State companies get tech grants
Five Michigan technology companies were awarded nearly $420,000 in
federal grants after receiving support from the state's Emerging
Business Fund.
The federal money was awarded through the Small Business Innovation
Research Grants program. The Emerging Business Fund, along with the
Michigan Economic Development Corp., provided matching funds.
Among the five companies to receive funding are:
-- Mid Michigan Research L.L.C., Okemos, $69,779 for engineering and
developing testing software for transportation-related systems.
-- Soar Technology Inc., Ann Arbor, $139,945 to develop human reasoning
software that can automate complex tasks and simulate human behavior for
uses in homeland security and life sciences.
AOL enters area VoIP market
Detroit is one of 40 markets nationwide where Internet service provider
America Online Inc. began offering online phone service in April.
AOL Internet Phone Service uses Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP,
technology for placing phone calls via the Internet or similar computer
networks instead of through traditional phone networks.
AOL offers an introductory price for its Internet phone service to new
subscribers to its broadband Internet access service. It has other rate
plans for existing Internet subscribers who want to add the VoIP phone
service. The service brings together voice, e-mail and instant messaging
and includes other common features such as call waiting, call forwarding
and caller ID.
Web Site Optimization releases free Web page tool
Ann Arbor-based Web Site Optimization LLC launched a new free service
that will prevent Web sites from losing visitors due to
bandwidth-hogging Web pages.
The new 0.94 version of the WSO Web Page Analyzer Tool will scan,
analyze, and calculate page size, composition, and download time.
Version 0.94 adds frame support, CSS-based image grouping, faster
execution, and an XML interface.
The WSO Web Page Analyzer Tool is sent out to fetch the web page, and
all of the objects within the page. It then analyzes the entire page and
its components for size and download speed at different bandwidths.
Once the check is complete, a full report is produced for the viewer in
HTML format with a summary on how the page performed.
Clarity sold to British firm
Auburn Hills-based Clarity Technologies Inc. was sold for $17.1 million
in cash by Cambridge Silicon Radio of Cambridge, England.
Clarity will continue to operate as a division of Cambridge, led by the
existing management team of Clarity with the exception of President and
CEO Raymond Gunn.
Sales and marketing will report to Cambridge's corporate offices.
Clarity's office and operations will stay in place.
Clarity's software makes microphones work better, including microphones
integrated into vehicles.
The company was started as an incubator by Birmingham-based Sloan
Ventures L.L.C. in 2000 and has raised at least $9 million in venture
capital.
Cambridge designs and sells microchips used in short-range Bluetooth
communication devices and Wi-Fi chips used in wireless phone devices and
similar consumer products.
Michigan fifth among 'small-tech' states
Michigan moved up three places in an annual top-10 ranking of micro- and
nanotechnology states for 2005, tied with Texas for fifth place,
according to a recent study.
The rankings are published annually in March by Ann Arbor's Small Times
Magazine. They are based on six categories: research, industry, venture
capital, innovation, workforce and costs.
Michigan's move was led by improvements in industry, innovation and
venture capital.
California is at the top of the list.
Kinderstreet to help manage youth program
Child care provider Youth Net Inc. selected Ann Arbor-based Kinderstreet
to manage and centralize the administration of its youth-enrichment
programs in the Atlanta Public Schools.
Kinderstreet, which recently changed its name to Vale Solutions,
provides Web-based software for after-school, early childhood and camp
programs. The software can perform online enrollment, record-keeping,
scheduling, attendance tracking, billing and reporting from any
location.
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