GLITR Friday, July 10, 2009

Your report for Friday, July 10, 2009

Azure Dynamics gets order for 16 more hybrid buses
Oak Park-based Azure Dynamics Corp. said Thursday that it had won a contract to supply 16 of its Balance hybrid electric buses to the Hybrid Truck Users Forum's Small Hybrid Bus Working Group. The working group is a joint program between Pasadena, Calif.-based CALSTART Inc., a nonprofit clean transportation research organization, and the United States Army Tank and Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center's National Automotive Center in Warren. More.

RouteOne wins ruling in patent infringement suit
Farmington Hills-based RouteOne LLC Thursday announced a favorable ruling in a July 6 hearing on motions in the patent litigation brought by DealerTrack in January 2004. On Wednesday, Judge Andrew J. Guilford of the United States District Court for the Central District of California, invoking the standard set forth in the Federal Circuit's recent Bilski decision, issued a summary judgment order invalidating the last patent being asserted against RouteOne and Finance Express on the basis of a failure to claim patentable subject matter. The ruling brings to an end five and a half years of litigation between the parties. More.

AnnArbor.com to add Business Review coverage; magazine to close
AnnArbor.com announced Thursday that the Ann Arbor Business Review brand will be part of the site when it launches Monday, July 20. Readers can expect the high-quality business coverage the Ann Arbor Business Review has provided since its inception in 2003. The Business Review will cease publication Aug. 13, but the name and content will continue through several channels on AnnArbor.com. More.

Lawrence Tech adds 35 certificates in film, other emerging industries
Lawrence Technological University is introducing 35 new “Reinvent Your Career” certificate programs that will position graduates for employment opportunities in emerging areas of the Michigan economy, including video and film production. It is the largest launch of new programs in the university’s 77-year history. More.

NXGen Holding launches green M&A campaign
Saranac-based NXGen Holdings Inc. announced Thursday an aggressive merger and acquisition campaign in order to expand its presence mainly in the multi-billion dollar "green" industry. In addition to building its wholly owned subsidiary, Green Bridge Industries, NXGen Holdings' business strategy will focus on adding environmentally friendly technologies and products that are looking to make the transformation from the R&D stage to generating revenues. More.

UM research: Higher gas prices, MPG reduce emissions

Last week, University of Michigan researchers released a study that showed that since late 2007, average fuel economy of new vehicles purchased has increased by more than 5 percent -- thanks in large part to unemployment and gas prices.

Now, in a companion report, Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle of the UM Transportation Research Institute suggest that as a result of improved fuel economy (from 20.2 mpg in October 2007 to 21.3 in April 2009) and a decrease in distance driven by U.S. motorists (a 3 percent drop in April 2009 compared to October 2007), carbon dioxide emissions per driver from purchased new vehicles have declined.

Emissions were lower in each month from October 2007 to April 2009. The greatest reduction -- 12 percent -- was achieved in July 2008. The reduction in April 2009 was 8 percent.

For a copy of the report, visit http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/63100/1/102303.pdf.

A full copy of last week's study is at www.umtri.umich.edu/news.php?id=2348.

Note: For information on how you can sponsor content in the Blue Box, contact Jeff Lasser at (248) 455-7319 or jeff.lasser@cbsradio.com

Lansing Chamber launches trade zone, port initiative, adds staff
Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Tim Daman has announced the hiring of Brent M. Case to the newly created position of director of the Foreign Trade Zone and International Development. Case will be responsible for overseeing marketing and development efforts of the new Foreign Trade Zone that is expected to be located at Capital Region International Airport. Case will also lead the growing number of LRCC initiatives in international education and Port Lansing development. More.

MSHDA adds Web for downtown redevelopment
Vibrant downtowns surrounded by walkable, safe neighborhoods attract new residents and businesses, promote investment, and jump-start economic growth. To achieve this, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority Thursday launched a new resource for communities to tap into information that will help make their downtowns vital economic centers. The Michigan Main Street Center, a part of the Specialized Technical Assistance and Revitalization Strategy Division, unveiled the new Michigan Main Street Center at MSHDA's Web site. More.

Ann Arbor rolls out pay-by-phone parking
Vancouver, B.C.-based Verrus Mobile Technologies Inc. said the city of Ann Arbor had launched its Pay by Phone parking service. Ann Arbor officials say Pay by Phone will make downtown parking easier, more convenient and more energy efficient. Downtown visitors won't have to search for coins anymore. Instead, with a free Verrus pay by phone account, they can quickly and conveniently pay for parking with a single call to the Verrus automated system. More.

THE WORLD IN TECH

New York AG: Tagged.com stole 60 million identities
New York's attorney general charged Thursday that Tagged.com stole the identities of more than 60 million Internet users worldwide - by sending e-mails that raided their private accounts. Andrew Cuomo said he plans to sue the social networking Web site for deceptive marketing and invasion of privacy. "This company stole the address books and identities of millions of people," Cuomo said in a statement. "Consumers had their privacy invaded and were forced into the embarrassing position of having to apologize to all their e-mail contacts for Tagged's unethical -- and illegal -- behavior." More.

Google CEO hails company's new PC operating system
Eric Schmidt spent his first six years as Google's CEO resisting a push by the company's co-founders to develop their own operating system for personal computers. But Schmidt began to change his mind after seeing the early versions of Google's Web browser. Now he is convinced Google's plans for an operating system tied to the company's nine-month-old browser will lead to a simpler, more enjoyable future for computer users. More.

Official says seven South Korean Web sites attacked
The third wave of cyber attacks to hit South Korea caused little disruption Thursday, with six of seven Web sites affected quickly back up and running. The attacks were the latest in a series that began July 4 in the United States and targeted high-profile Web sites including the White House and the office of South Korea's president. "The damage from the latest attack appears to be limited because those sites took necessary measures to fend off the attack," said Ku Kyo-young of the state-run Korea Communications Commission. South Korean and U.S. officials have implicated North Korea in the attacks, though have offered little evidence to back up their claims. More. Also, here's more on what will be a lengthy, complex investigation.

Sprint Nextel farms out network operations to Ericsson
Sprint Nextel Corp. on Thursday announced it will transfer operation of its wireless and wireline networks to Swedish telecommunications equipment maker LM Ericsson. The seven-year deal, valued between $4.5 billion and $5 billion, will transfer about 6,000 Sprint employees later this year to an Ericsson-owned subsidiary, based at Sprint's Overland Park, Kan., headquarters. About 2,000 of the employees are currently based in the Kansas City area with the remainder spread across the country. More.

Stocks: Alcoa earnings push market higher despite dismal job report
Stocks edged higher Thursday as investors put money into banking and industrial stocks as well as commodities. Investors worried about the economy have been cautious about buying stocks, even after heavy selling earlier this week made shares look relatively cheap. Investors were encouraged by better-than-expected results from aluminum maker Alcoa Inc., which started second-quarter earnings season and stoked hopes for more upbeat corporate reports to come. The gains were tempered by weak sales reports from retailers and evidence that the labor market is still hurting. More. The Nasdaq Composite Index (COMP) rose 5.38 points or 0.3 percent to 1,752.55. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) rose 4.76 points or 0.1 percent to 8,183.17. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index ($SOX) rose 7.01 points or 2.8 percent to 257.95. The Morgan Stanley High Tech 35 Index (MSH) rose 4.17 points or 1 percent to 433.97. The NYSE Arca Pharmaceutical Index (DRG) fell 1.87 points or 0.7 percent to 259.55. The NYSE Arca Biotech Index (BTK) rose 1.55 points or 0.2 percent to 645.55. Finally, the Standard & Poor's 500 (SPX) rose 3.12 points or 0.4 percent to 882.68.

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