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Wolters Buys Medical Info and Community Site UpToDate
PAIDCONTENT
Dutch business publisher Wolters Kluwer has bought out UpToDate, a Waltham, MA-based online medical information company, for an undisclosed amount, though it is likely in low hundreds of millions. UpToDate, founded in 1992, runs a service in which doctors and other medical professionals write articles summarizing the latest thinking on best clinical practices, which are available via a premium subscription service online as well as on mobiles. The company, which has about 250 employees, is expected to generate $80 million in revenue this year,
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Comcast Files Appeal of FCC Web Traffic Order
REUTERS
Comcast Corp has filed an appeal to reverse a U.S. Federal Communication Commission (FCC) decision ordering the cable operator to change how it manages its broadband Internet network.Comcast said on Thursday it told the Court of Appeals for the Washington D.C. Circuit that it wants a review and reversal of the Commission’s order, but intends to comply fully with the requirements established in it. The company, which has more than 14 million high-speed Internet subscribers, previously said it was changing its network management practices to ensure all Web traffic is treated essentially the same.
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Samsung Looking at Buying Digital Memory Company SanDisk
PAIDCONTENT
Samsung Electronics is considering buying U.S. PC and mobile memory card maker SanDisk, according to a Korean online report, and then later confirmed by the company. After the report came out, Samsung spokesperson said: “We are looking at various opportunities regarding SanDisk, but nothing has been decided yet.” The story said Samsung had hired J.P. Morgan as the banker for these negotiations.
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Microsoft Invests in First 24-Hour English TV Channel in Japan
DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE
Microsoft has joined a dozen other companies investing in the first 24-hour, English-language TV network in Japan, to be launched by broadcaster NHK in February, according to Thomson Financial, which cited a report in the local Nikkei newspaper. Along with Microsoft, NTT Communications, Itochu Corp., Nippon Television Network, Mizuho Corporate Bank and others will each hold stakes of 5% or less in the company, while NHK will own 60% of the venture.
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New Firm Looks to Create Spectrum Exchange
PHONESCOOP
A company called Spectrum Bridge is hoping to set up a secondary way for companies to buy and sell radio spectrum. The company, which has raised $2 million in private financing and has partial backing by the federal government and FCC, would allow companies to buy and sell their spectrum licenses at will without the need for an FCC auction. The FCC would, however, have to approve any spectrum transactions. Rather than sell large chunks of airwaves, Spectrum Bridge will offer smaller pieces of spectrum through its Web site. The company launches today, and has about $250 million worth of spectrum listed for sale.
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Joost to Kill Desktop Client
GIGAOM
In what is likely to be a major shift in the company’s strategy, peer-to-peer startup Joost is going to stop making its desktop client. The decision to suspend the client is likely to be announced soon officially. The company is going to a browser-only strategy, in which much of its content is going to be available through a browser-based player. Joost will release a small plugin that would embed itself in the browser and allow you to grab files using the P2P technologies. The web client is likely to have better quality than average video sites.
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US Mobile Internet Usage Sees Huge Jump in Q2 2008
INTOMOBILE
With 3G usage in the US surpassing Western Europe, it’s not all that surprising to hear that the US has seen mobile internet usage increase almost a third in Q2 2008. The US has seen mobile web access jump 29.4% from Q1 to Q2 2008.
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Facebook Chat App Social.IM Acquired by iSkoot
MASHABLE
Social.IM , a standalone Facebook chat application that bypasses certain restrictions of Facebook, has been acquired by iSkoot, a company that was so far into providing carrier-friendly mobile VoIP solutions. With this move, they plan to move into mobile Web applications arena, and Social.IM is definitely not a bad start, although it has lost some of its luster since Facebook launched its own in-browser chat.
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Billing Revolution Unveils ‘Single-Click’ Mobile Billing and Payment Service
TECHCRUNCH
Although buying products from your desktop at home has become just as customary as buying products at the store, few have found reason to buy products on their cell phones . In an attempt to buck that trend and make it easier for consumers to buy products from their cell phone, Billing Revolution announced today that it will offer a ’single-click’ billing and payment service that will streamline mobile purchases.
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Comedy Widget Site ZingFu.com Acquired By National Lampoon
PULSE2.0
National Lampoon, Inc. (AMEX:NLN) has acquired ZingFu.com, a site that allows users to send “Zings,” or funny pictures with thought bubbles on them. These pictures can be added as widgets. National Lampoon believes that ZingFu can be used as a major advertising platform.
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Mobile Marketer Vibes Media Raises $15 million, Hunts for Acquisitions
VENTUREBEAT
Chicago-based mobile marketing company Vibes Media announced $15 million in a first round of funding today. he privately held decade-old company plans to use funding to acquire smaller fish in the market, as well as scale up their own 70-person shop. Fidelilty Ventures is the sole investor. Partner Dave Power join Vibes board of directors. The company says it has handled over 50,000 mobile campaigns, working for clients like Texas Instruments and Pepsi. Vibes has also worked with television shows to incorporate mobile into their marketing recently running campaigns for shows like Gossip Girl and 90210, as well as working with outdoor concert series Lollapalooza.
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Browsing Companion Tool SemantiNet Raises $3.4 Million First Round
PAIDCONTENT
Raptr, a new online social gaming startup founded by Xfire co-founder and professional gamer Dennis Fong, is launching tonight and had received $12 million in its first round of funding. The round was led by Accel Partners and the Founders Fund. The service is a small download that then plugs into other games across multiple platforms including PC, Mac, Xbox Live, Facebook and Flash, and some of the games on Wii and PS3. As for the social aspects, people can track themselves and their friends’ real-time game play via social networking services like Facebook, Twitter, and FriendFeed.
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