Hasta La Gadget!

Samsung seems to be the go-to company these days when it comes to mobile OS acquisition rumors, but now it looks like HTC’s on the proverbial hot seat. According to an interview by The Economic Observer in China, chairwoman Cher Wang has affirmed that HTC is at least mulling the idea: “We have given it thought and we have discussed it internally, but we will not do it on impulse.” The report goes on to make strong mention of HP’s recently-backstabbed webOS platform, but stops short of suggesting that it’s the only OS in the running. Continuing on, Wang stated: “We can use any OS we want. We are able to make things different from our rivals on the second or third layer of a platform. Our strength lies in understanding an OS, but it does not mean that we have to produce an OS.” Of course, that’s a cheerleading session surrounding the outfit’s polarizing Sense overlay, and we’re guessing that webOS would eventually look a heck of lot different under HTC’s control. On second thought, maybe Wang’s actually trying to acquire iOS — she sure seems to love those Apple stores!

HTC chairwoman Cher Wang: we might buy a mobile OS, if it feels right originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Sep 2011 09:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, that didn’t take long. Sprint today revealed that it has filed a suit against AT&T’s proposed T-Mobile purchase — and now AT&T is hitting back with some less than flattering words. An AT&T spokesperson told Engadget, “this simply demonstrates what we’ve said all along — Sprint is more interested in protecting itself than it is in promoting competition that benefits consumers.” AT&T went on to promise a “vigorous fight” and reiterated that such a merger would ultimately prove beneficial to the industry and consumers, improving wireless service and solving spectrum concerns.

AT&T fires back against Sprint over T-Mobile acquisition suit originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 17:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on January 11, 2007 by CyberNet.

eBay is at it again! Their list already includes PayPal, Shopping.com, and Skype ,with PayPal by far being the most successful buy, and adding to the acquisition list is StubHub.  Some call it a ticket reseller, others call in ticket scalpers, it’s really all the same thing and it just might be a good buy.  eBay has been struggling recently with 100 million invested into a China eBay that has failed, along with a market value that has gone down 37 billion over the past two years (that’s around 50%).  Right now they’re in a position where they are seeking out other e-commerce avenues to help them stay afloat.

Interestingly enough, eBay tried to sweep up StubHub back in 2002 for $20 million.  StubHub owners and investors clearly benefited from sticking it out, because this time around it is being acquired for $310 million in cash! StubHub is a broker for people wanting to sell tickets for major events.  The people listing pay a 15% fee, and those buying are charged a 10% commission.  In 2006 alone, Stub Hub buyers purchased $400 million in tickets! Overall, they have intermediated the sale of 5 million tickets.  Another reason people are attracted to buy their tickets from StubHub is because they guarantee that all tickets sold on the site are authentic.

This deal was announced late Wednesday as news had already leaked to the Media.  The deal is expected to be completed in April.  eBay didn’t have a whole lot to say about it, but something they did offer, “the acquisition will enable eBay to expand its presence and offering in the online tickets segment, while allowing StubHub to continue to scale its business with the e-commerce expertise and resources of eBay.”  It seems like an appropriate fit for eBay as people already sell tickets to events there.  eBay boasts such a large community, and I think  both eBay and StubHub communities will definitely benefit.

News Source: New York Times

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Tech company acquisitions often seek to reshape a company or even the entire industry. Buying Applied Semantics catalyzed Google’s rise to online advertising dominance. Apple’s purchase of NeXT transformed the former’s operating system’s roadmap. And HP’s merger with Compaq created a $40 billion powerhouse vendor of Windows PCs.

That’s not the case for “Googorola,” a portmanteau that the world formerly knew only as an Italian blue cheese often crumbled into steak salads. Indeed, Google’s recent announcement of its intent to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion may turn out to be the highest profile acquisition ever aimed at maintaining the status quo. Presaged by a blog post from Google’s chief legal officer and punctuated by lockstep statements by Motorola’s rival Android licensees praising legal protection, the blog post announcing the acquisition promised to “supercharge” Android. But the subsequent Google conference call regarding the merger reinforced that the “IP” Google seeks to acquire does not stand for “Incredible Phones.” Google seeks to invigorate Android simply by having the freedom to progress unencumbered along the successful path it already has largely staked out.

Continue reading Switched On: The accidental handset company, Part 1

Switched On: The accidental handset company, Part 1 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 28 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, we’re still waiting for that Microsoft-Skype deal to close, but it looks like Redmond’s about to get more than it initially bargained for. Skype announced today that it has reached an agreement to snatch up Groupme, the mobile group messaging service that made a splash at Google I/O. Outfit head honcho Tony Bates told TechCrunch that Skype needs to invade the mobile space if it hopes to reach its goal of scoring one billion users, and cites Groupme’s “sticky group messaging experience” as the ideal mobile addition to the Skype family. But don’t take our word for it, hit the break and dig the PR for yourself.

Continue reading Skype adds Groupme to social portfolio, sets sights on mobile market

Skype adds Groupme to social portfolio, sets sights on mobile market originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 01:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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