Archive

The relationship between Facebook and Zynga got even more complicated this week as the pair agreed to new partnership terms that free both from constraints under the prior deal. Zynga's stock took a hit because the new deal allows Facebook to develop its own games. The success of each company has lo...

Goldman Sachs has given Research In Motion a thumbs up -- relatively speaking -- telling investors on Thursday that there was a "30 percent chance" the company's long-awaited BlackBerry 10 smartphones would be a success. The investment bank upgraded the stock from "neutral" to "buy." It also lifted ...

The Federal Communications Commission passed a little-publicized order last month that changes how cable television providers can deliver basic broadcast channels. This rule change has far-reaching implications for those who legally grab their basic broadcast channels for free from cable, but don't ...

Nokia has filed lawsuits against Research In Motion in the U.S., the UK and Canada seeking to enforce an arbitration ruling it won in Sweden. The dispute began when Nokia accused RIM of breaching a cross-licensing agreement that allowed RIM to use Nokia's standard-essential cellular patents. RIM had...

Windows 8 has failed to give PC sales the boost it was supposed to, the NPD Group has found. Since the OS's Oct. 26 launch, overall Windows device sales have fallen 21 percent compared with the same period last year. Notebook sales fell 24 percent, and desktop PC sales slipped by 9 percent. "Desktop...

Google acquired retail coupon company Incentive Targeting, giving it a way to target consumers with deals based on their preferences and broaden its e-commerce presence. Incentive Targeting works with manufacturers of grocery and consumer products to design personalized, timely coupons and special o...

A Like on Facebook goes a long way. Seventy percent of consumers who engage in social media make purchases from brands they are connected to, according to a new study released by SocialVibe. Connections form when a consumer clicks Like on Facebook, Follows a brand on Twitter or interacts with a bran...

From time to time, we receive stark reminders of just how delicate our IT systems really are. Disaster preparation has risen to the top of the to-do list at many companies, thanks to the wrath of Hurricane Sandy several weeks ago. How can we maximize our chances of keeping communications open and da...

Google is integrating its Google Drive cloud storage service with Gmail, letting users send files 400 times larger than previously allowed. Gmail now will send links to files up to 10 GB stored on Google Drive from inside the Gmail interface. Additionally, since the file itself isn't transferred but...

There's apparently little inclination to wait for the legal system to establish who wronged whom with respect to the allegations that Autonomy committed accounting sleight of hand prior to being acquired by HP. Both HP and the erstwhile head of Autonomy are making their claims and counterclaims publ...

Social media advertising revenues will double by 2016, and native ads -- such as sponsored stories on Facebook and promoted tweets on Twitter -- will be its fastest-growing segment, according to a forecast from BIA/Kelsey. The channel will grow from $4.6 billion in 2012 to $9.2 billion in 2016, pred...

Today, few people are using an IBM desktop computer -- and if they are, the machine could be close to 20 years old. However, back in 1995 when IBM bought Lotus Notes, it was the world's largest software company and still made personal computers. Fast-forward, and today IBM isn't really known either ...

Google is stepping up its game in the battle for cloud supremacy by slashing prices and beefing up the services it offers with Compute Engine. The Infrastructure as a Service product was first announced at Google's I/O show in June and is currently available in a preview version. Google hasn't set a...

Cyber Monday online sales broke records this year, clocking in at 30 percent higher than 2011, according to IBM Smarter Commerce. Sales are expected to reach $1.5 billion for the day, making Cyber Monday 2012 the biggest online shopping day in history, comScore projects. Including high online sales ...

Cyber Monday was the biggest day ever for Kindle sales worldwide, Amazon reported. Although it did not release specific figures -- it typically doesn't -- Amazon did say Kindle sales were more than double last year's figure for the holiday weekend. Nine of the 10 best-selling items on its site are K...