seattle

Romo the smartphone robot raises $1.5M, seeks world domination

Here's a novel way to pitch potential investors: "Do you realize how young we are? Do you realize that we're going to f**k up big time?!"

And yet, that's exactly how Keller Rinaudo, the 24-year-old co-founder and CEO of robot maker Romotive, began his meetings with investors last fall. The upshot: Success way beyond what he had ever imagined.

Rinaudo recently closed a $1.5 million first round of funding, three times what the company set out to raise when it began looking for backers. Among the investors are Zappos founder Tony Hsieh, the … Read more

Some Apple stores temporarily closed, reasons unknown

SAN FRANCISCO--Walking through the Marina District section of town here yesterday, I tried to find the local Apple Store, thinking I could determine why my MacBook Pro was having battery issues. The only problem? The store, which I've been to many times, was curiously nowhere to be found.

Today, it all makes sense. According to a news story making the rounds, the store I was trying to find, on Chestnut Street, and possibly at least two others around the country, are temporarily closed. In the case of this store, it seems that the facade had been blacked out in … Read more

Report: Windows Phone 7 revenue an 'abysmal' $613 million

Microsoft's Windows Phone sales for 2011 are "abysmal," according to a story in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer published last Friday.

Diving through Microsoft's annual report released late last month, the news site came up with a revenue figure of $613 million for the full fiscal year, which includes Windows Mobile, Windows Phone 7, Zune, Mediaroom, Surface, and hardware.

Remove the sales kicked in by the Zune and the other non-mobile items, and Microsoft's mobile operating systems actually delivered less than $613 million.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request from CNET for comment on the … Read more

Microsoft's Ballmer responds to calls for his ouster

Microsoft's Steve Ballmer yesterday addressed the delicate issue of calls for his dismissal as CEO, according to a report from GeekWire.

During a Q&A following a speech given by Ballmer at the Rotary Club in Seattle, Assunta Ng, publisher of the Northwest Asian Weekly asked for his reaction to critics who say that it's time for Microsoft to change its CEO and that it's time for him to go.

Ballmer, who is known for his loud, direct style, responded by saying, "YOU TELL ME if I lack energy or conviction, or we're not … Read more

Seattle Seahawks home to add Solyndra solar panels

The Seattle Seahawks stadium, Qwest Field Event Center, is adding solar panels to its roof.

The solar arrays from Fremont, Calif.-based Solyndra are racks of thin-film CIGS (copper, indium, gallium, and selenide) solar cells shaped like tubes. The racks will cover approximately 2.5 acres, about 80 percent, of Qwest Field, Solyndra announced yesterday.

Solyndra is known for its tube-shape solar cells that capture direct, diffuse, and reflected sunlight throughout the day without the need for a rotating mechanism, the method often used to maximize the efficiency of flat solar panels.

The arrays for Qwest Field will come from Solyndra's state-of-the-art solar manufacturing plant in California, which was built in part with a $535 million federal loan guarantee from the Department of Energy. The plant is a showcase for U.S. green-tech manufacturing: It employs over 1,000 people operating robotics manufacturing tools as a way to curb production costs and compete against inexpensive solar panels from China while keeping jobs in the U.S.… Read more

iPad + ice storm + gravity = surprise outcome

In some parts of the country, a little snowfall isn't a big deal, but in my part of the country--Seattle--things can get bad fast.

Seattle, if you're not familiar, is built on a series of steep hills. It also has relatively mild winters, though it usually gets cold enough to snow once or twice a year. A winter storm blew in last week that dumped a few inches of snow and brought record-low temperatures. It also coated the entire hilly city in a good half-inch of slick ice under the snow.

And that's where I had a problem. Walking home on Wednesday night, getting ready for Thanksgiving, I was walking down a street in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. I was not wearing snow-sensible shoes. My feet went flying out from under me and I landed on my back. Hard. It hurt.

But before I even realized I was injured (I bruised a couple of ribs, cut open my thumb, and pulled a muscle in my left leg), my mind went to the canvas bag over my shoulder and the unprotected iPad inside.

I pulled the gadget out and surveyed the damage. It was beat up pretty bad and looked like I felt, but it still fared better than me.… Read more

Jones' D&D-themed soda: Insert nerd pun here

I love soda, but I don't drink it much because I'm not into high-fructose corn syrup. I love Dungeons and Dragons, but I don't play it much because I'm a grown-up with a real job. But I'm excited about a new D&D-themed collection of sodas by Seattle's own Jones Soda Co., which lets consumers personalize sodas with flavors, photos, and messages.

You see, I've always wanted to try an actual Potion of Healing. And now Jones has an array of "Spellcasting Soda," which includes the aforementioned Potion of Healing, … Read more

Facebook to open engineering office in Seattle

Facebook on Wednesday announced that it will open an office in Seattle to build up a new team of engineers as the social network faces continued rapid growth. It'll be open sometime this summer, engineering manager Ari Steinberg wrote in a post on the Facebook blog; a Seattle jobs page on Facebook says that the office will be located downtown.

"As we grow to meet these challenges, we need to continue to attract the smartest, most talented technologists on the Internet," Steinberg's post read. "Seattle has a strong history of innovation and is home to … Read more

Last call for i-Booze delivery service

I wouldn't for a moment think that anyone working late on something frightfully significant in Redmond would conceive of alcohol as a means to help them through their engineer's block.

But just in case there is one tortured soul who might be tempted to have a six-pack delivered to his cubicle, I have some difficult news.

i-Booze, the Seattle-based folks to whom you used to be able to turn online for a swift delivery of soothing liquids, seems to have fallen on difficult times.

For Techflash has delivered the information that not only has i-Booze failed to secure … Read more

Lego devotees flock to Seattle

SEATTLE--In one corner of the exhibition hall, hands sift through bins searching for rare pieces missing from vast collections. In another area, a giant Lego person rides in circles atop a brick rendition of the Segway scooter. In between are myriad Lego creations large and small.

It was all part of BrickCon 2009--a four-day festival devoted to Lego, the Danish creation that celebrated its 50th birthday last year.

On display were pieces of Lego art, replicas of real cities and even visions of an apocalyptic future crafted from the signature blocks. For those seeking to build on expansive collections, … Read more