlets reported on Friday. The company last week added about 4,700 workers when it closed its $5.85 billion acquisition of rival Siebel Systems. With the cuts, Oracle will trim down to about 55,000 employees. CEO Larry Ellison said that most of the cuts will affect its developers of customer relationship management software.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/060210/oracle_siebel.html?.v=2
http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/060210/oracle_outlook.html?.v=1

Equinix to Invest Up to $55 Million to Expand Washington, DC Operations

Foster City, Calif. -- Equinix, a Foster City-based provider of data centers and Internet exchange services, said that it plans to spend up to $55 million to further expand its Ashburn operations. The company, which last expanded in DC two years ago, said that strong market demand and financial returns have prompted it to build out an existing structure on its recently acquired Dulles corridor campus. Equinix said that the move will add 1,500-1,700 cabinets adjacent to its existing Internet Business Exchange (IBX) center. The company's IBX centers, which currently operate in 11 markets, allow customers to directly interconnect with every major global network and ISP for their peering, transit and traffic exchange requirements. The new facility is expected to open in early 2007.
http://www.equinix.com/press/press/2006/02_08_06b.html

San Jose-Based Cadence to Repurchase $500 Million in Stock

San Jose, Calif. -- Cadence Design Systems, a maker of electronic-design tools used to develop integrated circuits and electronics, said on Friday that its board has authorized the company to repurchase another $500 million in stock. That's on top of $3.9 million remaining on the company's previous buyback plan. Cadence currently has about 283.7 million shares outstanding.
http://www.cadence.com/company/newsroom/press_releases/pr.aspx?xml=021006_StockRepurchase&lid=cdn_pr

South Korean Regulators Raid Intel Office as Part of Antitrust Probe

Santa Clara, Calif. -- South Korean investigators said on Friday that they haven't yet reached any conclusion about whether Santa Clara-based Intel violated the country's antitrust laws, Reuters reported on Friday. Officials from the country's Fair Trade Commission reportedly raided the company's office in Seoul earlier this week, seeking evidence as part of its ongoing probe into the chip-maker's marketing and rebate practices. Intel controls about 80% of the South Korean chip market.
http://yahoo.reuters.com/stocks/QuoteCompanyNewsArticle.aspx?storyID=urn:newsml:reuters.com:20060210:MTFH69417_2006-02-10_02-41-02_SP132977&symbol=INTC.O

Report: Redwood Shores-Based Oracle to Cut More Than 1,000 Jobs

Redwood Shores, Calif. -- Oracle, the Redwood Shores-based business software giant, was expected late Thursday to announce more than 1,000 job cuts as part of its integration with recently acquired Seibel Systems, the Associated Press reported. The $5.85 billion deal, which closed last week, added about 4,700 workers to Oracle's payroll, which swelled to more than 55,000. Most of the cuts were expected to occur in overlapping positions.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/060209/oracle_siebel.html?.v=2

Redwood Shores-Based Wherify Wireless Secures Up to $35 Million

Redwood Shores, Calif. -- Wherify Wireless, a Redwood Shores-based developer of wireless location products and services, said on Thursday that the company has struck a financing deal that will allow it to access up to $35 million over the next two years from Dutchess Private Equities. Wherify said that it plans to use the funds to accelerate its marketing efforts and expand its global operations to support the upcoming launch of its GPS-enabled phone and technology platform. In addition to two-way voice calling, the company's phone features enhanced GPS location technology that allows it to be located in lightly obstructed areas, such as wood frame buildings and vehicles, as well as under dense foliage.
http://www.wherifywireless.com/
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060209/20060209005308.html?.v=1

Catalyst Biosciences Raises $30 Million in Second Round

South San Francisco -- Catalyst Biosciences, a South San Francisco-based biotechnology company, said on Thursday that it has raised $30 million in its second round of funding, led by Morgenthaler Ventures. New investor HealthCare Ventures and previous investors Sofinnova Ventures, Burrill & Company, RCT BioVentures and Novartis Venture Fund also participated. Catalyst develops therapies centered around naturally occurring, protein-degrading enzymes called proteases. The company said that it will use the proceeds to move its first two internal programs into clinical development.
http://www.catalystbiosciences.com/news-pr-seriesb.html

Sunnyvale-Based SonicWall Acquires Palo Alto-Based MailFrontier

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- SonicWall, a Sunnyvale-based provider of security appliances and subscription services, said that it has acquired Palo Alto-based email security firm MailFrontier for $31 million in cash. SonicWall said that the move will expand the offerings of its numerous channel partners. MailFrontier's appliances and software are designed to protect organizations against inbound and outbound email threats such as spam, viruses and phishing, while also them to more easily achieve regulatory compliance. Four-year-old MailFrontier has more than 1,700 customers, including OfficeMax, Pier 1 Imports, SAP and Wyndham International.
http://www.sonicwall.com/company/02082006acquisition.html

U.S. Venture Capital Firms Raise Highest Amount Since 2001

San Francisco -- U.S. venture capital firms raised $22.16 billion last year, making it the largest fund-raising year since 2001, according to new statistics from San Francisco-based VentureOne. The figure was up 19% from 2004, though the number of funds actually dropped slightly. The firm said that the trend toward larger funds is a result of "the increasing globalization of the technology market and the need to provide entrepreneurial companies with larger rounds of financing so they can scale up quicker than the competition." In the fourth quarter, the largest U.S. fund raised was the $1.4 billion Technology Crossover Ventures VI fund, while three other U.S. funds also topped $500 million.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060209/20060209005229.html?.v=1

Internet Searches Grow 55% in December; Google Leads Way

Mountain View, Calif. -- The total number of searches in the U.S. in December grew 55% from the year before, according to new figures released by Internet research firm Nielsen//NetRatings. The firm said that nearly 5.1 billion searches were performed across approximately 60 search engines during the month, up from just 3.3 billion searches in Dec. 2004. While the number of searches conducted online swelled, the number of people connecting to the Internet in the U.S. rose a mere 3% to 207 million. Mountain View-based Google was the biggest winner among search engines, garnering nearly half of all searches during the month, with both Sunnyvale-based Yahoo and MSN Search actually slipping in market share. All three, however, experienced double-digit growth in terms of total number of searches performed, compared with the year before.
http://www.nielsen-netratings.com/news.jsp?section=new_pr

Cupertino-Based Borland to Acquire Segue Software for $100 Million

Cupertino, Calif. -- Borland Software, a Cupertino-based provider of software development and delivery technology, has agreed to pay $100 million in cash to acquire Segue Software, a Massachusetts-based provider of software quality and testing tools. In addition, Borland also announced plans to seek a buyer for the portion of its business associated with the Integrated Development Environment (IDE). Founded in 1988, Segue has about 200 employees and about $30 million in annual revenue. Tod Nielsen, the CEO of Borland, called the deal a "natural extension of our focus to expand beyond development and into software delivery."
http://www.borland.com/us/company/news/press_releases/2006/02_08_06_borland_acquires_segue_software.html

Palo Alto-Based DCI Technology Holdings Acquires Dallas Infomart

Palo Alto, Calif. -- In one of the largest foreclosure sales in Texas history, DCI Technology Holdings, a Palo Alto-based firm specializing in technology and real estate investments, said on Wednesday that it has acquired the Dallas Infomart, a large data center and telecom facility. DCI said that it paid more than $100 million in October for the Infomart note held by GMAC Commercial Mortgages. DCI said that the 1.2 million square foot facility -- one of a handful of buildings in the U.S. that is powered from multiple substations serviced from two unique power grids --  has 300,000 square feet of available space for data center or telecom businesses.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060208/nyw103.html?.v=42

Fremont-Based ARYx Therapeutics Raises $30.4 Million

Fremont, Calif. -- ARYx Therapeutics Inc., a private drug discovery and development company based in Fremont, said on Wednesday that it has raised $30.4 million in its fifth round of financing, led by Ascent Biomedical Ventures. The company said that it plans to use the funds to continue developing its three clinical programs. Previous investors MPM Capitol, Nomura Phase4 Ventures, OrbiMed, Merlin BioMed, JAFCO Life Science Investments, Scottish Widows Investment Partnership, Montreux Equity Partners and Novel Bioventures also participated in the round. ARYx is using its drug design technologies to address safety issues associated with well-established and commercially successful drugs.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060207/sftu090.html?.v=45

Mayfield Fund Expands Into Growth Markets with New Investments

Menlo Park, Calif. -- Mayfield Fund, a Menlo Park-based venture capital firm focused on technology, on Wednesday announced new investments in four companies through its $375 million Mayfield XII fund. The companies include U.K.-Based Alfresco, an open source content management provider; San Mateo-based Akimbi, a maker of virtualization software; China-based PingCo, a provider of free SMS services; and San Francisco-based Tagged, a social networking portal for teenagers. Mayfield said that the investments reflects its expansion into growth markets.
http://www.mayfield.com/in_the_news/about_mayfield.aspx

San Jose-Based Network General to Acquire New Jersey's Fidelia

San Jose, Calif. -- Network General, a San Jose-based provider of software and network performance analysis technology, has agreed to acquire Fidelia, a New Jersey-based maker of software designed to monitor IT performance. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Founded in 2000 by Vikas Aggarwal and a team from Verio, Fidelia was backed financially by Windspeed Ventures and JT Venture Partners. The company has about 70 customers, including Sony Online Entertainment, Spirit Airlines and Yale University.
http://www.fidelia.com/news/2006/fidelia-acquired.php

San Rafael-based Autodesk to Acquire Constructware for $46 Million

San Rafael, Calif. -- Autodesk, a San Rafael-based provider of design software and services, said on Wednesday that it will acquire Constructware, a Georgia-based maker of project management software for the construction industry, for $46 million. Autodesk said that it plans to integrate Constructware products with some of its own software, including its collaborative project management tool that currently has more than 137,000 users. Founded in 1994, Constructware has been backed financially by Cordova Ventures and Live Oak Equity.
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=6678700&linkID=1977925

San Jose-Based WorkMetro Raises First Round of Funding

San Jose, Calif. -- WorkMetro, a San Jose-based developer of local employment web sites, said on Wednesday that it has raised its first round of venture financing, co-led by JAFCO Ventures and Bessemer Venture Partners. The company did not disclose the size of the round, but said that it plans to use the infusion of capital to hire key personnel, build its sales and marketing efforts, enhance existing sites and launch new sites. WorkMetro develops and operates employment web sites tailored to the local recruiting needs of employers in major metropolitan markets. The company expanded from two to 12 markets last year, and plans to continue its brisk market rollout.
http://www.workmetro.com/
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060208/20060208005400.html?.v=1

Palo Alto-Based Adamind to Acquire Hong Kong-Based SenseStream

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Looking to expand into one of the world's fastest growing mobile markets, Adamind, a Palo Alto-based maker of media adaptation software for mobile messaging, content and convergence services, said on Wednesday that it has signed a deal to acquire Hong Kong-based SenseStream for up to $2 million in cash and stock. Under the terms of the agreement, Adamind will initially pay $1 million in cash, and up to $1 million more in stock, based on certain targets. The deal is expected to close later this month. SenseStream develops software that helps clients deploy mobile services.
http://www.adamind.com/press_02_08_06.php

Vonage Files to Raise $250 Million in IPO, Hires New CEO

Holmdel, N.J. -- Vonage, one of the largest providers of Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone services, has filed papers with the Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering to raise an estimated $250 million. The New Jersey-based company also announced on Wednesday that it has hired Michael Snyder, the former president of ADT Security Systems, as its CEO. Snyder is replacing Vonage founder Jeffrey Citron, who will serve as chairman of the board and chief strategist. Founded four years ago, Vonage currently has about 1.4 million subscribers.
http://www.vonage.com/corporate/index.php?lid=footer_corporate

More Than 23,000 Sign Online Petition Claiming NFL Is "Biased"

Eugene, Ore. -- Upset with penalties in Sunday's Super Bowl. more than 21,000 people have now signed an online petition calling the National Football League "biased," and asking for suggestions on how to rectify the problem. "We, the fans of the NFL, will no longer stand by and allow our pure game to be corrupted by blatant bias," states the petition, hosted on a web site run by Oregon-based Artifice called PetitionOnline.com. "Superbowl XL was the culmination of the most poorly officiated playoff ever. This is completely unacceptable and unfair to us fans who pay money to NFL teams in merchandise and ticketing sales with the assumption that the product put on the field is by no means fixed." The petition was the most active of any hosted on the site.
http://www.petitiononline.com/nfl12006/petition.html 

Super Bowl Ads Spike Web Traffic; GoDaddy.com Leads Way

Reston, Va. -- Companies that paid millions of dollars for television spots during Sunday's Super Bowl also received a nice bonus on the Internet, according to new statistics from comScore Networks. GoDaddy.com, which ran an ad ending in a near "wardrobe malfunction" with the tagline "More at GoDaddy.com," saw the number of unique visitors to its site surge more than 1500% on Sunday compared with the average of the four previous Sundays. Traffic to Budweiser.com increased more than 500%, while Pepsi's ads with P. Diddy and Jackie Chan drove its web traffic up nearly 300%. Other big winners included Cadillac, Nationwide, Anheuser-Busch, Ford and Pizza Hut.
http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=742

Palo Alto-based HP To Acquire Cupertino-based OuterBay

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Palo Alto-based HP said on Tuesday that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Cupertino-based OuterBay, a provider of archiving software for applications and databases. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The OuterBay acquisition -- along with HP's recent purchases of AppIQ and Peregrine Systems -- is part of HP's overall strategy to bolster its server, storage and software offerings. OuterBay has 60 employees and offices in the United States, the United Kingdom and India.
http://www.outerbay.com/press/20060207.html

Cupertino-based Apple Unveils New 1GB iPod nano, Priced at $149

Cupertino, Calif. -- Cupertino-based Apple on Tuesday unveiled a new 1GB iPod nano device aimed at a lower price point in the market. The new device, which is priced at $149, holds up to 240 songs or 15,000 photos and "offers the same features as the 2GB and 4GB iPod nano models," the company said. Apple also announced that the iPod shuffle, a small device that offers random playback of song collections, is now available in 512MB and 1GB models priced at $69 and $99, respectively.
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/feb/07ipod.html

Symantec to Acquire Data Center Management Software Firm Relicore

Cupertino, Calif. -- Symantec, the Cupertino-based provider of information security products, has agreed to acquire Relicore, a privately held, Massachusetts-based provider of data-center management software. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Symantec called the acquisition of Relicore "a key step in Symantec's creation of an integrated solution for standardized, simplified data center management." The deal is expected to close in mid-February 2006.
http://www.symantec.com/about/news/release/article.jsp?prid=20060207_02

Lazard Report Calls For Breakup of Time Warner Into 4 Separate Companies

New York, N.Y. -- Investment bank Lazard, working for billionaire Carl Icahn, on Tuesday released a report calling for the breakup of Time Warner into four separate companies. The report calls for American Online becoming its own company, along with a separate publishing company, cable company, and entertainment company. Such a move could allow AOL to compete more effectively against Yahoo, Google and Microsoft. The report argues that strategic mistakes by Time Warner's board of directors have cost shareholders over $40 billion in value. The report also calls for massive cost-cutting at Time Warner, including job cuts and the curtailment of executive perks.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060207/20060207006083.html?.v=1 
http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/060207/media_timewarner_icahn.html?.v=2

Mountain View-based Kasenna Raises $11 in Venture Capital

Mountain View, Calif. -- Kasenna, a Mountain View-based provider of video-on-demand programming and platforms for video content and service delivery, has raised $11 million in a venture capital deal led by Intel Capital. Founded six years ago, Kasenna's technology allows telecommunications service providers, cable operators, and other industries to offer new video entertainment services. The company has recently signed customer agreements with Cavalier Telephone, Charter Communications, Fastweb, and SaskTel.
http://www.kasenna.com/kasenna/dynamic?type=prsummary

Atlanta's CDC Software Acquires San Mateo-based JRG Software

San Mateo, Calif. -- CDC Software, an Atlanta-based provider of software products for mid-sized organizations, has completed its acquisition of JRG Software, a San Mateo-based provider of supply chain planning software. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. "The acquisition of JRG reflects our commitment to leveraging our strong balance sheet of $212 million in net cash to continue acquiring synergistic companies and products," said Steven Chan, acting CEO of CDC Corp. The company is actively negotiating several other acquisitions that are expected to close in the current quarter, Chan said.
http://www.cdcsoftware.com/press.asp?pr=19

Power Analog Microelectronics Raises $6 Million in First Round

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Power Analog Microelectronics, a Santa Clara-based developer of digital audio amplifiers and power management semiconductors, has raised $6 million in its first round of venture capital, led by CVM Capital. Other investors in the deal include VentureTech Alliance, H&Q Asia-Pacific, and Huanan Venture Capital. Founded in 2004, Power Analog focuses on advanced analog, mixed-signal and power management integrated circuits. The company has set up an R&D and manufacturing facility in Shanghai, China, a technical support Center in Shenzhen, China, and has a supporting team located in Taipei, Taiwan.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060206/sfm022.html?.v=38

Mountain View-based Silecs Raises $7.7 Million in Venture Capital

Mountain View, Calif. -- Silecs, a Mountain View-based manufacturer of dielectric materials for the semiconductor and flat panel display industries, has raised $7.7 million of venture capital from a group of existing institutional investors. The deal also includes further government backed financing, Silecs said. The company offers a line of products based on siloxane chemistries, designed to meet specific customer needs such as high thermal stability, high hardness, high cracking threshold and stability in multiple chemical environments. The products are designed to allow integrated circuit device manufacturers to produce faster chips that consume less power, while reducing their manufacturing costs.
http://www.silecs.com/index_pr7.htm

Santa Clara-based Innova Solutions to be Acquired for $25 Million

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Innova Solutions, a Santa Clara-based provider of offshore and on-site IT services, has agreed to be acquired for $25 million by Ness Technologies, a New Jersey-based provider of IT services. Out of the total $25 million, $10 million will be paid over the next two years, based on future performance, Ness said. In 2005, Innova, which has about 700 employees, mainly in India, generated revenues of about $30 million and was profitable. Innova's clients include Franklin Templeton, Standard & Poor's, Kaiser Permanente, Intuit, PayPal, and others.
http://www.ness.com/GlobalNess/Newsroom/

VentureWire: NEA Raising $2.5 Billion Fund -- Largest Fund Ever

Menlo Park, Calif. -- VentureWire reported on Monday that New Enterprise Associates (NEA), the large private equity firm with a major office in Menlo Park, is "well on its way" to finalizing what would be the largest U.S. venture fund ever raised at $2.5 billion. The article said that demand by investors in the fund far exceeds the intended size of the fund. NEA has offices in Menlo Park, Baltimore, and Northern Virginia. The article said the new fund is expected to close in April. NEA is now investing a $1.1 billion fund it closed in February, 2004. NEA has backed a number of high profile technology companies, including VoIP firm Vonage.
http://professional.venturewire.com/exclusives.asp?s=DEALBOOK&sid=MJHIIHIJHHI

Mountain View-based Goodmail Helping Yahoo, AOL to Charge Fee to Bulk Emailers

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Sunnyvale-based Yahoo and AOL have developed a plan to charge email marketers a fee to allow their emails to bypass spam filtering technologies that often block legitimate email. Mountain View-based Goodmail Systems said on Monday that its technology will be used for the new system, which will be voluntary. The move -- being compared to stamps on letters -- is aimed at allowing legitimate marketers (such as banks, publishers and associations) to get their email messages through spam filters that often block requested messages. Companies using the fee-based system would need to verify that they have been given permission to send email to the end-user. Marketers not wanting to pay the fee would be allowed to use the existing system, but risk that their messages be blocked by spam filters. The New York Times reported that both companies are considering charging between 1/4 a cent to 1 cent per email to those firms joining the program.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/05/technology/05AOL.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Sirenza Microdevices Acquires Premier Devices For $72.1 Million

San Jose, Calif. -- Colorado-based Sirenza Microdevices announced on Monday a definitive agreement to acquire San Jose-based Premier Devices for $72.1 million. Premier Devices manufactures radio frequency components that use technologies common to existing Sirenza products. Premier Devices has 500 employees in design and manufacturing centers in San Jose, China and Germany.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060206/nym064.html?.v=33

Santa Clara-based Anthology Solutions Raises $10 Million in Second Round

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Santa Clara-based Anthology Solutions, a maker of storage appliances, said on Monday that is has received $10 million in its second round of financing. BlueRun Ventures, KTIC Ventures and STIC International participated in the round. The company said it has developed a storage appliance used for preserving and sharing digital content. "Digital content is driving data consumption resulting in a huge increase in need for highly reliable storage capabilities," said Ray Robidoux, president and CEO of Anthology Solutions.
http://www.anthologysolutions.com/news/pr/020606.htm