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Nokia Unveils 2 New Multimedia Phones
REUTERS
Nokia unveiled two new high-end phone models, the N79 and the N85, as the world’s top cellphone maker battles against increasing competition from the likes of Apple and Samsung. Newer and more expensive models usually have higher profit margins than older and cheaper phones. The N79 and N85 models will go on sale in October. Both new phones, upgrades of Nokia’s older models, will have 5 megapixel cameras and pre-loaded games.
The N85 will retail for 450 euros ($662), excluding operator subsidies and taxes, and the N79 will go on sale for 350 euros.
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Microsoft Invests in Online Video Startup Move Networks
VENTUREBEAT
Microsoft made a strategic investment of undisclosed size in Move Networks, a startup that helps companies offer high-definition video on the web. The funding should help promote Move Networks’ integration with Microsoft’s Silverlight platform. The technology encodes high-quality video and cuts down on buffering delays. Microsoft, has found high-profile uses for its relatively new technology Silverlight, including the online broadcasts of the Beijing Olympics. You can see the combination of Silverlight and Move’s technology in the videos posted on the official website of the Democratic National Convention, which started today.
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Amazon.com Acquires Shelfari after Investing $1 Million into them Last Year
TECHCRUNCH
Shelfari , a social network for bibliophiles, has been acquired by Amazon for an undisclosed amount. Amazon has been a longtime supporter of the Seattle based startup.The move comes less than a month after Amazon’s acquisition of AbeBooks , a vendor of rare and used books from independent publishers. As part of that acquisition Amazon also got a stake in Shelfari’s
competitor LibraryThing , which AbeBooks had previously purchased a 40% stake in.
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Scrabulous Taken Down Worldwide By Facebook
TECHCRUNCH
In July, after Hasbro and Electronic Arts launched the official version of Scrabble on Facebook, they asked Facebook to take down Scrabulous, the competing app that started it all (and borrowed heavily from the trademarked game). Facebook complied, but left Scrabulous up in other parts of the world, where the international rights belong to Mattel. Now, in response to a request from Mattel, Facebook has taken down the game worldwide, reports the San Jose Mercury News .
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Mobile Search Firm JumpTap Raises $26 Million for Expansion Plans
TECHCRUNCH
Mobile search and advertising startup Jumptap has raised more than $26 million in a series D round led by AllianceBernstein. Existing investors General Catalyst Partners, Summerhill Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, Valhalla Partners, and WPP also participated. That brings the total capital raised to $73 million.Jumptap us going to need all the gunpowder it can get. Mobile search is the next big frontier in search as more and more Web-capable phones hit the market. Witness Google’s recent deal to power Verizon’s mobile search
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Brand.net Raises $10 Million Second Round for Brand-Only Ad Net
PAIDCONTENT
Brand.net, an ad net focusing solely on brand advertising, has raised a $10 million second round led by Norwest Venture Partners. Past backer InterWest, which led a $3 million round last year, also participated. Its total raise is now $13 million. The company is banking on a balancing out of brand and direct response ads, as well as the bigger, non-cyclical trend of brand ad dollars moving from traditional media to online. Brand.net is reaching out to large brand advertisers and agencies, helping them come up with campaigns that reach and achieve a certain goal.
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Mall Networks Raises $7 Million to Help Clients Compete for Loyalty
PRIVATE EQUITY HUB
Mall Networks, a Lexington, Mass.-based provider of merchant-funded loyalty shopping solutions, has raised $7 million in Series B funding. Dace Ventures led the round, and was joined by return backers Flybridge Capital Partners, Venture Capital Fund of New England and LBO Enterprises.
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Video Services Provider StudioNow Secures $2 Million in Private Equity
PAIDCONTENT
StudioNow, a social net and platform for professional video services, has secured $2 million in private equity from existing investors and Clayton Associates, a Franklin, TN-based PE firm. The Nashville-based company raised $1.5 million in a first round in June 2007 from Claritas Capital, which led the round. Other participants in that previous round included Fred Goad and Jim Kever, original founders of Envoy, a precursor to WebMD. StudioNow was founded in January 2007 with the idea of serving as a virtual production house.
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Mobile Video Streaming Service Qik Gets Funding From Andreessen
PAIDCONTENT
Qik, the mobile video streaming service, has received new funding from Marc Andreessen and his longtime business partner Ben Horowitz. The Foster City, CA-based company did not disclose how much the two invested. The live video streaming field is heavily competitive, but Qik has done a nice job integrating services, including supposed rivals: it has integrated Twitter, YouTube, Mogulus, MySpace, Orkut and Justin.tv in its service. The service allows users with a camera phone to stream live video, and get feedback from other “followers” online.
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