Reality bites
American cities' plans for ubiquitous internet access are running into trouble (The Economist)


Real story of citywide wi-fi (Philadelphia Daily News)
To be fair, another point of view from the CEO of Wireless Philadelphia.



Comcast's Triple-Play Slide (Motley Fool)
Discusses the brewing competition between Comcast and FIOS.



3 data-mining firms sue state (Burlington Free Press)


IMS Health, Wolters Kluwer Health and Verispan Challenge State Laws Restricting Access to Critical Healthcare Information (Press Release via PharmaLive)
All three companies' US operations are based in the Philadelphia area.



IDS Scheer Targets Execs with Latest BPM Modules (Managing Automation)

BI Software Expanding Into Even Broader Role (Investor's Business Daily via Yahoo News)
The two articles above both focus on the increasing integration or overlap of BI(Business Intelligence) and BPM (Business Process Modeling) applications. This trend could have a significant impact on several major Philadelphia area firms.


Kenexa sues for patent infringement (Philadelphia Business Journal)
Lawsuits all over the place! At least the IP lawyers are doing well.


Virgin Galactic (phillyinc/Philadelphia Inquirer)


EMCORE Announces Consolidation of Fiber Optics Engineering Design Centers (PR Newswire)
Consolidation of its fiber optics engineering and design centers will result in a larger concentration in Warminster. Doesn't say how many additional jobs might be located there, though judging from the size of the operations I doubt it will be many.


Kulicke & Soffa Announces Repurchase of Convertible Notes And Stock Buy-back (BusinessWire)


Tyco Electronics Extends Bridge Loan (Associated Press via Forbes)

Street upbeat on city's Wi-Fi effort (Philadelphia Inquirer)
I'm not so sure. I'm still trying to sort through this Earthlink situation and what it all means for Wireless Philadelphia. While the company is not in any danger(at present) and has plenty of cash, I do question some of the assumptions they are making about their post-restructuring future. Of course, once most of the sunk costs(for Wireless Philadelphia) are in place, it is in their interest to try and generate as much incrementally profitable revenue as they can from it. But if customer acquisition costs are too high and service quality is too low, that may not be viable. Also, WiMax is coming in the not-so-distant future, and that could considerably alter the landscape.

More to come.


Google a victim of EarthLink woes with cancellation of S.F. Wi-Fi (San Francisco Chronicle)

SAP opens new facility in Bangalore (indiatimes Infotech)


Comcast Funds TiVo App Expansion (cable digital news)


Encorium Group Forms Joint Venture in Biostatistics, Data Management, and Consulting Services (BusinessWire)


Philadelphia Stock Exchange Transforms IT Process and Workflow With Serena Software (BusinessWire)

Quanta Services, Inc. Acquires InfraSource Services, Inc. in All-Stock Transaction (PR Newswire)

Pennsylvania hospitals lead in IT adoption (Healthcare IT News)


When a Company Makes Telecommuting Easy (Web Worker Daily)
About SunGard Higher Education

NCR ready to set Teradata free (ZDNet Blogs)
There are a significant number of Teradata accounts in the Philadelphia area. Teradata is generally not for the little guys, but for companies shifting through huge volumes of data to find trends and patterns quickly.

New Software Suite Combines Practice Management with Pharmaceutical Marketing(PharmaLive)


One way to document a confusing user interface(At Random)
Treating confusing building maintenance software as a challenging computer game at Penn

Analysis of Earthlink/Wireless Philadelphia Contract: (MuniWireless)


I should have more on this later.

SAP A1S faces reluctant SMBs, for now (SearchSAP.com)


SAP, Oracle Ready to Square Off
SAP seeks speedy discovery and mediation; Oracle seeks an 18-month discovery process and 2009 trial. (eWeek.com)


EarthLink's Wi-Fi dreams may be fading (CNET News)


End Nigh For Muni Wi-Fi? (Information Week)

I assume that the Philadelphia network buildout will be completed, but to what level of quality in coverage? And how will it be supported economically in the longer term? These networks don't just run themselves. What level of support is spelled out in the contract?

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PACKAGE: Big Ten shut out by cable giants on first football Saturday (Associated Press via Centre Daily Times)
Here is Comcast's Press Release.


If Cable Is So Great, Why Is Comcast Down? (24/7 Wall St)


Facebook's Where I've Been Application Acquisition (TechnologyEvangelist)
Philadelphia developer Craig Ulliot, responding to article, reiterates that his Facebook app "Where I've Been" has not been acquired, as (apparently) mistakenly reported, and says that he is actively looking to hire people in the Philadelphia area. Here is the job app form:


Medicine 2.0 SciFoo Lives On Session (Scientific Blogging)
BioWizard makes presentation to virtual medical conference in Second Life.


Thin Client(phillyinc/Philadelphia Inquirer)
On Neoware and its upcoming integration into H-P.


Cabbies Prepare To Strike (The Bulletin)
Preparing to strike(again) over new technology.


New ARIS Controlling Products from IDS Scheer Offer Process Performance at a Glance and Automated Identification of Optimization Potential (BusinessWire)

Boomi Promotes SMB Integration for Petroleum Chain (ebizQ)



Something I just noticed in Liberty Media's early August earnings release for its Liberty Capital Group tracking stock:

"A 38% decline in operating cash flow to $24 million was blamed on a decline at TruePosition and losses at Starz Media." (my bold)

I don't know what is going on at TruePosition, the Berwyn-based provider of wireless GPS location solutions. When I have a chance I'll see if I can find some breakout of their financial data.

Following up on my recent post about Smarter Agent, I did some research and found out that their funding event apparently took place in early June. There wasn't much about it out on the Web, and it did not appear in the quarterly Price Waterhouse/Moneytree report. I did find this post, apparently made by Smarter Agent management, on the blog Ubikwitus :

Funding
$2 million primarily from founders, private investors and the commonwealth of Pennsylvania venture capital fund.

I assume the venture fund is Ben Franklin Partners, which does list Smarter Agent in its portfolio, though again there didn't seem to be much publicity about it.

In my research, I also came across this post by Jonathan Spinney on the blog maperture:

Smarter Agent needs a smarter agent

Smarter Agent will reportedly (subscription required) close their first VC finance round next week, with plans to double staff thereafter and make a run for it. I’ve encountered widely varying opinions on this type of app. Back in 2004, a then Director of LBS at Sprint said marketing cash support for a real-estate app was unlikely based on direct industry experiences she had, citing MLS listings as fragmented, inaccurate databases with little-to-no-value. Strong words for sure, but conversational nonetheless since Sprint eventually deployed the app—minus the expensive marketing effort to support its discovery.

Given the current infighting for real-estate mapping among the big portals and GIS vendors, and given Microsoft’s 80% market share in this space via Virtual Earth, I wonder if it makes sense for Smarter Agent to find, well, a smarter agent D2C channel.

Just one man's opinion.

SAP's India Customers Double in a Year (Associated Press via Forbes)
SAP also announces new partnership with Wipro.

Samsung to Build Mobile Network in NY (Korea Times)
Sprint had previously awarded contracts to Samsung to build out WiMax in Philadelphia and other East Coast cities.


EarthLink to Cut 900 Jobs; Shares Rise (Associated Press via New York Times)
That's about half their workforce.

It's a Philly Thing(Cable360)
Comparing the Eagles to Comcast


How to lose friends and make enemies: The Comcast Capacity Planning lesson (Network Performance Daily)

Harleysville Insurance Agent Portal Improves Carrier/Policyholder Relations(TechWeb)
Interview with Akhil Tripathi, CIO of Harleysville.


JasperSoft and Unisys to Deliver Open Source Services for Business Intelligence
(PR Newswire via CNNMoney)
JasperSoft is partially backed by SAP Ventures.


Beyond.com, Inc. Provides Jobs to Members of OLX, Inc.(BusinessWire)


Lenfest buys Environmental Tectonics preferred shares(Philadelphia Inquirer)

Vendors Target SIM Cards And Transit Applications In Budding NFC Market (CardTechnology)
Collaborative effort between NXP Semiconductors and Gemalto, whose U.S operations(formerly Gemplus) are based in Montgomery County.

Credit Card Industry Booming, Despite Treacherous Stock Market This Fall (FoxNews Business)
But storm clouds may be looming on the horizon.

Lockheed Martin's Spoken-Language-Understanding Technology to Aid Warfighters and First Responders (PR Newswire)
L-M's Advanced Technology Laboratories in Cherry Hill puts out some interesting stuff.


Americas’ SAP Users’ Group Announces New President/Chief Executive Officer
Former CIO of Morris Communications to Become First Full-Time Employee of User Group (BusinessWire)

Search Engine Finds Memories From Way Back (EDD Blog Online)
On Health Advocate case.


Rendell decides not to delay computer work on gun sales database (Associated Press via Philadelphia Inquirer)


INTERVIEW: SETH RAVIN ON THIRD-PARTY SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE (SearchCIO.com)
Founder of TomorrowNow (sold to SAP) and Rimini Street Inc.

The Inc. 500 is out. There is actually an expanded Inc. 5,000, and here are links to lists of the companies included in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and even little Delaware. The Deloitte Fast 50 came out about two weeks ago. There are separate Fast 50's for Greater Philadelphia and New Jersey. I haven't been able to find those complete lists online yet, but when I do I will post them as well. (Actually, I just went back and looked and found that New Jersey now seems to be available, but Philadelphia still is not.) The Philadelphia 100 should be out in a couple of months.
So this is the time that everybody starts to crank out those press releases, saying how high they rank on one list or another. And they should. I do not mean to belittle those accomplishments at all. There are many outstanding companies included in these rankings that will have very successful futures. My issue with each of these lists is that despite their qualifying criteria they are all driven by sheer percentage of revenue growth, which is often off a very small base. And that's problematic to me, considering that there are so many ways to buy or generate additional revenues.
One big contract can produce phenomenal growth for a very small company, but may not be a good indicator of future success. A rapid but poorly planned string of acquisitions can get you on one of these lists, yet end up in disaster. And it is generally a lot easier to find ways to ramp up revenues quickly in very low margin, low value-added business than it is in higher margin busineses.
So that's the end of my lecture. These rankings can be useful, and they are better than nothing. But use them with care.

Comcast Stock May Soar on Cash Flow: Barron's (Reuters via New York Times)


What Makes QlikTech So Good? (Customer Experience Matrix Blog)


Late to Web Retailing? There’s Still Money There (New York Times)
Article about GSI Commerce

Five Suggestions to Improve Viddler (Allen Stern/CenterNetworks Blog)


Lockheed, Boeing vie for satellite deal (Thomson Financial via CNNMoney)
Lockheed's satellite unit is based in Newtown. This is a very important contract that's at stake.


Lockheed Expands IT Work As Other Defense Spending May Slow(Dow Jones via CNNMoney)

Supply Chain Software Once Again Hot Sector (Investor's Business Daily via Yahoo News)


AMETEK Acquires CAMECA SAS (Laboratory Networks.com)


EPAM: Success Offshore and Nearshore(CMP Channel)
Interview with Arkadiy Dobkin, CEO of rapidly growing outsourcer.

Chiquita chooses Pa. firm to manage spending (Philadelphia Business Journal)
ICG Commerce gets two new clients.

CADD Centre Enters Strategic Alliance with Primavera Systems
Professionals in India now have Access to the Latest Project Management Technology (BusinessWire India)


Beauty’s next mogul (Reuters Blogs)
John Malone's Liberty Media, which owns QVC, takes minority interest in cosmeceutical firm. Is this part of a strategy extension for QVC?


Finalist firms to pitch for seven-figure Comcast job (PRWeek)


Arbitron Blames Software In PPM Houston Snag (MediaDailyNews)
New radio ratings system, also being tested in Philadelphia.


ETC working on another flight training module (Philadelphia Business Journal)


Briggs & Stratton Corporation Deploys MCA Solutions’ Service Planning and Optimization (BusinessWire)

SAP to hold board meeting in India for first time (Business Standard India)


SAP’s cautious Web 2.0 imagineering(ZDNet Blogs)


SAPs 429 page lecture: who’s learning what? (ZDNet Blogs)


Who Will Win The SAP, Oracle Battle? (internetnews.com)


An Inside Look At The Fastest Growing Company In Business Intelligence Software
With a new Silicon Valley office, a unique approach to BI and a seasoned management team, QlikTech is planning an IPO next year. (Information Week)
This article is a little dated, but definitely worth the read if you don't know much about this Radnor-based company.



Inc digs deep (phillyinc/Philadelphia Inquirer)
Inc. Magazine releases Inc. 500(and more).


The New Face of Telecom Is Wireless (NJBIZ.com)



Democracy at your fingertips (NorthJersey.com)


PPL Completes Sale of Telecommunication Subsidiary (PR Newswire)


SICOM Systems Receives Burger King Corporation Vendor of the Year Award (PR Newswire)

I don't usually cover life sciences news much, but today was a very busy day for it in the Philadelphia area, so I thought it was worth mentioning. Globus Medical Inc. of Audubon raised $110 million to continue development of its spinal implant technologies. Cephalon agreed to pay $100 million to acquire North American rights to the muscle-spasm drug Amrix.
Beijing Med-Pharm of Plymouth Meeting raised $30.6 million, and Isolagen of Exton raised $13.8 million. In addition to hopefully helping people who need it and producing a good return to investors, all this activity creates opportunities for IT
providers.


WiMax Backers See Broad Deployment In Two Years (Information Week)
But it may not make Wi-Fi obsolete.

Microsoft's New Agency Look (internetnews.com)
Roles of aQuantive and Avenue A|Razorfish explained.

Google's growth has come at a price (Mercury-News.com)
Is Google becoming as arrogant as Microsoft? Also discusses potential Google challenger Openads, a UK startup partially backed by Philadelphia's First Round Capital.

Philly spending $6.7M to replace billing system. (WaterTech Online)


Comcast sends phone users scrambling for service
Residents can choose the new AT&T or sign up for Voice-over-Internet.
(Jacksonville Times-Union)
I saw another article yesterday on the same thing happening in Michigan, so I guess this is a system-wide changeover for Comcast.

Verizon Wins Oregon Franchise
Telco Challenges Incumbent Operator Comcast (Multichannel News)


A very fast shot (phillyinc/Philadelphia Inquirer)
New from Lockheed Martin's Advanced Technology Labs in Cherry Hill.

Environmental Tectonics Corporation's Simulation Division Introduces Crash Truck Simulator for Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting Services (PR Newswire)
Environmental Tectonics has lost revenues, seems to be branching out into other applications for its technology.

Local company puts records within reach (phillyBurbs.com)
About CapMed of Newtown.

Report calls for linking RFID and bar code technology (Healthcare IT News)

Web-based PACS a low-cost option (Healthcare IT News)
This company's approach appears similar to that of Philadelphia-based HX Technologies.


CTG rejects 2nd RCM offer (Buffalo Business First)


C-COR Reports Financial Results for Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2007
(BusinessWire)


M&A Data Consolidation Made Practical by SingleVision Software from Business Development Solutions (BusinessWire)

Clarient Launches Next-Generation Internet-Based PATHSiTE(SM) Flow Cytometry Program
(PR Newswire)
Clarient, based in California, is a Safeguard Scientifics partner company.

Civil War Museum begins two tourism projects (pennlive.com)
Adding historical sites to Google Earth.

Rhapsody, MTV Urge services merging (Seattle Times)
Verizon to provide wireless access.

Finally: Verizon Wireless snags the Motorola Q9m (CNET News Blog)


Comcast knocking on AT&T's door
Company sees success with bundling telephone, cable and Internet services
(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)


Comcast Posing as Big Ten Fans in Anti-BTN Astroturfing Campaign (FanHouse)
Funny


Workday: Forget ERP, start over (ZDNet Blogs)
More on startup Workday's new approach.


State looks at limiting scanning technology (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Fears about RFID, from the left and the right.


Tracking technology ready for a new life (phillyBurbs.com)
More on RFID and local companies.


Devon IT President Discusses Growth, Development of Alternative Desktop Industry in Podcast
Executive outlines growth projections for hosted client computing, the implications of the HP/Neoware combination, IBM’s blade solutions, and more (BusinessWire)

Monster.com’s bad summer (The Browser/Fortune)
Not good news for Philadelphia Media Holdings, which has tied its employment advertising business to Monster.


Microsoft Completes aQuantive Acquisition (SearchEngineWatch)
Avenue A | Razorfish now part of new Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group


Top Building Material Retailer and Manufacturer to Improve Business Process Structure with DEACOM ERP Software (BusinessWire)

Innovation Philadelphia to Host the Region's First Creative Industries Career Fair (PR Newswire)


SEI Announces Oak Associates Contract Renewal (PR Newswire)

Primavera® Debuts Total Management Approach for Government (BusinessWire)
Probably trying to put a greater emphasis on competing with Deltek in the Federal market.


Bitter. Biting. Boundless.
Local sports fans don't hold anything back (delawareonline)
Impact of new media on fans, players.

Judge stops DirecTV’s high-definition TV ads in spat with Comcast (Associated Press via Philly.com)


Pass the Popcorn. But Where’s the Movie? (NY Times)
Cable companies ready to deliver movies on demand, but studios aren't cooperating.


Comcast sells $3 bln of debt in two parts - source (Reuters)


FCC, Verizon: Rejoice over your broadband connection (CNET News Blog)


Inquirer Building to be offered for sale (Philadelphia Inquirer)


Kenexa expands European reach with acquisition (Philadelphia Business Journal)



Latest Version of Kenexa's On-Demand Recruiting Solution Features Enhancements for All Users (PR Newswire)



Unisys on review for downgrade on liquidity, profitability woes - Moody's
(Thomson Financial via Forbes)
The Incredible Shrinking Company
One really has to question Unisys's strategy and purpose in continuing to operate as a stand-alone corporation. I'm sure parts of it would have some value to others, though I wouldn't expect it to get much of a premium.


Unisys Names Conway to the Board (Associated Press via Forbes)



AppLabs Names Makarand Teje as President & Chief Operating Officer (IT News Online)


South Jersey concern makes play for fellow IT company public (Philadelphia Business Journal)
RCM Technologies goes after Computer Task Group)


Leading Analyst Firm Finds SAP Market Share is the Fastest Growing Amongst Embedded Business Intelligence Platform Vendors (PR Newswire)


Migrating to specialized planning software (InvestmentNews)
Highlights eMoney Advisor of Conshohocken


Minnesota will require EHRs by 2015 (GovernmentHealth IT)


Thermo Fisher Scientific Named Readers' Choice Winner for Informatics Portfolio (PharmaLive)


Corzine pressed for high-tech tax break (Associated Press via Asbury Park Press)


Lease Management Software Firm, Odessa Technologies, Inc. Celebrates Its 100th Hire (PRWeb)

Philadelphia's WiFi Program Off to Shaky Start (NPR Audio)


Microsoft's Class Action (Fast Company)
Feature on Philadelphia's High School of the Future


SunGard, TIAA-CREF IT Slammed by Developers (eWeek.com)


Sprint Keeps Its Cable Partners Waiting
A venture with Comcast, Time Warner and other cable companies to offer wireless service under the Pivot brand is off to a slow start (Business Week)



Cisco Sees Growth As More Hospitals Go High-Tech (Information Week)


Workday unveils Financials and Work Tags (ZDNet Blogs)
New competitor to SAP, Oracle, in the small/medium enterprise market.


A Step Up From Working In PJ's (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Alex Hillman, co-working, and Independents Hall.


BioWizard: The start of ‘Digg for Medical Literature’? (davidrothman.net)


Comcast said to be thwarting Torrent sessions: Good, I say. You? (ZDNet Blogs)

Comcast seeks firm
PHILADELPHIA: Comcast Corporation is currently conducting an agency search for corporate communications support, PRWeek has learned. (PRWeek)
"looking for an agency to provide support for 'consumer media relations outreach surrounding three key projects,' scheduled to kick off this fall, 'as well as ongoing consumer, technology, and entertainment media relations support.' "


VoIP may soon be a staple of cellphones (NorthJersey.com)
Interview with Dick Lynch, CTO of Verizon.


A coast-to-coast vision
Drexel's Papadakis has driven growth. Some have found the ride too brisk.
(Philadelphia Inquirer)

You can be a Groupie!
(Viddler.com Development Blog)
Viddler introduces Groups.

A tour of Podcamp Philly (Viddler.com Development Blog)
Podcamp Philly will be held September 7 through September 9 at Drexel.

Leaving Philadelphia... (Search Marketing Thoughts)
Chris Boggs leaves Avenue A /Razorfish. Makes you wonder if there is going to be a post-acquisition "brain drain" there.


Motorola Completes Acquisition of Leapstone Systems (PR Newswire)
Leapstone becomes part of Motorola's Home & Network Mobility business, which is based in Horsham

A Challenger: The ClinPhone CTMS (ClinPage)
Interview with Michael Smyth of ClinPhone, a leading Clinical Trial Management Systems provider. ClinPhone's US headquarters is in East Windsor, NJ and it also has offices in West Conshohocken.

Another Proposal Floated for Philly Area Movie Studio (Associated Press via 6ABC)
Phillywood? This proposal for a Norristown site is entirely separate
from a proposal recently made by a California company. My guess is only one of them will move forward.


Mackler, Fisher, and Alta Communications Acquire HMP Communications (BusinessWire)


This item on SmarterAgent, the Camden-based real estate locator for mobile phones:

Director of Mobile Software Development

Job Description:

Smarter Agent is one of the few firms launching on-deck mobile GPS applications on multiple carriers in the US and abroad. We just closed a funding round and are expanding. Looking for a key person to manage the development of all of our mobile applications. You have to be a great programmer (JAVA, BREW), and can demonstrate you have managed the launch and quality improvement of carrier grade applications. You’ll hire your team, and you must be wonderful.

http://www.computerwork.com/jobsearch/rssjob.cfm?job_id=1529280

Don't know yet who funded them, and for how much.

Phila. exchange hires help for strategic opportunities (Philadelphia Business Journal)

SAP to provide more clarity on A1S hosted app on Sept. 19
New on-demand offering based on SAP's NetWeaver middleware is due to ship in early 2008 (InfoWorld)


Comcast, Big Ten battle over network (Chicago Tribune)
Sorry, Nittany Lion fans

Would EBAY Sell Skype To Comcast? (24/7 Wall Street)


Comcast: a Naked AT&T Is No Threat (Broadband Reports)


UPDATE: Philly.com Addition to Yahoo Newspaper Group No Surprise (ClickZ)

New Method For Mass Production Of Nanogap Electrodes Developed (Science Daily)
Research at Penn has potential future applications for Computer Science


OSU researcher leaving as he collects another award (Columbus Business First)
Young technology star leaving for Penn


Phila. region manufacturing stagnant in August (Associated Press via Newsday)


Accepting Universal Display's Dilution (Motley Fool)
Universal Display, based near Princeton, is a hot company right now in case you haven't noticed.


ProfitPoint purchases over 12,000 locations in gift card portfolio deal (The Green Sheet)

Mid-Atlantic Capital Conference Introduces New Networking Forum and Expands Entrepreneur Outreach (American Venture Magazine)


Advances in Information, Communications and Knowledge Management Support Systems for R&D (MailBucket)
Interesting two-day workshop on Knowledge Management Support Systems at Bryn Mawr College in October.

Philly's Network Gets a Boost from Remi Communications (PR Newswire)


Year after law, area cable race still not started Area's cable competition not heating up (Press of Atlantic City)

GSI to buy e-commerce technology provider for $97.5 mln (Reuters)


Philly.com Joins Yahoo! and the Newspaper Consortium to Distribute Local Content and Leverage Online Advertising Technology (BusinessWire)
Not a surprise. Eric Grilly, who heads up Philly.com, was a key player in developing the Yahoo consortium while at MediaNews Group.


Survey: Cable lags satellite in customer satisfaction (Associated Press via Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Comcast had below average ratings in most regions.


Benioff tags Ellison for SAP smackdown (ChannelRegister/UK)
Typical Brit headline, but not far off the mark. Salesforce.com CEO rips SAP.


Sprint: $2B-$2.5B in Revenue From WiMAX (Associated Press via Forbes)

Drexel suitor likes breaking ground
He wants a Calif. campus. Critics say he goes too far. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Online job demand unchanged in July (Philadelphia Business Journal)

'Dallas Morning News' is First with Marketing G2 Products (Editor & Publisher)


Verticalnet Reports Financial Results for the Second Quarter of 2007 (BusinessWire)
Also approves reverse 1 for 8 split in attempt to boost stock price, maintain Nasdaq listing.
Does anybody really care?

Managing Receipts on the Road (PCWorld)
Positive review of NeatReceipts' products.


Automated Financial Systems and Advanced Computer Technologies to Provide Consumer Lending to Santander (BusinessWire)


StarCite Announces Launch of StarCite TV (BusinessWire)


Focus on Healthcare IT

Salve for Sick Searches (Red Herring)
Ask.com, which does most of its search engine development in Edison, NJ, launches
a specialized Health search engine.

State leaders call for single healthcare IT certification panel (Healthcare IT News)


Self-Service Technology Helps Streamline Registration at New Outpatient Center in Southeastern Pennsylvania (BusinessWire)
Kiosk at Bryn Mawr Hospital Health Center.


Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center Goes Live with Siemens Soarian Health Information Solution (BusinessWire)

Hospital using barcode technology to reduce medicine errors (Philadelphia Business Journal)
Doylestown Hospital


Wiki-mington (phillyinc/Philadelphia Inquirer)
Astra Zeneca caught editing Wikipedia entry on one of its drugs.

Academy Award winner sues Pacific Title & Art Studio (Los Angeles Times)
The suit is also against Safeguard Scientifics, which owned Pacific Title & Art Studio at the time.

Rohm and Haas Ramps Up Display Business (Associated Press via Houston Chronicle)
Joint venture, major investment in flat panel display technologies.

Why Wi-Fi Networks Are Floundering (Business Week)

SAP, Dell announce retail point-of-sale alliance (Reuters)


MEDecision Announces Resignation of President and Chief Operating Officer (BusinessWire)

Pa. Convention Center expansion to begin after years of delays (Associated Press via phillyBurbs.com)

Janney Montgomery Scott fined $2.5M (Philadelphia Business Journal)


Astea Reports Second Quarter 2007 Results
Strong Revenue Growth Continues (PR Newswire)
Anybody can grow revenue, but the company is still deep in the red.


Vishay Launches Industry-First Power MOSFETs Specifying On-Resistance at 1.2-V Gate-to-Source Voltage (BusinessWire)

Teens score with online yearbook (Times of Trenton)
More on myYearbook.com

Philadelphia Touts Local Hotspots In Tourism Campaign (MediaPost)
Story on uwishunu

Prepare to Lose Your Wallet
The digital wallet is here. (Portfolio.com)
Wireless payment service partners with Verizon Wireless, coming to Philly soon.

Verispan Joins with Marketing Technology Solutions to Offer Innovative Market Research Integrating Primary Consumer Research with Secondary Longitudinal Data (PharmaLive)

Thomson Scientific Publishes The Ones to Watch - A Quarterly Review of Phase Changes in the Pharmaceutical Pipeline (PR Newswire)

ORBIT/FR Reports Q2 Results (PR Newswire)


Indian Outsourcers Likely To Acquire More U.S. Firms, Analyst Suggests (Information Week)
Consistent with the article I posted yesterday about AppLabs looking to acquire a Philadelphia-area pharmaceutical systems consultancy.

Keane BRMS Selects OpSource On-Demand to Deliver Its Web-based Enterprise Risk Management Tool
(BusinessWire)


Costly social-services database is little used (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Google and Microsoft Look to Change Health Care (New York Times)

Adelphia's Rigases Check In to Club Fed (Associated Press via Ecommerce Times)
Sad

Ups and Downs of Wages
Science and tech workers have lots to smile about. Other fields are mixed.
(Philadelphia Inquirer)

AppLabs for acquisition in pharma space (CIOL/India)
Looking at Philadelphia area companies

IBM and SAP expand partnership
To reach midsize companies in India through successful reseller agreements
(CIOL/India)

Note to Oracle and SAP senior management (ZDNet Blogs)


Americas’ SAP Users’ Group Partners with SAP to Deliver Preeminent Business Operations Event (BusinessWire)

MedQuist reveals 'mini-tender offer' (Philadelphia Business Journal)
MedQuist is 70% owned by Phillips N.V.

Not proud, but not liable, either (phillyinc/Philadelphia Inquirer)
Astea International gets off the hook on class action suit


InterDigital Predicts 3Q Sales Decline (Associated Press via MSN Money)


Rx: Robots (Allentown Morning Call)


University of Pennsylvania Libraries Put Rare Books and Historical Documents Online With Olive Software (BusinessWire)

Vignola to Head Up Research at Comcast Entertainment (Broadcasting & Cable)

TWC Group Continues Steady Growth with New and Expanded Relationships in 2007 (BusinessWire)


Prescient Applied Intelligence Reports Expanded Profitability in Its Second Quarter 2007 Results (Businesswire)


WPCS Announces $4.6 Million in New Contracts (PR Newswire)

Marchex Adds Call-Based Advertising Services to Local Advertising Platform with VoiceStar Acquisition (BusinessWire via Yahoo Finance)

Marchex Pays $20 Million for VoiceStar (The Local Onliner)

There had been rumors about a deal for VoiceStar for a couple of months, so this is not a surprise. I did think the price would be somewhat higher, though, since it was
positioned in such a hot market (local search) with a number of potentially interested buyers. But it appears that it is going to require several million dollars of further investment to get this business to scale, so that may have been one factor keeping the price down. I'm not convinced, though, that the "pay for call" market is going to take off like some people expect, at least in the short term.


Neoware Swings to 4Q Loss As Revenue Slips, Expenses Rise (Associated Press via Yahoo Finance)


Roy Disney returns to Philly (phillyinc/Philadelphia Inquirer)
His activist investment group buys a stake in eResearch Technologies. We'll see what happens next.


Venture Capital Firms Set Their Sights on New Ideas -- Not New Technologies (Knowledge@Wharton)


Value of exploring start-up leaders’ psyches
Leadership is key to start-ups, and psychological testing of prospective CEOs could raise success, some say. It’s a tough sell. (Philadelphia Inquirer)


Ametek buys Paris firm for $112M (Philadelphia Business Journal)


SMB Market Awaits SAP's Web 2.0 Play (internetnews.com)


SL Industries, Inc. Announces Financial Results for Its Second Quarter Ended June 30, 2007 (BusinessWire)


Vyyo Gets Foot in Door at Comcast, Charter (Light Reading's Cable Digital News)


A safe way to learn life skills (phillyBurbs.com)
Bensalem company launches virtual reality software to help teach people with disabilities and special needs to navigate the world better. Interesting concept.

Acsis Achieves Solid Revenue Performance in Q2 2007
Software License Revenue and Pharmaceutical Market Opportunities Drive Growth
(Safeguard-Partner Companies Press Release)


Technology Reveals New Worlds to Map (New York Times)
About careers in GIS.

Blogodelphia
(blinq./Philadelphia Inquirer)
Tracking service ranks Philadelphia as nation's second most bloggiest city.

‘Unlearning’ Makes Headlines at Reuters (Workforce Management)
Mentions Skillsoft of Princeton and Project Management Institute of Newtown


Verizion FiOS TV Rolls out new Media Guide in Massachusetts (Tvover.net)
I guess this will compete with Comcast's new Fancast service. If its anything like my Verizon Email, however, I wouldn't expect much.


Principal Resigns at Phila.'s School of the Future (KWY Newsradio)
I guess Microsoft didn't give her enough options.


Apprise praised for moving closer to 'best and brightest' (Easton Express-Times)


Exempla Healthcare Selects ActiveStrategy Software to Automate Their Performance Management Framework (BusinessWire)


Bucks County is ready for its big-screen closeup (phillyBurbs.com)

Squash Champion Leads Digital Cable Push (Associated Press via Washington Post)
Interview with Brian Roberts (no, not the baseball player) of Comcast.


Kenexa 2Q Profit Rises; Stock Falls (Associated Press via MSN Money)


One Year In, New Owners Have Barely Scratched The Surface With Philly.com (paidContent.org)

SAP A1S: What’s in a name? (SAP Watch: SearchSAP.com)

SAP PLM job prospects: A Jon Reed guest column (SAP Watch: SearchSAP.com)

Microsoft's aQuantive Buy Gets Shareholder Nod (Information Week)
aQuantive owns Avenue A/Razorfish


Lockheed Martin-Built BSAT-3a Satellite Ready for Launch (PR Newswire)


Lockheed Martin part of contract-winning team (Philadelphia Business Journal)

Ethidium Acquires VLink Health Information Exchange (PR Newswire)


Knowing the score: Golf fans grip new technology (Tulsa World)
Camden-based myLeaderboard.com and Unisys at the golf course.

EarthLink Dedicates Wi-Fi Network In Corpus Christi (Information Week)

Israeli Companies Show Off Talent (Jewish Exponent/Philadelphia)

Two South Jersey schools share grant (Philadelphia Business Journal)


Meetup.com Spawns Philadelphia’s First Internet Professionals Social Group (PRLog)

Comcast Offers Early Look at Fancast.com (CreativeMac)

People Love Fiber Optic—Assuming They Can Get It (Wired Blogs)
About FIOS and its potential impact on Comcast


SunGard Announces Second Quarter 2007 Results (BusinessWire)

InfoLogix Announces Record Revenue of $21.4 Million for Second Quarter 2007
(PR Newswire)


Tyco Electronics reports $1.37 billion loss (Reuters)
Spun off from Tyco International, Tyco Electronics' operational headquarters is in Berwyn.

Marketing Suite Showcases New Science Center Property (DiGiTAL50.com)

Vodafone Keeps Verizon Stake
British cell phone giant opts to hold on to its 45 percent share of U.S. wireless group. (Red Herring)


Verizon Wireless Investment in Philadelphia Region Network Since 2000 Passes $1 Billion Milestone (PR Newswire)


Siemens Medical Solutions Executives Assume New Industry Leadership Roles and Key Appointments (BusinessWire)


Acsis Streamlines the Integration of ERP, ePedigree and RFID Device Management Solutions for Pharmaceutical Marketplace (Pharmalive)

New Search Engine Ranks Tables By Title, Document Content, Text Reference (Science Daily)
Developed at Penn State


WorldGate Releases Second Quarter 2007 Results (BusinessWire)
It always bothers me when a company wants to talk about anything but the numbers in an earnings release.

Paragon Technologies Reports 2007 Second Quarter and Six Months Results and a Strong Backlog of Orders (PR Newswire)

A 3-D View of the Brain
Imaging software combines data from several imaging technologies to create an interactive 3-D map of the brain.(MIT Technology Review)
Research done at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital


Kenexa Announces Financial Results for Second-Quarter 2007 (BusinessWire)


InterDigital Announces Second Quarter 2007 Financial Results (BusinessWire)


InterDigital Files Complaint Vs. Nokia (Associated Press)

Official: Phila. movie studio to 'create thousands of new jobs' (Philadelphia Business Journal)
This falls under the "we'll believe it when we see it" category.


27 local firms raise $154.3 million (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Provides complete list of area companies receiving venture funding.

Drexel Considers Campus in California (Associated Press via Houston Chronicle)
This is not just some small offshoot campus they are talking about.

How SAP Plans To Beat Oracle In PLM Software Market
SAP argues that businesses interested in product-lifecycle management software don't have the time to wait for Oracle to get its integration story together.
(Information Week)

Coca-Cola vending machines to take credit cards and MasterCard PayPass (Associated Press
via International Herald Tribune)
Big deal for Malvern's USA Technologies

WPCS finalizes Max Engineering, Major Electric deals (Philadelphia Business Journal)

Business Intelligence International SOX Tool Selected by Global Packaging Supplier (PR Newswire)
Crown Holdings selects software from Malvern company for corporate compliance

On the new direction at eResearch Technology (Clinpage)

Strohl Systems Announces Executive Promotions (PR Newswire)

Venture investment lower locally, higher nationally (Philadelphia Business Journal)


eResearchTechnology Reports Second Quarter 2007 Results (PR Newswire)


Beyond.com Expands Relationship with CMP Technology, as Exclusive Agency for Recruitment Advertising
Acquires TechCareers.com, Creating Stronger Penetration into the IT
Vertical Market and Expansion into Print Media(PR Newswire)


SAP Deepens Value to Midsize Companies by Adding 60 Offerings to Its Family of SAP(R) Best Practices (PR Newswire)


Foolish Forecast: A Steady Line for InterDigital? (Motley Fool)


Unisys ratings affirmed with negative outlook - Fitch (Thomson Financial)

Bad guys now have to worry about GPS technology(New Haven Register)
Discusses technology provided by 3SI Security Systems of Exton


Finding their place in cyberspace
MomSpace.com gives mothers an online alternative to MySpace, made just for them.
(Philadelphia Inquirer)

Lacrosse Web site company sold (Philadelphia Business Journal)

California IPA taps New Jersey provider to support IT implementation (Healthcare IT News)
Will deploy software from NextGen Healthcare Information Systems of Horsham


NEPA: Wall Street’s future safe haven (The Times Leader/Wilkes-Barre)

Eclipsys Signs New Contract with University of Pennsylvania Health System(PR Newswire)

Arsenault Develops Invoice Data Import Software (TruckingInfo.com)


George Delallo Company Adopts SCO's Mobile Order Entry Solution to Streamline Orders to Customers (PR Newswire)

Electronic access can be spotty (phillyBurbs.com)
Story about online access to municipal information in Bucks and Montgomery Counties

Building A City Through Photographs (The Bulletin)

IBM to buy Princeton Softech (InfoWorld)
Well, I had it first on the list of "Young Companies to Watch" list I was starting(see side), and now its gone. Eaten up, like all our young.


Penn gets $20 million for nanotech center (Philadelphia Business Journal)
From nuclear waste to nanotech. Interesting transition.


SAP Consolidates Media at MindShare (AdWeek)


Product lifecycle management goes enterprise (SearchSap)

Sprint Picks Google over Cable?
Analyst says search king is behind carrier’s decision to walk away from cable spectrum deal. (Red Herring)
Implications for Comcast


Unisys announces contract, loses $250K trademark infringement decision (Philadelphia Business Journal)

Software Firms Think IPO
After a long dry spell, a string of public offerings has makers of business software chasing the dream. (Red Herring)


Robust recruitment = $4,500 (phillyinc/Philadelphia Inquirer)
Avenue A/Razorfish


Ben Franklin to Invest $518,610 in Six Companies (BusinessWire)
Viddler Inc. among those funded.

Universe Point Launches First Monitored Backup Software (PRWeb)

Checkpoint's 2Q Profit More Than Triples From Year-Ago Period Hurt by Litigation Settlement (AP via Yahoo News)

Checkpoint Raises 2007 Adjusted Guidance (AP via Yahoo News)


Internet Capital Group Announces Second Quarter Financial Results (BusinessWire)


Buyout Latest in Hot BPM Market
MetaStorm-Proforma deal underscores growing interest from VCs and private equity in market for business process management software. (Red Herring)
Internet Capital Group owns a stake in MetaStorm

Vishay Reports Results for Second Quarter 2007(BusinessWire)

Safeguard Scientifics Announces Second Quarter 2007 Results (BusinessWire)

Safeguard Scientifics invests in operator of shopping Web sites (Philadelphia Business Journal)
Interesting because Safeguard hasn't been doing much on the IT side recently

TVGuide.com operator buys stake in BuddyTV
$2.8 million to help build online groups (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
Two Wharton MBAs' newest venture.


Database Mapper Gets $3.5M
Sypherlink sees opportunity in homeland security, M&A. (Red Herring)
Battelle Ventures of Princeton participated in round

Disney, Comcast, Time Warner may bid for Yankees TV network (BloggingStocks)

Comcast opens Lynnwood call center (Everett, WA Herald)


Update on Comcast's switch from Microsoft TV (seattlepi.com blogs)


Fast Cities Struggle to Go Wireless (Fast Company)

PPL Telcom completes Philadelphia gateway (Lightwave)

High tide meets high-tech at beach of the future (AP/MIT Technology Review)
Ocean City, NJ


Readily Readable
A marketing company slashes the time and effort it spends creating reports with the help of performance management software. (destinationcrm.com)
About Philadelphia-based HardMetrics' software


Apprise Software, Inc. Opens Office in Nanjing, China; Expands Operations (PR Newswire)

SAP Enhances ERP 6.0 (eWeek)

SAP says Germany head resigns for personal reasons (Reuters)

Lockheed unit in Moorestown receives rating upgrade (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Lentz relents (phillyinc/Philadelphia Inquirer)
Latest goings on at Verticalnet

Orbitz, StarCite integrate online travel booking with meetings management app (BtoB Magazine)

Technology Analyst to VP of SEO: What a Long, Strange Trip it’s Been (Internet Search Engine DB)
Article by William Flaiz of Avenue A/Razorfish

Avenue A/Razorfish announces SiLC search engine optimization tool (Cnet Blogs)
More with William Flaiz


Pegasystems Selected by Independence Blue Cross to Help Optimize Sales and Claims Processes (BusinessWire)


Entercom Communications Corp. Reports Second Quarter 2007 Results (BusinessWire)

Comcast Cable Eastern Division Announces Appointments of Two Senior Executives (PR Newswire)


Comcast launches Pivot on Cape Ann (Boston Globe)


ISA Consulting Appoints Jay Robbins Vice President - Advisory Services
(BusinessWire)


I-many Reports Second Quarter 2007 Financial Results (BusinessWire)

inTEST Reports Second Quarter 2007 Results (PR Newswire)

PhIMA to Hold Town Hall Meeting to Discuss Internet's Impact on Political Campaigns and Elections (Marketwire)