March 2010 Posts (1)

Google faces new federal antitrust probe: source

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators are in the early stages of an antitrust probe into whether Google Inc, the top player in web display advertising, breaks antitrust law in how it handles some ad sales, a source told Reuters on Thursday. The source said that it was unlikely that the Federal Trade Commission had sent out civil investigative demands in relation to the probe, which would be the sign of a formal and more serious investigation. ...

Angie's List eyes 'year of transition' as cashflow turns positive

By Chandni Doulatramani and Supantha Mukherjee (Reuters) - Angie's List Inc expects cashflow to turn positive this year as it spends less on acquiring new paid customers for its consumer review website, the company's co-founder said, fending off criticism of its business model by short-seller Citron Research. Chief Executive William Oesterle said Angie's List, which compiles reviews on everything from plumbers to pediatricians, said a recovery in U.S. consumer confidence might also help the company to post its maiden profit in 2014. ...

Judge says leaning toward U.S. in Apple e-books case

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge expressed a tentative view that the U.S. Justice Department will be able to show evidence Apple Inc engaged in a conspiracy with publishers to increase e-books prices. U.S. District Judge Denise Cote, who is set to oversee a trial on June 3, gave her view during a pretrial hearing on Thursday. She stressed that the view was not final and that she had only so far read some of the evidence. ...

How cable companies offset cord cutters by squeezing more money from Internet customers

Yes, the major cable companies are losing paid television subscribers and yes, they have stunningly low customer satisfaction ratings. But as The Atlantic’s Derek Thompson ably explains, they aren’t going anywhere because they’re still making money hand over fist providing home broadband connections to tens of millions of households. Essentially, cable companies have been losing TV subscribers since the 1990s but have more than made up for this lost revenue by increasing their total number of Internet subscribers and squeezing more monthly revenue out customers “both by charging more for television and by getting households to buy more than just TV,” Thompson writes. Essentially, then, cable companies seem destined to stay part of the American landscape unless another company can

Pandora posts in-line 1Q loss, upbeat sales

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Internet radio company Pandora Media Inc. reported higher-than-expected revenue in the latest quarter, with losses in line with analysts' forecasts, as the number of subscribers who pay for ad-free listening more than doubled to exceed 2.5 million.

Microsoft did not violate Google patent, ITC says

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp did not violate a patent owned by Google subsidiary Motorola Mobility when it made its popular Xbox, the International Trade Commission said on Thursday. The fight over the Xbox is related to the larger smartphone patent war between Apple, Microsoft and the mobile phone makers who use Google's Android software, including its subsidiary Motorola Mobility. The case is at the International Trade Commission, No. 337-752. (Reporting by Diane Bartz)

Next-gen iPad will likely launch after iPhone 5S, feature iPhone 5-style rear mic

In addition to scoring rumors about the low-cost iPhone on Thursday, Japanese blog Macotakara also published the latest news on the fifth-generation iPad, which it says will likely launch after Apple releases the iPhone 5S in September and will feature a rear microphone located directly next to the camera, similar to the design of the iPhone 5. AppleInsider notes that early prototypes of the iPad mini also had a rear microphone but that this design was apparently ditched for the final version of the product. Earlier rumors have indicated that the fifth-generation iPad will take more design cues from the iPad mini, such as having thinner side bezels.

Prosecutor: IPad theft defendants ambushed victim

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Two men accused of killing a high school freshman who refused to let go of his iPad were like wild animals ambushing a weak victim, a prosecutor said Thursday.

Icahn seeks up to $7 billion for Dell bid

By Michelle Sierra NEW YORK (Reuters) - Activist investor Carl Icahn and Southeastern Asset Management Inc have initiated talks with banks and asset managers to line up commitments for as much as $7 billion in bridge loans to back their leveraged recapitalization proposal for Dell Inc, banking sources told Thomson Reuters LPC on Thursday. Jefferies & Co is leading the deal. Icahn and Southeastern are looking to lock in the financing before Dell shareholders meet in July to vote on a rival take-private offer from CEO Michael Dell and Silver Lake Partners. ...

Twitter Is What You Make It, Ashton

Doesn't Ashton Kutcher know what happens to people who complain about how terrible Twitter has gotten since the good old days? They're shamed with the following adage: Twitter is what you make it, bro. Meaning, it's not Twitter's fault if you hate your feed, it's you and your bad taste in Twitter followers. And that's exactly the reaction the bygone Twitter darling is getting after blaming the media for "screwing" up Twitter. "Twitter's experience has changed for me, pretty drastically. ...