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)