Tuesday, October 6, 20097digital Launches In North America, With LA HeadBritish MP3 download site 7digital has launched its site in the U.S., with its North American VP based here in Los Angeles. The site--which allows users to download MP3 content from such studios as Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and EMI Music--said it has over 6 million tracks licensed for distribution. 7digital is backed by music retailer HMV Group, and venture firms Balderton Capital and Sutton Place. 7digital takes on firms such as Amazon, Rhapsody, and N (More info...)
posted on Tuesday, October 6, 2009(Full story)
Central Desktop Switches To Zoho For Spreadsheet SupportPasadena-based Central Desktop, which offers a software-as-a-service, team project management application, is being forced to swap out its spreadsheet support, telling its users today that it is switching from using EditGrid to Zoho's Sheet product. The firm said the move comes due to a forced "sunset" in its partnership with EditGrid. A notice to EditGrid customers indicates that EditGrid is terminating licenses to all of its licensees, making its product available for free to web users, to wor (More info...)
posted on Tuesday, October 6, 2009(Full story)
Stamps.com Eyes eBay Sellers, AgainLos Angeles-based PC-postage provider Stamps.com is looking to edge into the market for electronic postage on eBay, saying that it will waive service fees to eBay sellers signing up for its services between now and December 31st. Stamps.com said that it now supports retrieving orders, printing shipping labels, and posting back tracking numbers and other information back to eBay stores for sellers, a new feature of its latest version of software. eBay's own Internet postage service is powered by (More info...)
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RFaxis Gets Design Win With Taiwanese FirmIrvine-based RFaxis, a developer of wireless RF semiconductors, said today that it has signed Jorjin Technologies, a electronics firm based in Taipei, as a customer. RFaxis said that Jorjin Technologies is using the firm's RF, front-end integrated circuits as part of a wireless module for mobile phones and consumer electronics devices. Financial impact of the win was not disclosed. RFaxis is designing a BiCMOS-based, RF front end which reduces the complexity and component count for wireless desi (More info...)
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Accumetrics Raises $16.5MSan Diego-based Accumetrics said today that it has raised $16.5M in new capital. The funding round came from Arnerich Massena, BBT Fund/Apothecary Capital, Essex Woodlands Health Ventures, Kaiser Permanente Ventures and RiverVest Venture Partners. Accumetrics is developing a diagnostics system for measuring an individual's repsonse to multiple antiplatelet agents, which helps determine the risk of death, heart attack, or stroke for heart disease patients. The firm said the funding will fully fin (More info...)
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Row 44 Inks Partners For Shopping PortalWestlake Village-based Row 44, a developer of satellite-based, wireless Internet connectivity for commercial aircraft, said today that it has created a "walled-garden" portal for airlines. The firm--which is powering wireless Internet for airlines such as Southwest and Alaska Airlines--said that its "Skytown Center" will offer shopping from SkyMall, video programming form HSN, and other services from JiWire, BeDynamic, and Pinger. The firm said the "walled garden" will be accessible at no charge (More info...)
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Western Digital Rolls Out New Hard DrivesLake Forest-based Western Digital has rolled out a new line of hard drives today, with the added twist of reporting the amount of free space available on the drive on external indicators. WD said its three new lines of external drives--the My Book Studio, My Book Elite, and My Passport Elite--range in capacity from to 320GB to 2TB in capacity. The firm's My Passport Elite has an illuminated gauge showing how much capacity remains on a drive. The My Book Elite has an "smart display" which shows a (More info...)
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Cymer Names Board MemberSan Diego-based Cymer, a publicly held supplier of light sources for the semiconductor manufacturing industry, said it has named Eric Ruttenberg to its board today. Ruttenberg is Co-Managing Member of the General Partner of investors Tinicum Capital Partners II, L.P., an investor in the firm.
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Semtek Details Series B FundingSan Diego-based Semtek, a developer of security technology for protecting magnetic stripe data on credit cards, has announced more details of the firm's Series B funding round. According to the firm, the round--which had been made public last week by investor VeriFone--gives VeriFone 19.9% of the fully diluted shares of Semtek. Other investors in the firm are Venrock and RRE Ventures, who were prior investors in the company. Semtek claims its security technologies are "highly effective" in stopp (More info...)
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Soliant Names New CEOMonrovia-based Soliant Energy, a developer of solar concentrators targeted at the commercial market, announced today that it has named a new CEO and Chairman, Dr. Terry Bailey. Bailey joins from Evergreen Solar, where he was Senior Vice President, Marketing and Sales. Bailey replaces Marco DeMiroz. Soliant is venture backed by GE, Nth Power, Convexa, Rockport Capital, Trinity Ventures, and Rincon Venture Partners.
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EON Reality Gets Win in LondonIrvine-based EON Reality, a developer of interactive 3D software, reported Monday afternoon that its products are being used in a facility at the Innovation Technology Centre (IvT Centre) and Simulator at Design London. Financial impact of the deal was not disclsoed. The firm said it is providing 3D design and visualization tools, including 3D stereoscopic displays, multi-dimensional modeling and more to students and business partners at Design London, which is run by the Royal College of Arts, (More info...)
posted on Tuesday, October 6, 2009(Full story)