LANSING - Gov. Rick Snyder signed legislation giving the state more flexibility in how it awards competitive grants and loans to businesses by expanding the scope of the 21st Century Jobs Fund to include information technology and agricultural processing, as well as grants and loans to any company that can demonstrate significant advancements in any
TOKYO - A year after Apple Inc. launched the iPad, Sony Corp. told The Wall Street Journal Tuesday it plans to enter the tablet-computer segment later this year with two models running Google Inc.'s Android operating system. Sony's two tablets?code-named S1 and S2?will be released late this year. The S1 is a slate-style tablet computer
CHICAGO - Video conferencing can help businesses reduce operating costs, improve their decision making capabilities and increase their customer contact. Yet, just half of businesses use video conferencing today. In November and December 2010, distributor CDW surveyed IT and telecommunications managers to understand video conferencing adoption, examine key drivers and identify implementation challenges. The Video
GRAND RAPIDS - Plex Systems announced Tuesday that Meijer supercenter chain has selected Plex Online as the cloud/software as a service enterprise resource planning software solution for its manufacturing processes. Meijer will implement the full suite of Plex Online solutions. Meijer, the inventor of the "one-stop shopping" concept, has 195 supercenters and grocery stores throughout
TROY - The Venture Michigan Fund II Tuesday announced its first investment commitment to MK Capital II, a technology venture capital fund that focuses on emerging companies in the digital media, software and education industries. MK Capital has offices in Ann Arbor, Chicago and Los Angeles. ?We are very pleased with the quality responses we
EAST LANSING - When Governor Rick Snyder unveils his education message on Wednesday, a hallmark will be moving authority for activity in the classroom to the teacher, he said Monday at the annual Governor's Education Summit in East Lansing. Snyder told the educators gathered at the Kellogg Hotel and Center at Michigan State University that
PONTIAC - Penny auction sites may be a dime a dozen on the Internet, but Michigan-based BidDogz.Com bounded into the pack with its own breed of auction site last week. Its slogan: "Where Bidding Doesn't Bite." Founder Michael Falk, who describes himself as a seasoned marketing veteran, said he came up with the idea for
LANSING - The Michigan Senate version of the budget is $40 million general fund below Governor Rick Snyder's recommendation, not $300 million, Ellen Jeffries, director of the Senate Fiscal Agency, said Monday. Last week, when the Senate Appropriations Committee reported all budget bills, Sen. Roger Kahn (R-Saginaw Township), the committee chair; Jeffries; and other Senate
TROY - The Venture Michigan Fund II, Limited Partnership Tuesday announced its first investment commitment to MK Capital II, L.P., a technology venture capital fund that focuses on emerging companies in the digital media, software and education industries. MK Capital has offices in Ann Arbor, Chicago and Los Angeles. ?We are very pleased with the
LANSING - Universities should not be required to report to the Legislature on their embryonic stem cell research, Governor Rick Snyder said at an event Monday. Both legislative chambers have so far supported the language, but Snyder indicated he thought it would at least violate voters' intent in allowing the research. "We need to focus