InsideView – Marketwire

InsideView, the leader in sales intelligence, today announced that Australia-based iGo2 Group joins InsideView’s Partner Program as reseller and master agent to companies based in Asia-Pacific countries. Together, InsideView and iGo2 help companies leverage social media solutions to increase sales productivity. The partnership emphasizes a joint dedication to helping companies gain competitive advantages using social selling. IGo2 offers customers tailored social technology solutions that range from methodology consulting to full social media implementations. InsideView is the market leader in delivering social intelligence for boosting sales productivity.

“We’re looking forward to working with iGo2 as we expand into the Asia-Pacific region,” said Heidi Tucker, VP of Global Alliances at InsideView. “Asia-Pacific countries have enthusiastically embraced the social media revolution, and there’s a huge opportunity for InsideView to broaden the message of social selling in this market.”  (Full Article)

Venture Beat Deals & More – Michael Sinanian

This week’s DEMO meetups in Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California were a breath of fresh air across a startup landscape that’s crowded with consumer Web startups. Among the diverse ventures we saw this week was a company called Ecospan, which is aiming to disrupt the packaging space with a proprietary biopolymer-based, biodegradable material.

Companies like Ecospan, which aim at fundamental technological innovations which reshape the physical world, not just the virtual world, are a pointed response to the Web 2.0 bubble alarmists. They show that the tech industry still has players with their heads in the right places.

Ecospan joins the efforts of several other, much larger firms that are pushing toward greener packaging. As we reported yesterday, Amazon.com, Walmart, UPS, Fedex and others are heavily committing to sustainable packaging wherever they can, giving incentives to suppliers and also using clever new software to determine precise boxing requirements, among other innovations. (Full Article)

Marketwire – InsideView

With more than 50 partners now representing InsideView’s leading sales intelligence solution, InsideView’s rapidly expanding partner program has reached new heights. Its partners recognize the value InsideView offers in several key areas: increased sales productivity, higher win rates and rapid CRM adoption.

“We are honored that the leading experts in Sales Effectiveness and CRM Implementation have selected InsideView as their primary sales intelligence partner,” said Heidi Tucker, vice president, global alliances at InsideView.

Buyers are smarter than ever before and have access to a wealth of information about products and services. To be effective, salespeople need to be smarter too — and engage their prospects in relevant, meaningful and timely dialog. To do this credibly, salespeople need to understand the important business issues affecting their prospects and know the right time to engage in a conversation that earns their trust.  (Full Article)

Mainline Media News – Mike Weilbacher

There’s a whole lot of new stuff on the menu at the Pub of Penn Valley, that sweet, homey and delicious restaurant on Montgomery Avenue. There’s lobster ravioli with crab and diced tomatoes in a Ketel One vodka and tarragon cream sauce (OMG!), filet mignon with chanterelle mushroom sauce over fried polenta, stuffed pork loin with apple whiskey sauce, the macaroni and cheese of the day…

And solar power.

Since the first week in October, the pub has been solar-powered, a series of photovoltaic cells marching across its rooftop to deliver climate-neutral electricity to the lights, computers, refrigerators and air conditioners below.

“Every year we do a major project,” said Dave Hamilton, the pub’s unassuming but revolutionary owner, last week. “One year we replaced the refrigerators in the basement; another we refinished the bar top. We have a nice flat roof,” he continued, “and I looked at doing solar like five years ago, but it wasn’t feasible – it took like 15 or 20 years to pay it back. But with the technology improving and the incentives getting better, now it only takes maybe only five years to pay it back.” (Full Article)

Forbes – Michael Humphrey

This summer, ESPN Mobile streamed over 100 million minutes of World Cup soccer coverage to phones — and the great majority of it was live. It was a sign that the smallest screens we own are ready to do big things for TV. More and more, we seem to want at least some portion of our television entertainment in pocket.

Paul Scanlan, president and co-founder of MobiTV, saw the big picture of small screens way before most.

“I’ve been involved in the mobile video space since before there was a mobile video space,” Scanlan, 40, told Peter Cervieri of Scribe Media at Streaming Media East last January (video below). “We, to a large degree, created it.”

Take a look MobiTV’s timeline and see if you can dispute that claim. In November, 2003, after four years of developing their technology, MobiTV launched with the Sprint Network. For me, that was four phones ago. Or another way to look at it — that was five months before Facebook launched. MobiTV claims 10 million monthly subscribers seven years later. Not gigantic numbers, but it’s important to remember most of those subscribers are paying for the service, usually through their phone provider.  (Full Article)

TMCnet.com – Calvin Azuri

The most popular choice on all top CRM platforms is InsideView For Sales. An announcement in this regard has been made by InsideView. As compared to other options, Sales Force Automation or SFA users prefer InsideView’s flagship product, InsideView For Sales. InsideView is the top company in sales intelligence.

Relevant business and social intelligence is delivered right within the CRM workflow by InsideView For Sales. This helps in increasing the productivity. The solution from InsideView has become the most popular intelligence solution on all the top CRM marketplaces. It is also the most popular solution among the various ecosystems. InsideView For Sales has also been rated at the top among sales intelligence solutions.

Salesforce.com (News – Alert) AppExchange has rated InsideView For Sales as the most popular and higher rated Sales Intelligence application. InsideView For Sales is the most popular download on Salesforce.com ChatterExchange. It is also the most valuable bundle on NetSuite SuiteApp.  (Full Article)

Inside View – Press Release

InsideView, the leader in sales intelligence, today announced that its flagship product, InsideView For Sales, has become the most popular choice on all leading CRM platforms.

InsideView For Sales increases productivity by delivering relevant business and social intelligence right within the CRM workflow.

InsideView has become the most popular and/or highest rated sales intelligence solution on all the leading CRM marketplaces and/or ecosystems.  (Full Article)

SFGate – InsideView Press Release

Intelestream, Inc., a leading provider in CRM consulting and CRM Software as a Service today announced a strategic partnership with InsideView, the Sales 2.0 leader that enables users to discover sales opportunities from traditional and social media sources in order to close deals easier and drive more revenue. Intelestream is the first and only CRM provider to embed the InsideView application for all CRM users.

“Intelestream is clearly a thought leader in the CRM space recognizing the value of social media and sales intelligence for their customers. We’re thrilled that all Intelestream CRM customers will soon enjoy access to InsideView and look forward to sharing social selling best practices to help them be more successful”, said Heidi Tucker, Vice President Global Alliances at InsideView.  (Full Article)

InsideView – Press Release

DocuSign® (www.docusign.com), the global leader in electronic signatures, announced a philanthropic partnership with BirstTM, InsideView®, Silverpop® and Salesforce.com Foundation to raise $100,000 towards construction of the new UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. These philanthropic sponsors of the eSigning for Dollars program will donate five dollars for every Dreamforce 2010 attendee providing an electronic signature at booth #1215 on December 6 – 9, 2010 in the San Francisco Moscone Convention Center.

DocuSign and program partners, Birst, InsideView, Silverpop and Salesforce.com Foundation, have together pledged up to $100,000 by each providing a dollar for every Dreamforce attendee electronic signature. Attendees participate by visiting booth #1215 and quickly create a DocuSign electronic signature triggering a five dollar donation to the new UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. Attendees can also view Birst business intelligence dashboards providing real-time donation updates during the conference and will receive a donation email confirmation through Silverpop following Dreamforce.  (Full Article)

InsideView – Marketwire

InsideView, Inc. today announced that it is donating toys to disadvantaged Bay Area children to give thanks for each of its customers and partners. InsideView has much to be thankful for, having recently surpassed the 750-customer mark, adding more than 400 new thought-leading companies to its customer roster in 2010 alone. The company recently passed another significant milestone, adding more than 50 registered partners from leading CRM/SFA vendors, systems integrators and sales training providers, as well as demand generation and inside sales consultants. Continued customer and partner growth, underscored by record increases in bookings and enterprise customer adoption, further establishes InsideView as the leading sales intelligence provider.  (Full Article)

Fox News – John R. Quain

In tech and TV circles, they call it “TV Everywhere” — a future when we can tune in our favorite shows wherever we are. But all it means is that people are watching TV differently now, and behind the camera networks are scrambling to catch up.

Boy, are they scrambling.

Proof that viewing habits are changing came earlier this month when research firm SNL Kagan revealed that 741,000 households stopped subscribing to basic cable in the third quarter of this year. That’s the biggest drop in subscribers in 30 years, and the reason is obvious.

Today, we’re watching shows on the bus, on the train, in the backseat of the car, on mobile phones and on iPads. It’s not so much that people are “cutting the cord”; it’s usually still needed for that all-important Internet connection. And it’s not that audiences don’t love shows like Glee (we do). But we’re not tethered to a living room set anymore. So the days when we all watched the same program at the same time are over.  (Full Article)

Renewable Energy World.com – groSolar

Alexandria, VA A federal tax credit saved a Virginia man nearly $24,000 on a solar electric and hot water installation on his Alexandria home. For Steven “Boots” Barnes, the cost of installing a home solar power system in Virginia is not only offset by federal tax credits, but also generates a steady revenue stream with solar renewable energy credits (SREC’s). Add those savings to significant utility-bill savings and the result is a return on investment of less than eight years.

Barnes is so pleased with his investment that he has become a solar advocate, encouraging his neighbors to do the same.

“It has been outstanding for us,” Barnes said. “It is the future for our kids. We are always willing to show neighbors and discuss the particulars. The installation was very painless with no maintenance. We chose to go with a national solar integrator, groSolar, who was outstanding. We’re fortunate we chose groSolar out of the two companies we considered.”

groSolar isn’t a traditional solar installation company. It is a nationwide solar distributor that shops the global market for the best value and highest quality products available. Every component installed from the wiring to the solar panels is hand-picked by groSolar CEO Jeff Wolfe.  (Full Article)

Renewable Energy World – groSolar

Alexandria, VA A federal tax credit saved a Virginia man nearly $24,000 on a solar electric and hot water installation on his Alexandria home. For Steven “Boots” Barnes, the cost of installing a home solar power system in Virginia is not only offset by federal tax credits, but also generates a steady revenue stream with solar renewable energy credits (SREC’s). Add those savings to significant utility-bill savings and the result is a return on investment of less than eight years.

Barnes is so pleased with his investment that he has become a solar advocate, encouraging his neighbors to do the same.

“It has been outstanding for us,” Barnes said. “It is the future for our kids. We are always willing to show neighbors and discuss the particulars. The installation was very painless with no maintenance. We chose to go with a national solar integrator, groSolar, who was outstanding. We’re fortunate we chose groSolar out of the two companies we considered.”

groSolar isn’t a traditional solar installation company. It is a nationwide solar distributor that shops the global market for the best value and highest quality products available. Every component installed from the wiring to the solar panels is hand-picked by groSolar CEO Jeff Wolfe.  (Full Article)

Inside View – Marketwire

InsideView, the leader in sales intelligence, today congratulates its customers Adobe Omniture Business Unit, Brainshark, Inc., BigMachines, Inc. and Unisfair in winning big at the 2010 Sales and Marketing 2.0 Awards, which honor excellence in leveraging technologies for improved sales and marketing results.

InsideView customers dominated at this year’s awards, taking four of six categories:

• Best Use of Social Media for Sales or Marketing: Adobe Omniture Business Unit

• Best Sales Enablement Program: BigMachines, Inc.

• Best Sales 2.0 Management: Brainshark, Inc.

• Best Sales Lead Management Program: Unisfair

The use of InsideView’s award-winning native CRM application empowers companies like these to leverage free business and social intelligence for significant gains in sales productivity and revenue. For example, earlier this year customer Brainshark also announced it had saved the equivalent of one sales rep a year in productivity by using InsideView across its sales team. Similarly, the Adobe Omniture Business Unit realized a 50 percent decrease in time spent by sales reps in researching prospects and customers, a tripling of call-to-opportunity ratio, and a 20 percent increase in opportunities generated — all by using InsideView directly within their existing CRM platforms.  (Full Article)

Renewable Energy World.com – Reginald Norris

Recently, at Solar Power International, the MyEnergySolution team sat down with Gaelan Brown, Vice President of Marketing for groSolar, to get his take on the solar power market in the U.S. and what advice he has for consumers.

MyEnergySolution: On the residential side, how is the 2010 solar market versus 2009 and where do you see the market moving in 2011?

It’s been generally better than 2009. For groSolar, installing solar across the northeast, mid-Atlantic, and California, it’s been a mixed bag. I think California has been a little tougher this year than it was in 2009. The East Coast markets have been solid although the Connecticut solar market has been tougher this year compared to last year as they’ve changed the state level program. In addition, there is no lease option in Connecticut.

We have also seen state rebates evaporating which I believe has caused a lot of consumers to wait, thinking there is going to be some better option if they wait. Well maybe that’s true and maybe its not but the general scene on the East Coast has been much accelerated especially with Pennsylvania and Massachusetts solar power. But even without the rebates in these states, you are still looking at a 5, 6 year payback with solar financing.  (Full Article)

Yahoo Finance – Press Release

Jamba and Zola to Launch an Innovative Line of Functional Daily Superfruit Shots

EMERYVILLE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Jamba Juice Company (NASDAQ:JMBA – News), a highly recognized, healthy active lifestyle brand, and Zola, one of the fastest growing makers of functional Brazilian Superfruit beverages, today announced an exclusive licensing agreement to develop and launch an innovative new line of Jamba-branded daily Superfruit shots. The products, which target health-oriented, busy consumers, provide an easier way to get the special benefits of Brazilian Superfruits in a delicious, all-natural, and convenient daily shot. The products are expected to launch in Jamba Juice retail stores, grocery stores, and other retail outlets in early 2011. (Full Article)

Venture Beat – Riley McDermid

The game of musical chairs in the executive suite at Second Life parent company Linden Lab continued today, as founder Philip Rosedale, who had been serving as interim CEO since June, announced he was stepping down from the job immediately.

The change-up happens amidst nearly a month of rumors that Microsoft has already made a bid for the company and may soon acquire the virtual reality shop, according to TechEye, which sourced it to a post on Twitter from someone claiming to be close to Linden’s management team.

Both companies refused to comment on those rumors today.

Rosedale had taken over the role when former CEO Mark Kingdon left the company in mid-June, shortly after Linden slashed 30 percent of its employee roster and said it would begin focusing more on extending Second Life into mobile phones and social networks.

The company said today that Linden’s current CFO and COO Bob Komin will fill the CEO post until a replacement is found.  (Full Article)

Danvers Herald – Steven Ryan

The solar panels installed at Susan Tropeano’s home only tell part of the story as she looks to transform her Bates Court Circle home into a green energy machine — with some of her efforts potentially helping the town take the next step in increasing its renewable energy use.

In an unprecedented move in Danvers, Tropeano is having batteries installed to store the energy the solar panels have produced, which the town is going to purchase wholesale from her in the form of a credit on her electric account.

“Danvers Electric is going to buy my electricity,” Tropeano said. “The town of Danvers is benefiting.”

Working with Tropeano, the town has devised a system to get her energy to be put back in the system – a process called net metering. Now that the town has the infrastructure for net metering, Tropeano said Danvers could receive energy from anyone who manages to store produced energy.  (Full Article)

Daily Times – Kathleen E. Carey

Michael Chambers clenched his fist and punched the 3-foot-by-5-foot panel of dark blue swirls of photovoltaic slates, but it wasn’t because of the imbalance in his life caused by the excitement in solar-generated electricity.

“It can handle 60 to 85 mph winds,” the groSolar direct outside sales representative for the Mid-Atlantic region said, adding it could also withstand 90 mph hail. But, its resiliency is not what makes it so attractive, Chambers said.

“With the rebate, we haven’t been able to keep up,” he said. “Thirty percent federal tax credit, that’s significant.”

Add that to the Pennsylvania’s Solar Renewable Energy Credit and many purchasers are finding it irresistible, Chambers added.  (Full Article)

Daily Echo – Julie Magee

The camera never lies, according to one satisfied surfer who claims he has photographic proof that Europe’s first artificial reef does work.

Paul Humber from Southbourne took to the waves with an underwater camera to dispel criticism of the much-maligned £3 million Boscombe tourist attraction.

He said: “These pictures prove the reef is not a failure and can produce amazing waves. I believe all the negativity stems from a lack of understanding about waves, how they are created and what affects them.” (Full Article)

SF Gate – Ian King and Ari Levy

If you’ve watched the World Cup or NFL games on your mobile phone, you probably used MobiTV Inc.’s services without knowing it. Now the company is working to bring its technology into your home.

MobiTV’s new service, slated to be introduced at this week’s CTIA wireless-industry conference in San Francisco, will let a football fan watch a game on a smart phone, pause it, then resume viewing from the big screen at home.

The idea is to deliver the same television service to TV sets, mobile devices, home computers and even the office – something that Intel Corp., Cisco Systems Inc. and Google Inc. also have talked about. MobiTV is betting that its experience in bringing live programming to AT&T Inc., Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp. customers gives it an advantage over larger competitors that have yet to crack the mobile-TV market.  (Full Article)

TMCnet.com – Press Release

(Close-Up Media via COMTEX) — Sometrics announced that its GameCoins.com virtual goods marketplace now allows gamers to earn Game Coins, a redeemable currency for numerous online games, through everyday online activity.

With the new GamerBar, a browser add-on, online game fans gain access to exclusive perks while browsing and shopping at online retailers, including Barnes & Noble, Priceline, The Northface, Buy.com, and Best Buy.

Simply by installing the GamerBar to their web browser and using the search feature, gamers can earn Game Coins every time they’re online. Shopping online with any of the selected retailers racks up bonus Game Coins as well. Through the browser add-on, gamers will receive exclusive updates and promotions as well as priority knowledge of new missions and raffles. The earned currency can then be redeemed for virtual goods and credits at any of GameCoins.com’s social gaming partners. (Full Article)

 Wall Street Journal – Shira Ovide 

UBS is launching a group devoted to capital raising and deal advice for the renewable energy and clean technology sectors, according to an internal memo from the heads of the company’s investment-banking department.The new UBS group will be led by Jim Schaefer as global head and David Dolezal as Americas head. Both are UBS vets.

“We have had a strong renewable and cleantech practice for over four years, and finally we decided it made sense to create a formal practice,” Schaefer said. “We are also planning to grow our coverage footprint and potentially expand our product offering beyond traditional M&A and financing.” (Full Article)

The New York Times – Todd Woody

To green up its operations, Adobe Systems, the maker of the ubiquitous Flash media player, has done everything from installing waterless urinals to building a wind farm at its downtown San Jose, Calif., headquarters.

Now the company has put a dozen 100-kilowatt Bloom Energy fuel cells on top of a parking garage that will supply nearly a third of the three-tower complex’s electricity.
It will be the nation’s largest installation of Bloom Energy Servers, a cutting-edge solid oxide fuel cell that has been bought by Google, eBay and other big corporations.
Bloom Energy, a long-secretive Sunnyvale, Calif., start-up that has raised $400 million from some of Silicon Valley’s leading venture capitalists, introduced the energy servers to great fanfare at a February event attended by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California; Gen. Colin L. Powell, the former secretary of state; and a host of technology chiefs. (Full Article)

Market Watch – Press Release

Any Web Surfer Can Earn Virtual Currency and Get Free Items for Their Favorite Online Games with Sometrics’ GameCoins.com Web Browser Add-on

GameCoins.com, the virtual goods marketplace launched by Sometrics this summer, now allows gamers to earn Game Coins, a redeemable currency for numerous online games, through everyday online activity. With the new GamerBar, a unique browser add-on, online game fans gain access to exclusive perks while browsing and shopping at online retailers, including Barnes & Noble, Priceline, The Northface, Buy.com, and Best Buy.

Simply by installing the GamerBar to their web browser and using the search feature, gamers can earn Game Coins every time they’re online. Shopping online with any of the selected retailers racks up bonus Game Coins as well. Through the browser add-on, gamers will receive exclusive updates and promotions as well as priority knowledge of new missions and raffles. The earned currency can then be redeemed for virtual goods and credits at any of GameCoins.com’s social gaming partners.

“The new GamerBar is a simple and fun way to earn Game Coins and bonus items for a wide variety of online games,” said Ian Swanson, CEO and co-founder of Sometrics. “We implemented the GamerBar as a new way to deliver our unique and customized services, so while players are happily surfing the web and exchanging Game Coins for their favorite virtual items, our valued partners gain increased exposure to a niche demographic.” (Full Article)

Social Times – Neil Vidyarthi

We at Social Times are proud to introduce the Virtual Goods Summit West, which will be happening at the Moscone West Conference Hall in San Francisco on October 12th and 13th. Our dedicated events team has secured a really incredible group of speakers and panelists, and we’re excited to hear what the experts say about the future of virtual goods. Some of the featured speakers are Deborah Liu, Manager of Product Marketing for Facebook Credits and Games, Ben Smith, Director of Program Management for Xbox Live and Mark Skaggs, Lead Designer of FarmVille from Zynga. Read more after the jump!

At the Social Gaming Summit earlier this year, there was certainly a big buzz about the potential of the various companies involved, and a lot of valuable insight and business connections were made. I’ve included a series of links to all the amazing sessions and insights we gained there, and am encouraging you to come out to this event by signing up at SocialTimes PRO or vgsummit.com.  (Full Article)

Entrepreneur – Star Hall

When it comes to measuring and tracking online and trying to determine what your return on investment is with social media, you first need to ask yourself why you want to participate in social media in the first place. If the answer is to build your brand and develop a loyal following, then you are in it for the right reasons. Currency in social media is found in both relationships and content.

Still, you can’t improve what you don’t measure. So if your goal is to measure traffic, sales, or SEO ranking, here are some free tools that can help: (Full Article)

Entrepreneur – Starr Hall

When it comes to measuring and tracking online and trying to determine what your return on investment is with social media, you first need to ask yourself why you want to participate in social media in the first place. If the answer is to build your brand and develop a loyal following, then you are in it for the right reasons. Currency in social media is found in both relationships and content.  (Full Article)

LARA – Licensing and Regulatory Affairs

Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth Acting Director Andrew S. Levin today announced that Genoa Township in Livingston County has successfully installed five Windspire® wind/solar hybrid turbines, completing the township’s $94,919 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant project.

“The five Windspires will provide clean energy for the township hall and even generate energy that can be sold back to the utility to benefit Genoa’s citizens,” said Levin. “Investing in energy-saving projects throughout Michigan boosts the state’s energy efficiency and renewable energy industries, reduces energy costs for communities, and creates jobs.”

The Windspire® wind/solar hybrid turbines are located behind the Genoa Charter township hall at 2911 Dorr Road. The Windspire® wind energy conversion turbine is manufactured in Manistee Michigan with domestic materials. The turbines are capable of generating more power than the township hall requires, feeding power back to the electrical grid. When power is fed back to the grid, a “net” meter attached to the system spins backwards and reduces the town’s energy bill by the amount of energy generated. Monday evening, township supervisor Gary McCririe together with a DELEG representative will turn the system on at a brief ceremony at the township hall.  (Full Article)

DELEG

Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth Acting Director Andrew S. Levin today announced that Genoa Township in Livingston County has successfully installed five Windspire® wind/solar hybrid turbines, completing the township’s $94,919 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant project.

“The five Windspires will provide clean energy for the township hall and even generate energy that can be sold back to the utility to benefit Genoa’s citizens,” said Levin. “Investing in energy-saving projects throughout Michigan boosts the state’s energy efficiency and renewable energy industries, reduces energy costs for communities, and creates jobs.”

The Windspire® wind/solar hybrid turbines are located behind the Genoa Charter township hall at 2911 Dorr Road. The Windspire® wind energy conversion turbine is manufactured in Manistee Michigan with domestic materials. The turbines are capable of generating more power than the township hall requires, feeding power back to the electrical grid. When power is fed back to the grid, a “net” meter attached to the system spins backwards and reduces the town’s energy bill by the amount of energy generated. Monday evening, township supervisor Gary McCririe together with a DELEG representative will turn the system on at a brief ceremony at the township hall. (Full Article)

Entrepreneur – Gwen Moran

Pam Marcus used to feed tiny babies–really tiny babies. The former feeding specialist and pediatric physical therapist spent 16 years working in neonatal intensive care units, and the plastic bottles the hospitals used bothered her.

“I started reading some articles about the dangers of plastics and felt there was too much disposable plastic in the hospitals,” she says.

So in 2005, Marcus contacted architect and designer Daren Joy, who had remodeled her home near Berkeley, Calif., a few years earlier. The two agreed it was possible to improve on plastic baby bottles with a well-designed, environmentally friendly option. Joy designed a glass bottle in a silicone sleeve, free of toxins such as Bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polycarbonates. In 2007, the two launched Lifefactory in Sausalito, Calif., with $750,000 from family, friends and a “small investment” by Greenhouse Capital Partners of Sausalito to manufacture and market the bottles, as well as to develop new products.

The partners had met Greenhouse founder and managing partner Peter Henig through a mutual contact and he had taken a shine to the fledgling company. Even during a recession, the company doubled its revenue in less than two years, a growth fueled by both the strength of its product design and media coverage of BPA and other baby-bottle toxins as the bogeymen of the baby-feeding world.  (Full Article)

Entrepreneur Magazine – Gwen Moran

An upstart maker of glass baby bottles gets the attention of green-friendly VCs

Pam Marcus used to feed tiny babies–really tiny babies. The former feeding specialist and pediatric physical therapist spent 16 years working in neonatal intensive care units, and the plastic bottles the hospitals used bothered her.

“I started reading some articles about the dangers of plastics and felt there was too much disposable plastic in the hospitals,” she says.

So in 2005, Marcus contacted architect and designer Daren Joy, who had remodeled her home near Berkeley, Calif., a few years earlier. The two agreed it was possible to improve on plastic baby bottles with a well-designed, environmentally friendly option. Joy designed a glass bottle in a silicone sleeve, free of toxins such as Bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polycarbonates. In 2007, the two launched Lifefactory in Sausalito, Calif., with $750,000 from family, friends and a “small investment” by Greenhouse Capital Partners of Sausalito to manufacture and market the bottles, as well as to develop new products. (Full Article)

TechCrunch – Michael Arrington

SecondMarket, a trading platform for private company stocks, has just released it’s Q2 2010 report. Overall transactions were down from Q1 – around $51 million in transactions were completed, less than the $70 million traded in March alone at the end of Q1.

Volume may be down, but prices are still going up. Facebook is now being offered at $65/share, and there are bids as high as $60. In April the price was $50/share (Full Article)

NewNet

Environmental sustainability-focused developer Greenscape Capital Group’s renewable vehicle parking arm, Green Park Denver, has selected solar and wind energy suppliers for the renewable energy parking facility it started constructing in the US state of Colorado in May.

The company said it will employ Colorado-based company Vibrant Solar to install eight vertical access wind turbines, manufactured by Mariah Power, around the main entrance drive of the Denver-based parking facility. (Full Article)

Business Wire

Game Coins and Partnering Publishers, Including GameDuell, Atlus Online and NHN, Find User Acquisition Success by Offering Missions for Virtual Rewards

Sometrics’ GameCoins.com, the virtual goods marketplace that launched during E3 last month, is seeing exceptional growth in engagement for online publishers and their respective games via the platform’s new “missions” system. Benefiting both players and publishers, the recently launched system aims to introduce new users to select online games in a fun and exciting way by tying game mechanics to marketing campaigns.

GameCoins.com’s missions encourage players to reach in-game milestones where they are rewarded with Game Coins currency, which can then be used for further advancement in the game. GameCoins.com is tracking a mission completion rate of 86 percent, with 98 percent of those completions being first-time players of the game. Additional incentives, such as being rewarded for informing friends through Facebook about missions completed, offer players extra ways to earn the virtual currency. More than 50 percent of players are taking advantage of these incentives, resulting in additional viral exposure for the games. (Full Article)

Gigaom – Janko Roettgers

Spain may have won the World Cup, but online, we’re all winners. Or at least all the broadcasters are, because they attracted record audiences with live streams of this year’s soccer tournament. Here are some final stats from ESPN, Univision and others:

• ESPN3 clocked nearly 7.4 million unique viewers, generating 15.7 million hours of viewing. 355,000 people per minute tuned in for the semifinal match between Germany and Spain, which makes it ESPN3?s largest average audience ever for a live online sporting event. The network’s World Cup app was downloaded more than 2.5 million times, and it was accessed by 1 million users per day on average. (Full Article)

MobiTV – Press Release

Mobile technology platform demonstrates unprecedented scale for high volume live event

EMERYVILLE, CALIF.-Demonstrating the strength of its mobile media platform to deliver live events, MobiTV, Inc., has streamed more than 88 million minutes of World Cup coverage of the global tournament through July 2, with the last semifinal and final matches still to come. That number is equivalent to one viewer spending 61,111 consecutive days in front of the TV.

MobiTV, Inc.’s technology platform delivers more than 1,200 live sporting events per year. World Cup, currently airing on ESPN Mobile TV, is MobiTV’s highest performing live event to date. (Full Article)

Windspire – Press Release

City of Enghien Installs Five Windspire® Wind Turbines at New Technology Business Park

ENGHIEN, BELGIUM – Looking to attract innovative technology companies, the town of Enghien, Belgium is developing a state-of-the-art business park that will feature the latest in energy efficient technologies. Prior to the scheduled opening later this summer, five Windspire® vertical axis wind turbines from U.S.-based Windspire Energy^TM were installed outside the center’s first building to provide clean energy and highlight the center’s focus on new green technologies. Visible from the main highway, the installation brought many questions from the media and led to a preview event on Wednesday, June 25th.

“We installed the Windspires in such a visible place that everyone who drove by wanted to know what these spinning things were doing there,” said Thierry Brunet of Mercinat-Sarl, Belgium’s Windspire Distributor. “The center decided it was best to hold a press event to explain how the Windspires work.” (Full Article)

MarketWire – Press Release

InsideView, Inc. today announced a partnership with LinkSV to expand coverage of start-ups and fast-growing SMB companies within its flagship sales productivity application, SalesView. The addition of LinkSV’s in-depth company and executive profiles make SalesView the industry-leading sales intelligence solution for B2B sales organizations targeting technology start-ups and the venture capital community.

LinkSV is the latest content partner to integrate with the InsideView Smart Cloud™, the first sales intelligence solution to allow plug-and-play addition and validation of content. The InsideView Smart Cloud brings together best-of-breed business information partners such as Capital IQ (a Standard & Poor’s company), Cortera, Jigsaw, NetProspex and Thomson Reuters as well as social media sites such as Facebook, Google Blogs, LinkedIn, Twitter and more than 20,000 online news sources.

“We are delighted to partner with InsideView. This will give our LinkSV customers access to information beyond the Silicon Valley, and in turn bring value to InsideView with our focus on emerging companies and the manner in which we connect people, capital and companies,” said Bob Karr, CEO of LinkSV. (Full Article)

PRNewswire – Press Release

EMERYVILLE, Calif., June 29 /PRNewswire/ — Highlighting the demand for top tier mobile media content, and consumer response to a high quality user experience, MobiTV for iPhone has surpassed one million downloads in the Apple iTunes App Store.

WHAT: Released in April 2010, one out of every 308 Americans has now downloaded the MobiTV for iPhone application – currently number two on Apple’s Top Grossing app list. The application features live TV programming and video-on-demand content from every major network, and many of the most popular cable channels. (Full Article)

 Windspire – Press Release

First Zoo in the Country with a Windspire Wind Turbine

Cincinnati, OH – The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden unveils its newest energy source – the Windspire® wind turbine! The 30-foot tall turbine was installed in the Zoo’s Go Green Garden to help power the ticketing and membership building. Along with the solar panels in the Go Green Garden, the turbine will meet approximately one-fourth of all of the power demands for the building.

“The Zoo is a natural champion of environmental sustainability” said Walt Borland, Windspire Energy CEO & President. “We are excited that the Windspire will now be a part of their efforts to demonstrate how easy it is for any of us to help protect our most important habitat – Planet Earth.” (Full Article)

MarketWatch – Press Release

InsideView, Inc. today announced that the company’s award-winning and free sales intelligence application, SalesView, is already the most popular download on the new ChatterExchange from salesforce.com. SalesView has also received the highest rating of all free applications on ChatterExchange.

SalesView, the first Sales 2.0 application integrated with Salesforce CRM, launched on the ChatterExchange today with the public launch of Chatter. SalesView’s mash-up with Salesforce CRM provides sales teams with real-time sales intelligence on leads and prospects, providing relevant news alerts, sales triggers, business insight and relationship analysis from social sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, along with traditional editorial and business information sources, all within the Salesforce CRM platform. Now relevant business insights will be available in real-time through salesforce.com’s Chatter. (Full Article)

Marketwire – Press Release

SalesView Also Ranks as Highest Rated Free Application on New Salesforce.com Marketplace

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Jun 22, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — InsideView, Inc. today announced that the company’s award-winning and free sales intelligence application, SalesView, is already the most popular download on the new ChatterExchange from salesforce.com. SalesView has also received the highest rating of all free applications on ChatterExchange.

SalesView, the first Sales 2.0 application integrated with Salesforce CRM, launched on the ChatterExchange today with the public launch of Chatter. (Full Article)

InsideView – Press Release

InsideView, Inc. today announced the integration of its flagship sales productivity application, SalesView, into CDC Pivotal Social CRM 6.0. The integration brings Facebook, SalesView, Twitter, Google BlogSearch and LinkedIn directly to the fingertips of CDC Pivotal CRM end users.

CDC Software Corporation’s (NASDAQ: CDCS) announced earlier this morning the availability of CDC Pivotal Social CRM 6.0, a new Social CRM application that brings the power of social media directly into CRM so enterprises can gather deeper sales intelligence through increased engagement with customers, quickly identify qualified leads, develop effective sales campaigns, close more deals and improve customer service.

“Tapping into social media insights for sales productivity is a key tenet of any Social CRM deployment,” said Marc Perramond, director of product management at InsideView. “Knowing the most about your leads and prospects is imperative in today’s sales profession. SalesView, along with insights from Facebook, LinkedIn, Google and Twitter, is the ultimate ‘sales intelligence’ package for sales professionals, and we are pleased to be a part of the new CDC Pivotal Social CRM 6.0 module.” (Full Article)

Symantec – Press Release

Mobile media technology provider works with Symantec and Blue Chip Tek to reduce costs and streamline IT operations

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – June 16, 2010 – Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) today announced MobiTV, Inc., a leading provider of technology solutions that deliver media over wireless and broadband networks, relies on Symantec information security and management software suites to automate IT processes, consolidate multiple security technologies and reduce email storage space.

MobiTV’s end-to-end managed service platform enables the delivery of 100 television and video channels from more than 50 content providers, including NBC, ABC, ESPN Mobile TV, Disney Channel, FOX News, COMEDY CENTRAL and Bravo to its subscribers. The company’s subscriber base has tripled over just the past two years to nine million, and its IT infrastructure was feeling the strain. (Full article)

Windspire – Press Release

AllSafe® Energy Efficient Products, Leading Green-Tech Company, Granted Distributions Rights for Windspire®

RENO, NEVADA -Windspire Energy^TM (formerly Mariah Power) today announced a partnership with Australian-based AllSafe® Energy Efficient Products to be the sole distributor of the Windspire® wind turbine in Australia. AllSafe is recognized as one of the leading and fastest growing energy efficient product providers in Australia. The partnership will now begin the process of certifying the Windspire for the Australian market for an expected sales launch later this year.

Wind energy is the fastest growing renewable energy industry in Australia, driven by government initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2050 and a commitment to ensure 20% of Australia’s electricity supply will come from renewable energy sources by 2020. The market for small-scale turbines is expected to grow through rebate programs that can offset the costs for customers by as much as 50%. (Full Article)

Renewable Energy World – Press Release

New financing program allows PA homeowners to go solar for $0 down

White River Junction, Vt. – National solar power installer and distributor groSolar announced today the launch of a new residential solar leasing program for homeowners in Pennsylvania, offered in partnership with AFC-First Financial and Middle Atlantic Solar Leasing, LP. It is the first of its kind in Pennsylvania.

The solar leasing program allows a homeowner to lease a rooftop solar electric system for little or no money down, and pay a monthly fee for the solar electricity the panels produce. Homeowners also have the option to buy the solar system outright at a later date. (Full Article)

GamesBeat – Dan Takahashi

Sometrics is launching its Game Coins virtual goods market Monday to help game publishers monetize their games across a number of game platforms.

Those who visit the market’s GameCoins.com web site can earn or purchase virtual currency to spend in their games. Ian Swanson, chief executive of the El Segundo, Calif.-based company, said it is trying to set itself apart from rivals such as Offerpal’s GamePoints or Playspan by making the integration of its platform easy for publishers and seamless for consumers.

The site will be fully functional on Monday. Users can earn virtual currency by doing things like writing strategy guides for games or posting articles about them. They can also earn coins by completing missions within games, or they can fill out surveys and complete offers. They can then exchange the Game Coins for the currency of a particular game when they want to spend it. (Full Article)

The New York Times – Bob Tedeschi

When the World Cup opens this week, numerous apps will be able to help fans to keep track of the action on the field. And while watching live on a smartphone will be possible for some users, the options can be confusing, and they are not all free.

If simple scores and stats are all you need, free apps abound, like Goal.com (for iPhones and BlackBerrys), ESPN 2010 FIFA World Cup (for iPhones), Univision Fútbol – Copa Mundial 2010 (BlackBerry and iPhone) and WC 2010 – FotMob (Android).

Live video will be available on some phones for most, if not all, of the 64 World Cup matches between the tournament’s start Friday and the final match on July 11. Fans will, however, need to make sure they have the right phone with the right carrier. (Full Article)

Windspire – Press Release

Local Artists Katie Packham & Naomi Ferrall to Do Live Painting during July 8th Artown Event

RENO, NEV- Windspire Energy (formerly Mariah Power), developer of the Windspire® wind turbine, and the City of Reno today announced the artists chosen to paint the City of Reno’s Windspire wind turbine during a live Artown event on July 8th at the West Street Market. Katie Packham and Naomi Ferrall will paint the 10?foot base pole of the Windspire that will be installed on the roof of the City’s Parking Gallery.

The project is a partnership between Windspire Energy, the City of Reno and Artown that seeks to draw attention to Reno’s commitment to arts and renewable energy during the month long art festival. Packham and Ferrall will work closely with Windspire Energy and the City of Reno to design and paint the 10?foot base pole of the Windspire that will be installed on the roof of the City’s Parking Gallery. (Full Article)

Windspire – Press Release

Windspire Energy (formerly Mariah Power), developer of the Windspire® wind turbine, and the City of Reno today announced the artists chosen to paint the City of Reno’s Windspire wind turbine during a live Artown event on July 8th at the West Street Market. Katie Packham and Naomi Ferrall will paint the 10?foot base pole of the Windspire that will be installed on the roof of the City’s Parking Gallery.

The project is a partnership between Windspire Energy, the City of Reno and Artown that seeks to draw attention to Reno’s commitment to arts and renewable energy during the month long art festival. Packham and Ferrall will work closely with Windspire Energy and the City of Reno to design and paint the 10?foot base pole of the Windspire that will be installed on the roof of the City’s Parking Gallery.

“The bright and vibrant colors will truly bring the Windspire to life,” said Dave Aiazzi, Reno city Councilman. “This artwork will make a beautiful statement about Reno’s commitment to renewable energy and the arts.” (Full Article)

CNet – Abbi Perets

If you’ve ditched bottled water in favor of more economic and ecological solutions, you may have discovered that it’s difficult to keep reusable plastic bottles really clean. And every time you turn around, there’s another article on the dangers of BPA, and heaven forbid you actually planned to let your children use a plastic drinking receptacle. You might as well just give them arsenic and be done with it. (Please do not actually give your children arsenic.)

Lifefactory makes reusable glass bottles that are dishwasher-safe, BPA-free, phthalate-free, and PVC-free. You can clean and sterilize them, and the glass won’t retain any apple juice smell–if you have kids, you know exactly what I’m talking about. And if you have kids, you’re probably also thinking that you’re not about to hand them a glass drinking bottle. Here’s the thing:

Lifefactory bottles are encased in patent-pending silicone sleeves that protect them and help prevent them from breaking. They also make it easier to grip the bottles comfortably in your hand. Plus, they come in fun colors.

Currently, the company offers water bottles for kids and adults, baby bottles, and silicone teethers. Order online or find them at retail stores nationwide. (Full Article)

Fresh News – Press Release

Sales organizations are constantly seeking ways to increase sales productivity and accomplish more — qualify more leads, make more customer calls, generate more pipeline and close more deals. One of the key barriers to increasing sales productivity is the time-consuming nature of company and contact research, with the average sales reps spending anywhere from 12 to 25% of their time on account research.

The InsideView product development team analyzed over 100 million SalesView user interactions to look for ways to optimize common workflows like lead qualification and pre-call research. The analysis resulted in a new streamlined user interface that, according to click-stream studies and user testing, will reduce the average time required to qualify a lead to less than three minutes, and the average pre-call research to less than 15 minutes. (Full Article)

PR Newswire – Press Release

Fans Can Watch All 64 Live Matches from ESPN on AT&T Mobile TV and MobiTV U-verse TV Launches ESPN World Cup Multi-Language Multiview App

DALLAS, June 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — AT&T customers will get to score a hat trick for the 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM. AT&T is bringing fans more ways than any other provider to follow the 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM with live and on demand coverage across the TV, online and mobile devices.

A proud partner of the U.S. Men’s National Team, AT&T* today announced its multi-screen delivery of ESPN coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM and exclusive U.S. Men’s National Team content on AT&T U-verse TV, at AT&T U-verse Online and on AT&T mobile phones. AT&T also announced the launch of the 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM app that lets you watch up to four ESPN channels featuring soccer matches and content on your U-verse TV screen at one time, including the ability to choose from six different languages.

“The 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM from South Africa is one of the most anticipated sporting events in history, and AT&T customers will have more ways to watch all the action on the screens they use most,” said Dan York, president of content, AT&T. “AT&T customers will have 64 live ESPN games available live on all three screens: the TV, PC and mobile device. We’ll have up to two channels of live matches available on mobile, U-verse TV customers will be able to interact with and follow their favorite teams with our innovative 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM app, and live coverage of all matches and exclusive bonus content is available for AT&T High Speed Internet customers.” (Full article)

PR Newswire – Press Release

EMERYVILLE, Calif., May 27 /PRNewswire/ — MobiTV, Inc., the leading provider of technology solutions that deliver media over wireless and broadband networks, announced the hire of industry vanguard Rick Herman as Senior Vice President, Business and Corporate Development. Herman will drive strategic planning and execution as MobiTV continues to grow its footprint as a technology player and platform provider.

Herman comes to MobiTV from Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) where he was SVP, Business and Legal Affairs in San Diego. While there, Herman was responsible for many of the company’s strategic transactions related to content acquisition, distribution and development. Additionally, Herman reviewed investment and acquisition opportunities and the implementation of the company’s investment strategy, including the negotiation of equity positions in new technology companies such as the purchase by SOE of a significant block of Series A shares of EnterpriseDB Corporation, a database software company.

“Rick is a thought leader in the technology business category,” said Charlie Nooney, Chairman and CEO MobiTV, Inc. “As we play our part in advancing media technology and the mobile industry, we’re looking forward to the level of innovation that Rick will bring to our business development efforts.” (Full article)

InsideView – Press Release

InsideView, a Sales 2.0 leader, today announced that Heidi Tucker has joined its executive management team as vice president of business development and alliances. Heidi joins InsideView from Hoovers, where she was the VP of business development. Previously she was the SVP of enterprise sales at First Research, a Dun & Bradstreet Company.

InsideView’s flagship product, SalesView, has rapidly become the new, de-facto standard in the sales intelligence market. More than 500 thought-leading companies are using InsideView for Sales to achieve new levels of sales productivity, powered by highly relevant company and executive intelligence delivered within their sales workflow. InsideView’s existing partnerships with Oracle (Oracle CRM Inner Circle), Salesforce.com (top three highest rated and most often downloaded application on AppExchange), NetSuite (Premier Suite Cloud partner), Microsoft and SugarCRM have been an integral part of InsideView’s success in reaching a user-base of more than 30,000. Tucker will not only focus on strengthening and deepening existing CRM relationships, but also on extending the existing partnerships with social media companies, social networks and user-contributed marketplaces. (Full Article)

GreenBeat – Camille Ricketts

Solaicx isn’t your garden-variety silicon wafer maker. The Santa Clara, Calif. company says it has devised a manufacturing process that allows it to churn out extremely efficient monocrystalline wafers tailored for the solar market at a viciously competitive low price – the holy grail of photovoltaics.

This opportunity to steeply reduce its manufacturing costs looked too good to pass up for MEMC, one of the biggest makers of silicon wafers in the world, which has seen its core business erode since the economic downturn hit the semiconductor industry hard. Today, it announced its acquisition of Solaicx for $76 million. Branching into solar – a business analysts say is poised to boom – could help breathe new life into the company.

At least that’s the logic, despite falling silicon prices that have taken a bit of a shine off the deal – and might be one explanation for Soliacx’s relatively low acquisition price (as Greentech Media also notes). That said, silicon-based solar prices remain high enough to prevent photovoltaic panels from becoming cost competitive with fossil fuel sources, at least for now. (Full Article)

Greentech Solar – Eric Wesoff

Another acquisition from MEMC as the solar market’s consolidation continues

MEMC is one of the larger makers of silicon wafers in the world. Confronted with stiff competition in its core business, MEMC has made a number of strategic investments and acquisitions to bolster its market position.

Today the firm announced the acquisition of Solaicx for $66 million in cash, plus the potential for $37.6 million in additional money and earn-outs based on meeting performance targets.

Solaicx has developed continuous crystal growth manufacturing processes which yield low-cost, high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon wafers for the photovoltaic market. The Solaicx technology allows for high-volume crystal growth compared to the silicon ingots produced in the traditional precision semiconductor manufacturing process. Solaicx has approximately 80 employees and a large-scale production facility in Portland, Oregon. (Full Article)

The Wall Street Journal – Jodi Xu, Dow Jones Newswires

MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. (WFR) has agreed to acquire silicon-wafer maker Solaicx for about $76 million as the maker of silicon wafers for the solar and semiconductor industries expands its presence in solar electricity.

Ken Hannah, an executive in MEMC’s solar operations, said the purchase will allow his company “to significantly reduce the cost of” making monocrystalline silicon wafers. He said that market is projected to have a compound annual growth rate of about 50% the next three years. (Full Article)

Earth2Tech – Josie Garthwaite

The drumbeat of consolidation in the solar industry continues this morning, as silicon wafer maker and solar project developer MEMC Electronic Materials has just announced plans to acquire Solaicx, an 8-year-old maker of silicon wafers for solar cells.

The deal, according to a release from MEMC today, includes $66 million in cash and up to $10 million on top of that “based on incoming investment.” In addition, if Solaicx meets certain performance targets set for 2010 and 2011, MEMC says it will pay up to $27.6 million in cash and MEMC stock to Solaicx security holders.

This latest acquisition, expected to close next month, comes as part of a long-anticipated shakeout in the solar industry. It also comes amid forecasts that 2010 will be a year of “gross oversupply” for solar modules and significant “consolidation.” As Pike senior analyst Dave Cavanaugh put it in a statement last week, there are “190 cell and module manufacturers, making consolidation of weaker competitors an inevitable outcome.”

Solaicx isn’t the first solar player to get snapped up by MEMC. (Full Article)

Yahoo Finance – Press Release, PR Newswire

ST. PETERS, Mo., May 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. (NYSE:WFR – News) today announced it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Solaicx, headquartered in Santa Clara, California.

Solaicx has developed proprietary continuous crystal growth manufacturing technology which yields low-cost, high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon wafers for the photovoltaic solar industry. The Solaicx technology allows for very high-volume crystal growth compared to the silicon ingots produced in the traditional precision semiconductor manufacturing process. The enhanced electrical performance of wafers from Solaicx ingots allows solar cell manufacturers to create higher efficiency cells with very competitive silicon costs. In addition to these customer benefits, the combined company will have low-cost polysilicon and crystal operations in North America and sales and support offices around the world, allowing the company to provide customers with industry leading customer service. (Full Article)

Silicon Valley Business Journal – Staff

MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. said Monday it has agreed to acquire Solaicx Inc. for up to $103.6 million.

Solaicx, which is based in Santa Clara, has about 80 employees and a large-scale production facility in Portland. The company has developed continuous crystal growth manufacturing technology which it says yields low-cost, high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon wafers for the photovoltaic solar industry.

“Solaicx, along with its people and technical expertise, is a great addition to MEMC,” said Ken Hannah, president of St. Peters, Mo.-based MEMC (NYSE:WFR) Solar Materials. “Solaicx’s innovative and advanced manufacturing technology should enable us to reduce costs and improve efficiency, while enhancing our ability to drive the solar industry toward grid parity.” (Full Article)

Windspire – Press Release

Windspire Wind Turbines to be Used in Leading-Edge Research

The quest to derive energy from wind may soon be getting some help from California Institute of Technology (Caltech) fluid-dynamics expert John Dabiri-and a school of fish.

As head of Caltech’s Biological Propulsion Laboratory, Dabiri studies water- and wind-energy concepts that share the theme of bioinspiration: that is, identifying energy-related processes in biological systems that may provide insight into new approaches to-in this case-wind energy. (Full Article)

mocoNews – Tricia Duryee

A two-year-old court case ended this week that will most likely set a precedent in the mobile industry for how much streaming music and video services will have to pay artists in royalties.

The case was being heard between MobiTV and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in New York’s U.S. District Court, but it could impact many companies in the space, including carriers, handset makers and other service providers. At the heart of the disagreement was whether mobile should generate more revenue than other traditional media, like radio or TV.

This week, the judge ruled in favor of MobiTV, and found that mobile is like any other delivery technology from cable TV to satellite. In turn, the fees requested by ASCAP will be drastically scaled back. Under the more onerous terms it was proposing, MobiTV would have owed a whopping $41 million in royalties during an 8-year period. But under the rules adopted by the judge, MobiTV will only owe $300,000 between 2003 through 2009 (which represents a six-year period).

Bill Losch MobiTV’s CFO told mocoNews: “I think from our perspective we definitely feel we should pay a fair price, but what ASCAP was proposing was not only out of realm of possibility, it was also a completely different model than the accepted model. We are a leader in the space as far as content aggregation, and we felt it was important for them to establish a precedent.” (Full article)

BusinessWire – Press Release

Millions of players of several popular online games don’t need a credit card to earn credits for purchasing premium items. Announcing two new partnerships, Sometrics will provide the player communities of Nexon America and PopCap Games with opportunities to earn free in-game currency through participation in offers powered by the company’s proprietary Offer Solution.

With targeted offers from trusted brands such as AT&T, Netflix, NBC, Disney and more, Sometrics provides online gamers with the chance to earn virtual currency without opening their pocketbooks. By participating in a variety of consumer surveys, high-value subscriptions, e-commerce shopping and more, players earn virtual cash while advertisers achieve a prolonged attention from a target demographic. The Sometrics Offer Solution enjoys a global reach of more than 4,000 ads across hundreds of games, and achieves effective cost per thousand impressions (eCPM) as high as $700-$900.

“Sometrics couldn’t be happier lending our proven skill sets in offer-based solutions to the massive audiences behind the free-to-play games of Nexon and PopCap, and we’re sure their players will enjoy an easy, convenient way to earn in-game currency for free,” said Ian Swanson, Sometrics co-founder and CEO. “The Sometrics Offer Solution platform is built for optimization, so we can deliver a variety of offers in the most efficient and effective way possible.” (Full Article)

PR Newswire – Press Release

Leadership role results in favorable ruling in precedent-setting case

EMERYVILLE, Calif., May 12 /PRNewswire/ — MobiTV, Inc. has been involved in a legal proceeding with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), over royalties due to music composers for music contained in MobiTV, Inc. mobile media services.

WHAT:
U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in the Southern District of New York ruled overwhelmingly in favor of MobiTV, Inc. The court adopted the MobiTV, Inc. model and rate-making logic, without amendments.

WHY:
While MobiTV, Inc. believes in paying a fair price for content, including musical compositions, the inflexible positions taken by ASCAP were so aggressive as to pose a serious threat not only to MobiTV, Inc. but to all industry players (carriers and content providers) involved in delivering mobile media content.

AND:
While ASCAP sought an enormous royalty totaling multiple millions of dollars, MobiTV, Inc.’s position was that royalties should be structured no differently than those paid by content providers in the cable industry, resulting in a net payment of less than two percent of that sought by ASCAP. (Full article)

Business Wire – Press Release

Leading Game Monetization Company to Provide Free-to-Play Giants Optimized and Targeted Offers for Maximum Player Engagement, Advertiser Success and Resulting Revenue

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Millions of players of several popular online games don’t need a credit card to earn credits for purchasing premium items. Announcing two new partnerships, Sometrics will provide the player communities of Nexon America and PopCap Games with opportunities to earn free in-game currency through participation in offers powered by the company’s proprietary Offer Solution. (Full Article)

Windspire – Press Release

Windspire® Energy (formerly Mariah Power), developer of the Windspire® wind turbine, will sponsor a conference on small-scale urban wind turbines presented by the Museum of Science, Boston on May 18th. At the event, the extended project team from the Museum’s Wind Turbine Lab will report on the turbines’ performance and share firsthand accounts of the team’s experience planning, installing, and operating roof-mounted wind turbines in an urban environment.

The Windspire wind turbine is a 30-foot tall vertical axis turbine designed for use in urban and suburban settings. The Windspire is one of five different small-scale wind turbines installed at the Museum’s rooftop Wind Turbine Lab in 2009. The first of its kind in the U.S., the Wind Turbine Lab was created to support the Museum’s commitment to reduce its environmental footprint while providing museum visitors the opportunity to learn more about small wind turbines.

“The Lab is a commendable effort to better understand the challenges of leveraging the energy of the wind in complex urban environments,” said Walt Borland, President and CEO of Windspire Energy. “The only way to continually drive innovation is through never-ending experimentation, and we are therefore very proud to be able to support the research efforts of the project team at the Lab”. (Full Article)

ABC7, The View From the Bay – Janelle

What does mom want for Mother’s Day? Janelle shares her top gift ideas, all from Bay Area companies.

Local companies featured in the segment:

Lifefactory – Completely BPA free, the Lifefactory adult vessel mimics the superior design of the child bottle and is secured in a vibrant silicone sleeve that is 100% non-toxic and helps prevent breakage.

The sleeve offers stellar gripping capabilities for easy toting and can be boiled or put in the dishwasher for convenient disinfecting. The bottle is also equipped with a wide entry for effortless cleaning and even allows essentials such as ice cubes, tea bags or citrus slices to be simply added to your liquid.

The glass make-up of the reusable bottle means what you see is what you get. Glass is a nonporous material containing zero harmful chemicals and does not scratch, significantly reducing bacterial growth. With Lifefactory bottles you will never experience any type of leaching into your liquid nor will you ever be left with a metallic taste.

Best of all, glass is a low impact raw material that is readily abundant, easy to process and 100% recyclable, which is minimally taxing on our environment.

The retail price is $22 and the best place to buy is on-line or at the Sports Basement in San Francisco. They have the best selection.

For more information, go to www.lifefactory.com

(Full Article)

Renewable Energy World – Press Release

groSolar, a national leader in solar power system distribution and installation, today announced the expansion of the company’s proprietary energy monitoring solution, groEnergy Watch, to now include a seamless solution for large scale solar PV installations. groSolar, through a partnership with DECK Monitoring, will be making the improved groEnergy Watch solution available to its national network of dealer-installers and commercial installation customers in June. This completes the evolution of groSolar’s comprehensive and proprietary groEnergy Watch solution as a tool for monitoring PV electricity production, along with building energy consumption, for any residential and commercial scale PV application.

The DECK commercial-system platform connects seamlessly with the groEnergy Watch system and integrates data from any commercial inverter or revenue-grade meter to provide a complete turnkey monitoring solution for commercial PV installations of any size. ??“We are very pleased to partner with DECK to evolve groEnergy Watch into a comprehensive and affordable energy monitoring solution for literally any size of PV installation and we think this will bring significant new value to the US market,” said groSolar CEO Jeff Wolfe. “We believe our nationwide network of dealers, residential customers and commercial PV installations will see tremendous value in this expanded groEnergy Watch as a robust and low-cost solution for tracking PV system production as well as the energy consumption of the buildings themselves.” ??“groSolar is an innovative company at the forefront of the solar industry, and we are proud to have been selected as the commercial monitoring partner for the groEnergy Watch solution,” said DECK CEO Will Shortt. “We look forward to helping groSolar’s commercial integrators and customers optimize their production, provide superior service, and manage their portfolios.” (Full Article)

The New York Times – Brian Stelter

It might be hard to imagine watching “The Office” on a screen no bigger than a business card. But tens of thousands of people – by the most conservative estimate – are already doing just that.

As Hollywood shrinks its films and television shows for the small screens of cellphones, its assumptions about mobile viewing are being upended by surprisingly patient consumers.

“We all thought they’d be watching video clips in the checkout line or between classes,” said Vivi Zigler, the president for digital entertainment at NBC Universal, summing up the industry’s conventional wisdom. But owners of iPhones and other smartphones are actually watching long episodes and sometimes complete films, so a growing number of media companies are vying for people’s mobile attention spans. (Full Article)

PRWeb – Press Release

Sunward, manufacturer of the world’s first “plug and play” solar hot water system, and groSolar, one of the largest installers of solar hot water and solar photo-voltaic systems in the country, have announced a partnership that will make groSolar a certified vendor and installer of the Sunward solar hot water system.

Available directly from the company (http://www.gosunward.com) or through certified partners, the Sunward system installs quickly, works in any climate and cuts household energy bills by up to $800 per year. By teaming with groSolar, Sunward now offers homeowners a seamless, professional installation option throughout the New England and mid-Atlantic states, as well as parts of California.

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) noted the partnership between the two Vermont companies is an important advance for expanding adoption of residential solar nationwide. “Even as a cold-weather state, Vermont, like the rest of the nation, has huge potential to increase our use of solar energy, including solar water heating systems,” said Sanders. “What many homeowners may not know, however, is that in addition to being clean, solar water heating systems are very cost-effective. We need to expand the use of solar in Vermont and across the United States, and that is why I have introduced legislation in the Senate to provide incentives for more than ten million new solar energy systems.” (Full Article)

BusinessWire – Press Release

Lifefactory, a leading innovator of environmentally friendly and health conscious BPA-free glass baby and adult beverage bottles with patent pending silicone sleeves and silicone teethers, announced today it has closed a $1.65 million Series A funding round. The round was led by Greenhouse Capital Partners and Big Sky Partners. Lifefactory also announced that Peter D. Henig of Greenhouse Capital Partners and Katie Schwab of Big Sky Partners have joined its board of directors.

Co-founded by pediatric physical therapist and feeding specialist Pam Marcus and award-winning integrative designer Daren Joy in 2005, Lifefactory has created a line of easy-to-use, environmentally friendly, and design-forward glass bottles that are far safer and more functional than conventional plastic baby bottles and metal or plastic water bottles. Lifefactory products are free of known toxins including Bisphenol-A (BPA), phthalates, Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), and polycarbonates that studies have shown can compromise human health. All Lifefactory product components and accessories are made from non-toxic materials including latex-free silicone and plastic caps and rings that are recyclable and FDA approved.

Studies suggesting that exposure to endocrine disruptors such as BPA can lead to breast cancer, impaired immune functions, heart disease, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among others have prompted retailers to pull plastic baby bottles from store shelves. From its initial line of award-winning BPA-free glass baby bottles and teethers to its recently-introduced 22-ounce adult glass beverage bottle, Lifefactory is perfectly positioned to capitalize on consumers’ increased awareness of the dangers of plastic containers that have been found to leach chemicals.

“Lifefactory has identified a tremendous market opportunity and has quickly created a powerful and eye-catching brand,” said Peter D. Henig. “We are impressed with their vision, market savvy and execution, not to mention the full line of products that resonate with environmental and health conscious consumers. As a result, we are excited to add the company to our portfolio.” (Full Article)

PEHUB – Press Release

Lifefactory, a Sausalito, Calif.-based maker of BPA-free glass baby and adult beverage bottles, has raised $1.65 million in Series A funding co-led by Greenhouse Capital Partners and Big Sky Partners.

Lifefactory, a leading innovator of environmentally friendly and health conscious BPA-free glass baby and adult beverage bottles with patent pending silicone sleeves and silicone teethers, announced today it has closed a $1.65 million Series A funding round. The round was led by Greenhouse Capital Partners and Big Sky Partners. Lifefactory also announced that Peter D. Henig of Greenhouse Capital Partners and Katie Schwab of Big Sky Partners have joined its board of directors. (Full Article)

Business Wire – Press Release

Producer of BPA-Free Eco-Friendly Glass Bottles with Silicone Sleeves Backed by Greenhouse Capital Partners and Big Sky Partners

SAUSALITO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Lifefactory, a leading innovator of environmentally friendly and health conscious BPA-free glass baby and adult beverage bottles with patent pending silicone sleeves and silicone teethers, announced today it has closed a $1.65 million Series A funding round. The round was led by Greenhouse Capital Partners and Big Sky Partners. Lifefactory also announced that Peter D. Henig of Greenhouse Capital Partners and Katie Schwab of Big Sky Partners have joined its board of directors.

Co-founded by pediatric physical therapist and feeding specialist Pam Marcus and award-winning integrative designer Daren Joy in 2005, Lifefactory has created a line of easy-to-use, environmentally friendly, and design-forward glass bottles that are far safer and more functional than conventional plastic baby bottles and metal or plastic water bottles. Lifefactory products are free of known toxins including Bisphenol-A (BPA), phthalates, Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), and polycarbonates that studies have shown can compromise human health. All Lifefactory product components and accessories are made from non-toxic materials including latex-free silicone and plastic caps and rings that are recyclable and FDA approved. (Full Article)

Windspire – Press Release

New Capital Sign of Investors’ Confidence in Market Opportunity for Windspire® Wind Turbines

RENO, NEV – Windspire Energy, Inc. (formerly Mariah Power, Inc.), developer of the Windspire® vertical axis wind turbine, announced it has successfully raised additional capital. The latest round of financing was led by current investors Noventi Ventures, Greenhouse Capital Partners and Big Sky Partners. These funds will be used primarily for general corporate purposes, continuing research and development efforts and underwriting the international launch of the Windspire later this year.

This announcement follows recent major announcements from the company, including a name change from Mariah Power, a new solutions-based website (WindspireEnergy.com), and the execution of a new long-term supply agreement with a Michigan manufacturing company. (Full Article)

PCWorld – David Dahlquist

MobiTV has lent its video streaming capabilities to a number of apps, letting you watching everything from CBS’s college sports coverage to last month’s NCAA basketball tournament on your iPhone or iPod touch. The company also built a few apps of its own for things like the now-completed NBA regular season and Ultimate Fighting Championship events, delivering video-on-demand to mobile users.

But now MobiTV is moving beyond sports into the wider realm of entertainment fare. Released this month, MobiTV’s self-titled app delivers live TV and video-on-demand content straight to your iPhone.

A free download, MobiTV delivers round-the-clock news from ABC as well as on-demand content from Fox News, NBC News, and NBC Sports. You can also use the app to watch stand-up comedy and classic cartoons free of charge. (Full article)

PR Newswire – Press Release

Live television and video-on-demand service for iPhone includes sports, news and entertainment content

EMERYVILLE, Calif., April 12 /PRNewswire/ — MobiTV, Inc. today announced its MobiTV for iPhone application is available in the App Store. The app gives iPhone users live sports, breaking news and entertainment with enhanced discoverability and interactive technologies, the first in a wave of new mobile media features coming from MobiTV, Inc. Additionally, MobiTV for iPhone includes a user interface and experience that simplifies the delivery and consumption of personal, relevant and compelling media while providing a streamlined path for discovery of content by subscribers.

“MobiTV for iPhone truly showcases the capabilities and scalability of our technology platform and delivers a highly entertaining customer experience,” said Charlie Nooney, CEO of MobiTV, Inc. “The development of this app is the first phase of new technologies that we believe will change the way people view mobile media, making it a much more personalized and interactive experience.”

“Apple is a great innovator,” said Kay Johansson, CTO of MobiTV, Inc. “We’ve always viewed iPhone OS as a platform for innovation.” (Full article)

MobiTV – Press Release

Demonstration at the National Association of Broadcasters Show highlights new possibilities for mobile media delivery

LAS VEGAS – National Association of Broadcasters Show – April 12, 2010 – MobiTV, Inc., in collaboration with Triveni Digital, today unveiled the MobiTV Interactivity Server and Mobile TV Client, based on the ATSC A/153 Mobile DTV standard, enabling new interactive possibilities for mobile media delivery.

The demonstration of the mobile broadcast application conducted during NAB will feature live content from MSNBC, CNBC and Telemundo. This ready-to-deploy solution incorporates targeted, interactive news ticker with instant updates and clickable mobile advertising into a broadcast feed without taking the user to another application like a web browser.

“Until now, mobile broadcast technology has had very limited interactivity – something consumers are demanding,” said Kay Johansson, Chief Technology Officer, MobiTV, Inc. “This demonstration highlights the future of mobile media; targeted, content that is actionable, and moves broadcast TV from a one-way user experience to a two-way interactive engagement. (Full article)

The New York Times – Roy Furchgott

The new HTC HD2 says it has the biggest screen of any phone in the United States, 4.3 inches measured diagonally. It has given the phone cinematic aspirations.

To feed that aspiration, the phone is the first to come with Blockbuster on Demand, an application that enables you to download movies to the phone. It also has a MobiTV live television app and a Barnes & Noble book reader.

The screen is noticeably larger than iPod’s, but not startlingly so. But it’s not as vivid as an Amoled screen, found on some Samsung phones like the Wave. The fast Snapdragon processor lets videos run more smoothly than on some other phones I’ve seen.

The movie service left me befuddled. Why are we charged as much for low-quality phone versions of movies as a high-quality DVD? The Blockbuster app charges $3.99 for me to rent a movie on the phone – the same price as renting the higher-quality disc in a store (if you can find a Blockbuster that is still open). And it costs $17.99 to buy the digital copy, more than the cost to own the DVD. It’s as if they are forcing me into the arms of Netflix, Redbox and iTunes. (Full article)

Broadcast Engineering

Supporting multiple devices and multiple platforms used to mean concomitant support for several different digital rights management (DRM) technologies, making DRM implementation both costly and complicated from operational and licensing perspectives. It’s not a big stretch to say that the people most thwarted by DRM in the past were subscribers, not content pirates. Subscription mobile TV provider MobiTV and content management software company Pilat Media recently released next-generation centralized DRM solutions that release subscribers’ content from the chains that locked it to specific devices.

Working with content partners, MobiTV has developed a single DRM solution that spans multiple devices, enabling subscribers to store content on mobile devices and watch it offline wherever they want. The multiscreen, crossplatform solution allows for a number of business models including subscriptions, rental, content metering and sharing across multiple devices and platforms. Having MobiTV DRM on all platforms also allows easy authentication with minimal involvement by viewers.

Pilat Media has developed IBMS Rights, an extension of its Integrated Broadcast Management Suite (IBMS). The new IBMS Rights configuration lets broadcasters maximize revenue while staying in contractual and regulatory compliance. (Full article)

Windspire – Press Release

New Name Focuses on Company’s Innovative Windspire® Wind Turbine

RENO, NEV – Mariah Power, developer of the Windspire® vertical axis wind turbine, today announced a corporate name change to Windspire Energy, Inc.

The name simplifies the branding of the company and its lead product, while leveraging the innovation of the Windspire wind turbine. In conjunction with the name change, the company is launching WindspireEnergy.com, a new buyer-focused website with information on the many available applications of Windspire wind turbines.

The Windspire is a vertical axis wind turbine designed for use in urban, suburban and rural areas. The unique design of the rotor enables the turbine to generate energy silently while standing just thirty-feet tall.

Windspire – Press Release

Mariah Power, developer of the Windspire® vertical axis wind turbine, today announced a corporate name change to Windspire Energy, Inc.

The name simplifies the branding of the company and its lead product, while leveraging the innovation of the Windspire wind turbine. In conjunction with the name change, the company is launching WindspireEnergy.com, a new buyer-focused website with information on the many available applications of Windspire wind turbines.?The Windspire is a vertical axis wind turbine designed for use in urban, suburban and rural areas. The unique design of the rotor enables the turbine to generate energy silently while standing just thirty-feet tall.

Hundreds of Windspires are currently powering homes, businesses, schools, and museums across the United States. Recently the company announced the installation of 20 Windspires at the headquarters of leading software company Adobe Systems in San Jose, California. (Full Article)

PR Newswire – Press Release

AT&T is the Only Wireless Carrier to Deliver Live and On-Demand Masters Content To Mobile Phones
U-verse TV Customers Get Innovative Masters Multiview App At No Extra Charge

DALLAS, April 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — AT&T is bringing golf fans closer to the 2010 Masters Tournament with more ways to watch all of this year’s action across the TV, the PC and AT&T mobile phones. AT&T* today announced its exclusive three-screen coverage of the 2010 Masters Tournament, available on AT&T U-verse(SM) TV, online at AT&T Fan Zone and AT&T Entertainment, and on AT&T mobile phones.

“This year’s Masters is the most anticipated golf event in history, and only AT&T brings customers complete live and on-demand coverage of the Tournament to the screen of their choice,” said Dan York, president, content, AT&T. “Sports fans wait all year long for the Masters, and with AT&T, they can catch all the action, excitement and updates whether they’re on the couch, at work or on the go. And we’re proud to bring back our popular U-verse TV Masters app that gives golf fans an unmatched way to enjoy this year’s Tournament.”

Through an agreement with the 2010 Masters Tournament, AT&T will provide golf fans with more than 110 hours of live footage and on-demand content from Augusta National Golf Club. AT&T will be the only wireless carrier delivering live and on-demand Masters programming to mobile phones with AT&T Mobile TV, MobiTV and AT&T Mobile Video services. (Full article)

WIRED – Eliot Van Buskirk

Television broadcasters are crying foul over the FCC’s recently announced vision for the nation’s wireless broadband plan, which would require them to give up valuable spectrum so wireless broadband companies can use it instead.

Broadcast television is more relevant than ever now that it’s purely digital, argue broadcasters and their investors, because so many people carry color screens around with them these days, and all a smartphone or tablet needs to in order to be a portable television receiver is a small piece of receiver hardware already installed in many cellphones around the world (though few in the U.S. have them).

On the other hand, wireless broadband providers argue, the smartphone explosion – not to mention tablets, if those catch on – will require more wireless bandwidth than they currently have. And not just for video. So, the FCC should give them more room on the spectrum dial to deliver it. (Full Article)

VentureBeat – Paul Boutin

San Francisco-based InsideView, which makes a software product called SalesView, today announced an $11.5 million second round of funding led by current investors Emergence Capital Partners, Rembrandt Venture Partners and Greenhouse Capital Partners.

SalesView seeks to maximize lead generation and qualification for sales teams by aggregating news about companies and their executives so salespeople can automatically identify the right prospect at the right time. SalesView brings social media updates into existing sales tools such as Salesforce.com and SugarCRM because, as the company’s site says, “There’s no time to maintain the parallel universes of social media and business information for the busy sales professional.”

SalesView is sold on a freemium model: There’s a free version to lure in new customers and more advanced features for sale starting at $99 per month, per user. (Full Article)

Marketwire – Press Release

Company Continues Expansion and Product Innovation in Sales Intelligence and Social Selling Technologies

SAN FRANCISCO, CA–(Marketwire – March 31, 2010) – InsideView, Inc. today announced that it closed $11.5 million in Series B financing led by current investors Emergence Capital Partners, Rembrandt Venture Partners and Greenhouse Capital Partners. The new financing will be used to expand new customer acquisition efforts and scale user adoption and customer success, while accelerating the company’s investment in product development. InsideView is the leading provider of sales intelligence applications that help organizations tap into social intelligence to accelerate all aspects of the sales process.

“Over the last year we have seen hundreds of customers achieve new levels of sales productivity by using SalesView, which brings together social data and traditional business information to provide sales users a holistic customer view directly within CRM applications,” said Umberto Milletti, CEO of InsideView. “We’ve built a strong emerging leadership position in this new Sales 2.0 market, and we see tremendous interest from companies that want to put more power and science behind their sales efforts. We believe that sales, powered by InsideView, is the engine that will drive our customers’ growth — and our mission is to put the right information at the fingertips of salespeople precisely when and where they need it.” (Full Article)

Renewable Energy World – Press Release from White River Junction, VT

Revolutionary rail-free PV installation system to be unveiled through 12 training events across the nation

groSolar, a national leader in solar power distribution and installation, today announced the much anticipated launch of the Zep Solar rail-free mounting and grounding system for residential solar electric installations. During National Zep Week, April 19-23, the first-ever nationwide training program of this size, groSolar will train hundreds of installers nationwide in 12 cities across the country.

White River Junction, Vt. – groSolar, a national leader in solar power distribution and installation, today announced the much anticipated launch of the Zep Solar rail-free mounting and grounding system for residential solar electric installations. During National Zep Week, April 19-23, the first-ever nationwide training program of this size, groSolar will train hundreds of installers nationwide in 12 cities across the country. (Full Article)

PRWeb – Press Release

GIA announces the release of a comprehensive global report on Clean Energy Technologies markets. Rapidly increasing population, rising energy requirements, rapid advances in clean energy technologies beyond wind power and solar power generation, as well as government stimulus packages, will kindle global clean energy technologies market to reach US$201.8 billion by 2015.

San Jose, California (PRWEB) March 29, 2010 — Clean technologies or ‘cleantech’ play a fundamental role in determining the future of a nation’s economy. Adoption of cleantech solutions will decrease the energy requirements and other costs, in turn contributing to productivity, competitiveness of the industry, profits, and creation of jobs that boost the economy. Simultaneously, widespread implementation of clean technologies will help meet air contaminants and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals. By 2015, renewable energy is expected to become the second largest energy source, as businesses will increasingly migrate from conventional energy sources (gas, coal, oil, nuclear) to clean energies, such as biomass, wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal heat. Also, both public sector (national laboratories, universities) and commercial sector (incl. national and international enterprises) will continue to step up investment in clean technologies for environmental remediation, air pollution control, and energy generation. (Full Article)

Bloomberg Businessweek – Steve Richard Posted on Harvard Business Review

No, social media haven’t rendered the cold call obsolete. It’s alive and profitable for those who execute it skillfully

As social media and web applications have become the hottest networking tools in business, too many sales managers are burying the cold call as an obsolete business practice. If you fall in this category I’ve got news for you: the cold call is not only alive, it’s kicking. And it should be utilized by every B2B sales force.

I see far too many sales teams focus all their attention toward hosting fancy webinars or creating snazzy web-based marketing channels. Still, cold calling remains the most effective way to set up appointments with the right decision makers at your target accounts. A Fortune 50 wireless telecom company hired our firm to train their sales force in the ways of cold calls, and saw a 10% jump in revenue after implementing the tips below. Other clients have seen similar leaps in meetings or demos scheduled, from 20-100%. (Full Article)

Renewable Energy World – Diane Zeigler, White River Junction, Vt.

Solar company unveils ‘Life – Powered by Solar’ national advertising campaign

Solar installation and distribution firm groSolar today announced the launch of a new national advertising campaign that hits newspapers, radio stations, events and online marketing channels across the country this Spring. The ‘Life – Powered by Solar’ ad campaign is groSolar’s largest in its 12 year history, and features images of real people in real life situations, and notably, includes no images of solar panels typically seen in solar advertising. (Full Article)

Fierce Wireless – Press Release

Extending the reach of its mobile media services with major wireless operators, MobiTV, Inc. today announced the availability of its MobiTV product on the HTC HD2 which is exclusively available in the U.S. from T-Mobile USA, Inc. The mobile technology company will deliver its MobiTV product, featuring live mobile television and on-demand programming, as a pre-loaded application on the HTC HD2.

“This new offering from T-Mobile underscores our company’s vision to bring great mobile media experiences to consumers who want them, across multiple networks and on a variety of quality products,” said Charlie Nooney, CEO MobiTV, Inc. “Our technology platform is scaled to meet the growing demand of mobile video consumption, and our robust solution works across multiple networks and mobile operating systems. The HTC HD2 is an example of the next wave of outstanding smartphones, and we’re proud to work with T-Mobile to be a featured service on this highly anticipated device.”

MobiTV, Inc. expects the expansion onto the HTC HD2 from T-Mobile to increase the already rapid subscriber growth and daily viewership for its mobile media service, which shot up 49 percent from 2008-2009. (Article Available Here)