Silicon Valley Wire

Redwood City-Based Informatica Pays $130M to Acquire Siperian

Redwood City, Calif. -- Informatica, a Redwood City-based maker of data integration software, said that it has paid $130 million in cash to acquire Foster City-based Siperian, a developer of infrastructure tools designed to give companies holistic views of data from entities such as customers, employees and products. Informatica said that the deal will expand its addressable market with an adjacent technology category, known as master data management (MDM) infrastructure. Founded in 2001, Siperian currently has more than 60 customers, including Pfizer, Shire, Bank of America, State Street Bank and Lexis Nexis.
http://www.informatica.com
http://www.informatica.com/news_events/press_releases/Pages/01282010_siperian.aspx

Emeryville-Based Upek Proposes Merger with AuthenTec

Emeryville, Calif. -- Upek, an Emeryville-based maker of biometric fingerprint hardware and software, on Friday proposed a stock-for-stock merger with AuthenTec, a Florida-based maker of fingerprint sensors. Under the deal, AuthenTec stockholders would receive 50% of the combined company, which would be publicly traded on the Nasdaq, as well as a cash dividend of $40 million. "We believe our proposal presents a unique opportunity to reward the AuthenTec stockholders through an immediate cash dividend, while also providing them equity upside in a stronger company that has more significant growth opportunities," said Ronald Black, Upek's chairman and CEO. Privately held Upek is backed by Diamondhead Ventures, Earlybird Venture Capital, EDB, Morgan Keegan, Partners Group, Sofinnova Partners and Sofinnova Ventures.
http://www.upek.com
http://www.authentec.com/
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100129005877/en/UPEK-Proposes-Stock-for-Stock-Merger-AuthenTec

Apple Lifts Restrictions on Internet Phone Calls for iPhone, iPod touch

Cupertino, Calif. -- Apple has lifted restrictions that previously prevented developers from creating applications for the iPhone and iPod touch allowing users of the devices to make Internet-based phone calls over a 3G network. The Cupertino-based company is now including the necessary tools in its iPhone software development kit. The move follows AT&T's announcement in October that it would allow third-party VoIP software to be used on its 3G network to make Internet phone calls. Among the first to offer a VoIP application for the iPhone 3G are iCall and Fring.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/apple-lifts-3g-voip-restrictions-icall-with-3g-support-available-immediately-82842957.html
http://icall.com 
http://www.fring.com

Southwest Airlines to Begin Installing Wi-Fi on All Planes

Dallas, Texas -- In a major boon to area business travelers, Southwest Airlines announced on Friday that it is set to begin rolling out its new onboard wireless Internet (Wi-Fi) service this spring, with the carrier's full fleet of 540 plans expected to be outfitted by early 2012. "We ended the equipment 'testing' phase and signed an equipment purchase contract with our wi-fi provider, Row 44. That means we now begin the process of getting equipment ordered and aircraft scheduling in place to begin our full fleet installation," Southwest said in a blog post. The company, which counts Oakland International Airport as one of its major hubs, plans to install equipment on 15 planes a month initially, with the goal of increasing that number to around 25. No price for the access has been announced, with Southwest saying that it is testing a variety of price points. Wi-Fi is now being offered by several carriers, including Air Canada, AirTran, American, Continental, Delta, United, US Airways and Virgin America.
http://blogsouthwest.com/blog/it-is-official-wi-fi-is-on-the-way

Nearly 1.3 Million Watch Online Feed of Obama's State of the Union

Washington, DC -- Nearly 1.3 million people watched the live Internet video feed of President Obama's State of the Union address Wednesday night, the White House announced. The video was available on WhiteHouse.gov, as well as through a link available on numerous other web sites and blogs. Some sites that embedded the feed included YouTube, the Huffington Post and Blogher.com. The White House has so far been unable to confirm the number of people who viewed the speech on its newly released iPhone app, but added "we are able to see that nearly a terabyte of data was served to iPhones with the application during the event." After the speech, more than 50,000 people also watched and took part in a live chat on Facebook with administration officials. And so far more than 9,900 questions have been submitted for a live online interview with President Obama on YouTube's CitizenTube channel.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/01/28/your-response-state-union
http://www.youtube.com/citizentube

Study: Mobile Shopping Sites Lag Well Behind Wired Web

San Mateo, Calif. -- The performance of mobile e-commerce web sites in most cases lags well behind that of their wired counterparts, according to a new study by San Mateo-based Keynote Systems. The firm measured the performance of 10 retail mobile sites during the holiday season, using various wireless carriers from both the New York and San Francisco markets. The average time to load a home page ranged from 8.3 seconds in the best case (Best Buy) to 34.4 seconds in the worst. Searching for a product on a site ranged from 4.5 seconds (Wal-Mart) to 37.9 seconds, and getting information on a specific product ranged from 5.7 seconds (Foot Locker) to 26.8 seconds. "Shopping on mobile web sites still has a lot of catching up to do in both download performance and uptime when compared to the performance of connected web sites,” said Ben Rushlo, the senior manager of Internet technologies at Keynote. "Consumers on the wired web are used to much, much faster times, and often expect pages to load in two seconds or less. Even the best mobile Web sites take two to three times as long as that."
http://investor.keynote.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=78522&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1380368&highlight=

California Lands $2.3 Billion in Stimulus Funds for High-Speed Rail

San Francisco -- California will receive $2.3 billion in federal stimulus dollars to develop a high-speed rail service throughout much of the state, the Department of Transportation announced on Thursday. The bulk of the funding, $2.25 billion, will go to purchase right-of-ways, complete environmental studies and build track and stations for anelectrically powered high-speed rail system of 800 miles serving major population centers from San Francisco and Sacramento to Los Angeles and San Diego with over 300 trains per day. the first phase calls for a 520-mile system connecting Anaheim and Los Angeles through the Central Valley to San Francisco by 2020. Phase II would extend the system north to Sacramento and south to San Diego by 2026. Trains would reach speeds of 220mph, providing a travel time between Los Angeles and San Francisco of under 2 hours 40 minutes, compared to 6 hours by car.
http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2010/dot1810a.htm
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/rail_california.pdf (PDF)

S.F.-Based Martini Media Acquires Decision Maker Media

San Francisco -- Martini Media, a San Francisco-based online ad network targeting affluent consumers, announced on Thursday that it has acquired Decision Maker Media (DMM), a San Francisco-based vertical media platform that courts business decision-makers. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Martini said that the acquisition will give it an audience of over 40 million unique monthly users with annual household incomes exceeding $100,000. Martini's network includes web sites focused on sailing and yachting, travel, wine, philanthropy, golf and the arts.
http://www.martinimedianetwork.com
http://www.decisionmakermedia.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/martini-media-acquires-decision-maker-media-82884857.html

San Francisco-Based Twitter Launches "Local Trends" Feature

San Francisco -- Twitter, the San Francisco-based microblogging services, has launched a new feature called Local Trends, which allows users to see which topics that are popular in their geographic area. At launch, Local Trends is available in 15 U.S. cities, as well as five countries besides the U.S. "We'll be improving this feature over time to provide more locations, languages, and data through our API," the company said.
http://blog.twitter.com/2010/01/now-trending-local-trends.html

San Francisco-Based Yelp Lands Major Investment from Elevation Partners

San Francisco -- Yelp, a San Francisco-based user-generated reviews service, said on Wednesday that it has received an investment of up to $100 million from Elevation Partners. The news comes weeks after reports surfaced that Google was in advanced talks to acquire Yelp for at least $500 million. Under the terms of the financing, Elevation initially will purchase $25 million in shares, and seek to increase its investment to $100 million by purchasing shares from vested employees and other shareholders. Founded in 2004, Yelp counted 26 million unique visitors in December, and said that users have written more than 9 million local reviews on its site. In 2009, the company launched in eight new U.S. markets, as well as in the U.K. and Ireland, and also released mobile applications for the iPhone, BlackBerry, Palm Pre and Android. The company plans to use the investment to expand in the U.S., Canada and Western Europe, as well as to continue its development of mobile apps.
http://www.yelp.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/yelp-receives-investment-from-elevation-partners-82815482.html

Redwood City-Based Good Technology Acquires CloudSync

Redwood City, Calif. -- Good Technology, a Redwood City-based developer of tools that provide mobile access to data, applications and services on mobile devices, said on Wednesday that it has acquired Denver-based mobile device management firm CloudSync. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Good said that the acquisition will allow it to offer enhanced device management for a broad range of devices, including laptops, tablets, ruggedized handhelds and smartphone platforms, all through a cloud-based service. CloudSync enables customers to manage and control a range of mobile devices through a web-based system.
http://www.good.com
http://www.good.com/news/press-releases/100127

Report: Roku Raising $30M; Sees Potential IPO in 2011

Saratoga, Calif. -- Roku, a Saratoga-based maker broadband-connected set-top boxes designed to bring web video and other online content to the television, plans to raise $30 million in private funding this quarter and may go public next year, CEO Anthony Wood told Bloomberg. Previous backer Menlo Ventures already has signed on to the current funding round. The company said that it has not yet chosen an investment bank or IPO date. "Obviously our goal is to go public," Wood told Bloomberg. "If things continue on this trajectory, I think it would be viable to go public next year." Wood added that the company has not sold more than 500,000 of its Roku Digital Video Player set-top boxes, which help users stream content from services like Netflix and Amazon to a television. The company plans to continue to cut prices on the devices, which currently range from $79 to $129.
http://www.roku.com
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601204&sid=aK2._zQizDac

Apple Unveils Highly Anticipated iPad Tablet Computer

San Francisco -- In one of the most highly anticipated announcements ever in the tech community, Apple on Wednesday officially unveiled its new tablet computer, a device somewhere between a smartphone and laptop to be known as the iPad. "We want to kick off 2010 by introducing a truly magical and revolutionary product today," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs. The device, which will sell for $499-$829 and ship in 60 days, resembles a larger version of the iPod touch, featuring a 9.7-inch touch screen and an iPhone operating system that allows users to browse the web on Wi-Fi, download apps, watch video and, in a step up from Amazon's Kindle, download and view print publications in full color. The half-inch thick device, which weighs 1.5 pounds, also boasts a 10-hour battery and up to 64 GB of storage.  Owners of iPhone and iPod touch devices will be able to download their current applications from Apple's App Store. Notably absent, however, are camera and phone features.
http://www.apple.com/ipad/
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/apple-launches-ipad-82812432.html

President Obama to Conduct Live Online Interview on YouTube

San Bruno, Calif. -- In an Internet first, San Bruno-based video sharing site YouTube said that it will broadcast a live online interview with President Obama next week, posing questions submitted by users. The site, which is carrying Obama's State of the Union address live Wednesday night on its Citizentube channel, plans to elicit questions in video and text format during the speech, as well as in the days after. YouTube visitors then will be able to vote for their favorite questions. "We'll bring some of your top-voted questions to the president in a YouTube interview from the White House, which we'll also broadcast live on Citizentube," Steve Grove, YouTube's head of news and politics, wrote in a blog post. The site called the interview the latest example of Presidents using new technology to share their message with the American people.
http://www.youtube.com/citizentube#p/c/5D6163EE3E51CB06
http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2010/01/your-state-of-union.html

San Jose-Based eBay to Lower Up-Front Costs for Sellers

San Jose, Calif. -- eBay, the San Jose-based online auction giant, on Tuesday unveiled a new pricing structure designed to significantly lower upfront costs to sellers. Beginning March 30, auction-style listings with a start price of $0.99 or less will be free to most occasional sellers. When an item sells, the seller will pay a flat fee of 9% of the sale price (up to $50). The company won't charge for items that don't sell. For more frequent sellers, the company will ofer new "eBay Stores" subscription rates starting at $0.03 a listing for 30 days. With the new pricing structure, eBay said that a seller with 250 listings a month would save $80. The company said that it saw strong growth in listing in markets such as the U.K. and Germany after implementing a similar pricing structure in Europe.
http://announcements.ebay.com/
http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/news/FeeIllustrator2010.html

Sunnyvale-Based Blue Coat Acquires Majority Stake in S7 Software

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Blue Coat Systems, a Sunnyvale-based developer of application delivery network infrastructure said on Tuesday that it has acquired a majority stake in S7 Software Solutions, an India-based IT research and development firm. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Blue Coat first announced a deal to acquire the stock in November. Now, the company plans to turn the Bangalore entity into one of its four major product development centers. "Moving forward with our plans to establish our new development center in Bangalore will facilitate the expansion of our application delivery network solution portfolio while balancing investment for innovation with higher profitability," said Brian NeSmith, the president and CEO of Blue Coat. The company plans to acquire the remaining shares of S7 upon regulatory approval by the Indian government.
http://www.bluecoat.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100126005633/en/Blue-Coat-Obtains-Majority-Interest-S7-Software

San Jose-Based Adobe to Raise $1.5 Billion in Notes Offering

San Jose, Calif. -- Adobe Systems, the San Jose-based maker of web and desktop publishing software, said that it plans to raise $1.5 billion through an offering of senior unsecured notes. The offering consists of $600 million in notes due in 2015 and $900 million in notes due in 2020. Adobe said that it will use the net proceeds for general corporate purposes, including repaying $1 billion under its current credit facility. The offering is expected to close on Feb. 1.
http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/201001/012510AdobeDebtOfferingPricing.html

San Jose-Based Quest Discovery Services Lands $3.75M Investment

San Jose, Calif. -- Quest Discovery Services, a San Jose-based provider of document technology services to law firms and insurance companies, said on Tuesday that it has landed a $3.75 million mezzanine investment from the Central Valley Fund. The company used a portion of the proceeds to refinance its debt, and plans to use the remainder for possible acquisitions. Quest provides document acquisition, duplication, and distribution services to clients primarily in California.
http://www.questds.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/The-Central-Valley-Fund-prnews-1064548730.html?x=0&.v=1

Palo Alto-Based Better Place Raises $350M for Electric Car Recharging

Palo Alto, Calif. -- In one of the largest clean-tech investments in history, Palo Alto-based Better Place, developer of a network for charging electric cars powered by renewable energy, said on Monday that it has raised $350 million in its second round of equity funding, which values the company at $1.25 billion. HSBC led the round, which comes nearly two years to the day after the company announced its first car partnership. New investors Morgan Stanley Investment Management and Lazard Asset Management and previous backers Israel Corp., VantagePoint Venture Partners, Ofer Hi-Tech Holdings, Morgan Stanley Principal Investments and Maniv Energy Capital also were among the participants. The financing allows Better Place to expand its geographic footprint into markets such as Europe and Asia. The company said that its automated switch process, which takes about a minute, is faster than filling a tank with gasoline. The technology removes a depleted battery and transfers a fully charged battery into the vehicle, while the driver remains in the vehicle. The first stations are expected to launch in Israel and Denmark by the end of 2011, in conjunction with the release of the first Renault switchable battery electric cars.
http://www.betterplace.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100124005058/en/Place-Secures-%24350-Million-Series-Led-HSBC

Redwood City-Based Coraid Raises $10 Million, Names New Leaders

Redwood City, Calif. -- Coraid, the Redwood City-based developer of an Ethernet storage platform, said on Monday that it has raised $10 million in its first round of funding from Allegis Capital and Azure Capital Partners. Along with the new backing, the company also has announced a new leadership team, including Kevin Brown (CEO), Audrey MacLean (chairman), Carl Wright (executive vice president of worldwide sales) and Josh Leslie (vice president of channels and business development). Coraid has amassed more than 1,100 clients for its EtherDrive storage platform since launching it into the Linux market in 2005. Brown previously served as the CEO virtualization software vendor Kidaro, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2008, as well as a vice president at NetApp. MacLean was the founder of Network Equipment Technologies (NET), as well as the co-founder and CEO of Adaptive.
http://www.coraid.com
http://www.coraid.com/COMPANY/News/News-CORAID-Secures-Series-A-Investment-of-10-Million-Names-Executive-Team-

AOL Loses CTO, Adds StudioNow and New York Technology Center

New York -- On a day when AOL confirmed rumors that its CTO will be departing, the company on Monday announced the opening of its New York Technology Center and the acquisition of Tennessee-based StudioNow, developer of an online video platform. The company said that it has launched a search to replace Ted Cahall, who becomes the latest in a series of high-profile executives to depart. Cahall, the former CIO of CNET, joined AOL in early 2007. Helping to ease the transition will be the addition of Google veteran Jeff Reynar, was named AOL's head of technology for engineering and products in New York. Reynar, the co-founder of social search developer DBT Labs, previously spent more than four years at Google, first as a product manager, then as an engineering manager. He was responsible for co-founding and leading an internal startup team focused on new approaches to search. He will lead the new New York Technology Center, which AOL said it is launching to build increase engineering talent in its content business. One new technology asset the company will now have is StudioNow, paying $36.5 million in cash and stock for the three-year-old firm. The company said that the acquisition will allow it to incorporate a video creation platform into its newly launched content management system, called Seed.com. StudioNow also will continue to provide online video services that commercial clients to the company's more than 3,000 freelance filmmakers, editors, animators, voice talent and writers/producers.
http://corp.aol.com/press-releases/2010/01/aol-names-jeff-reynar-lead-new-technology-center-new-york
http://corp.aol.com/press-releases/2010/01/aol-acquires-premier-online-video-platform-studionow-inc

Justice Department Approves Merger of Ticketmaster, Live Nation

Los Angeles -- The U.S. Justice Department on Monday approved the proposed merger between Ticketmaster and concert promotion giant Live Nation. Under the terms, the company -- which will be called Live Nation Entertainment -- will divest Ticketmaster's self-ticketing subsidiary, Paciolan, to Comcast-Spectator, and license its Ticketmaster Host technology to rival concert promoter AEG. The deal also includes other undisclosed "terms that protect competitive conditions in ticketing and promotions." The merger has drawn criticism from consumer advocates, musicians and others who foresee a reduction in competition in the live music industry, and the potential for higher ticket prices for consumers. The deal, originally announced in February 2009, is valued at around $798 million.
http://www.ticketmaster.com
http://www.livenation.com
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2513450520100125
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Live-Nation-and-Ticketmaster-prnews-1887871439.html?x=0&.v=1

Survey: 39% of Facebook Users Have Donated to Haitian Relief

New York -- Thirty-nine percent of Facebook users in the U.S., U.K. and Australia have already donated money or goods to the relief efforts following the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti, including 13% through text-messaging, according to a new survey by Facebook and The Nielsen Company. Another 21% of users said that they have not yet given to the cause, but plan to do so. Facebook users ages 50 and older are nearly twice as likely to have donated goods or money than teenagers (61% to 36%). When it comes to corporate support of the relief efforts, 29% of users believe corporations are doing their part, while 42% say they are not.  The vast majority of respondents called the earthquake a wake-up call, with three-quarters saying that they are either "not very" or "not at all" prepared for a natural disaster, themselves. The survey involved more than 50,000 Facebook users ages 13 and over.
http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/survey-global-facebook-users-generous-texters-for-haiti-but-unprepared-themselves/

Haiti Benefit Concert to Stream on Over 30 Sites, Sell on iTunes

Los Angeles -- The "Hope for Haiti Now" benefit concert to aid earthquake relief in Haiti will be streamed live Friday night on more than 30 web sites, with downloads of the event also available for sale on iTunes. Sites streaming the two-hour event, scheduled to start at 8 p.m., include ABC.com, AOL, Bebo, CBS.com, Hulu, Huffington Post, Hulu, MySpace and YouTube. The event will also be accessible through a range of mobile TV applications, including MobiTV, FLO TV and the iPhone. A "Hope for Haiti Now" album will sell on iTunes, Amazon MP3 and Rhapsody for $7.99. Hosted by George Clooney, the event will feature performances from artists including Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and Wyclef Jean, A live chat social widget provided by Gigya will run alongside the live stream on both MTV.com and VH1.com, and in a first Twitter will promote the event on every user profile page.
http://www.hopeforhaitinow.org

Palo Alto-Based Facebook Breaks Ground on Oregon Data Center

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Facebook, the Palo Alto-based social networking giant with more than 350 million members, said that it has broken ground on a new custom data center in Prineville, Ore. The $180 million facility will be the first of its kind for Facebook, which had leased data center space since its inception. "The new data center will help us by adding more computing and storage capacity, which we expect to help us deliver a faster, more reliable experience worldwide," wrote Jonathan  Heiliger, the company's vice president of technical operations, in a blog post.
http://www.facebook.com/prinevilledatacenter
http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=262655797130

Investments in Silicon Valley Firms Drop 35% in '09, Improvement Seen

San Francisco -- Venture capitalists invested $1.9 billion in Silicon Valley companies during the fourth quarter, down slightly from the previous quarter but still well above levels from earlier in this year, according to the latest MoneyTree Report by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). The $6.98 billion invested in local firms during the year was a 35% drop from 2008 levels. Nationally, Venture capitalists invested $17.7 billion in 2009, marking the lowest level of dollar investment since 1997. Investments for the year fell 37% from 2008 figures. "The venture capital industry had no choice but to slow the investment pace in 2009," said Mark Heesen, president of the NVCA.  "The weak exit environment… sent a strong message to the venture community to pull back the reins -- and the VCs listened." With the economy now showing signs of improvement, however, Heesen said "we expect to see dollars flow more freely back into those sectors that offered the most promise before the recession began -- clean technology, life sciences and IT."
http://www.magnetmail.net/actions/email_web_version.cfm?recipient_id=157364061&message_id=913826&user_id=NVCA

European Commission Approves Oracle's Acquisition of Sun

Redwood City., Calif. -- Following a three-month investigation into the potential impact of the deal, the European Commission on Thursday formally approved Redwood City-based Oracle's $7.4 billion acquisition of Santa Clara-based Sun Microsystems. "I am now satisfied that competition and innovation will be preserved on all the markets concerned," said Neelie Kroes, the European Union's competition commissioner. "Oracle's acquisition of Sun has the potential to revitalize important assets and create new and innovative products." Business software giant Oracle first announced plans in April to acquire the struggling server maker. The two companies have been partners for more than two decades, with Oracle using Sun's Java language and software and Solaris operating system as the basis of some of its core products.
http://www.oracle.com/sun
http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/press/043873

San Jose-Based Mobixell Networks Acquires 724 Solutions

San Jose, Calif. -- Mobixell Networks, a San Jose-based provider of mobile multimedia and advertising services, said on Thursday that it has acquired Santa Barbara-based mobile Internet firm 724 Solutions. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Mobixell said that the acquisition "will create a global organization with local sales and support capability in the U.S., U.K., China, Switzerland, India, Israel and other countries, and with a customer base of over 350 mobile operators worldwide." Founded in 2000, Mobixell provides multimedia processing and multi-channel advertising to over 300 mobile operators and content producers.
http://www.mobixell.com
http://www.724.com
http://www.mobixell.com/news/131/

San Francisco-Based Rixty Lands $1.24 Million in Seed Funding

San Francisco -- Rixty, the San Francisco-based developer of an alternative payment platform designed to let people without credit cards make online entertainment purchases, said on Thursday that it has raised $1.24 million in seed funding, led by San Francisco-based Javelin Venture. Partners Accelerator Ventures, First Round Capital, Freestyle Capital, Nueva Ventures, Soft Tech VC and several angel investors also participated. Rixty's platform lets people convert their cash into online credits at more than 20,000 Coinstar kiosks and retail locations. They then can spend those credits on games, virtual worlds, social networks, ringtones, and MP3 downloads. The company said that it will use the financing to fuel the growth of its publisher network, expand its product offering and increase its user base.
http://www.rixty.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100121006102/en/Rixty-Raises-%241.24-Million-Seed-Capital-Fuel

WSJ: Apple Seeks to Reshape Print, TV with Tablet

Cupertino, Calif. -- Apple is hoping that the new tablet computer it's expected to introduce next week will "reshape businesses like textbooks, newspapers and television much the way his iPod revamped the music industry," The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the situation. Cupertino-based Apple intends for multiple people to be able to share the device, which is expected to feature a 10- or 11-inch touch-screen, virtual keyboard and possibly a webcam. The company has reportedly held recent discussions with publishers including The New York Times, Conde Nast and News Corp. on getting their various publications on the device. One source said that the company is discussing possibly charging for access through its iTunes Store. Apple also is said to be working with Redwood City-based Electronic Arts to bring games to the tablet, and speaking to networks about a "best of TV" subscription service. Analysts believe that the device eventually will go on sale for about $1,000.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703405704575015362653644260.html (subscription required)

YouTube to Test Movie Rentals Through Sundance Partnership

San Bruno, Calif. -- Google's YouTube online video site plans on Friday to test the waters with movie rentals, as it launches a partnership with the Sundance Film Festival to make five films from this year's and last year's festivals available for rental to U.S. users. The film rentals, which include "The Cove," "Homewrecker" and "Bass Ackwards," will cost $3.99 for 48 hours access. The company also issued a call for more independent filmmakers to join its new rental program.
http://ytbizblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/youtube-to-sundance-independent.html  

Opera Software Acquires San Mateo-Based AdMarvel

San Mateo, Calif. -- Opera Software, the Norway-based developer of web browser technology for mobile phones, said on Wednesday that it has acquired San Mateo-based AdMarvel, a provider of mobile advertising services. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Opera said that the acquisition will allow it to offer ad monetization services for its mobile products and services. Founded in 2006 by a team of mobile veterans led by CEO Mahi de Silva, AdMarvel offers services designed to let mobile publishers and operators source, provision, manage and track advertising. "Every month, nearly 50 million people access the web using Opera on their mobile phones and together with AdMarvel, we think we can play an important role in the evolution of mobile advertising," said Lars Boilesen, the CEO of Opera Software.
http://www.opera.com
http://www.admarvel.com
http://www.opera.com/press/releases/2010/01/20_2/

The New York Times to Begin Charging Frequent Online Readers

New York -- In a move that could signal a fundamental change in the business model of major newspapers, The New York Times announced on Wednesday that it will begin charging frequent readers of its online articles beginning in 2011. Under the plan, users will get free access to a limited number of articles each month, but would be charged once they exceed that number. Home subscribers would not be charged extra. "This process of rethinking our business model has also been driven by our desire to achieve additional revenue diversity that will make us less susceptible to the inevitable economic cycles," said Janet Robinson, president and CEO of The New York Times Company. "We were also guided by the fact that our news and information are being featured in an increasingly broad range of end-user devices and services." The company plans to release more details of the plan over the coming months.
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=105317&p=irol-pressArticle&ID=1377114&highlight=

SMS GupShup Raises $12 Million in New Round of Funding

Cupertino, Calif. -- SMS GupShup, an India-based social network with U.S. offices in Cupertino, said on Wednesday that it has raised $12 million in a new round of funding led by Globespan Capital Partners. Previous backers Charles River Ventures and Helion Venture Partners also participated. The company said that the new funding will allow it to expand into new territories, as well as to roll out new features aimed at small businesses and corporate brands. Launched in 2007, SMS GupShup now boasts approximately 26 million users. It has raised $37 million since its inception.
http://www.smsgupshup.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100120006490/en/SMS-GupShup-Secures-%2412Million-Additional-Funding-India%E2%80%99s

White House Launches iPhone App; To Carry State of the Union

Washington, DC -- With a growing number of Americans using mobile devices, the White House said that it has released its own iPhone app. The free program, known simply as "White House App," allows users to see content from the WhiteHouse.gov web site, including live video feeds, through their iPhone or iPod touch devices.  The app provides access to White House public events, speeches and press briefings, and will even carry a live feed of President Obama's State of the Union address next week. The administration also plans to launch a mobile version of WhiteHouse.gov in the coming weeks.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/01/19/whitehousegov-anywhere

Peace Corps Launches Online Effort to Aid Haiti Recovery

Washington, DC -- As potent aftershocks continue to devastate Haiti, the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA), an alumni organization for Peace Corps volunteers and staff, said that it has launched a new section of its web site dedicated to earthquake relief. The idea, said the group, is to leverage the expertise and knowledge of former Peace Corps members to help support ongoing recovery efforts. All told, more than 500 Peace Corps volunteers have served in Haiti since 1982. The NPCA said that the effort "can contribute in beneficial ways to the ongoing discussion on how to best pave a road to recovery for a country in havoc."
http://community.peacecorpsconnect.org/

Survey: Most U.S. Entrepreneurs Not Planning to Hire This Year

Kansas City, Mo. -- The majority of American entrepreneurs do not expect to create jobs in 2010, according to a new survey commissioned by the Kauffman Foundation. The study found that 71% of entrepreneurs don't plan on hiring this year, nearly two-thirds have seen decreases in sales volume and profitability and 36% have reduced head count in the past year, compared with just 8% who have added employees. "Entrepreneurs are still the primary engine of job creation in the United States," said Carl Schramm, the foundation's president and CEO. "In the last 30 years, literally all net job creation in this country has taken place in firms less than five years old."
http://www.kauffman.org/soe

San Francisco-Based Boku Lands $25 Million in Third Round

San Francisco -- Boku, a provider of mobile payments technology, said on Tuesday that it has raised $25 million in its third round of funding, led by DAG Ventures. Previous backers Benchmark Capital, Index Ventures and Khosla Venture also participated in the round. Since launching last June, Boku has developed mobile payment processing partnerships with more than 1,000 game and application developers, including many on Facebook. The company's Paymo service is enabled across 190 wireless carriers in 58 countries. Boku previously had raised $13 million. 
http://www.boku.com
http://eon.businesswire.com/portal/site/eon/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20100119005788&newsLang=en

Apple Sets Jan. 27 Product Launch Event; Tablet Expected

Cupertino, Calif. -- Apple has invited the media to a product release event on Jan. 27, when the Cupertino-based company is expected to introduce its long-rumored tablet PC. "Come see our latest creation," reads the invite from Apple to the event, to be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco. The tablet, expected to begin shipping this spring, is said to include many of the same feature's found in the company's popular iPod touch, able to surf the web on Wi-Fi while offering a larger screen. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is in talks with publisher HarperCollins to make e-books available on the devices. Sales for the tablet are expected to be substantial, according to a study by Deloitte. "While it is difficult to forecast sales of devices whose specifications are unknown, some analysts estimate 12-month sales from launch of over one billion dollars," Deloitte said. "This is larger than global sales of personal navigation devices."
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/01/apple-special-event
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704541004575011092145509872.html
http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_GX/global/article/30a15cfc9fec5210VgnVCM200000bb42f00aRCRD.htm

Text Messaging Provides Boon to Red Cross Haiti Relief

Washington, DC -- Text-message donations are playing a larger-than-expected role in the push for earthquake relief in Haiti, The New York Times Reported. As of late Sunday, the American Red Cross said that it had collected pledges of about $103 million, including $22 million through a program in which cell phone users can donate $10 by texting "90999." "I need a better word than ‘unprecedented’ or ‘amazing’ to describe what's happened with the text-message program Red Cross spokesman Roger Lowe told the paper. Lowe said that the National Football League (NFL) greatly aided the effort over the weekend by promoting the texting program during its playoff broadcasts. Spearheaded by the State Department in conjunction with Colorado-based mobile technology firm mGive, the effort raised $5 million in its first day, breaking the previous one-day record of about $450,000, according to The Washington Post.
http://www.redcross.org/
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/19/us/19charity.html?sudsredirect=true  
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2010/01/a_record_22_million_has.html 

Mountain View-Based Intuit Sells Real Estate Business to Vista

Mountain View, Calif. -- Intuit, the Mountain View-based developer of business and financial management software, said on Friday that it has completed the $128 million sales of its Intuit Real Estate Solutions (IRES) business to San Francisco-based private equity firm Vista Equity Partners. The deal was first announced in early December. Based in Ohio, IRES provides software and services to companies in the real estate management and investment industry, and was part of Intuit's global business division. The business generated $74 million in revenue last fiscal year. 
http://www.vistaequitypartners.com/
http://investors.intuit.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=438150

San Jose-Based Presto Engineering Lands $2 Million Investment

San Jose, Calif. -- Presto Engineering, a San Jose-based provider of chip testing and analysis services to semiconductor makers, said that it has landed a new $2 million investment from France's Masseran Gestion to support expansion and future growth in Europe. The company said that part of the funds also will support its development of new RF and 3D-integration technologies. Presto said that its first European hub will be in Caen, France, where it will acquire lab infrastructure from NXP Semiconductor.
http://www.masseran.com
http://www.presto-eng.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Presto-Engineering-Receives-bw-1579364319.html?x=0&.v=1

S.F.-Based Transpera Lands $2 Million for Mobile Video Delivery

San Francisco -- Transpera, a San Francisco-based provider of mobile video delivery services and operator of a mobile ad network, has raised the first $2 million of an expected $5 million round of funding, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Investors in the round were not disclose, though previous company backers include Flybridge Capital Partners, First Round Capital and Intel Capital. Founded in 2007, Transpera counts AccuWeather.com, CBS News, Discovery Communications, MSNBC.com, MTV Networks, Showtime and the Travel Channel among its customers.
http://www.transpera.com/
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1480065/000148006510000001/xslFormDX01/primary_doc.xml

Survey: Tech Firms Expected to Lead Stronger IPO Market in 2010

Chicago -- Amid buzz surrounding potential initial public offerings by social networking giants Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, the majority of investment banking executives foresee a stronger IPO market in the U.S. this year, according to a new survey by accounting and consulting firm BDO. More than two-thirds (68%) believe that IPO activity will increase this year compared to 2009, with almost a quarter describing the increase as "substantial." Overall, bankers predict a 25% increase in the number of U.S. IPOs in 2010, with offerings expected to average just over $400 million in size. "This inaugural survey reveals broad-based optimism among the capital markets community that offering activity in the new year will build on the momentum established this past fall," said Christopher Tower, a partner in BDO's Capital Markets Practice. "Overall, the bankers' outlook for IPOs is very positive, but some industry sectors are clearly seen as stronger than others." Among the strongest are technology, energy, biotech and healthcare.
http://www.bdo.com/news/pr/1226

Google Increases U.S. Search Share in December

Mountain View, Calif. -- Google's share of the U.S. search market grew in December, while the popularity of upstart Microsoft Bing popularity fell a bit, according to new data from measurement firms Experian Hitwise and Nielsen. According to Hitwise, Mountain View-based Google took 72.25% of the market in December, followed by Sunnyvale-based Yahoo (14.83%), Bing (8.92%) and Emeryville-based Ask.com (2.54%). Nielsen's figures show Google with 67.3% of the market, compared with Yahoo (14.4%), Bing (9.9%) and Ask.com (1.7%). Both firms noted that Google increased its search share in December, while Bing lost he most ground to its competitors.
http://www.hitwise.com/us/press-center/press-releases/search-enginedec2009/
http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/top-u-s-web-brands-and-site-usage-december-2009/

Santa Clara-Based Intel Posts $2.3 Billion Profit, Trounces Estimates

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Intel, the Santa Clara-based chip-making giant, on Thursday reported a fourth-quarter profit of $2.3 billion, nearly 10 times its profit of a year ago and well above consensus Wall Street estimates. Earnings per share of $0.40 trounced analyst estimates by $0.10, according to a poll by Thomson Reuters. Revenue of $10.6 billion were 28% higher than levels of a year ago. Despite the recent recession, Paul Otellini, Intel's president and CEO, said that "our ability to weather this business cycle demonstrates that microprocessors are indispensable in our modern world."
http://www.intel.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Intel-FourthQuarter-Net-bw-658239866.html?x=0&.v=1

SAIC to Acquire Sunnyvale-Based CloudShield Technologies

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Looking to bolster its cybersecurity offerings, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), the large government technology contractor based in Virginia, said on Thursday that it has reached a deal to acquire Sunnyvale-based CloudShield Technologies, developer of a platform that lets customers inspect, analyze and control network traffic. Financial terms of the deal, expected to close by mid-February, were not disclosed. Founded in 2000, CloudShield provides services management and infrastructure security tools to service providers and national governments. The company's platform consists of computer hardware, operating systems, application development environments and numerous applications. CloudShield will join SAIC's Intelligence and Information Solutions unit, part of the company's Intelligence, Security and Technology Group, led by Stu Shea.
http://www.cloudshield.com/ 
http://investors.saic.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=437635

AOL's Ad Products Head Resigns for Role at Yahoo

Sunnyvale, Calif. --  Just three months after being hired to build the company's ad platform, Shashi Seth has left AOL for a similar position at Sunnyvale-based Yahoo. "It is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that I am resigning from my role at AOL," Seth wrote in an email to staff, published by AllThingsD. "Very recent developments in my personal life have made it impossible for me to maintain an executive role that requires extensive travel." Seth was named AOL's senior vice president of global advertising products in early October, working for the company's Mountain View offices. The position required extensive travel to and from AOL's headquarters in New York. "This new role will enable me to remain local," he wrote.  He previously served as the head of monetization for Google's YouTube, and also worked as the product lead for web search at Google. AOL has named Jamie Fellows to head its Global Advertising Products organization on an interim basis.
http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20100113/aols-product-guru-and-google-vet-bolts-for-yahoo-after-3-months/

San Jose-Based IDT Acquires Mobius Microsystems

San Jose, Calif. -- Integrated Device Technology (IDT), the San Jose-based developer of mixed signal semiconductor used in digital media, said on Thursday that it has acquired Sunnyvale-based Mobius Microsystems, a developer of all-silicon oscillator technology used for precision timing. Financial terms of the all-cash deal were not disclosed. "Mobius Microsystems' innovative technology extends IDT's clock leadership into high accuracy, crystal oscillator replacements, thereby doubling our served available market," said Ted Tewksbury, the president and CEO at IDT. The move comes tww months after IDT agreed to sell its Micro Networks unit to Pennsylvania-based Spectrum Control for approximately $13 million.
http://www.idt.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100114006446/en/IDT-Acquires-Mobius-Microsystems

San Jose-Based Brocade Prices $600 Million Notes Offering

San Jose, Calif. -- Brocade, a San Jose-based maker of data center networking equipment, plans to raise $600 million after pricing a pair of notes offerings on Thursday. The company is offering $300 in senior notes that mature in 2018, and another $300 million that mature in 2020. The sale is expected to close by next Wednesday, with Brocade using $150 million of the proceeds, along with cash on hand, to retire $173 million in notes due next month. The notes originally were issued by the company's McData subsidiary. 
http://www.brocade.com
http://newsroom.brocade.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=1162