GDI Infotech
buys staffing firm, starts government division
Ann Arbor-based GDI Infotech announced
Tuesday that it had bought a smaller competitor and launched a new Government
Solutions Practice, with the former Deputy Administrator of Washtenaw
County, David Behen, in charge. The Government Solutions Practice will
focus on leveraging this experience to offer new technology, Web-based
and information-driven products and services to local and state governments.
Behen brings his experience from a distinguished career of more than
13 years in public service, the last 10 with Washtenaw County. As for
the addition, Soft-Link International is a provider of IT services and
talent acquisition to the life sciences sector in Michigan and nationally.
Its 42 employees will become part of GDI, which will rise to 152 employees
after the merger. More.
GeneGo
awarded NIH grant to develop software The St. Joseph systems biology
firm GeneGo Inc. Tuesday announced that it has been awarded a National
Institutes of Health grant to develop an integrated systems pharmacology
platform for pharmacogenomic research. The Small Business Innovation
Research grant, funded through the innovations in biomedical computational
science and technology initiative, will be used to develop a database
and systems biology tool-set specifically designed for the study of
mutations and sequence heterogeneity in human genes and their controlling
regions, as well as the biological consequences of sequence variations
on disease susceptibility and drug response. More.
Citizen
satisfaction with government Web sites flat... The American Customer Satisfaction
Index E-Government Satisfaction Index came in at 73.6 for the second
quarter, halting a drop in the first quarter that came after three consecutive
quarterly gains. However, the Index didn’t manage a rebound, matching
last quarter’s score, which is on a 100-point scale. More.
...while
study finds government Web site transparency equals trust A landmark study from e-government
satisfaction experts ForeSee Results is the first to quantify the impact
of online transparency and satisfaction on both overall trust in government
and on citizen engagement with government. The study reinforces the
crucial role of the online channel in President Obama’s Open Government
Initiative. The study, which employed the methodology of the University
of Michigan’s American Customer Satisfaction Index, showed the
strong relationship between online transparency, satisfaction, and the
future behaviors that boost government effectiveness, efficiency, and
collaboration with citizens. More.
Lawrence
Tech wins federal, chamber entrepreneurship grants
Lawrence Technological University has won
a $70,000 grant from the Economic Development Administration of the
federal Department of Commerce to study and seek to improve entrepreneurship,
innovation, and product development in southeast Michigan. The grant
will support a $146,000 feasibility study to be led by faculty and administrators
at Lawrence Tech. The Detroit Regional Chamber provided a $10,000 cash
match towards the grant. More.
Soldier's-eye view of battle captured by U.P. firm's camera
Video of an intense gun battle captured
by an American soldier equipped with one of V.I.O.’s Point-of-View
systems was featured in a report aired June 29 on NBC’s Nightly
News.
Correspondent Richard Engel was accompanying members
of Viper Company in Afghanistan when Taliban fighters attacked. One
of the soldiers recorded the nearly hour-long clash using a helmet-mounted
POV.T camera, Marquette-based V.I.O.’s solution for tactical applications.
As Engel reported, “With a video camera strapped
to his helmet, Sergeant Christopher Thompson recorded a rarely seen
perspective of what the war in Afghanistan looks like when you’re
fighting it.”
Sgt. Thompson’s footage shows the image clarity
and stability delivered by the POV.T under severe movement and vibration
conditions. NBC used it to provide a compelling view of “two synchronized
perspectives of the same fight.”
Fortunately, no Americans were injured. After returning
to base, Sergeant Thompson described how full functionality is provided
by the POV.T’s hands-free, unobtrusive design. “You just
press the button and record.”
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jeff.lasser@cbsradio.com
Sailboat
race drives record numbers to Michigan.org Sailboat racing enthusiasts
pushed user sessions to Michigan's official travel Web site to record
levels July 25-27 as they followed the Pure Michigan Bayview Mackinac
Race with Global Positioning System tracking technology available exclusively
at michigan.org/gps. On Monday, the third day of the race, visits to
the Web site set a record of 96,950 user sessions; total visits over
the three days reached 262,116; of those, 94,110, or 36 percent, were
to the GPS page. More.
SBA announces
support for Michigan robotics cluster
United States Small Business
Administrator Karen Mills appeared at Oakland University today to announce
the SBA’s support for a new Automotive-Robotics Cluster Initiative.
This unique cluster will open new markets for automotive suppliers in
Michigan while harnessing the region’s work force and its strength
in manufacturing. Mills, whose background includes work with a successful
boat-building cluster in Maine, praised the effort. More.
WorkForce
Software client sees 210 percent three-year ROI Livonia-based WorkForce
Software, Inc. said Tuesday that one of its customers, Atlantic Marine,
a defense contractor, saw a three-year return on investment of 210 percent
by using WorkForce's EmpCenter workforce management software, and a
payback on the purchase cost of only six months. The savings: $1.9 million
a year. More.
THE WORLD IN TECH
Courts OK
$1.13 billion sale of Nortel assets to Ericsson U.S. and Canadian courts
have approved Swedish wireless company LM Ericsson's $1.13 billion bid
to buy next-generation wireless technology and other assets from insolvent
telecom equipment maker Nortel Networks Corp. In his ruling Tuesday,
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Gross in Wilmington, Del., said he was satisfied
that the assets were being sold at a fair price and that both Nortel
and its creditors will benefit. The Ontario Superior Court of Justice
in Toronto also approved the deal. The rulings may not be the final
word in the tumultuous saga that has seen the former Canadian technology
darling fall from atop Canada's business world to be sold off in chunks
out of creditor protection. The Canadian government still could block
the sale. More.
Microsoft
to open stores in California, Arizona Microsoft
Corp. said Tuesday it is planning to open its first two retail stores
in Arizona and California this fall. The software maker said Tuesday
it signed leases at shopping centers in Mission Viejo, Calif. and Scottsdale,
Ariz. The Shops at Mission Viejo is already home to an Apple store.
The other location, Scottsdale Fashion Square, does not have a competing
Apple Inc. shop. The software maker confirmed details reported earlier
by CNET News. Microsoft maker picked those areas because they're "hot
markets," with the right demographics, said Kim Stocks, a corporate
communications director at the company. More.
Sprint
focuses on prepaid with Virgin Mobile deal Sprint
Nextel Corp. is intensifying its focus on the fast-growing market for
prepaid cell phone service with a $483 million deal to buy Virgin Mobile
USA Inc. The acquisition announced Tuesday calls for Sprint to pay $5.50
in stock for each Virgin Mobile share. Sprint already owned 13.1 percent
of Virgin Mobile, which uses Sprint's network to offer service. The
offer comes at a 31 percent premium to Virgin Mobile's closing share
price Monday of $4.21. The shares closed up $1.07, or 25.4 percent,
to $5.28 Tuesday. More.
China
to ban violent video games China
has banned Web sites from advertising or linking to games that glamorize
violence, another step in China's censorship campaign aimed at ensuring
social stability ahead of the 60th anniversary of communist rule on
Oct. 1. A notice posted on the Culture Ministry Web site on Monday said
games that promote drug use, obscenities, gambling, or crimes such as
rape, vandalism and theft are "against public morality and the
nation's fine cultural traditions." The ban on the Web sites starts
immediately. No details were given on how the law would be implemented,
but the notice called for law enforcement bodies to ensure Web sites
adhere to the new law. More.
Stocks:
Shares end flat on mixed economic data, earnings Stocks ended little changed
Tuesday as a key barometer of consumer confidence and a handful of disappointing
earnings reports reminded investors that an economic recovery this year
is far from assured. Stocks started to slip after the Conference Board
reported that its consumer confidence index fell more than expected,
fanning worries that bleak expectations among consumers and rising unemployment
would hamper the economy's ability to rebound from the longest recession
since World War II. Meanwhile, corporate earnings reports, which beat
meager expectations earlier this month, suggested that many consumers
remain unwilling or unable to spend. More.
The Nasdaq Composite Index (COMP)
rose 7.62 points or 0.4 percent to 1,975.51. The Dow Jones Industrial
Average ($INDU)
fell 11.79 points or 0.1 percent, to 9,096.72. The Philadelphia Semiconductor
Index ($SOX)
rose 0.61 points or 0.2 percent to 303.25. The Morgan Stanley High Tech
35 Index (MSH)
rose 0.8 points or 0.2 percent to 493.87. The NYSE Arca Pharmaceutical
Index (DRG)
fell 0.79 points or 0.3 percent to 280.11. The NYSE Arca Biotech Index
(BTK)
rose 11.29 points or 1.3 percent to 879.3. Finally, the Standard & Poor's
500 (SPX)
fell 2.56 points or 0.3 percent to 979.62.
All contents copyright 2009 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS Radio & Eye logo trademarked and copyright 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. Written and edited
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Sprint
Nextel Corp. is intensifying its focus on the fast-growing market for
prepaid cell phone service with a $483 million deal to buy Virgin Mobile
USA Inc. The acquisition announced Tuesday calls for Sprint to pay $5.50
in stock for each Virgin Mobile share. Sprint already owned 13.1 percent
of Virgin Mobile, which uses Sprint's network to offer service. The
offer comes at a 31 percent premium to Virgin Mobile's closing share
price Monday of $4.21. The shares closed up $1.07, or 25.4 percent,
to $5.28 Tuesday. 
