Thursday, March 31, 2011


Sony Online Entertainment Cuts Jobs
San Diego-based Sony Online Entertainment, which develops massively multiplayer online games, has made cuts at three of its studios, the firm said Thursday. Sony Online Entertainment said 205 of its staff in Seattle, Denver, and Tucson were laid off due to changes in its game lineup, mostly related to an online game called The Agency.
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BitTorrent Starts Distributing Novel
Peer-to-peer distribution network BitTorrent said Thursday that it has started distributing books through its network, with the free download of a book from Los Angeles author Megan Lisa Jones. BitTorrent said it has made Jones' novel, Captive, available via its service. BitTorrent--which is based in San Francisco--maintains the BitTorrent protocol, which was developed to transfer large files peer-to-peer but became associated with the distribution of pirated music. BitTorrent has since focused (More info...)
posted on Thursday, March 31, 2011(Full story)

Android App Targets Pirates
A new report today from Symantec has uncovered a new threat to Android users, although this time with a unique twist. Symantec said that it has discovered a new, threat called Android.Walkinwat, which poses as the legitimate app "Walk and Text". The firm said that the app, when downloaded, instead will let a user know that it was able to gather sensitive data, that the user has downloaded a pirated app, and will send an SMS message to everyone in a user's contact list berating them for downloade (More info...)
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GameSalad Raises $6M More
Los Angeles- and Austin-based GameSalad, the iPhone creation software firm, has raised $6M in another round of funding, the firm is announcing today. The round was led by Steamboat Ventures, and also included Greycroft Partners, DFJ Mercury, DFJ Frontier, and ff Asset Management. As part of the funding, Beau Laskey of Steamboat joins the board, and Dana Settle of Greycroft Partners have joined the company's board of directors. GameSalad's tools allow non-programmers to create their own games whi (More info...)
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QWIP Technologies Sold To Canadian Firm
Brea-based QWIP Technologies, a developer of thermal imaging systems owned by Cantronic Systems, has been sold to Vancouver, Canada-based Skytech Systems. The sale was announced this week by Cantronic, which says the deal is worth C$5.7 million. QWIP Technologies' products are based on an exclusive license from the California Institute of Technology, for Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector technology used for infrared detectors and sensors.
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Platinum Equity Buys Automotive Accessories Distributor
Los Angeles-based private equity firm Platinum Equity said Wednesday that it has acquired the majority interest in Keystone Automotive Holdings, an automotive distributor. Keystone is a aftermarket automotive accessories and equipment distributor serving the United States and Canada. Financial details of the recapitalization were not announced.
posted on Thursday, March 31, 2011(Full story)

Open Angel Forum Looks To Expand
The Open Angel Forum, the angel investment group started by Mahalo's Jason Calacanis, is looking to expand, according to the group. The group said Wednesday that it is looking to add five more chapters on top of existing chapters in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Boulder, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, London and Seattle. The Open Angel Forum was started by Calacanis to offer up a non-fee, open pitch forum for entrepreneurs, after he got fed up with fee-based angel groups.
posted on Thursday, March 31, 2011(Full story)

Magnetecs Names CFO
Inglewood-based Magnetecs, a designer of robotic catherization control systems for minimally invasive surgery, announced today that it has named Clive Zickel as the firm's new Chief Financial Officer. Zickel has previously served at JPMorgan Chase, Aircraft Finance Group, Dechert LLP, and other companies.
posted on Thursday, March 31, 2011(Full story)