Breaking News

University of Michigan Economists Sees US Growth Recession Ending ANN ARBOR - Sure, the United States economy is struggling, but the end to the "growth recession" may be in sight, say University of Michigan economists.

Court Of Appeals Tosses Reform Michigan Government Now Proposal LANSING - The Reform Michigan Government Now! proposal does not meet the standards set by the Constitution for amendments, the Court of Appeals ruled unanimously Wednesday evening, and therefore cannot be placed on the November ballot.

Apple Acknowledges iPhone 3G Reception Issues CUPERTINO, Ca. - Apple has finally acknowledged the iPhone 3G's reception issues, confirming that the iPhone OS 2.0.2 software update was designed to fix those problems.

Federal Solar Energy Tax Credit Held Hostage By Presidential Politics WASHINGTON DC - Frustrated with political deadlock, solar energy companies fear a big setback if Congress fails to renew a key federal tax credit set to expire at the end of the year.

Customer Satisfaction With e-Biz WebSite Up 6 Percent This Year ANN ARBOR – Customer satisfaction with e-business websites rose 6 percent in the past year, establishing a new high, according to the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index second quarter report, released Tuesday.

Olympic Hero Phelps To Be Featured On Kellogg Cerel Boxes BATTLE CREEK - The 2008 Summer Olympics aren't even over yet, and Kellogg announced Tuesday that US swimming hero Michael Phelps - who trained in Ann Arbor - will have his face on specially-marked boxes of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes and Corn Flakes in mid September.

Podcast

OnStar CIO Talks New Tech Available In September DETROIT - Tim Cox, CIO at OnStar, talks about the technology at use for this General Motors in vehicle telematics product, and the new wrinkles that will be rolled out in September. Cox was a keynote speaker at the recent Midwest Technology Leaders Conference.

Phil Bertolini Talks Oakland County Web Site DETROIT - Phil Bertolini, CIO for Oakland County, was one of three recipients of the Corporate Commitment To Michigan Award, at the Michigan Technology Leaders Conference. In this News Maker Interview, Bertolini talks about all the technology and Internet communications tools the state's second largest county is using to make it easier for residents to access government services.

Automation Alley

Automation Alley Names Finalists For Annual Awards TROY - Automation Alley announced Tuesday the finalists for its Eighth Annual Awards Gala September 12 at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn. The envelope please.

Automation Alley Invests $600,000 In 3 Southeast Michigan Startups TROY - Automation Alley recently invested $600,000 to assist three Southeast Michigan companies develop their innovative technologies and businesses.

Entrepreneur's Corner

Seeking Outstanding Web Sites For Helen eWards Competition TROY - Do you have or do you design web sites with killer graphics, great content or innovative technology? You could be a 2008 winner of a coveted Helen eWard for Web Excellence. Any Michigan website is eligible. But the submission deadline is September 5.

Great Lakes Entrepreneur's Quest Hosts Open House Aug. 21 ANN ARBOR - Great Lakes Entrepreneur's Quest will be hosting an open house with MichBio at their new headquarters in Ann Arbor on Aug. 21 and the public is encouraged to attend.

Security

Hollywood Wants ISPs To Police Artists' Copyrights ASPEN, Colo.- Recording industry and motion picture lobbyists are renewing their push to convince broadband providers to monitor customers and detect copyright infringements, claiming the concept is working abroad and should be adopted in the United States.

Microsoft Planning IE Privacy Mode REDMOND, Wa. - For many, privacy on the Web is a concern. And for Microsoft's Internet Explorer team, privacy is a feature.

ConnecTech

Bob Montgomery - ConnecTech July Mentor Of Month TROY - Bob Montgomery, Executive Director of Information Technology, Oakland Community College, is the July 2008 Mentor of the Month. To hear more about the program, and what Montgomery gets from it, listen to this special edition of News Maker Interview on the ConnecTech channel.

GLEQ Launches Cantillon Training For Entrepreneurs ANN ARBOR - Great Lakes Entrepreneur's Quest has launched a new paid training service for entrepreneurs who sign up to compete in the business-plan writing contest. It's called Cantillon. Miche Suboski, a small business advocate who works with GLEQ.Org, provides details in this special New Maker Interview on the GLEQ channel.

GreenTech

Capitol Hill Eclipse For Solar Power? WASHINGTON DC - Frustrated with political deadlock, solar energy companies fear a big setback if Congress fails to renew a key federal tax credit set to expire at the end of the year.

Michigan House Adjourns Unable To Reach Agreement On Energy Bill LANSING - Unable to reach an agreement on legislation restructuring Michigan's utility and energy regulation, the House has cancelled its scheduled session for Wednesday.

Politics

Nearly Six In 10 Michigan Residents Say Worse Off Than A Year Ago LANSING - Michigan residents are a tiny bit more optimistic about the future of business conditions in the next year, but they have never been so gloomy about their own current state, a new survey shows.

Michigan Court Of Appeals May Rule On Reform Government Proposal LANSING - Hinting broadly it may decide before Thursday's Board of State Canvassers' meeting, the Court of Appeals heard arguments Tuesday that there is nothing in the constitution that limits the size and scope of a constitutional amendment brought by the people while opponents to the Reform Michigan Government Now! proposal argued back that there it is clearly understood that amendments could embrace just embrace a single subject.

Biotechnology

New Discovery May Improve Effectiveness Of Cancer Therapies GRAND RAPIDS - Researchers at Van Andel Institute and Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research have identified an important enzyme required for cancer cell survival, which could help lead to more effective treatment of pancreatic, prostate and lung cancers.

MichBio To Offer Bi-Annual Magazine To Highlight ANN ARBOR – Biotech trade association MichBio will publish a bi-annual magazine starting in November devoted to chronicling the discoveries, trends, issues and personalities that are shaping Michigan's biosciences community.

Guest Columns

Lack of Technological Innovators Threatens Michigan TRAVERSE CITY - A sharp decline in engineering-school enrollments in Michigan will have an adverse effect on the state's economy and also threatens the long-term recovery of the nation's domestic auto industry.

Serious Concerns With Exceptions In Great Lakes Compact In an article you ran on August 4, 2008 "US Senate Approves Great Lakes Compact - House To Vote After Labor Day," you state that the Great Lakes Compact will "strictly limit water diversions." While the Great Lakes Compact could be a means to protect Great Lakes waters, there are serious concerns with the exceptions laid out in the Compact – such as that allowing the packaging and sale of Great Lakes water as a "product" for private gain as well as its explicit exemption of bottled water.

New Products/Contracts

American Airlines Ads Wi-Fi To Transcon Flights DALLAS - American Airlines passengers will now have Wi-Fi access on some flights. The airline said that it has finally launched its in-flight Internet access service via Wi-Fi on 15 of its 767-200 airplanes.

Microsoft Sees Tailored Search As Way To Pierce Google's Armor SAN JOSE - Microsoft believes it's found a way to gain an edge against Google's dominant search engine: a deeper understanding of what people are searching for and what's on Web pages.