Corante - Tech News: December 1, 2003

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C o r a n t e, December 1, 2003
Tech News. Filtered Daily.

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VENTURE CAPITAL
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>  The new old thing - New York Magazine

Michael Wolff ruminates on how the New Economy kingmakers of the 1990’s --
"humiliated" after having "failed categorically and miserably" -- are
reacting to the "second coming" of the Internet. It’s a mixture of angst,
envy, distrust and disbelief. Or, as Wolff notes, "like getting back
together with an abusive lover just out of rehab." Suddenly, Internet
stocks are booming, paid search is all the rage, and the 18-to-24
demographic has all but abandoned television in favor of the Internet.
>From the "rise of new media" to the digital transformation of entire
industries, "the Internet is turning out to be all the things the most
far-fetched said it was going to be. How do you deal with that?" As
always, Wolff is at his best describing the "crazy" pattern of events in
which "the dumb and foolish make money. The smart and cautious go broke."
http://www.corante.com/venture/redir/34310.html

>  Startups leave the Valley to go public - Mercury News

It’s not only IT jobs that are headed overseas -- apparently "scores" of
start-ups are departing Silicon Valley for more attractive locales such as
Taiwan. By moving the bulk of their operations overseas, these companies
hope to boost their prospects for an IPO in the fast-growing Asian
markets. Simply stated, Taiwan offers "easier access to venture funding,
investment help from the government and a lower financial bar for going
public." According to some Taiwanese officials, more than 200 U.S.-based
start-ups have relocated to Taiwan in just the past 24 months. The proof
is in the numbers: in 2003, more than 100 companies in Taiwan have
launched IPO deals, compared to only nine in the Bay Area.
http://www.corante.com/venture/redir/34309.html

>  Ready to make a great leap forward - Boston Globe

The Boston Globe profiles a number of Massachusetts-based technology
companies that are "exploring new directions and cultivating new ideas
that will create industry clusters." If these companies are successful in
"making giant leaps" in technological innovation, they could start
attracting "serious sums of venture capital" as early as 2004. Among the
six most important ‘clusters of innovation’: energy tech, sensor networks,
RNAi, dimensional displays, implantable medical devices, and RFID.
http://www.corante.com/venture/redir/34308.html

Visit our website for these additional stories:
Wine.com gets funds: $5 million - Mercury News
18 states reject Wisconsin's venture capital program - Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel
EVCA outlines IAS 27 concerns - Private Equity Online
Academic patent binge - Technology Review (sub req)
Israeli tech sector begins to rebound - AP

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http://www.corante.com/venture

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E-BUSINESS
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> Software soap drags on in Valley - Mercury News

All signs seem to indicate that Oracle’s $7.3 billion hostile takeover bid
is facing a number of insurmountable obstacles. Already six months old,
the bid still must receive the blessing of antitrust regulators; at the
same time, a controversial customer rebate program could make an
acquisition too expensive for Oracle. Wall Street analysts are now coming
to the conclusion that "Oracle is looking for a way to wriggle out of
this" -- the only question is whether Oracle can find a "graceful exit."
http://www.corante.com/ebusiness/redir/34302.html

> Q&A: SCO Group CEO Darl McBride - Internet News

The CEO of SCO Group, Darl McBride, comments on the ongoing legal squabble
surrounding Linux and the open source software community, emphasizing that
SCO will continue to "enforce our intellectual property." McBride
discusses the importance of owning the core source code for UNIX, explains
why SCO turned down a "gift horse" offered by the Linux community, and
shares his views on intellectual property. According to Mc Bride,
"intellectual property does matter. This country was built on a basis of
capitalism and coming up with some idea to protect it through patents,
copyrights, trademarks, all kinds of legal mechanisms. And that is what we
are doing here. We are protecting what is rightfully ours that we've paid
hundreds of millions of dollars for over the years."
http://www.corante.com/ebusiness/redir/34300.html

> The rise of India - Business Week

Business Week takes a comprehensive look at how India has created one of
the world’s fastest-growing technology sectors, and at the same time
aroused the envy and ire of the U.S. IT industry. After establishing a
reputation as a source of low-cost software and IT services, India is now
turning its eyes to higher-margin areas and, in some ways, surpassing
America as an innovative leader. The article: "quietly but with
breathtaking speed, India and its millions of world-class engineering,
business, and medical graduates are becoming enmeshed in America's New
Economy in ways most of us barely imagine." Indeed, some tech insiders are
asking whether "America could eventually lose its overwhelming dominance
in IT, just as it did in electronics manufacturing."
http://www.corante.com/ebusiness/redir/34301.html

Visit our website for these additional stories:
IBM expands financing arm to life sciences - InfoWorld
Surviving in the CRM space - Information Week
Pro sports teams draw up CRM game plan - eWeek
NetApp announcing products, partnerships - News.com

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http://www.corante.com/ebusiness

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INTERNET
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> Accenture makes a market on eBay - Forbes

Explains why, when the average Joe can sell on eBay without the help of
experts, Accenture is building a sizeable business helping other companies
sell excess merchandise via the site. "Recognizing that the online auction
giant can be an easy way to offload millions of dollars worth of excess
inventory, companies like Sony, Fujitsu, Sharp and Texas Instruments are
setting up shop on eBay, bypassing the liquidators to sell directly to
eBay's 86 million registered users." The Accenture unit, called Connection
To eBay, is housed at eBay's San Jose campus, employs 92 people and
promises manufacturers that, within 17 days, it will build a complete eBay
distribution channel. So far, Accenture has 60 customers for the service.
http://www.corante.com/internet/redir/34351.html

> Online game sites find their lucrative market among middle-aged - Seattle 
> Times

Reports on new data from IDC that indicates online gaming is finding an
audience among Baby Boomers. "Who's the typical online gamer? It's not the
spiky-haired teen who knows the cheat codes to the latest shoot-'em-up
game, or the college kid who spends too much study time playing online
football. It's their parents," says the Seattle Times. "Many first learned
computer gaming by playing 'Solitaire,' and with the Internet have
branched out to online billiards or 'Scrabble'." Alex St. John, chief
executive of WildTangent, a Redmond-based online game publisher: "It's a
completely new game-buying audience that's different from the traditional
market."
http://www.corante.com/internet/redir/34350.html

> Music at your fingertips, and a battle among sellers - New York Times

Bob Tedeschi comments on the intense competition in the online music
downloading business, saying industry experts believe that, "as music
labels and retailers compete more aggressively online, they will offer
more obscure titles and recordings of live performances that could find a
paying audience through downloads but make no financial sense to
distribute on CD's." It's one of several trends that are likely over the
next year, he says. The number of online music stores will continue to
grow for awhile, then "contract beneath the weight of excessive marketing
spending and slim profit margins," he predicts.
http://www.corante.com/internet/redir/34349.html

Visit our website for these additional stories:
Prospects are glittering for Internet luxury sales - Seattle Times
Teenage wasteland – or online goldmine? - E-Commerce Times
Idea for online networking brings two entrepreneurs together - New York
Times
Visual matching gives e-shoppers another tool - Seattle Times
Sobig still lingers despite shutdown date - News.com
'Micropayments' idea pops up again - AP
Google to limit some drug ads - Washington Post
Fox Searchlight illuminates blog - Variety (sub req)

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http://www.corante.com/internet

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COMMUNICATIONS
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> Juniper 'on the prowl' - Light Reading

Suggests that moves being made by Juniper Networks indicate it's gearing
up to "make acquisitions and has been actively vetting candidates." The
article makes note of the $1 billion "shelf" offering the company filed
for and polls several observers who echo what one venture capitalist says:
"They are on the prowl." Possible targets: wireless networking companies
such as Megisto Systems, Starent Networks or WaterCove Networks. Or
perhaps, it continues, an Ethernet switching and routing outfit such as
Force10 Networks. The piece concludes by saying that the company may only
be taking advantage of a window in which it can raise money and that the
potential fundraising may not in fact be acquisition-driven.
http://www.corante.com/communications/redir/34334.html

> VoIP firm Net2Phone starts franchise effort - News.com

Net2Phone has raised an additional $63 million that will largely go to
bankrolling its recently launched franchising program. The initiative
allows cable service providers to easily roll out VoIP service with
Net2Phone bearing the vast majority of the costs and netting more than 90%
of the revenue. The article: "Net2Phone's success could prove pivotal in
making VoIP services available from scores more cable operators, many of
which are struggling for financial footing after years of economic
slowdown."
http://www.corante.com/communications/redir/34333.html

> S Korea expects wireless exports to reach $16 billion in 2003 - Dow Jones 
> Newswires

A short item worth catching which reports that the South Korean government
is saying the country's on track to export more than $16 billion worth of
mobile handsets and wireless equipment this year, up substantially from
$11.7 billion last year. The government says "exports of mobile equipment
have passed the $15 billion mark within eight years of South Korea's entry
into the market, compared with 12 years for semiconductors and 25 years
for automobiles." Also noted: its claim that it will command 26% of the
worldwide mobile market by 2010.
http://www.corante.com/communications/redir/34332.html

Visit our website for these additional stories:
Markets shaped by consumers - New York Times
Atheros files for NASDAQ listing - Mobile Pipeline
Cellphone's add-ons demand more juice: battery can't keep up - Wall Street
Journal (sub req)
Powerwave to acquire Sweden's LGP Allgon - Wall Street Journal (sub req)
Can wireless save handhelds? - Washington Post

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http://www.corante.com/communications

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LAW & POLICY 
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> Adam Smith's lessons for IT - News.com

Declan McCullagh has a few thoughts on protectionism in the high-tech
trade. McCullagh argues that the tariffs levied on Hynix's DRAM chips is
unncessary. Hynix has been hit with a 44.3 percent tariff on memory chips
after competitors complained that the company was being unfairly
subsidized by the South Korean governmnet. According to McCullagh, "Even
if that is accurate, it won't last forever: South Korea eventually will
find that other parts of its economy are ailing as a result and will stop.
More to the point, South Korea's alleged profligacy is a great deal for
U.S. consumers, who get cheaper prices at Korean taxpayers' expense."
http://www.corante.com/policy/redir/34339.html

> Google to limit some drug ads - Washington Post

The focus on online drug sales has moved Google to follow in the footsteps
of Yahoo and MSN and stop accepting ads from unlicensed online pharmacies.
Regulators and members of Congress are focusing their efforts on
legitimate companies that facilitate online drug sales by unlicensed
pharmacies, such as credit card companies, shippers and banks. Google
spokesman David Krane says that Google will ban the names of certain drugs
as keywords for search-related advertising, and use a third-party company
to filter out ads from unlicensed pharmacies.
http://www.corante.com/policy/redir/34340.html

> China frees 3 Web-savvy dissidents - Chicago Tribune

Chinese authorities have released three Internet activists who have been
held for a year, ahead of a visit by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. China has
often released political prisoners ahead of high-profile meetings to avoid
political conflicts. 23-year-old Liu Di, who wrote and posted political
essays using the pseudonym "Stainless Steel Mouse" was one of the
dissidents freed. Li Yibin, who ran the "Democracy and Liberty" website
and Wu Yiran were also freed. Two others who have campaigned for Liu's
release are still being detained.
http://www.corante.com/policy/redir/34338.html

Visit our website for these additional stories:
Army quietly opens JetBlue probe - Wired News
Another GOP break-in vs. Dems - Wired News
Nigeria to tackle internet fraud - BBC News

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http://www.corante.com/policy

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PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY
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> Global chip sales accelerate in October - Reuters

Worldwide chip sales increased 6.8% in September, showing their strongest
month-to-month growth since March 2002. ''Demand for semiconductors was
strong all across the board,'' said the European Semiconductor Industry
Association, which published the data. ''We consider this announcement to
be quite bullish, although not surprising given the strength reported over
the last three months, and mid-teens growth for this year appears pretty
much assured,'' wrote an analyst. Semiconductor execs say they'll believe
the market has turned when they see commodity chip sales recovering.
http://www.corante.com/personal/redir/34326.html

> Can wireless save handhelds? - Washington Post

With handheld sales down 15% since their peak in 2001, the industry's fate
may depend on wireless, say analysts. Most of the PDAs being sold these
days are replacements. Only about 15% of them include wireless
capabilities, but the number may double next year because of cheaper
chips. Meanwhile, sales of smart phones are increasing and should surpass
sales of handhelds this year. The point: ''If PalmOne is able to figure
out how to persuade mainstream consumers to buy a Palm-running smart phone
for their next cell phone, it could mean good business for the struggling
company.''
http://www.corante.com/personal/redir/34325.html

> 5 tech innovators - Fast Company

A profile of five innovators who are ''working on something really new.''
Their projects: portable fuel cells that could replace batteries
eventually, tiny ''smart dust'' wireless sensors, worms that may hold the
secret of longevity, an interactive display that floats in mid-air, and an
online customized clothing system. These ideas ''could either trigger
earthquakes in existing businesses or give birth to entirely new ones,''
claims this article.

http://www.corante.com/personal/redir/34324.html

Visit our website for these additional stories:
Welcome to the Dell house - Mercury News
Shrinking the gadget, not the profit margin - Los Angeles Times
Microsoft revs its automotive engines - News.com
Phoenix toughens up BIOS - ZDNet (UK)

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http://www.corante.com/personal

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BIOTECHNOLOGY
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> Biogen Idec goes into buy mode - Boston Globe

Biogen Idec, reports this piece, is ready to start spending a good chunk
of its $1.5 billion cash reserves in the coming years as it looks to beef
up its pipeline. Biogen Idec's executive vice president of development:
"We're going to learn how to do some dumpster-diving." James Mullen, CEO
of the newly merged entity, who says the company is looking to do several
significant deals every year: "You can be delusional and say you're
smarter than everyone else in this business, or you can think you're going
to be luckier than everybody else. It's great if that works but that's not
a business strategy." Observers respond by saying there will be stiff
competition for those compounds in Phase III trials. Says one: "They're
competing with the pharma guys and the pharma guys have been playing this
game with savvy business development guys who have been pounding the
pavement a lot longer than Biogen Idec."
http://www.corante.com/biotech/redir/34318.html

> Celltech to regain rights to key antibody drug - Wall Street Journal (sub req)

Celltech announced today it will regain the rights to the antibody drug
CDP 870 after it refused to renegotiate its agreement with Pfizer which
earlier this month demanded new terms. Exclusive rights to the drug, which
is currently in late-stage trials for rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's
Disease, will revert to Celltech within 90 days. The article goes on to
discuss the growing optimism about the drug and several other diseases it
looks like it may be able to combat. Also worth noting: Celltech says it's
fielded inquiries from "a number of global pharmaceutical and biotech
companies" about CDP 870.
http://www.corante.com/biotech/redir/34317.html

> IBM expands financing arm to life sciences - InfoWorld

IBM Global Financing will provide financing to health care, life sciences
and pharmaceuticals companies that are looking to buy or lease new or used
IT medical equipment (e.g. X-ray machines). According to IBM executives,
the company’s financing unit is "locked and loaded and ready to go" --
after rolling out the program in the U.S., IBM plans to expand into Canada
and other countries. IBM comments on the strategic rationale for the move:
"One thing we looked at very closely was the convergence of IT technology
with medical technology and we noticed that the boundaries are getting
blurred. It's really like a continuum of technology because in medical
technology these days it's so computerized and digitized."
http://www.corante.com/biotech/redir/34319.html

Visit our website for these additional stories:
Banished biotech corn not gone yet - Mercury News
Food biotech is risky business - Wired News
Chicago area fumbles biotech ball - Chicago Tribune
Biotech dreams - The Oregonian
$250M eyed to grow biotech here - Seattle Business Journal
Academic patent binge - Technology Review (sub req)

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http://www.corante.com/biotech

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