Nov 08
Facebook bought Instagram for a bazillion, Digg sold itself for a Quizno’s gift card, and countless startups are hoping to get copped too. But if you could make it happen, which company would buy out which? More »
Oct 10
Twitter has pretty much nailed text-based interaction, so it looks like it’s time to diversify into video. According to AllThingsD, the blue birdie has snapped up a three-man outfit called Vine, a video-sharing startup intended specifically for bite-sized clips. You’d be forgiven for not knowing it — the service hasn’t actually launched yet — and there’s no word on whether it’ll operate independently or be assimilated by the social network. There are bound to be more details revealed soon, and it might not be too long before you’re sharing less in 140 characters and more in five-second clips.
Filed under: Internet
Twitter said to have acquired fledgling video-sharing service Vine originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 09:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Sep 27
FCC chairman green-lights AT&T’s use of WCS spectrum for LTE with proposed order
Posted in: Today's Chili 
AT&T is close to securing a major victory in its battle against the spectrum crunch. While it’s not quite a done deal, FCC chairman Genachowski has submitted a proposed order to FCC commissioners that would authorize AT&T’s deployment of its LTE service within a 20MHz portion of the 2.3GHz (WCS) band. The deal is unique in that the spectrum is currently reserved for satellite radio, and the reallocation would mark the first of its kind within the WCS band. As you may recall, AT&T previously conceded to a 5MHz dead zone on both ends of Sirius XM’s operating frequency in order to mitigate interference concerns, and it seems the move was sufficient to gain the chairman’s support.
Also looming on the FCC’s to-do list is the decision of whether to approve AT&T’s purchase NextWave and its unused WCS spectrum. If it’s any indication, however, Chairman Genachowski seems bullish on the reallocation and has suggested that the agency may authorize another 30MHz of the WCS band for mobile broadband use. AT&T has previously said that it could feasibly deploy LTE over the 2.3GHz spectrum within the next three years. One group fighting the deal is the Competitive Carrier Association, which posits that AT&T’s purchase of such a significant chunk of spectrum on the secondary market is anti-competitive in nature. It’ll no doubt be interesting to see if the argument gains any traction with the FCC. In the meantime, you can view remarks from the agency’s spokesperson after the break.
Continue reading FCC chairman green-lights AT&T’s use of WCS spectrum for LTE with proposed order
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile
FCC chairman green-lights AT&T’s use of WCS spectrum for LTE with proposed order originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 07:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sep 17
Google Just Bought Its Instagram Competitor—And One of Apple’s Favorite Apps [Acquisitions]
Posted in: Today's Chili
Google has just made a big photo buy—it has acquired Nik Software, a.k.a the company behind iOS app Snapseed and other image software. It’s a big boost to Google’s picture editing capabilities, though Facebook and Instagram are probably not freaking out so much as definitely listening to this news. More »
Aug 13
WSJ: Google set to acquire Frommer’s from Wiley, add trusted travel reviews
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Just one year after its Zagat acquisition, Google has made a move on another trusted lifestyle brand. John Wiley & Sons Inc., the current owner of the Frommer’s network of travel sites and guide books, confirmed the Mountain View acquisition, with a closing expected shortly. According to The Wall Street Journal, Google hasn’t made a call concerning Frommer’s printed guidebooks, which don’t necessarily fall in line with the company’s otherwise online-only model. It’s also unclear whether or not the new content arm will fall under Zagat’s leadership, though a department executive did comment on the acquisition in an interview, saying that Google planned to keep Frommer’s on its current path for the time being. Neither company was able to confirm pricing for the buyout, which could help Google boost its reviews portfolio, backing user-submitted travel content with professional credibility. Full details are at the source link below.
Update: As it turns out, Google will reportedly be keeping the print staff on board, moving the team to its NYC offices. Online editors are less fortunate, however, with layoffs having already begun.
Filed under: Internet
WSJ: Google set to acquire Frommer’s from Wiley, add trusted travel reviews originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Aug 2012 11:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Aug 02
AT&T agrees to acquire NextWave for $600 million, gobbles up WCS and AWS spectrum
Posted in: Today's Chili 
AT&T’s making no secret of the fact it wants to snatch up as much spectrum as it possibly can, so news of the company’s proposed acquisition of NextWave Wireless doesn’t result in much of a shock. AT&T has agreed to purchase the company — and all of its WCS (Wireless Communication Service) and AWS spectrum licenses and equity along with it — for $25 million, pending FCC approval. If you count $25 million in contingency costs and the outstanding debt the big blue globe has also picked up, however, the total bill climbs to $600 million.
The deal comes shortly after AT&T partnered with Sirius XM to petition the FCC in the hopes that it would allow WCS (2.3GHz) spectrum to be opened up for LTE use — mobile data is currently restricted by the federal body to prevent any interference with satellite radio. The government hasn’t given the green light for this proposal yet (additionally, the NextWave deal isn’t likely to be approved until later this year), but that’s not stopping AT&T from its preparations just in case — it plans to have WCS LTE ready for deployment in three years if everything works out in the carrier’s favor.
Continue reading AT&T agrees to acquire NextWave for $600 million, gobbles up WCS and AWS spectrum
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless
AT&T agrees to acquire NextWave for $600 million, gobbles up WCS and AWS spectrum originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 10:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Jul 09
Microsoft to acquire Perceptive Pixel, pair up with 82-inch touchscreen manufacturer
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Microsoft has already expressed its fondness for Perceptive Pixel’s gigantic capacitive touchscreens, which became apparent during a live demo at the company’s Windows 8 presentation at Mobile World Congress earlier this year, but now that friendship has become a bit more official. During Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference keynote in Toronto this morning, Steve Ballmer announced that Perceptive Pixel would be coming in-house, with Microsoft acquiring the display maker. The move seems to be in line with the company’s recent shift to hardware manufacturing, beginning with last month’s Surface introduction and its reinforced commitment to the recently renamed PixelSense smart table solution — MS has just seized an opportunity to get a bit more hands-on. Full (limited) details are in the press release after the break.
Microsoft to acquire Perceptive Pixel, pair up with 82-inch touchscreen manufacturer originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Jul 2012 10:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jul 03
Beats buyout of MOG worth $14 million, splits company not-so-neatly into two
Posted in: Today's Chili 
More official details are emerging from Beats Electronics’ acquisition of MOG, and they paint a considerably messier picture of the deal than we saw just a day ago. HTC (which has a big stake in Beats) has confirmed that the move into streaming music was worth $14 million — not a whole lot considering that MOG had raised $33 million through its entire independent lifetime. The low price might come as the result of Beats being very surgical with its deal. The Jimmy Iovine- and Dr. Dre-founded outfit is taking control of the core audio service as a separately-managed company, while the ad and music blog components are mostly left untouched. MOG’s loss of independence is coming on a very ignominious note as a result, but it could be good news for subscribers anxious about the service’s future as well as HTC phone owners wondering just where Sense UI’s Beats integration might go next.
Beats buyout of MOG worth $14 million, splits company not-so-neatly into two originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 16:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jul 02
Micron scoops up Elpida Memory, 50-percent production boost for $2.5 billion
Posted in: Today's Chili 
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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