Hasta La Gadget!

It would appear that Apple is really, really interested in implementing fingerprint sensor technology with its devices. Last month, Apple announced that it had agreed to buy AuthenTec for $356 million, and today we’re getting a better idea of the events leading up to this purchase. According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday (uncovered by The Next Web), Apple’s offer to purchase the company came when the iPhone maker decided it didn’t want to enter a commercial agreement with AuthenTec during talks of a licensing deal.

That wasn’t always the case, though. Apple and AuthenTec had been talking about a licensing deal for months before Apple came back with an offer to buy the company outright. The deal which was announced last month is still pending shareholder approval, but provided everything works out the way Apple is hoping (which it should), then AuthenTec will be wholly owned by Apple before long.

Now we know that this acquisition is the result of Apple wanting to begin using AuthenTec’s fingerprint sensor technology as quickly as possible. During licensing talks, AuthenTec was still entertaining offers from other companies, and it wasn’t long before Apple decided that an outright purchase was the best route for it to take. It isn’t hard to see why, either. Implementing fingerprint sensor technology on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad would make Apple’s line of products stand out from the competition in a big way.

It would also do a lot to put users’ minds at ease, during this time when device security is a high-profile issue. Apple has a lot gain from this deal with AuthenTec, so it’s no wonder that it wanted talks to progress as quickly as possible. AuthenTec’s share holders are getting a pretty good deal if they choose to allow an Apple buyout too – Apple is offering $8.00 per share, which is a 58% premium on AuthenTec’s stock price as of July 26 – so it seems like it won’t be long before we’re hearing that shareholders have approved the deal. After that, expect Apple to begin including fingerprint sensors in its devices and talking about it at every chance.

[via CNET]

Apple targets fingerprint scanners with incoming AuthenTec purchase is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Twitter has acquired yet another company, this time buying out Clutch.io. The deal was announced today, with the Clutch.io team saying that they will be joining Twitter’s Growth and International team. They also say that they’re starting work at Twitter immediately, so it seems that Twitter is wasting no time in taking advantage of the Clutch.io team’s talents.

Clutch.io offered A/B testing to iOS and Android developers, and also offered Clutch Framework, which helps developers build apps. “Offered” is the operative word there, as Clutch.io won’t be supporting these apps much longer – Twitter is shutting down the company’s A/B testing and Framework app. Clutch.io says in a blog post that it will continue supporting these services until November 1, and in the coming weeks, the company will be providing resources that will allow developers to run these programs on their own servers.

So, Clutch’s current services won’t be going away entirely, they just won’t be supported or hosted on Clutch.io servers anymore. In anticipation of this “shut down” of sorts, Clutch.io has stopped accepting new customers, so if you were ready to jump in and see what Clutch.io had to offer, we’re sorry to say you’re out of luck.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed, and we’re not sure what exactly the Clutch.io team will be doing at Twitter. This has to be a pretty exciting time for Clutch.io however, as it’s still a very young company, so to have its worth recognized so quickly is undoubtedly leaving a smile on a few faces today. Be sure to check out our story timeline below for more posts on Twitter’s recent happenings!

Clutch.io joins Twitter’s Growth and International team is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’re not in the habit of entering the dry world of corporate debt notes, but Sprint’s latest financial release might disguise a juicy bit of news. There’s a rumor in the business press that Dish Network might have bought around $400 million of Clearwire’s debt — helping relieve the pressure on Sprint, which has been keeping its subsidiary alive on handouts. Unsurprisingly, no-one’s commenting on the rumors, although Dish CEO Joseph Clayton did say he was open to a partnership (or acquisition) with Sprint / Clearwire late last year. If true, it could signal that it’s getting ready for a fight against AT&T — or maybe it just wanted to throw Dan Hesse a bone.

Continue reading Dish Network rumored to have bought Clearwire’s $400 million debt in secret transaction

Filed under: Wireless

Dish Network rumored to have bought Clearwire’s $400 million debt in secret transaction originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 07:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Foxconn’s parent, Hon Hai Precision Industry, partnered up with Sharp earlier this year, taking a stake in Sharp’s Sakai LCD manufacturing plant and investing another $850 million in the company. Unfortunately, that latter investment deal is in danger of dissolving due to Sharp’s financial troubles. The Wall Street Journal reports that Sharp’s shares have fallen enough in the months since the aforementioned agreement was consummated in March — due to flagging sales and excess inventory — that Sharp’s given Hon Hai the option to back out of the deal. However, Hon Hai’s still interested in buying ten percent of the Japanese company, and has expressed an interest in renegotiating the terms of the investment. So, it seems we’ll have to wait and see if Sharp accepts Hon Hai’s continued advances, but you can read more about the company’s financial woes right now at the source below.

Filed under: Displays

Foxconn investment in Sharp looking less likely due to LCD manufacturer’s shrinking stock value originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 17:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The final price may end up being more than the initially proposed $186 million, but Seagate has successfully acquired a controlling share of LaCie stocks. The provisional price of €4.05 per share could increase to €4.17 if Seagate manages to accumulate 95 percent of the company’s stocks in the next six months. As of now, however, it hold just shy of 65 percent, enough to take control of the French manufacturer. With LaCie and its valuable consumer business under its belt and Samsung’s SSD expertise, the move to reject a Western Digital take over is looking better and better. After all, consumer choice is the engine of capitalism and now Seagate has more than enough ammunition to take on WD and its Hitachi properties. Check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading Seagate completes purchase of LaCie in quest to become king of the hard drive hill

Filed under: Storage

Seagate completes purchase of LaCie in quest to become king of the hard drive hill originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 23:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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