Nexterra raises C$3.8M for biomass gasification

Nexterra, a Vancouver, B.C.-based developer of low cost gasification systems, has wrapped up a C$3.8 million ($3.6 million) fourth round of funding, courtesy of Calgary, Alberta-based investor ARC Financial Corp. This raises ARC’s total investment in Nexterra to well over $19 million.

The company’s gasification technology… Continue Reading

Xunlight raises another $11M for thin-film solar modules

Xunlight is on a roll: Only a few weeks after disclosing that it had raised $4.97 million from Ohio’s Third Frontier Projects, the Toledo-based developer of flexible, low cost thin-film silicon modules has secured another $11 million in third round funding from a group of… Continue Reading

Zapproved’s web app makes decisions easier

Zapproved’s web app makes decisions easier

A startup called Zapproved recently launched the public “beta” test of a new web application that should cut a lot of the confusion and ambiguity out of the decision-making process.

Okay, so you still have to deal with passionate disagreements and little things like that. But… Continue Reading

Life360 wins the Android challenge, has big aspirations but has yet to see an Android phone

Life360 wins the Android challenge, has big aspirations but has yet to see an Android phone

With the first mobile devices running Google’s Android coming shortly, the development community at large seems apprehensive about the platform. After all, why develop for something that may or may not work when there is already a hot, new mobile platform out there, Apple’s iPhone,… Continue Reading

Video: Upcoming version 1.1 of Last.fm’s iPhone app?

Last.fm, one of the truly great online music sites, has an iPhone app, but I find it somewhat lacking. It seems to have most of the features it needs, but for whatever reason the app just doesn’t flow well. Loading time seems to be a… Continue Reading

Tap Tap Revenge gets new music (and ads) to rock the holiday weekend

Tap Tap Revenge gets new music (and ads) to rock the holiday weekend

Tap Tap Revenge held the mantle as the most downloaded application on Apple’s App Store for a while. It’s a solid Guitar Hero-like music game that utilizes the iPhone and iPod Touch’s touch screen with the right price: Free. A new update out today could… Continue Reading

Contest winner could help Presdo win at the scheduling game

Contest winner could help Presdo win at the scheduling game

I have to admit, I’ve been a little skeptical about scheduling startup Presdo — I previously gave it the benefit of the doubt because founder Eric Ly (who cofounded professional networking site LinkedIn) is obviously a smart guy. Yes, Presdo makes it really easy to… Continue Reading

ReputationDefender raises $2.6M to protect your good name

ReputationDefender raises $2.6M to protect your good name

ReputationDefender, a company that helps people manage their reputations and privacy online, has raised around $2.6 million in a first round of institutional funding.

There are a number of businesses providing identity theft protection, such as Lifelock, TrustedID and Debix, but ReputationDefender is a bit different… Continue Reading

Sky rockets in flight. Google Maps delight

Sky rockets in flight. Google Maps delight

One the most important parts of online mapping tools is the satellite imagery that is used. Right now, the images used by Google, Microsoft and Yahoo in rival products are all roughly the same. But Google just bought an exclusive ticket to hitch a ride… Continue Reading

Urology device startup Percutaneous Systems raises $6.3M

Percutaneous Systems has raised $6.3 million of a planned $7 million fourth round, according to VentureWire citing a regulatory filing. The funding comes from existing investors Compass Group, Montreux Equity Partners and Shea Ventures, as well as undisclosed new investors.

The Palo Alto, Calif. startup develops… Continue Reading

Did AT&T have Apple kill NetShare to start its own tethering plan?

Did AT&T have Apple kill NetShare to start its own tethering plan?

An application called NetShare was the talk of the App Store back in July. The app, made by Nullriver, allowed users to connect their computers to their iPhone 3G to use the device’s unlimited data plan to surf the web. Unfortunately, this process, known as… Continue Reading

Storage chip company Aristos Logic sells for $41M

Data storage company Adaptec has agreed to acquire Aristos Logic Corp for $41 million in cash, less than half the $91 million that Aristos has raised in venture backing since 2000, according to VentureWire.

The Foothill Ranch, Calif, company provides RAID (redundant array of independent disks)… Continue Reading

Microsoft fails to buy Yahoo, so it buys…some European comparison shopping sites?

Microsoft fails to buy Yahoo, so it buys…some European comparison shopping sites?

If there is one thing Microsoft has plenty of it’s money. It proved that again tonight by agreeing to buy Greenfield Online, the parent company of Ciao, which runs various price-comparison and shopping search sites in Europe.

The $486 million dollar deal is odd for a… Continue Reading

Nintendo revises its financial forecasts upward yet again

Nintendo revises its financial forecasts upward yet again

Okay, this console war is getting really boring. Nintendo is thrashing everyone else. Today, the Japanese company revised upward its financial forecasts for the six months ending Sept. 30, 2008. It also upped its forecasts for game hardware and software during the period, as well… Continue Reading

Roundup: Facebook movie casting, Yahoo shuts down Mash, and more

Roundup: Facebook movie casting, Yahoo shuts down Mash, and more

The Facebook Movie has a very unofficial casting call — Yesterday, top Hollywood screenwriter Aaron Sorkin let it be known he was working on a movie about the high-flying social network. Here’s a (rather entertaining) formulation of which actor might play which geek role. Yes, Michael… Continue Reading

Get discount tickets for GigaOm’s Mobilize event

Get discount tickets for GigaOm’s Mobilize event

Our friends at GigaOm are adding to their conference lineup with Mobilize, taking place September 18 at the Mission Bay Conference Center in San Francisco.

Mobilize will ask what the growth of the mobile web means for entrepreneurs and their investors. Developments in design, user experience, handset… Continue Reading

Android Developer Challenge I winners — nary a big name in sight

Android Developer Challenge I winners — nary a big name in sight

Earlier today we learned about the Android Market, Google’s way to get third-party applications on phones running Android. It sounds a lot like Apple’s App Store for the iPhone, but claims to be more open. Now we know some of the applications that will be… Continue Reading

Webcarzz raises $4 million to create online car game for boys

Webcarzz raises $4 million to create online car game for boys

Many of the successful online games for kids — from Club Penguin to Neopets — are appealing to girls. But Webcarzz is going after the boys with its new car-themed online video game world.

The San Francisco company has raised $4 million in a first round… Continue Reading

Mobile advertising: Better measurement leads to new opportunities

Mobile advertising: Better measurement leads to new opportunities

[Editor's note: This is a piece by Russell Buckley, managing director of mobile advertising company AdMob's European operations. He is global chairman of the Mobile Marketing Association and blogger at MobHappy.com. He’s spent nearly 10 years working on mobile marketing, overseeing thousands of campaigns for... Continue Reading