Browsing the neighborhood on Zillow's new iPhone app

Home buyers, real estate agents and nosy neighbors now can get the power of Zillow.com in the palm of their hands. The Seattle online real estate upstart today is unveiling a free iPhone application that allows users to browse property information on more than 88 million homes in the U.S.

Utilizing the iPhone's GPS functionality, the new Zillow app pinpoints a user's location and shows nearby homes on interactive aerial maps. Much like the company's Web site, the new app also shows estimated home values, historical property records, for-sale listings and photos.

Zillow has been working on the application for the past four months, with Chief Operating Officer Spencer Rascoff saying that "it took a little while to get it right." Other real estate companies already offer iPhone applications, including Zillow's San Francisco rival Trulia.

But Rascoff said that Zillow's application goes much further than the competition, leveraging the phone's GPS functionality as well as its touch interface to allow users to move around the map with the swipe of a finger..

Zillow's app also offers data on 95 percent of the homes in the country -- which means iPhone touting users can look up the value of a home or peruse interior photos of their neighbors' pad as they walk, drive or boat around the neighborhood.

"Honestly, it has changed the way I walk around the neighborhood," said Rascoff. "It is totally different. You are learning about every home in your neighborhood. It is fascinating and it is fun and entertaining. It is sport."

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Minecode employees look to avoid jail time as hearings near

Minecode CEO Pradyumna Samal and project manager Sandeep Verma, who pleaded guilty to computer intrusion earlier this year, are expected to be sentenced in federal court in Seattle this week. The charges arose after the employees at the Bellevue Web development shop intentionally disabled the Web site of Vinado, an online wine shop that had allegedly failed to pay its bills.

Both Samal and Verma are expected to to avoid jail time, according to pre-sentencing court documents filed over the past week. Samal is asking the court to impose a sentence of probation, while attorneys for Verma are suggesting no probation and a $750 fine.

Samal -- who orchestrated the misdemeanor crime and then lied to FBI agents about it -- could face a maximum sentence of one year in prison. But the U.S. Attorney's Office is recommending [PDF, 10 pages] 90 days of home detention, 288 hours of community service and three years of probation. The feds also are suggesting that Samal pay a $30,000 fine and participate in "moral reconation therapy."

"Samal’ s illegal response to a contract dispute, his subsequent lies to FBI agents, and his instructions to Verma to lie on his behalf, are indicative of someone who lacks a strong moral foundation and not of someone who would likely promote a culture of
compliance and ethics within his company," the government wrote.

For Verma, the government is recommending two years of probation, 40 hours of community service and a $5,000 fine.

"Defendant (Verma) has no prior criminal history and he played a lesser role in the computer intrusion offense than codefendant Pradyumna Kumar Samal, who directed Defendant to enter the commands that disabled Vinado’s website," the government wrote.

In pre-sentencing documents, Samal's attorney paints the picture of an enterprising immigrant entrepreneur who was unfamiliar with U.S. law.

"The act which brings him before the Court was impetuous. It was and borne of frustration with a customer that insulted his companyand employees, took their work product, used it commercially and refused to pay for it. A more experienced businessman would have reacted differently. But good men do make bad judgments at times. Mr. Samal enforced a right in a way that broke the law, although he was unaware of the law at the time he acted."

Samal's attorney, Irwin Schwartz, said that the CEO has accepted responsibility for his actions and has apologized to employees and customers. He also noted that the financial impact has been significant on Minecode.

"Our community needs this man. His employees need him, and of course his family needs him. There is no need to worry about
him offending again," Schwartz wrote.

Verma is set to be sentenced on Wednesday morning, while Samal is slated for sentencing on Thursday. Minecode has agreed to pay restitution of $120,000 to Vinado, though the company is asking for more.

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'Sweet 16' finalists named in UW Business plan competition

The University of Washington held the initial round of its annual business plan competition Tuesday. Judges from the local business community decided on a "Sweet 16" who will now compete for the top prizes on May 21. Ninety entries were submitted this year from colleges from across the state, with 33 teams chosen to give presentations. Here are the 16 teams that are moving on to the next round. (Descriptions provided by the UW.)

3 Phase Energy Systems, UW - Green technology that harnesses wasted exhaust energy and feeds it back into the grid. (Pete Agtuca, Ian Courtnage, Bo Hight, and Ben Reiber)
 
AuraViz, UW - Safe and affordable 3D dental imaging. (Stephanie Barnes, David Beck, Brady Bernard, and Jeremy Horst)
 
Big Canvas, UW - We take mobile/always-connected communication to the next level, beyond texting and Twitter, by offering richer media expressed through photos and creative arts to our users. (Adam Goldblatt and Satoshi Nakajima)
 
ecowell, WSU - Will design, deploy and manage a network of litter-free, beverage dispensing kiosks that allow users to customize their drink. (Brian Boler, Reid Schilperoort, Donald Tilton, and Andy Whitaker)
 
Energizing Solutions, UW - Washington corporation with patent pending technology to facilitate efficient motor operation and reduce unplanned downtime in industrial facilities, cutting customers’ operating costs by up to 5 percent. (Brian Pepin, Marc Ramme, and Anthony Simon)
 
Green Windows, UW - We will engage in the development and licensing of “Smart Windows” technology to architectural glass manufacturers. The technology will offer windows that change color with a flip of a switch. (Greg Humphreys, Jeff Litton, and Jianlei Shi)
 
HydroSense, UW - Novel, practical, low-cost, sensing solution for tracking water usage in the home. (Jon Froehlich, Conor Haggerty, Zach Okun, Vandan Parikh, and Debbie Tran)
 
MicroDose, Seattle U - Software which enables autonomous communication and insulin dosing decisions between a Continuous Glucose Monitor and Insulin Pump. This effectively creates an artificial pancreas to be used in the treatment of diabetes. (Bob Kircher, Don Matheson, Jensen Mauseth, and Richard Mauseth)
 
Myyeyou, UW - Online virtual community to provide professionals with services for social networking and career development service. (John Jin, Amir Kabbara, Winnie Lin, and Patrick Tsao)
 
Nanocel, Seattle U, UW - Provides high performance liquid cooling solutions to the electronics thermal management market. (Todd Fishman, Dustin Miller, Mehar Pratap Singh, and Daniel Rossi)
 
Nanofacture, Seattle U, UW - Fully automated biosensor system for PCR-free immunoassay from fluid sample that enhances the sensitivity of detecting cells (or DNA). (Jae-Hyun Chung, Stephen Hawley, Kyong-Hoon Lee, Simon Lee, Bonnie Lehenbauer, and Kieseok Oh)
 
Nova Theranostics, UW - Contrast agent (patent filed) for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) applications. (Micah Adler, Guillaume C.-Bouffard, Amanda Mathes, and Jeffrey Stevens)
 
Olive Only, SPU - Product line that uses olive oil as its foundational ingredient. (Loren Downs, Kevin McFarland, Joshua Russell, Sarah Schooley, Joel VanderHoek, and Jason Williams)
 
Shockmetrics, UW - Technology that is able to detect shock in patients before it becomes terminal. (Ryan Bergsman, Wayne Ciesielski, Deborah Kessler, Erik Roby, Anthony Rodriguez, and Kenneth Schenkman)
 
Sisalwood, UW - A sustainable alternative to hardwood for interior design and furniture. (Jason Hahn, Payan ole-MoiYoi, and Lindsey Sheets)
 
Soluxra, UW - Will revolutionize global renewable energy production with application of its ultra-low cost, next-generation organic photovoltaic (OPV) solar cell technology in residential solar panels, electricity-generating windows, and building facades. (Lawrence Chiu, Steven Hau, Alex Jen, and Angus Yip)

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Troubled MOD Systems cuts workers amid fraud allegations

MOD Systems continues to undergo tumultuous internal changes following fraud and embezzlement allegations brought against the company's top brass.

Sources tell TechFlash that as many as four workers were recently relieved of their duties at the heavily-funded Seattle company, including director of marketing Adrienne Lenhart and director of operations Douglas Lower. That follows our report earlier this month that Chief Executive Mark Phillips and Chief Operating Officer Kenneth Gordon had been placed on leave.

It was unclear whether Phillips and Gordon would ever be reinstated, and our sources didn't know the official status of the two executives. One source described it as an "indefinite leave." 

Reached on his cell phone, acting CEO Anthony Bay declined to comment. Lenhart, who had previously served as spokeswoman for the company, could not be reached.

In February, Seattle angel investor Bob Arnold sued Phillips, Bay and Gordon for breaching their fiduciary duties at the company. Filed in King County Superior Court, Arnold's suit alleged that Phillips "deliberately engaged in a massive fraud" against the company that included inappropriate travel and consulting agreements.

Lower and Lenhart are not named as defendants in the lawsuit.

Last September, the company landed one of the largest venture deals in the state when it attracted $35 million from Toshiba and NCR. MOD is the maker of a digital media kiosk technology that allows retailers to distribute music, movies, games and other entertainment products directly to consumers. 

Since the allegations were reported by TechFlash, MOD has kept a relatively low profile with few comments in the press.

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Dendreon's Prostate Vaccine Validated with Drama

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Symbian: Not Just for Smartphones Anymore

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Juniper: App Stores to Generate $25 Billion in Sales

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