NBC-Comcast deal comes under Justice Department, FCC scrutiny
We can’t say we didn’t warn you. Looks like the kids at Comcast have to answer some questions over at the Justice Department — and the FCC — before they get their hands on NBC. Both agencies have pledged to “examine the transaction closely,” says AP, being ever-vigilant as they are to protect consumers and competition in this free market society of ours. The review could last upwards of a year, but if that means that 2011 could see the debut of NBC-Universal’s “Comcastic!” theme parks, it will all have been worth it.
NBC-Comcast deal comes under Justice Department, FCC scrutiny originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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PMA 2010… and that’s a wrap, folks
We had a great time in Anaheim this past weekend checking out the Photo Marketing Association’s trade show spectacle. Hundreds of cameras and thousands of pictures later, we’re finally back and getting settled. Let’s take a look back at all that we saw this week, and then kind of wrap up a few loose ends.
GE’s ‘Create by Jason Wu’ camera collection unveiled, we go hands on
Joby Gorillapod Magnetic flexible tripod hands-on
Nikon CoolPix ‘Style’ and ‘Life’ series hands-on
Pentax’s rugged W90, ultra-zoom X90 now all but official
Samsung TL500 and TL350 hands-on
Samsung PMA roundup: hands on HMX-U20, eyes on AQ100 and SL605
Sony Alpha ultra-compact concept hands-off: leaves much to the imagination
Sony’s ultra-durable DSC-TX5 hands-on: ice, ice, baby
Sigma trio espied at PMA, COO expresses interest in supporting ‘mirrorless camera systems’
Gallery: Panasonic PMA 2010 roundup
Gallery: Fujifilm PMA 2010 roundup
PMA 2010… and that’s a wrap, folks originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Intel Leads $3.5 Billion Effort to Advance U.S. Tech and Innovation
Intel is leading 24 venture capital firms and 17 technology companies in an effort to bring 10,500 new jobs and $3.5 billion dollars into American technology companies.
The initiative, called the Invest in America Alliance, is a project being spearheaded by Intel. It was announced on Tuesday by Intel CEO Paul Otellini in Washington, D.C.
The alliance has one overarching goal, two specific objectives and 42 different firms. The goal of the initiative is to keep the U.S. competitive in technology in a world that is increasingly catching up. From Mr. Otellini’s speech:
“Unfortunately, long-term investments in education, research, digital technology, and human capital have been steadily declining in the U.S. So, too, has the commitment to policies that made us such an entrepreneurial powerhouse for more than a century.”
He continued on to say that the U.S. can no longer boast the best students in math, science and engineering, as other nations, primarily Asia, have caught up and could even leave the U.S. behind if action isn’t taken.
The Objectives of the Invest in America Alliance
Intel’s Invest in America Alliance has two objectives: to invest $3.5 billion into technology startups over the next two years, specifically in clean technology, IT and biotech. To this end, Intel has brought together 24 venture capital firms to commit to this goal.
The following is an excerpt from a transcript of his speech:
“I’m pleased to announce the inception of the “Invest in America Alliance”, a group of leading VC companies committed to steer investments into technologies that will drive economic growth and job creation in the US. The members of this alliance have committed to invest $3.5 billion in promising clean technology, information technology, and bio technology companies over approximately two years. As part of the alliance, Intel Capital will participate with its own $200 million commitment.
“Intel has worked with 24 leading venture capital firms to join us with their own commitments in support of the alliance including: Advanced Technology Ventures, Braemar Energy Ventures, Bridgescale Partners, Canaan Partners, DCM, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Flywheel Ventures, Good Energies, Institutional Venture Partners, Investcorp Technology Partners, Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufiled & Byers, Menlo Ventures, Mohr Davidow Ventures, New ENterprise Associates, North Bridge Venture Partners, QuestMark Partners, Sevin Rosen Funds, Storm Ventures, Telesoft Partners, Updata Partners, U.S. Venture Partners, Venrock and Walden International.”
The second objective of the alliance is to create 10,500 new jobs for college graduates in the next year. Seventeen companies have joined Intel in this goal, including Accenture, Adobe, Autodesk, Broadcom, CDW, Cisco, Dell, eBay, EMC, GE, Google, HP, Liberty Mutual, Marvell Semiconductor, Microsoft and Yahoo.
A Worthy Goal, But More Has to Be Done
The new alliance is a recognition of two things: that the U.S. is in fact losing its once-dominant technology edge, and that something has to be done to reverse that trend.
As the NYT points out, less than 10% of U.S. college graduates have engineering degrees, while more than 33% do in India and China. This is a serious problem that can only lead to America being beaten in science, technology and innovation.
Intel’s initiative is a good step and commitment toward funding innovative ideas and giving them a chance to grow. It will promote more college students to become engineers as they see more job opportunities open in technology and science while creating even more jobs in the form of new startups. Three and a half billion dollars could help create the next Google, Facebook or Oracle.
Still, it doesn’t solve the root problem, which is American students choosing not to study technology-related majors. That requires more than money and commitments — it requires a shift in perceptions and education that has to start at the grade school level and continue all the way through college.
Acknowledging the problem and taking steps to combat it are the first steps, though. We look forward to seeing what comes of this new alliance.
Videos: Intel CEO Paul Otellini’s Speech in D.C.
Tags: accenture, adobe, Autodesk, Broadcom, CDW, cisco, dell, ebay, GE, Google, HP, intel, Invest in America Alliance, Liberty Mutual, Marvell, microsoft, vc, venture capital, Yahoo
GE’s ‘Create by Jason Wu’ camera collection unveiled, we go hands on
Keep it simple, stupid. There’s no better way to describe the “Create by Jason Wu” collection unveiled at PMA by General Imaging (a.k.a. GE). The fashion designer’s point and shoot could not be easier: you can shoot, choose flash, and view galleries. That’s it — and in fact, if you need a cue, the shooter reminds you to “hold still” while taking a shot. You’re definitely picking this up for style over substance, but still it’s pleasantly light and captures surprisingly decent images. As for the nitty-gritty specs, we’re looking at 12 megapixels, 3x optical zoom, and a 2.7-inch LCD. The battery charges via wall adapter or the retractible USB plug, which is also how you movie images to your computer of choice. Color options? White, black, gold, red, yellow, blue, green for a metal finish; and white, black and grey for leather. A 4GB version is $180, and 8GB is $230 — no memory cards accepted here, folks. Look for the camera to debut, of all places, via Home Shopping Network on March 16th. Press release after the break, shots below — and while you’re looking, we’ve also got an eyeful of the rest of GE’s point-and-shoot PMA collection.
Continue reading GE’s ‘Create by Jason Wu’ camera collection unveiled, we go hands on
GE’s ‘Create by Jason Wu’ camera collection unveiled, we go hands on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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GE outs PMA 2010 range: X5, E1486TW, E1480W, J1455 and waterproof G5WP
Not sure if anyone clued you in, but there’s a reasonably large camera show going on in Anaheim, and the shooter news is flowing hot and heavy. General Imaging (or GE, as it were) has just busted out its 2010 range of point and shoot cameras, and while none of ‘em are particularly mind-blowing, there are a few here worth paying attention to. The waterproof G5WP (ships in late Q2 for $179.99) is a natural successor to last year’s G3WP, offering up a metal enclosure, 4x internal zoom, a 12.2 megapixel sensor and your choice of gray, red or blue color schemes. The $149.99 X5 megazoom offers up a 15x zoom lens, a maximum ISO of 3,200 and a Q2 ship date, while the J1455 brings a 14.2 megapixel sensor, 5x optical zoom lens, image stabilization and a multitude of color options for $129.99. The ‘Power Series’ is seeing two new additions today in the 0.83-inch thick E1486TW ($179.99) and E1480W ($149.99), both of which include HD movie modes, optical image stabilization, a 14 megapixel sensor, an 8x optical zoomer and a 3-inch rear LCD. The company’s low-end C- and A-series cameras are also seeing updates today, all of which are detailed in the linked presser.
GE outs PMA 2010 range: X5, E1486TW, E1480W, J1455 and waterproof G5WP originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Feb 2010 13:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
InPhase out of business, assets seized for back taxes
It’s been something like five years that we’ve been eagerly waiting for InPhase to finally release that revolutionary holographic storage solution, and while there has been plenty of drama in the way of release dates promised and pushed back, and even some layoffs to keep things interesting, the company has been pretty, pretty quiet lately. As it turns out, this has been due to the fact that employees have been busy enough updating their resumes. “We were expecting it for a long time,” said one employee, among the sixty or so who picked up their final paychecks last week. “So it wasn’t a big surprise.” To put a finer point on things, it’s been announced that the Colorado Department of Revenue has seized the company’s assets for non-payment of taxes. According to The Register, the state has changed the locks and announced that everything on the premises will be auctioned off, down to the fixtures and furniture. This is certainly an ignominious end to a once great idea, but as you know every cloud has a silver lining: If you’re looking to get into the holographic storage business, drop us a line. We’ve heard that some equipment is becoming available soon — and at a great price.
InPhase out of business, assets seized for back taxes originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comcast takes control of NBC, promises not to crush Hulu
Update: The “crush it like a bug” comment was actually just some editorializing from Peter Kafka at All Things Digital — but we’re certain Steve Burke has only love in his heart for Hulu.
Continue reading Comcast takes control of NBC, promises not to crush Hulu
Comcast takes control of NBC, promises not to crush Hulu originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.