Angry Birds finally flies over to Windows Phone 7

The incredibly popular Angry Birds mobile game has finally landed on the Windows Phone 7 platform. Versions of the game already run on the iPhone, Android, webOS, B&N Nook, Intel AppUp for netbooks, and the Chrome web browser.

Angry Birds is one of the most popular games in the world and has had more than 200 million downloads. The game’s developer, Rovio, has released other versions of the game like Angry Birds Rio and Angry … Continue Reading

TV check-in app GetGlue gets a mobile web app

AdaptiveBlue, a New York City startup that lets users “check in” to TV shows to share what they’re watching with their friends, has unveiled an HTML5 version of its GetGlue app that emulates its iPhone and Android applications.

That means GetGlue will be available to just about every smartphone or tablet device out there with a mobile browser that supports HTML5. GetGlue is already available on the iPhone, BlackBerry, and devices running Google’s Android mobile … Continue Reading

More awesomeness: Another slate of GamesBeat speakers

Today we’re revealing the seventh group of speakers for our third annual GamesBeat 2011 conference. Our newest slate of speakers will be part of a panel on the free-to-play mobile gaming market. They include Peter Driessen, chief executive of Spil Games; Julian Farrior, CEO of Backflip Studios; and Kris Duggan, CEO of Badgeville.

The GamesBeat 2011 conference takes place July 12-13 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco.

Peter Driessen made an early … Continue Reading

Sony rearranges video game management team amid persistent hack attacks

Sony on Wednesday said it planned to rearrange the senior management of its video game unit just months after hackers shut down the PlayStation Network for nearly a month.

The management reshuffle is unsurprising, as Sony has faced many issues recently along with the attack on the PlayStation Network. Not only was it slapped with lawsuit associated with the theft of personal data during the PSN attack, it also had its Sony Pictures website hacked … Continue Reading

Applied Materials reveals breakthrough in chip manufacturing

Applied Materials, the largest maker of chip making equipment, announced what it called a “breakthrough” technology in manufacturing chips that could become critical for continued technological progress in electronics for years to come.

The advance comes in a category of chip-making equipment called “rapid thermal processing,” or RTP. That involves heating a chip material to levels of heat similar to that of jet engine within a very short period of time. While it seems arcane, … Continue Reading

Cisco shows down its pricey enterprise tablet hand: Cius and AppHQ

Cisco today unveiled AppHQ, a white-label app store service for enterprises designed for its Cius enterprise tablet computer.

AppHQ will basically serve as an app store for an individual enterprise. Systems administrators can manage which apps appear on an AppHQ store and which devices can download them. Each AppHQ is a custom-branded app store for a single enterprise, where employees can develop and publish applications. IT managers can also select any of the 200,000 plus … Continue Reading

Flexible solar panel maker SoloPower raises $15M of $44M round

Flexible solar panel manufacturer SoloPower has raised $15 million of a targeted $43.8 million fifth round of funding, according to a new filing with the securities and exchange commission.

SoloPower manufactures photovoltaic cells, which capture sunlight and convert it to electricity on a flexible surface that can be bent and placed just about anywhere. They’re called thin-film solar panels, but they are typically less efficient at capturing sunlight and converting it to electricity than hard … Continue Reading

Gamzee raises $1M seed round for cross-platform mobile and social games

Gamzee, a mobile and social game developer founded by gaming veteran Howard Marks, has raised $1 million in seed funding.

The Los Angeles company (pronounced game-zee) will make games based on the HTML5 format, which allows developers to create games capable of running on a variety of different devices. Marks, chief executive of the firm and a 25-year-veteran of games, said that the company raised the funding round in a short time. This shows that, … Continue Reading

Video slideshow service Animoto raises $25 million

Animoto, an online video slideshow creation service, today announced completion of a $25 million financing round.

The new funding  will help Animoto expand its service, which allows consumers and businesses to create and share professional-quality videos. For example, you can use it to turn boring wedding photos or travel photos into an exciting mini movie. Companies can use it to create video presentations out of static images. Short video clips can be interspersed within the … Continue Reading

PlayLater: Finally, a DVR for Web video

MediaMall, the company behind the popular PlayOn video streaming service, is today launching a new service, PlayLater, that lets you download streaming video from any website to view later. Yes, it’s effectively a DVR for online video.

PlayLater seems like the perfect solution for Web video addicts who travel with their computer and aren’t always on a reliable Internet connection. But as with PlayOn, the service is basically a hack, so there’s always a chance … Continue Reading

Angry Birds exec will swoop into GamesBeat 2011 for fireside chat

It’s hard to say anything about mobile gaming these days without discussing Angry Birds, the bird-slingshotting game that has been downloaded more than 200 million times. That’s why we’ll have an executive from Rovio, the maker of Angry Birds, at this year’s GamesBeat 2011 conference on July 12-13 in San Francisco.

Wibe Wagemans, whose title is Humming Bird for Rovio, leads the company’s global brand advertising and analytics. He will be flying in from Finland … Continue Reading

Duh: New Jive study shows social is pretty important in business

Business social networking company Jive published a study conducted by Penn Schoen Berland today that shows more than three-fourths of the top executives in large enterprises consider collaboration software like Yammer and Huddle a top priority.

The study also found most executives and at least half of the newest class of workers called “millennials” have downloaded an app for a smartphone or tablet that is work-related. Nearly all of those same people said the apps … Continue Reading

World of Warcraft goes free-to-play for first 20 levels

World of Warcraft, one of the top-selling online games in the world, will be free to download and play for a good chunk of the game’s introductory content, game developer Blizzard Entertainment announced today.

The new program is another way Blizzard Entertainment is trying to rope in new players for its popular online game. New players will be able to play the first 20 levels free but will have to buy all three expansions in … Continue Reading

Square snags $100M at massive $1B valuation

If you need any further evidence that the mobile payments arena is going to be huge over the next few years, just look at Square.

The mobile payments startup, created by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, has raised $100 million in a third round of funding led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, skyrocketing the company’s valuation to more than $1 billion, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The funding has quadrupled Square’s valuation — the company’s … Continue Reading

Social browser RockMelt raises $30M from Andreessen-Horowitz, Accel Partners

Social web browser RockMelt announced today that it has raised $30 million in its second round of funding led by Accel Partners, Khosla Ventures and existing investor Andreessen-Horowitz.

RockMelt’s web browser is closely integrated with Facebook and other social networking sites. Instead of having to constantly return to their favorite websites and social networks, RockMelt users can view their friends’ Facebook and Twitter updates, get notified about new content on their favorite websites, and start … Continue Reading

Microsoft patent allows for web-based spying technology (Updated)

A recently revealed Microsoft patent could create wiretaps for several kinds of Internet communications, including video and voice calls over Skype, which Microsoft acquired in May.

Federal law enforcement agencies have had difficulties tracking and recording criminal and terrorist conversations online. Back in September, it was reported that law enforcement officials wanted to expand the government’s powers to wiretap Internet services. Microsoft’s new technology could help make this a reality.

The spying technology, called “Legal … Continue Reading

Dynamics raises $35M round for computerized smartcards and payment systems

Dynamics, the big winner in the 2010 DEMOfall conference, has raised $35 million in funding to accelerate its business of making computerized smartcards and payment systems.

The funding led by Bain Capital Ventures is the largest second funding round in the payments business this year and is the largest round in the history of Pittsburgh, Pa., where the company is based. That says a lot about the potential of Dynamics, which is seeking to bring … Continue Reading

Google report suggests huge payout for clean technology expansion

Aggressive spending and expansion in clean technology would generate 1.1 million new jobs by 2030 and reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 13 percent, according to a new report by Google. If the U.S. employs more federal mandates and provides funding for clean technology projects, those projects will generate 1.9 million jobs and reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 21 percent, the report states.

By 2050, U.S. greenhouse gas emissions would be cut by 55 … Continue Reading