ABL ONLINE FEBRUARY 1, 2007

Tanner's ClearSync Adds Mac and Linux Support
ClearSync, a division of Tanner Research, where John Tanner is CEO, has released ClearSync 2 with the addition of automatic synchronization and support for Macintosh and Linux computers. ClearSync enables groups of users to create, edit and share multiple calendars and contact lists between any combination of PCs, Macs and PalmOS devices. Multiple calendars can be viewed separately, or side-by-side, or merged with color-coding to identify the calendar for each event. >>

Telelogic: Partnership Addresses Growing Demand for EAs
The first group of students have earned their certification as enterprise architects from the Carnegie Mellon University's Institute for Software Research International in a collaboration with Telelogic, where Jesper Christensen is a senior executive. Telelogic and Carnegie Mellon are teaming to provide coursework that addresses the challenges and benefits of enterprise architecture, and provides participants with a practical approach to successfully implement and use EA within their organizations. >>

ORA: Optoelectronic Design + Ray Tracing Design Software
Optical Research Associates, where Bob Hilbert is CEO, and RSoft Design Group have developed a new interface to provide extended modeling capabilities for optical devices that span both macro- and micro scales. Many optical applications require modeling with multiple optical simulation tools, each focused at different aspects of a design, including optical data storage (ie, CDs, DVDs), digital camera systems, and display backlight units. >>

Microsemi: Releases Radiation Hardened Transistor Line
Microsemi Corporation, where Jim Peterson is CEO, has released a new line of Radiation Hardened Space Level Transistors. With government approval of its newly designed JANSH2N2222A, Microsemi can now provide devices passing radiation exposure levels up to 1Meg RAD (Si). Microsemi has also developed its own certified radiation testing capability in conjunction with the University of Massachusetts. >>

Line 6: Announces New Awards, New Products
Line 6, here Mike Muench is CEO, has garnered two recent awards: its Variax Acoustic 300 Nylon received Guitar World Acoustic Platinum Award for Quality & Design; and its TonePort UX2 got the 22nd Annual Editor's Choice Award in Hardware, Musician's Interface. Meanwhile, Line 6 announced Bass Floor POD, an all-in-one solution that provides the bass player with premium tone and effects in a portable package, as well as Floor POD Plus, which can be used as a multi-effect unit in front of any guitar amp or PA. >>

Cornerstone OnDemand Expands Into Europe
Cornerstone OnDemand, where Adam Miller is CEO, has expanded into Europe with new European-based staff and localized its application to support client language requirements in Portuguese (Brazil), French (Canada and Europe), German, Spanish (Latin America), Chinese and English (UK). >>

SYCR Invites ABL Members to Outsourcing Seminar
Stradling, Yocca, Carlson & Rauth invites ABL Members to attend "Outsourcing: Catch the Wave," on February 22 in Newport Beach, a seminar that will address why large companies can't ignore strategic sourcing in today's business climate; how mid-caps can get in on the action; and what to do if your current sourcing arrangements aren't yielding value. SYCR will comp ABL members if they register with the promotion code sycr1 on www.sycr.com or www.stradlingsourcing.com . For more information: >>

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

Globally, CEOs Confident About Revenue Growth
Nearly twice as many CEOs now feel very confident about revenue growth over the next 12 months compared to five years ago, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers' 10th Annual Global CEO Survey of 1,100 CEOs across 50 countries. Over 90% of those surveyed are upbeat about revenue growth in the next 12 months, and 93% are confident of achieving growth over the next three years. Geographically, CEOs expect growth will continue in Brazil, Russia, India and China. Beyond that, the top five countries cited for significant growth opportunities are Mexico, Indonesia, Vietnam, Korea and Turkey. The biggest growth opportunity cited by CEOs is better penetration of existing markets for existing products (23%) with access to new markets via geographic expansion a close second (21%).
*Regarding how to fund expected growth: Nearly 80% prefer to use internal cash flow; less than 20% anticipate calling on the equity markets for support; and 10% are considering private equity or venture capital financing.
*Regarding potential barriers to growth: 73% cite over-regulation, up from 64% last year; and 72% cite a looming scarcity of key skills. Non-business risks such as terrorism, scarcity of oil and other natural resources, political instability and global climate change, were seen as less threatening to business prospects, and about half the CEOs are expending no resources to combat them. However, the current debate about global warming and climate change is beginning to bite, with 40% expressing concern; this figure rises to 58% for Asia Pacific CEOs, but only 18% of North American CEOs. (PRIME NEWSWIRE, 1/24/07)

Q406 VC Activity in Southern California Analyzed
Venture capitalists invested $759 million in 92 deals in Southern California in Q406, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association. San Diego County saw the greatest volume of deals, with $380M invested in the quarter, followed by Los Angeles, with $256.5M in deals, and then by Orange County, with $122.4M. Overall, Southern California was the second most active region in the country for venture capital in terms of dollars, followed by New England with $695.2M invested in 96 deals. The Bay Area continued to lead the nation, with $2.1 billion in 260 deals for the quarter. Biotechnology was the Southern California industry with the most VC activity, with $252M in investments for the quarter; software had $105.5M; semiconductors, $94.9M, and medical devices, $91M. (socaltech.com TechNews, 1/23/07)

Digital & Mobile Music Market Booming
Worldwide mobile phone users spent $13.7 billion to have music delivered to their handsets, and that figure will rise to $32.2 billion by 2010, according to a new Gartner Dataquest report. (eMarketer Daily, 1/25/07) Meanwhile, digital music sales in general continue to climb. Nielsen SoundScan reports more than 675 million digital track sales worldwide in 2006, with nearly 600 million such sales in North America alone, up from 359 million in 2005. And the IFPI estimates that worldwide digital music sales revenues doubled in 2006 to around $2 billion. Currently, digital sales account for roughly 10% of the music market. (eMarketer Daily, 1/23/07)

Area Universities Announce Major Breakthroughs
Caltech and UCLA researchers have created the densest memory circuit ever fabricated, saying that the circuit -- about the size of a white blood cell -- has 160 kilobits of capacity, equivalent to the density of memory that a semiconductor firm like Intel would contemplate making in the year 2020. The memory chip has bit density of 100 gigabit per square centimeter, which is about 100 times the capability of current technology. (socaltech.com TechNews, 1/26/07) Meanwhile, a team of researchers at UC Santa Barbara have achieved lasing operation in nonpolar gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors, creating the world's first nonpolar blue-violet laser diodes. The breakthrough could lead to a replacement for current lasers used for the HD DVD and Blu Ray next generation video formats. The laser diodes could also be used for optical storage, high definition displays, and medical applications. (socaltech.com TechNews, 1/30/07)

90% of Spam Relayed from Zombie Computers
The U.S. hosts the largest number of malicious Web sites and more spam was sent from U.S. computers in 2006 than any other single nation, reports Sophos (China was second). However, 90% of all spam is now relayed from zombie computers, hijacked by Trojan horses, worms and viruses under the control of hackers. That means that they do not need to be based in the same country as the computers being used to send the spam. (eMarketer Daily, 1/23/07)

Broadband Over Power Line Expected to Surge
Broadband over power line (BPL) services will outpace other access methods, such as DSL and cable, over the next five years, according to a new Parks Associates report, which estimates that the number of U.S. households subscribing to BPL services will increase from 400,000 in 2007 to 2.5 million by 2011. (eMarketer Daily, 1/22/07)

UPCOMING ROUND TABLES & EVENTS

2/1 - Thursday Orange County Round Table
2/2 - 210 Corridor Round Table
2/9 - West Los Angeles Round Table
2/14 - Wednesday Orange County Round Table