Roundup: Solyndra scores major green, Windows braces for worm, car takes to the skies and more
Department of Energy shines on Solyndra — The solar company landed a $535 million loan to continue developing its technology. The New York Times has more.
A wormy April Fool’s Day — The Conficker computer worm is set to be unleashed on April 1, exploiting Windows weaknesses to create millions of zombie computers. “Joke or apocalypse?” asks the New York Times.
Study says, “Do or do not, there is no try” — A new Harvard Business School study of venture-backed… Continue Reading
4Info gets $20M more for text message advertising
4INFO, the Silicon Valley company that serves advertisements in mobile phone text messages, has raised another $20 million in funding.
The money comes from a previous backer, Peacock Equity, a joint venture between NBC Universal and General Electric Commercial Finance, according to a report in the WSJ. VentureBeat has heard that 4INFO’s advertising rates have plummeted since the onset of the economic downturn in October, though if it’s true, 4INFO would hardly be the only ad… Continue Reading
4info is taking texting to the bank, gets NBC backing
(Update: The amount is $2.5 million, according to regulatory filings.)
4INFO, a Silicon Valley company that lets you search for information using text messaging, has become the official service partner for media giant NBC Universal. It has also received an undisclosed financial investment from the media giant’s arm, Peacock Equity.
While questions remain about how popular text messaging, also known as Short Message Service or SMS, will remain as more mobile broadband services are introduced, 4INFO is… Continue Reading
4Info surprises with SMS ad results — raises $10M more
4Info, the Palo Alto mobile search company we feared might become roadkill by Google and Yahoo, has surprised with solid progress in serving ads in text messages.
It’s on track to serve 50 million ad units for the next quarter, at a whopping $50 dollars per thousand messages (equivalent to $50 CPM in advertising parlance). This is remarkable since the service was only launched last month. Indeed, 4Info has sold out its entire inventory of messages…. Continue Reading
Don’t overlook SMS
In the U.S., the promise of the future in accessing mobile information via WAP or a rich client application casts a shadow on SMS, better known as text messaging or “texting”.
According to conventional wisdom, WAP and downloaded client applications are the holy grails of mobile, with their ability to deliver splashy, colorful landing pages, images and videos to consumers on their mobile phones. Companies like AOL are snapping up WAP advertising startups like Third… Continue Reading
Roundup: WSJ on sale?, 4Info’s SMS network, plankton, PropertyShark, more
Here’s the latest action:
News Corp makes $5 billion takeover bid for Dow Jones — If the bid is accepted, the owner of Fox News would own the old, gray business media icon, the Wall Street Journal. What next?
PropertyShark takes property snooping a step further — If you thought Zillow, the housing site that slapped a value on your house, was controversial, take a look at PropertyShark. The four-year old New York company outdoes Zillow on the snoopy… Continue Reading
Roundup: March Madness, Starbucks start-ups, Zannel and more
Here’s the latest action:
March Madness alerts — Palo Alto mobile search company 4INFO will send you an alert in the final minutes of any of NCAA March Madness game that looks like it could be an upset. It sends final scores too. To sign up, text TOURNEY ALERTS to 44636, or signup at the company’s site.
Coffee-house entrepreneurs — The SF Chronicle has a piece about the SF entrepreneurs who launch companies at coffee houses, exploiting the WiFi… Continue Reading