Twitter investor Union Square could be aiming for later-stage deals

Union Square Ventures, the New York City firm that was an early investor in Twitter, is raising a new $200 million fund, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

It looks like Fortune’s Dan Primack was the first to report on the filing, which shows that Union Square has raised $135 million for the fund so far. According to one of Primack’s sources, this fund is targeted at later-stage investments in more … Continue Reading

Groupon set to raise nearly $1B

Some investors are about to get a deal.

Groupon, the fast-growing Chicago startup that dominates the daily-deal category, has filed revised articles of incorporation that give it the right to issue $950 million in shares, according to VC Experts, a site that analyzes corporate filings. And CEO Andrew Mason just posted a confirmation on Twitter that the company is in the midst of raising a new round of financing.

If it raises the entire amount, … Continue Reading

On the GreenBeat: Trina plans $800 million investment, Tessera loses SoCal Edison contract

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

Tessera Solar loses 663.5-megawatt power purchase agreement – The five-year-old contract with Southern California Edison was originally for power to be generated from Tessera’s planned Calico solar project, which was approved about two months ago, Reuters reported. Southern California Edison has now canceled the contract, but neither company has provided any details as to why the deal fell through, citing confidentiality agreements. Tessera has been … Continue Reading

Ifbyphone snaps up $8M to modify phone calls in the cloud

Ifbyphone, a provider of web-based services that interact with phone calls, has raised $8 million in its second round of funding from Apex Venture Partners, Origin Ventures and Spring Mill Ventures.

The company has a web-based service that lets its users track and automate phone calls through a public cloud server. That means companies with call centers can route calls to a remote server and have them interact with with a number of applications, like … Continue Reading

Apple sued over spying mobile apps

This was bound to happen sooner or later. A Los Angeles county man has filed a lawsuit against Apple, along with several mobile app developers, for allowing apps that transmit private user information to ad networks without user consent.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Jonathan Lalo on December 23 in a San Jose, California federal court, Bloomberg reports.

The suit claims that Apple devices like the iPhone and iPad are equipped with unique … Continue Reading

Verizon iPad 2 to join the Verizon iPhone in 2011?

Apple still hasn’t confirmed that it’s releasing a CDMA version of the iPhone next year for Verizon’s wireless network (and other CDMA networks globally), but at this point we can rest assured that it’ll happen.

Now there’s word that Apple is also working on a CDMA version of the iPad 2 to keep the Verizon iPhone company, according to the site Digitimes.

The news makes sense given that Verizon’s current mobile internet solution for the … Continue Reading

Computer platforms with the biggest buzz will be the biggest malware targets in 2011

There will be no shortage of computer security threats for 2011. Among the most prominent will be new threats to geolocation services, mobile devices, and Apple machines, according to researchers at Intel’s McAfee security division.

Researchers also foresee attackers targeting URL-shortening services and internet TV platforms, and an increase in politically motivated hacking. In short, wherever the internet goes, there go the malware attacks.

The predictions are contained in the 2011 Threat Predictions report by … Continue Reading

Crafty marketplace Etsy could make $50M this year

New York startup Etsy has succeeded in turning a community of arts-and-crafts sellers into a growing business, according to a recent profile in The New York Times.

Etsy has been around since 2005, but the article highlights how the company has become an increasingly important online marketplace, not just a fun place to shop. The site will process nearly $400 million in transactions this year, and now has 7 million registered users — both numbers … Continue Reading

Apple sells 1M Apple TVs, can’t be bothered to announce it

Apple confirmed today that it has sold 1 million copies of its Apple TV media player.

The company predicted last Tuesday that it was going to hit the 1 million sales mark later that week. Maybe that’s why Apple didn’t actually announce the milestone via press release — instead, the news came out when AllThingsDigital’s John Paczkowski took the initiative to ask the company if it actually crossed the threshold it had predicted, and Apple … Continue Reading

Will charging infrastructure be the electric car's speed bump?

This year — and next — will be a busy one for arrival of electric cars. The Ford Focus Electric and Coda’s sedan are slated for launch by 2011. The Nissan Leaf is slowly making its way to buyers in the U.S. and Europe, the Wheego Whip and LiFe are on sale in New York, and the partially electric Chevrolet Volt is on dealer lots now.

Yet Tesla Motors, the one company that’s been ahead … Continue Reading

Samsung’s Galaxy Player to debut next week, Android's answer to the iPod Touch

Building on the success of its Galaxy S Android phones, Samsung is set to unveil a new version of its Galaxy Player portable media device that’s basically a Galaxy S phone sans phone functionality. In short, it’s Samsung’s answer to the iPod Touch.

Samsung will show off its new Galaxy Player at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week, the blog Samsung Hub reports.

The Android 2.2 device will sport much of the … Continue Reading

Tesla stock drops 16 percent, analysts pile on worries

As VentureBeat suggested on Thursday, the entry of new shares onto the market today has caused Tesla’s stock to drop.  The stock is trading down 16 percent today now that  the 180-day  post-IPO lockup period has ended and insiders are free to sell their shares.

The stock is trading at $25.30, down 16 percent from its Thursday close of $30.09. CapitalOne Southcoast today placed a “sell” rating on the stock. The Silicon Valley electric car … Continue Reading

Another strike against Google TV? Logitech temporarily halting Revue production

Updated

Google TV just can’t catch a break. We reported last week that Google asked a number of hardware manufacturers to delay their Google TV devices for a few months, and now there’s word that Logitech may be halting production of its Google TV-powered Revue set-top box.

Logitech reportedly asked Gigabyte, which builds the Revue boxes, to suspend shipments from December 2010 to January 2011, according to Digitimes.

The company is apparently waiting for Google … Continue Reading

Y Combinator-backed Humble Bundle sells $1.8M worth of indie games

The second Humble Indie Bundle, a batch of games that players can purchase for whatever amount they want to pay, has raked in a not-quite-so-humble $1.82 million after being on sale for a little more than a week — and its host might be looking at a nice $90,000 tip for its efforts.

The bundle was on sale for 11 days and was run by Y Combinator-backed Humble Bundle, which launched specifically to organize operations … Continue Reading

Video scanning provider 3VR raises $17M from heavy-hitting investors

3VR, a provider of video recording and search technology, announced today that it has raised $17 million in its fifth round of funding led by Menlo Ventures.

The company sells a number of video recorders that have scanning and recognition features built-in. Its products are mainly geared toward businesses looking to beef up their security. The software lets businesses review videos and use facial recognition and license plate recognition to track down criminals.

The software … Continue Reading

Amazon's new Kindle is its best-selling product of all time

Amazon still isn’t talking Kindle numbers, but at least we know its e-reader is a smashing success. The company announced this morning that its third-generation Kindle is its best-selling product ever, surpassing the final Harry Potter book.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos pointed to the Kindle’s new $139 price point as a major factor in its success over color tablets like Apple’s iPad. “It’s low enough that people don’t have to choose,” he said. Amazon customers … Continue Reading

On the GreenBeat: California electric car rebates could run dry; Carsharing catches on with major automakers

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

California’s electric car rebates could run out — The state fund that pays $5,000 rebate California offers for zero-emission cars is currently funded with $8 million, enough to pay out 1,600 car buyers. But the amount of money available doesn’t match the pace of electric car rollouts, and would likely run out by mid-2011, according to advocacy group Plug In America, the Los Angeles Times … Continue Reading

Apple increases Q1 2011 iPhone shipments, includes Verizon-ready CDMA iPhone

Apple expects to ship 1 to 2 million more iPhones in the first quarter of 2011 than it originally planned, including those ready for Verizon’s cellular network, sources from Taiwan-based component suppliers tell Digitimes.

The company’s global shipment goal for the first quarter is now around 20 to 21 million units, up from around 19 million previously. Around 14 to 15 million of those units will be of the current iPhone variety with support for … Continue Reading

Real Life Plus's social game makes fashion into a battle (exclusive)

Sometimes crazy ideas for video games turn out to be hits. That must be the logic behind Real Life Plus, a startup game studio that’s making two interesting new Facebook apps, Style Studio and its companion game Fashion FaceOff.

As you can tell from the image above, this one involves hot girls and guns, sort of like Call of Duty meets Project Runway. Or, if you’re into games for women and girls, Stardoll meets Sorority … Continue Reading