Business

From this day forward, consumers who purchase cable TV subscriptions will no longer be forced to lease integrated set-top boxes provided by their cable operators. Instead, as a result of a ruling by the Federal Communications Commission that took effect July 1, cable operators must now provide consu...

Blockbuster has named James Keyes, former chief of convenience store chain 7-Eleven, as its new CEO as it bids to regain investor confidence while fighting off challenges from Netflix and emerging technologies. Keyes will succeed John Antioco, who activist investors -- led by billionaire board membe...

Private equity firm Carlyle Group reportedly has offered about $11 billion for Virgin Media, with a bidding war for the rights to acquire the company possible. Carlyle may have bid as much as $30 to $35 per share for the company, according to press reports. Virgin Media provides cable TV, high speed...

A method for screening new hires that counts the likes of Google among its adherents may create some fertile ground for future employment lawsuits. That's the opinion of two attorneys writing the New York Law Journal this week. The attorneys, Robert Ottinger and Carrie Kurzon, of The Ottinger Firm i...

The Microsoft vs. Google rivalry took a bizarre turn Thursday in the blogosphere as speculation and controversy ran rife about a memo purportedly leaked from Microsoft featuring the impressions of an ex-Google employee about Google's work culture. Apparently in response to a request from a Microsoft...

On the eve of Apple's big iPhone push, mobile communications market powerhouse Research In Motion reported astoundingly strong BlackBerry sales. RIM's earnings were up 73 percent for the quarter ending June 2, beating expectations and surprising Wall Street. The stock price surged more than twenty p...

As wireless communications technology becomes embedded in the lifestyles of consumers, small businesses are seeking ways to catch the mobile wave. Gaining an advantage with younger shoppers online and off can be daunting to small businesses that would rather not manage technology -- but instead expl...

Google has struck a deal to have the international technology supplier Ingram Micro distribute its enterprise search tools. The agreement is the search giant's most aggressive bid yet to foster growth in its relatively fledgling corporate search division. Ingram Micro will sell both the Google Mini ...

Google has been ratcheting up its campaign to compel Microsoft to further open its Vista operating system to third-party search engines. Its latest tactic entailed petitioning the judge overseeing Microsoft's antitrust agreement with federal and state governments to extend it past November, when mos...

Oracle extended a run of strong financial performance with a blockbuster fourth quarter, outpacing estimates for growth and profit as CEO Larry Ellison's strategy of aggressively buying up applications vendors continues to pay off. Oracle earned $1.6 billion in the quarter that ended on May 31, comp...

The diverging fortunes of Nintendo and Sony were underscored Monday when Nintendo's total stock market value eclipsed that of Sony for the first time. Nintendo, whose Wii gaming console was the surprise hit of last year's holiday season, moved past Sony to become one of Japan's 10 most valuable comp...

Following a 10-day tiff in which eBay pulled out of Google AdWords, the online auctioneer has apparently set its grievances aside and on Friday returned to the pay-per-click advertising program. "We are now slowly turning AdWords back on, in a much more limited way than before," the company said. "W...

With the dust still settling from the abrupt departure of CEO Terry Semel, Yahoo said Sunday it would revamp its advertising sales unit, merging its search and display operations into a single team. The company announced the changes along with news of the departure of its longtime advertising displa...

Buyers are naturally cautious when considering whether or not to make a purchase from unfamiliar merchants. Even if this anxiety is not justified, the effect on online retailers is often detrimental. Shopper anxiety creates a complicated challenge for online merchants, especially ones without nation...

The U.S. International Trade Commission has denied a request from Qualcomm to put on hold an order barring phones containing chips made by Qualcomm that have been found to infringe on a rival's patents from the U.S. market. The decision, handed down on Thursday, likely leaves Qualcomm with few optio...