As SiliconBeat reported this week "Venture capitalists awash with cash -- may soon beg you to take some".

While VC raised funds (11.2 bln USD) were still higher back in 2001, the buyout firms (38 bln USD) have hit an all time high.

The numbers come from Thomson Financial and the NVCA (North American Venture Capital Association). As usual in the past, the European counterpart EVCA has no numbers - yet. I assume they are all now busy with checking out exotic investment opportunities in St. Tropez or wherever else they moved their headquarters during the summer. At least that's a good reason this time of the year.

This map shows Google's first -free- Wifi installation in its "home town" Mountain View. You can see all the access points and also uncovered areas.

Intel
In price war with AMD.

• Negatives: revenues -13%, profits -57%, 49% gross profit
• Positives: launched lots of new products even ahead of planned schedules

Motorola
Mobile phones remain a hit. Other business units lack same growth. Exception is digital set-top boxes that also showed strong growth.

• dependency on mobile phone market now even stronger
• revenues +29%, profits +48%, mobile phone sales +53%, market share +4% (22%)

Apple
Market is waiting for new iPod models. iPod market share 75% in US. 75% of all Macs have Intel CPUs now. Transition going smoothly.

• -23% desktops sold, iPod sales flat
  
• revenues +12%, profits +48%, +61% notebooks sold

eBay
All business areas show revenue growth. (auctions, Paypal, Skype). Overall revenues and profits remain flat due to stock option expenses.