Silicon Valley Wire

Mountain View-Based Google to Test Ultra High-Speed Internet Service

Mountain View, Calif. -- Google has unveiled plans to test an ultra high-speed Internet service that the company said is more than 100 times faster than most broadband connections currently offered by cable and telecom providers. The company said that it will launch the service in a small number of trial locations across the U.S., selling it at what it called a "competitive price" to as many as 500,000 people at the outset. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski hailed the project, saying that it would "provide an American testbed for the next generation of innovative, high-speed Internet apps, devices and services." As a first step, Google has begun soliciting information from local governments and private citizens in a bid to gauge interest. The company said that it plans to operate an open-access network giving users a choice of multiple service providers. The goal of the project, Google said, is to "experiment and learn." "Network providers are making real progress to expand and improve high-speed Internet access, but there's still more to be done," the company wrote in its blog. "We don't think we have all the answers -- but through our trial, we hope to make a meaningful contribution to the shared goal of delivering faster and better Internet for everyone."
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/think-big-with-gig-our-experimental.html 

Milpitas-Based JDSU to Pay $165 Million for Agilent Business

Milpitas, Calif. -- JDS Uniphase (JDSU), a Milpitas-based provider of communications test and measurement equipment, said on Thursday that it will pay $165 million in cash to acquire the Network Solutions communications test business of Santa Clara-based Agilent Technologies. The deal is expected to close by the end of June. The business, which had annual revenue of $162 million last fiscal year, includes Agilent's network assurance, network protocol test and drive test products. It counts around 700 employees, with operations in Colorado, the U.K., Singapore and China. "This acquisition establishes JDSU as a market leader in wireless test instruments and systems." said Tom Waechter, the president and CEO of JDSU.
http://www.agilent.com
http://www.jdsu.com
http://www.jdsu.com/news/news-releases/jdsu-to-acquire-network-solutions-test-business-from-agilent.html

Google Reportedly Buys S.F.-Based Social Search Service Aardvark

Mountain View, Calif. -- Adding to its social networking assets, Mountain View-based Google has acquired San Francisco-based social search service Aardvark for around $50 million, TechCrunch reported, citing a source briefed on the deal. The companies had been in discussions since December. Founded in 2007 as Mechanical Zoo by several ex-Google employees, Aardvark counts more than 90,000 users for its service that lets users ask questions and receive answers from members of their social network. The company said that 56% of its users had asked or answered a question, and the median active user was asking 3.1 questions amonth.
http://vark.com
http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/11/google-acquires-aardvark-for-50-million/

San Francisco-Based 1BOG Raises $5 Million from NEA

San Francisco - One Block Off the Grid (1BOG), a San Francisco-based provider of services that help people gain group discounts on residential solar energy systems, said on Thursday that it has raised $5 million in its first round of funding from New Enterprise Associates (NEA). Launched in 2008, One Block Off the Grid organizes interested homeowners into a large solar buying group to negotiate discounted rates from pre-selected installers. "Scaling 1BOG's model will create a tipping point for mass adoption of residential solar energy," said Ravi Viswanathan, a partner at NEA, 1BOG was founded at Virgance, a business incubation group in San Francisco. So far, the company has managed the installation of around 600 residential solar electric systems.
http://1bog.org /
http://www.nea.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/One-Block-Off-the-Grid-1BOG-prnews-4289059643.html?x=0&.v=1

San Francisco-Based Zynga Acquires Serious Business

San Francisco -- Zynga, the San Francisco-based publisher of social media games such as "Mafia Wars" and "FarmVille," said on Thursday that it will acquire Serious Business, a San Francisco-based developer of social games on Facebook. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Founded in 2008, Serious Business is backed by Lightspeed Venture Partners. The company said that its flagship game, "Friends for Sale," is played by over 6 million people a month. Zynga said that employees of Serious Business will joint Zynga at its headquarters. Zynga counts over 235 million monthly active users playing its games.
http://www.seriousbusiness.com
http://www.zynga.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100211005513/en/Zynga-Acquires-Social-Game-Developer-Business

MySpace CEO Owen van Natta Exits After Just Nine Months

Los Angeles -- After just nine months on the job, MySpace CEO Owen van Natta will step down, parent News Corp. announced late Wednesday. He will be replaced by new co-presidents Mike Jones and Jason Hirschorn, who along with van Natta joined MySpace in April 2009. Jones was formerly MySpace's COO, and before that founded Userplane and Tsavo media. Hirschorn, MySpace's head of product development, was previously president of Sling Media's entertainment group and chief digital officer at MTV Networks. "Owen took on an incredible challenge in working to refocus and revitalize MySpace, and the business has shown very positive signs recently as a result of his dedicated work," said Jon Miller, News Corp.'s chairman and CEO of Digital Media. "However, in talking to Owen about his priorities both personally and professionally going forward, we both agreed that it was best for him to step down at this time."
http://www.myspace.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100210006996/en/Owen-Van-Natta-Steps-MySpace-CEO%3B-Mike

Report: Apple, Networks in Talks on $1 TV Episode Downloads

Cupertino, Calif. -- Following months of negotiations, some TV networks have agreed to allow Cupertino-based Apple to cut the price of TV episodes sold through iTunes from $1.99 to $1, the Financial Times reported.b The price reduction would take effect when the company launches its iPad tablet computer in April, The report did not indicate which or how many networks had agreed to the pricing. Apple also is reportedly talking to the networks about a subscription-based service for TV episodes, which would bundle shows from different networks in a package costing $30 a month.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/14856f08-168e-11df-bf44-00144feab49a,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2F14856f08-168e-11df-bf44-00144feab49a.html&_i_referer=

Burlingame-Based Outsell Acquires The Gilbane Group

Burlingame, Calif. -- Outsell, a Burlingame-based research and advisory firm for the information and publishing industries, said that it has acquired The Gilbane Group, a Massachusetts-based provider of market analysis on content and information management technologies. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Founded in 1987, Gilbane provides coverage of trends in such areas as web content management, multilingual content, enterprise search, enterprise social media, publishing, XML and XBRL. It also sponsors conferences on content and information management technologies in North America and Europe, including the upcoming Gilbane San Francisco conference. With the acquisition, Outsell will now have a professional staff of 50, in addition to nearly two dozen affiliate analysts and consultants.
http://gilbane.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Gilbane-Group-joins-Outsell-bw-2811877631.html?x=0&.v=1

San Francisco-Based Encoding.com Raises $1.25 Million

San Francisco -- Encoding.com, a San Francisco-based provider of online video encoding services, saidon Wednesday that it has raised $1.25 million in its first round of funding, led by Metamorphic Ventures. Angel investors Patrick Condon, Fred Hamilton, Zelkova Ventures, Dave Morgan and Allen Morgan also participated. Launched in 2008, Encoding.com offers a cloud-based video encoding service for web site operators hosting user-generated and premium video. To date, the company has encoded more than 4 million videos, and encodes an average of 30,000 videos a day for customers including MTV Networks, Nokia, MySpace and Giant Realm. The company will use the funds to expand marketing, sales and brand building initiatives.
http://www.encoding.com/
http://blog.encoding.com/?p=225

SAIC Completes Deal for Sunnyvale-Based CloudShield Technologies

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Nearly a month after first announcing the deal, Virginia-based government technology contractor Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) said that it has completed its acquisition of Sunnyvale-based CloudShield Technologies. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Founded in 2000, CloudShield is the developer of a platform that lets service providers and governments inspect, analyze and control network traffic. The platform consists of computer hardware, operating systems, application development environments and numerous applications. SAIC said that the acquisition will bolster its cybersecurity offerings. CloudShield's 115 employees will join SAIC's Intelligence and Information Solutions unit, led by Larry Cox.
http://www.cloudshield.com
http://investors.saic.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=443911

AOL Integrates AIM Instant Messenger with Facebook Chat

Mountain View, Calif. -- AOL, which has Silicon Valley operations in Mountain View, said on Wednesday that it has integrated its AIM instant messenger with Facebook Chat, the instant messenger on social network Facebook. The move means that users of both services will be able to add friends and invite them to chat across both environments. "Integrating AIM and Facebook Chat is a great step on the path we’re pursuing to offer universal access through AIM across a variety of communications platforms," said Michelle Trainor, the vice president of AIM. The new service is available in beta at the top link below.
http://www.aim.com/beta
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100210006642/en/AOL-Integrates-AIM-Facebook-Chat

Menlo Park-Based Redpoint Ventures Closes New $400 Million Fund

Menlo Park, Calif. -- Redpoint Ventures, a Menlo Park-based venture capital firm focused on the technology sector, said on Tuesday that it has closed a new $400 million fund, known as Redpoint IV. The early-stage fund will be used to invest in the social and mobile Internet, cloud computing and clean technology spaces. Redpoint was an early investor in companies such as MySpace, Netflix, TiVo, and Juniper. Founded in 1999, the firm currently has over $2 billion under management.
http://www.redpoint.com
http://www.redpoint.com/news/portfolio/redpoint-ventures-forms-400-million-fund-for-social-and-mobile-internet-cloud-computing-and-clean-technology/

Google to Add 'Status Updates', Other Social Features to Gmail

Mountain View, Calif. -- Google plans to add new social features to its Gmail service that include the ability to share "status updates" and recent activity on third-party services with contacts, The Wall Street Journal reported. Citing people familiar with the matter, the paper said that the features are expected to be introduced as soon as this week. The Mountain View-based company reportedly hopes to bring Gmail's 176 million users some of the same features they are accustomed to seeing on sites like Facebook, which recently passed 400 million users. "It might look like a minor feature advance, but this is another blow in the war against Facebook," Jeremiah Owyang, a partner at technology consultancy Altimeter Group, told The New York Times.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703630404575053480962942848.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/technology/companies/09social.html

S.F.-Based Fotomoto Raises Funding for Self-Service Photo Monetization

San Francisco -- Fotomoto, a San Francisco-based service that lets photographers monetize their photos through contacts with web publishers, has raised $623,000 in funding, TechCrunch reported. Investors include Amidzad Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, BookRenter CEO Mehdi Maghsoodnia and SGN founder Shervin Pishevar. Launched in May 2009, Fotomoto now counts 2,800 web site publishing partners, including Mirror.co.uk, and features over 610,000 photos.
http://www.fotomoto.com
http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/09/fotomoto

Obama Administration Launches Open Government Dashboard

Washington, DC -- Federal CTO Aneesh Chopra and CIO Vivek Kundra on Tuesday unveiled the Open Government Dashboard, a new web page designed to let visitors visually track the progress of federal agencies as they strive to meet the Obama administration's deadlines on government transparency. The site evaluates the progress of agencies in their efforts to provide better access to information while giving the public more influence on key decisions -- something Obama has made a priority since taking office. The administration also has named 34 members to its newly formed Open Government Working Group, which will help evaluate the open government plans of individual agencies.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/open/around
http://www.whitehouse.gov/open/documents/open-government-directive/working-group
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/02/09/evolving-open-government-dashboard-with-you

Survey: Technology CFOs Increasingly Optimistic About Prospects

San Francisco -- More than two-thirds of CFOs at U.S. technology companies expect an increase in sales revenue in 2010, according to a new study by financial advisory firm BDO. That's up from just 30% who anticipated an increase last year. And in a dramatic shift from previous years, that vast majority (81%) of those interviewed expect merger and acquisition activity in the tech sector to increase this year -- up from 43% in 2009. "Technology CFOs are cautiously optimistic about the economy and growth in the sector this year, but they are still planning on conservative, managed growth for 2010," said Douglas Sirotta, a partner in the Technology Practice at BDO. "For the most part, the technology industry will continue to focus on streamlined operations, cost-cutting and innovation wherever possible.  Companies that are strong and looking to grow, however, can afford to be opportunistic in this market."
http://www.bdo.com/news/pr/1256

Oracle to Acquire Oakland-Based AmberPoint

Redwood Shores, Calif. -- Oracle, the Redwood Shores-based maker of back-office business software, said on Monday that it will acquire AmberPoint, an Oakland-based maker of service-oriented architecture (SOA) management software. Financial terms of the deal, expected to close by mid-year, were not disclosed. AmberPoint's software is designed to help clients diagnose and fix issues in application performance and business transactions. Oracle said that it will add AmberPoint's products to its Fusion Middleware SOA suite.
http://www.amberpoint.com/
http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/press/048842

Areva to Acquire Mountain View-Based Solar Firm Ausra

Mountain View, Calif. -- French green energy company Areva said on Monday that it  will acquire Mountain View-based Ausra, a developer of large-scale solar thermal energy systems. Financial terms of the deal, expected to close in the next few months, were not disclosed. Areva said that the acquisition will launch its new global solar energy business. Ausra, which raised $25.5 million in equity funding last April from investors including Khosla Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, makes solar concentrators designed to boil water with focused sunlight, generating high-pressure steam that drives conventional turbine generators. The company also is developing thermal energy storage systems that will allow solar electric power to be generated on demand. The business will continue to operate out of Mountain View, led by current CEO Robert Fishman.
http://www.ausra.com/ 
http://www.areva.com
http://www.ausra.com/news/releases/100208.html

New Free Text Service Aiming to Reduce Infant Mortality Rates

Alexandria, Va. -- Hoping to reduce rising infant mortality rates, the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB), working with several corporate and government partners, on Monday launched a free mobile service providing timely health information to pregnant women and new moms. The service, called Text4bab, allows women to text BABY to 511411, then receive three free texts each week timed to their due date. The messages focus on a variety of topics, such as preventing birth defects, immunization, nutrition and mental health. They also connect underserved women to resources involving prenatal and infant care. Federal CTO Aneesh Chopra helped launch the service, which is being supported by corporations such as Johnson & Johnson, WellPoint, Pfizer and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. More than a dozen wireless carriers are distributing the texts to recipients at no charge. The HMHB said that the service can have a substantial impact, since texting is especially prevalent among women of childbearing age and minority populations who face higher infant mortality rates.
http://text4baby.org/
http://www.hmhb.org/text4babypr.html

Report: AOL Working with Four Bidders on Sale of ICQ

New York -- AOL is in serious negotiations with four bidders to sell its ICQ instant messaging service, AllThingsD reported on Monday. Citing sources close to the situation, the blog said that the company is discussing a price around $200 million for the service, which is most popular with Internet users in Germany and Russia. The Wall Street Journal reported in December that AOL was in talks with Russia's Digital Sky Technologies about a potential sale. AOL originally paid $287 million, plus another $120 million in earn-outs, to purchase the service from Israel's Mirabilis in 1998.
http://www.icq.com/
http://kara.allthingsd.com/20100208/the-bids-are-in-for-aols-sale-of-icq-its-down-to-a-u-n-of-four-buyers/

Facebook Dumps Microsoft for Display Ads; Expands Search Deal

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Microsoft said that it will no longer sell display ads on Facebook, while at the same time expanding its search advertising partnership with the Palo Alto-based online social network. Facebook already had assumed responsibility for selling its own display ads in a number of foreign markets. "Given the kinds of advertisements that make sense within a product as unique as Facebook, it just made more sense for them to take the lead on this part of their advertising strategy," Jon Tinter, general manager of Bing at Microsoft, wrote in a blog post. Under the expanded search partnership, Facebook will provide "full access to great Bing features beyond a set of links, including richer answers combined with tools that help customers make faster, smarter decisions." Bing will now also power search on all of Facebook's properties worldwide, instead of just in the U.S.
http://www.bing.com/community/blogs/search/archive/2010/02/05/enhanced-cooperation-with-facebook-on-search.aspx