Deals

Yahoo's 2013 Shopping Spree May Include Tumblr
May 18, 2013

Yahoo is reportedly looking to purchase microblogging platform and social networking website Tumblr for $1 billion. Tumblr is considered one of the coolest companies on the Internet because of its appeal to younger users -- the very demographic that Yahoo, which recently characterized its users as aging, is now attempting to reach.

Nintendo Scoops E3 With Previews of Upcoming Titles
May 17, 2013

Nintendo has once again gone straight to gamers with its latest Nintendo Direct video to generate hype for its latest offerings. The video game console maker and game publisher announced Friday that popular characters will arrive for the Nintendo Wii U and Nintendo 3DS handheld system. The latest Nintendo Direct primarily focused on games coming out this summer.

B&N Investors Salivate Over Microsoft Nook Deal
May 10, 2013

Barnes & Noble investors reacted with pure unadulterated joy to the possibility that Microsoft is considering entering the e-book market and will acquire the company's Nook unit for a whopping $1 billion. Shares rose by a dizzying 24 percent on Thursday, when the rumor surfaced. By the close of Friday trading, shares were up another 5.6 percent, at $23.31.

Facebook's Road Trip May Include a Stop to Buy Waze
May 10, 2013

Rumors that Facebook is deep into the process of purchasing Waze -- maker of a mobile satellite navigation app that leverages crowdsourced mapping and traffic tips -- are making the rounds. Facebook has apparently signed the terms and is conducting due diligence after six months of negotiations.

Huawei Founder Speaks
May 09, 2013

Ren Zhengfei, the founder and CEO of Huawei Technologies, spoke to the media for the first time on Thursday. Ren, formerly a member of the Chinese military, has been the focal point of Western skepticism toward Huawei -- which resulted in the company being barred from a broadband project in Australia, as well as being labeled as untrustworthy in a U.S. House Intelligence report.

Hacking Software Guru Faces the Music in US Court
May 06, 2013

Hamza Bendelladj, an Algerian national known by his alias "Bx1," appeared in an Atlanta court last week, where he faced a 23-count indictment stemming from his alleged participation in the cybercrime consortium responsible for hacking software known as "SpyEye." Bendelladj, 24, was the target of a three-year manhunt that ended in a Bangkok airport in January.

Wall Street Gives New T-Mobile Thumbs-up
May 01, 2013

T-Mobile on Wednesday announced that it had completed its merger with MetroPCS. The new company debuted on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker "TMUS," ringing in a new start for the No. 4 U.S. mobile carrier. The merger gives T-Mobile an additional 9 million subscribers, for a total of 43 million.

MetroPCS Shareholders Bless T-Mobile Union
April 25, 2013

T-Mobile can breathe a sigh of relief: After an initial show of reluctance by MetroPCS Communication investors, 80 percent approved its sale to T-Mobile at a special shareholder meeting held on Wednesday. T-Mobile reportedly sweetened its bid for the company to bring on board those shareholders who felt the original offer undervalued MetroPCS.

Provo Is Next Stop on the Google Fiber Express
April 20, 2013

One week after the announcement that the Google Fiber network would come to Austin, Texas, Provo found out it will be the third city to get the search company's gigabit high-speed service. The Utah city, home to a much-criticized, money-losing fiber optic network, will sell it to Google for $1. The announcement means the company will eventually provide the city with Internet service that is 100 times faster.

Verizon May Have Finagled a Less Taxing Way to Buy Out Vodafone
April 19, 2013

Verizon Communications, which posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on the performance of its wireless business, has increased the pressure on Vodafone Group to sell its 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless. The sale would give Verizon Communications full control of the largest mobile carrier in the United States. "There has been a lot of speculation about the tax consequences of a purchase of this 45 percent," noted Verizon CFO Francis Shammo.

Icelandic App Aims to Prevent Accidental Incest
April 18, 2013

Before knocking boots, knock phones. Three software engineers at the University of Iceland have designed an app to alert people if a casual encounter might in fact be casual incest. By bumping their mobile devices together, the app lets users -- and potential partners -- instantly compare their lineage, showing the nearest common ancestors. If a close relative is detected, users are alerted via an alarm and text warning.

Wireless: Fertile Ground for Wheeling and Dealing
April 18, 2013

Thanks to countless conversations with reporters, I have developed a crystal clear idea of why Dish Network and SoftBank want to acquire Sprint Nextel. It has less to do with wireless carrier ambitions, and much more to do with the future -- being leaders in a new space that's still largely under the radar. When wireless took off, it is was all about voice calls. Then the industry realized if it wanted to continue strong growth, it had to be about more.

HP Takes Leap of Faith Into Motion Control Tech
April 17, 2013

HP will be incorporating Leap Motion's motion control technology into some of its upcoming products, both companies confirmed Tuesday. Select PCs from HP bundled with Leap Motion's technology will be available this summer, HP spokesperson Cherie Britt told TechNewsWorld. Devices with the Leap Motion Controller technology embedded in them will come later.

Dish Stirs the Pot With $25B Sprint Bid
April 16, 2013

Dish Network set up a battle with SoftBank for ownership of Sprint after it bid $25.5 billion for the company on Monday. The bid consists of $17.3 billion in cash and $8.2 billion in stock. That works out to a combined premium of 13 percent over what SoftBank is offering. The merger will create an industry-leading spectrum portfolio, Dish Network said.

Google Takes Another Step Toward Omniscience
April 16, 2013

Google has engaged the Behavio team in a "hiring exercise." The startup uses mobile sensors to collect data and predict behavior. Its technology recognizes data such as location, contacts, nearby destinations, recent phone activity, daily movement, and surrounding physical information. Data can be analyzed to let consumers know anything from whether their morning coffee stop is unusually crowded to which traffic routes are clear.

Google, EU Reach Meeting of the Minds
April 15, 2013

In an effort to appease European regulators, Google for the first time has agreed to make legally binding changes to its search results. The changes stem from a two-year investigation into whether Google abused its online search dominance in Europe. The changes will not force Google to amend its algorithm, but instead will require it to clearly label search results from its own properties.

VCs Throw Foursquare a Hail Mary Pass
April 13, 2013

Foursquare, the poster child for check-in tech when the trend was hot, announced this week that it has raised $41 million in a new financing round. The funding was provided by private-equity firm Silver Lake and existing investors Andreessen Horowitz, O'Reilly AlphaTech Ventures, Spark Capital, and Union Square Ventures. What is striking about this transaction is that the funding was debt -- specifically convertible debt -- rather than equity.

Microsoft Signals Laser Focus on Xbox With Mediaroom Sale
April 08, 2013

Microsoft confirmed on Monday that it has agreed to sell its Mediaroom IPTV platform business to Ericsson. Mediaroom is currently used to power many of the leading Internet television services. With this acquisition, Ericsson will reportedly become the leading provider of IPTV and multiscreen offerings. This move will allow Microsoft to focus its TV efforts on the Xbox platform.

Samsung to Hang Its Shingle Inside Best Buys
April 04, 2013

The latest consumer electronics manufacturer to follow the store-within-a-store trend is Samsung, which announced Thursday that Best Buy will dedicate space within its U.S. showrooms and specialty stores for the Samsung Experience Shop, an area dedicated to the company's products and demonstrations. Best Buy will rollout the Samsung Experience Shop in more than 1,400 Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores.

Apple Apologizes to Chinese Customers Following Media Beatdown
April 02, 2013

Apple CEO Tim Cook apologized Monday to Chinese customers over the company's warranty policy, adding that he would improve customer service in China, which is now Apple's second-biggest market. The apology may be linked to a mid-March television special that aired on "Consumer Rights Day," claiming Apple's Chinese customers were treated worse than their Western counterparts.