Wall St.'s shaky expectations of Apple in the wake of antennagate prove that the company's problems are relative. Despite subtle stock tremors when reception complaints about the iPhone 4 led the company to offer free Bumpers to those who purchased the phone, Apple's net income this past quarter rose 78 percent to $3.25 billion, or $3.51 per share, from $1.8 billion, or $2.01 per share a year ago.
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Figuring that most high-tech nuts won't want to sport their new iPhone 4 wrapped up in duct-tape, Steve Jobs offered a more fashionable solution, though one that pretty much accomplishes the same thing. At a special press conference July 16, Jobs announced that Apple will provide free cases, either their own $29 Bumpers or one made by a third party chosen by the consumer. I-Phone 4 users who have already purchased such products will be refunded
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GigsWiz recently grabbed €150,000 in seed funding in order to let fans tell bands where to play. The Helsinki-based analytics service for the live music industry helps bands interact with fans through a widget placed on their site.
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Smart energy pays. Trilliant, a Redwood City, California based provider of smart grid solutions to enhance energy efficiency, recently announced $106 million in funding from a string of investors led by General Electric Co. and ABB Ltd. In addition to that well padded vault, the Redwood City company also scored a contract to build a $200 million smart meter system for 610,000 customers of Augusta, Maine-based Central Maine Power. Capital like th
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Stepping up with the times, Blogtronix released last week an updated version of its microblogging platform, Sharetronix 1.5. The new version features improved social networking capabilities.
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When storm clouds gather, money rains. Cloud infrastructure company Joyent acquired Vancouver-based Layerboom Systems July 15. The startup provides software to hosing companies in order to build and sell virtual server clouds. Details of the deal have not yet been release
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The United Nations Environment Program and the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century confirmed that green energy is enjoying a growth spurt these days, despite an overall financial downturn in 2009. The report pegs global investments in clean energy at a total of $162 billion. Leading the pack was none other than China, surpassing the US as the greatest investor in clean energy.
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America's greatest vulnerability is best defended not by tanks or IED units, but by hackers armed with computer code.
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Break out the wine. Emerald Hill can certainly afford to. In celebration of its 5th anniversary, the Asian private equity company announced the closing of its second fund on July 17, meeting its $300 million target despite a poisonous climate for investment capital. That bundle brings the venture firm to an excess of $500 million of assets under management, thanks to a strong backing from endowments, foundations, pensions, insurance companies, a
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Foursquare picked up a $20 million financial ball, closing its second round of funding in June amidst much talk on the financial playground. According to a recent SEC report filed Wednesday, the location-based social networking service secured the series B funding from O’Reilly AlphaTech, Andreessen Horowitz, and Union Square, including $4,636,688 for its two founders, 23 percent of the total raised.
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Apparently, green energy does grow on trees. Powershare, a leading provider of data center optimization solutions, announced Wednesday $11.25 million in secured funding from Good Energies, Point Judith Capital, and Draper Fisher Jurvetson.
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When the communist government of the third largest economy in the world and the largest Internet search engine go head to head in a game of virtual chicken, both sides swerved, for good reason. Each had plenty to lose in the potential collision.
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Following a Consumer Reports review Monday that refused to recommend the iPhone 4, suggesting consumers use duct-tape to fix the phone’s reported signal problems, Apple apparently tried to bury the messenger Monday, only to later backpedal Tuesday by returning at least two threads of the review to its support forums.
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Submissions are being accepted for the 2010 Red Herring Top 100 Asia awards.
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