July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

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Microsoft is offering $1 billion for Nook Media LLC, the tablet and digital media business started by Barnes & Noble and other investors, according to a report in TechCrunch.

Microsoft already owns a piece of Nook, having invested $300 million into the business in April 2012. According to the report, Microsoft would buy the digital operation, which includes e-books, movies, TV, comics, apps, and more.

The interesting wrinkle is that Nook is built on Android — which Microsoft makes money charging licenses for – and just opened up its business to Google, signing an agreement with Google to get Google Play and inviting the entire Google mobile stack — Gmail, Chrome, YouTube, and Google Maps — onto the platform. In addition, Nook offers apps on mobile platforms that compete with Microsoft: Android and iOS.

Which would put Microsoft in the awkward position of owning an Android-based tablet that, while not extremely successful, has sold more devices than Microsoft has sold of its own Windows 8-based tablets.

About ten million Nook devices have been sold to date.

But Nook may be phasing out hardware and moving simply to delivering content via apps on other company’s hardware platforms as both revenue and device sales have slowed in recent quarters. In which case, Microsoft would be buying digital content and licenses to digital content that could be valuable assets for both Windows 8-based tablets and its Xbox living-room-entertainment-hub ambitions.

Whether that’s worth a billion dollars, however, is anyone’s guess.

Which means that the bigger question is whether buying a declining device and content distributor from an ailing company that is failing to successfully compete with Amazon is a smart business idea. With Nook division revenue declining more than $100 million in 2013 and a projected loss of $360 million, it could just be the case of Microsoft adopting yet another expensive albatross for its cash cow office, operating system, and business software divisions to support.

Sources are telling us that WellDoc, a startup that provides chronic disease management solutions, has found a buyer.

Elite health incubator Rock Health substantiated the rumor that WellDoc has been shopping for an acquirer in a blog post.

Last we heard from WellDoc in August 2012, the company announced its intent to raise $10 million in funding. An SEC filing revealed that the company secured $500,000, so funding may be drying up (unless there is something we’ve missed.)

Among the potential buyers, one source suggested that healthcare management giant Alere is interested, given that they inked a deal to market WellDoc’s diabetes tracker.

A spokesperson from WellDoc declined to comment on the acquisition.

Intel is hatching plans to acquire Israeli gesture recognition and tracking technology firm Omek Interactive, three people close to the matter said.

Competitors Qualcomm and Samsung are also considering making an offer — although one source said that a bidding war for Omek is unlikely.

For these companies, gesture control technology is attractive as it offers a way to simplify increasingly sophisticated devices, draw customers to cool sci-fi-like devices, and chew up a lot of computing power that can be produced by their future chips.

“I know that Qualcomm and Samsung are in for natural user interface and biometrics,” said Motti Vaknin, a partner at Israeli venture firm Cedar Fund. By “in,” he refers to partnership, investment, and acquisition opportunities. Intel is currently partnered with competing startup SoftKinetic, and its investment arm Intel Ventures led Omek’s first round of funding.

In July 2011, Omek — with its gesture tracking and recognition technology — raised $7 million. A spokesperson from Intel Capital declined to comment on the acquisition talks.

Omek needed to find another round of financing, so the timing on the bidding isn’t surprising, according to one source familiar with the matter.

VentureBeat also reached out to Omek Interactive. CEO Janine Kutliroff said, “Omek is always having conversations of a strategic or financial nature. We never comment on rumors in the marketplace.”

Jim Moore, the founder of technology M&A firm J Moore Partners, said the intellectual property would be an asset to buyers. “In this case, using depth of field camera data for gesture input will allow people to control their computers without touching them,” he said. He continued, “It is [the] early days for this technology as the application builders will need to build this into their interface and functionality. But the possibilities are enormous.”

The race for ‘perceptual computing’

The race to pick up the technology reveals the hype and reality around cool new technologies that cross multiple markets. Gesture controls have been hot in games since Nintendo debuted the Wii motion-sensing game console in 2006. The Japanese company sold more than 100 million systems, beating out Microsoft and Sony, who were taken by surprise by the popularity of the new ways to control games.

Microsoft bought several companies in response and debuted its rival technology, Kinect, with great success in 2010. Sony followed, less successfully, with its PlayStation Move controller. But it continues to invest in its EyeToy camera-based technology. Microsoft clearly tried to lock up the intellectual property for motion-sensing technology, but it still bought commercial chips from PrimeSense when it shipped Kinect.

While the technologies succeeded in the game market, players cried out for better gesture recognition. Kinect couldn’t detect movements that were too close to it or too far away. A distance of about 10 feet is the sweet spot. Newer technologies can detect subtle finger movements and motions that are inches away from the screen. Intel is particularly interested in such technology for the PC.

As the world’s biggest chip maker, Intel’s focused on “perceptual computing,” or technologies for controlling a computer or tablet that include voice recognition, face recognition, eye-tracking, and motion sensing. Qualcomm and Samsung, likewise, also want to bring such technologies to their mobile markets.

Along the way, the hype cycle has grown as companies try to recapture the experience that Tom Cruise demonstrated with a gesture-controlled computer in the sci-fi film Minority Report. But consumers are likely to reject technologies that fall far short of this target. Omek’s early technology fits into this category, and marketers are still searching for the ideal markets for gesture-based controls.

Omek’s earlier focus was doing full-body motion-tracking systems, dubbed Beckon, that competed with Kinect. The idea was to enable gesture controls for movies or music playback, as Microsoft’s Kinect can also now do. But there wasn’t much of a market beyond Kinect.

PrimeSense showed new 3D cameras at the Consumer Electronics Show this year. These cameras featured much reduced costs so that the gesture controls could be taken into new markets such as tracking goods on retail shelves. Qualcomm has acquired its own technology for gesture control as well.

Now Omek is focused on a technology that it calls Grasp, which is the recognition of small finger movements at closer range. Omek is working with various Intel divisions on that technology, which could be part of the larger perceptual computing offering. In software, Omek’s rivals include Softkinetic, Pointgrab, and Eyesight. The latter use 2D webcams, rather than the more costly 3D space cameras.

Gestigon and LeapMotion are competitors in hand-movement recognition.

Check out the video below for a demonstration of Omek’s close-range gesture recognition tech.

This story is developing. We will update it as we learn more. 

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GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

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July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Tickets On Sale Now

Rumors are flying that popular news app Pulse is in acquisition talks and that a veritable who’s who of Silicon Valley tech giants are in the alleged running.

Pulse cofounder Akshay Kothari told us in a past interview, “We have been passionate about the product, and that’s what drives us. … It turns out if you have a focus on the product, the company happens around it.”

We’ve reached out to Kothari and a couple other team members about today’s revelations. So far, a close source to the founding team has told us no such talks were underway as recently as two or three months ago.

And of course, Pulse is likely talking with partners like LinkedIn, Google, and Facebook constantly about content; after all, it is a reader/curation app. Any acquisition rumors may be a result of overblown speculation around these talks.

Or the Pulse founders could be shy about showing their real hand, which could include a splashy buy-out in 2013.

And as far as LinkedIn is concerned, a rep told VentureBeat, “We don’t comment on rumors and speculation.”

The particular rumors and speculation of the day started when AllThingsD’s Kara Swisher reported LinkedIn was a prime contender for the deal, although Amazon and Facebook (less likely) may also be interested. Swisher claims that nothing is set in stone but that the talks are “quite serious” with LinkedIn.

Pulse wouldn’t come cheap: The San Francisco-based startup has raised $10 million in venture funding from Redpoint Ventures and Mayfield Fund, among others. For perspective, one of its competitors, Zite, sold for $20 million to CNN in 2011. The team has forged partnerships with the leading publishers, and over 20 million people use its beautifully designed apps.

However, LinkedIn has the cash and is focused on building out its mobile products and personalized news content. The company just reported a stellar fourth quarter after a year of accelerated product innovation. LinkedIn’s 2013 goals include adding new features to its mobile apps (the fastest growing consumer product) and increasing engagement with the content on its homepage.

Since 2010, Pulse’s engineering-heavy team has rolled out a news reading application for the iPhone, Android, and iPad. The company was formed at Stanford University, and the first app proved to be an overnight sensation. In June 2010, Apple CEO Steve Jobs mentioned the product as one to keep an eye on at the company’s World Wide Developer’s Conference.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Tickets On Sale Now

The iPad Mini may be a marvel of miniaturization and the best small tablet on the market, but it lacks a high-quality retina display, and it’s not exactly cheap.

It looks like at least one of those issues could be resolved soon.

According to Taiwan-based Digitimes — which has a bit of a spotty record with rumors — Apple is sourcing new screens for the newest, lightest, and smallest member of Apple’s iPad lineup. Those new screens are most likely retina displays with 2,058 by 1,536 pixels, for a 326 pixel-per-inch density.

That compares to the current model’s 1,024 x 768 pixels and 163 pixel-per-inch density, and it would address the popular device’s most common complaint. Apparently, iPad Mini is outselling the iPad 4 and may account for half of all of Apple’s iPad sales in 2012 — up to 50 million units.

On the one hand, the retina rumor is a gimme: Obviously, Apple is going to put a better screen on the iPad Mini at some point. The question is when.

iPad refresh schedules were generally about a year in length — until the unexpected October release of an updated iPad 3. So will the mini be updated in six months, which puts a new version in the April/May time frame, or in 12 months, at another October-ish event?

My guess is six months, as the tablet market is moving fast, and more competitors are nipping at Apple’s heels. This rumor adds fuel to that fire.

Image credit: John Koetsier

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Tickets On Sale Now

Who would give Ben Parr and a couple of his young buddies money to run a VC firm?

Celebrities, the former blogger is hoping.

Parr, a onetime micro-celebrity of the blogosphere due to his stint as a Mashable editor, has teamed up with the co-founders of Tracks.by to raise money (or conspicuously not talk to the media about raising money) for a small fund, to be called #DominateFund, pound sign included. (Disclosure: I used to write for Mashable.)

The total amount of the fund is rumored to be in the single millions — hardly a power-player figure, but enough to make high-risk, five-digit bets on seed-stage startups.

We’ve been catching snatches of Parr’s whisper campaign about his venture capitalistic ambitions for a while; the obvious question was where the money for such a fund would come from. While Parr, like his frenemies at CrunchFund, built up a substantial audience as a blogger, he has no experience in entrepreneurship or investment.

His co-conspirators are Matt Schlicht and Mazy Kazerooni, both co-founders of Tracks.by, a San Francisco-based startup aimed at the entertainment industry and getting musicians to launch their content on the Tracks.by platform.

Schlicht is a 24-year-old designer/product guy who has worked at Ustream and Socialcam. Kazerooni, 22, also worked at Ustream doing marketing work. Both held positions as celebrity liaisons, hence the trio’s thesis: Celebs will give them money to channel into the ever-hotter tech space.

But while the youngsters have worked on a handful of products, none have seen huge success, making their collective entrepreneurial experience negligible. Tracks.by made it into Y Combinator, but aside from being a sort of hacker badge of honor and a good training ground for first-time entrepreneurs, that experience is no guarantee of business success.

But still, we have reservations about the capacity of this group to run a credible investment outfit. Time alone will tell whether our reservations are unfounded or whether Ben Parr and two kids make up an unexpectedly awesome startup investment dream team.

Top image by Jolie O’Dell, Flickr. O’Dell also worked at Mashable while Parr was employed there.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

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Smoke, meet fire?

The iPad Mini is ramping up production, according to DigiTimes, the Taiwanese technology news service that often — but not always — has strong insight into component supply chains that help guesstimate both future products and sales volume.

Mini rumors have been flying for literally months.

Even Steve Jobs liked the Mini, according to an email by Apple’s SVP for Internet software and services Eddie Cue, revealed during the ongoing Apple-Samsung court battle. And the launch date, according to yet more rumors, is estimated at September 21.

The Mini is expected to hit 4 million units a month, which would be extremely aggressive for a new product launch even for Apple. Especially given that Microsoft is only building an estimated three million units of Surface tablets for the entire year, and that in the most recent quarter the original iPad itself sold just under six million units per month.

But Apple typically is aggressive. Remember when iPod Nano came in — it was such a big deal back then — and Apple obsoleted itself?

By setting production at 4 million units a month, Apple would be stating two things: First, the company is OK with some level of cannibalization of existing iPad sales, and second, the company is pretty confident that a Mini, at a lower price point, will open up a whole new market of iPad buyers.

Image credit: fix-iPhones/Flickr

The Twitter rumor mill is grindin’ away this morning, and here’s another tidbit just fallen from the old grindstone: Apple had been in talks to invest in Twitter, but the deal is officially off the table. Said investment supposedly hinged on Twitter’s integration with Apple’s mobile operating system.

Even so, we read in the always entertaining Wall Street Journal, the two companies plan to create stronger ties between their products, even going so far as to weave Twitter into iTunes as a replacement for Ping, Apple’s socially awkward music companion app.

Apple had been in talks to snuggle up to Facebook, the Journal report continues; however, those overtures came to naught, so Apple is back onboard with Twitter when it comes to these types of deep product tie-ins.

Still, we saw a lot of Facebook integration with iOS 6.

We have our own theories about why Twitter and Apple wouldn’t make good investor/investment partners. First, Twitter taking money from Apple would be a pretty explicit “eff you, buddy” to other operating system manufacturers, browser builders, and mobile OS makers. That’s a lot of people to piss off for a few million bucks; if the company were looking for a strategic investment, choosing Apple might end up being a pretty poor strategy.

Second, Twitter’s not exactly hurting for cash, in case you hadn’t noticed. The startup has already taken in excess of $1 billion from the likes of Kleiner Perkins and DST, the Russian mega-firm that also invested a few hundred million each in Facebook, Groupon, Zynga, and Alibaba.

Third, Apple doesn’t need to invest in Twitter to get what it wants out of social media services.

As our Fearless Leader Matt Marshall wrote in an excellent post last week, “At the time of the said negotiations last year, Apple was wringing its hands about how to build traction in social networking … [But] since early last year, things have calmed down markedly. While Apple may not have gotten its way with Facebook, it worked out a deal that was good enough.”

In conclusion, Apple’s not investing in Twitter, which would have been a bad idea all around, but it may have a closer relationship with Twitter than with Facebook, which could prove interesting for iTunes users.

BusinessInsider broke the rumor an hour ago, and Bloomberg said two sources confirmed that there are acquisition talks. CNet is reporting as well, but notes that the chatter is far from confirmed.

The rumored price? About $1 billion … roughly double Yammer’s valuation as of its last funding round in February.

If there is truth to this story, it could be viewed as an early exit for a company that is the “Facebook for businesses.” With over four million users in 200,000 companies worldwide, and a vision to be the place where work gets done, Yammer is a Facebook with a potentially more lucrative business model. But the “social inside” space is competitive, with Salesforce, Jive, and others poised to take their piece, and perhaps Yammer felt the need to take a certain exit now rather than face an uncertain future.

The acquisition fits for Microsoft: It sells to businesses, and its enterprise divisions have increasingly been pulling the revenue cart as Windows has been slowing. But the Redmond giant’s track record in large acquisitions has not been stellar. It’s hard to see enormous added value in Microsoft’s $6.3 billion for aQuantive, $1.5 billion for Navision, $500 million for Danger Mobile, and $1.2 billion for FAST search, not to mention the $8.5 billion investment in Skype about a year ago.

The question, as always, is what Microsoft would do with the new company and technology. If, like Skype, the relationship is arms-length, and Yammer continues to grow, this could be a positive for both companies.

On the other hand, if Microsoft attempts some massive integration with SharePoint, look out.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Speculation on the company’s future spread like wildfire this weekend after a series of  tweets from gaming industry veteran Kevin Dent suggested the publisher was cancelling its Game Workshops massively multiplayer online game, Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online, and its entire 2014 lineup, in order to preserve cash.

Dent later went on to say he thought THQ shutting its doors was a longshot and that he couldn’t see “institutional investors allowing THQ to go down the toilet,” but by then the rumor had gone viral and was reported on by various gaming publications. Now, THQ  is in full damage control mode and has issued a statement debunking the rumor.

THQ has not cancelled its 2014 line-up, and has not made any decisions regarding the planned MMO. As part of the ongoing review of our business, we have made decisions to ensure that the company is strategically addressing the most attractive markets. As we have previously announced, we have dramatically reduced our commitment to the kids’ boxed games sector which leads to a significantly more focused release schedule moving forward. Our slate for calendar 2012 and beyond is focused on high-quality core games and continues to build our digital platform and business. We are excited for our pipeline of original and high-quality content along with our relationships with some of the best talent in the industry.

Additionally, we are thrilled with the great performance of Saints Row: The Third, which on a like for like period in North America has tripled in sell-through from Saints Row 2. In addition, WWE ’12’s worldwide sell-through sales are up almost 40 percent year-over-year for the same sales period with fewer platforms. According to NPD, for the month of December and the 2011 year, THQ was the #5 publisher overall, #4 third party, with reported sell through growing over 18 percent in a market that was down almost 6 percent. And coming up next, we have two great titles for the first half of the year including UFC Undisputed 3 and Darksiders 2.

Despite its assurances, THQ is clearly struggling. Shares in its stock were down 6.90 percent on Friday. Since the stock market is closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, there’s no way of knowing if this weekend’s rumor will cause a further drop.

For the third fiscal quarter ended Dec. 31, THQ said it expects to report weaker-than-expected results because of poor sales of its uDraw Game Tablet for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Sales for the third quarter are expected to be 25 percent below its previous guidance of $510 million to $550 million. Results will be released for the third fiscal quarter in early February. In the second fiscal quarter ended Sept. 30, THQ reported a loss of $92.4 million on revenues of $146 million, compared to a year earlier loss of $47 million on revenue of $77.1 million a year earlier. On a non-GAAP basis, the loss for the second fiscal quarter was $46.9 million on revenues of $119.6 million, compared with a non-GAAP loss of $40.6 million on revenue of $70.4 million a year ago.

The launch of the uDraw GameTablet was a big misstep for the company in 2011. Weak sales of the device led to 30 layoffs for developer Play THQ in an effort to reduce costs and re-focus attention on other brands such as Saints Row and WWE.

Despite its lousy year, however, Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter thinks it’s too soon to write THQ off. “They are low on cash, and will likely run out by June or earlier unless they do something,” he told VentureBeat through email. ”‘Something’ includes reducing their overhead, canceling projects, selling assets or raising capital. There are a lot of options before they cancel their 2014 slate, put themselves up for sale, or declare bankruptcy, so I think the rumors of their imminent demise are exaggerated.”

THQ’s upcoming projects include the recently announced South Park role-playing game, Darksiders II, film director Guillermo del Toro’s inSane, Metro: Last Light, and a sequel to Homefront.

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GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

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July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Tickets On Sale Now

Pictured here is the latest mockup of Apple’s next iPhone, taking into account a slew of new and old rumors, put together by ex-Engadget editor Joshua Topolsky over at his interim online home.

If the iPhone 5 ends up looking close to this mockup design, Apple may just lock me in for another cellphone cycle (which in gadget blogger terms is between a year and 18 months).

At first glance, you’ll notice a larger screen that reaches the edge of the device (the iPhone 4′s bezel instantly looks more unattractive after looking at this picture), a slightly tapered back, and a larger home button. Topolsky says that despite current rumors that the iPhone 5 won’t be a major redesign over the iPhone 4, he’s been hearing differently for months. His sources say that the next iPhone more closely resembles the super-thin iPod Touch and will have a “teardrop” shape (similar to the curves on Google’s Nexus S).

The larger home button also serves as a gesture area, according to Topolsky’s sources. The larger screen will likely be 3.7-inches to retain Apple’s “Retina Display” marketing, something that wouldn’t be possible if it was 4-inches (this runs contrary to the majority of rumors we’ve seen). Topolsky adds that he’s also hearing the iPhone 5 will be able to work across multiple carrier networks, something that Verizon accidentally mentioned this week as well.

Topolsky stresses that he’s still not sure if the iPhone 5 will have a metal back (it just looks that way because he used an iPod Touch image as the basis for the mockup), and that the device’s taper may not be as extreme as his mockup.

Corey Daniels, a fan of Topolsky’s site, also contributed his own take on the mockup (below), which may be a more accurate interpretation of the rumors.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Tickets On Sale Now

Only in the bubble of Twitter-obsessed San Francisco would a buyout offer of $2.5 billion seem “insulting.”

Yet that is reportedly how executives at the microblogging startup saw an informal offer from Google and a larger offer of $4 billion from another bidder earlier this year.

There remains a strong element of twee in Twitter, the San Francisco-based microblogging startup. Despite its increasing reach with 175 million users, it still cultivates the quirky spirit of cofounders Ev Williams and Biz Stone as it casts about for the kind of powerful revenue machine Google and Facebook have found.

Business Insider, which reported the offers, rightly noted that it’s common for company executives to talk to each other and float around ideas. In the past, Facebook has fended off some 11 offers earlier in its day, including one from Yahoo for $1 billion.

Besides a belief that Twitter is worth more than the price offered — a view perhaps bolstered by the brisk private trade in Twitter’s shares on the secondary market — it’s understandable that cofounder Williams and current CEO Dick Costolo may hesitate at the thought of selling to Google. Both had previous ventures, Blogger and FeedBurner respectively, which were bought by Google and then neglected. It’s hard not to see the same happening even to a property as large as Twitter.

And the less said of the notion of a Microsoft-owned Twitter, the better.

The rejection of the offers, however informal, are a sign that the company is serious about its future, and isn’t going to show its cards this quickly. It could be gunning for an initial public offering, though its advertising products would have to gain far more traction for that to be possible. In the meantime, Twitter could easily raise more money at a valuation comparable to the buyout offers it’s getting.

Facebook previously made Twitter an all-stock offer of $500 million in 2008. Disagreement over the value of Facebook’s shares led to that deal falling apart, and misunderstandings between cofounder Jack Dorsey and Twitter’s board over that deal and other matters led to his ouster. (He is now the company’s chairman, a role which has grown more active and less titular since Williams stepped down as CEO and was replaced by Costolo.)

Apple also may have made an offer of $700 million, going as far in its due diligence as interviewing some key technical employees, last year, according to unconfirmed reports that were roundly dismissed at the time. Now that Apple has launched its own social network, Ping, and partnered with Twitter, though, those reports of Apple’s interest make far more sense.

Everyone wants in on Twitter’s precious tweets, it seems. And the price tag keeps rising.