Category: Software

Rebecca Zacks wrote:

The precipitation in New England may have reached near-biblical proportions this past week, but tech and life sciences deal making was more modest.

—Investors poured $10.1 million into Littleton, MA-based software maker Akorri Networks, according to an SEC filing. The filing did not reveal the identity of the 13 backers involved in the equity-based round, but Akorri’s website lists Matrix Partners, North Bridge Venture Partners, Globespan Capital Partners, BlueStream Ventures, and Montagu Newhall Associates as existing investors.

—Erin took a look at the “under-the-radar” deals that New England tech and life sciences companies cut last month. These 26 sub-$1 million deals—rounded up for us by our partner, CB Insights, a New York-based private company intelligence platform—included companies focused on software, medical devices, health IT, used clothing, and more.

—Cambridge, MA-based drug maker Dyax (NASDAQ: DYAX) raised $51.8 million in an offering of 17 million shares of stock at $3.25 apiece.

—Software maker Azigo of Wellesley, MA, raised $1.8 million in an equity offering, according to an SEC filing. Ten investors participated in the round.

—Enterprise software maker Rocket Software of Newton, MA, announced it will acquire Waltham, MA-based data management company Computer Corporation of America for an undisclosed sum.

—Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, the Watertown, MA-based developer of RNA interference drugs, cut a deal with Paris-based Ipsen to develop drugs for oncology and endocrinology. No financial terms were disclosed, but Dicerna chief business officer Martin Williams described the deal as being “net-neutral” to Dicerna.

—CardStar, a Canton, CT-based maker of software for storing consumer reward and loyalty card numbers on mobile phones, raised $1 million in Series A venture funding. The deal was led by Amplifier Ventures and joined by Acta Wireless and LaunchCapital.

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Think about it! Easy or even automatic page turns, an endless library saved as PDF, visual and audio metronomes: The iPad, with an app like ForScore, is kind of the ultimate sheet music machine, no? More »

Now that I have more of my music migrated to a new 16 GB memory card, I’m listening to tunes more often on my Android handset. The native Music player is OK, but it’s fairly boring to look at and use. AndroidGuys recently reviewed a beta application called “Cubed,” although you’ll find it in the Android Market as “3″. I’ve used it for a few days and it’s far more exciting than a plain, simple list view of music.

As the name implies, the navigation interface is a cube: spin it up or down to browse by album covers or twirl it left and right for quick alphabetical searches. If you’re not into the cube thing, 3 offers two other views. The wall option shows a scrollable grid with two columns of album covers, while the boring view is just a plain text listing. Actually, it may be called boring, but the large artist name with smaller album title has a little Microsoft ZuneHD feel. Each view still shows music controls, making it easy to play, shuffle and skip around.

The app is fairly intelligent and customizable too — it can retrieve album art over the web if needed. And since the visual interface utilizes album art, you’d hope this feature would be there. In fact, I love to play a music and watch the cube rotate around like dice at a craps table with each new song. Another setting lets you choose if the music controls are at the top or the bottom of the screen. And Cubed also supports Last.fm scrobbling so you can tell your friends what tunes you’re listening to. One close call: I almost couldn’t find the music scrubber controls, so I originally thought you couldn’t navigate back or forth in a song. As I was shooting pictures of the app however, I tapped inadvertently under the song title, and what do you know: a scrubber. It looks nice but doesn’t offer a very fine level of control — and it took me a couple of days to find it.

Overall, the free download offers a far better visual interface than the standard Music app found in Android. I’ve included the QR code above for Android handset owners, so happy listening and don’t get too mesmerized by the addictive cube!

QR image for the Android Market courtesy of Android Guys

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

Rankings: Spotify Leads the Streaming Music Scene

Mary Jo Foley spoke to David Webster, the chief strategy officer in Microsoft’s central marketing group on their Windows Phone 7 marketing strategy.

Webster emphasized that the marketing and product planning teams for Windows Phone 7 have been working side-by-side, to devise the “story telling” for that product from the very start.

Microsoft wants the new phone ads to attract customers who may never have used (or didn’t realize they were using) a Windows Mobile phone. “The ‘people’ focus was a big part of the (Windows 7) branding” and will be a continued emphasis for Windows Phone 7, Webster said.

Smartphones are a lot like search, Webster said, in that users, when asked, say they are mostly satisfied with their phones but then actually have a litany of complaints. Other phone vendors are locked into certain models and messages, he said. “They’re solving for a problem from four years ago,” he said. Microsoft has the advantage of being able to come in with a new model and message because it is basically starting over with Windows Phone 7.

The messaging “needs to reflect customers we have and customers we don’t,” he said. It also needs to explain why Microsoft is opting for a different phone model with elements like hubs and Live Tiles, instead of the app-centric approach of its competitors, Webster said. Windows Phone 7 also is the perfect vehicle for Microsoft to highlight the interdependence and convergence of different Microsoft brands and technologies, since Windows Phone 7 devices will be running Bing, Office Mobile, Zune services, Internet Explorer, and Windows Live, Webster pointed out.

Microsoft will be working with Crispin, Porter + Bogusky — the agency that did the Laptop Hunters, “Windows 7 Was My Idea,” to create its Windows Phone 7 ads.

We have already seen how a massive advertising campaign can have very positive results in terms of uptake.  Examples include the Droid and Bing. The only question that remains is whether Microsoft is willing to commit that level of resources to its mobile ambitions.

Read more at the All about Microsoft blog here.

Thanks to some tipsters we have had a look at the HTC EVO 4G development guide, and it’s chock full of goodies. It covers all the things that are going to make the EVO great. As you can see in the pic above, a good portion of the guide covers HDMI out functions, which is enough to want the EVO on it’s own. Some of the other things covered:

• API’s for a new location service
• controling the front facing camera
• detection and playback of online media ( both Adobe flash and HTML5 )
• tools and code to handle network transitions between 3G, 4G, and WiFi

While the document itself doesn’t mean much to most of us, once the talented developers out there get into it we can expect some really innovative applications to show up on the Market just about the time the EVO hits the shelves. My hat’s off to Sprint for getting this out the door and into the hands of the folks that want it and can use it this far in advance of the release of the phone. Makes my personal decision between the EVO and the Sprint Nexus One that much more difficult.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

Sony Ericsson is shutting down its Xperiancers  blog. Citing the increased importance of its Xperia brand as embodies in its X10 series, the company has now decided to move the content over to its product blog.

With the heavy emphasis on the Xperia X10 one wonders if the blog’s promises to support the Xperia X2 will also similarly vanish.  An update to the little known Windows Mobile 6.5.2 has been promised in February this year to arrive in March, leaving SE with only 1.5 days to make good on it, which seems rather unlikely.  In that context a Windows Mobile 6.5.3 upgrade in May, also promised by Sony Ericsson on the Xperiancers blog, seems even less so.

Hopefully the company will still make good on its promises, and not repeat its X1 mistake, which it itself acknowledged “attracted some criticism”.

Thanks Mitch for the tip.

The on again off again saga that is the Droid 2.1 update is on again, hopefully. Engadget has gotten their hands on an internal memo that that outlines the OTA update for the Droid. At noon today, which has come and gone, 1000 Droid users should receive the update and by midnight there should be 9000 more.  And by Thursday, almost all Droid’s should receive the OTA. Judging by how this was handled so far, I wouldn’t get my hopes up too high. The full memo is after the break.

Starting 03/30/2010, Verizon Wireless is pleased to announce a new software update for the DROID by Motorola. Users will be able to upgrade their software to version AP: ESE81/BP: C_01.3E.03P to receive new improvements and enhancements.

*Key Advantages:*

o Email – Yahoo Mail is now supported – customers can simply
sign in with their Yahoo! Email address and password. Note:
Yahoo! Email is not available over Wi-Fi
o Pinch to Zoom now available in the Browser, Maps, and Gallery
o Speech-to-Text – Customers can now use their voice instead
of typing whenever a text-entry box appears
o Google Goggles is now preloaded
o The new Gallery application uses 3D layout and shows both
pictures taken with the customer’s Android device and images
from Picasa Web Albums account online

*Software Schedule:*
Below is the software-upgrade notification schedule (All times listed are Eastern Time):

o At noon on 03/30, 1,000 users will receive notification of
the update.
o At 11:59 PM on 03/30, 9,000 more users will receive the
update notification.
o After the first 10,000 users receive the update on 03/30,
there will be a 24-hour period when no additional upgrades
will be delivered.
o On Day 3 (04/01), 200,000 users will receive the update
notification at 11:59 PM. This schedule will continue each
day thereafter until the update has been delivered to all users.

*Download & Install Conditions:*

o An OTA download requires 40% or more power availability if
the device is not connected to an external power source or
20% or more power if it is connected to an external source
o If roaming, the customer will not receive the update. The
only option in this scenario is for the subscriber to enable
Wi-Fi and wait for a mandatory OTA. The wait period in this
case will not be more than 12 hours
o User must wait to receive the upgrade via OTA
o User is unable to make or receive calls, including emergency
calls during this time
o Users will see the following information when they select*
More info* on the update screen:/ This software update
includes new enhancements to support Yahoo! Email,
pinch-to-zoom, and many other improvements for your DROID by
Motorola. You will be unable to use your device or make
emergency calls for the duration of the install. The
software updates automatically, and your DROID will power
off and on as part of this software upgrade.

Thursday is April Fool’s day and life wouldn’t be complete if there wasn’t an iPhone App to drive someone crazy. “Dude, Your Car!” is an application for iPhone pranksters which allows you to take photos of cars and enhance them by adding dents, scratches and broken windows. The enhancements can be resized and touched up to match the car and then the photos can easily be shared with friends via Facebook, Twitter etc.. ‘Dude Your Car’ retails for .99 cents but the heartache from this prank you will cause is priceless.

It seems the HTC HD2 is no the only device having mysterious difficulties viewing contact Facebook albums (clearly a feature no-one uses as I have not heard a single complaint).

In any case, if you are one of the rare ones who suddenly found they can no longer use this feature, HTC has a hotfix for you.

Download the hotfix, which is applicable to all ROM versions, at HTC here.  The update should not affect your data, but as usual a backup is recommended.

Anthony Rodriguez wrote:

The recurring question I hear from so many people in business is: “Why aren’t more startups generated by the university system?” It’s not an easy question, certainly not one to be solved in a single blog post. As I considered the many facets of academia that influence the actions of its researchers such as government policies, university culture, funding agency metrics and so forth, I realized that the obstacles and challenges faced by professors are similar to those of most any startup.

Academic scientists must in fact be entrepreneurial minded in order to maintain the funding they need to not only survive, but thrive in academia. The outsider would be mistaken, however, if they consider the lack commercialization from academia as a sign of a lack of entrepreneurial muster. Considering an academic lab as a startup in its own right, most researcher professors make a wise entrepreneurial decision by remaining focused and not spinning out one of their ideas into a new company.

Scientists are primarily motivated by the excitement of discovery and unveiling of new understanding of the world. In both academia and industry, you can find similar types of scientific minds who either probe the boundaries of understanding, seek to improve a current technology, or even invent new ones. They all share the passion to solve difficult problems and questions through scientific discovery and innovation. In industry, the direction of their intellectual pursuits is decided by the business minded individuals who identify interesting problems through market opportunities and customer needs or wants. Larger companies can afford to allow some of their research staff to perform exploratory work, but many define the research goals for their scientist and place blinders on them to increase their speed and efficiency. In academia, however, the direction of the ship is steered the scientist themselves, allowing them to pursue any question at the whim of their curiosity. For the same reasons an entrepreneur leaves a major corporation, a scientist will avoid industry for the freedom to explore or tinker or create whatever they desire in academia.

Universities are equipped with the infrastructure and funding support to feed the curiosity and need for independence of academic scientists. The modern research university owes its existence to World War II and President Franklin Roosevelt’s recognition of the critical role of the U.S. science and engineering understanding to its military success. His awareness, along with the famous report by Vannevar Bush called “Science-The Endless Frontier,” drove the development of several funding agencies during and after the war. These agencies where founded on the idea that the nation’s healthcare, economy and national defense will dramatically and rapidly improve from continuous, organized funding of university research to expand our scientific understanding. Under that mandate, professors who receive government funding are bound to a mission of creating and disseminating intellectual capital to provide society with a return on their investment in the form of knowledge. The expansion of knowledge by academia works in tandem with industry to increase commercialization and innovation by creating more opportunities for new scientific products.

Like a CEO, securing funding is the No. 1 responsibility of a research professor. If a professor loses their funding, they can potentially lose their lab and, if not tenured, their faculty position. Much like the early-stage entrepreneur looking for seed funding, a professor must prove …Next Page »

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We are having quite a few choice for GrooveShark clients on Windows Mobile , the latest one comes from SciLor who is no stranger to windows mobile app development. Today we take a look at SciLor’s GrooveMobile which is a GrooveShark app for windows mobile which is free, but does it have the features to compete with the others ? Read on to find out.

Read more at BestWindowsMobileApps.com

Microsoft has made the ZuneHD marketplace and smart DJ features accessible while the device is docked in the 720P-capable AV Dock and of course what is most interesting is to see the Metro Panoramic UI unfurled over a big screen, and it does look as gorgeous as we always expected it to.

The update of course also reminds us how a device fully under Microsoft’s control can continue to develop over time, again raising hope of a rapid continuing development of Windows Phone 7, even after release.

If you are a ZuneHD owner, read the release below.

It’s been an exciting few months for Zune. We launched the Zune HD device last September which has been receiving press and consumer praise for its OLED screen, HD Radio, HD video out and key music discovery features, which become even more powerful with a Zune Pass subscription. We also expanded the Zune service to additional platforms. We brought Zune video to Xbox LIVE in November, giving consumers access to instant on 1080p HD with 5.1 surround sound and the ability to buy content once and play it on the TV through Xbox LIVE, on the PC through the Zune software and on the go on a Zune device. We also announced last month that Zune will be an integrated feature on Windows Phone 7 Series and we’re looking forward to sharing more details about the Zune experience on Windows Phones in the coming weeks and months.

Earlier this year, we also shared that we’ll be introducing a Zune HD firmware update this spring. We’re excited to be bringing even more features and functionality to Zune users through this update, and wanted to share some additional details around what will be introduced.

– Smart DJ on Zune HD: Zune has always been committed to helping people discover new music. We added "Smart DJ" to the Zune software last fall and now we’re bringing this popular music discovery feature to the Zune HD device. Smart DJ on Zune HD will let you create an instant playlist mix whenever the inspiration strikes direct from your device. Just choose a song or artist from your collection or from the Zune Marketplace catalog and press the Smart DJ icon to build a new mix based on your selection. If you have a Zune Pass music subscription it will pull music from your existing collection and the Zune Marketplace catalog to create the mix. If you don’t have a Zune Pass subscription you can still use Smart DJ to build a playlist from the collection on your device.

– Picks on Zune HD: Picks is another popular music recommendation feature in the Zune software which we’re extending to the Zune HD device. The Picks algorithm analyzes what you listen to and compares that to millions of other Zune users to make personalized recommendations. With this update, you’ll be able to access these automatic recommendations directly on the Zune HD device as well as on your PC.

– Browse and Stream Music from Zune Marketplace on your TV: Using the Zune HD A/V dock, you can connect your Zune HD to your TV to play your favorite videos and music from your device on the big screen. With this software update, you’ll also be able to browse and stream music from Zune Marketplace directly on your TV to find and listen to your favorite music from the comfort of your couch. You can browse New Releases, check out recommendations from your Picks page, search for a specific song or artist, or even create a new Smart DJ playlist on your big screen – a great way to make an instant soundtrack for your next party.

– Expanded Video Codec Support: With expanded support to include MPEG-4 Part 2 Advanced Simple Profile (ASP), which includes Xvid and AVI support, you’ll be able to immediately enjoy a broader range of video content natively on Zune HD – no transcoding required.

The update will be offered as a free download in the next few weeks, and we’ll be sure to let you know when it’s available. In the meantime, we wanted to share an image of the Smart DJ feature on the Zune HD device which is attached here; All a user needs to do is press the Smart DJ icon on the far right of the screen to build a new mix based on their favorite music.

Via Engadget.com

Look at all the pretty iPad apps! Then, look at this one. The iPad’s earliest apps may be blessed with good looks and high production values, but it’s only a matter of time until the rest show up. Like Twitepad. More »

Like most new phones, AT&T and Dell are trying to keep the information on this phone tight lipped until they are ready to officially introduce it. Engadget managed to get some hands on time with the Aero at this year’s CTIA and there were a few surprises packed into this phone. Needless to say they are not the type of surprises we like around here.

In the video below you will see that this phone has been stripped of almost everything that makes an Android an Android. The screen seems unresponsive and inaccurate. The only good thing about this device is its form factor. It’s a pretty good looking piece of hardware. That’s where the praise ends, the UI has been completely reskinned, and there are multiple skins available. It looks nothing like no other Android device and in this case, that’s not a good thing. Google Maps, Gmail, and a handful of other Google-centric features like the Android Market all have been removed. The home and back button has been merged into one that seems to work only when it wants too. This phone is full of AT&T software that most likely you will not be able to uninstall. The only silver lining is this is a prerelease phone and hopefully AT&T and Dell will decide to include it in the final product.

[via engadget]

Erin Kutz wrote:

Rocket Software, a Newton, MA-headquartered enterprise software maker, announced it will acquire data management company Computer Corporation of America. Financial details of the deal between Rocket and Waltham, MA-based CCA were not disclosed.  Rocket pulled in $91.9 million in an equity offering in October and acquired Folio and NXT, two publishing products from Microsoft, in December.

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Snow Leopard 10.6.3 is waiting for you to grab it via Software Update—it fixes lots of things, from QuickTime X to OpenGL to “reliability of 3rd party USB devices.” If it does anything else magical, we’ll let you know. More »

With all the new videos being release these last couple of day, we cannot truly tell what is real or not, but we will let you decide. This video seems a little more on the fake side compared to the other.

The video shows the Touch Diamond showing its awesomeness with the device running WP7S. Many have called this fake due to the button misplacement, speed(even though the device it self is quite slow), and other things. I think this has a slight ability of being real, and if it is, then it seems we have no need for MS or HTC after all.

What do you think of all these videos? do you think its a waste of time for us to keep posting them? are you interesting in getting a copy?

Read More

Via:MobileBlab

Update: A comment pointed out that this could easily be faked through Remote desktop applications. I think that says a lot for a person to waste everyones time by doing such things. If this is fake, what stops the others to not also be fake(Not talking about Tom’s version). Sad!

A comment below also brings in a good idea. A startup video would truly prove this ports to be real, not just a computer stream.