Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Amazon's cloud chief targets "old guard" tech giants

Amazon's cloud chief targets "old guard" tech giants

Amazon's cloud chief targets "old guard" tech giants

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 05:00 PM PST

Amazon Senior Vice President Andy Jassy speaks during a keynote speech at the Re:Invent conference in Las VegasLAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc's cloud computing division is going after big corporate customers, a new focus that will put the fast-growing unit into direct competition with some of the world's largest technology companies. Andy Jassy, head of Amazon Web Services or AWS, criticized the hefty profit margins of what he called "old guard" tech companies on Wednesday and unveiled a new data warehousing service that he said will cost about a tenth of existing solutions. "The old world of technology has a pricing model which is to charge as much as customers can pay. ...

Audit firms sued in HP's Autonomy acquisition

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 04:02 PM PST

HP logo is seen outside Hewlett-Packard Belgian headquarters in DiegemNEW YORK (Reuters) - A new shareholder lawsuit over Hewlett-Packard's acquisition of British software firm Autonomy has named Big Four audit firms Deloitte and KPMG as defendants, alleging they missed numerous red flags about Autonomy's accounting. The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in federal court in San Jose, California, also named HP's board of directors, officers, and former executives, alleging breach of duty and negligence for their role in HP's acquisition Autonomy. HP is expected to face a barrage of lawsuits by investors seeking to recoup losses. ...

Samsung takes aim at Japanese rivals with Android camera

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 08:56 PM PST

File picture of a man taking a photo of a Samsung Galaxy Camera in BerlinSEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean consumer electronics giant Samsung Electronics Co is taking aim at its Japanese rivals with an Android-powered digital camera that allows users to swiftly and wirelessly upload pictures to social networking sites. The Galaxy camera lets users connect to a mobile network or Wi-Fi to share photographs and video without having to hook up the camera to a computer. ...

Wil Wheaton Auctions Ruined 'Star Trek' Card for Charity

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 06:45 AM PST

Wil Wheaton Auctions Ruined 'Star Trek' Card for CharityWil Wheaton made a mistake. He admits it. Thankfully, he covered it up the natural way: with a doodled pair of sunglasses, the phrase "YEEAAHH!!" and a charitable eBay auction.

In Severe Weather, Experts Look to You for Ground Truth

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 05:43 AM PST

In Severe Weather, Experts Look to You for Ground TruthAmy Freeze is a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist for WABC-TV in New York City.

Which TV Specs Really Matter – and When to Get the Best Deal

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 03:15 PM PST

Buying a television can be confusing, and the manufacturers like it that way. But it's actually a lot simpler than it seems. So let's dig into the specs that matter, the marketing hype that doesn't matter, and the timing secrets to help you get rock bottom prices. The big news in TVs this year is [...]

Microsoft CEO defends its innovation record, financial results

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 01:27 PM PST

Microsoft CEO Ballmer talks about Microsoft's "Schlaumaeuse" education software running on Windows 8 operating system in BerlinBELLEVUE, Washington (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Steve Ballmer defended his company's record on innovation and financial performance at the annual shareholders' meeting, but conceded that he should have moved faster to get into the booming tablet market dominated by Apple Inc's iPad. Bill Gates, co-founder and now chairman of the world's largest software company, was one of the first to champion tablet-sized devices more than 10 years ago, but Microsoft failed to come up with a product that worked as well as the iPad. ...

BlackBerry maker RIM loses patent dispute with Nokia

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 10:13 AM PST

A logo of the Blackberry maker's Research in Motion is seen on a building at RIM Technology Park in WaterlooHELSINKI (Reuters) - BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd (RIM) has lost a dispute over the use of Nokia Oyj patents, in a case which could halt the sale of RIM products if it does not reach a new royalties deal with the Finnish company. The Swedish arbitrator ruled RIM was not entitled to make or sell mobile devices which can hook up to WiFi networks - using technology known in the trade as WLAN or wireless local access network systems - without first agreeing royalties with Nokia. "RIM is liable to pay royalties and damages to Nokia for its ... ...

German lawmakers condemn Google campaign against copyright law

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 08:22 AM PST

A Google campaign on German web page of world's largest internet search provider is pictured on computer screen in BerlinBERLIN (Reuters) - Senior German politicians have denounced as propaganda a campaign by Google to mobilize public opinion against proposed legislation to let publishers charge search engines for displaying newspaper articles. Internet lobbyists say they are worried the German law will set a precedent for other countries such as France and Italy that have shown an interest in having Google pay publishers for the right to show their news snippets in its search results. Lawmakers in Berlin will debate the bill in the Bundestag (lower house) on Thursday. ...

Casual Android games that will make you a gamer

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 01:53 PM PST

E-Visits to Doctors Might Streamline Care

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 04:53 PM PST

A study finds that patients who enter information online about common infections get decent diagnoses from docs, although antibiotics may be overprescribed. Katherine Harmon reports.

Microsoft: Windows 8 selling well despite PC slump

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 04:48 PM PST

Microsoft believes the latest version of its Windows operating system is off to a great start, but it's going to take more than that to prove the revamped software will win over enough people to revive the slumping personal computer market.

The Biggest Black Hole in the Universe?

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 03:32 PM PST

The Biggest Black Hole in the Universe?Discovered: The black hole that takes up the most space; running can hurt as well as help heart health; keep your eye on the ball is good advice after all; developing a universal cancer blood test.

Applied Materials puts two non-core units under one chief

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 02:36 PM PST

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Applied Materials, the top manufacturer of equipment for chip makers, on Wednesday named a new executive to head up two poorly performing non-core businesses - solar and display - though it said the business groups are not themselves being combined. Applied Materials said it hired KLA-Tencor veteran Ali Salehpour to head the two groups. Chipmakers worried about the global economy and wrestling with declining PC sales have been spending less on new manufacturing equipment sold by Applied Materials. ...

Moody's cuts HP long-term debt rating to Baa1

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 02:25 PM PST

Moody's Investors Service on Wednesday lowered its long-term credit rating on Hewlett-Packard, saying the technology giant will have trouble increasing sales of many of its products.

US pushes to keep entrepreneur jobs in the country

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 02:12 PM PST

The Obama administration's top immigration official says his agency is working to attract and keep more foreign-born high-tech entrepreneurs who are seeking to start companies in the U.S., a move he hopes will help the nation retain its edge in an increasingly competitive global economy.

Four Things Google's Nexus 4 Has in Common with the iPhone 4

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 02:12 PM PST

Besides being each company's flagship smartphone (and having the number 4 in their names), Google's new Nexus 4 and the 2010 iPhone 4 have a fair bit in common with each other.

Microsoft ads deride Google as bad place to shop

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 01:53 PM PST

Microsoft is trying to skewer Google as a lousy holiday shopping guide in its latest attempt to divert more traffic to its Bing search engine.

Review: Rooming with strangers _ a game of trust

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 12:56 PM PST

"Do we still have a TV?"

'Scroogled' Is Microsoft's Latest Lame Attack on Google's Search Dominance

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 12:29 PM PST

'Scroogled' Is Microsoft's Latest Lame Attack on Google's Search DominanceThe new Microsoft marketing push to get users to switch to Bing is more anti-Google than pro-anything, and it's not exactly working at all. The company's new tagline, "Scroogled," is either a mix between Scrooge and Google or screwed and Google—the Internet can't decide—and is the star of a new campaign warning Googlers about the paid ads lurking behind Google Shopping's results. Because of a change made last year, the results that Google claims as relevant are actually paid ads, as this Microsoft webpage and the accompanying video below explain.

Italian tax police probe Google Italy again

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 10:26 AM PST

ROME (Reuters) - Italian police launched a new tax probe into Google Italy this week after earlier investigations found the group had failed to declare income and still owed sales tax, an economy ministry document showed on Wednesday. The earlier probe, which was launched by Italian financial police in 2007, found that Google had developed a system to transfer profits from its Italian operations to Ireland so it could benefit from a more favorable tax regime. ...

AMSC slashes workforce, cuts outlook on weak wind energy market

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 09:52 AM PST

(Reuters) - AMSC said it laid off about a quarter of its workforce and forecast a larger-than-expected loss for the current quarter as the power technology company struggles to stem losses caused by overcapacity and weak demand in the wind power market. The company, which has cut more than half its workforce since August 2011, now has only about 340 employees. The maker of electrical components for wind turbines expects a loss of "less than 31 cents per share", excluding items, for the third quarter ending December. It earlier forecast a loss of less than 26 cents. ...

Chinese solar companies look homeward to boost shipments

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 09:43 AM PST

(Reuters) - Money-losing Chinese solar panel makers Yingli Green Energy Holding Co and JA Solar Holdings Co Ltd are increasing shipments at home to make up for weak sales in western markets, further risking profitability for growth. Panel prices are the lowest in China, but companies there are cutting prices to gain share in a market that is expected to be one of the largest next year due to government incentives. "The pricing in China is some of the most cost competitive right now," said Avian Securities analyst Mark Bachman. "So it doesn't help gross margins to ship products into China. ...

Nokia sues RIM for breach of contract

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 09:36 AM PST

Nokia Corp. said Wednesday that it is suing Research In Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry, for breach of contract in Britain, the United States and Canada over cellular patents the two companies agreed on nine years ago.

UK student escapes U.S. extradition in copyright case

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 08:45 AM PST

LONDON (Reuters) - A British university student who launched a website linking to TV shows and films online for free has reached an agreement to avoid extradition to the US and possible jail over copyright infringement allegations, the High Court heard on Wednesday. A deal struck on Wednesday means Richard O'Dwyer, the 24-year-old creator of website TVShack, which helped people watch free films but did not host content itself, will travel to the United States to pay a small fine and will not be extradited. ...

Vivendi's SFR telecom unit to cut 856 jobs

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 08:38 AM PST

PARIS (Reuters) - Vivendi's SFR telecom unit plans to cut 856 jobs via a voluntary departure plan, it said on Wednesday, as it restructures to cope with tougher competition in France. Unions swiftly condemned the move as unacceptable given the more than 3 billion euros ($3.88 billion) in profit that SFR should generate this year, and voiced fears that the cuts were a step towards a sale of France's second-biggest mobile operator. ...

US suspends embassy account on Vietnam website

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 07:53 AM PST

The U.S. Embassy in Hanoi has deactivated its account on a popular Vietnamese website that's full of suspected pirated music and Hollywood movies, the State Department said Wednesday

Samsung Galaxy products infringe Apple patent: Dutch court

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 07:50 AM PST

Employee holds up a Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Tab tablet computer and an Apple iPad as he poses at a store in SeoulAMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A Dutch court ruled on Wednesday that some of Samsung Electronics' Galaxy smartphones and tablets infringe an Apple patent in the latest round of the two firms' worldwide battle. The court ordered Samsung Electronics to pay Apple damages, determined by how much profit it has made from the sales. The patent dispute concerns the Android operating system versions 2.2.1 to 3.0 used on Samsung's Galaxy tablets and smartphones, the court said. ...

Live Chat at 12:30 P.M. EST on What Good Is a Home 3-D Printer?

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 07:30 AM PST

Live Chat at 12:30 P.M. EST on What Good Is a Home 3-D Printer?

Microsoft's ads deride Google a bad place to shop

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 07:23 AM PST

Microsoft is trying to skewer Google as a lousy holiday shopping guide in its latest attempt to divert more traffic to its Bing search engine.

Spain mobile operators jointly launch WhatsApp challenger

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 06:01 AM PST

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's three biggest mobile operators are teaming up to launch a service they hope will help them better compete with the likes of WhatsApp, Viber and Skype, which are luring customers with the promise of free phone calls and messages. The Joyn service from Telefonica's Movistar, France Telecom's Orange and Vodafone will offer free messaging, enhanced call features and in some cases free calls. ...
Posted by Harshad at 9:43 PM

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