Amimon to launch second-generation wireless video chip set

Amimon has managed to survive the wreckage of wireless video chip makers. And today, it’s taking the rare step of announcing its second generation of chip sets, which can transfer high-definition video from one part of the home to another.

The new generation goes a step further than the last in that it can transfer full high-definition video, which is defined as video in the 1080p format running at 60 frames per second, said Noam … Continue Reading

iPhone game developers cooperate to build audiences

If you can create hit games on the iPhone, you can make a much bigger impact and more money by sharing your audience with other game developers who need to get their games noticed.

Social Gaming Network, whose iBowl and iBaseball games are popular on the iPhone, is doing that today by opening up its game cross-marketing efforts to promote games from other developers to the 12 million people who have purchased its own. The … Continue Reading

Associated Content nabs $6M for its publishing tools

Associated Content, the company that allows 250,000 media companies and unaffiliated users easily publish text, video and audio content on the web, has snagged $6 million in a third round of funding from Softbank Capital, Canaan Partners and new AOL chief executive Tim Armstrong (its first benefactor when it was founded in 2005).

Based in New York, Associated Content says it will use its new financing to increase its numbers of users, publishers and advertisers. … Continue Reading

Peer-to-peer lending site Prosper gets second wind in California

For the last six months, peer-to-peer lending service Prosper has suspended transactions while it waits for the Securities and Exchange Commission to approve its new system for online lending. But now, with the blessing of the California Department of Corporations, the company has legally resumed activity — as long as the lenders in question are located in the golden state (borrowers can be from anywhere in the U.S.)

Even as its future hinges on the … Continue Reading

ShotSpotter refines gunshot sensors with QinetiQ buy

ShotSpotter, maker of sensory systems used to detect gunshots, has acquired technology from British defense firm QinetiQ for an undisclosed amount. The deal will extend ShotSpotter’s reach into new markets, including law enforcement and military combat.

The Mountain View, Calif., company provides equipment used to pinpoint the exact location of gunshots, allowing authorities to properly respond. Unsurprisingly, its roster of 40 customers includes city governments, police departments and military groups. Its sensors are currently active … Continue Reading

Cloud provider Cassatt close to evaporating

Cassatt, one of the first companies in the cloud computing space, may have to shutter after spending its full $100 million in venture capital and failing to find an appropriate buyer, reports VentureWire. If one can’t be found, the San Jose, Calif. firm will be forced to declare bankruptcy.

Focused primarily on management of virtual data centers, Cassatt previously took capital from Hewlett-Packard, In-Q-Tel, New Enterprise Associates, Portcullis Partners, Quatris Fund and Warburg Pincus.… Continue Reading

Roundup: Microsoft's team-up with Verizon, Wolfram/Alpha's demo, and more

Here’s the latest action:

Are Microsoft and Verizon teaming up on an iPhone rival? — That partnership may be the real source of rumors about negotiations between Verizon and Apple, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Stephen Wolfram demos Wolfram/Alpha search engine — Larry Dignan of ZDNet says the “computational knowledge engine” (a search engine that understands your questions and computes the correct answer, rather than just digging up relevant web pages based on keywords) … Continue Reading

Zillow iPhone app tells you how much that house you just passed costs

Real estate site Zillow is launching its own iPhone application, bringing price point information and other data on 88 million U.S. homes to users’ fingertips. Why they might need this cabability — unless they’re stalking the streets in search of a new house — is a mystery, but nevertheless. If that’s your thing, then you’re in luck — the app uses the iPhone’s built-in GPS to pinpoint your location and show price estimates for all … Continue Reading

Microsoft's Tellme shows off new speech processing

We haven’t heard much from voice recognition company Tellme since it was acquired by Microsoft for a reported $800 million two years ago. Jamie Bertasi, director of Tellme Business Solutions, says the group has rolled out some new features since then, but it spent much of the past two years developing improved features aimed at automating customer service call centers for large companies, features that it’s announcing tonight.

Those features include better speech processing, a … Continue Reading

Will brands like USA Network kill garage iPhone developers?

USA Network, a large entertainment company, launched its first game for the iPhone today: A word puzzle game dubbed Letter Matrix.

This is a another milestone for the iPhone, as big companies start releasing games of their own, in order to stay in the mix: They’ll be battling it out with small, often two-person developer teams.

USA Network is a big company with shows like Monk TV and Burn Notice, which are viewed in a … Continue Reading

Career site Glassdoor launches interview-prep section

Glassdoor, the career site that gives users details on what it’s like to work at thousands of companies, has launched a new section on its site designed to help the swelling ranks of job seekers better prepare for interviews. Basically, users will now have free access to questions they might confront during interviews at specific companies.

Already, Glassdoor gives its userbase an insider’s view of what salaries, work environments and bosses are like at about … Continue Reading

European cleantech feels the pinch — looks to distinguish itself from U.S.

European cleantech is finally feeling the funding crunch. Market analysts at the Cleantech Group released a report today showing that investment in the sector during the first quarter fell to $281 million, an 11 percent drop from the previous quarter and a 31 percent drop from last year. Fourth quarter figures for 2008 were also down from the previous quarter.

Given this grim outlook, opinion is split on where green industry in Europe is headed … Continue Reading

Thanks for the public data, Google — Please, sir, can I have some more?

Google just launched an awesome new tool that allows you to chart public data, starting with unemployment and population numbers, making the information much more accessible.

The information that Google has charted, as well as the data it plans to add in the future, is already online, and usually available through, yes, a Google search. But finding, then navigating through, the web sites of organizations like the US Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor … Continue Reading

We need your feedback to make VentureBeat better!

VentureBeat readers, we’d like to get to know you a little better.

We’ve done some surveying in the past, and have some idea of who is reading (thanks to those who have participated already!), but we’d like to stay up to date. You, our readers, are really what drives this business.

Please consider filling out our 2009 Audience Survey. It will remind us of what we’re doing well and where we can improve to serve … Continue Reading

Tagito launches to sell your expertise — in anything

New startup Tagito has launched its online knowledge marketplace, providing a platform for even laymen to turn a buck on their random expertise. Basically, the web site provides a searchable database of user-generated material (documents, songs, images, etc.), that can be purchased via PayPal for micropayments under $10.

For example, you can buy a map of Death Valley National Park for $3.25, tips for lowering blood pressure for $5.10, or analysis of the European Union’s … Continue Reading

Business intelligence startup Good Data raises $2.5M

Good Data, a San Francisco startup that allows companies to collaboratively view and organize business data, has raised $2.5 million in a first round of venture funding. The company says it creates a secure space where teams can access, share, and collaborate on their data in a way that’s easy and affordable.

The round was led by General Catalyst Partners, with participation from O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures, Windcrest Partners, Marc Andreessen, and Ben Horowitz. Good Data … Continue Reading

Chint Solar nabs $50M, aims to slash solar cell prices

Chint Solar, one of the major players in the country’s cleantech sector, has landed a rare $50 million in first-round financing despite the inhospitable economic climate, reports peHub. The funding will push it closer to its goal of producing 1,100 megawatts by 2012 — but will also help it develop technology that will lower photovoltaic module prices to $1 per watt.

Chint’s panels are comprised of thin film and crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells and modules. … Continue Reading

Intel says two-thirds of corporations still spending on PCs

Intel said that two-thirds of corporations are still spending on personal computers for the enterprise during the downturn.

The data is clearly self-serving, since Intel sells microprocessors for computers. So you have to view these numbers through a skeptical lens. If you had a headache, Intel people would tell you to buy two new PCs and call them in the morning.

But the data is based on a survey of IT managers interviewed by Wipro … Continue Reading

SunPower sells off shares, debt to raise $400M

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for public solar equipment provider SunPower. In the last five days, the company announced a deal to provide Florida utility-owner FPL Group with 600 megawatts of solar panels, posted surprisingly diminished earnings, and is now selling 9 million shares of common stock and $175 million in convertible debt in an attempt to raise about $400 million.

The San Jose, Calif.-based company says it may sell another 15 percent … Continue Reading

OnlineBootyCall is great for hooking up, but can it be more?

updated
Website OnlineBootycall.com offers no-strings-attached introductions for sexual encounters, tasteless as that might be for some of you. It’s not filled with porn. It just gets to the point: It asks you to fill out a form with your vital statistics and then goes to work offering up potential dates, showing you pics of folks you might try out.

The site, started by Moses Brown six years ago, has done great: It’s now throwing off … Continue Reading