Will Intel let Jen-Hsun Huang spread graphics beyond PCs?
Nvidia chief executive Jen-Hsun Huang is on a mission to get graphics chips into everything from handheld computers to smart phones. In a dinner with reporters on Monday night, the head of the Santa Clara, Calif.-based graphics chip maker said that the company is going to invest heavily in research and development and announce some interesting hires (see announcement story) soon. We last interviewed him in August.
Nvidia had a tough 2008 because of the … Continue Reading
Nvidia hires Stanford's computer science department head as chief scientist
Nvidia has named Stanford University’s computer science department chairman, Bill Dally, as chief scientist and vice president of Nvidia research.
The hire is a big one for the graphics chip maker since Dally is a well-known computer graphics pioneer. He replaces David Kirk, who held the post for a long time and is now going to be an Nvidia Fellow.
The move is consistent with Nvidia’s decision to invest heavily in research and development even … Continue Reading
WordStream launches app to optimize search marketing
WordStream, a maker of software that suggests keywords and keyword strategies for search advertisers, launches its flagship (and only) product today. The application not only generates a database of relevant keywords, but also tracks their performance to determine which ones work best, in which groups and why — and puts the results to use in live campaigns. It also announced $4 million in first-round funding from Sigma Partners.
The Boston-based company says that it automatically … Continue Reading
Appnomic snags $4.2M for application management
Information technology software provider Appnomic Systems (formerly Vitage Technologies) announced today that it brought in $4.2 million from Norwest Venture Partners to gain traction in the U.S. and advance product development. Based in Bangalore, India, it already has an office in Palo Alto, Calif.
In particular, Appnomic gives its client companies tools to gauge how their applications are performing and being used, and alerts users to any deviation from the norm. It says it already … Continue Reading
Security software maker Ortega files for bankruptcy
Ortega Infosystems, provider of IP surveillance video systems, just filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection, according to VentureWire. The Fremont, Calif.-based company seems to have been shuttered for a while now (its website has already been dismantled) and reported only $50,000 in assets and up to $100,000 in liabilities at the time of the filing.
Its previous investors included Harbinger Venture Management and Sycamore Ventures. Ortega last raised funds in December 2002, bringing in $11.8 … Continue Reading
Cardiovascular drug developer Cogentus files for Chapter 7
Menlo Park, Calif.-based Cogentus Pharmaceuticals has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, despite $83 million raised in equity capital. At the time of the filing, the company reported $2.2 million in assets and liabilities totaling $17.2 million.
The company was just about to launch third-phase clinical trials on its lead drug candidate, an anti-platelet therapy used to treat cardiovascular disease. The trial was expected to enroll 4,000 patients in the U.S., South America, Canada and Europe.… Continue Reading
Carrier IQ rings in $20M to gather mobile intelligence
Carrier IQ, provider of software that collects data on cell phone use and performance from individual handsets, just brought in $20 million in a third round of funding to fuel product development and attract more clients. The Mountain View, Calif. company’s goal is to offer the intelligence it gathers to mobile operators and handset makers so they can adapt their products.
Specifically, the embedded software gauges how people use voice and data services, music players, … Continue Reading
Is Hollywood experimenting with more first day rentals online?
I’m becoming addicted to renting movies online. They’re decently priced, and so fast; it beats the experience of going to a physical video store hands down. Except for one little thing: selection. But is that about to change?
Specifically, what I’m talking about are movies just released on traditional formats like DVD. Typically, the movie studios have allowed users of the online movie services like iTunes and Amazon On Demand to buy these movies the … Continue Reading
DreamBox Learning releases first K-2 math for children
Hoping to blend education and technology, DreamBox Learning has released its first product: a math game for kindergartners through second graders.
The Bellevue, Wash.-based company is entering a tough market at a time when most families have cut spending. But chief executive Lou Gray says that parents are still willing to make sacrifices for the sake of educating their kids.
DreamBox’s web-based software will compete with Knowledge Adventure’s JumpStart and Math Blaster math games. Both … Continue Reading
Radar gets an iPhone app to better share media amongst friends
Let’s be honest, there’s a lot of websites and applications right now that let you share things with other people. Twitter does it, FriendFeed does it and Facebook does it, among many others. But while those are increasingly about sharing with as many people as possible, Radar has a sort of “less is more” approach. By sharing things with just people that are actually your friends or acquaintances, the items are more prone to elicit … Continue Reading
Roundup: Obama's environmental policy, Sun's big loss, and more
Here’s the latest (mostly depressing) action:
President Obama reverses Bush policy on environment — Obama endorsed California’s strict limits on greenhouse gas emissions, and vowed that the federal government will follow suit. Auto manufacturers’ responses were “similar in their ambiguity and political correctness,” according to The New York Times.
Sun posts a $209M loss — At fault are falling demands for servers and storage, as well as a big restructuring charge.
AdMob offering Android-specific ads… Continue Reading
Kindle 2: Should you stop buying all those iPhone eBooks?
The Kindle — or, as it might be known to some: the weird book screen thing Oprah showed off in October — has basically been sold out since that episode aired. But rather than chalking its unavailability up to a major failure on maker Amazon’s part, it’s been evident for a while that a new version is in the pipeline. And it looks like we’ll finally get to see it on Feb. 9.
Invites have … Continue Reading
Plurk hates iPlurk, creates its own iPhone app
A few weeks ago, I had some problems with iPlurk, an iPhone app for the micro-messaging service Plurk. My main beef with the app was that the third-party developers who made it failed to capture what makes Plurk unique in its field. Well, I’ve got some good news: Plurk itself has come around and released its own iPhone app today.
The app, dubbed simply ”Plurk,” bests iPlurk in many ways. In the main timeline view … Continue Reading
Google (finally) brings Gmail and Calendar offline
updated
In a huge move, Google is rolling out offline support for Gmail users, which means you’ll finally be able to read and write email even when you’re not connected to the web.
Jeez, I’ve been waiting a while for this one. And so have many others.
Even though Gmail adoption has been strong to date, it’s had to play catch up to other popular online-only email services like Hotmail and AOL. In part, it’s … Continue Reading
Yahoo loses less money than expected in Q4
Struggling web giant Yahoo reported a $278 million loss during the final three months of 2008. That’s Yahoo’s first loss since 2002, and the first time its revenue has declined since the end of 2001, according to Digital Daily.
In the Sunnyvale, Calif. company’s announcement, new chief executive Carol Bartz (pictured) tries to find the silver lining, saying Yahoo’s cash flow was at the upper end of estimates released during Q4, and that Yahoo “also … Continue Reading
Papermaster can lead Apple's iPhone team — but Big Brother is watching
Apple finally got its guy. Nearly three months after a judge ordered Mark Papermaster not to report for work at Apple as senior vice president of devices hardware engineering due to a contract dispute with IBM (his previous employer), the two parties have settled. Starting on April 24, yes another three months from now, Papermaster will lead Apple’s iPod and iPhone hardware teams, the company announced in a release today.
Apple had tapped Papermaster to … Continue Reading
Microsoft Games for Windows Live gets new general manager
After laying off its previous general manager last week, Microsoft has named Ron Pessner as general manager of the Games for Windows Live division.
Pessner, who previously worked in MIcrosoft’s Entertainment & Devices division, will head Microsoft’s Windows gaming service efforts. He replaces Chris Early, but his responsibilities will be broader than Early’s. Pessner will work with Dave Luehmann, a longtime Microsoft game veteran and general manager of Microsoft Windows game development.
The company declined … Continue Reading
California adds green jobs, becomes cleantech epicenter
updated
The past several years have seen rapid growth in the number of so-called “green collar” jobs in the state of California, according to a new report from Mountain View, Calif.-based Collaborative Economics. Between 2005 and 2007 alone, employment in the sector spiked 10 percent to about 105,000. To put that in context, the overall workforce grew about one percent statewide. This shift is significant for the state, and Silicon Valley in particular, where many … Continue Reading
AOL might sell Bebo? "Absolutely ridiculous"
Earlier today, TechCrunch UK published a long article detailing how social network Bebo first bamboozled AOL into buying it for $850 million last March, then failed to live up to anywhere near the price tag. The report, based on multiple anonymous sources, concludes that AOL may even be looking at getting rid of Bebo entirely. A Bebo spokesperson tells us the report is “absolutely ridiculous,” in part because Bebo is a key part of AOL’s … Continue Reading
Jambool launches virtual goods platform for social network apps
Competition is heating up in the virtual goods economy on Facebook, because they actually appear to be making significant amounts of money. The latest entrant is Jambool, InsideFacebook reports. A long-time developer shop for Facebook applications, the company has retooled itself to provide virtual goods features to other applications on social networks
It is launching a new self-serve payment system and analytics tools today for third-party app developers. Called SocialGold, Jambool’s new platform lets users … Continue Reading
