Author: Eric Hal Schwartz

Infospace Launches Charity Search Engine

Bellevue, WA-based Internet search service provider Infospace announced the launch of a new search website focused on charity. DoGreatGood.com,which compiles search results from Google, Bing, Yahoo, and ask, will donate money to charity when used, similar to Infospace’s original search engine Dogpile. Like Dogpile, the donations go to animal charities. Half of the revenue generated … Continue reading “Infospace Launches Charity Search Engine”

Ballard Power, IdaTech Help Stop Power Loss in India—a Closer Look at the Deal

Wireless telecommunication networks require a constant, uninterrupted supply of electricity. Unfortunately, power outages are a common problem in many parts of India. The electrical grid in those areas can go down for hours every day. As a solution to this problem, Indian telecommunications company ACME Tele Power has turned to hydrogen fuel-cell generators to keep … Continue reading “Ballard Power, IdaTech Help Stop Power Loss in India—a Closer Look at the Deal”

Biogen Founder Retires From Board, Biopure Goes Broke, Epix Saga Ends, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News

A mixture of good news and bad for New England life sciences this week with a couple of companies closing their doors while others forged new partnerships and made acquisitions. Health IT was a particularly busy area. —Waltham, MA-based Phase Forward (NASDAQ:[[ticker:PFWD]]) acquired the interactive voice and Web-response services business of Princeton, NJ-based contract research … Continue reading “Biogen Founder Retires From Board, Biopure Goes Broke, Epix Saga Ends, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”

Big Fish Goes Cinematic, Nintendo Sees Opportunities for Developers at Casual Connect

Casual games are a serious business. Seattle-based PopCap Games’ Bejeweled and Big Fish Games’ Mystery Case Files were cheap to develop compared to most modern computer and console games, and the cost to buy them is similarly low, but games like these are played by millions of people around the world. Between the recession and … Continue reading “Big Fish Goes Cinematic, Nintendo Sees Opportunities for Developers at Casual Connect”

Social Media Boosts Sales, Report Says

Using social media to interact with customers pays off, according to the ENGAGEMENTdb report released today by Seattle-based Wetpaint and the Altimeter group, a San Francisco-based digital marketing consultant. Starbucks, Dell and eBay led the way in consumer interactions across 10 different social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter, according to the report. On … Continue reading “Social Media Boosts Sales, Report Says”

Microsoft Office Mac Version Updated

Microsoft’s Macintosh division announced a new service pack for the Mac version of Microsoft Office.  The update is designed to fix several old issues with the program as well as add new features like document sharing online. Although Microsoft and Apple are fierce rivals with contending operating systems, Microsoft produces Mac versions of many programs … Continue reading “Microsoft Office Mac Version Updated”

Google Axes Seattle Employees, Report Says

Google is based based in Mountain View, CA, but has two research and development groups in the Seattle area, one in Kirkland, WA and one in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood. But according to a report by Steve Spiegel in the Examiner yesterday, Google is getting smaller in the Northwest. The search engine giant is laying off … Continue reading “Google Axes Seattle Employees, Report Says”

PressOK, Born in a Mobile Merger, Focuses on Smartphone Games

After just a couple of weeks, Ryan Morel was hooked on Bumper Stars, a free game on Facebook. He and his co-workers were but a few of the tens of thousands of people playing the game, a mixture of ping-pong, pool, and shufflepuck, every month. Morel only wished someone would make a mobile version of … Continue reading “PressOK, Born in a Mobile Merger, Focuses on Smartphone Games”

BostInnovation: Creating an Innovative Ecosystem

Boston is justly famous for the constant stream of inventions, ideas, and technologies that flow from the city and surrounding areas. Keeping track of them all seems like a Sisyphean job, but a new website, BostInnovation, is taking up the challenge. The site, launched just a couple of weeks ago, aggregates Twitter streams from individuals, … Continue reading “BostInnovation: Creating an Innovative Ecosystem”

Dendreon May Open Atlanta Plant

Dendreon, the Seattle-based cancer drug developer, may open a new manufacturing plant in Georgia, according to a report in the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Dendreon’s product, a new drug to treat prostate cancer, is being reviewed for approval by the FDA. Xconomy has written about Dendreon’s limited manufacturing before. The possible plant could cost $80 million … Continue reading “Dendreon May Open Atlanta Plant”

Microsoft and Yahoo Finally Making a Deal?

Microsoft and Yahoo, after complicated negotiations and a few false starts, may be very close to announcing a deal wherein Redmond, WA-based Microsoft will take over the search advertising business run by Sunnyvale, CA-based Yahoo. The latest news, from a report on All Things Digital (and many other subsequent articles), indicates a formal announcement could … Continue reading “Microsoft and Yahoo Finally Making a Deal?”

Bio Architecture Lab Raises Cash, OVP Invests in Limerick, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

Raising money and making deals were the trends of our life sciences stories this past week. And sometimes more than just business executives benefit. —Greg reported that University of Washington spinoff company Bio Architecture Labs raised $3.4 million in equity funding this week. The company, which works to create synthetic biofuels and renewable chemicals, apparently … Continue reading “Bio Architecture Lab Raises Cash, OVP Invests in Limerick, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

RealGames Gets New Distributor

RealGames, a developer of downloadable games and a division of Seattle-based RealNetworks, has made a deal with social entertainment website hi5, according to a press release. San Francisco-based hi5 now has a downloadable games section on its website that will feature 1,500 games from RealNetworks. Some of the games will have free trials, while others range … Continue reading “RealGames Gets New Distributor”

Clean Water, Little Fuss: PATH and Cascade Designs Bring Purifiers to Africa

Taking a sip from a kitchen faucet rarely causes someone’s heart to pound or adrenaline to flow, but for millions around the world, drinking the local water is just another version of Russian roulette. With every mouthful of water, people in developing countries imbibe bacteria and viruses that can and often do cause lethal diseases, … Continue reading “Clean Water, Little Fuss: PATH and Cascade Designs Bring Purifiers to Africa”

Arzeda Teaming with DuPont

Arzeda, an artificial enzyme developer based in Seattle announced today that it is working with Des Moines, IA-based DuPont to create new crop seeds incorporating Arzeda’s enzymes.  The enzymes will ideally increase the productivity of the plants, providing more food from fewer resources.  The agreement gives DuPont, through its subsidiary Pioneer Hi-Bred, exclusive rights to … Continue reading “Arzeda Teaming with DuPont”

NASA to Use Kryptiq Software

Kryptiq, a Portland, OR-based developer of healthcare software announced today that NASA’s space medicine division will begin using Kryptiq’s Connect IQ software for sharing health data.  Financial details of the deal were not revealed.  NASA will use Connect IQ to share health information with its patients, colleagues and partners, including other government space organizations like … Continue reading “NASA to Use Kryptiq Software”

Delve Dives into Do-it-Yourself Online Video Management

Every new technology brings new options and opportunities for people to learn, explore, and of course, sell to each other. Internet video has proven no exception. Companies today can whip up professional ads, demos, and explanatory videos and expose them to the whole world for just a few hundred dollars, compared to the thousands and … Continue reading “Delve Dives into Do-it-Yourself Online Video Management”

Amazon Lowers Kindle 2 Price to $299

Amazon’s e-book reader, the Kindle, dropped $60 in price today from $359 to $299, only five months after the February debut of the second generation reader. The price change comes as something of a surprise, after repeated statements from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to the effect that the company could not sell the Kindle for … Continue reading “Amazon Lowers Kindle 2 Price to $299”

Two Issaquah Companies to Help DOE Manage Nuclear Waste

Nuclear waste dumps require careful handling. To avoid incidences of nuclear material leaking into the surrounding soil and water, the Department of Energy must monitor the 80 sites in the U.S. regularly and do its best to adjust conditions if warranted. Issaquah, WA-based consulting firm Predicus has used mathematical modeling software developed by fellow Issaquah company GoldSim … Continue reading “Two Issaquah Companies to Help DOE Manage Nuclear Waste”

Cozi Joins Nestle Online

Cozi, a free online family organizing and planning application, is partnering with Nestlé to launch their service on Nestlé’s website according to an announcement made today.  Financial details were not released.  The Seattle-based Cozi provides family-oriented programs to plan schedules, make lists and create photo albums online.  Nestlé plans on putting Cozi’s programs, rebranded with … Continue reading “Cozi Joins Nestle Online”

Earth Class Mail Gains New Partner

Earth Class Mail, a Seattle-based company that delivers physical mail digitally announced today that it is working with Kansas City, MO-based Perfect Output to create a combined document and mail-processing service. Financial details were not released. Earth Class Mail, which creates digital forms of paper letters and mail for businesses, will provide key technology for Perfect … Continue reading “Earth Class Mail Gains New Partner”

R.W. Beck Bought by SAIC

SAIC, the San Diego government contractor also known as Science Applications International Corp., has acquired R.W. Beck, a Seattle-based engineering consulting firm, according to an announcement made today by SAIC (NYSE: [[ticker:SAI]]).  Financial details were not released.  R.W. Beck was founded 67 years ago and specializes in business and technical consulting services in the energy … Continue reading “R.W. Beck Bought by SAIC”

Taxing Times for Amazon in Japan, U.S.

Taxes aren’t fun for anyone, but recent events have put online retail leviathan Amazon.com in a “Boston Tea Party” mood.  In the digital age, what does “physical presence,” the usual definition of a taxable company, really mean? —Amazon may owe 14 billion yen, or about $119 million, to Japanese tax authorities according to the Japanese … Continue reading “Taxing Times for Amazon in Japan, U.S.”

Microsoft’s Bing Gets Social, Includes Tweets in Search Results

Twing? Beet? There may have to be a new word for the sound of Twitter results showing up on Microsoft’s new search engine, Bing. Launched just last month, Bing has begun indexing popular Twitter feeds. This means that a search of the names of a few thousand famous people will bring up their Twitter feed … Continue reading “Microsoft’s Bing Gets Social, Includes Tweets in Search Results”

Ballard, IdaTech Sell 310 Hydrogen Generators

Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BLDP]]) and its partner, Bend, OR-based IdaTech announced today that they can now confirm the sale of 310 hydrogen fueled generators to a wireless infrastructure company in India.  Ballard, based in Burnaby, BC, manufactures the FCgen-1300 fuel cell, which will be incorporated into IdaTech’s ElectraGen generators which provide backup power for … Continue reading “Ballard, IdaTech Sell 310 Hydrogen Generators”

WTC Awards $375K to UW, WSU

Five researchers from the University of Washington and Washington State University, Vancouver, working together with Washington companies, received a total of $376,454 in state funding through Washington Technology Center, according to an announcement today.  The university researchers are working with property data solutions company Data Data in Vancouver; biomaterials firm Healionics in Redmond; pressure instrumentation … Continue reading “WTC Awards $375K to UW, WSU”

Appature Labs Experiments with Twitter Search Engine, Chatterfly

Even with only 180 characters per post, it can be hard to find what you are looking for on Twitter. Sorting through the stream of tweets from the people you follow, let alone the entire Twitter network, can be daunting. Seattle-based healthcare marketing firm Appature recognized this fact, and so early last month released the … Continue reading “Appature Labs Experiments with Twitter Search Engine, Chatterfly”

Biotech Gaining Ground in Washington State, Report Says

“Boeing, bytes, and biotech.” That is what Washington state will be best known for over the coming decades, at least according to U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee. Inslee, a Democrat from Western Washington’s first congressional district, delivered that catchy sound bite yesterday morning at the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute. He spoke during a press conference to … Continue reading “Biotech Gaining Ground in Washington State, Report Says”

The Greater Vancouver Gaming Cluster

When people think of game companies in the Pacific Northwest, Seattle-area giants like Microsoft, Nintendo America, and RealNetworks tend to dominate—not to mention successful startups like Big Fish Games, PopCap, and WildTangent. But just 120 miles to the north lies another haven for makers of video games. Vancouver, BC, is noted for being like a … Continue reading “The Greater Vancouver Gaming Cluster”

Save Energy with MS Hohm

Microsoft today announced the launch of its new energy management application, Hohm.  Hohm, using licensed technology from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, calculates energy usage in a home and gives recommendations on how consumers can cut their energy and save money.  The Redmond, WA-based software company said in the … Continue reading “Save Energy with MS Hohm”

Microsoft Hires Three New Internet Execs

Redmond-WA-based Microsoft (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]) is not letting the economy slow it down, hiring three new executives focused on Web search and Internet from Sunnyvale, CA-based Yahoo (NASDAQ: [[ticker:YHOO]]), according to a report in TechFlash and confirmed by Microsoft.  Kevin Timmons has joined the data center group of Microsoft’s Global Foundation Services, according to a blog … Continue reading “Microsoft Hires Three New Internet Execs”

Data Domain Fight Continues, Adimab Adds Merck and Roche as Partners, BigBelly Solar Gets Dirty With Waste Management, & More Boston-Area Deals News

[Corrected 4:40pm ET, June 22; see first item] Deals last week involved everything from cancer screening to trash compacting, but the analysts were kept on their toes by the dramatic events unfolding between EMC and Data Domain. —Reuters reported that data storage giant EMC (NYSE [[ticker:EMC]]), of Hopkinton, MA, was prepared to raise its bid—from … Continue reading “Data Domain Fight Continues, Adimab Adds Merck and Roche as Partners, BigBelly Solar Gets Dirty With Waste Management, & More Boston-Area Deals News”

SolarCasters, a One-Man Startup, Seeks Funding for Solar Power Forecasts

Steve Ihnen knows to the minute when the clouds will arrive. From the Redmond, WA, office of his company, SolarCasters, he keeps an eye on weather conditions around the world with satellite data. Then, using complex mathematical modeling software, he collates cloud-cover, humidity, and other factors to calculate how much sunlight will reach the ground … Continue reading “SolarCasters, a One-Man Startup, Seeks Funding for Solar Power Forecasts”

Stealthy 5to1 Receives $4.5M

Seattle-based stealth startup 5to1.com received all of a $4.5 million offering, according to a regulatory filing yesterday. The investors were not disclosed, but included on the form as directors were Jim Heckman, the former CEO of Rivals.com, and Michael Barrett, former chief revenue officer of Fox Interactive. According to a story published in TechFlash, 5to1 … Continue reading “Stealthy 5to1 Receives $4.5M”

Bing Raises Microsoft Search Profile

Bing, Microsoft’s new search engine, is raising the position of the Redmond, WA-based company in the search engine market, according to a study released today by comScore, an Internet research firm based in Reston, VA, with an office in Seattle. The study showed that “daily searcher penetration” rose 0.9 percent this past week to 16.7 … Continue reading “Bing Raises Microsoft Search Profile”

Amazon’s A9 Buys SnapTell

Amazon.com has purchased SnapTell, a mobile image matching startup, according to a release by SnapTell yesterday evening.  Amazon bought the company through its Palo Alto, CA-based subsidiary A9 for an undisclosed price.  A9, created by Amazon in 2003, runs advertisements on Amazon as well as providing a search engine and developing technology like OpenSearch.  SnapTell, … Continue reading “Amazon’s A9 Buys SnapTell”

Dollars Not the Only Way to do Business, Especially in a Recession

In 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt outlawed the hoarding of gold, ending its use as the basis of U.S. currency. Since then, the American (and the rest of the world) economy has relied on paper currency based on trust in a particular government and a currency’s value relative to other monetary systems around the world. Sometimes … Continue reading “Dollars Not the Only Way to do Business, Especially in a Recession”

Doyenz Raises $1.5M in Cash

[Updated June 17th with more details about financing] Doyenz, a Bellevue, WA-based company whose cloud-based software allows IT consultants to set up and manage virtual IT infrastructures for their small-to-medium-sized business clients, has raised $1.5 million in new cash, according to a regulatory filing today. In connection with the financing, $2.8 million worth of debt … Continue reading “Doyenz Raises $1.5M in Cash”

Microsoft Accuses Firm of Ad Scam

Microsoft said yesterday in a press release it has filed a civil complaint against three Vancouver, B.C. residents, alleging that they had manipulated the company’s pay-per-click advertising system.  According to the complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, Eric Lam, Gordon Lam and Melanie Suen arranged for automatic repeated clicking on Internet ads for … Continue reading “Microsoft Accuses Firm of Ad Scam”

Talyst Raises $8M, MDRNA Sells Stock for $10.5M, Sonosite Buys CardioDynamics & More Seattle-Area Deals News

Deals this week involved companies working in everything from pharmaceuticals and cleantech, to search engines and mobile software.  Most of these deals were small, even those made by bigger companies. —Bellevue, Wa-based Talyst clinched $8 million in funding from investors last month, but the details were only revealed last week.  Talyst, which develops medication management … Continue reading “Talyst Raises $8M, MDRNA Sells Stock for $10.5M, Sonosite Buys CardioDynamics & More Seattle-Area Deals News”

Antenna Acquires Dexterra

Dexterra, a Bothell, WA-based developer of mobile software, has been acquired by Antenna, a rival company based in Jersey City, NJ, according to an announcement by Antenna today.  Financial terms weren’t announced, but TechFlash has reported that Dexterra was ultimately purchased for $18 million.  As part of the acquisiton, Antenna said it would be keeping … Continue reading “Antenna Acquires Dexterra”

Nobel Laureate Mario Capecchi Encourages Postdocs, and Third Graders, To “Dream Big”

Mario Capecchi performs open-heart surgery in third-grade classrooms. He revels in answering the questions he gets as he reveals the wonders of the pumping heart to the children. Of course, the surgery is performed on a mouse, but it’s hard to imagine a better way to get kids asking questions about biology than by closing … Continue reading “Nobel Laureate Mario Capecchi Encourages Postdocs, and Third Graders, To “Dream Big””