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BlackBerry launches service to manage Android, Apple devices Monday, Jun 24, 2013 09:04 PM PDT By Euan Rocha TORONTO (Reuters) - BlackBerry launched a service on Tuesday allowing government agencies and corporate clients to secure and manage devices powered by Google Inc's Android platform and Apple Inc's iOS operating system. The long-anticipated offering, which BlackBerry had said would come out around mid-year, could help the company sell high-margin services to its large clients even if many, or all, of their workers are using smartphones made by its competitors. ... Full Story | Top |
Microsoft to bring 'Age of Empires' to Apple, Android phones Monday, Jun 24, 2013 07:57 PM PDT By Malathi Nayak and Tim Kelly SAN FRANCISCO/TOKYO (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp will offer its popular "Age of Empires" game for Apple Inc's iPhone and other smartphones through a tie-up with Japan's KLab Inc, seeking to capture growth in a booming mobile game market. Microsoft's gaming business is dependent primarily on its Xbox franchise but mobile devices have been eating into the gaming industry, luring consumers away from traditional consoles. ... Full Story | Top |
Details emerge on $5.2 billion loan for Icahn's Dell bid Monday, Jun 24, 2013 03:48 PM PDT By Michelle Sierra and Leela Parker (Reuters) - Jefferies & Co. launched a $5.2 billion covenant-lite loan package on Monday that backs Carl Icahn's bid for computer manufacturer Dell Inc, sources participating on a lender call said. The marketing to investors kicked off, and terms were detailed, during the 4 p.m. ET call. A $2.2 billion, six-year term loan B-1 is guided at LIB+400 with a 1 percent Libor floor. A $3 billion, 3.5-year term loan B-2 is guided at LIB+350 with a 75 basis-point Libor floor. Both tranches are offered at a discount of 99. ... Full Story | Top |
U.S. panel takes action aimed at needless patent lawsuits Monday, Jun 24, 2013 03:45 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. trade panel that deals with patent infringement cases took a step on Monday that could rein in companies, often known as patent trolls, accused of embarking on frivolous litigation. The International Trade Commission said it will soon require some complaining companies to prove upfront that they have a significant presence in the United States. The commission said it created a pilot program in which its six administrative judges will in some cases determine within 100 days if companies that sue for infringement have adequate U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
Demand Media acquires e-commerce marketplace for $94 million Monday, Jun 24, 2013 03:16 PM PDT By Jennifer Saba (Reuters) - Demand Media, the owner of content websites eHow, Livestrong and Cracked, said on Monday it had acquired the e-commerce marketplace Society6 for $94 million in cash and stock as the company diversifies its business model. Society6 marks Demand's first real foray into e-commerce. With a community of about 300,000 members, Society6 helps artists sell their goods such as iPhone cases, T-shirts and prints directly to consumers. For example, an artist belonging to Society6 uploads an image of a product. ... Full Story | Top |
Rivals Microsoft and Oracle team up on push into cloud Monday, Jun 24, 2013 02:32 PM PDT By Noel Randewich and Bill Rigby SAN FRANCISCO/SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said on Monday it would support Oracle Corp software on its cloud-based platforms, a tie-up aimed at improving the rivals' chances against nimbler Web-based computing companies chipping away at their traditional businesses. The two industry leaders have competed for decades to sell technology to the world's largest companies. But they face growing pressure from new rivals selling often-cheaper services based in remote data centers, and they are rushing to adapt. ... Full Story | Top |
FTC conducting preliminary inquiry of Google's Waze acquisition Monday, Jun 24, 2013 02:10 PM PDT By Alexei Oreskovic SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Antitrust regulators are conducting a preliminary inquiry into Google Inc's recent acquisition of online mapping service Waze, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The inquiry by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has not reached the level of an investigation and Google is complying voluntarily, the source said. Google paid just over $1 billion in cash to acquire Israel-based Waze earlier this month, sources familiar with the matter have told Reuters. Google was able to close the deal without U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
Microsoft to bring Xbox and PC games to Apple, Android phones: report Monday, Jun 24, 2013 11:42 AM PDT SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp will offer its console and computer games for Apple Inc's iPhone and other smartphone platforms this fiscal year, through a tie-up with Japanese smartphone game maker Klab Inc, the Nikkei said on Monday. Through a licensing deal, Klab will bring Microsoft's Xbox and Windows-based computer games to the iPhone and smartphones using Google Inc's Android operating system, according to the Nikkei. ... Full Story | Top |
Apps pinpoint locations of nearby concerts for music lovers Monday, Jun 24, 2013 11:25 AM PDT By Natasha Baker (Reuters) - Music lovers looking for a nearby concert can turn to apps that detect a person's location and list nearby live events based on the type of tunes they and their friends like. Apps such as Bandsintown and Songkick scan fans' music libraries on their mobile devices and iTunes, along with music streaming services such as Spotify, Pandora and SoundCloud, to learn musical preferences so fans never miss a show. Bandsintown also shows users which bands their friends are heading to see. "There are two reasons why someone might go to a concert. ... Full Story | Top |
Snapchat lands $60 million and new board member Michael Lynton Monday, Jun 24, 2013 10:38 AM PDT SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Snapchat, a service that allows users to exchange fleeting photo messages, raised $60 million in a funding round led by venture-capital firm IVP, the company said on Monday. Snapchat also attracted a high-profile board member: Sony Corp. of America Chief Executive Michael Lynton. The cash will go to hiring more engineers and deploying more servers, Snapchat said on its blog. The service, started in 2011 by Stanford University students, has proven popular with teenagers and twenty-somethings, many of whom use it to send saucy photos. ... Full Story | Top |
Google says did 'good job' replying to EU antitrust probe Monday, Jun 24, 2013 09:10 AM PDT By Ethan Bilby BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Google said on Monday it had done a good job coming up with concessions to allay EU antitrust concerns it blocks competitors in web search results, as it sought to deflect criticism the proposals would serve only to reinforce its dominance. The world's most popular search engine has been under investigation for nearly three years by the European Commission, the EU executive. More than a dozen companies, including Microsoft, British price comparison site Foundem and German online mapping company Hotmaps, have accused it of squeezing them out of the market. ... Full Story | Top |
Western Digital buys Stec to build solid-state business Monday, Jun 24, 2013 07:48 AM PDT By Chandni Doulatramani (Reuters) - Hard drive maker Western Digital Corp will buy troubled Stec Inc to become one of the top players in the high-growth solid-state drive (SSD) industry that has flourished despite high prices of the storage devices. Stec is one of the oldest makers of solid state drives, which are much faster than traditional hard drives, but it has lost market share to the likes of Western Digital, Seagate Technology PLC and market leader Fusion-io Inc. The deal to sell Stec for $340 million follows an insider trading scandal that forced out its co-founder and CEO last year. ... Full Story | Top |
Swedish court backs TV license fees for computers, mobile devices Monday, Jun 24, 2013 07:00 AM PDT STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A Swedish court on Monday ruled that the state broadcaster could charge a fee for accessing television via the Internet on laptops, tablets, smartphones and other devices. Sweden has for decades had a mandatory television license fee, now 173 crowns ($25.90) a month, to pay for public service broadcasting in a similar system to that of the Britain's BBC. But with more viewers watching Internet-streamed television content, supplied by the likes of Netflix and Sweden's own public service broadcaster, the agency collecting fees earlier this year began charging them as well. ... Full Story | Top |
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