Steve Jobs profile shows our obsession with the cult of personality

Imagine the pain at Microsoft and Intel. Steve Jobs doesn’t have to do anything, and he still gets outstanding press coverage.

A four-part profile of Apple’s chief executive in Sunday’s Times of London is proof about our outsized-obsession with the master of hype. The story shot to the top of news aggregator Techmeme and has stayed there all day. It really does make you think that if Jobs disappeared, so would Apple’s $140 billion market … Continue Reading

Tr.im goes open source, avoids porn-redirection fate

The web-link shortening service, Tr.im, may have finally found a way out of its predicament by shifting to open-source and becoming community-owned.

Nambu, the company behind Tr.im, will relinquish ownership of the domain name, release the source code and open the real-time data it collects publicly, according to the company blog. The company’s founder, Eric Woodward, said he’ll personally cover any shortfall in Tr.im’s expenses while welcoming donations from the public. The move may allow … Continue Reading

Trio charged with stealing identities for as many as 130 million credit cards

A federal grand jury charged a trio of hackers with stealing data related to more than 130 million credit and debit cards. It’s another reminder that computer security is broken and it still hasn’t been fixed.

The three people were linked to the hacking of credit card payment processing firm Heartland Payment Systems last year. The same people were also allegedly behind a bunch of high-profile data thefts at places such as Hannaford Brothers and … Continue Reading

Vapore raises $348K to turn liquid medicines into vapors

Vapore, developer of technology that quickly and efficiently turns liquids into vapors for medical applications, has raised $348,000 of a targeted $500,000 first round of stock and warrants, according to regulatory filings. The Alameda, Calif. company brought in $2 million in 2004 from backers Band of Angels Fund, Keiretsu Forum and RSH Ventures.… Continue Reading

Portaero still looking for $182K to treat emphysema

Portaero, developer of a device used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases — particularly emphysema — has raised the bulk of its targeted $12 million round of equity, according to regulatory filings. It is still short $182,000. Based in Cupertino, Calif., the company, which lacks a web site, has taken capital from Aberdare Ventures, Novartis Venture Funds and Versant Ventures.… Continue Reading

M2 Group scores $6M for devices to treat diabetes

M2 Group Holdings, maker of disposable medical devices used to deliver medication for Type 1 diabetes, has raised $6 million of an anticipated $10 million round of equity, according to regulatory filings. Based in Sunnyvale, Calif., the company has previously been backed by Thomas McNerney & Partners.… Continue Reading

Greentech Media raises $825K to fund new services

Greentech Media, the green technology news site, has brought in $825,000 in new equity toward a target of $1.25 million from existing investors.

There were rumors circulating that Greentech Media was done raising money, having grown by leaps and bounds in recent months. But president and chief executive Scott Clavenna says the new funds were brought in to help the site pursue several new initiatives — particularly consulting services for green companies, as well as … Continue Reading

Social networks see steep rise in hacking attacks

Social networking sites are facing a steep rise in hacking attacks in 2009, according to a report released today by web security firm Breach Security.

In its Web Hacking Incidents Database report, the firm says The number of security incidents related to web apps rose 30 percent in the first half of 2009, compared to the first half of 2008. And attacks against social networks account for 19 percent of hacking incidents. The social network … Continue Reading

Novomer funnels carbon dioxide into plastics, nabs $14M

Novomer, a polymer company with disruptive potential, has made catalysts capable of transforming carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide into plastics and marketable chemicals — and now it’s raised $14 million in a second round of venture funding to scale its technology. Based in Boston, Mass., the company, which relies on an extensive patent estate, is one of a very small handful of firms racing to create biodegradable plastics.

Turning carbon gases into feedstock for profitable … Continue Reading

Augmented reality browser Layar expands worldwide, eyes iPhone

Layar, an Android-based mobile phone browser that lets you explore your physical surroundings, call up geotagged information from the web and superimpose it on your viewfinder, is expanding worldwide and may soon come to the iPhone 3GS, according to its creator, Amsterdam-based SPRXMobile.

The browser is part of a young field called augmented reality that overlays information or 3-D graphics on a live camera feed. When it originally launched two months ago, it was limited … Continue Reading

VantagePoint takes a hit as Aviza goes under, sells assets

Aviza Technologies, maker of the equipment used to manufacture semiconductors, has filed for bankruptcy and is now selling off its assets to Sumitomo Precision Products, a company that dabbles in everything from aerospace machinery to water purification. This is another loss in the struggling semiconductor space for VantagePoint Venture Partners, which held a 34 percent stake in the company.

Aviza is expected to receive $10 million in cash upfront after it shutters, to be followed … Continue Reading

Force10 lands $30M for networking hardware

Force10 Networks, developer of 10-gigabit networking hardware, has raised $30 million in equity, according to regulatory filings. The San Jose, Calif. company previously raised $125 million in its last, sixth round of funding in 2007. Past backers include Advanced Equities, Crosslink Capital, Meritech Investment Partners, Morgenthaler Ventures, U.S. Venture Partners, Worldview Technology Partners and New Enterprise Associates.

Force10 provides routers and switches to web-based giants like Facebook and eHarmony to help them manage large volumes … Continue Reading

Video report asks: Are video games dead?

A two-part series called “Video Games are dead” on DigitalTrends.com examines the increasingly moribund state of the console video game industry, pointing out that video game sales have been falling for months – including a big drop in July.

But the real, less sexy title of the video should be “Video games as we traditionally have known them are dead.” Console games may be dead, but there are a whole bunch of new formats — … Continue Reading

Edo Interactive culls $8.5M for payment cards with digital rewards

Edo Interactive — a Nashville, Tenn.-based digital marketing company that provides payment cards with direct marketing opportunities — announced today that it has secured $8.5 million from investors Clayton Associates and First Avenue Partners. Edo previously raised $6.5 million in 2008 for a total of $15 million at the end of their first round of funding.

Edo’s lead product is the Facecard, a pre-paid MasterCard aimed at teens and young adults. In addition to providing … Continue Reading

Why is simple design so hard?

On a recent business trip to Austin, I stayed at my father’s house. It’s a beautiful home – with the confounding exception of the guest bathroom. The builders, for reasons I can’t even fathom, decided to install an individual switch for every light, as well as for the vent and heat lamp. As I fumbled around for the right combination for a successful shower and shave, I found myself wondering, why is simple so hard?… Continue Reading

Zendesk, the help desk that sits in the cloud, gets another boost

Zendesk, a maker of customer service software used by companies such as Twitter, MSNBC and IDEO, has raised $6 million in a second round of funding, led by Benchmark Capital.

There are plenty of companies offering competing help desk software, but Zendesk has drawn particular attention from some of Silicon Valley’s leading investors for its focus on what it calls the “help desk 2.0 movement.” It offers its service over the Web (it runs entirely … Continue Reading

Dell launches Mini 3i smartphone in China — hope they sell better there than its PCs did

Dell’s smartphone Mini 3i made its first appearance today in China at an event held by China Mobile, the large Chinese wireless carrier, which will distribute the phone.

Dell’s Mini 3i is one of a series of phones China Mobile is launching based on its OMS operating system, which uses Google’s Android operating system as its foundation. The move by China Mobile to base its phones on Android is a blow to Apple, which had … Continue Reading

Apple and its iPhone get fleeced in China, but will Google fare any better?

China presents a conundrum for U.S. companies. It’s the largest market in the world, by population, and it’s consistently the fastest growing economy. There’s a huge amount of money to be made there.

However, time after time, local entrepreneurs, either with or without the tacit support of the Chinese government, have found ways to fleece American companies bare. The latest company facing a possible quagmire in China is Apple, which has so far enjoyed cult … Continue Reading

Entrepreneur Corner roundup: Marketing priorities, angel investor secrets and more

Here’s what you might have missed:

Five key marketing priorities for a startup – The key points of startup marketing aren’t all that different from the key points of launching a successful startup. Serial entrepreneur Scott Olson runs down the five things you need to consider as you put together a marketing plan.

11 things an angel investor will never say – Getting the unfiltered truth from an Angel Investor isn’t easy. Dharmesh Shah, an … Continue Reading

Jennerex raises $5M to treat cancer-related viruses

Jennerex, a long-time developer of therapeutics for cancer patients, has branched into treatments targeting oncolytic viruses — viruses that specifically infect cancer cells — and it just raised $5.1 million in third-round funding to fuel its efforts. Based in San Francisco, the company has kept the round open, hoping to raise more before it closes next month. It previously raised an $8.3 million second round last fall, reports PE Hub. It has not disclosed the … Continue Reading