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  • Learn How To Make Great Widgets For Android

    One of the more unique aspects of Android is its support for home screen Widgets. This support was introduced with Android 1.5 and developers have since created a number of unique, and sometimes utterly amazing, home screen widgets for Android devices.

    Of course, you may just be starting out and wand to build the best widget ever. That’s a lofty goal, but you’re going to need some help. The latest App Clinic episode from Google’s Android Developers channel has the advice and tips you need to realize your dream of building the best home screen widget ever.

  • ‘Cannibal Cop’ Convicted of Kidnapping Conspiracy

    Back in October 2012, the NYPD made headlines as a New York police officer was arrested for allegedly plotting to kill and eat dozens of women. Gilberto Valle III was caught by his colleagues having online conversations about his fantasies, which involved cannibalism.

    This week, Valle was convicted on one count of kidnapping. The New York Times is reporting that a jury found Valle’s detailed plans to kidnap women proof enough of his intentions.

    The case has shined a llght on some of the internet’s more deviant niches. In addition, it has raised questions about the line between online fantasy and reality, especially in regards to people with positions of authority in society.

    One of Valle’s lawyers told the Times that Valle was prosecuted for thought crime, saying, “These are thoughts, very ugly thoughts, but we don’t prosecute people for their thoughts.” Valle’s lawyers have vowed to appeal the verdict.

    The prosecution in the case, however, was able to demonstrate that Valle had used his access to police databases and resources as a police officer to track and research the women in his fantasies. Regardless of Valle’s real-life intentions toward the women, his misuse of police resources was a factor in the case, and the Times states that he has also been convicted of illegal access to a law enforcement database.

  • Health tech’s monthly checkup: more deals, but less investment in February (infographic)

    Data and analytics companies continue to dominate funding in digital health, but a couple of emerging sectors are starting to gain some traction: brain sensor technologies and diagnostics.

    The overall amount of health tech investment was down in February from the same period last year, but venture capitalists and strategic players in the sector were as active as ever.  Even though funders invested 33 percent less last month than they did the previous year, deal volume nearly doubled. In February of this year, 32 deals closed for a total of $107.95 million invested, compared with 17 deals in February 2012 for $161.51 million.

    Here’s a quick snapshot of activity last month:

    startuphealth_Febv2

    Key takeaways:

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  • Businesses Worldwide are Upgrading to BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10

    Early in December of 2012 we launched the BlackBerry 10 Ready Program to provide businesses around the globe with the tools, offers, and knowledge that they needed to prepare for BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10.

    The program includes a free BlackBerry 10 smartphone offer with BES 10 installation and training courses, a license trade up program to help you seamlessly switch to BlackBerry 10 from prior BlackBerry smartphones, a webcast series, and BlackBerry 10 Readiness Services to provide you with a suite of support options for installation and upgrades.

    With BlackBerry 10 launching around the world and BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 available for download, let’s take a look at some of the progress so far.

    Read more at the Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog »

  • Google shows off Gmail, third-party apps for Google Glass [video]

    Google Glass Gmail
    We have no idea whether Google (GOOG) Glass will actually become a popular accessory, but at least we now know that it will have access to some of the same mobile services that have made Android smartphones so popular. Per 9to5Google, it seems that Google made a presentation at South by Southwest this week showing how Google Glass users can interact with their Gmail accounts and with other third-party apps such as the New York Times, Evernote, Skitch and Path. The Gmail app is particularly nifty since it utilizes voice recognition technology that supports email dictation as well as audio messaging. This way, Glass users on the other end can choose to hear your messages if they’re having difficulty reading text on their displays. A video of Google’s Glass Gmail demonstration is posted below.

    Continue reading…

  • Catchpoint Systems Raises $3.2 Million Series A Led by Battery Ventures

    Catchpoint Systems, a New York-based maker of online performance monitoring software, has raised $3.2 million in Series A financing led by Battery Ventures. Catchpoint was founded in 2008.

    PRESS RELEASE:

    Catchpoint Systems, Inc., a provider of innovative web and infrastructure monitoring solutions, today announced it has closed a $3.2 million series A financing round. First launching its product in 2010, Catchpoint ran 2.9 billion tests for more than 100 customers in 2012 and boasts consistent revenue growth – doubling year-over-year revenue last year. Led by Battery Ventures, the financing will be used to accelerate the company’s growth and product development.

    “We were actively looking for the next big thing in infrastructure so investing in Catchpoint was an easy decision,” stated Neeraj Agrawal, general partner, Battery Ventures. “It offers a mature, experienced leadership team with a proven product suite, impressive growth and a strategic vision for what lies ahead. We are confident that Catchpoint will continue to disrupt the performance monitoring industry and quickly become the dominant player.” Battery has deep expertise in Catchpoint’s market, including investments in Akamai, BladeLogic and Tealium. Battery is committed to finding and funding innovative companies in the New York area, and Catchpoint is the tenth such company in its active portfolio.

    Founded in September 2008 by four former DoubleClick/Google executives, Catchpoint helps organizations proactively monitor the end-to-end performance and availability of their online systems – improving the speed, reliability and availability of online services to boost customer satisfaction, lower the cost of quality management and protect revenue. Delivering real-time analytics, its web performance and application monitoring tools empower companies to measure the behavior of their services from multiple vantage points to better understand performance and the factors impacting it.

    “Catchpoint offers a truly comprehensive, high-end enterprise solution for IT professionals who care about performance,” said Imad Mouline, application performance management industry veteran and current CTO of Everbridge. “Catchpoint delivers when it comes to all-important details like consistent data quality, complete change logs, comprehensive test management, support for the increasingly rapid changes in web technologies and development platforms, and more. In this industry, it is the little things that can make a striking difference to the bottom line – the Catchpoint team learned that through years of using such tools before deciding to reinvent performance management from the ground up.”

    Catchpoint will leverage the investment primarily to accelerate its market-changing product development roadmap. It will also support aggressive recruiting, further growth of the company’s successful sales team and continued market expansion.

    “Our team is passionate about monitoring. Having once been on the buyer side gives us an edge on innovation as we think and design our products from a customer perspective. Working hand-in-hand with so many companies that understand the seriousness of performance monitoring because of its impact on millions of users is rewarding,” said Mehdi Daoudi, CEO and founder of Catchpoint. “This first strategic investment from Battery Ventures will help us fast-track our product development plans and bolster our continued expansion so we can change the way IT monitors and resolves issues that might have a detrimental impact on critical online services and, therefore, the business.”

    With this investment, Neeraj Agrawal of Battery Ventures will join the Catchpoint Board of Directors.

    About Battery Ventures
    Since 1983, Battery has been investing in category-defining ideas and high potential companies and management teams worldwide. The firm views its investment as a true partnership, and works hard to help its companies carve out unique positions, dominate markets and reach business goals. Battery funds companies in technology and related markets at the Seed, Early, Growth and Buyout stage. For a full list of Battery’s companies go to: http://www.battery.com/our-companies/list/

    The firm has offices in Boston, Silicon Valley and Israel, and has raised more than $4.5B since inception. Battery is currently investing BV IX ($750M) and recently announced the close of BV X ($650M) and BV X Side Fund ($250M). For more information, visit www.battery.com. Follow Battery on Twitter.

    About Catchpoint
    Catchpoint helps companies better understand the performance of their online services so they can ensure a fast, glitch-free online environment to improve user satisfaction, reduce quality management costs and protect revenue. Delivering unmatched insight through organized and visualized information, its web performance and application monitoring tools provide real-time analytics to help IT quickly discover and resolve performance issues. Founded in September 2008 by former DoubleClick/Google veterans and backed by Battery Ventures, Catchpoint is headquartered in New York. Please visit www.catchpoint.com to learn more.

    The post Catchpoint Systems Raises $3.2 Million Series A Led by Battery Ventures appeared first on peHUB.

  • Senator Vitter to EPA Nominee: Explain “Icing on the Cake”

    WASHINGTON D.C. — U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-La.) released today the latest evidence gathered from an ongoing congressional investigation into improper and potentially illegal activities by senior officials at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In today’s release, Vitter provides copies …

  • Summit Partners Backs Hospice Care Company

    Heart to Heart Hospice, a 10-year-old, Plano, Texas-based hospice care company, has received a minority investment from Boston-based Summit Partners, the growth equity firm. Terms of the deal aren’t being disclosed.

    PRESS RELEASE:

    Heart to Heart Hospice, a leading provider of hospice care in Texas, has received a minority investment from Summit Partners, a global growth equity firm. Heart to Heart Hospice will use the investment to continue its mission of delivering quality palliative care to those in need of end-of-life services.

    Founded in 2003, Heart to Heart Hospice delivers individualized care in patients’ homes and also provides care for patients in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospitals and other residential facilities. Heart to Heart Hospice currently employs over 600 people across its care team staff of physicians, medical directors, skilled nurses, hospice aides, social workers, chaplains, bereavement coordinators, specialized therapists and dieticians.

    “Heart to Heart Hospice was founded to provide a compassionate and patient-centered approach to medical care and supportive services at the end-of-life for patients and their families,” said Kelly Mitchell, Founder and CEO of the company. “Unparalleled service and personalized attention are the fundamental beliefs at the core of Heart to Heart Hospice. We have developed a strong relationship with Summit Partners over the years, and they will play an important role in the continued success and growth of Heart to Heart Hospice.”

    Added Bill Thurman, the company’s President and COO, “We were in a position where we didn’t need to raise capital. Rather, we chose to do so in order to support several growth initiatives that will allow us to bring hospice care to a greater number of people.”

    “Summit Partners has been making equity investments in rapidly growing, market-leading healthcare companies for nearly 30 years,” said Mark deLaar, a Managing Director with Summit, who will join the Heart to Heart Hospice Board of Directors.

    “We’re very impressed with the exceptional care that Heart to Heart Hospice delivers to its patients and their families, and we are pleased to partner with them,” added Jesse Lane, a Vice President with Summit Partners who will also join the Board.

    About Heart to Heart Hospice
    Founded in 2003, Heart to Heart Hospice is a leading provider of hospice care in Texas. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, the company currently provides services to approximately 1,200 patients in 10 locations across 88 counties in the state. Hospice care is a benefit afforded to terminally-ill patients with life-limiting illness. These illnesses include, but are not limited to, cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease, kidney disease, liver disease, ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, Parkinson’s disease and AIDS. For more information, please visit www.hearttohearthospice.com.

    About Summit Partners
    Summit Partners is a growth equity firm that invests in rapidly growing companies. Founded in 1984, Summit has raised nearly $15 billion in capital and provides equity and credit for growth, recapitalizations, and management buyouts. Summit has invested in more than 365 companies globally in technology, healthcare and other growth industries. These companies have completed 130 public offerings, and more than 135 have been acquired through strategic mergers and sales. Summit Partners has offices in Boston, Menlo Park, London and Mumbai. For more information, please visit www.summitpartners.com.

    In the United States of America, Summit Partners operates as an SEC-registered investment advisor. In the United Kingdom, this document is issued by Summit Partners Limited, a firm authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Summit Partners Limited is a limited company registered in England and Wales with company number 4141197, and its registered office is at 20–22 Bedford Row, London, WC1R 4JS, UK. This document is intended solely to provide information regarding Summit Partners’ potential financing capabilities for prospective portfolio companies.

    The post Summit Partners Backs Hospice Care Company appeared first on peHUB.

  • Google Opens Registration For 10th Annual Global Code Jam

    Can you code? Do you like money? If so, you might be interested in Google’s latest Global Code Jam.

    Google announced that registration is now open for the 10th annual Global Code Jam that begins next month. The event will see code warriors from across the planet solving advanced algorithms and competing for fame and fortune.

    Since this is the 10th year of the Code Jam, Google says that it will be raising the stakes for this year’s competition. The winner of the entire event will walk away with $15,000 and will be automatically qualified for next year’s Code Jam.

    The first round of the Code Jam will kick off at noon on April 12 online. After three more online rounds, Google will narrow down thousands of participants to 25 extremely skilled, and lucky, competitors. These 25 people will compete in the final round at Google’s London office on August 16.

    If you’re feeling up to the challenge, you can register for the Code Jam here. While you’re at it, you should start working on a few of the sample problems Google has provided to give you an idea of what to expect from the event.

  • President Obama Meets with the Sultan of Brunei

    Today, President Obama hosted His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei for a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office to affirm the relationship between our two countries that dates back more than 160 years.

    The two leaders discussed their shared interest in a strong, peaceful, and prosperous Asia-Pacific region, and continued cooperation between our nations on a range of issues.

    With Brunei set to host October’s ASEAN East Asia Summit meeting, President Obama said they would be working together on “everything from how we deal with issues of energy and climate change to how we expand commerce, potentially through the Trans-Pacific Partnership that has the opportunity of creating jobs and prosperity here in the United States but also throughout the region.”

    read more

  • BioClinica Announces Its Tender Offer is Complete

    BioClinica, a Newton, Pa.-based clinical trials management company, and JLL Partners, a New York private equity firm, announced that they’ve successfully completed the tender offer by BC Acquisition Corp., an affiliate of JLL Partners that last month began a $7.25 per share offer for all outstanding shares of BioClinica. In January, JLL agreed to acquire BioClinica for $123 million.

    PRESS RELEASE:

    BioClinica(R), Inc. BIOC +0.55% , a leading global provider of clinical trial management solutions, and JLL Partners, Inc. (“JLL”), a leading private equity investment firm, today announced the successful completion of the tender offer by BC Acquisition Corp. (“Purchaser”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of BioCore Holdings, Inc. (“Parent”), each of which is an affiliate of JLL, for all of the outstanding shares of common stock of BioClinica. Purchaser and Parent are affiliates of JLL and one of the investment funds managed by JLL, JLL Partners Fund VI, L.P. (the “Sponsor”).

    Based on information provided by Computershare Trust Company, N.A., the Depositary for the offer, as of the expiration of the offering period at 12:00 midnight New York City time, at the end of March 11, 2013, a total of approximately 13,912,736 shares representing approximately 88.327% of the outstanding shares of common stock of BioClinica (in addition to 2,252 shares tendered under guaranteed delivery procedures), had been validly tendered and not withdrawn. Purchaser has accepted for payment all shares validly tendered in the offer.

    JLL also announced that, to complete the acquisition of BioClinica, JLL will effect, without prior notice to, or any action by, any other BioClinica stockholder, a short-form merger in which Purchaser will merge with and into BioClinica, with BioClinica surviving the merger and continuing as a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Parent. JLL intends to exercise its option under the merger agreement to purchase newly issued BioClinica shares in order to ensure ownership of at least 90% of the outstanding BioClinica shares to complete the short-form merger. In the merger, each of the remaining untendered shares of BioClinica common stock (other than shares as to which appraisal rights are properly demanded under Delaware law, if any) will be converted into the right to receive the same $7.25 per BioClinica share net to the seller in cash. The merger is expected to occur within the next several days and a subsequent press release will be issued at that time. Following the merger, BioClinica’s common stock will cease to be traded on the NASDAQ Global Market.

    About BioClinica

    BioClinica, Inc. is a leading global provider of integrated, technology-enhanced clinical trial management solutions. BioClinica supports pharmaceutical and medical device innovation with imaging core lab, internet image transport, electronic data capture, interactive voice and web response, clinical trial management, and clinical supply chain forecasting and optimization solutions. BioClinica solutions maximize efficiency and manageability throughout all phases of the clinical trial process. With over 20 years of experience and more than 2,000 successful trials to date, BioClinica has supported the clinical development of many new medicines from early phase trials through final approval. The company operates state-of-the-art, regulatory body-compliant imaging core labs on two continents, and supports worldwide eClinical and data management services from offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit http://www.bioclinica.com.

    About JLL Partners

    JLL Partners is a leading New York-based private equity investment firm with approximately $4 billion of capital under management. JLL Partners’ investment philosophy is to partner with outstanding management teams and invest in companies that they can continue to grow into market leaders. JLL Partners has invested in a variety of industries, with special focus on the healthcare and pharmaceutical services industries. For more information, please visit www.jllpartners.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Certain statements made in this press release are “forward-looking statements” intended to qualify for the safe harbors from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements may be identified by, among other things, the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes”, “expects”, “may”, “should” or “anticipates” or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy that involve risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements include the decision by BioClinica, Inc. to enter into an agreement to be acquired by the holding company controlled by JLL Partners, the ability of BioClinica, Inc. and the holding company controlled by JLL Partners to complete the transaction contemplated by the definitive agreement, including the parties’ ability to satisfy the conditions set forth in the merger agreement, and the possibility of any termination of the definitive agreement. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on our current expectations, and those made at other times will be based on our expectations when the statements are made. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the expected timetable for completing the proposed transaction; the risk and uncertainty in connection with a strategic alternative process; financial results; the demand for our services and technologies; growing recognition for the use of independent medical image review services; trends toward the outsourcing of imaging services in clinical trials; realized return from our marketing efforts; increased use of digital medical images in clinical trials; integration of our acquired companies and businesses; expansion into new business segments; the success of any potential acquisitions and the integration of current acquisitions; and the level of our backlog are examples of such forward-looking statements; the timing of revenues due to the variability in size, scope and duration of projects; estimates made by management with respect to our critical accounting policies; regulatory delays; clinical study results which lead to reductions or cancellations of projects and other factors, including general economic conditions and regulatory developments, not within our control. Further information can be found in the risk factors contained in the Annual Report of BioClinica, Inc. on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012 and most recent filings. BioClinica, Inc. does not undertake to update the disclosures made herein, and you are urged to read our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    Important Information about the Tender Offer

    This announcement and the description contained herein are for informational purposes only and are not an offer to purchase or a solicitation of an offer to sell securities of BioClinica, Inc. The tender offer described herein is being made pursuant to a Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO (including the Offer to Purchase, the related Letter of Transmittal and other tender offer materials) filed by Parent, Purchaser and the Sponsor with the SEC on February 11, 2013, as previously amended. In addition, on February 11, 2013, BioClinica filed a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9 with the SEC related to the tender offer. The Tender Offer Statement (and related materials) and the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement contain important information that should be read carefully before any decision is made with respect to the tender offer. Those materials may be obtained at no charge upon request to Innisfree M&A Incorporated, the information agent for the tender offer at (888) 750-5834 (toll free). Stockholders also can obtain these documents when they are filed and become available (and all other offer documents filed with the SEC) free of charge from the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, copies of the Tender Offer Statement (and related materials) and the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement and other filings containing information about BioClinica, Inc., the tender offer and the merger may be obtained, if and when available, without charge, by directing a request to BioClinica, Inc. Attention: Ted Kaminer, Chief Financial Officer, at 826 Newtown-Yardley Rd., Newtown, PA 18940, or on BioClinica’s corporate website at http://www.bioclinica.com.

    The post BioClinica Announces Its Tender Offer is Complete appeared first on peHUB.

  • Matt Cutts: Panda Update Coming Friday, ‘Big’ Penguin Update Later This Year

    According to Google webspam head Matt Cutts, we can expect the next Panda refresh to occur within the next few days.

    Speaking at the SMX conference, Cutts said that the next Panda update will take place this Friday, March 15th or by Monday, March 18th at the latest.

    The last Panda update rolled out on January 22nd, and Google said that it affected 1.2% of queries. Even if a Panda update launches this Friday, it will have been the longest time between updates in recent memory. Google previously released a Panda update a few days before Christmas, and two back in November.

    Although the Panda refresh is coming sooner, a Penguin update is also on the horizon – and Cutts said that it’ll be a big one. Cutts said that it will be one of the most talked-about updates of the year.

    They are “working on the next generation of Penguin,” said Cutts.

    More algorithm changes were discussed at SXSW last week. There, Cutts announced a possible crackdown on bad online merchants.

    “We have a potential launch later this year, maybe a little bit sooner, looking at the quality of merchants and whether we can do a better job on that, because we don’t want low quality experience merchants to be ranking in the search results,” he said.

    Check here for more on the future of Panda and Penguin in 2013

  • When will they learn? New York Jets big Twitter failure

    The storied NFL franchise, the New York Jets, once home to “Broadway” Joe Namath, hopefully has learned a Twitter lesson — never ask something without fully thinking through the consequences, especially when your fans may be nearing the end of their proverbial ropes. Just ask Microsoft about this.

    The organization chose last night, on the eve of free agency, to ask fans for their input on the direction the team should take. I seriously doubt the Jets had any real intention of allowing fans to overrule management, but meant more a fun gesture to make fans feel more a part of the process. The Jets proceeded to ask “Free agency begins tomorrow. The Jets priority should be _________”.

    None-the-less the publicity stunt failed miserably, with responses raining in letting the team know exactly where it currently stands in the market. A few of the thousands can be read below and, as you can see, the team certainly learned what fans really think.

    • a new team — yansore cfs (@BigDavesRants)
    • Oh the mentions this is gonna get — Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo)
    • A prayer from God — Devanand Ramjit (@_KingPingPong)
    • To take a year off and cut their losses. — The Tax Man Cometh (@Stateman1952)
    • EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! — Matt Orso (@SportsTalk2345)
    • Forfeiture of the 2013 season. — Panda (@L7Panda)
    • Cutting everyone — Ian Kenyon (@IanKenyonNFL)

    Shall I go on? Search Twitter for yourselves if you wish to read the countless others. It is not the first, nor will it be the last, lesson learned by a business entity when it comes to social media. The problem is, these days screw-ups like this become very high-profile in a hurry.

  • Diagnostic Thinking


    Ranjay Gulati, Harvard Business School professor, saw firsthand what happens when professionals jump to conclusions and rush to action.

  • Xi3 Piston “Steambox” To Cost $1,000, Preorders Now Open

    At CES, we got a look at the first “Steambox.” It was called the Xi3 Piston, and it was seen as a very real challenge to incumbent console manufacturers as it packed the power of a gaming PC into a small, affordable package.

    The affordable moniker may not apply anymore as Xi3 has revealed that the Piston will cost $1,000 when it launches later this year. It can preordered now for $100 off, but the device is still pretty expensive for a computer with specs similar to the recently announced PS4.

    The Piston is a fully-functioning PC built for the living room so the device is going to be compared to consoles. It can’t possibly win out in terms of price, so Xi3 will have to appeal to gamers who want to do more than their consoles will allow.

  • Google’s same-day shipping service is now being tested in San Francisco Bay area

    Google Same-Day Shipping Service
    The news broke last week that Google (GOOG) is working with a number of national retail chains to create a same-day shipping service that will compete with Amazon Prime. It was previously reported that Google would undercut Amazon (AMZN) and offer the service for between $64 and $69 per year compared to $79 for Amazon Prime. Sources speaking to TechCrunch have now explained that pricing hasn’t been finalized, however, and the service is being tested at a price of $4.99 per delivery. The same-day shipping service, which will be known as Google Shopping Express, is reportedly being tested in the San Francisco Bay area with local partners and national retailer Target (TGT). It is still unclear when Google plans to announce the service.

  • Acer’s new $279 C7 Chromebook runs for 6 hours, doubles down on memory

    When I reviewed Acer’s $199 C7 Chromebook, I generally liked it for the price. The biggest issue I had was the 3.5 hours of battery life: that’s simply not enough for a laptop that will be used on the go. The good news is that Acer heard those complaints about the battery capacity and did something to improve it. On Tuesday, the company introduced a $279 Chromebook with 6 hours of run time on a single charge.

    Acer is marketing the device to the education market but consumers interested in a low-cost Chromebook may want to take a look. I used the older C7 model for a few weeks as my daily computer and as long as I was able to find an outlet, it worked well. The new C7 device uses an Intel Celeron chip just like the prior edition (see performance marks here for the old model) and includes 4 GB of memory, which is double the memory of the $199 model.

    Is the extra battery life and double the RAM worth an extra $80? I’d say yes. If you’re interested in the Acer C7, this is the model that I’d spring for. Another compelling option would be the $249 Samsung Chromebook, which just gained Netflix support yesterday, although that particular Chromebook is half-step slower. It uses an ARM-based chip, typically found in smartphones or tablets, instead of an Intel Celeron.

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  • Boy Admits Kutcher Prank, May be Connected to Others

    Back in December 2012, Los Angeles police arrested an unnamed juvenile in connection with prank 911 calls that sent police to the homes of Ashton Kutcher and Justin Bieber. That person was later released by police, who continued to investigate the incidents.

    Today, CBS News is reporting that a 12-year-old boy has admitted to sending police to the home of Ashton Kutcher. Though the boy’s name has not been released, he is now scheduled to be sentenced for his crime.

    The practice of making false 911 calls of bombs or shootings to bring police to celebrity houses has been dubbed “swatting,” since S.W.A.T. teams are sometimes dispatched to the scene. In addition to Kutcher and Bieber, celebrities including Simon Cowell, Miley Cyrus, Tom Cruise, Chris Brown, and the Kardashians have been recent victims of swatting.

    The CBS report states that the same 12-year-old has also been accused of sending police to Justin Bieber’s house and a bank.

  • Is Collaboration the New Greenwashing?

    Collaboration is the new “it” trend in business strategy circles these days. Everyone is talking about it. And most people believe it’s necessary if we’re going to solve the world’s seemingly intractable problems — such as poverty, climate change, access to education and healthcare, creating renewable energy sources, and increasing global security. Technology has dramatically simplified our ability to access, analyze, and act on ever-expanding volumes of information, and to do so more effectively by connecting and collaborating.

    But, does collaboration deliver on its promise? Or is it at risk of simply becoming a new form of “greenwashing” as companies talk the talk, but don’t walk the walk?

    To make a collaborative effort effective, it’s important to think through what it will mean for everyone involved. That starts with mapping key parameters: Who are the players you want to work with? What does each bring to the table? Why would each player be motivated to work with the others? Figuring this out upfront is critical. The next hurdle is figuring out how people are going to work together in practice, including which tools and resources you have available to facilitate the process.

    Real, genuine, messy collaboration involves reaching out to unconventional organizations that your company may never have worked with before. A rule of thumb to keep in mind: If it feels uncomfortable, overwhelming and challenging, you’re probably on the right track. If it were easy, these models of collaboration would have been done before.

    These partnership strategies also require a big-picture understanding of the landscape or system you’re working within. You can identify areas to leverage by mapping out the particular challenge you want to explore, including where and how different stakeholders fit across this map. To get started on mapping complex systems, check out Marshall Clemens’ work with the Tellus Mater Foundation.

    These complex partnerships also require the understanding that when working at a system level, there is often no defined end point for your activities. The further you go, the more opportunities you identify. Therefore, it’s helpful to frame the scope broadly and allow for unforeseen change and modification rather than establishing a set timeline with a strict exit/sunset clause.

    We often take the enabling role of technology for granted when collaborating on complex, systems-level problem solving. Technology has improved communication flows with “anyone anywhere”; made processes exponentially more efficient; enabled resilient feedback loops; and improved our decision-making through rapid synthesis of large amounts of complex data. But technology doesn’t need to be framed as the innovative solution itself — it can also be applied to improve existing processes.

    For example, in Kenya, HP has collaborated with the Clinton Health Access Initiative, the Kenyan Ministry of Public Health & Sanitation, Strathmore University, and other players to reduce the turn-around time for providing results of HIV testing in infants. The result is that health care workers in the country now have near real-time online access to other vital reporting data. Through this multilateral collaboration and the innovative use of technology, government, the private sector, NGOs, and academic players have tapped into a diverse wealth of expertise to improve processes that literally save lives.

    What started in Kenya as a specific process improvement expanded to a much broader information revolution, encompassing other programs and information flows, including disease surveillance and reporting. It’s a collaboration success story that we can all learn from.

    When embarking on your own partnerships, keep the following tips in mind:

    Make it real. Don’t fall into the “collaboration-washing” camp by talking more than doing. Be aware that the ease of technology can sometimes mask the importance of fostering the personal relationships needed to make a solution stick. Chemistry between partners across the system is impossible to manufacture and can be the defining thread that keeps things on track.

    Make it resilient. Even great partnerships don’t last forever. When architecting solutions, avoid “single points of failure”, including dependence on any single player. Design solutions to thrive regardless of whether players come and go from the collaboration.

    Make it reciprocal. Partners should not be afraid of capturing business value from collaborating. Be clear around the expectations of different parties (inputs as well as results). Ror a company, this might include increased employee engagement, the development of new products or services and improved corporate reputation, among other things.

    To solve the big challenges in the world today we need to aim for nothing less than breakthrough levels of innovation. An African proverb offers: “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” We all have a role to play in making these breakthroughs happen.

  • Acer Ups The C7 Chromebook’s RAM, Battery Life And, Sadly, Price

    acer c7

    The Acer C7 Chromebook is now a bit more powerful. With the RAM doubled to 4GB, the latest flavor of Acer’s inexpensive but still tasty Chromebook should be able to handle a few more simultaneous tasks. Plus, the new model ships with a 6 cell battery able to last 6 hours rather than the 4 cell found in the original. Too bad Acer couldn’t manage these upgrades without inflating the price from a cute $199 to a slightly intimidating $279.

    Acer previously noted that the C7 was a huge hit with the education crowd, once accounting for 5-10% of all of its US shipments.

    The C7 is now more expensive than the Samsung Chromebook. For $249 the Samsung Chromebook is less expensive, thinner, and sports a longer battery life. However, the Acer still tops the Samsung in some areas.

    The Samsung Chromebook only contains a 16GB hard drive where the Acer rocks a 320GB HDD. Plus, with an Intel Celeron 847, now backed with 4GB of RAM, the system is a touch more powerful than the Sammy’s ARM SoC — an important fact for those looking to put Linux on the little notebook.

    The new C710-2055 is priced at $279 and initially headed only to Acer’s commercial market. At that price it’s sadly out of the impulse buy range, but still a good deal for a platform quickly gaining traction. The original C7 was a huge hit with the education crowd; a repeat performance is likely in the cards.