Wednesday, January 6, 2010DIRECTV Planning 3D BroadcastsEl Segundo-based satellite broadcaster DIRECTV said Wednesday at CES that it is in a deal with HDTV manufacturer Panasonic, to broadcast 3D television starting in June of 2010. According to DIRECTV, its customers will receive a free software upgrade showing three, dedicated 3D channels to 3D television sets, including Panasonic's VIERA Full HD 3D TVs. Panasonic will be sponsoring the new HD 3D channels for one year. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. DIRECTV said the initial 3D c (More info...)
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Cool Planet Biofuels Gains $3.5MCamarillo-based Cool Planet Biofuels, which is developing technology to maximize fuel energy for cellulosic biomass, has quietly raised $3.5M in funding, according to a recent regulatory filing by the firm. The source of that funding was not disclosed. Cool Planet Biofuels is headed by Mike Chieky, who is also involved with firms Transonic Combustion and ZPower.
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Los Angeles Projects Get Slice of $47M DOE EffortTwo, Los Angeles-area projects are the beneficiaries of the Department of Energy's $47M funding effort, announced today, to bolster technologies that can improve energy efficiency in the information technology and communications technology sector. According to Energy Secretary Steven Chu, the DOE has awarded the $47M across 14 projects across the country, including a project from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), and one from Federspeil Controls. The DOE said it awarded $300,000 (More info...)
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CODA Automotive Gets $25M MoreSanta Monica-based CODA Automotive, a developer of electric cards, said Wednesday that it has raised $25M more in a first close of a Series C investment round. Source of the new funding was not disclosed. CODA said that the new funding will go towards final safety certification testing, and scale up production of its joint venture battery manufacturing facility. The firm said the new funds bring its total raised to $74M. CODA has previously raised funding from Angeleno Group, Piper Jaffray, and (More info...)
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Napster's Gorog Departs FirmChris Gorog, the CEO of Los Angeles-based Napster, said Wednesday in a blog post that he is leaving the firm. According to Gorog, he will turn the reins of CEO over to Christopher Allen, who will serve as General Manager. The move comes 16 months after the acquisition of Napster by Best Buy. Best Buy purchased Napster for $121M in September of 2008.
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Pong Ships Blackberry Cell Phone CaseLos Angeles-based Pong Research, a firm developing cases which cut cell phone radiation, has launched a new case for the RIM Blackberry Curve. Pong, which was started by UCLA professor emeritus of physics Alfred Wong, previously only had an iPhone version of the firm's silicone protective case. Pong's products use antenna theory and technology to redirect cell phone signals away from a user's head, for users who might be concerned about cell phone radiation. Pong is backed by private equity firm (More info...)
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Windward's Titus Joins San Diego Regional EDCDavid Titus, a venture capitalist at Windward Ventures, has joined the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation as Managing Director, Strategic Initiatives, the nonprofit said yesterday. The San Diego EDC is a nonprofit helping to bolster businesses in the San Diego region, and said that Titus will help support the group in familiarizing company executives in San Diego with the group's mission, encourage them to grow in the region, and also look to attract and identify companies looki (More info...)
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Christie Acquires LuminetxCypress-based Christie Digital Systems, a developer of digital display systems, said Wednesday morning that it has acquired substantially all of the assets of Luminetx, a developer of medical devices used for detecting and mapping veins in a patient's skin using infrared light. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed. Christie said it would create a new, medical products business operating as Christie Medical Holdings with the acquisition. Christie Digital Systems is the U.S. headquartered (More info...)
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Napster Rolls Out APILos Angeles-based music service Napster, which is now owned by Best Buy, announced today that it has released a new application programming interface, targeted at consumer electronics and web developers. According to Napster, the new API allows those developers to integrate content from Napster into their own web sites or products. Along with the announcement of the API, Napster said that Samsung's connected TVs are using the API to enable on-TV access to the Napster music service. The music web (More info...)
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CyberDefender Taps Vindicia For Subscription ManagementLos Angeles-based CyberDefender, a provider of PC security and antivirus software, announced today that it has turned to on-demand billing provider Vindicia. The firm said the move will help mitigate accidental lapses and gaps between expiration and renewal of subscriptions to its service. Financial details of the business partnership were not disclosed by the firm. Vindicia provides outsourcing and management of subscription driven businesses.
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PracticeOne Sold To Software FirmPracticeOne, a developer of electronic health records management software-as-a-service, which is jointly headquartered in Canoga Park and Richland, Washington, has been acquired by healthcare software developer AdvancedMD Software. AdvancedMD announced the deal today, but did not disclose financial details behind the buy. PracticeOne develops electronic health record software used for managing medical documentation and medical records. The firms said that the acquisition did not include Practice (More info...)
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Sigalert.com Acquired By Westwood OneSan Diego-based Sigalert.com, which provides local traffic information both through an online site as well as by providing traffic graphics to local television stations, has been acquired by Westwood One. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. According to Westwood One, it has acquired the Sigalert business from parent firm Jaytu Technologies, LLC., and will also bring on the expertise of Sigalert co-founders Jonathan Berke and Joel Johnstone. Sigalert was completely bootstrapped (More info...)
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