Tuesday, October 30, 2012Amonix Claims Solar Efficiency RecordSeal Beach-based concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) solar power systems manufacturer Amonix claimed Tuesday that the firm has broken a record in the efficiency of converting sunlight into energy. Amonix said testing by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) found that the firm's systems had an outdoor operating efficiency rating of 33.5%. That beats an earlier record by Amonix of 30.3 percent, the firm said. Amonix said the testing is the highest efficiency ever reported under real-world, (More info...)
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Disney Buys LucasfilmBurbank-based The Walt Disney Company has acquired Lucasfilm Ltd., the film company owned by George Lucas, in a deal worth $4.05 billion, Disney said Tuesday afternoon. Disney said it would pay stock and cash for Lucasfilm, with approximately half in cash and 40M in shares. Lucasfilm owns the rights to Star Wars. According to George Lucas, the move came as it was time to "pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers." Disney gains rights to the Star Wars franchise and operating businesses (More info...)
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Rexter Finds Funding To Help Professionals Manage RelationshipsA new, Altadena-based startup, Rexter, has scored some funding to help it build its software algorithms and tools to help manage a user's professional relationships. The company--co-founded by Andy Wilson (Momentum Venture Partners, Yahoo) and John Slade (Yahoo)--apparently recently raised a round which included Siemer Ventures. Other investors in the company have not been announced. Rexter's advisors notably include Dr. Galen Buckwalter (founder of eHarmony), Kamran Pourzanjani (Pricegrabber), (More info...)
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BUZZMEDIA Revs Editorial HiresLos Angeles-based digital media publisher BUZZMEDIA looks to be revving up its hiring on the editorial end of its business, saying Tuesday that it has hired nine staffers across its sites Celebuzz, and SPIN. The firm said the expansion of its staff will further expand the brands. The hires for Celebuzz include Lance Debler (Debuty Editor, formerly at Star Magazine/NY Daily News); Todd Gilchrist (Senior Editor of Film, formerly of The Hollywood Reporter); Jethro Nededog (Senior Editor of Televisi (More info...)
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EverySignal Officially Launches To Filter Out Important MomentsTired of missing the important moments in that firehose of social updates from your friends? EverySignal, the latest startup out of startup incubator/studio Science, Inc. officially launched today to tackle that problem. EverySignal said it has created a new service--built on machine learning algorithms and social search software--to help filter out life's most important moments from users' social streams. EverySignal said its service cuts through the clutter and calls attention to "important li (More info...)
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Miro Technologies Acquired By BoeingSan Diego-based Miro Technologies, a developer of software to manage maintenance, supply chain, and repair for the defense and aerospace industry, has been acquired by Boeing. Financial terms of the buy were not disclosed. Miro becomes part of Boeing's Defense, Space & Security arm. Miro was owned by Newport Beach private equity firm Solis Capital Partners.
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BeachFront Media Adds Windows 8 SupportBurbank-based Beachfront Media, the firm which operates the MeFeedia video discovery site, has upgraded its tools and platform to support Windows 8. The firm said it now supports Windows 8 App creation, deployment, and management via its Beachfront Builder tool. Beachfront Builder is a tool which lets video producers, TV networks, and others create their own custom video applications; the tool is based on Beachfront Builder's work in creating the MeFeedia. MeFeedia renamed itself BeachFront Medi (More info...)
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EdgeCast Expands InternationallySanta Monica-based content delivery network operator EdgeCast Networks said today that it has expanded its global network, opening up new point of presence (PoP) locations in Vienna, Austria, Stockholm, Sweden, and Sao Paulo, Brazil. The firm said the expansion comes to meet "surging" customer demand for its services. The firm said its network is now carrying 4 percent of worldwide Internet traffic. EdgeCast provides content delivery network (CDN) services, which are used by websites to accelera (More info...)
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Amazon Studios Options Another Comedy SeriesAmazon Studios, the content production arm of Amazon.com, said Monday that it has optioned another comedy series. Amazon said that it has optioned "Those Who Can't", a comedy show written by Andrew Orvedahl, Adam Cayton-Holland, and Benjamin Roy, the writers behind the web series The Grawlix. Amazon has been in the process of optioning different content projects, which it intends to turn into original content for its streaming video service. The firm set up shop recently in Los Angeles as part o (More info...)
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Reflexion Health Raises $4.25MSan Diego-based Reflexion Health, a new startup using Microsoft's Kinect for physical therapy products, has raised $4.25M in a funding round, the company said this morning. Reflexion Health said the funding came from West Health Investment Fund, and that it has licensed West Health Institute's Kinect-based physical therapy software. Reflexion Health has also moved into West Health's business incubator. Reflexion Health's first software product uses Kinect for Windows for motion tracking to prov (More info...)
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Nirvanix Offers To Shift Data Due To HurricaneSan Diego-based online storage provider Nirvanix said Monday that it would shift customer data from its New Jersey data center for free, due to Hurricane Sandy. Nirvanix said customers currently storing data at that data center can shift that data to its other locations, on a temporary or full time basis, free of charge. The company said its data center operations there were normal, and that its data center there is fully redundant and backed by diesel-generators, but it would also like to provi (More info...)
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RealD Gets Chinese WinLos Angeles-based 3D movie projection technology provider RealD said Monday that it has signed a deal with Chinese theater group Womei Theater Chain. RealD said it will install its technology on 100 screens across China. Financial impact of the deal was not announced. RealD said it has already started installing screens for Womei, and that installs are expected to continue over two years. RealD said that it currently is installed on approximately 850 cinema screens in CHina ,and has future commi (More info...)
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