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Razorsight, a provider of cloud-based analytics for the communications industry, has sealed a $3 million loan facility from Horizon Technology Finance Corporation. The money will be used for expansion.

PRESS RELEASE
Razorsight, the global leader in cloud-based analytics for the communications industry, announced that the company has closed a $3 million loan facility from Horizon Technology Finance Corporation HRZN -0.90% (“Horizon”). The new financing will support Razorsight’s continued product and market expansion.

“In response to increasing demand by the world’s leading communications providers, Razorsight is accelerating our global expansion and product roadmap,” said Razorsight CEO Charlie Thomas. “This new funding will help extend Razorsight’s leadership in developing cutting edge analytics capabilities that improve our customers’ financial performance.”

“Razorsight is the pioneer and market leader in cloud-based business intelligence and analytics solutions for the communications industry,” said Gerald A. Michaud, President of Horizon. “The company’s platform technology is the industry benchmark for telecom, mobile and cable companies that seek to drive measurable value from their big data. We are pleased to provide Razorsight with capital to further accelerate their strong market momentum worldwide.”

About Razorsight Razorsight’s cloud-based analytics software is used by the world’s largest communications providers to improve profits. Razorsight monitors network and subscriber activities to control costs, predict churn, gain insight into M2M and OTT activity, and measure profitability by customer, service type, or region. Customers benefit from unlocking key strategic insights to increase customer lifetime value (CLV). Razorsight’s highly scalable, cloud applications are non-intrusive, easy to install, require no capital investment, and have delivered millions of dollars in profit gains at industry leaders including AT&T, Verizon, Telus, Comcast, Cbeyond, CenturyLink, Facebook, Windstream, T-Mobile, Telekomunikacja Polska (TP Group), Tata and IBM.

About Horizon Technology Finance Horizon Technology Finance Corporation is a business development company that provides secured loans to development-stage companies backed by established venture capital and private equity firms within the technology, life science, healthcare information and services, and clean-tech industries. The investment objective of Horizon Technology Finance is to maximize total risk-adjusted returns by generating current income from a portfolio of directly originated secured loans as well as capital appreciation from warrants to purchase the equity of portfolio companies. Headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut, with regional offices in Walnut Creek, California and Reston, Virginia, the Company is externally managed by its investment advisor, Horizon Technology Finance Management LLC. Horizon’s common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol, “HRZN.” In addition, the Company’s 7.375% Senior Notes due 2019 trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “HTF.” To learn more, please visit www.horizontechnologyfinancecorp.com.

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Microsoft is considering a smartwatch device, reportedly having asked parts suppliers to provide suitable hardware earlier in the year. According to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft hasn’t yet committed to the project, which will use a small touchscreen for the watch face. Time may be against the company if it waits too long.

As someone who bought a Microsoft smartwatch in 2004 — did anyone else purchase a SPOT Watch? — I’m confident the company has the know-how to build a wearable gadget. My SPOT Watch offered news, weather, calendar notifications and other useful data on my wrist.

The idea was sound, but Microsoft made a fatal mistake: It used FM radio signals for the watch’s connectivity, right as mobile broadband technology was getting off the ground. As a result, the limited, one-way network technology for SPOT Watches was quickly outdated.

That issue was one of market timing and I can’t help but wonder as to the timing of this report. From the Zune music player to the new Surface RT hardware and now a potential smartwatch, it seems like Microsoft is chasing form factors instead of leading innovation.

It’s been clear, for example, that the PC industry has been undergoing a radical shift in both sales and demand for the past few years. Why? There are many reasons — economic and hardware longevity, for example — but a new market for consumer tablets in early 2010 is a key one. Yet, Microsoft couldn’t react quickly enough: Surface RT, with its touch-friendly interface, didn’t hit the market until late 2012.

The wearable gadget market started gaining attention last year — see the Pebble, MetaWatch and others — so if Microsoft wants to be a serious contender here, it needs to pick up the pace. It’s not too late yet; the market for wearable gadgets is just getting started. The last thing Microsoft needs right now, however, is for an Apple iWatch or Google Now timepiece to hit the market sooner rather than later.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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• Analyzing the wearable computing market
• The future of mobile: a segment analysis by GigaOM Pro
• What the Google-Motorola deal means for Android, Microsoft and the mobile industry

Fredrick D. Scott, formerly the head of ACI Capital Group, has launched a venture capital and private equity firm, FDS. The firm will focus on minority-focused financial and banking institutions.

PRESS RELEASE
Fredrick D. Scott announced today that he has launched Fredrick D. Scott, LLC (FDS). FDS is a venture capital and private equity firm that will principally invest in and acquire minority-focused financial and banking institutions.

Scott was formerly the head of ACI Capital Group, LLC (ACI). Founded in August 2009 and registered as an Investment Advisor with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, ACI was a privately held investment banking and advisory firm that managed $3.7 billion in assets.

“My goal is to redefine and advocate for economic sustainability and wealth creation in our community,” said Scott. “The minority banking industry, more specifically the African American owned banking segment, is fragmented and under tremendous pressure from larger and more robustly capitalized mainstream competitors who have embraced the growing diversity of the marketplace. I believe that, in addition to capital, I can contribute fresh energy and new strategies that would improve the competitive posture of African-American owned banking and financial services businesses, as well as advance the mission of multi-generational economic strength and wealth creation in our community.”

The number of African-American owned banks across the United States has dwindled. In 1994, 54 such banks were identified by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). At the end of 2012, there were just 28, leaving huge swaths of the African-American community without advocates and access to these traditionally “mission-based” institutions. Most, had close ties to the local churches, families and businesses, had historically served as a boon to black businesses, and offered African-Americans resources they had been previously denied.

Named one of Ebony magazine’s “Top 30 Under 30″ in May 2010 at the age of 26, Scott was, at the time, the youngest African American hedge fund founder in history. For more about Scott, go to www.fredrickdscott.com and follow him on Twitter @fredrickdscott.

SOURCE Fredrick D. Scott, LLC

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John Galardi, the founder of restaurants such as Wienerschnitzel, has died at the age of 75.

According to the Galardi Group, Galardi died on Saturday after battling pancreatic cancer. He is survived by his wife, Judane, and four children.

Galardi founded his first restaurant, Der Wienerschnitzel, in 1961 at the age of 23. The business began as a stand in Wilmington, Los Angeles. The hotdog-based chain grew, and now has over 350 franchise restaurants located in California and the Southwestern U.S.

In 1979, Galardi founded The Original Hamburger Stand restaurants, which competed with other burger-based fast food restaurants in the U.S. Southwest. In 2003, the Galardi Group also acquired the Tastee-Freez company and has begun serving Tastee-Freez soft serve ice cream in Wienerschnitzel restaurants.

Galardi handed over leadership of his company in 1993, though he remained chairman of the Galardi Group until his death.

Google has definitely taken the world of wearable computing by storm with Glass, but there’s another class of wearable computers that’s slowly gaining popularity – the smart watch. Pebble already proved that there’s a demand for smart watches with its $10 million Kickstarter, and Apple is rumored to be dabbling with the tech as well. Now another tech giant is joining in.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Microsoft may be working on a smart watch design. The news comes from Microsoft suppliers in Asia that were asked to ship smart watch components to the company for testing. It’s said that Microsoft’s hardware designers are looking into it, but there’s no guarantee that Microsoft will move ahead with it.

So, what will Microsoft’s potential smart watch look like? There’s not much information available at the moment, but we do know that the company ordered 1.5-inch displays from its suppliers. It would be a bit bigger than Pebble’s 1.26-inch display, but display size isn’t exactly the most important aspect of a smart watch. What’s most important is its functionality and which phones it can work with. Windows Phone is the most obvious choice, but Microsoft would be stupid not to add support for iOS and Android as well.

Still, all of this is merely a rumor for now, just like Apple’s own rumored smart watch. These devices may not even see the light of day as smart watches, while popular among certain groups, are still struggling to find mass market adoption. Microsoft should know this better than anybody else as its previous foray into wearable computing didn’t exactly receive a warm welcome.

Detroit-based Superior Capital Partners and Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Plymouth Venture Partners have put an undisclosed amount of capital into XanEdu Holdings, a division of NAPC Holdings. NAPC Holdings is a platform created by Superior Capital in 2009. Details of the round were not disclosed.

PRESS RELEASE
Superior Capital Partners, LLC, a Detroit-based private equity firm, and Plymouth Venture Partners, an Ann Arbor-based venture capital firm, announced today a joint investment in XanEdu Holdings, LLC. XanEdu is a division of NAPC Holdings, LLC, a platform that was created by Superior in 2009 to affect the acquisitions of XanEdu and NA Publishing, Inc.

XanEdu is a leading publisher of customized course materials for the higher education market. Based in Ann Arbor, XanEdu has nearly 100 employees located in offices in Ann Arbor, MI, Louisville, KY and Acton, MA. XanEdu custom course materials are used by more than 630,000 students at 1,000 institutions. Folio-X, XanEdu’s award-winning e-learning solution, was launched in December 2010, the same year the iPad was introduced. The financing will enable XanEdu to expand the capabilities of the Folio-X platform and accelerate its growth initiatives including new publisher partnerships, content development, and custom publishing editorial services.

“We’re excited to be partnering with Superior and the XanEdu team,” remarked Mark Horne, Plymouth’s Chief Executive Officer. “Our due diligence revealed the proven potential for XanEdu to expand its leading position in the higher education custom textbook and e-learning market. We’re confident that they have the right strategy and management team in place to continue delivering on its mission.”

“We’re honored that Mark Horne, Ian Bund and the rest of the Plymouth team share our belief in the growth potential of XanEdu,” said Mark Carroll, Superior’s Managing Partner. “During Superior’s ownership period, the Company has transformed from a traditional provider of mostly print-based coursepacks to a provider of a wide variety of custom-developed solutions that are now delivered via the Folio-X digital platform. Plymouth provides us with an investment partner with deep experience in accomplishing aggressive growth initiatives in a technology driven market.”

Alar Elken, CEO of XanEdu Holdings commented, “This combined investment from Plymouth and Superior provides XanEdu with the resources to accelerate the transformation of XanEdu into a dynamic e-learning company. Education is becoming more portable, more dynamic and more engaging. Students are demanding mobility, interactivity, and currency. We have the resources in place to assist instructors, students, and institutions in accessing greater choices and in providing greater flexibility in their learning materials at a lower price point than traditional solutions.”

SOURCE Superior Capital Partners, LLC

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KPS Capital Partners has closed its KPS Special Situations Fund IV with with $3.5 billion in investor capital commitments. The firm will focus on controlling investments in corporate carve-outs, turnarounds, restructurings, bankruptcies and other special situations. KPS Capital said the fund surpassed its $3 billion target.

PRESS RELEASE
KPS Capital Partners, LP (“KPS”), a leading private equity firm, announced today the first and final closing of KPS Special Situations Fund IV (“KPS Fund IV” or the “Fund”) was held on April 12, 2013. KPS Fund IV, with $3.5 billion in investor capital commitments, will be focused on controlling investments in corporate carve-outs, turnarounds, restructurings, bankruptcies and other special situations.

KPS Fund IV, which had a $3.0 billion target, is the third oversubscribed institutional private equity fund raised by KPS. The fundraise was completed in under three months.

Michael Psaros and David Shapiro, Co-Founders and Managing Partners of KPS, said “We are humbled by the demand from the global investment community for KPS Fund IV and we are very grateful for the support of a group of prestigious investors from North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

“We believe that the demand for the Fund reflects our ability, over decades and across economic cycles, to add real value as a general partner by seeing value where other investors do not, buying right and making businesses better. We believe our success is the result of our operations focused investment strategy, the long term continuity of our partnership and the strength of our core investment team.”

The KPS Fund IV investment team will be managed by partners Michael Psaros, David Shapiro, Raquel Palmer and Jay Bernstein, who lead a team of experienced and talented professionals.

The investment period for KPS Fund IV will commence following the conclusion of KPS Special Situations Fund III’s investment campaign.

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP served as legal counsel in the formation of KPS Fund IV.

About KPS Capital Partners, LP

KPS Capital Partners, LP is the manager of the KPS Special Situations Funds, a family of private equity funds with $6.0 billion of assets under management focused on constructive investing in restructurings, turnarounds and other special situations. The KPS investment strategy targets manufacturing and industrial companies with strong market positions that are going through a period of transition or experiencing operating or financial difficulties. For over two decades, the partners of KPS have worked with the management teams and associates of its portfolio companies to improve operating and financial performance by focusing on cost reduction, efficiency, operational excellence and strategic growth initiatives. KPS Portfolio Companies, as of December 31, 2012, have aggregate annual revenues of approximately $6.8 billion, operate 85 manufacturing plants in 25 countries, and employ over 29,000 associates, directly and through joint ventures worldwide. The KPS investment strategy and portfolio companies are described in detail at the firm’s website: www.kpsfund.com.

SOURCE KPS Capital Partners, LP

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There is no denying that the Volkswagen Beetle does a lot of things well. It gets decent fuel economy, is fun to drive and is small enough that you can generally park it anywhere. But crossing a lake? That’s a bit much even for a Beetle. If you’re a redneck though and you’ve got a crowd of drunk spectators goading you on, well then, I suppose anything is possible. Check it out after the jump.

Source: Youtube.com

Dish Network proposed a $25.5 billion merger with Sprint Nextel on Monday. Under the proposal, which has been submitted to the Sprint Nextel Board of Directors, Sprint shareholders would get $7.00 per share.

The proposal is designed to upstage the pending $20.1 billion acquisition form Softbank, which has yet to close.

Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen said, “The Dish proposal clearly presents Sprint shareholders with a superior alternative to the pending SoftBank proposal. Sprint shareholders will benefit from a higher price with more cash while also creating the opportunity to participate more meaningfully in a combined Dish/Sprint with a significantly-enhanced strategic position and substantial synergies that are not attainable through the pending SoftBank proposal.”

“A transformative Dish/Sprint merger will create the only company that can offer customers a convenient, fully-integrated, nationwide bundle of in- and out-of-home video, broadband and voice services,” he added. “Additionally, the combined national footprints and scale will allow Dish/Sprint to bring improved broadband services to millions of homes with inferior or no access to competitive broadband services. This unique, combined company will have a leadership position in video, data and voice and the necessary broadband spectrum to provide customers with rich content everywhere, all the time.”

According to Dish, the proposed combination will “result in synergies and growth opportunities estimated at $37 billion in net present value, including an estimated $11 billion in cost savings.”

The company has shared Ergen’s full letter to Sprint Nextel Chairman of the Board, James Hance, Jr.:

Dear Jim:

Charlie Ergen
Chairman

Facebook Home, the company’s new OS-lite “app family” that takes over your Android device and turns the homescreen into a Facebook news feed, launched this past Friday. Now you can download the app collection from Google Play, free, on a select number of Android devices.

When Facebook first announced Home, they launched a quirky little ad featuring some plane antics. Now, Facebook has unveiled the second Facebook Home ad in this style, made by the people at Wieden+Kennedy. This ad is called “Dinner”:

Facebook also put out this semi-ad called “Launch Day.” It stars Zuckerberg, whose pep talk is flooded with events from on engineer’s news feed. Both of these ads stick with the Facebook Home brings your Facebook life everywhere theme. Check it out:

One of the best parts about Google Drive is its real time collaboration. Real time collaboration is only available in Google Drive documents or apps built with the Realtime API though. Now Mozilla is working on bringing that level of collaboration to the entire Web.

Mozilla Labs, the group that brought us Open Badges, Popcorn and more, has unveiled its latest project – TowTruck. In essence, TowTruck is an open source HTML5-based tool that lets multiple people work on the same Web page together. The tool uses WebRTC to enable video/audio communications between parties while they edit and browse the Web together.

Here’s an early proof of concept video that shows what Tow Truck looked like two months ago. The version that’s available now has WebRTC:

Tow Truck – Proof of Concept in Progress from Simon on Vimeo.

TowTruck is obviously built with developers in mind. Many Web designers no longer work in the same office, let alone the same state or country. A tool like TowTruck would be incredibly useful for these designers as they can now show others examples of their work, including the code, in real time. The others can then help refine that code in real time.

If you want to try out for TowTruck for yourself, you can do so here. Mozilla also provides the JavaScript necessary to integrate TowTruck into your own site at the above link. That being said, Mozilla warns that TowTruck is currently in alpha and doesn’t recommend that you use it in production at this time.

[h/t: The Next Web]

PowerSecure International Inc., a publicly traded company, has acquired privately held Solais Lighting Inc. Solais is a Stamford Conn.-based maker of LED lamps and fixtures for commercial and industrial applications. PowerSecure paid $6.5 million in cash plus 675,160 shares of PowerSecure common stock and assumed approximately $200,000 million in negative working capital for a total transaction value of $15 million, the company announced in a press release.

PRESS RELEASE
PowerSecure International, Inc. (Nasdaq: POWR) today announced that it has acquired Solais Lighting, Inc., a private company based in Stamford, CT which has a proprietary portfolio of LED lamps and fixtures for commercial and industrial applications that provide superior light output, thermal management, optics, light quality and aesthetics.

The acquisition strengthens and complements PowerSecure’s existing LED business with additional product lines and an expanded customer base, and adds strong skill sets around product design, product commercialization, manufacturing and materials sourcing.

PowerSecure paid the stockholders of Solais $6.5 million in cash plus 675,160 shares of PowerSecure common stock and assumed approximately $0.2 million in negative working capital for a total transaction value of $15 million. The PowerSecure shares were valued at their volume-weighted average closing sale price (VWAP) as reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market over the five business days immediately preceding the closing date of April 12, 2013, or $12.22 per share. All outstanding shares of capital stock of Solais were exchanged for the merger consideration.

“The expertise Solais has demonstrated in developing best-in-class innovative technology in parallel with some of the most effective sourcing, procurement and manufacturing in the industry will provide us with catalysts to accelerate the growth and profitability of our LED lighting business,” said Sidney Hinton, chief executive officer of PowerSecure.

“James and the accomplished Solais leadership team bring additional strength to PowerSecure and experience with distributor channel relationships that add to our new ESCO product channel and broaden our product offerings to our direct customers and utility partners,” Hinton added.

PowerSecure expects the transaction to be slightly accretive to revenues and earnings in 2013 (subject to finalization of accounting related to the amortization of intangible assets) and meaningfully accretive in subsequent years.

“There is tremendous synergy between our companies. With this merger, we combine the breadth, strength, innovation and success of PowerSecure with the business of Solais to accelerate our growth in the marketplace and better serve our clients. In addition, we can apply our efficient manufacturing expertise and proprietary technologies to enhance the value of PowerSecure’s overall LED lighting portfolio,” said James Leahy, chief executive officer of Solais.

Conference Call

PowerSecure International, Inc. (Nasdaq: POWR) will host a conference call on Monday, April 15, 2013 at 8:30 a.m. ET to discuss the company’s acquisition of Solais Lighting, Inc.

To access the live webcast, please log on to the investor section of the company’s website at http://www.powersecure.com.

Analysts and institutional investors can also access the call by dialing 888-679-8018 (or 617-213-4845 if dialing internationally) and providing passcode 38138943. If you are unable to participate during the live webcast, a replay of the conference call will be available approximately two hours after the completion of the call through midnight on April 29, 2013. To listen to the replay, dial 888-286-8010 (or 617-801-6888 if dialing internationally), and enter passcode 23703878. In addition, the webcast will be archived on the company’s website at www.powersecure.com.

About PowerSecure

PowerSecure International, Inc. is a leading provider of utility and energy technologies to electric utilities, and their industrial, institutional and commercial customers. PowerSecure provides products and services in the areas of Interactive Distributed Generation ® (IDG®), energy efficiency and utility infrastructure. The company is a pioneer in developing IDG® power systems with sophisticated smart grid capabilities, including the ability to 1) forecast electricity demand and electronically deploy the systems to deliver more efficient, and environmentally friendly, power at peak power times, 2) provide utilities with dedicated electric power generation capacity to utilize for demand response purposes and 3) provide customers with the most dependable standby power in the industry. Its proprietary distributed generation system designs utilize a range of technologies to deliver power, including renewables. The company’s energy efficiency business develops energy efficient lighting technologies that improve the quality of light, including its proprietary EfficientLights® LED lighting products for grocery, drug and convenience stores, and its SecureLite area light and PowerLite street lights for utilities and municipalities. PowerSecure also provides electric utilities with transmission and distribution infrastructure maintenance and construction services, and engineering and regulatory consulting services. Additional information is available at www.powersecure.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of and made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are all statements other than statements of historical facts, including but not limited to statements relating to the projected success of the Solais business and the projected financial results of the acquired Solais business and the effect of the acquisition on the financial results of the company, the outlook for the company’s future revenues, earnings, margins, cash resources and cash flow and other financial and operating information and data; the company’s future business operations, strategies and prospects; the anticipated benefits and future results of the reported transaction; and all other statements concerning the plans, intentions, expectations, projections, hopes, beliefs, objectives, goals and strategies of management, including statements about other future financial and non-financial items, performance or events and about present and future products, services, technologies and businesses and the reported transaction; and statements of assumptions underlying the foregoing.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and are subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed, projected or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, those risks, uncertainties and other factors identified from time to time in the company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as in subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the results expressed, projected or implied by any forward-looking statements will be achieved, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date hereof and are based on the current plans, goals, objectives, strategies, intentions, expectations and assumptions of, and the information currently available to, management. The company assumes no duty or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as the result of changes in expectations, new information, future events, conditions or circumstances or otherwise.

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No official announcement has been made yet, but reports have come out indicating that Google has settled with the European Commission in a two-year antitrust investigation. This one goes far beyond the settlement the company recently reached with the Federal Trade Commission in the United States.

Under the proposal, as it’s being reported, Google will label its own results, and it will show competitors’ links in cases where it shows its on results. The New York Times reports:

Google will not have to change the algorithm that produces its search results, the people said. Under the proposal, Google agrees to clearly label search results from its own properties, like Google Plus Local or Google News, and in some cases to show links from rival search engines.

…

In areas where Google does not make money from search results, like weather or news, the company will label the results as Google-owned properties. In areas where Google sells ads, like local business reviews, it will show links to at least three competitors. In areas in which all search results are paid ads, like shopping, Google will auction links to rivals.

Like in the U.S., Google will also have to give sites a way to keep their content from being included in vertical search results while letting them stay in regular search results. According to the Times, sites will be able to keep portions (as much as 10%) of their content out of Google so users are compelled to visit the site. It gives the example of Yelp keeping out business hours.

Additionally, Google is reportedly agreeing to be policed by an unknown third party, and will face fines if it doesn’t comply with the terms. This will go on for five years.

With the proposal, Google will avoid a lengthy and costly legal battle in Europe.

According to Bloomberg, Google competitors aren’t happy with the details of Google’s proposal that have surfaced, despite going significantly further than the concessions made in the U.S.

Last week, FairSearch announced a complaint with the EU claiming that Android gives Google an unfair advantage in search. More on that here.

Last month, Google released an opt-out tool for sites to keep content out of its vertical search engines.

It was introduced at CES as the ASUS Qube, but it will officially be spelled as the Cube. I found it interesting that they spelled it with a “Q” in the first place, and I suspect there was too much confusion with the Nexus Q, hence the change. Last week it was reported that it would be available on April 23rd, which was darn close as it looks like it will be April 24.

How do we know? Newegg has the Cube on their site with that release date, and it’s available for pre-order now. Pricing is a little higher than what we were told as well. The plan was for $129, but now it’s $139. However, Newegg is offering a $10 promotional gift card, but only for people who order by April 23.  This pricing is very surprising when you consider that most of the competition is around $99, and ASUS has a strong history of pricing their Android devices competitively.

I didn’t get to spend too much time with the Cube, but I didn’t see anything that it offered more than other Google TV devices except for the unique cube-like user interface. Priced at $139, does the Cube have a chance of helping bring Google TV to the forefront? Check out our hands on video, and/or hit the break for Neweggs’s 21 minute demo video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

source: Newegg

Come comment on this article: ASUS Qube becomes the Cube and is now available for pre-order

Continue reading…

Former U.S. Representative Charlie A. Wilson has died at the age of 70.

According to an Associated Press report, Wilson had a stroke in February and had been recovering since that time. He reportedly became sick over the weekend and died Sunday afternoon at a hospital in Boynton Beach, Florida.

Wilson owned funeral home and furniture store businesses before entering state politics in Ohio. In 1996 he was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives, where he served until 2002. In 2004 Wilson was elected to the Ohio Senate, and in 2006 he ran for U.S. congress when Ohio congressman Ted Strickland ran for governor of the state.

Though Wilson’s name did not appear on the primary ballot, he ran a successful write-in campaign to become the Democratic candidate for Ohio’s 6th district. He won the general election and served two terms before being defeated by current U.S. Representative Bill Johnson in 2011.

Charlie A. Wilson is not related to Charlie Nesbitt Wilson, the former U.S. Representative for Texas who is the subject of the book and movie Charlie Wilson’s War.

Today, Google is honoring Leonhard Euler, the Swiss mathematician known for his prolific works in many mathematical fields, including calculus and many areas of physics.

Euler is known for introducing most modern mathematical terminology and notation.

Euler was born on April 15th, 1707 in Basel, Switzerland to a pastor and a pastor’s daughter. In his early life, Euler studied under famed mathematician Johann Bernoulli and entered the University of Basel at the age of 13. He received his Master of Philosophy just three years later after a dissertation on Descartes and Newton.

He spent most of his adult life in St. Petersburg, Russia and in Berlin, Prussia. In St. Petersburg, Euler served a position in the Imperial Russian Academy of Sciences’ mathematics department. He stayed in St. Petersburg from 1727 to 1741, when he left for Berlin to take up a post offered by Frederick the Great of Prussia. There is where Euler published his most important work: The Introductio in analysin infinitorum (1748), which was about mathematical functions, and the Institutiones calculi differentialis (1755) on differential calculus.

Euler is considered the most important mathematician of his era and one of the most important mathematicians of all time. He worked in nearly every field of mathematics, including algebra, geometry, calculus,and number theory. He also worked in some areas of physics.

Euler is the only man to have two mathematical numbers named after him. “Euler’s Number” in calculus (e), and the Euler-Mascheroni Constant (γ).

Euler was also known for his work in fluid dynamics, mechanics, and astronomy, one of the most prolific mathematicians of all time, Euler’s collected works fill dozens of volumes.

Wealth management company National Financial Partners said it agreed to be bought by private equity investment firm Madison Dearborn Partners LLC for about $1.3 billion, including debt, Reuters reported. Madison Dearborn will pay $25.35 for each National Financial share, a premium of about 8 percent to the stock’s Friday close. National Financial shares were up about 6 percent before the bell on Monday.

(Reuters) – Wealth management company National Financial Partners said it agreed to be bought by private equity investment firm Madison Dearborn Partners LLC for about $1.3 billion, including debt.

Madison Dearborn will pay $25.35 for each National Financial share, a premium of about 8 percent to the stock’s Friday close.

National Financial shares were up about 6 percent before the bell on Monday.

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Networking startup NoviFlow is trying to get ahead in the OpenFlow networking race by bringing out a switch capable of running on the OpenFlow 1.3 protocol at up to 200 Gbps.

More and more IT people are coming to understand and express interest in implementing OpenFlow, which separates the control plane from the data plane and lets servers take charge of telling switches what to do with packets. As the trend takes hold, NoviFlow will surely have to put up with fierce competition, as more vendors move to make their switches OpenFlow-compatible and as OpenFlow-friendly code from the OpenDaylight Project hits the market.

The news comes a year after NoviFlow was founded and just a few months after NoviFlow promised switches that could deliver 100 Mbps. Clearly NoviFlow is serious about capturing marketshare as enterprises consider OpenFlow options and at least think about moving away from legacy vendors such as Cisco.

Cisco, of course, downplays the threat to its bread-and-butter business and is taking steps to protect its market-leading position in switches and routers and enviable profit margins.

“I don’t see this (software-defined networking and network-function virtualization) as a commoditization threat whatsoever to Cisco,” said David Ward, Cisco’s chief technology officer for engineering and chief architect, during a call with investors on Thursday. Startups like NoviFlow are hoping to prove Ward wrong.

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