Israel Innovation 2.0

During the week of July 11, 2010, Fring, a mobile VoIP network that lets users make video calls over 3G and other things, unveiled its new app for the iPhone 4 and set off a heated debate with Skype. Motorized bicycling is taking off in Israel and Conduit is continuing to report big numbers. For these stories and more, see this week’s headlines below.

Cleantech
1. Israel is catching on to motorized bikes as the next best urban solution

2. MST becomes 1st Israeli technology firm to connect to grid

3. BGU receives first US – Israel energy independence grant for light water reactor research

Investment
4. Vocaltec shares shoot up 150% after merger agreement with magicJack maker Ymax

5. Ormat Tech raising NIS 600m in unrated bonds

Information Technology
6. Self-healing software is on its way

7. Fring Unveils 3G Video Calls

8. Conduit Reports Big Numbers: 250,000 App Publishers, 170 Million Users

9. Tufin Technologies Wins International Stevie(R) Award in Seventh Annual International Business Awards(SM)

10. Promisec: Securing Networks from Within

Miscellaneous
11. Modu 1 modular phone hits UK, touchscreen Modu T to come: Android Modu-like?

12. Record number of tourists visit Israel

A few weeks ago, the Globes reported that the video service, ooVoo.com is “in negotiations to produce original Israeli content for its website, and on websites of prominent Israeli broadcasters.” The company is interested in spending $500,000 on the project. Not surprisingly, ooVoo’s technology was developed in Israel, so it makes sense that it wants to develop Israeli content.

The plan will include “very high quality video and audio chat rooms about Israeli and international celebrities.” When contemplating the current nature of video on the Internet (Skype, YouTube, Ve-Oh, BlogTV, Walla), live video and audio chat rooms is a new concept that none of these sites have really explored or fully embraced. It will be interesting to see how this proposed project fares with Israeli users and how other sites will integrate this in the future.

If you want to learn more about ooVoo, there are a bunch of videos currently floating around on YouTube. Below is one I found from Kiwibox.com on YouTube that shows ooVoo in action at the Digital Life Expo a few weeks ago.

For more on other online video-related activities by Israeli companies and how what ooVoo is doing differs, check out the following past posts of mine:
VON Israel and the future of VoIP
First online TVPC network? RayV
Israeli TV on the Internet: Ahead of the curve
Company in Focus: Walla Communications Ltd