WRAL Tech Wire

 Durham's infrastructure for success: Revitalized buildings, high-octane people, organizations

New Bull City, Day Five: The rebirth of Durham over the past two decades came through a powerful convergence of people, places, a university, and organizations. Buildings were rebuilt to accommodate new businesses, not tobacco. New structures were added. But the key ingredient is the people: The leaders and organizations who have provided the life blood to turn new and improved buildings into the sites for a new community.

The American Underground - where new businesses are born

Bidding war? Google mulls acquiring map software firm Waze

Google, maker of the Android operating system, is considering buying map-software provider Waze, setting up a possible bidding war with Facebook, people sources tell Bloomberg news.

Update: Former Paradigm Genetics CEO heads new executive search firm office

Heiri Gugger, known around the world as an ag biotech expert, has become managing director of a Research Triangle Park office for Kincannon & Reed, the leading global retained executive search firm serving the agribusiness, food and life science sectors.

 The art of failing gracefully: Lessons from a startup gone bad

New Bull City, Dave Five: In the second of a two-part first-person essay, Matthew Davis talks about the lessons he learned in the failure of GetZeek - a startup with a great idea that failed.

GetZeek interface and app

Microsoft's Xbox won't be blocked from U.S. after patent victory over Google

Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox video-gaming system won't be blocked from entering the U.S. after a trade panel found it doesn't infringe a patent owned by Google's Motorola Mobility unit.

FDA launches first inquiry into unregulated health apps

An iPhone application that lets users check levels of blood, protein and other substances in their urine is the first target of U.S. regulators seeking boundaries in a burgeoning industry for medical diagnosis on-the-go.

 Making a 'public pitch' and cashing in: Mystery Brewing's TV drama

I can see the merits of a public pitch, as long as its understood that there's a fat line between the pitch you make for investment and the pitch you make for publicity. One has a lot more meaning, the other gets tweeted a lot if you blow it. Durham's Erik Myers was a smash hit despite being "terrified."

Tapping another keg for Mystery Brewing

 Pop goes ChannelAdvisor - Stock rockets 32% in IPO hit

Talk about "pop." The Morrisville-based provider of ecommerce services went public today on the NYSE, setting a price of $14 per share on 5.75 million shares. Shares opened at $17.60 and quickly rose more than 30 percent.

Scot Wingo, center, rings NYSE's opening bell

Research Triangle region leads N.C. job growth; more than 36,000 jobs created

The 13 county Research Triangle Region gained 36,447 net new jobs in 2012, leading the state in job growth.

 ChannelAdvisor looking to raise $80M through IPO today

The Morrisville-based provider of ecommerce services anticipates going public today on the NYSE, setting a price of $14 per share on 5.75 million shares.

ChannelAdvisor's customer segments

PowerSecures acquires safety firm, remaining stakes in two companies

PowerSecure is expanding its holdings in a mix of deals that have cost the firm $4.3 million in cash and stock.

UNC Wilmington hires Triangle exec to lead entrepreneurial center

Since 2000, Jim Roberts has been involved in technology startups. He launched entrepreneur bootcamps in Charlotte in 2000, started the entrepreneurial council and angel investor network in Asheville and has worked for NC Department of Commerce and Center of Innovation for NanoBiotechnology.

SciQuest board names CEO Wiehe as its chairman

Stephen Wiehe, the top executive at SciQuest since 2001, succeeds Noel Fenton, the formal board chair, did not stand for re-election.

 Bull City blues: Learning lessons from some big failures

New Bull City series, Day Four: Alongside all of the many startup technology success stories in Durham over the past two decades, some notable failures have occurred as well. From telecommunications and wireless to app development and videogames, WRALTechWire reviews some of the disappointments - and the lessons learned.

Motricity's former Durham office

 'The underbelly:' A first-person account of a startup's march to doom

New Bull City, Day Four: Matthew Davis is in the early stages of a new career as director of product marketing at Raleigh-based apps developer StepLeader. But in September 2011, he and a partner launched their own company, GetZeek, through which they hoped to capitalize on mobile coupons. The business failed, and Davis has chosen to share his story of what he calls "the underbelly" of business startups.

GetZeek - a good idea gone bad

Lenovo profits soar 90% behind growing PC share, smartphone sales

"Somebody over there is doing something right," an analyst in Hong Kong tells Bloomberg news. For its full fiscal year ending March 31, Lenovo's profit rose 34 percent to $635 million on a 15 percent rise in sales to a record $34 billion.

Lenovo chart shows growth of non-PC revenues

 Overture lands $8M in new funding, expands operations

Morrisville-based Overture, a provider of technology and services for Ethernet-based broadband worldwide, is adding new offices after securing new equity financing.

Overture's new logo

Twitter beefs up account security with two-step process

Twitter is adding a new security tool to its website, making it harder for outsiders to gain access to accounts, a month after a false posting triggered a stock-market decline.

HP's slump deepens in 2Q as earnings fall 32 percent

Hewlett-Packard's slump is deepening as the world's largest personal computer maker scrambles to meet the growing demand for more versatile and less expensive mobile devices.

Oxygen Biotherapeutics names new chief medical officer