Microsoft unveils Xbox One with Spielberg, Activision tie-up

Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business, discusses the Xbox One uses for television viewing during a press event in Redmond

(Reuters) - Microsoft Corp unveiled the "Xbox One" on Tuesday, its first new gaming console in eight years, and its strongest push so far to dominate consumers' living rooms with an array of exclusive media content. The Xbox One took four years to develop and will be the launchpad for a "Halo" live-action video series produced by Steven Spielberg. It will be sold worldwide "later this year," games unit chief Don Mattrick told reporters at an event at the software company's campus near … [Read more...]

Former Nokia software team unveils its first smartphone

Sami Pienimaki, one of the founders of Jolla company, presents the new Jolla smartphone in Helsinki

(Reuters) - A group of ex-Nokia software developers unveiled its first smartphone on Monday, aiming to prove their former employer wrong by making a success of a technology dropped by the Finnish mobile phone maker. Jolla was founded by Nokia's former MeeGo software team that was shut down after the company decided to switch to Microsoft's Windows Phone software in 2011. With just 70 employees and 11 million euros ($14.11 million)in venture financing, Jolla joins a handful of boutique … [Read more...]

Apple to argue for tax reform, defend tax practices on Tuesday

Men pose with Apple iPhone 4 smartphone in photo illustration in Zenica

(Reuters) - Apple Inc will argue for a comprehensive corporate tax reform that will levy a "reasonable tax" on foreign earnings and is not dependent on a company's revenue when it goes before a Senate panel on Tuesday to explain its offshore tax practices. In prepared testimony released by the company and submitted ahead of Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook's hearing on Tuesday before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Apple denied it employed "tax gimmicks" like using Cayman … [Read more...]

Yahoo buying Tumblr for $1.1 billion, vows not to screw it up

Yahoo Chief Executive Marissa Mayer speaks at a news conference in New York

(Reuters) - Yahoo Inc will buy blogging service Tumblr for $1.1 billion cash, giving the Internet pioneer a much-needed social media platform to reach a younger generation of users and breathe new life into its ailing brand. The deal, announced on Monday, is a bold bet by Yahoo Chief Executive Marissa Mayer to revitalize the company by co-opting a Web property with strong visitor traffic but little revenue. The combination of Yahoo and Tumblr creates an online powerhouse with roughly one … [Read more...]

A NEW LINE OF THOUGHT

The Lean Canvas John Jonelis Remember when you wrote that 50 page business plan—the one that nobody actually read? Well, you never have to do it again! Now you can put it all on ONE PAGE. It’s called the BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS, a.k.a. the LEAN CANVAS. It’s fast. It’s visual. It’s a living document. It’s the new tool of choice among startups, big business, and major universities. I’m at my old school, taking in the big , all-day "entrepreneur@nu" conference and they just … [Read more...]

Exclusive: EU cites Chinese telecoms Huawei and ZTE for trade violations

EU Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht stands for a portrait while visiting Reuters in New York

(Reuters) - Europe's top trade official for the first time late on Friday officially cited Chinese mobile telecommunications equipment makers Huawei and ZTE Corp for violating anti-dumping and anti-subsidy guidelines. European Union Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said he was prepared to launch a formal investigation into anti-competitive behavior by these Chinese companies in order to protect a "strategic" sector of Europe's economy. "Huawei and ZTE are dumping their products on the … [Read more...]

New Xbox more than a game console for Microsoft

Visitors play with Microsoft's Xbox 360 consoles at the Tokyo Game Show in Chiba

(Reuters) - Microsoft Corp is set to make a splash this week with the eagerly awaited unveiling of its new Xbox game console, eight years after the last version, as it seeks a larger share of the $65 billion a year global computer gaming industry. But the small device faces some big competition from the PlayStation 4 by Sony Corp and the Wii U by Nintendo Co Ltd in a shifting market. Gamers are gravitating to online play - suggesting the hey-day of console games are over - while Microsoft … [Read more...]

Google’s wearable Glass gadget: cool or creepy?

File photo of Google founder Sergey Brin posing for a portrait wearing Google Glass during New York Fashion Week

(Reuters) - Google staged four discussions expounding on the finer points of its "Glass" wearable computer during this week's developer conference. Missing from the agenda, however, was a session on etiquette when using the recording-capable gadget, which some attendees faithfully wore everywhere - including to the crowded bathrooms. Google Glass, a cross between a mobile computer and eyeglasses that can both record video and surf the Internet, is now available to a select few but is already … [Read more...]

Google Now Introduces Mark Up Tools For Select Partners To Flag Flights, Hotel Stays And Reservations In Emails

google-now-stuff

Google made a relatively quiet announcement today regarding how it’s pushing the developer ecosystem forward around Google Now, its intelligent personal assistant for Android devices. The company has begun extending mark up tools for emails from select partners, which help highlight flight schedules, hotel bookings and various types of reservations, to make sure that Gmail can spot that information and use it to auto-generate helpful reminders in Google Now. The extension of the platform … [Read more...]

DirecTV interested in buying video website Hulu: source

hulu1110428195007

(Reuters) - The largest U.S. satellite video provider, DirecTV, is one of the companies considering a bid for online video website Hulu, according to a source familiar with the situation. The person acknowledged that other parties were involved, adding that DirecTV was "one of many" suitors. Media reports have previously identified Time Warner Cable Inc as another company weighing a potential stake in the company. Representatives of DirecTV and Time Warner Cable declined to comment on … [Read more...]

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 12,955 other followers