Hasta La Gadget!

In a sudden joining of former leaders in the mobile browser arena that have seen their fortunes turn, Opera announced tonight that it has acquired Skyfire for about $155 million in cash and stock. According to the press release, Opera believes one of the things the two can help each other with is its WebPass program that provides short-term mobile data, by further optimizing user’s data requirements. Skyfire CEO Jeffrey Glueck will become an executive vice president at Opera and oversee joint offerings for the two, as well as remain CEO of Skyfire as an independent but wholly-owned subsidiary of Opera.

If you’re still using Skyfire don’t expect it to go away anytime soon, as the two indicate its browser will continue to be developed and supported. The company says three large US mobile operators are already customers for its Rocket Optimizer tech, meant to speed up all manner of data even as mobile connections have gone from dial-up to broadband speeds. Opera claims its advertising chops can help the Skyfire Horizon mobile browser and toolbar applications as well. The deal is expected to close before mid-March, and the two will be taking meetings at MWC 2013 later this month to show mobile operators how much better they are together.

Filed under: Mobile

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Source: Opera, Skyfire Blog

With the popularity of animated GIFs being what it is, it makes sense that companies are wanting in the action. Vimeo, the popular video-streaming service, has announced that it has acquired animated GIF-making app Echograph for an undisclosed amount of money. The company behind the app, Clear-Media will remain on its own — it’s merely just the app that Vimeo is after it seems.

Details of the acquisition are few and far between as far as how this will affect users, and if Vimeo plans to improve their service with the app, but it looks like Vimeo has made the app completely free now, whereas it was $2.99 in the App Store. The app’s creator, Nick Alt, will become Vimeo’s Vice President of Mobile after being Clear-Media’s CEO.

Vimeo CEO Kerry Trainor says that the company “chose Echograph because it helps people easily create beautiful high quality video content,” and said that the app is “a perfect fit for Vimeo.” Plans for the future aren’t exactly clear yet, and it’s not said what exactly Vimeo will do with the app, other than turning it into a freemium option.

However, Nick Alt says that he’s looking forward to the future of the app, and is excited “to take Echograph to the next level and develop a new fleet of amazing mobile video apps.” With that said, it looks like Vimeo may release a handful of new apps sometime in the future, possibly taking a note from YouTube with their Capture video-recording app.

Vimeo acquires animated GIF app Echograph is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Google has announced that it is set to acquire Channel Intelligence, an e-commerce company. The deal will take place for $125 million, and is set to be finalized during this quarter. Channel Intelligence deals with product promotion, having worked with big names like Best Buy and Target, and is said to track almost 15-percent of US-based online sales.

Channel Intelligence is part of the ICG Group, which works with companies in the service and cloud-based software sectors. Meanwhile, Channel Intelligence offers CI Boost, a variety of services, including Facebook Platform and Product Search. In addition to ICG, Channel Intelligence is also owned by Aweida Capital.

Said ICG’s CEO Walter Buckley: “The sale of CI to Google is a testament to the quality of its technology and its strong team led by ICG President, Doug Alexander, who positioned the company to succeed in the rapidly growing e-marketing industry. As drivers and architects of CI’s growth and success, we are very pleased with this outcome.”

In addition to tracking almost 15-percent of online sales, Channel Intelligence is said to be responsible for just under $2 billion in annual online sales in the United States. The online sales concern a wide array of products, including toys, appliances, consumer electronics, and home improvement items.

[via ICG]

Google announces plans to acquire e-commerce company Channel Intelligence is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Twitter has announced that it acquired Bluefin Labs, a social TV analytics company, a move taking it further into the world of television. Twitter has shown interest in television for years, with people using it as a way to interact with televised events using hashtags. According to the social network, the acquisition will aid in both ad product innovation and the creation of social TV consumer experiences.

One example of a social TV experience with Twitter was provided on the company’s blog back in May of 2011, when it discussed coverage of the royal wedding on Twitter using hashtags. Using the hashtags #CNNTV, individuals watching CNN could share their thoughts in a social environment using social media.

The Bluefin Labs acquisition follows the social network’s partnership with Nielsen, which was made public in December 2012. This partnership is for the development of the Nielsen Twitter TV Rating, which is slated to roll out this fall, complementing Nielsen’s regular ratings. Adding Bluefin’s data science and expertise into the mix, Twitter is looking to really ramp up its television presence.

According to the announcement, Twitter will still honor Bluefin contracts that already exist, but will not sell Bluefin products to any new customers. Using its partnership with Nielsen and SocialGuide, the social network will work on research and develop for networks, agencies and such to show them the benefits of combining TV and Twitter.

[via Twitter]

Twitter announces Bluefin Labs acquisition is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you haven’t heard yet, Dell went private today, thanks to some company cash and even a loan from Microsoft. If you thought that other companies were going to stay mum about the news, think again. HP has issued a statement regarding Dell’s buyout plan, and essentially, the company says that Dell has a “very tough road ahead,” and that the transition “will not be good for its customers.”

In their statement, HP essentially reinforces the idea that if users want to seek out alternatives, HP will be there ready at your beck and call. The company says that “with a significant debt load, Dell’s ability to invest in new products and services will be extremely limited.” Plus, the company says that leveraged buyouts “tend to leave existing customers and innovation at the curb.”

HP thinks that Dell’s customers will now be “eager to explore alternatives” after the buyout, and while HP doesn’t flat-out say that its the best choice for consumers, the company says that it “plans to take full advantage of that opportunity,” meaning that they hope to gain from Dell’s yet-to-be-determined pain from the acquisition.

Of course, HP saw struggles of their own in the recent past. Analysts didn’t believe to heavily in the company’s stock, saying that it should be worth negative $2 if anything. Plus, CEO Meg Whitman even said herself that the company will struggle for must of 2013 as the company tries to rebuild itself.

HP reacts to Dell’s own buyout, says they have a “very tough road ahead” is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.