Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve heard rumors over the past few months that HTC had bought MOG, and today the news surfaced that it has finally become official. HTC, through its subsidiary Beats Audio, has bought up MOG for $14 million. This number is a little surprising at first since MOG raised $33 million throughout its entire existence. The low number could be the result of Beats Audio splitting up MOG into two separate companies. Beats will take control of the core audio service while the ad and music blog will remain how it currently is. This was definitely a win for HTC as it will give it  them the much needed dedicated music service so that they can compete with Samsung’s Music Hub app and Apple’s iCloud. If HTC correctly integrates MOG’s services into its devices along with Beats Audio, it could be a great combination that would give customers another reason to buy their phones. What do you think? Would things like this be a deciding factor when purchasing a smartphone?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Beats Electronics’ Jimmy Iovine expresses interest in music subscription services, HTC rumored to have bought MOG, a music subscription service,

Among all the Windows 8, WP8 and Surface excitement of late, Redmond has also dropped a chunk of less shiny happy news: its online services division is taking a goodwill writeoff of $6.2 billion as a result of its ill-fated aQuantive acquisition in 2007. Not coincidentally, that’s almost exactly what it paid for the company, which it brought in to create pre-Bing online ad revenue — back when Mountain View was eating even more of its lunch in search. The software giant said that aQuantive didn’t “accelerate growth” as much as intended, although it added that it still provides assets for its internet advertising activities. With the advent of tablets and smartphones since then, it seems unlikely we’ll see any of its now-quaint tech — like shopping cart-mounted computers — again.

Microsoft takes $6.2 billion of lumps on fizzled aQuantive online ad acquisition originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 07:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s no question that Micron has shifted its focus away from PCs in favor of producing components, shipping everything from SSDs to CMOS sensors in recent years, but the semiconductor manufacturer just took a $2.5 billion step even closer to bridging its gap between other companies in the same market, including Samsung, the chip producer’s top competitor. Under the deal, Elpida Memory, which is headquartered in Tokyo, will fall within the Idaho-based conglomerate’s growing umbrella, netting Micron a 50-percent boost in production capability. That increase did come at great expense, however — the transaction included $750 million in cash and $1.75 billion in future installments (1,750 easy payments of one million dollars?), which are set to continue through 2019. The acquisition was also paired with a 24-percent stake in Rexchip Electronics for an additional $334 million, which will complement Elpida’s investment, yielding a total 89-percent stake for Micron. While the amount does seem quite significant, investors appear to be on board, with Micron’s stock ($MU) currently up more than 4 percent since this morning. Both deals will reportedly close within the next year.

Micron scoops up Elpida Memory, 50-percent production boost for $2.5 billion originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jul 2012 19:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell has today announced that it will be purchasing Quest, a company that provides IT management software for businesses. Dell looks to be stocking up on software solutions in order to differentiate itself from its competitors and add to a growing patent portfolio. The acquisition of Quest means that Dell will be able to expands its software to in systems management, security, data protection, and workspace management.

Dell currently has its own security solutions, such as SonicWALL and Secureworks, but Quest’s One Identity and Access Management software will add on top of those products. Quest’s Performance Monitoring, meanwhile, is said to be one of the best performance monitoring solutions for keeping track of workloads and performance issues.

In addition, Quest has a Windows Server management tool that will fit into Dell’s services, plus Database Management that slots in nicely with enterprise solutions. Dell will swallow up a business close to turning over a billion dollars in annual revenue, and add around 1,500 software sales experts plus 1,300 software developers.

Dell will be paying $28 per share for a total purchase price of $2.4 billion. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of this year pending customary closing procedures and approval by Quest’s shareholders.

Dell to purchase Quest for $2.4 billion is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
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So, what exactly is a Yammer? Well, it’s a simple social network designed not to connect you with family or college roommates, but with with your coworkers. The platform has had some success, but its most high profile moment may be today’s announcement that Microsoft had purchased the company. Rumors had been circulating for about a week, but now Redmond has made it official and issued a press release announcing its plan to purchase the startup for $1.2 billion in cash. Yammer will continue to live on as a stand alone service, which should make its 5 million users and countless Fortune 500 customers happy. But Microsoft will certainly be looking to fold its features into its own suite of enterprise offerings, like SharePoint and Office 365. For more info check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading Microsoft buying Yammer to beef up enterprise social networking efforts

Microsoft buying Yammer to beef up enterprise social networking efforts originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jun 2012 14:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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