Google Inc. has agreed to acquire Urchin Software Corporation, a San Diego, California based Web analytics company. Urchin is a Web site analytics solution used by Web site owners and marketers to better understand their users' experiences, optimize content, and track marketing performance.
Posted Mar 29, 2005
E Ink Corporation, a developer and marketer of electronic paper display technology, has announced that Intel Capital has invested an undisclosed amount in the company. E Ink Corporation products are designed to enable a new type of electronic display with a bright white background and crisp text and pictures similar to printed documents.
Posted Mar 25, 2005
Topix.net has announced that Gannett Co., Inc., Knight-Ridder, Inc., and Tribune Company jointly have acquired a 75% stake in Topix.net. Ownership is split evenly, with each media company owning 25% and the Topix.net founders retaining a 25% stake. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Posted Mar 25, 2005
Although there has been no official statement made by either company, Yahoo! has entered a definitive agreement to acquire Flickr and its parent company, Ludicorp. No details are available, except what Flickr co-founder Caterina Fake has written on her blog.
Posted Mar 22, 2005
IAC/InterActiveCorp and Ask Jeeves, Inc. have signed an agreement under which IAC will purchase Ask Jeeves. Under the terms of the agreement, IAC will issue 1.2668 shares of common stock for each share of Ask Jeeves common stock in a tax-free transaction valued at $1.85 billion net of cash acquired.
Posted Mar 22, 2005
Akamai Technologies, Inc. and Speedera Networks Inc. have signed a definitive agreement for Akamai to acquire Speedera in a stock-for-stock merger transaction. The closing of the transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals and the approval of Speedera's stockholders, is expected to occur in the second quarter of 2005.
Posted Mar 18, 2005
New legislation introduced to Congress this year recommends over $11 billion in grant funding to be spent on technology-focused initiatives to prevent terrorist attacks and address key security vulnerabilities, according to a report released by INPUT, a provider of government market intelligence. Current top priorities in the homeland security agenda focus on increasing the dependency on highly technical solutions to protect the nation against terrorist threats at its borders, seaports, and within mass transportation systems.
Posted Mar 15, 2005
Internet Securities Inc (ISI), a subsidiary of Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC (Euromoney), has announced that it will acquire, CEIC Holdings Limited and its related companies (CEIC). Headquartered in Hong Kong, CEIC is a provider of time-series macro-economic data covering Asia. CEIC was founded 12 years ago by Albert Fan, its managing director and owner.
Posted Mar 15, 2005
IBM and Ascential Software Corporation have entered into a definitive agreement for IBM to acquire the equity of Ascential Software, a publicly held company based in Westboro, MA, in an all cash transaction at a price of approximately $1.1 billion or $18.50 per share. The acquisition is subject to Ascential Software shareholder and regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2005.
Posted Mar 15, 2005
Google has announced a new feature on Google News that enables users to customize their front page news as they read it.
Posted Mar 11, 2005
The McGraw-Hill Companies has signed an agreement to acquire J.D. Power and Associates, a global marketing information services organization. The transaction, which is subject to Hart-Scott-Rodino regulatory review, is expected to close in April. Terms were not disclosed.
Posted Mar 11, 2005
Microsoft Corp. has announced that it will acquire Groove Networks Inc., a provider of collaboration software for the virtual office. The addition of Groove products to the lineup of Microsoft Office System products, servers, and services is intended to build on the capabilities of Microsoft's current collaboration products;
Posted Mar 11, 2005
Open Text Corporation, a provider of enterprise content management (ECM) software, has joined the Compliance and Management of Electronic Information (CMEI) Working Group. Open Text offers software solutions that manage online content for a range of regulatory compliance standards globally, including corporate governance laws and regulations in industries such as pharmaceuticals, financial services, healthcare, and energy.
Posted Mar 08, 2005
Leo Hindery, the former CEO of the YES Network, AT&T Broadband, and Tele-Communications, Inc., has announced that he is forming InterMedia Advisors, a private investment firm that will specialize in the media industry.
Posted Mar 08, 2005
ProQuest Information and Learning has acquired ExploreLearning, producers of an online simulation library for math and science education. ExploreLearning operations will remain in Charlottesville, Virginia. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Posted Mar 04, 2005
Yahoo! Inc. has announced the launch of the Yahoo! Search Developer Network a resource that is intended to provide developers with access to Web service application programming interfaces (APIs) to Yahoo! Search products and Overture's (which will be re-branded Yahoo! Search Marketing Solutions) API programs.
Posted Mar 04, 2005
JupiterResearch, a division of Jupitermedia Corporation, has releases a new report, "Vertical Search: Early Marketers Will Reap Rewards of Low Pricing," which projects that the search industry will develop in much the same way historical media markets before it have, with the broad-based search engines spawning a raft of vertical search engines dedicated to specific categories.
Posted Feb 25, 2005
Random House, Inc., a consumer book publisher, has announced that through Random House Ventures, L.L.C., its investment subsidiary, it has taken a significant minority stake in VOCEL, a wireless producer and content distributor. Two of Random House, Inc.'s other branded information imprints also announced separate but related licensing arrangements with VOCEL, enabling subscribers to access distinctive content from their mobile phones: Living Language, publisher of foreign-language self-study programs, and Prima Games, publisher of video game strategy guides.
Posted Feb 25, 2005
Adtec Digital recently became a member of the MPEG Industry Forum, an organization aiming to further the adoption of MPEG standards, by establishing them as accepted and widely used standards among creators of content, developers, manufacturers, providers of services, and end users. Adtec Digital designs and manufactures technology for digital television delivery, IP streaming, commercial insertion, and multimedia digital video applications.
Posted Feb 22, 2005
ChoiceStream, Inc., a provider of personalization solutions for online consumer services, search services, eretailers, and iTV providers, has raised $7 million in a Series A financing round led by Cambridge, MA-based General Catalyst Partners. Proceeds will fund the expansion of engineering and development activities. ChoiceStream’s technology is designed to serve personalized content to users.
Posted Feb 22, 2005
The New York Times Company has reached an agreement to acquire About, Inc., an online consumer information provider, from Primedia Inc. in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $410 million. The acquisition is subject to customary regulatory approvals and is expected to be completed late this quarter or early in the second quarter.
Posted Feb 22, 2005
TRADOS Inc., a provider of global information solutions, has announced the TRADOS Globalization Partner Program. The new program is designed to bring together globalization software and services companies to remove complex, persistent barriers that prevent enterprises from effectively reaching global markets.
Posted Feb 18, 2005
KeepMedia, Inc., a provider of online premium content, has announced that president and CEO Douglas J. Herrington has resigned from the company to pursue personal interests and other opportunities. Louis H. Borders, founder of Borders Books and Webvan and currently chairman of the board at KeepMedia, will assume the position of president and CEO, replacing Herrington.
Posted Feb 18, 2005
Avalanche Mobile, a developer of network-based SMS management technologies, has acquired a 50% ownership stake in messaging and location service provider, 1rstWAP. By using 1rst WAP’s global infrastructure, Avalanche Mobile expects to expand the availability of advanced SMS messaging and location based systems and services, for telecom operators around the world.
Posted Feb 15, 2005
Verizon Communications Inc. and MCI, Inc. have announced that Verizon has agreed to acquire MCI for $4.8 billion in equity and $488 million in cash. In addition to MCI shareowner approval, the acquisition requires regulatory approvals, which the companies are targeting to obtain in about a year. The companies will determine operational plans, such as branding strategies and organizational structure, as the transaction moves closer to closing.
Posted Feb 15, 2005