Apple's PC market share expected to grow – if you consider iPad a PC

Could the iPad be Apple’s key to gaining a bigger slice of the global personal computer market? If you consider it a PC like Goldman Sachs does, then yes.

Goldman Sachs on Monday resurrected its analyst coverage of Apple with a note from the newly hired Bill Shope, formerly of Credit Suisse. The note, packed with praise for Apple and bearing a stock-price target of $430, has created a stir — including on Wall Street, … Continue Reading

Justin Bieber, World Cup, Haiti, iPad top 2010 trends on Facebook and Twitter

In the footsteps of Google, which posts a yearly zeitgeist of the most searched terms, Facebook and Twitter have decided to unpack some of their trends of the year from tweets and status updates.

To measure trends in Facebook’s status updates, data scientist Lars Backstrom looked at words or phrases in terms of the ones that grew most in status updates compared to last year. And the result? “Highs and lows of world events that … Continue Reading

Nook Color to become a real Android tablet with January update? (Updated)

Update: Barnes and Noble reps are now saying that it has no plans to offer full access to the Android Market on the Nook color. That doesn’t mean the device won’t be getting a major Android update, but its future as a full-fledged Android tablet is likely farther off. Original post below.
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Barnes and Noble’s Nook Color, the $250 update to the original Nook, appeared from the start to be an Android tablet … Continue Reading

Want a Nexus S from Best Buy this Thursday? Prepare to fight for it

We know that many of you are excited to get your hands on Google’s latest flagship Android phone, the Nexus S. But until now, it was unclear how you could go about getting your hands on one.

Now Best Buy has unveiled its plan to sell the phones this Thursday, December 16. The big takeaway? You should prepare to fight in-store and online crowds if you really want one.

Best Buy is forgoing a pre-order … Continue Reading

Another delay for Nokia: E7 smartphone pushed to early 2011

Nokia, the Finnish cellphone maker, said on Tuesday that it will delay the rollout of the E7 smartphone to early 2011, missing the holiday shopping season.

Originally, the enterprise user-oriented smartphone was meant to be out in December. According to Nokia, the company is pushing back the release of the phone to ensure “the best possible user experience on the E7”.

Nokia’s previous high-end smartphone, the N8, was also slightly delayed, and when released, the … Continue Reading

On the GreenBeat: Building energy management M&A kicks off with Schneider buys, BYD plans U.S. electric car launch

Here’s some of the latest action we’re following on the GreenBeat today:

Energy management firm Schneider buys D5X and Vizelia — Many analysts and venture capitalists are predicting that a hot sector next year in cleantech will be in building controls, but it looks like the game is already afoot: Yesterday, energy management leader Schneider Electric announced that it bought two French energy software firms. D5X makes software that optimizes the use of commercial space, … Continue Reading

Google invests in RelayRides to turn your car into a Zipcar

It seems Google is willing to wait a little longer to fulfill CEO Eric Schmidt’s dream of cars that drive themselves.

Google Ventures has instead invested an undisclosed sum into RelayRides, a car-sharing service similar to Zipcar, to help it launch in San Francisco today. August Capital also took part in the company’s first round of fundraising.

It’s a service that lets anyone list their car on the web site for rental like other city-based … Continue Reading

Mobile ad network Moolah Media says it’s all about performance

Apple made a big splash this year with its iAd network for high-quality ads from big brands, but new mobile ad network Moolah Media says it’s already successful by aiming for advertisers who aren’t quite as high-end.

The San Francisco startup is coming out of stealth mode today, but its services have been up-and-running for a month. Chief executive Shawn Scheuer said Moolah Media has already served more than 100 million impressions and generated more … Continue Reading

Premium ad company RGM Group thrives in the tough economy

Luxury and premium brand ad company RGM Group says it is thriving in the tough economy.

Venice, Calif.-based RGM says its ad network reaches more than 91 million users a month as it serves ads from premium brands to more than 200 high-end publications such as The Los Angeles Times and Fashionista. Normally, you would expect luxury goods and the ads that tout them to weaken during a recession. At the beginning of the year, … Continue Reading

Deals & More: Victrio gets $5M to listen for fraudsters, 8D World brings in $5.25M to make English learning fun

Today’s funding announcements include multiple checks from Silicon Valley’s U.S. Venture Partners:

Victrio gets $5M to listen closely to fraudsters: The company has raised a first round of funding led by U.S. Venture Partners, according to a filing with the SEC. The Mountain View, Calif.-based startup charges clients a monthly fee to use its fully automated voiceprinting technology, which can identify fraudsters by their voice over the phone.

8D World brings in $5.25M to make … Continue Reading

Rivals beware: OnLive says it has a fundamental patent on cloud-based games

Games-on-demand company OnLive said today it has received a fundamental patent covering the invention of cloud-based video games.

Steve Perlman, chief executive Palo Alto, Calif.-based OnLive, said in an interview the patent is one of hundreds that the company has filed, and its coverage of the technology involved is very deep. OnLive’s technology is potentially disruptive, since it allows game publishers to sell games to users over a broadband network rather than in stores; it … Continue Reading

Gemvara continues rapid growth with online custom jewelry

Gemvara, the online tool for customizing and buying jewelry, today shared several impressive growth numbers with VentureBeat. According to founder and chief executive Matt Lauzon (pictured), the company, in less than a year, has gone from $0 to selling millions of dollars of jewelry.

Since last checking in with Lauzon in September, the company is currently at the high end of the “seven figure” range for 2010 and will do at least 3-5x that amount … Continue Reading

Soladigm grabs $30 million for self-tinting smart glass

Energy-efficient glass startup Soladigm announced today that it has nabbed $30 million in third-round equity financing, led by DBL Investors and Nano Dimension.

Soladigm makes electrochromics glass that automatically adjusts tint, which can reduce visual glare and cut cooling and heating costs for commercial buildings. The company was among several winners announced last month in the Ecoimagination challenge, a GE and venture capital-backed contest for clean energy startups.

Soladigm says that, with the new cash, … Continue Reading

Bundle lets money do the talking with its new Restaurant Recommender

There’s no shortage of restaurant-review websites on the Web, but New York City startup Bundle is tapping into an even more honest source of opinion — people’s wallets.

Bundle launched earlier this year as a site where users can compare their spending habits to people like them. Popular personal finance site Mint.com recently released a similar product, MintData, but that data comes from the site’s 4 million users. Bundle may not have anywhere near that … Continue Reading

Yahoo may ax 650 jobs tomorrow (report)

Struggling Web portal Yahoo may cut up to 650 jobs, or 5 percent of its workforce, as early as Tuesday, according to the New York Times.

The layoffs come as the company struggles to reduce costs and grow revenues in its online advertising business. A spokeswoman at Yahoo, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., declined to comment to the New York Times, which cited sources with knowledge of the situation.

Yahoo’s product units are expected to take … Continue Reading

Goldman Sachs: Tablets will hurt Microsoft's growth

An analyst at Goldman Sachs, the investment bank, said in a report that Microsoft would see slowed revenue growth next year as long as it “maintains the status quo” with its current attitude toward tablet computers.

Microsoft faces a growing threat from tablet computers — smaller touchscreen devices that run stripped-down operating systems and are more geared toward content consumption than creation. Tablets are beginning to take the place of notebook computers thanks to a … Continue Reading

Can black gold be green?

Ending petroleum dependence is the big, fat target of most cleantech startups. But one startup thinks it can make today’s dominant energy source for transportation greener.

Petroleum refining catalyst maker Rive Technology announced today a $25 million round to commercialize its technology, which helps oil refiners squeeze better yields of high-quality fuel out of crude oil.

Rive’s catalysts can increase the amount of fuel usable for transport that refiners can get out of crude oil, … Continue Reading

Condé Nast's $500M Web shopping spree

‘Tis the season, right?

Condé Nast, the owner of publications like tech magazine Wired and social news aggregation site Reddit, announced today it has raised a $500 million fund and brought in Andrew Siegel, a former Yahoo mergers and acquisitions expert, to help the publisher go on a shopping spree.

Condé Nast isn’t much of a stranger to trying out new forms of media. The publisher has been on the prowl for some new, defining … Continue Reading