Roundup: Pleo is dead, Twitter spreads swine flu, Google Earth solves plane crash and more
Here’s all the latest action:
Verizon iPhone in the works — Apple and Verizon have been talking about launching an iPhone for the Verizon network as early as next year. USA Today has the story.
Tragedy strikes as Pleo, the magic dinosaur, is liquidated — Ugobe, maker of robotic dino Pleo, has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and will liquidate its intellectual property.
Cleantech funding not so miserable — Investor Rob Day questions the reported 84 percent drop in cleantech investing… Continue Reading
Qualcomm will pay $891 million to Broadcom to settle patent disputes
Qualcomm will pay $891 million to Broadcom in a patent dispute settlement, the chip companies announced today.
The deal will settle all pending litigation between the companies worldwide. The companies were in a state of legal warfare over cell phone and other tech patents in the U.S., Europe and Korea. San Diego, Calif.-based Qualcomm will pay the money to Irvine, Calif.-based Broadcom over four years. Qualcomm will make the first $200 million payment in the second… Continue Reading
ZeroG Wireless raises $17 million for embedded Wi-Fi chips
ZeroG Wireless is announcing today that it has raised $17 million in a second round of funding for its business of designing embedded Wi-Fi chips. This company is looking for the day when billions of everyday gadgets and sensors are connected to the Internet.
John Cummins, chief executive of the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company, says it’s able to get off the ground because it’s going the opposite direction of other wireless broadband chip makers. Others are focused… Continue Reading
Roundup: More cuts at Yahoo, food cuts at Google and more
Here’s the latest action:
More job cuts coming at Yahoo? — Chief executive Jerry Yang has hired consultants from Bain to get the organization “fit.” It’s not likely that means more exercise. SAI has more.
More food benefits slashed at Google – While Yahoos may be losing their jobs, Googlers are just losing select food privileges. Valleywag has more.
Broadcom wins another battle against Qualcomm — The chipmaker scores another victory after a judge rules that Qualcomm is infringing on… Continue Reading
AMD sells digital TV chip division to Broadcom
Advanced Micro Devices will sell its digital TV chip business to Broadcom for $192.8 million.
The move is part of chip company AMD’s attempt to raise some cash and regain its footing in its core microprocessor business where Intel has been eating AMD’s lunch.
AMD needs the cash since it has been losing money for seven quarters and is in the process of switching to an “asset light” strategy where it will likely lease its factories rather… Continue Reading
Entropic’s chips to cut the cost of multiple satellite TV set-top installations
It’s painful to get satellite TV service installed at your home because technicians have to spend a lot of time wiring multiple set-top boxes to a single dish antenna.
Entropic Communications has a solution that eliminates that problem. And today, the San Diego, Calif. company is announcing that DirecTV is adopting its chips.
The company’s chip is called a “channel stack switch” and it will be built into a new DirecTV satellite dish. Earlier this year, DirecTV… Continue Reading
Interview with Vinod Dham, father of the Pentium, on a life in technology and venture investing
Vinod Dham has lived the quintessential Silicon Valley rags to riches immigrant story. Born in Pune, India, he came to the U.S. in 1975 as an engineering student with just $8 in his pocket. He became a chip engineer and helped invent Intel’s first flash memory chip. He went on to manage Intel’s microprocessor projects, including the breakaway Pentium chip that debuted in 1993 and cemented the company’s position as the world’s biggest chip maker…. Continue Reading
Roundup: Broadcom backdating, games at work, and more
Former Broadcom executive Henry Samueli to plead guilty in backdating case — The Broadcom flameout saga continues, with former chief technology officer Samueli admitting that he previously lied to SEC investigators about whether or not he had illegally back-dated stock options. Among Broadcom’s two founding Henrys, Samueli was the good cop. That’s why it was surprising that Samueli pleaded guilty to avoid jail time. But the other Henry, former CEO Henry Nicholas, is up for a… Continue Reading
The madness of King Henry Nicholas?
The news about Broadcom’s former chief executive, Henry Nicholas III, is just stunning. It’s a rise-and-fall story with salacious details of prostitutes and ecstasy that will make the tabloids, not just the tech pages. It’s all the more stunning to me because I met “Nick” at his company and witnessed his imperial brilliance.
The FBI accused him in a 21-count indictment of fraud, conspiracy and drug charges. The agency alleges that he spiked the drinks of… Continue Reading
BroadLight, supplier of passive optical network equipment, raises $12M
BroadLight, a supplier of “gigabit passive optical network” (GPON) semiconductors and software, said it has raised a $12 million fifth round of financing.
The round was led by Benchmark Capital, and included existing investors Azure Capital Partners, Broadcom, Cipio
Partners, Delta Ventures, Israel Seed Partners, Motorola Ventures, Star Ventures and
Tellabs.
BroadLight, of Mountain View, Calif., has raised about $50 million, but it is not yet profitable.
Last year, another PON company, Passave Inc, was bought by PMC-Sierra Inc. for… Continue Reading
Broadcom to acquire Global Locate, a provider of GPS technology
Broadcom Corporation, of Irvine, Calif. a maker of semiconductors for communications, said it has agreed to acquire Global Locate, a private San Jose, Calif. fabless provider of global positioning system (GPS) and assisted GPS (A-GPS) semiconductor products and software.
The amount was undisclosed.
GPS is expected to join Bluetooth and similar wireless technologies as a pervasive feature in next generation mobile devices, Broadcom said in a statement. Global Locate’s semiconductor products are used in mobile phones… Continue Reading