Report: Broadband Adoption Expected to Slow in 2010

By
Mark Hefflinger
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0

Silver Spring, Md. – Approximately 4 million U.S. households will become new
high-speed Internet customers this year, down 10% from 2009, according to a new
forecast by Pike & Fischer.

The firm estimates that about 65% of U.S. households
will be broadband-connect by year’s end.

Telephone companies are expected to
face a particularly difficult year, as they continue to lose DSL customers,
which still account for the bulk of their subscribers.

Newer wireless services,
however, should see an uptick in adoption, with Clearwire’s WiMax leading the
way.

 

Related Links:
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Pike-and-Fischer-1098917.html

http://www.broadbandadvisoryservices.com

Private Equity Fund-Raising Suffers Worst Year Since 2003

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

New York – Last year, U.S. private
equity fund-raising suffered its worst year since 2003, according to new
figures from Dow Jones LP Source.

In 2009, 331 funds raised $95.8 billion, down
68.1% from the amount raised the prior year.

It marked the first time since
2003 that private equity firms raised less than $100 billion, and with the lone
exception of secondary funds, every sector experienced sharp slowdowns.

Among
the few bright spots were a new $8.8 billion fund for Hellman & Friedman,
as well as oversubscribed funds for Charles River Ventures and Matrix Partners.

 

Related Links:
http://fis.dowjones.com/products/lpsource.html

YouTube, Viacom File New Motions in $1 Billion Copyright Suit

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
2

Los Angeles
– The $1 billion copyright infringement lawsuit pending from Viacom (NYSE:  VIA) against
Google’s (NASD:  GOOG) YouTube is ramping up, as both sides have submitted motions for
summary judgment to the court hearing the case, All Things D reported. Viacom
alleges that YouTube is violating its copyrights by allowing users to post
unlicensed content from its stable of TV networks, which includes MTV and
Comedy Central.

The company cited 63,000 clips from 3,000 of its copyrighted
works in its complaint.

For its part, YouTube argues that it should be
protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which shields
service providers from copyright infringement committed by users of their
services.

CNET obtained and published several of the sealed documents from the case,
available from a link below.

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/u0khn
(All Things D)

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-10429617-261.html

Judge: Chicago Transit Authority Can't Ban M-rated Game Ads

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Chicago – A federal judge has ruled that the Chicago Transit
Authority may not ban advertisements for M-rated video games, saying the ads
"promote expression that has constitutional value and implicates core
First Amendment concerns." The U.S. District Court for the Northern
District of Illinois granted a preliminary injunction against the CTA requested
by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a trade group of U.S. video game
publishers.

"This ruling is a win for Chicago’s citizens, the video game industry
and, above all, the First Amendment," said Michael D. Gallagher, president
and CEO of the ESA.

"It is our hope that the CTA sees the futility of
pursuing this case further. To do so will waste taxpayer money and government
resources. Chicago
deserves better and we look forward to bringing this matter to an end."

 

Related Links:
http://theesa.com/newsroom/release_detail.asp?releaseID=82

SeatGeek Lands Funding for Ticket Price Forecasting

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

New York
– SeatGeek, a provider of price forecasting software for tickets to concerts
and sporting events, has raised between $500,000 and $1 million in a first
round of financing from four investors, TechCrunch reported.

Participating in
the round were Sunil Hirani, Mark Wachen, Arie Abecassis and Allen Levinson. New
York-based SeatGeek monitors pricing on secondary ticket sales sites, and uses a
range of algorithms to help determine the prices it predicts for tickets.

The
service currently lists forecasted ticket prices on some 5,000 events.

The
company launched a redesign of its website that now features available tickets
overlayed on top of seating charts, courtesy of a partnership with SeatQuest.

 

Related Links:
http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/08/seatgeek-series-a-funding

http://seatgeek.com

SusQtech Acquires Social Media Consulting Firm Live Elements

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Winchester,
Va. – SusQtech, a provider of
online community tools and training services to the association and non-profit
industry, said that it has acquired Live Elements, a provider of social media
consulting and online community development services.

Financial terms of the
deal were not disclosed.

SusQtech, which specializes in Microsoft SharePoint
technology, said that the acquisition will allow it to immediately roll out a
full slate of social media strategy services to its existing client base of
over 140 customers, which include the American Gas Association, AARP and the
National Defense Industrial Association, among others.

Rob Hustick, the CEO of
Live Elements, will serve as SusQtech’s new vice president of social media and
digital strategy.

Live Elements has developed online communities and
collaborative web sites for the National Retail Federation, DC Public Schools,
GOP.gov and the American Society of Interior Designers.

 

Related Links:
http://www.susqtech.com/News/Pages/SusQtech_Acquires_LiveElements.aspx

http://www.liveelements.net

Plastic Logic Unveils $649/$799 QUE E-book Reader

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Las Vegas
– Plastic Logic on Thursday introduced its QUE e-book reader device, which
features a 10.7-inch touch-screen display, is about one-third of an inch thick,
and will sell for $649 (4GB + Wi-Fi) and $799 (8GB + Wi-Fi + AT&T 3G). Pre-orders
for the device are available now from the QUE Store and will ship in mid-April.
Later this year, the QUE will also go on sale at Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS) stores
nationwide, and from the bookseller’s website.


 

Related Links:
http://www.plasticlogic.com/news/pr_introque_jan072010.php

http://www.que.com

Samsung Debuts E-book Readers with Stylus Pen

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Las Vegas – Korea’s Samsung
on Thursday debuted its first two e-book reader devices, the $399 E6, which
features a six-inch screen, and the $699 E10, which sports a ten-inch screen. Both
devices feature non-back-lit displays, which come with a built-in
electromagnetic resonance stylus pen that can be used to write annotations or
create to-do lists directly on the device’s screen. The devices, set to ship in
early 2010, will also feature Wi-Fi capability and Bluetooth, which allows
sharing of certain content with other devices.


 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/tzyno

http://www.samsung.com

Sony: PS3 Holiday Sales Hit Record 3.8 Million Units

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
1

Tokyo
– Sony (NYSE: SNE) Computer Entertainment announced on Thursday that holiday sales of its
PlayStation 3 game console topped 3.8 million units worldwide, marking a 76%
increase over 2008 and a record for the holiday period — considered to be the
five weeks following the last week of November. The company added that its
PlayStation Network service now counts over 38 million registered accounts
worldwide.


 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/tzyb8

RealD Touts 3D TV Deals with Sony, Samsung, Others

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Las Vegas
– RealD, a developer of digital 3D technology, said on Thursday that it is
working with Sony, JVC, Samsung, Toshiba, Panasonic and DirecTV to bring its
stereoscopic RealD format to consumers’ homes. The company will work with its
partners to integrate 3D into HD televisions, and to develop both active and
passive 3D glasses. RealD said that its format is compatible with the existing
HD infrastructure, and can deliver 3D across cable, satellite, packaged media
and the Internet.


 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/tzyel

http://www.reald.com

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