Highlights: Last week on Philly Tech News (2/20/2012 to 2/26/2012)

Comcast announced it was launching a Netflix-like streaming service named Xfinity Streampix, although it will be only available for now to Comcast video subscribers. Comcast and the other cable operators behind Canoe Ventures pulled the plug on its interactive advertising business, closing Canoe's New York office and letting go 120 employees. Also, Reuters reported that Comcast's Universal Theme Parks was in talks with the Chinese city of Tianjin about a possible joint venture to build a theme park and undertake other possible opportunities there.

Cisco spent $271 million to acquire Allentown-based Lightwire for its optical connectivity technology used in high-speed networks. Believe it or not, the Lehigh Valley has long been a kind of mini-Silicon Valley due to its chip-related industry.

After reporting its earnings and saying it was splitting into two tracking stocks, Liberty Interactive announced that its QVC unit had acquired Send The Trend, a website for personal fashion accessories.

Coming off a strong year, SAP AG announced a 25% dividend increase and a one time 35-cent payout for the 40th anniversary of its founding.

Austin-based social commerce company Bazaarvoice had a strong IPO, the first ever for a First Round Capital portfolio company. Investors stand to make a nice return, and FRC's may be among the highest as an early investor.

The centerpiece conference of the Healthcare IT industry, HIMSS12, took place in Las Vegas last week. The big announcements from the Feds were the release of Stage 2 Meaningful Use requirements, the implementation of which will be delayed from 2013 to 2014, and a delay in rolling out an updated medical billing code system, ICD-10. Numerous Philly area companies had a major presence at HIMSS12. Siemens Healthcare announced several new iniatives, including an alliance with Dell to provide Cloud-based image storage and sharing. Blue Bell-based healthcare IT firm Halfpenny Technologies raised $2.25 million in new venture capital, increasing its total raise to $6.6 million.



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