VentureBeat |
- Test-prep company Knewton takes online courses to next level: university
- On the GreenBeat: Sierra Club sues over solar plant, LDK Solar takes $33 million stake in Solar Power
- Deals & More: Cloudpic gets $6M to bring global artists together, RootMusic raises $2.3M to help musicians reach new fans
- Offermatic debuts new deals, features as it tries to muscle into the group-buying bonanza
- 5 things you’re doing that are killing your culture
- AQT opens second factory for thin-film CIGS production
- SiBEAM leads charge on next-generation wireless home networking
- China’s LDK Solar takes $33 million majority stake in Solar Power, looks to widen U.S. reach
- Motorola and LG announce 4G tablets running Android 3.0
- Microsoft gives LCDs the power to see with Surface 2.0
- Electric car startup Coda raises $76 million towards pre-IPO goal
- Microsoft demos future Windows version running on Intel and ARM chips (video)
- Android 3.0 for tablets looks like a leap beyond iPad for Google (video)
- Zynga buys social browser Flock … or maybe just its engineering team
- Microsoft sells a staggering 8M Kinect motion control systems
| Test-prep company Knewton takes online courses to next level: university Posted: 06 Jan 2011 07:36 AM PST
The announcement marks a shift for the New York based startup company, which to date had only provided test-prep programs. ASU's decision to use online, instructorless remedial education raises the question of just how much new technologies could disrupt the traditional university model. ASU students who score below a certain threshold on the math portions of a preliminary assessment will be required to use the Knewton-powered adaptive-learning program. The web-based program will generate homework assignments based on each student's individual proficiency levels and learning styles, and adapts as students score better in a certain type of problem. Based on the data from the online program, ASU will also provide virtual and in-person tutoring. Once students demonstrate college readiness in mathematics, they will advance into ASU instructor-led math courses. The university hopes this will boost retention and graduation rates. In addition to the remediation program, ASU's two introductory math courses will also incorporate Knewton. Course professors can assign individualized homework through Knewton's platform, such that a certain percentage of incorrect answers on a preliminary problem set will trigger additional problems catered to a student's personal weaknesses. Knewton’s move into higher education core curriculum is one that CEO Jose Ferreira tells us was in the business plan from the beginning. It’s a step along the path to launching an open, adaptive-learning platform that Ferreira hopes will be used by students and content producers of any subject. Such a platform could provide individuals with an educational profile that tracks their proficiency levels and learning styles across disciplines, not unlike the way Facebook tracks a person's ever-changing social profile. The platform could also be used as a discovery engine for the most effective curriculum. "We can algorithmically determine who has the top performing content," Ferreira says. "If 10 people create the best content on how to convert fractions to numerals … we can psychometrically determine what is most effective." Ferreira's ambitions are big, but not everyone thinks improving education is a matter of data and algorithms. Karin Forssell, Program Director of the Learning, Design, and Technology Masters Program at Stanford University says adaptive learning engines might prove less effective outside of clear-cut subjects like math. "The bigger question is, what happens when you move from the disciplines where there are “right” answers (traditionally more lecture- and test-based) to those in which argument and interpretation are key (generally more discussion- and essay-based)," she wrote in an email to VentureBeat. "Assessing those 'fuzzy' subjects by computer is extremely challenging." Ferreira acknowledges that not every subject can be taught with adaptive-learning engines, but he says only the most abstract like philosophy and complex law fall out of its purview. And the usefulness isn't limited to hard sciences, he insists, as is evidenced by the fact that ASU recently asked Knewton for reading and writing programs as well. "If people can agree on what proficiency means, it can work with Knewton," he says. Jennifer Carolan, associate partner at New Schools Venture Fund (not a Knewton investor) and former high-school history teacher, says adaptive-learning technology has promise in the humanities. "Great teachers break down their subjects into learning bits which can become the basis for adaptive learning engines," she wrote in an email to VentureBeat. "While it's true that math and the hard sciences are more conducive to this format, there is still a lot of learning bits living in the heads of great English and history teachers that could populate adaptive learning engines in the humanities and facilitate faster learning there as well." Knewton is backed by a long list of angel investors, including Ron Conway, Reid Hoffman and Chris Dixon, and has raised a total of $21 million since its first round of financing in 2008. The company, which was named a 2011 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum at Davos, aims to launch a first version of its open API for programmers in March or August and hopes to have a version that is usable by any teacher or content creator by some time in 2012. Companies: Knewton
      |
| Posted: 06 Jan 2011 07:00 AM PST Here’s the latest action we’re following today on the GreenBeat: Sierra Club sues California regulators over solar plant — The suit alleges that the California Energy Commission improperly approved the Calico solar project, recently sold by Tessera Solar to developer K Road, Reuters reports. The suit alleges the project would have a negative impact on rare plant and animal species. Greentech Media argues the potential danger to wildlife outweighs the benefits of getting more renewable energy online. LDK Solar acquires 70 percent stake in Solar Power, Inc. (SPI) – The Chinese manufacturer of multicrystalline solar wafers announced it has taken a $33 million stake in solar project developer SPI. The deal should create demand for LDK’s modules by offering up Solar Power’s portfolio of projects. It shows the burgeoning LDK wants to follow in the footsteps of heavyweights like First Solar and Sharp by buying up or creating solar projects that will fuel demand for its products. Ineos Bio nabs $75 million loan guarantee from USDA — The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded the loan guarantee to Ineos Bio and its joint venture partner New Planet Energy. The money will go to the construction of a biofuels plant in Florida, which will have a capacity of eight million gallons and churn out ethanol produced from vegetative waste. Coda raises $76 million towards pre-IPO round — The electric car startup announced it has raised $76 million of a planned $125 million in what should be the company's final round of financing before it tries for an IPO. Its first car ever, the Coda sedan, it slated to launch in the second half of next year. Global car executives skeptical on affordable electric vehicles — Most automotive executives don’t think there will be a “reasonably priced” electric vehicle available to the masses in the next five years, according to a survey conducted by KPMG. They also don’t think the cars would be affordable without government subsidies, but see the electric vehicle segment as the fastest growing one in the market, the BBC reports. Ambient taps into $5 million company reserves — The smart grid communications infrastructure company announced it had converted a $5 million “holdback account” to company cash to strengthen its balance sheet. The company said the move was a girding of its loins in anticipation of “new strategic and market opportunities in 2011.” The account was created in 2009 as something of a rainy day fund. Ambient says it grew throughout 2010 and has a strong backlog of orders. AQT announces plans for second thin-film manufacturing plant — The new facility is slated to go into production by the start of 2012, and eventually grow to 1 gigawatt of capacity by the end of 2014. It will expand the company’s current capacity this year by 30 to 40 megawatts to help fill the AQT’s backlog of 160 megawatts. AQT makes thin-film CIGS cells, so named for their ingredients of cadmium, indium, gallium and selenide. Chevrolet Volt gets Powermat wireless device charger — The Volt (pictured) will be among the first of GM cars to get the mats installed, which will allow electronics like iPods and smartphones to be charged wirelessly. (Which is cool, but not as cool as being able to charge an entire electric car wirelessly.) GM announced it would invest $5 million in Powermat through its venture capital arm. First Solar moves ahead to build 2 gigawatts of plants in China — The industry leader has signed a memorandum of understanding with China Guangdong Nuclear Solar Energy Development Co. to develop the first phase, a 30-megawatt undertaking. The project will be built in China’s Inner Mongolia. It hopes to start construction in 2011, Earth2Tech reports. Wheego’s LiFe gets EPA approval — The startup electric carmaker will next need to pass safety ratings by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Once it does so, it can begin delivering vehicles to buyers, the Wall Street Journal reports. Companies: Ambient, AQT, AQT Solar, Chevrolet, Coda, First Solar, GM, KPMG, Solar Power Inc., Wheego
   |
| Posted: 06 Jan 2011 06:00 AM PST Today’s funding announcements include ways for artists to produce content and engage fans online:
RootMusic scores $2.3M to increase musicians’ online presence: The San Francisco-based startup has raised new equity and debt financing for BandPage, its music and entertainment app on Facebook, according to a filing with the SEC. Founded in late 2009, the company makes it simple for artists to create high quality Facebook pages to promote their work online. 33Across brings in $9M to help marketers find new customers: The New York-based company has raised a second round of funding led by Flybridge Capital Partners with participation from First Round Capital and QED Investors. The firm, whose name is a reference to crossword puzzles, has developed a social targeting platform to help clients like eBay and Gilt Groupe identify potential new customers using social graph data. TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals gets $23M to treat diseases: The Malvern, Penn.-based company has closed a second tranche of its third funding round, the company announced today. Backed by Clarus Ventures, Hatteras Venture Partners, Pfizer Ventures and others, the biopharmaceutical company is developing small molecule drugs to destroy cancer cells and treat debilitating diseases. Companies: 33Across, Clarus Ventures, Cloudpic, Dreamworks Animation, eBay, EDBI Investments, Facebook, First Round Capital, Flybridge Capital Partners, Gilt Groupe, Gobi Partners, Hatteras Venture Partners, Pfizer Ventures, QED Investors, RootMusic, TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals
   |
| Offermatic debuts new deals, features as it tries to muscle into the group-buying bonanza Posted: 06 Jan 2011 06:00 AM PST
The company, which came out of stealth mode last month, bills itself as a "Groupon/Mint.com/Blippy hybrid" that doesn't share user information publicly. Groupon and other group-buying competitors sign members up to receive deeply discounted offers from local merchants looking to grab new customers and hip reputations online. But Offermatic says it uses a new model that improves conversion rates of return customers by 10 – 100 times over existing methods for merchants by linking "virtual coupons" directly to consumers' credit cards. The announcements it made today include: * Partnerships with 150 merchants — that’s up 100 percent from 75 merchants at its launch Dec. 7. * Members can now get more valuable offers by progressing through different "levels" within the Offermatic platform, unlocking better offers by using their points. * Members earn points for adding more debit or credit cards to Offermatic, for transactions made using those cards, for inviting others to use Offermatic, and by sharing offers on Twitter and Facebook. Offermatic enables online targeting of offline purchases – where 94 percent of all commerce happens – bringing the hyper-targeting of Google Adwords to real world commerce. The company said its new tools will keep it competitive in the increasingly crowded group-buying space as it tries to tempt new members into using technology that makes redeeming offers easier. “We introduced some elements of game mechanics to the platform that give members the opportunity to use their points to level up to even higher savings levels,” Faisal Qureshi, founder and CEO of Offermatic told me. “With our expanded platform, better deals, and new merchants, Offermatic becomes significantly more competitive.” The company is currently funded by private angel investors, with seed funding by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Bessemer Venture Partners. Companies: Bessemer Venture Partners, Blippy, Facebook, Groupon, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byer, Mint.com, offermatic, Twitter People: faisal quereshi
   |
| 5 things you’re doing that are killing your culture Posted: 06 Jan 2011 06:00 AM PST (Editor's note: Clate Mask is co-author of the New York Times bestseller Conquer the Chaos and CEO of Infusionsoft. He submitted this column to VentureBeat.) We're kind of crazy about culture at my company. We know that happy employees make happy customers make happy shareholders. Plus, it's just a lot more fun to go to work when you enjoy the environment, your co-workers and the company's mission. We make it a point to study great cultures—Disney, Zappos and NetFlix are on our list- and we're huge followers of Jim Collins' work regarding culture building. We even have a staff position dedicated to running the company's culture. Over the years, I've come to realize that creating a great culture almost always boils down to the management-employee relationship. The natural wedges that typically drive apart management and employees must be attacked constantly. The complete list of those wedges is massive, but I've found they all generally fall into one of five big categories. If you're serious about creating a great corporate culture, here are the five areas in which you need to assess your company: Hiding the numbers – Does everyone in your company know where the company stands financially? Along with the usual financial suspects – revenues, expenses, profit, cashflow – ensure that employees know the key drivers of performance metrics. And make sure they know how the company's doing with them? The more you share, the more people can make a difference. Hoarding the decision-making – It's easy to keep decision-making authority restricted to one person or a small group. But by empowering front-line employees – regardless of their title – to solve problems, you allow them to grow. People generally live up to the decision-making power they're granted. Withholding praise - In Marcus Buckingham's book, "First Break all the Rules," he suggests people need specific positive feedback on their job performance AT LEAST every seven days. Are you doing this with your direct reports? If not, their fire may be dying. Catch them doing something good. Some managers believe people shouldn't be praised because they are paid to perform. Other managers know people perform better when they are praised. The former managers rarely create anything great, leaving a wake of resentful employees in their path. Bottling up the strategy - Is your strategy plan clearly articulated, written out and shared with the company or stuck in the recesses of your mind? An un-articulated strategy is almost certain to fail… especially if you've got more than an employee or two. Talking down to employees – Too many in the labor pool are made to feel like second class citizens. Intelligence and good ideas are hardly confined to owners and managers. At the heart of great cultures, you'll find leaders who love working with others, leaders who want to "partner" with employees to create a great company. Too many people say they want to create a great culture, but don't want to overcome the one, fundamental barrier to culture building: Ego. If you're not willing to see your employees as equals, stop saying you want to build a great culture, because it won't happen.
   |
| AQT opens second factory for thin-film CIGS production Posted: 06 Jan 2011 05:00 AM PST
The new facility is slated to start production CIGS cells by the start of 2012, and eventually grow to 1 gigawatt of capacity by the end of 2014. It will be built in phases, starting outfitting the facility with 30 to 40 megawatts of capacity this year to expand current capacity in order to fill the backlog. Its existing plant in Sunnyvale, Calif. opened last year with 15 megawatts of capacity and is planned to grow to 30 to 40 megawatts of capacity by the end of this year. The company opened its first plant last August even as thin-film solar technology appeared to fall on hard times, with companies like Applied Materials and Suntech shutting down their thin-film fabs. AQT says it can compete on cost that rivals other CIGS makers. The predominant technology on the market is crystalline silicon, which Chinese solar panel makers have dominated that field in terms of price competition, fueled by strong subsidy support by the government. CIGS technology, named for its copper, indium, gallium and selenide ingredients, became a hot concept a couple of years ago when silicon prices soaredand entrepreneurs went looking for cost-saving technologies. But silicon prices have since stabilized, throwing thin-film players into a murky area (though it’s worth noting that top global manufacturer First Solar produces cadmium telluride thin-film panels). Thin-film technology yields smaller efficiencies compared to crystalline silicon (around 10 percent versus 20 percent); CIGS player MiaSole reported a bar-setting efficiency rate of 15.7 percent last month. DOE loan chief Jonathan Silver pointed to U.S. thin-film solar companies like cadmium telluride thin-film outfit Abound Solar as example of how the U.S. will compete globally in solar. Last month, Abound got a $400 million DOE loan guarantee and raised $110 million in venture capital. Thin-film players like Oerlikon, Abound, MiaSole, Nanosolar and Solyndra are still in the game (Solyndra closed its first factory in November following a pulled IPO in June). Last year marked a blockbuster year for the global solar industry, which grew more than 100 percent to 16.3 gigawatts, according to research company SolarBuzz, which expects 20.4 gigawatts to be installed next year thanks to some cutbacks on favorable solar policies from the strong market of Germany. Bloomberg New Energy Finance solar analyst Nathaniel Bullard predicts this will be a down year by solar standards — meaning 25 percent growth compared to the 40 to 100 percent growth seen in previous years. “It will mean compressed margins for most of the large manufacturers, but it could also mean an increase in demand in the U.S.,” Bullard said. Companies: Abound Solar, Applied Materials, AQT Solar, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Miasole, NanoSolar, Oerlikon, Solyndra, Suntech People: Nathaniel Bullard
   |
| SiBEAM leads charge on next-generation wireless home networking Posted: 06 Jan 2011 05:00 AM PST
If a big ecosystem comes together around SiBEAM’s technology — or that of its rivals — then consumers could enjoy a new wave of wireless products, such as displays that have no cables or PCs that can effortlessly display the highest-quality videos on flat-screen TVs. SiBEAM made the announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show, the big tech show in Las Vegas this week. Both sides are making progress in the march toward faster wireless networking. But there’s no telling yet who will triumph. So some of the consumer electronics manufacturers are supporting both camps. Still other groups, such as the Multimedia over Coax Alliance, want users to transfer data within the home over cable TV wiring. SiBEAM’s chips can wirelessly transfer data at 4 gigabits a second across a distance of 10 meters. Beyond that, the data rate degrades with increasing distance but can reach beyond 30 meters. At its fastest, the wireless transfer speed is about 10 times faster than traditional Wi-Fi wireless networking. SiBEAM does this by using the higher-frequency 60 gigahertz band of the wireless spectrum. There is, however, a lot of competition. A group known as the Wireless Home Digital Interface (WHDI) is headed by the rival startup Amimon, which makes wireless networking chips. WHDI announced this week that a number of new consumer electronics companies — Haier, Hisense, TCL and Vivitek — are demonstrating WHDI wireless networking products at CES. Makers of PCs, tablets, and mobile devices are also showing off WHDI products. Amimon’s technology uses the 5-gigahertz spectrum to transfer data wirelessly as much as 30 meters at hundreds of megabits per second. SiBEAM, meanwhile, said that its supporters include Dell (which will include the WirelessHD capability on a new Alienware M17x R3 gaming laptop). Asus will also use WirelessHD in a couple of laptops. Abocom will introduce WirelessHD docking stations for the iPad and iPhone. Vizio will showcase TV components that use the WirelessHD technology, and Monster will also show off high-definition multimedia (HDMI) adapters using WirelessHD. Best Buy has also begun selling a WirelessHD in-house wireless networking product. And SiBEAM said it has partnered with graphics chip maker Nvidia and contract manufacturer Foxconn. A third consortium, the WiGig alliance, hopes to combine 60-gigahertz technology with traditional Wi-Fi in a new wireless networking standard. SiBEAM supports that effort but is forging ahead with its own products and consortium in the meantime. SiBEAM said it plans to launch its third generation of chips in 2011 and a fourth generation in 2012. Those chips will have better performance at a lower cost, and at some point, SiBEAM will support wireless networking in mobile products as well as higher video resolutions. SiBEAM was formed in 2004 and recently raised $36.5 million in venture funding.
   |
| China’s LDK Solar takes $33 million majority stake in Solar Power, looks to widen U.S. reach Posted: 06 Jan 2011 04:19 AM PST
The deal should create demand for LDK’s modules by offering up the California-based SPI’s portfolio of projects, which include utility-scale power plants. It has also developed commercial-scale distributed generation projects at a Costco building and the Staples Center in Los Angeles and also manufactures solar modules and tracking systems. SPI gains in the deal by getting a strengthened balance sheet; it will also sell to LDK some manufacturing equipment and hand over control of its former module manufacturing facility in Shenzhen, China. LDK’s shares rose this week on news it raised $240 million by selling a minority stake in its polysilicon unit to investors, and the company also reported strong order books for 2011. It has a financial support from the government via credit lines at state-run banks despite having shaky financials, according to the Motley Fool. The deal exemplifies two trends in the solar market right now. Firstly, it shows the move among manufacturers to buy up projects to ensure demand for its products. One major deal of that vein happened last fall when panel maker Sharp purchased for $305 million solar project developer Recurrent Energy. Top global panel manufacturers SunPower and First Solar have also purchased and developed their own solar projects around the world to lock in continued demand for their products and services. In the case of a recent SunPower deal, it designed and built a solar park in Italy then sold it to a new group of owners, but will continue to supply maintenance and operations. Secondly, the deal showcases another example of cross-pollination between Chinese and U.S. solar companies. While Chinese manufacturers have pushed prices down thanks to government subsidies — to the dismay of some U.S. solar contenders — they have also teamed with American companies for cutting-edge components. For example, Innovalight sells its efficiency-boosting solar panel ink to Chinese manufacturers like JinkoSolar. Startup Azuray has inked deals to provide its solar harvest optimization technology to Chinese solar panel and parts manufacturers Suntech and Renhe. Companies: Azuray, First Solar, Innovalight, JinkoSolar, LDK Solar, Renhe, Solar Power Inc., SunPower
   |
| Motorola and LG announce 4G tablets running Android 3.0 Posted: 05 Jan 2011 11:53 PM PST
Motorola is calling its long-awaited tablet the Xoom, a 10.1-inch tablet running on Verizon’s 4G LTE network. It will sport a dual-core 1 gigahertz processor, 1080p high-definition playback (with a HDMI output to display content on TVs), and front and rear-facing cameras at 2 megapixels and 5MP respectively. Motorola says the Xoom will launch in the first quarter of this year, and isn’t saying anything about price just yet. LG, perhaps seeing the attention Motorola was getting with its tablet announcement, announced its 4G tablet: the T-Mobile G-Slate. We don’t know much about the G-Slate yet, other than the fact that it runs the tablet-friendly Android 3.0 OS (which looks slicker than the iPad’s interface, in my opinion), and that it will be available “in coming months.” We expect to get the full skinny on the tablet tomorrow morning at T-Mobile’s CES press conference. Companies: Lg, motorola, T Mobile, Verizon
   |
| Microsoft gives LCDs the power to see with Surface 2.0 Posted: 05 Jan 2011 11:21 PM PST
Unlike the bulky original Surface, which required a large cabinet to house cameras, the new version looks no thicker than a traditional LCD display. Microsoft’s new PixelSense technology allows the new Surface displays to see without the need for a camera. It can recognize fingers, hands and other objects pressed directly onto the screen — a Microsoft representative showed how it can recognize text written onto a piece of paper. Microsoft worked together with Samsung to deliver the new version of Surface, which will be available for retail as the “Samsung SUR40 with Microsoft Surface”. The company lists Red Bull and the Royal Bank of Canada as early adopters of the new technology, and it will also be available in Microsoft’s retail stores. The new Surface can be mounted on walls, instead of being something you look down on like the previous version. The Royal Bank of Canada will be using the displays to read forms that are mailed to its customers. With the new form factor, there are vastly more potential uses for Surface. Microsoft says the Samsung SUR40 will be available in 23 countries worldwide later this year. There’s no word on pricing yet, but I suspect it will be cheaper than the original Surface, which is currently available for $12,500 to commercial buyers. Microsoft now says that it will retail for $7,600. People: steve ballmer
   |
| Electric car startup Coda raises $76 million towards pre-IPO goal Posted: 05 Jan 2011 10:37 PM PST
Coda wants its public offering to become a reality this year, a Coda spokesman told VentureBeat last fall. That may all hinge on the success of its first car launch — an all-electric, five-seat sedan priced at $44,900 before government incentives. The car was initially planned for launch last month, then pushed back to the third quarter of this year. This brings the total raised to $201 million. As of September, the company had raised $60 million towards the current round. Investors in this round include new investors Harbinger Capital Partners and Riverstone Holdings and existing investors Aeris Capital (which led Coda’s third round of fundraising) and founding venture backers Angeleno Group. The company’s founder and co-chairman Miles Rubin and interim CEO and Steven “Mac” Heller also invested. Still, Coda still has a lot to prove. It has not yet announced a replacement for its former CEO Kevin Czinger, a Goldman Sachs alum who stepped down “by mutual” consent in November; the company cited wanting new leadership with strong manufacturing experience as Coda moves into full-scale production of the car. Interim CEO Steven “Mac” Heller is currently at the reins (also a former Goldman executive), and told VentureBeat he is not in the running for the permanent position. It also delayed the release of its sedan, which was initially to debut last month and go head-to-head with Big Auto contenders like the all-electric Nissan Leaf and partially electric Chevrolet Volt. It’s unclear whether that will adversely affect sales of the car, though. As a newcomer to the scene, Coda will initially sell in California, with Apple-like stores with a no-pressure sales environment that it says will allow wandering mall shoppers to get their questions about electric cars answered. The company will also has invested $100 million in equity in a joint venture with Chinese battery company Lishen. The partnership produces battery which has prompted debate over whether or not it is a Chinese-made car. Coda is ramping up for a rather aggressive sales target of 14,000 vehicles sold in the first year of production, 40 to 50 percent of which it says will will be from fleet sales. But there are some concerns about whether or not it'll hit those goals. Industry watchers have been skeptical of Coda considering its car is priced about $12,000 more than its better-known competitor, the Nissan Leaf. The sedan will cost nearly $45,000 before federal and state tax incentives. However, the company — and some analysts — argue that demand for electric cars in the market is currently greater than available supply, so Coda could steal sales from buyers too impatient to wait for the Leaf, which is currently is backlogged with about 20,000 reservations (which are now closed). Companies: Aeris Capital, Angeleno Group, Coda, Harbinger Capital Partners, Riverstone Holdings People: Kevin Czinger, Miles Rubin, Steven Heller
   |
| Microsoft demos future Windows version running on Intel and ARM chips (video) Posted: 05 Jan 2011 09:51 PM PST
If these ARM-based rivals can succeed in the market with their chips, they could break Intel’s near-monopoly on Windows PCs. And if Microsoft can do it, Apple probably can too. You can see the demo for yourself in the video. Each different chip has its advantages. The Nvidia chip, for instance, can display software with lots of rich graphics. The significance of this can’t be understated. The demo shows that the future version of Windows is running, although there’s no telling when it will arrive. And the fact that it can run on both Intel and ARM hardware means that Microsoft stands poised to get its Windows software into PCs, phones, and tablet computers now. Companies: Arm, Intel, Microsoft, Nvidia, Texas Instruments People: steve ballmer
   |
| Android 3.0 for tablets looks like a leap beyond iPad for Google (video) Posted: 05 Jan 2011 09:43 PM PST Google today previewed its upcoming tablet-friendly Android 3.0 update at the Consumer Electronics Show, and it looks unlike any version of Android we’ve ever seen. The video shows off a slick new user interface that Google describes as a “truly virtual holographic interface” built specifically for large-screen devices. We’re not sure if that means it won’t be available for phones, but I would honestly find it surprising if Google made that sort of restriction. At the very least, much of what we see in Android 3.0 will make it into the next major update for Android phones. Android 3.0 will sport a revamped home screen, browser, and email all optimized for tablets. Additionally, there’s a new YouTube interface and support for the new version of Google Maps that first appeared on Android 2.3. The OS will also let Google Talk users video chat between tablets and computers — a feature we definitely expect to see on phones soon as well. Most impressive to me is the vast leap Android 3.0 demonstrates beyond earlier versions of Android running on tablets. With Android 3.0, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab will be much more compelling and an actual competitor to the iPad — something that will hold true for all Android 3.0-powered tablets. Companies: Google
   |
| Zynga buys social browser Flock … or maybe just its engineering team Posted: 05 Jan 2011 07:09 PM PST
Chief executive Shawn Hardin wrote that the deal is a "perfect fit" and that "Flock will help Zynga in achieving their goal of building the most fun, social games available to anyone, anytime – on any platform." (Zynga has built its massive audience on Facebook, but is now trying to diversify.) The company's browser allows users to access their social networks while browsing other websites. Hardin said Flock had 10 million users worldwide, which is a substantial audience, but not exactly a huge hit for a five-year-old company that raised about $30 million in venture funding. (Flock's lack of success was one of the reasons to be skeptical when RockMelt, a browser with a similar concept, launched in November.) Last week, I complained about "manquisitions", where startups are "acquired" as a way to hire senior team members while the product is abandoned. Is this the first manquisition of 2011? TechCrunch suggests that it might be, because Zynga, Twitter, and Google were all trying to acquire the company's engineering talent. Hardin is vague about the future of the Flock product: "We thank our users for their unwavering support and dedication. We'll have more news about our products in the month ahead." The terms of the deal were not disclosed. This marks Zynga's eighth acquisition in eight months. It last acquired mobile game company Newtoy. (Zynga CEO Mark Pincus is pictured above.) People: Shawin Hardin
   |
| Microsoft sells a staggering 8M Kinect motion control systems Posted: 05 Jan 2011 07:07 PM PST
That’s a pretty staggering number for a brand new $149 product. Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer revealed the number today during his keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. He also said that Xbox Live has more than 30 million active users and Microsoft has now sold more than 50 million Xbox 360s. Kinect is a gesture-control system that senses your entire body’s motion and translates that into inputs for the game console. You can use it to control games by waving your arms or legs around, sort of like the Nintendo Wii on steroids. The Kinect system works well for simple dance and social games, where you can play together with friends.
Microsoft will also launch a new game called Kinect Avatar, which will let you set up video communications with your friends. Only you won’t see them. When you speak, your friends will see your avatar, or Xbox 360 character, say the words. You can have group conversations avatar to avatar. Microsoft will also release a social ESPN football rivalry game that uses Kinect. You can make bets about who will win games in College Bowl Showdown. The game will let you see which friends are doing best throughout the season. Companies: Microsoft People: steve ballmer
   |
Cloudpic grabs $6M to help artists collaborate from anywhere: The 
New group-buying company 
Thin-film solar cell maker AQT Solar announced today it will open a second manufacturing plant in Richland County, South Carolina to help fill its current order backlog of 160 megawatts.
The next-generation wireless networking market is still a battleground, but 
In a move to beef up demand for its product, Chinese solar wafer manufacturer LDK Solar 
Tablets, tablets, tablets. That’s what the Consumer Electronics Show has felt like so far, and both Motorola and LG continue the craze with their newly announced 4G Android 3.0 tablets.
Microsoft’s Surface touchscreen technology for large displays has lost a lot of bulk in its newest iteration, and in the process it has also given LCDs the power to see with its new PixelSense technology.
Electric car startup Coda announced it has raised $76 million of a planned $125 million in 
Social Web browser 
Since November, Microsoft has sold more than 8 million Kinect motion-control systems for the Xbox 360 video game console.
But Microsoft plans more for it. During the speech, Microsoft said that you will be able to use Kinect to control all of your TV shows and movies on Netflix and Hulu this spring. You can speak voice commands to play movies or navigate through a library.| You are subscribed to email updates from VentureBeat To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar