IMHO: ‘Thank You For Calling Comcast…’ (New York Times-The Local-Maplewood Blog)

SAP's Proof of Concept for Augmented 'Corporate' Reality (ReadWriteEnterprise)

4th Quarter 2009 Philly VC Investments; Not too much for IT

The PricewaterhouseCoopers/National Venture Capital Association MoneyTree detailed report on 4th quarter 2009 VC investments is out (free registration required).

Total investments in Philadelphia Metro were $142 million. But after subtracting $61 million for Biotech, $43 million for Medical Devices, and $25 million for Industrial/Energy, that only leaves about $13 million for investments that might primarily be considered IT-related, spread over 13 deals.

Most of these I have reported on before, including MobileMD, MuseAmi, PackLate, Agilence, and Timsesight Systems. Other investments revealed in the report are Core Solutions of Wayne ($500,000), which supplies electronic health record (EHR) systems for behavioral healthcare, Alphion Corporation of Princeton Junction ($1 million),which develops and manufactures integrated photonic components, and NearVerse of Philadelphia ($1 million), which provides mobile IP network application services.



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Daily Links 2/5/2010: Air Products goes after Airgas

Air Products Offers to Acquire Airgas for $60.00 Per Share in Cash (PR Newswire)

USA Technologies and SAVE Announce Settlement of Proxy Contest (Business Wire)

Rich Hofmann: Technology completes the sports spectator experience (Philadelphia Daily News)

Democrats Question Comcast on NBC Deal (New York Times)

Top Issues at Comcast-NBCU Hearings: Jobs, Competition, Broadcast TV and Online Video (Comcast Voices)

DT Considers T-Mobile USA IPO, Spinoff (Telecom Ramblings)


IBM Acquires Initiate Systems: Five Key Takeaways (Spend Matters)

Studio out of Studio Centre plan (The Reporter Online)

What Is Printmaking Today? Philadelphia Dares to Ask (New York Times)

Advanta veterans launch MultiFunding for small businesses
(Philadelphia Business Journal)
Founded by Ideablob guy Ami Kassar.

QSI: Sales Up, Profits Flat, Stock Down (Health Data Management)
Quality Systems' NextGen Healthcare Information Systems is based in Horsham.

SunGard Acquires Inmatrix (PR Newswire)

EduCon 2.2 — A ProfHacker Perspective (ProfHacker)




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Daily Links 2/4/2010: Comcast's big day on the Hill

Comcast/NBCU Hearings on
Capitol Hill (CSPAN)

Republicans: Don't Let Regulators, Others Sidetrack Comcast/NBCU (Multichannel News)

Comcast says no big job cuts from NBC deal (Reuters)

From Here To Xfinity: Comcast Rebranding Starts Next Week (paidContent)


Unisys Announces Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2009 Financial Results (PR Newswire)

Marlin Equity buys certain segments of Unisys
* Forms new co called Burroughs Payment Systems Inc (Reuters)

Kulicke & Soffa Reports Results for its First Fiscal Quarter 2010 (Business Wire)
Kulicke & Soffa FY Q1 Crushes Ests; Stock Jumps (Barron's: Tech Trader Daily)

SAP Launches a Google Wave for the Enterprise (Mashable)

Software AG 2009 Profits Rise 22%; Predicts Growth in 2010
(Bloomberg via Business Week)
Includes results from recently acquired IDS Scheer.

Technitrol Reports Q4 and FY09 Results, Board Declares Dividend
Results Reflect Continued Operating Profit Improvement (Business Wire)

QlikTech Positioned in the Challenger Quadrant Based on Review of its QlikView Product in 2010 Business Intelligence Platforms Magic Quadrant (PR Newswire)

U.S. lawmaker seeks probe of Pa. Turnpike aide's firing (Philadelphia Inquirer)

BioClinica Inks Multi-Year Outsourcing Deal with Leading Biopharmaceutical Company
Company will Standardize Electronic Data Capture and Global Data Management for Frazer, Pennsylvania-based Cephalon, Inc. (Business Wire)

Lancaster's Illuminex expects $2M equity investment (Keystone Edge)




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Daily Links 2/3/2010: Tough times? Don't worry about Comcast, as earnings more than double

Comcast's profit more than doubles (MarketWatch)

2010: The Year Comcast Embraces Convergence (GiagaOM)

Comcast Launches XFINITY (Comcast Voices)

NBC affiliate board chair wants conditions on Comcast - NBC Universal deal (LA Times: Company Town)

Comcast to Acquire New Global Telecom
(Light Reading: Cable Digital News)

Monster to Acquire HotJobs Business and Enter into Multi-year Traffic Agreement with Yahoo! (Business Wire)
It will be interesting to see what impact this will have on the Yahoo! Newspaper Consortium of which Philadelphia Newspapers is a part, although Philly.com has been using Monster rather than HotJobs.

Kenexa Swoons As Outlook Misses (Barron's: Tech Trader Daily)
Janney Montgomery Scott Downgrades Kenexa (KNXA) to Neutral; Lowers Estimates & PT on Increased Risk Profile
(StreetInsider.com)


IBM Buying MDM Vendor Initiate Systems (PC World)

Clarifying the Future of NetWeaver PI (Feeding the SAP Ecosystem)

SAP Questions Gartner BI Magic Quadrant Ranking
The report on business intelligence platforms places SAP behind Oracle, Microsoft, IBM, SAS, and Microstrategy on ability to execute. (Information Week)

MedQuist Agrees to Purchase Domestic Assets of Spheris
Stock and asset purchase agreement would provide Spheris' customers with access to industry-leading technology platform and transcription services. (PR Newswire)

NJ Judge Issues Mixed Order on Use of E-Voting Machines
(IDG via New York Times)

Ben Franklin provides loans to Bethlehem startups (Easton Express-Times)
Viddler is one of them.




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Report: Comcast acquires VoIP firm

The blog Von is reporting that Comcast has agreed to acquire privately held VoIP provider New Global Telecom. Von cites an internal Comcast email sent by Comcast president of business services Bill Stemper. NGT, based in Golden, CO, is "one of the nation’s largest providers of wholesale hosted and trunk-based VoIP solutions", Stemper says in the email. In October of last year, Comcast acquired Chicago-area CLEC Cimco Communications. More moves had been expected by Comcast in the business telecom market.



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Daily Links 2/2/2010: Bank of New York to Buy PNC Unit for $2.3 Billion

Venture Capital’s Most Trafficked Web Sites (Wall Street Journal: Venture Capital Dispatch)
First Round Capital is #1.

Bank of New York to Buy PNC Unit for $2.3 Billion (New York Times: DealBook)

Kenexa Announces Financial Results for Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2009 (Business Wire)
Kenexa Q4 results, Q1 view lag market; shares fall (Reuters)


Mistras Group, Inc. Announces Asset Protection Solutions for Improved Smart Grid Reliability (Globe
Newswire via CNN Money)

Is Twitter losing its luster? (Network World)
Based on study by Camden's RJ Metrics.

ThePlatform Encroaches on Brightcove's Turf (Light Reading: Cable Digital News)

SAP RELEASES PUBLIC BETA VERSION OF CLOUD-BASED PROJECT 12SPRINTS, BECOMES RESEARCH PARTNER FOR THE 2.0 ADOPTION COUNCIL (SAP Press Release)

Last-Minute Travel Startup PackLate Raising $1 Million In Funding
(paidContent)
Philly-based stealth startup. Missed this one last month.
The site has launched: PackLate

Software firm finds niche in financial services (Daily Local News)

Judging the Philadelphia ADDY Awards. A tight show but I do have one question… (Gods of Advertising)

Editorial: Cleaning up the BRT mess (Philadelphia Inquirer)




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Daily Links 2/1/2010: Comcast-NBCU merger faces Hill scrutiny Thursday

IMS Health to Sell Debt as Junk Spreads Widen: New Issue Alert
(Bloomberg via Business Week)

Virtify Plans Global Expansion, Forms Key Partnership with IMS Health (Xconomy Boston)

Comcast Will Be Shaking Up Their Speed Tiers
22/5 tier going away, 16/2 being upgraded to 20/4 (Broadband Reports)

Comcast-NBCU merger faces Hill scrutiny Thursday (Washington Post: Post Tech)

Comcast's E! Makes $200 Million In Ad Revenue, On Par With Bravo (Business Insider: The Wire)

This Week In New York Tech: February 1 (Silicon Alley Insider)

Leap Seeks Buyers, WSJ Says (Barron's: Tech Trader Daily)

Big screen and bigger ideas
EduCon promotes innovative ideas, tools. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

SAP's Enterprise Collaboration Tool Entering Public Beta (PC World)

Setback for SAP in Oracle Suit (PC World)

The Networked Grid 100: Movers and Shakers of the Smart Grid (Greentech Media)
A virtual Who's Who of Smart Grid Technology.

Pennsylvania Capital Should Weigh Bankruptcy, Controller Says (Bloomberg)




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Philly Tech People News 1/31/2010

Kenexa Names Kevin Horigan as President of Global HR Technology (Marketwire)

ShopNBC Names Multichannel Retailing Veteran Bob Ayd as President (Marketwire)

Technology Industry Veteran John Gavin Joins QlikTech Board of Directors (PR Newswire)

Canoe Hires Former HBO General Counsel Redpath
Replacing Davis, Exec Reports To CEO Verklin (Multichannel News)

Krewson named Variety.com editor
Online vet comes from Philadelphia Inquirer (Variety)


I-many Hires Gaurav Verma as Vice President of Solutions Marketing (Marketwire)

Aklero Process Solutions Hires Chief Technology Officer (DSNnews.com)

IKON Expands Comprehensive Managed Document Services Offering to Leverage Its Suite of Leading Technology and Services (Business Wire)

The Simon Group Hires Jena Stauffer as Marketing Specialist (PR Newswire)

They're listening to your online postings (Philly.com: Philly Deals)

Record Turnout Ushers in 2010 at Mobile Monday’s 3rd Annual DEMO Night (Mobile Monday Mid-Atlantic)

Philagrafika 2010: Temple Gallery (Printeresting)
Philly printing & graphic design festival opened this weekend.

Will SAP Open Its $7 Billion Wallet For SaaS In 2010?
(Sramana Mitra on Strategy)

SAP Fails to Impress Analysts With ‘Market Changing’ Software (Bloomberg)

Earnings Preview: Comcast to Report 4Q Earnings (Associated Press via ABC News)

Shopping for Health Software, Some Doctors Get Buyer’s Remorse
Volatile Industry Prompts Calls for Oversight of Firms’ Financial Strength (Huffington Post Investigative Fund)

HIMSS Analytics: Hospitals Ill Prepared for Data Explosion (Healthcare Informatics)