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Skype SA says a software glitch caused the Internet calling and messaging service’s major outage last week.
In a blog post Wednesday, chief information officer Lars Rabbe said the 24-hour outage that cut service for millions of users stemmed from a problem in a version of Skype’s software for computers running Microsoft Corp.’s Windows operating system. Get the full story »
A California woman has been arrested on charges of leaking secrets about technology companies to hedge funds, as federal prosecutors expand their probe into insider trading. Get the full story »
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen relaunched a wide-ranging patent lawsuit against Apple, Google, Facebook and others with specific allegations that the companies are illegally using technology owned by his company. Get the full story »
China has raised fresh international trade concerns after slashing export quotas on rare earths minerals, used in the manufacture of high-tech devices, risking action from the United States at the World Trade Organization.
China, which produces about 97 percent of the global supply of rare earth minerals, cut its export quotas by 35 percent for the first half of 2011 versus a year ago, saying it wanted to preserve ample reserves, but warned against basing its total 2011 export quota on the first half figures. Get the full story »
Apple will make three versions of the next iteration of the iPad, according to Taiwanese tech site DigiTimes. Get the full story »
Nokia Siemens Networks’ acquisition of Motorola Inc.’s network infrastructure business has been pushed to the first quarter of 2011 because the deal still needs regulatory approval in China.
The $1.2 billion transaction between Schaumburg-based Motorola and Nokia Siemens Networks was announced in July and expected to close by the end of 2010. However, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce’s Anti-Monopoly Bureau has yet to approve it. Regulators in the U.S., European Union, Brazil, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan and Turkey have given the green light. Get the full story »
AT&T Inc. plans to expand its Wi-Fi hotzone in Times Square and add new coverage areas in New York and San Francisco, after a strong response to its pilot program.
The company initially plans to expand the Times Square Wi-Fi hotzone and add new ones near Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in midtown Manhattan. It also is planning a new hotzone for the Embarcadero Center in San Francisco. The program is intended to supplement mobile broadband in urban areas with consistently high usage
AT&T, the exclusive carrier of Apple Inc.’s iPhone in the U.S., has been the subject of criticism over the quality of its service in places like New York City and San Francisco. Get the full story »
Apple Inc. allowed personal information from users of applications for its iPad and iPhone devices to be transmitted to advertising networks without the users’ knowledge, according to a lawsuit brought against the technology giant last week, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday. Get the full story »
Sears said Tuesday morning that it will honor gift cards involved in a computer glitch Sunday night if they have been activated, but had canceled those that were not processed.
On Sunday night, Sears customers got a delayed Christmas present: 50 percent off online gift cards.
Sears Holdings Corp. has launched its online movie download service, Alphaline Entertainment, allowing Sears and K-Mart customers to download movies the day they are released on DVD.
The service runs on Sonic Solutions’ RoxioNow platform, and the companies are working to make the services available on portable media players, mobile phones and high-definition televisions under a multi-year agreement. Plans for the service were first announced in June. Get the full story »
Animation website Xtranormal, whose cartoon-making tools have spawned viral videos of cuddly puppies debating such topics as quantitative easing in stilted monotones, is no longer offering free, unlimited use of its tools. Get the full story »
Bloomberg News | Apple Inc. has been sued over claims that some of its iPhone and iPad apps, including Pandora and dictionary.com, transmit users’ personal information to advertisers.
Logitech International SA Monday denied Google Inc. had asked the Swiss electronics firm to suspend production of television set-top boxes until the U.S. Internet giant irons out software problems.
“Suggestions that production of the Logitech Revue companion box might need to be halted to address software issues are unfounded. As those familiar with the product know, it is not necessary for Logitech to make changes to the companion box to accommodate future enhancements to Google TV,” Logitech spokeswoman Nancy Morrison said in a statement to Dow Jones Newswires. Logitech was addressing a report in trade publication Digitimes that Logitech is delaying shipments through January. Get the full story »
Sony Corp. said Monday that it plans to invest about $1.21 billion to double its production of image sensors used in digital cameras and smart phones, as the popularity of those devices continues to rise worldwide.
The investment includes the electronics giant’s planned repurchase of a factory that it sold to Toshiba Corp. in 2007 for 90 billion yen. Until now, the factory has primarily been used to make processors for Sony’s PlayStation 3 game console. But Tokyo-based Sony said it will refurbish the facility so that it can meet growing demand for imaging sensors. The company hopes to double capacity to 50,000 wafers per month by the end of March 2012. Get the full story »
