MacNN | industry News

Report: Google complicating Facebook Waze purchase with buyout offer

Fri, 24 May 2013 03:00:00 GMT

Reports have surfaced that Google is considering a competitive bid for map software developer Waze. The move comes after <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286275==http://www.electronista.com/articles/13/05/09/crowdsourced.navigation.app.may.become.part.of.facebook.mobile/" rel='nofollow'>sources indicated</a> that Facebook had held talks to buy Waze. Reportedly, no...

Sears to repurpose closed locations for data centers, wireless towers

Fri, 24 May 2013 01:18:00 GMT

Faced with the prospect of tens of millions of idle retail square footage from closures and relocations, Sears Holdings has generated a new division to market closed Sears and Kmart stores as a home for data centers, wireless tower locations, and disaster recovery locations. The new initiative leverages the nearly seventy percent of US citizens that live within 10 miles of a Sears or Kmart locatio...

Report: US FTC considering additional Google antitrust investigation

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:30:00 GMT

According to sources discovered by both <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286269==http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/23/us-google-antitrust-idUSBRE94M16620130523?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologyNews" rel='nofollow'>Reuters</a> and <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286270==http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-...

Motorola versus Microsoft Xbox ITC complaint complete, MS victorious

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:55:00 GMT

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) has completed its <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286265==http://www.electronista.com/articles/12/04/23/motorola.gets.early.blow.against.microsoft/" rel='nofollow'>patent infringement investigation</a> against Microsoft. The ITC has declined to review a final initial remand determination issued by the presiding judge, e...

AT&T Wireless adds $0.61 per month administrative fee to all users

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:22:00 GMT

<a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286261==http://www.attwireless.com/" rel='nofollow'>AT&T Wireless</a> has started billing customers $0.61 per month as a mobility "administrative fee." The new charge came into effect May 1, and has been applied to all consumer bills, in addition to business accounts where the user pays the amount due. The new fee...

iAd gets Media Ratings Council aaccreditation

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:06:00 GMT

The Media Ratings Council has awarded full accreditation to Apple's iAd, the first mobile ad platform to achieve that status, says Advertising Age. The accreditation reflects iAd's compliance with standards set by the Interactive Advertising Bureau and the Mobile Marketing Association. That includes accurate reporting of data such as taps, visits, views, impr...

Apple: WWDC keynote coming Monday, June 10

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:50:00 GMT

Apple has <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286246==http://allthingsd.com/20130523/apples-wwdc-keynote-scheduled-for-monday-june-10/" rel='nofollow'>formally announced</a> that the <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286247==http://www.macnn.com/articles/13/04/24/will.feature.new.versions.of.os.x.ios/" rel='nofollow'>Worldwide Developers Conference...

Lenovo full year results claim record $34B annual sales revenue

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:57:00 GMT

<a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286214==http://lenovo.com/" rel='nofollow'>Lenovo</a> has managed to reach new records in annual sales and annual pre-tax income over the last year, according to its latest quarterly financial <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286215==http://news.lenovo.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=1685" rel='nofollow'>upda...

Apple to double spending on Washington lobbying

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:30:00 GMT

On the heels of Apple CEO Tim Cook's <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286218==http://www.macnn.com/articles/13/05/21/chairman.believes.apple.exploiting.absurdity.of.tax.laws/" rel='nofollow'>testimony in Washington</a> on the subject of tax policy, Apple is being seen as <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286219==http://preview.reuters.com/2013/5/22/apple-fo...

Corning: Gorilla Glass 3 stronger, better, cheaper, more eco-friendly

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:00:00 GMT

A new test video, along with explanation and question period, shows Corning <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286192==http://www.corning.com/news_center/features/gorillaglasssuccess.aspx" rel='nofollow'>firing back</a> at rumors that Apple and other clients may switch to using a <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286194==http://www.apple.com/iphone/design/&qu...

Yelp fires back at critics claiming review manipulation by sales staff

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:45:00 GMT

Crowdsourced review service <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286170==http://www.yelp.com/" rel='nofollow'>Yelp</a> has come under attack again over reports of business owners complaints that reviews are "too self-centered and not trustworthy" and that the company hides reviews to its own benefit. A <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286171==http://...

Casemaker OtterBox buys out rival LifeProof

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:50:00 GMT

At an event today at this week's CTIA conference, major casemaker <a href="http://www.otterbox.com/">OtterBox</a> announced the acquisition of one of its chief rivals, <A href="http://www.lifeproof.com/">LifeProof</a>. The former says it will keep LifeProof's San Diego location, and that workers will remain in their curre...

Ex-Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg takes marketing job at Apple

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:48:00 GMT

Former Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg has been hired onto Apple's marketing staff, Forbes sources say. Exactly which position he's filling is unknown, but he's expected to work under Apple's head of worldwide product marketing, Phil Schiller. Gartenberg is well-known amongst analysts; aside from employment at Gartner, he was once an analyst and partner at...

Irish finance minister takes umbrage to US tax shelter accusations

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:13:00 GMT

Following Apple's testimony before the <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286164==http://www.macnn.com/articles/13/05/21/chairman.believes.apple.exploiting.absurdity.of.tax.laws/" rel='nofollow'>US Senate</a>, Ireland's finance minister Michael Noonan declared that neither he nor his country would be the "whipping boy" for US tax loopholes. The US-led inve...

Penguin offers $75 million to settle e-book price fixing suit

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:36:00 GMT

Publisher Penguin and parent company Pearson have proposed a settlement with 33 US State Attorneys General and other plaintiffs for $75 million to resolve its lawsuit accusing it of <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286161==http://www.electronista.com/articles/12/08/23/fights.to.save.settlement.with.three.publishers/" rel='nofollow'>price fixing</a> in conjunction ...

Verizon targets Latino customers with Viva Movil brand, Jennifer Lopez

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:41:00 GMT

Verizon Wireless has announced a partnership with Jennifer Lopez, hoping to woo Latino customers under the new retail brand <a href="http://www.getviva.com/homepage">Viva Movil</a>. The brick-and-mortar stores promise to deliver a unique customer experience, with play areas for children and bilingual sales representatives, though the devices and service plans ...

Briefly: Google voice search in Chrome, Amazon Cloud Drive in Canada

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:54:00 GMT

Google has <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286146==http://googlechromereleases.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/stable-channel-release.html" rel='nofollow'>updated</a> Chrome to enable <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286147==http://www.electronista.com/articles/13/05/15/reminder.cards.suggestions.for.media.part.of.google.now.additions/" rel='nofollow'>...

Apple files amendment, adds Galaxy S4 to Samsung patent suit

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:03:00 GMT

Apple has filed its amendment to its <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286127==http://www.electronista.com/articles/13/04/19/little.actual.agreement.on.anything.samsung.on.the.defensive/" rel='nofollow'>ongoing courtroom battle</a> with Samsung, adding the Galaxy S4 to its list of infringing devices, just as it told the US District Court in California <a hre...

Social researcher claims Apple no longer 'hot' to Gen-Y buyers

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:00:00 GMT

In a article that could have been written by Samsung's advertising department, the Sydney Morning Herald has <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286144==http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/culture/is-shiny-apple-rotting-at-its-core-20130522-2k05a.html#poll" rel='nofollow'>published an article</a> detailing claims from "soci...

Google, Yahoo, Cisco under scrutiny after Apple tax avoidance hearing

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:31:00 GMT

Large tech firms are coming under scrutiny over their tax avoidance measures, following the <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286123==http://www.macnn.com/articles/13/05/21/chairman.believes.apple.exploiting.absurdity.of.tax.laws/" rel='nofollow'>testimony</a> of Apple executives to a US Senate Permanent Subcommittee. Google, Yahoo, Cisco, and others have been foun...

HTC struggles continue as it bleeds executives

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:12:00 GMT

HTC's woes seem to have cut into its staff morale with a several senior executives said to be <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286101== http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/21/4352838/htc-in-disarray-kouji-kodera-staff-departures-disastrous-first-and-production-problems" rel='nofollow'>leaving the company</a>, reports The Verge. HTC'...

Samsung acquires 10 percent stake in Pantech for $47.6M

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:45:00 GMT

Samsung has bought a 10 percent stake in South Korea-based mobile producer <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286098==http://www.pantechusa.com/" rel='nofollow'>Pantech</a>. The purchase of shares in the country's third-largest smartphone manufacturer, reported to be worth 53 billion won ($47.6 million), will make Samsung the third-largest stake holder, just behind ...

Apple maintains top spot in 2013 BrandZ brand rankings

Wed, 22 May 2013 01:20:00 GMT

Apple remains in first place on an annual BrandZ ranking of the world's most valuable brands, notes MarketingWeek. Apple's brand is estimated to be worth $185.071 billion, putting it well ahead of next-closest rivals Google ($113.669 billion) and IBM ($112.536 billion). Other companies in the top 10 include McDonald's, Coca-Cola, AT&T, Microsoft, Marl...

Intel creates new products division, selects Mike Bell to lead

Tue, 21 May 2013 23:28:00 GMT

<a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286084==http://www.intel.com/" rel='nofollow'>Intel</a> has noted that it has appointed <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286085==http://www.electronista.com/articles/10/07/16/intel.gets.palms.mike.bell.for.reference.phones/" rel='nofollow'>Mike Bell</a> to lead its emergent technology and product t...

Watson technology being adopted for customer service, data mining

Tue, 21 May 2013 22:29:00 GMT

Starting this year, IBM's Watson intelligent agent technology will debut as a customer service assistant. Customers of Australia's ANZ Bank, Celcom, The Royal Bank of Canada, and Nielsen can query the system for general questions related to accounts with the companies. IBM claims to have the technology ready for deployment and integrated into consumer apps for computers and smartphones in the seco...

Precedent-setting SEP enforcement injunction awarded in Wi-Fi dispute

Tue, 21 May 2013 20:54:00 GMT

A ruling yesterday in the Northern District of California may have repercussions on the smartphone patent battles raging across the US court landscape. A federal judge granted a user of a standards-essential patent a preliminary injunction against enforcement of a possible US International Trade Commission (ITC) sales injunction. This decision by Senior District Judge Ronald Whyte is the first tim...

Committee attacks Apple for tax loopholes, admits rate issue

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:29:00 GMT

During Tim Cook's <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286068==http://www.electronista.com/articles/13/05/15/apple.other.companies.accused.of.trying.to.avoid.tax.share/" rel='nofollow'>appearance</a> on Tuesday before the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (which is presently looking into the tax code), Chairman Carl Levin (D-Michigan) accused Apple of...

Nvidia updates modem in Tegra 4i, adds LTE-Advanced connectivity

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:27:00 GMT

Nvidia has updated its latest mobile chipset with support for Category 4 LTE connectivity. <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286043==http://www.electronista.com/articles/13/02/19/system.based.on.r4.cortex.a9.cpu/" rel='nofollow'>Tegra 4i</a>, similar to Tegra 4 but includes an integrated Nvidia i500 LTE modem, managed to upgrade from Category 3 and its 100Mbps conn...

NPD: pre-paid smartphones rising, now one-third of US sales

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:42:00 GMT

Sales of prepaid smartphones in the US consumer market have risen dramatically, doubling in the last year and "continuing a string of more than 12 quarters of triple-digit sales increases" according to a <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/286018==https://www.npd.com/wps/portal/npd/us/news/press-releases/the-npd-group-nearly-one-third-of-all-smartphones-sold-in-the-u-s-are-prepaid/&...

Google killing Google Checkout, migrating some to Google Wallet

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:28:00 GMT

Today, Google made it known to its array of merchants that it is discontinuing the Google Checkout functionality, and migrating some existing users to Google Wallet. In a <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/285996==http://googlecommerce.blogspot.com/2013/05/an-update-to-google-checkout-for.html" rel='nofollow'>blog post</a> announcing the move, Google called the Wall...

Yahoo debuts new Flickr; 1TB of storage space, new Android app

Mon, 20 May 2013 21:26:00 GMT

Speaking at tonight's Yahoo <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/285988==http://www.electronista.com/articles/13/05/17/suspected.topics.tumblr.acquisition.flickr.update/" rel='nofollow'>press event</a> in New York City, Marissa Mayer and Yahoo's Mobile Engineering Senior Vice President and Flickr product manager Adam Cahan revealed the new <a href="http://...

Teen's supercapacitor tech promises to charge phones in 20 seconds

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:47:00 GMT

An 18-year-old student, Eesha Khare, has reportedly developed a new form of energy storage, referred to as a supercapacitor, that promises to recharge a cellphone in 20 to 30 seconds. The research project landed Khare a <A href="https://www.societyforscience.org/document.doc?id=494">$50,000 scholarship</a> and an Intel Foundation Young Scientists Award at the ...

NPD: US Mac sales flat compared to last year

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:40:00 GMT

A new report from market analysts <a href="http://www.macnn.com/articles/13/05/07/claims.new.minis.in.q3.2013.q1.2014/">NPD Group</a> indicates that US Mac sales for the month of April were about even with the same month last year, which some analysts see as a positive sign for Apple. However, NPD's data -- which is normally considered reasonably accurate -- o...

Apple still king of retail, new study finds

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:44:00 GMT

A <a href="http://www.asymco.com/2013/05/20/apple-retail-revenues-per-visitor-reaches-new-record/">new study</a> from Asymco analyst Horace Dediu finds that Apple is continuing to outpace the rest of the retail industry in sales per customer, sales per store and sales per square foot -- <a href="http://www.retailsails.com/index.php/site/reports&quo...

Yahoo confirms Tumblr acquisition, Tumblr to remain independent

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:23:00 GMT

Yahoo has confirmed it has bought Tumblr, in a deal noted yesterday to be in the region of $1.1 billion. The search company has already moved its company blog over to the blogging platform, and despite CEO Marissa Mayer saying "We promise not to screw it up," there is reportedly a large jump in the number of users moving from Tumblr to Wordpress....

Yahoo confirms Tumblr acquisition, Tumblr to remain independent

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:23:00 GMT

<a href="http://macnn.com/rd/285947==http://www.yahoo.com" rel='nofollow'>Yahoo</a> has confirmed it has bought <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/285948==http://www.tumblr.com" rel='nofollow'>Tumblr</a>, in a deal <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/285949==http://www.electronista.com/articles/13/05/19/stagnant.internet.gi...

Report: Yahoo board approves $1.1B Tumblr acquisition

Sun, 19 May 2013 18:06:00 GMT

In the latest step of CEO Marissa Mayer's plan to turn around popular but stagnating Internet giant Yahoo, the company's board has reportedly approved a $1.1 billion acquisition of the social sharing site Tumblr. The board met on Sunday to discuss the acquisition, which appears to have been a foregone conclusion due to the fact that Yahoo had already scheduled a Monday event on Friday. The compa...

Report: Yahoo board approves $1.1B Tumblr acquisition

Sun, 19 May 2013 18:06:00 GMT

In the latest step of CEO Marissa Mayer's plan to turn around popular but stagnating Internet giant Yahoo, the company's board has reportedly approved a $1.1 billion acquisition of the social sharing site Tumblr. The board met on Sunday to discuss the acquisition, which appears to have been a foregone conclusion due to the fact that <a href="http://www.electronista.com/articles/13/05/1...

'Crazy ant' invading Texas, destroying electronics

Sat, 18 May 2013 22:58:00 GMT

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have discovered that the US fire ant population is being pushed out by "tawny crazy ants," with an affinity to the interior of electronic devices. The ants are capable of nesting in nearly any container, and as they travel, they disrupt other ant populations....

'Crazy ant' invading Texas, destroying electronics

Sat, 18 May 2013 22:58:00 GMT

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/285900==http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Crazy-ants-are-invading-parts-of-the-U-S-4522565.php" rel='nofollow'>discovered</a> that the US fire ant population is being pushed out by "tawny crazy ants," with an affinity to the interior of electronic...

T-Mobile sticks with ISIS, won't support Google Wallet

Sat, 18 May 2013 17:32:00 GMT

T-Mobile customers wanting to use Google Wallet are out of luck, as the carrier confirmed this week that it's blocking the mobile payment solution. Instead, T-Mobile wants its customers to use ISIS, a carrier-backed standard that is currently only available in two metropolitan areas. The confirmation marks T-Mobile as just the latest of the major carriers to block Google's standard as they prepa...

T-Mobile sticks with ISIS, won't support Google Wallet

Sat, 18 May 2013 17:32:00 GMT

MetroPCS bows out of Net Neutrality lawsuit against FCC

Sat, 18 May 2013 01:26:00 GMT

In a court motion filed earlier today, MetroPCS is dropping its net neutrality opposition lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission. The company filed a motion for voluntary dismissal, leaving Verizon to willingly fight the decree and US government on its own....

MetroPCS bows out of Net Neutrality lawsuit against FCC

Sat, 18 May 2013 01:26:00 GMT

In a court motion filed earlier today, MetroPCS is dropping its <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/285891==http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/01/28/fcc.hopes.to.dismiss.net.neutrality.charges/" rel='nofollow'>net neutrality opposition lawsuit</a> against the Federal Communications Commission. The company filed a motion for voluntary dismissal, leaving Verizon t...

Yahoo schedules press event for May 20, topic 'something special'

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:52:00 GMT

Yahoo is holding a "product-related" event on May 20. The New York City event will see CEO Marissa Mayer speaking on an undisclosed topic for about an hour at 5PM EST, which the company calls in an mass email "something special."...

Yahoo schedules press event for May 20, topic 'something special'

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:52:00 GMT

<a href="http://macnn.com/rd/285888==http://www.yahoo.com/" rel='nofollow'>Yahoo</a> is holding a "product-related" event on May 20. The New York City event will see CEO Marissa Mayer speaking on an undisclosed topic for about an hour at 5PM EST, which the company calls in an mass email "something special." ...

Amazon axes Zombieland, Browsers TV pilots; picks up two others

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:32:00 GMT

Amazon has cancelled two television pilots, after poor screenings. The television version of Zombieland will not be made into a series by the internet retailer, nor will Bebe Neuwirth's musical comedy Browsers about interns at a Huffington Post-esque website. Amazon has picked up John Goodman's Washington DC satire Alpha House, and Silicon Valley sitcom Betas....

Amazon axes Zombieland, Browsers TV pilots; picks up two others

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:32:00 GMT

Amazon has cancelled two <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/285886==http://www.electronista.com/articles/13/04/19/amazon.instant.video.lovefilm.users.to.help.judge.shows/" rel='nofollow'>television pilots</a>, after poor screenings. The television version of Zombieland will not be made into a series by the internet retailer, nor ...

Study: tablets, smartphones rule mobile gaming; handhelds wane

Fri, 17 May 2013 21:05:00 GMT

A report by market analysts App Annie and IDC continue to show that mobile devices such as the iPhone or the Nexus 7 control a clear majority of mobile gaming interest and dollars spent on purchases, with portable handhelds fading rapidly. The first quarter of 2013 saw another milestone achieved for the Android platform, with it seeing more downloads and consumer spending on games than iOS for the...

Study: tablets, smartphones rule mobile gaming; handhelds wane

Fri, 17 May 2013 21:05:00 GMT

A report by market analysts <a href="http://appannie.com/">App Annie</a> and <a href="vhttp://idc.com/">IDC</a> continue to show that mobile devices such as the iPhone or the Nexus 7 control a clear majority of mobile gaming interest and dollars spent on purchases, with portable handhelds fading rapidly. The <a href...