PennApps followup: students are putting together a Finishathon! on Saturday, mentors needed

Tom Paine



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For those who participated in the hugely successful PennApps event the weekend before last and crafted a working prototype, but still have some polishing up to do, PennApps is organizing a Finishathon! this coming Saturday, February 2, at McClelland Hall, Ware College House. Hacking starts at 12pm, and demos will begin at 7:30pm.

PennApps is also asking that people who have already helped mentor at PennApps or other experienced developers to help out by coming on Saturday. Mentors are welcome to show up around 3pm and can leave when the demos start if they wish.



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Daily Links 1/28/2013: IBM intros integrated Kenexa product at IBM Connect




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IBM Makes A Play For The CMO And HR Pros (TechCrunch)
Unveiling Kenexa plans at IBM Connect in Orlando.

IBM Delivers New Software And Cloud Services To Accelerate Social Business (PR Newswire)

eBay loses head of local Jack Abraham (Fortune Tech)
Abraham founded Milo while at UPenn, which was later sold to eBay.

Two Years of Comcast and NBCUniversal. How’s it Going? (MediaBistro: TVNewswer)


Software Companies Find Tax Advantages in the Cloud (Dow Jones Newswires via Fox Business)


Analyst: Sports Costs Not Only Reason for Burgeoning Bills
Says retrans boosts are also taking toll on cable bottom line
(Broadcasting & Cable)

NBC Sports Network looks for fans after hockey lockout (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Comcast enlists Lancope for data center DDoS fight (FierceTelecom)




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Century 21 Super Bowl Ad created by Red Tettemer + Partners







Top 5 Database Platforms - the Developer Experience Exposed. (John Appleby/SAP Community Network)

The Enterprise Cool Kids (TechCrunch)


Philly Tech People News 1/27/2013: QlikTech, iPipeline, Adminovate







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QlikTech Appoints Terrie O’Hanlon as Chief Marketing Officer (Business Wire)

iPipeline Announces Appointment of Kevin Kemmerer as Executive Vice President of Product Management (Business Wire)

Adminovate Further Strengthens Sales and Marketing Team with Two Key Additions
Insurance industry veterans Jim Rourke and Rich Yeni join the Adminovate Sales & Marketing team as the company prepares to launch its forwardPAS™ solution.
(Business Wire)

Rodale Inc. Names Bobby Chowdhury Chief Technology Officer (PR Newswire)

Yoni Greenbaum, formerly Vice President and General Manager, Digital at the Philadelphia Media Network, has joined NBC Philadelphia as Director, Integrated Media, according to his twitter feed. He has most recently been President of consulting firm Media Vanguards.

Van H. Leichliter, Former Head of Global Trademarks for DuPont, Joins RatnerPrestia (PR Web)

Camille Vallinino Promoted to Vice President, Client Services, Markitects, Inc.; Agency Adds B2C Leadership, Expanding its Capabilities (PR Web)




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Daily Links 1/25/2013: First Round Capital annual report is out




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AT&T to Acquire Spectrum From Verizon Wireless for $1.9 Billion (Bloomberg)

Verizon appeases regulators by selling spectrum to AT&T
AT&T will strengthen its sometimes spotty LTE coverage in some major markets.
(Ars Technica)

First Round Capital’s 2012: 37 New Deals; 66 Follow-On Rounds, $23.1M Invested (TechCrunch)

Looking back at 2012 (Redeye VC)

QUALITY SYSTEMS, INC. REPORTS FISCAL 2013 THIRD QUARTER RESULTS (Press Release)
Revenue increases 2%, net income declines 26%. Quality Systems' principal business
unit is Horsham-based NextGen Healthcare.


AssetWorks Expands Product Offerings through Planned Acquisition of Mentor (Business Wire)

Once king of enterprise software, Lotus Notes is dragging IBM down (VentureBeat)

SAP HANA: disrupting 3 markets, but does SAP have the stones to disrupt itself? ( John Appleby/People, Process & Technology)

SAP launches an analytics dashboard for NFL.com fantasy football fans (VentureBeat)


Nation's oldest cable tv operator, Bethlehem-based Service Electric, acquires Shen-Heights TV

Tom Paine



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Its certainly not a big deal from a cable industry perspective, but Bethlehem-based Service Electric's agreement to purchase Shen-Heights TV Association , announced this week, represents the combination of two of the cable business' oldest operators. Service Electric, founded in 1948, is the 16th largest multiple system operator, with more than 250,000 subscribers in some 250 communities in central and northeastern Pennsylvania and northwestern New Jersey. It is considered the oldest Cable TV operator in the US. Shen-Heights TV started operations in 1951.

Cable TV got its start because people in remote, hilly or mountainous regions could not get adequate reception of basic over-the-air signals. Service Electric was a GE dealer in Mahanoy City (not too far from Hazelton) trying to sell TV sets, but found that most of its customers couldn't clearly pick up the three Philadelphia stations then on the air. So its owner, the late John Walson, who had an electronics degree and experience as a PP&L field employee, rigged up a system using an antenna located atop a mountain to pick up the broadcast signals and transmit them via cable to his appliance store and a few homes. And that become the basis for his cable TV system.

Shen-Heights (Shenandoah Heights) is not for from Mahanoy City.

It was decades, in some cases, before cable systems were built out in major metro areas.




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Daily Links 1/24/2013: Wall Street Journal on new Safeguard Scientifics CEO Stephen Zarrelli




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Safeguard Scientifics CEO Built Career From CFO Roles (Wall Street Journal: CFO Journal)

SAP Co-CEO: Revenues Might Rise to EUR21 Billion or EUR22 Billion by 2015 (Dow Jones Newswires via Fox Business)


Big Data: Overhyped And Overpaid? (ReadWrite)

Google testing new wireless network, asks FCC to keep details secret
Experimental network at Mountain View given "confidential" status.
(Ars Technica)

Is Salesforce pivoting from its social enterprise rap? (ZDNet)

Netflix stock spikes nearly 40% in early trading (LA Times: Company Town)

Island, Comcast agree on cable TV contract (Martha's Vineyard Times)


AppNexus Raises $75 Million (Silicon Alley Insider)
First Round Capital was an early investor in AppNexus.

Why We Can’t Kill the Patent System (Wired: Innovation Insights)
By InterDigital CEO Bill Merritt.

Is there hope for DC’s startup scene? (VentureBeat)



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WVT Communications Group Elevates Stature as Unified Communication Leader With Name Change to Alteva Alteva Branding Leverages Position as 9th Largest Unified Communications Provider

January 22, 2013 09:00 ET
WVT Communications Group Elevates Stature as Unified Communication Leader With Name Change to Alteva
Alteva Branding Leverages Position as 9th Largest Unified Communications Provider
WARWICK, NY--(Marketwire - Jan 22, 2013) - Warwick Valley Telephone Company (NYSE MKT: WVT), referred to as WVT Communications Group or the Company, the parent company of leading cloud communications pioneers, today announced that it will immediately begin conducting business as Alteva. The official name change will be effective upon receipt of shareholder approval, reflecting a single unified brand.
Commenting on the name changes, David Cuthbert, President and Chief Operating Officer, stated, "As Alteva, we embrace a singular vision for generating profitable growth though the provision of high-quality communications services. The influential presence that Alteva has developed within the business markets it serves and the cloud-based UC ecosystem will be leveraged by all our operating segments. This united branding under the Alteva name enables the Company to benefit from the considerable investments we have been making in sales, marketing, advertising and channel partner development."
All of the Company's previous business units, including the nation's ninth largest unified communications provider, the carrier services provider, and the highly respected traditional telecom provider turned premier regional broadband company, will now be doing business as Alteva. Consistent with the Alteva branding, the Company's ticker symbol on the NYSE MKT exchange will be changed to ALTV effective February 4, 2013. Until that time, the shares will continue to trade under the ticker symbol WVT.
About Alteva
Alteva (previously referred to as WVT Communications Group) is a world technology leader in providing cloud-based Unified Communications (UC) solutions for small, medium and enterprise businesses. Founded in 1902, the Company has continued to adapt and remain on the forefront of technology, chiseling its position among the most stable and respected communications vendors around the globe. Alteva continues to forge the new model that communications providers, large and small, are striving to emulate. Alteva continues to integrate new innovations with proven technology from industry leaders like Microsoft, Cisco, BroadSoft, Level 3, and Polycom to provide best-in-class hosted unified communications solutions.
Alteva is enabling businesses of any size to communicate more efficiently with hassle-free communications tools. By overlaying a UC division on its stable, regional broadband company, Alteva has positioned itself in front of its peer group of companies and created an evolutionary change in its strategy. Visit www.wvtcg.com or call 855-U-GO-CLOUD for more information.
All trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.


WVT Communications becomes Alteva: No longer your great-grandfather's phone company

Tom Paine



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WVT Communications (originally Warwick Valley Telephone), the small local New York telco that acquired Philadelphia-based unified communications provider Alteva in 2011, is making Alteva its official corporate name, the company announced yesterday. It plans to change its ticker symbol on the NYSE MKT exchange to ALTV effective February 4, pending shareholder approval.

I asked WVT by email whether it was in the plans for the renamed corporation to move its headquarters from New York to Philadelphia, and a spokesperson rsponded that "we have no plans for a move at this time and we still have substantial operations and management in Warwick, NY."
.

In its press release, WVT/Alteva referred to itself as the "nation's ninth largest unified communications provider." I recently wrote about one of the larger ones, Wayne-based Evolve IP. Although the two vendors are not precisely
apples-to-apples in terms of strategies and service offerings, Evolve IP reported 2011 revenue of $17.2 million and indicated that it had very substantial but unspecified growth again in 2012. According to its latest financial report from last year, Alteva's cloud communications revenue were running at annual rate of about $15 million with 38% growth. Alteva's current market capitalization (the total value of its stock) is about $68 million.

Alteva opened a new Philadelphia headquarters last year at 401 Market Street, featuring an "innovation center" that is viewable at street level, with "experience zones" where individuals can get a hands-on look at Alteva's system. Alteva's President & COO is David Cuthbert, who is based in Philadelphia, while Duane W. Albro is Chief Executive Officer based out of New York. The corporation reports having over 50 employees in Philadelphia.



See also Alteva: Comcast enters its market, as it expands office space & hiring; Launches new ad campaign



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