Archives: November 2009

Android Developer Challenge 2 Winners Announced

Posted by: Olga Kharif on November 30, Categories: Android

On Nov. 30, Google announced winners of its Android Developer Challenge 2, a competition to create the best apps for Android-based phones like the Motorola Droid. The overall winners are "SweetDreams," a tool that lets you go to sleep without having to tinker with phone settings; multi-player game "What the Doodle!?"; and "WaveSecure," a tool that protects a mobile user's data and privacy.

Attributor Sells Video Fingerprinting Business to Vobile

Posted by: Peter Burrows on November 30, Categories: video

UPDATE: After this post first went up, an Attributor PR representative contacted me to clarify that the company did not sell all of its video-only business to Vobile. So while...

Giffgaff MVNO Taps Into Crowd-Sourcing

Posted by: Olga Kharif on November 25, Categories: wireless

Launched on Nov. 25, British wireless service provider Giffgaff is focused on costs, and it plans to use its customers to slash them. The company, which uses O2's network, awards customers points for answering customer service calls, suggesting ways to grow revenues, and creating marketing materials.

TiVo: Glass Half-Full or Half-Empty?

Posted by: Cliff Edwards on November 25, Categories: Tivo

Digital video recording pioneer TiVo just can't seem to shake its good news, bad news reputation. Investors have found a lot to like about TiVo this year, bidding its stock...

Skype's Executive Shake-Up Begins

Posted by: Olga Kharif on November 25, Categories: Skype

On Nov. 24, Skype's chief operating officer, Scott Durchslag, announced he'll be leaving the Web-calling company. Chances are, this announcement is just the first of many executive changes to come now that new owners of Skype.

Google to Prompt Other Mobile Ads Networks Buys

Posted by: Olga Kharif on November 23, Categories: Google

Even post its recent acquisition of AdMob, Google is far from dominant in mobile ads, though it does control the largest, 24% slice of the market, according to a Nov. 23 report from consultant IDC. Google and AdMob should report $68 million in mobile ad revenue this year, IDC estimates. But Millennial Media, with its $51 million in sales, is nipping at Google's heels. And Yahoo and Microsoft are firing on on all cylinders in mobile ads as well.

Google Buys Teracent to Boost Display Ad Push

Posted by: Rob Hof on November 23, Categories: Google, Search, Teracent, Yahoo, advertising

If anyone doubted Google was serious about online display advertising, those doubts surely were quashed today. This morning, Google announced the acquisition of Teracent, a startup that helps advertisers format...

Calix Files IPO. Will Cyan Be Mike Hatfield's Next Big Hit?

Posted by: Peter Burrows on November 21, Categories: IPOs

After years of rumors, Calix Inc. finally filed to go public today. Here's the filing, which is sure to put CEO Carl Russo back in the spotlight. Besides being one...

DT to Seek U.S. Partners for T-Mobile USA

Posted by: Olga Kharif on November 20, Categories: wireless

T-Mobile USA's parent Deutsche Telekom is looking for U.S. partners to help fund the U.S. wireless carrier's network build-out, according to a report from Reuters and a German newspaper. Potential partners may include Clearwire, MetroPCS or Leap, according to the report.

Dell Disappoints on 3Q Sales and Profits

Posted by: Aaron Ricadela on November 19, Categories: Dell

Dell missed even modest expectations for its fiscal third quarter ended Oct. 30, but CFO Brian Gladden pointed to a sequential rise in fourth-quarter sales helped by the launch of...

Salesforce Jumps Into Collaboration Software With Chatter

Posted by: Aaron Ricadela on November 18, Categories: software as service

Salesforce.com Chief Executive Marc Benioff has never been shy about borrowing a bit of other companies’ mojo. On Nov, 18, he introduced the software company’s latest product, a business collaboration...

FCC to Speed Wireless Tower Approvals

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on November 18, Categories: wireless

With network neutrality rules in the works and an investigation into handset exclusivity deals underway, the Federal Communications Commission has not been a great favorite of the wireless industry of...

In-Stat: Carriers to Sell 1/3 of All Notebooks by 2013

Posted by: Olga Kharif on November 18, Categories: wireless

By 2013, carriers will sell 31% of all notebooks, according to a Nov. 18 report from consultant In-Stat. What this means is, in three years, nearly a third of new laptop buyers will be paying carriers like Verizon Wireless and AT&T a monthly laptop service fee, which stands at around $60 in the U.S. today. That fee would come in addition to what consumers pay for their mobile phone service.

Money Transfer: The Top Mobile App of 2012?

Posted by: Olga Kharif on November 18, Categories: wireless

Money transfer will be the No. 1 consumer application in year 2012, according to Nov. 18 report from consultant Gartner. The app is expected to have more revenue potential than mobile search and browsing, mobile health monitoring and mobile music. In fact, mobile transfers are expected to be an even bigger business than various types of mobile payments, such as using cell phones to pay for produce at grocery stores.

In Factery Labs' Search Engine, Facts Trump Links

Posted by: Rob Hof on November 17, Categories: Bing, Google, Search, Yahoo

Despite Google's inexorable gains in Internet search market share, search startups (and behemoths) keep trying to improve upon the search giant's results. Factery Labs, debuting early Nov. 17, aims to...

Moto Droid Off To A Good Start. But Is It Good Enough?

Posted by: Peter Burrows on November 16, Categories: Smart Phones

Market research firm Flurry, which tracks smart phone market share by monitoring usage of thousands of mobile apps, says Motorola sold 250,000 of its Droid smart phones in the device's...

Startups: Job Creation Engines (Are You Listening Obama?)

Posted by: Spencer Ante on November 16, Categories: Entrepreneurship

In this week's issue of BusinessWeek, we published the inaugural list of "The World's Most Intriguing New Companies." I am thrilled that we launched the package right as Global Entrepreneurship...

Hands on: BlackBerry Bold 9700

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on November 16, Categories: Smartphones

After a big run of flashy smartphone announcements, including the Motorola Droid/Milestone and even the BlackBerry Storm2, it was easy for the BlackBerry Bold 9700 to slip in under the...

Why Cisco Sweetened Its Deal For Tandberg

Posted by: Peter Burrows on November 16, Categories: Cisco

Cisco has sweetened its acquisition offer for Norway-based videoconferencing company Tandberg by 11%, to $3.4 billion. That should be enough to satisfy the 90%-plus of investors who had withheld their...

Glyde Debuts New Online Marketplace. E-Commerce 2.0?

Posted by: Rob Hof on November 16, Categories: Amazon.com, e-commerce, eBay

You wouldn't think the world would need another place for people to buy and sell used media such as DVDs, books, video games, and CDs. eBay and Amazon.com, along with...

Google Books: Scan First, Ask Questions Later

Posted by: Douglas MacMillan on November 14, Categories: E-books

In a revision to the Google Books Settlement filed in federal court late Friday night, Google and the Authors Guild made concessions to industry groups, regulators and others who have...

Apple Crushes Clone Maker in Court

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on November 14, Categories: Apple

Apple won a sweeping legal victory against Macintosh clone maker Psystar Corp. Nov. 13 when a federal judge in San Francisco ruled (PDF, courtesy of Groklaw) that Psystar had violated...

Will Dell's Smart Phone Get Lost In The Android Crowd?

Posted by: Peter Burrows on November 13, Categories: Dell

I blogged this morning over at Byte of the Apple about Dell's debut of its long-awaited smart phone over in China, given that the release comes on the heels of...

Is the Venture Capital Market Getting Its Mojo Back?

Posted by: Spencer Ante on November 13, Categories: venture capital

The venture capital market appears to be bottoming out after a long decline, according to a Fenwick & West survey of the venture capital market for the third quarter of...

Gartner: Gray-Market Phones Get Better

Posted by: Olga Kharif on November 12, Categories: wireless

Cell phones made by no-name manufacturers in China are "no longer just ultra-low cost models," according to a Nov. 12 report from consultant Gartner. "Gartner has torn down several gray-market products that showcase enhanced-phone features." Distributors report that gray-market shops are moving to incorporate 3G technology and high-resolution cameras into their devices, threatening businesses of everyone from Nokia to Apple.

UPDATED First Look: Palm Pixi, a Smaller, Less Capable Pre

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on November 12, Categories: Smartphones

UPDATED with battery specs The Palm Pre has gotten a little brother, the Pixi. And as is often the case with younger siblings, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Pixi,...

What's on the Web Tonight? Clicker Debuts Video Guide

Posted by: Rob Hof on November 12, Categories: Ask.com, Search, Social Media, Tivo, YouTube, advertising, video

How do you find what to watch online? Sites for finding and watching video abound, from search engines such as Blinkx and Truveo to hosted video sites such as YouTube...

Logitech Buys Videoconferencing Outfit LifeSize

Posted by: Peter Burrows on November 10, Categories: videoconferencing

PC peripherals maker Logitech International has done its largest ever acquisition, by purchasing videoconferencing system maker LifeSize Communications for $405 million. This definitely represents an interesting new twist in the...

Zynga CEO: Playfish Helps EA 'Catch Up'

Posted by: Douglas MacMillan on November 10, Categories: games

Mark Pincus has become the poster boy for the booming business of social online games. His company, Zynga, brings in more than $100 million in annual revenues, and owns the...

LinkedIn Boards the Twitter Train

Posted by: Rob Hof on November 09, Categories: Bing, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Social Media, Twitter, social networks

These days, it seems that everyone wants to be pals with Twitter, the microblogging phenom. On the morning of Oct. 21, Microsoft announced a deal for its Bing search engine...

Google Buys AdMob in Bid to Boost Mobile Ads

Posted by: Rob Hof on November 09, Categories: Google, Smart Phones, Smartphones, advertising, iPhone, mobile computing

In its third-largest acquisition to date, Google announced it's buying AdMob, a provider of mobile ad technologies, for $750 million in stock. The purchase, announced this morning, could give the...

RIM Teams With Adobe, Shows New Blackberry Features

Posted by: Arik Hesseldahl on November 09, Categories: Research In Motion

Blackberry maker Research In Motion is holding its Blackberry Developers Conference in San Francisco today, and is expected to announce some significant enhancements to its platform to give people building...

Droid: The New Android Marketing Brand

Posted by: Olga Kharif on November 05, Categories: wireless

This morning, Verizon Wireless announced Droid Eris, a new phone from HTC. The announcement comes on the heels of another, of Motorola Droid, another smartphone device based on Android software developed by Google and its partners. So Verizon Wireless has decided to develop a single brand for all Android-based phones it puts out: Droid, a company spokesperson confirms.

Google Dashboard: Control Panel for Your Data

Posted by: Rob Hof on November 05, Categories: Google, Privacy

Early this morning, Google is launching a new feature that lets you view what data is being stored on a range of Google services. Google Dashboard also will let you...

Conficker a Year Later--Help Stamp It Out

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on November 04, Categories: Cybersecurity

It's been a year since the Conficker worm first started turning up on Windows PCs and the Conficker Working Group estimates that there are still millions of computers infected with...

"Recovery Is Well Under Way," says Cisco's Chambers

Posted by: Peter Burrows on November 04, Categories: Cisco

Cisco just announced earnings for its first fiscal quarter that beat Wall Street's expectations by a wide margin, as well as its own expectations. The company posted revenue growth of...

myTouch's Users Tap Into Android Market

Posted by: Olga Kharif on November 04, Categories: Android

Half of T-Mobile myTouch 3G users visit Android Market at least once a day, according to a Nov. 4 report from T-Mobile USA. That's a good sign for Android Market and its creator, Google.

BlackBerry's Big Advantage over Apple iPhone

Posted by: Olga Kharif on November 04, Categories: Apple

BlackBerry devices enjoy at least one considerable advantage over rivals including the Apple iPhone: They use up much less wireless network capacity to complete the same tasks. That could prove to be an increasingly important advantage in the coming months.

Screen Shots of The New MSN

Posted by: Peter Burrows on November 04, Categories: Microsoft

Microsoft unveiled a redesigned MSN.com homepage last night, as I wrote about in this story. Most of you probably aren't seeing it on your PCs, as Microsoft is rolling it...

NY AG Cuomo Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Intel

Posted by: Arik Hesseldahl on November 04, Categories: Intel

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, has filed an antitrust lawsuit against the computer chip manufacturing giant Intel, accusing the company of engaging in a "systematic worldwide campaign of illegal,...

This is What Verizon's Largest Marketing Campaign Buys

Posted by: Spencer Ante on November 04, Categories: wireless

Last Thursday, I went down to Union Square in downtown New York City and ran into Verizon's marketing juggernaut for its new Droid phone. The new Motorola device, which was...

Apple iPhone's China Problem

Posted by: Olga Kharif on November 03, Categories: Apple

Apparently, China is impervious to Apple iPhone's charm. Apple's local partner, China Unicom, has only sold 5,000 units since the iPhone debuted in the country last week, according to reports. What's going on? Some observers blame the iPhone's high price. But consultant iSuppli points fingers at a different culprit: The Chinese gray market for the iPhone.

Fury over California's Proposed TV Rules

Posted by: Cliff Edwards on November 03, Categories: TV

With the California Energy Commission seemingly on the verge of outlawing flat-screen TV models that guzzle energy, the consumer electronics industry is taking issue with what it says are blatantly...

Can Cisco Prove It's The Most Open Of Them All?

Posted by: Peter Burrows on November 03, Categories: Cisco

Cisco announced another major initiative today, called the Virtual Computing Environment coalition. It's designed to make it a power in the data center and the emerging world of cloud computing....

Best Buy Taps CinemaNow For Video on Demand

Posted by: Cliff Edwards on November 03, Categories: video

Best Buy is stepping up its effort to promote downloadable content by choosing to make Sonic Solution's CinemaNow service a common feature on all types of electronic devices it sells....

Hedge Fund King John Paulson "Disappointed" By His Bio

Posted by: Spencer Ante on November 02, Categories: Finance

One of the most anticipated books of the global financial meltdown just got a bit of public relations problem. The book, The Greatest Trade Ever, written by Wall Street Journal...