Groupon’s Value Raised To $15 Billion
| January 15, 2011 | Posted by under Internet |
Groupon’s Value Raised To $15 Billion
GROUPON, the social buying site that spurned a $US6 billion offer from search giant Google, is pushing ahead with its first public offering. It is a debut that could value the company at $US15 billion or more.
After raising a record $US950 million from big investors, Groupon discussed a public offering with bankers this week, according to sources.
Banks are pitching Groupon on dizzying valuations, many of $US15 billion and some as high as $US20 billion, at which they expected to take it public, the sources said. Groupon was preparing to meet bankers again yesterday, the two said.
A public offering would be a milestone for the start-up, led by young founder Andrew Mason, whose quirky personality has helped shaped the site. The offering, which would be among the most anticipated since Google’s in 2004, would also represent the highest valuation of the company to date.
Since rejecting Google’s overtures, Groupon has been on the fast track for a public offering. Late last month, it hired its first chief financial offer, Jason Child, former finance vice-president for Amazon’s international business.
This week, Groupon raised nearly $US1 billion from large investors, including Fidelity Investments, T. Rowe Price and Morgan Stanley. It was the largest fund-raising effort for a start-up, a venture capital record previously held by DreamWorks Animation for 15 years, based on Thomson Reuters data. Due to Morgan Stanley’s recent stake, some analysts think it is on the short-list of banks vying to take Groupon public.
”Morgan Stanley is one of the premier firms on Wall Street. An investment would give them an inside track on an IPO,” said Greg Sterling, an analyst and founder of research company Sterling Market Intelligence.
CNBC first reported Groupon’s meetings with bankers this week.
Groupon, analysts say, may be hurrying to take advantage of the market’s momentum and the excitement about fast-growing web companies.
”It’s smart to strike while the iron is hot, and they’re the most visible and fastest-growing player in their market,” Mr Sterling said. ”To wait a year would inject a level of uncertainty for the proposition of going public.”
It is a particularly frenzied time for web start-ups. Twitter recently raised $US200 million, at a $US3.7 billion valuation. Professional social network LinkedIn was preparing a public offering this year, sources said.
Groupon’s eagerness for a public offering is in contrast to that of Facebook, the social networking giant that seems reluctantly headed for an offering in 2012.
This month, Goldman Sachs invested $US450 million in Facebook, at a $US50 billion valuation. The investment bank is selling another $US1.5 billion of Facebook shares to its wealthy clients through a special vehicle.
Groupon’s sprint to the public markets matches the speed of its growth. In less than three years, the daily deal site has gone from start-up to having more than 50 million users worldwide and annual revenue of more than $US1 billion. Its employee numbers, now 3100, grew so fast the Chicago-based company had to move its staff meetings to a nearby church.
Google Plans to Launch Android Music Store?
| January 15, 2011 | Internet, Mobiles |
As a result, last year Google introduced some technology, due to which Android users are able to stream music from their computers’ desktop to their mobile devices. In fact, the feature can also be offered by other version of Android operating system. But it can end up being one of the features offered by Android 2.4 that has the codename of Ice Cream.
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Firefox 4 Beta 9 Is Available for Download
| January 15, 2011 | Internet, Software/Utilities |
Firefox 4 Beta 9 is available for download. The company released the latest version on Friday. Firefox 4 Beta 9 comes with improved features: it offers faster start-up, smoother complex animation, history functions as well as better bookmarking. The first Firefox 4 Beta was released in July by the Firefox team. The final 4.0 release is expected to happen in February.
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Samsung Galaxy S Successor to Be Unveiled at MWS 2011
| January 14, 2011 | Mobiles |
Back in November, it was disclosed that that the Samsung Mobiles planned the release of a Galaxy S successor in 2011. According to Shin, the new version of Galaxy S will pack in a dual-core mobile processor, which means it can be a new dual-core chip developed by Samsung or Tegra T20 CPU of Nvidia Read More
Download avast! Free Antivirus 5.1.889
| January 14, 2011 | Software/Utilities |
avast! Free Antivirus is perfect for people who send e-mails and surf popular websites. avast! is a package of applications that aim to protect your computer from a possible virus infection or other malware threat. If you use it correctly, and in combination with other programs such as data backup utilities, it will significantly reduce the risk of your computer being attacked or infected by a virus Read More
Download ImgBurn 2.5.5.0 (Freeware)
| January 14, 2011 | Software/Utilities |
ImgBurn can write most types of CD / DVD images and it supports all the latest writers (including booktype / bitsetting on many of the major ones – i.e. BenQ, LiteOn, NEC, Plextor, Sony). You can even use ImgBurn to erase / format your rewritable media! ImgBurn will do its very best to burn DVD-Video double layer images Read More
Apple Brings Hardware Rotation Lock Back in iOS 4.3 for iPad
| January 14, 2011 | Apple, Computers, iPad |
There is also a set of new multitouch gestures due to which the interaction of the iPad can be enhanced. Based on iOS 4.3, the iPad is able to use four- as well as five-finger gestures. Moreover, full-screen iAd banners are added to the new version of operating system. They are available on HTTP Live Streaming Statistics and the iPad. But nothing is said about the mobile hotspot feature showed off by Verizon. Read More
Learn More about Verizon iPhone
| January 13, 2011 | Posted by under Mobiles |
Learn More about Verizon iPhone
It is already known that the Verizon iPhone will land in February. But before buying the handset it is necessary to know several key facts.
Do not expect that you will get an LTE device; instead it will be a CDMA handset. It is still hard to say if or when an LTE iPhone is available in the market.
Also CDMA phones have two key limitations. They are not supportive to simultaneous voice and data transmissions as well as CDMA networks are not so common in the rest of the world, as they are in the United States. It means that network connectivity options can be limited on your Verizon iPhone. But it is hoped that the iPhone will receive an updated standard in the near future.
Do not even expect that the CDMA iPhone will cost you more than the GSM iPhone. Verizon will sell the 16GB CDMA iPhone 4 for $199.99. But if you choose the 32GB CDMA iPhone 4, you will have to spend $299.99.
Moreover, the carrier is going to offer the iPhone with limited data plans. But still this information is not confirmed as Verizon hasn’t unveiled its pricing details about the iPhone data plans.
T-Mobile to Offer Dell Streak 7
| January 13, 2011 | Posted by under Mobiles |
T-Mobile to Offer Dell Streak 7
The Dell Streak 7 is set for release in the coming weeks. The tablet is ready for battle as it packs in nVidia Tegra T2 Dual-core1GHz. It is a pretty slim tablet device, offering the following measures: 199.9 x 119.8 x 12.4 mm. The tablet is also light in its weight, i.e. 450 g.
The Dell Streak 7 features a 7-inch display that offers the resolution of 800×480 pixels. It comes with Android 2.2 and offers full access to the Android Marketplace that is enabled with more than 100,000 applications. The tablet is equipped with a rear-facing 5 MP camera with the help of which a user can record high-definition videos. There is also a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera that can be used for video chats. The Streak 7 comes with 16GB of internal memory and it is enabled with a SD card slot.
Also Dell added a new Stage user interface. Users can sync photos, calendars, contacts as well as other data. As the device will be offered by T-Mobile, the carrier will pre-load their on-demand TV service. It will be supportive Adobe Flash.
It is suggested by T-Mobile that the Dell Streak 7 will be landed in the US in the coming weeks. But the carrier did not mention a word about pricing details. It is also unknown if the tablet gets support for the newly announced Android 3.0 Honeycomb.
Cityville’s Popularity Just Keeps Soaring
| January 12, 2011 | Posted by under Internet |
Cityville’s Popularity Just Keeps Soaring
Farmville was Zynga’s most popular game, until Cityville came along, and it took everyone, including Zynga, by surprise. Clearly, people loved building cities much more than farming and raising animals. That explains why Farmville has reported a decline in activity, and Cityville is touching nearly 100 million active players per day! These are really shocking figures for an online game, and Zyngais clearly excited. Inspired from the classic game, The Sims, Cityville encourages users to build their own metropolis along with their friends, and help each other to succeed in their respective cities. This concept may seem old but is still attracting users because of the social gaming factor.
In fact, the game is so appealing that even Silicon Valley businessmen, who have no time for such antics, are scheduling their days to fit in a few minutes of Cityville! Most of them are simply throwing away their money in order to get to higher levels in the game, but even with all the money, the game demands at least 100 hours of tough gameplay to reach the present highest level (60). So a wide range of people, including even Google employees, are hooked onto this addictive game, giving their busy work schedules a miss. Looks like the developers at Zynga have struck gold in their farms!
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