| | |
| NZ court rules Megaupload warrant legal, dealing blow to Dotcom Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 06:56 PM PST  A New Zealand court on Wednesday ruled that the search warrant used in the arrest of Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom on U.S. online piracy charges was legal, dealing a blow to the internet entrepreneur who is fighting extradition to the United States. The decision will benefit U.S. prosecutors who say the Megaupload website cost film studios and record companies more than $500 million and generated more than $175 million in criminal proceeds by letting users store and share copyrighted material, such as movies and TV shows. If Dotcom is extradited, the ensuing copyright case could set a precedent for internet liability laws and, should he win, could force entertainment companies to rethink online distribution methods. Wednesday's ruling overturned an earlier High Court decision that the search warrants were vague and enabled police to seize materials irrelevant to the charges against Dotcom. Full Story | Top |
| Canon climbs to three-week high after share buyback announcement Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 04:15 PM PST  Shares in Canon Inc advanced 2.4 percent to a three-week high of 3,154 yen on Wednesday after it said it will buy back up to 50 billion yen ($488.5 million) worth of its own shares, or 1.6 percent of its outstanding shares. Full Story | Top |
| BlackBerry CEO assails T-Mobile US promo as 'ill-conceived' Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 03:42 PM PST  BlackBerry Ltd Chief Executive John Chen fired a salvo at T-Mobile US Inc on Tuesday, calling ill-conceived a promotion run by the company that encourages customers using BlackBerry smartphones to upgrade to iPhones. T-Mobile US, which is majority owned by Deutsche Telekom AG, sent out emails to some of its customers last week, pitching free iPhone 5s and touting the promotion as a, "great offer for BlackBerry customers." That sparked a brouhaha in social media forums after some of the telecommunications company's loyal BlackBerry customers reacted angrily to the offer, which they perceived as a slight. The backlash prompted T-Mobile US Chief Executive John Legere to respond publicly. Full Story | Top |
| Canada to reveal wireless spectrum auction results on Wednesday Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 03:22 PM PST By Alastair Sharp and Euan Rocha TORONTO (Reuters) - The Canadian government confirmed on Tuesday that it has completed an auction of prized wireless spectrum and will reveal those results on Wednesday. The 700 megahertz spectrum, which is valued for its ability to carry a signal over long distances and to penetrate buildings, will be used by Canada's big wireless companies and some smaller ones to build more powerful mobile networks. Canada's Industry Minister James Moore, in a brief statement late on Tuesday, said the results would be announced in Ottawa at 5 p.m. EST on Wednesday, confirming an earlier Reuters report that the auction had ended and results were imminent. But Dvai Ghose, an analyst at Canaccord Genuity, said on Tuesday he expects the auction to bring in more than C$2.5 billion ($2.3 billion) for Ottawa. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. tax season returns, and with it refund fraud Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 02:07 PM PST By Patrick Temple-West WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Kev Imandoust guards his U.S. Social Security number with 25-character passwords and email encryption software. But in 2012, the San Diego accountant became one of more than a million Americans whose identities were stolen to use for tax refund fraud. When he tried to file his taxes days before the April 15 deadline two years ago, Imandoust had his return rejected by the Internal Revenue Service. Someone in Florida had filed using his name and Social Security number, the IRS said. Full Story | Top |
| Upsetting the app cart: Asian messaging services challenge mobile order Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 01:38 PM PST  Asian chat services KakaoTalk, LINE and WeChat threaten to overturn the mobile order of things, usurping the role of Google Inc, Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc, Facebook Inc and telecoms carriers as gatekeeper to the consumer. For example, Tencent Holdings' WeChat allows its more than 270 million active users to book taxis, top up phone credit, and even invest in wealth management products, while Naver Corp's LINE recently launched flash sales via its app in Thailand, with more than 5 million users signing up to buy L'Oreal lipstick and other products. The growing role of such apps as distribution channels was acknowledged by Japanese billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani when he explained why his company Rakuten Inc bought messaging company Viber last week for $900 million. But after the acquisition of Viber we can now go into those markets with our digital businesses." MAKING MONEY At the heart of the battle is how to make money from the world's billions of mobile phone users. Full Story | Top |
| Candy Crush Saga maker King plans U.S. stock market debut Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 01:17 PM PST  By Mia Shanley and Sven Nordenstam STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - King, the company behind the hit mobile phone game "Candy Crush Saga," is planning a U.S. stock market debut that some analysts think could value it at more than $5 billion and herald a flurry of technology company listings this year. The successful flotation of Twitter in November and a surge in Facebook's share price have fueled speculation that a string of technology firms could come to market, including music-sharing service Spotify, lodging service AirBnB and payments company Square, as well as King. But some analysts question whether King can maintain its breakneck pace of growth, particularly given the difficulty of some other games makers in maintaining success. Zynga, the creator of "Farmville," has seen its share price halve since its initial public offering in late 2011, while Finland's Rovio has struggled to replicate the success of its 2010 hit "Angry Birds." Asian markets did see some successful IPOs last year, like Japanese mobile game maker GungHo Online Entertainment, but there has not been a recent stellar debut story on the mobile game front in Western markets that has excited investors. Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: France's Snecma targeted by hackers - researcher Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 12:28 PM PST  By Jim Finkle BOSTON (Reuters) - French aerospace engine maker Snecma, a unit of Safran, was attacked by hackers who exploited a vulnerability in Microsoft Corp's Internet Explorer, according to a computer security researcher. It was not clear how successful the hackers had been in their efforts to breach Snecma's network, according to the researcher, who has studied malicious software and infrastructure used by the hackers. A spokeswoman for Snecma's parent, Safran, said she had no immediate comment. The researcher said the malicious software used by the hackers contained code that identified Internet domain names belonging to Snecma. Full Story | Top |
| Telefonica refinances 3 billion euro syndicated loan: source Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 12:05 PM PST Spain's Telefonica has refinanced a 3 billion euro ($4 billion) syndicated loan with 26 creditor banks, a source with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday, in a move that could provide it with funds for possible acquisitions. The new credit line matures in 2019 and is cheaper than previous syndicated deals at 85 basis points above the Euribor rate, the source said, priced at around 60 percent less than a similar operation signed in 2013. Telefonica, one of Europe's most heavily indebted telecoms operators, declined to comment. Full Story | Top |
| Satellite group Thuraya hunts for partners after mobile growth Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 10:56 AM PST By Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) - Dubai-based satellite communications company Thuraya is looking for partners to continue its expansion after its strategy of targeting the mobile phone sector helped to boost revenue by 15 percent last year, it said on Tuesday. The company has two geostationary satellites, the first covering the Middle East, Africa and parts of Europe and a second serving Asia, but its lack of a full service for maritime customers, the biggest satellite users, meant it struggled to grow between 2007 and 2010. Chief Executive Samer Halawi said he had transformed the group's fortunes by targeting the mobile phone sector and he is now looking for investors to fund new satellites. "People need devices that are simple to use and are appealing, and they want to use their own devices as an interface." The company has developed a cradle for an Apple iPhone or Samsung Galaxy smartphone that can switch from mobile to satellite coverage, with all billing and contract plans handled by the mobile operator. Full Story | Top |
| EU regulator objects to current Telefonica, KPN deal: sources Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 10:30 AM PST  By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union antitrust regulator objects to Telefonica's proposed 8.6 billion euro ($11.83 billion) bid for KPN's German unit in its current form, two people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. The deal, which will reduce the number of mobile providers in Europe's biggest market from four to three, is crucial for the European telecoms industry, which is keen to build up scale via consolidation and better compete with bigger U.S. peers. The European Commission's objection to the deal as it stands would likely lead to the offer of concessions from the German unit of Spain's Telefonica. The Commission, the EU's executive body, opened an in-depth investigation into the deal in December last year, saying it was concerned the takeover would reduce competition in Europe's largest economy and lead to higher prices for consumers. Full Story | Top |
| Ericsson bets on 3G in fast-growing Africa telecoms Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 10:29 AM PST  By Helen Nyambura-Mwaura JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The world's top mobile infrastructure supplier Ericsson is betting that the fast-growing African mobile broadband market will remain dominated by 3G services over the next years as the newest 4G smartphones remain too expensive for local consumers. Africa's rapid telecoms expansion has come to symbolize the continent's economic growth, with the World Bank estimating a 10 percent increase in broadband coverage could add 1.4 percentage points to economic output. But while high-speed mobile connections are set to grow more than nine-fold by 2019 to 700 million from 75 million today, about 85 percent of these subscriptions will remain 3G, according to Ericsson estimates. The most recent devices with super-fast 4G technology, such as Apple's iPhone 5S, Blackberry's Z30 or Samsung's Galaxy S4, sell for several hundred dollars, more than a median monthly salary in most African countries, including biggest telecoms market South Africa. Full Story | Top |
| M&S leaves Amazon behind as new website goes live Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 08:54 AM PST  By James Davey LONDON (Reuters) - Marks & Spencer, Britain's biggest clothing retailer, has launched a new website platform, a key plank of its strategy to reverse nearly a decade of market share decline in its most profitable business. It replaced a previous platform provided by Amazon since 2007. "We want to own our car, not rent it," Laura Wade-Gery, the former Tesco executive recruited by Chief Executive Marc Bolland to develop M&S's online capability, told reporters. Full Story | Top |
| Apple looking at cars, medical devices for growth: report Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 08:29 AM PST  (Reuters) - Apple Inc is looking at cars and medical devices to diversify its sources of revenue as growth from iPhones and iPads slow, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report. Apple's head of mergers and acquisitions, Adrian Perica, met with Tesla Motors Inc founder Elon Musk at the company's headquarters last year around the same time analysts suggested that Apple acquire the Model S electric car maker, the newspaper reported on Sunday, citing a source. The company is also exploring medical devices and sensors that can help predict heart attacks by studying sound blood makes at it flows through arteries. The company's senior vice president of operations, Jeff Williams, has met with U.S. Food and Drug Administration chief Dr. Margaret Hamburg and Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, who oversees the agency's approval for medical devices, to discuss "mobile medical applications," the paper reported, citing FDA records. Full Story | Top |
| BlackBerry shares rise after Third Point discloses stake Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 08:15 AM PST  BlackBerry shares rose more than 6 percent in early trading on Tuesday after investor Daniel Loeb's Third Point hedge fund disclosed it had bought 10 million shares in the smartphone maker and technology company. Third Point said late on Friday it now owns a 1.9 percent stake in BlackBerry, making it the No. 5 shareholder in the Waterloo, Ontario-based company, according to Thomson Reuters data. Shares in BlackBerry rose 6.8 percent to $9.59 on the New York Stock Exchange, while its Toronto-listed shares rose 6 percent to C$10.47. It has also agitated for changes at blue chips such as Dow Chemical Co and Yahoo Inc. It was not immediately clear whether Third Point will seek changes at BlackBerry, which is attempting to reshape itself under the leadership of new Chief Executive John Chen. Full Story | Top |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment