Monday, May 8, 2006Report: ValueClick, aQuantive Call Off MergerThe Wall Street Journal is reporting today that Westlake Village-based ValueClick was close to merging with Seattle-based aQuantive, a company in the Internet advertising sector, but called off the deal at the last minute. Both aQuantive and ValueClick are providers of online advertising services. ValueClick released its results today, saying that it earned $18.1M on revenues of $117.3M in the first quarter. The results included ValueClick's recent acquisitions, E-Babylon, Webclients, and Santa (More info...)
posted on Monday, May 8, 2006(Full story)
NASA Approves $2.5M Lunar Lander ChallengeNASA and the Santa Monica-based X PRIZE Foundation announced today that the X PRIZE Foundation will manage the first NASA Centennial Challenge, a competition which will award $2.5M in prizes to the first vehicle to simulate a trip between the Moon's surface, to lunar orbit, and back to the lunar surface. The X Prize foundation, which developed the Ansari X Prize, will manage the competitions at no cost to NASA, with NASA contributing the prize money. The Lunar Lander Challenge is scheduled to ta (More info...)
posted on Monday, May 8, 2006(Full story)
Interview with Winston Damarillo, Simula LabsMy interview this morning is with Winston Damarillo, CEO and Founder of Simula Labs (www.simulalabs.com), a Marina Del Rey-based firm that is developing companies based on open source software. Winston is the founder of Gluecode, which was purchased by IBM last year, and a former venture capitalist at Intel Capital. I spoke with Winston Friday, exactly a year to the day after the Gluecode's acquisition.
Ben Kuo: Tell me a bit about Simula and the idea behind the company?
Winston Damarillo: (More info...)
posted on Monday, May 8, 2006(Full story)
Yahoo Launches New Search Advertising PlatformYahoo's has rolled out a new, redesigned search advertising platform today, saying that over the third quarter of this year it will deploy a completely redesigned search advertising service to replace its existing system. Yahoo said that the new platform will help businesses to more easily connect to Yahoo's audience, and that the new search advertising program will include new application program interfaces (APIs), new campaign management applications, better geographic targeting of ads, along (More info...)
posted on Monday, May 8, 2006(Full story)
SOA Software Buys Web Services CompanyLos Angeles-based SOA Software has acquired Blue Titan, a web services networking company. Terms were not disclosed. SOA software said that it would add Blue Titan's technology and team to the firm. Blue Titan provides software for building Web Services networks. SOA said it will support Blue Titan's existing software. SOA Software is a provider of service oriented architecture (SOA) software, used for managing Web Services transactions and infrastructure.
posted on Monday, May 8, 2006(Full story)
Fonality Integrates With CbeyondLos Angeles-based Fonality has integrated its PBX system with Cbeyond, a managed service provider providing SIP-based voice service. Fonality, which is deploying a commercial version of the open source Asterisk PBX project, said that the move allows small and medium businesses to directly connect into Cbeyond's all-digital Voice over IP network, eliminating the audio degradation from the digital-to-analog conversion of voice. Cbeyond's network allows for full digital connection to a Voice-over-I (More info...)
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Convisia Names PresidentSan Diego-based Convisia, a provider of wireless document management systems, announced this morning that it has appointed Steven L. Stautzenbach as President of the company. Stautzenbach joins the firm from Digital Map Products, where he oversaw the company's sales, marketing, customer service, and business development. Stautzenbach has also served at Autoland.
posted on Monday, May 8, 2006(Full story)
REAL D Scores Win At Another Theater ChainBeverly Hills-based REAL D, a provider of 3-D systems for the movie theater industry, has scored a new win with Rave Motion Pictures Theaters, a Dallas-based theater chain. REAL D said that Rave will deploy its systems in another 20 of its properties nationwide, adding to Rave's existing deployment of 9 systems. REAL D provides a 3-D screen technology, which was used for Disney's Chicken Little movie last year. The company said that the installations at Rave will come before MONSTER HOUSE 3-D, a (More info...)
posted on Monday, May 8, 2006(Full story)