Qualcomm ends sales of FLOp TV
Qualcomm’s bold experiment of building a mobile TV network in the US from the ground up can officially be called a failure with the suspension of sales of its FLO TV Personal TV standalone device.
The San Diego-based chipmaker said on Tuesday it expected to maintain the network till next spring for existing subscribers and there would be refunds in the event of its closure. Some layoffs are also anticipated in the near future. Read more
Ukraine: Zeus cyber gang brought in $40m
Ukraine authorities said on Tuesday that the 20 suspects, including 5 key targets they detained as part of a global crackdown on crime rings using the Zeus malware to steal from online bank accounts, brought a total of $40m into the country.
At a press conference covered by the FT’s Mark Rachkevych, officials from the Ukraine’s SBU confirmed that the alleged kingpins had been released, but said the five could expect to be charged this week.
Potentially among them are money laundering, interfering with computer transmissions, and distributing malicious programs. Prison terms for conviction on the second or third of those start at two years, while money laundering can fetch as many as 15. Read more
Steve Ballmer hits London
Steve Ballmer, Microsoft‘s high-octane chief executive, addressed a crowd of students, academics and industry folk at the London School of Economics on Tuesday.
Invited there to deliver a lecture on cloud computing, Mr Ballmer answered a wide range of questions on topics ranging from tablets, piracy and regulation to the likelihood of Microsoft’s demise.
One eye-catching nugget: Mr Ballmer indicated that he was more excited about the potential for Kinect, Microsoft’s new Xbox motion controller, than he was for Windows Phone 7, which launches in London next Monday. Read more
Nokia N8 – the best camera and the big picture
First impressions of Nokia’s new N8 handset are impressive build quality, best camera I’ve experienced on a smartphone and a big improvement in the operating system with the introduction of Symbian ^3.
I plan a full review in the Personal Technology column in the FT’s Business Life section shortly, but, in the meantime, more on the N8 in an interview after the jump with Tero Ojanperä, head of Nokia’s mobile services, who handed me an N8 review unit on its first day of shipping on Thursday. Read more
This past weekend many logged off from the internet, shut down their computers and walked into their local movie theater to watch the much-anticipated film, The Social Network. Based on Mark Zuckerberg and the birth of Facebook, The Social Network has been well-received by fans and top movie critics. It opened its debut weekend with $23 million, making it a success at the box office. Read more
| About this blog | Blog guide |
Richard Waters has headed the FT's San Francisco bureau since 2002 and covers Google and Microsoft, among other things. A former New York bureau chief for the FT, he is intrigued by Silicon Valley's unique financial and business culture, and is looking forward to covering his second Tech Bust.
Chris Nuttall has been online and messing around with computers for more than 20 years and since 2004 has reported from the FT's San Francisco bureau on semiconductors, video games, consumer electronics and all things interwebby.
Maija Palmer has been writing about technology for the FT since 1999 and is fascinated by cybercrime, privacy and all the other issues of the information society. Based in London, she covers European tech companies and hopes that they won't all get acquired by American rivals.
Robin Kwong is the FT's technology, media and telecoms page editor in London. Formerly he was the Taipei correspondent and wrote about the companies that manufacture the vast majority of the world's computers and gadgets. He is interested in the intricacies of the technology supply chain and how China is increasingly changing the tech landscape.
Tim Bradshaw is the FT's digital media correspondent, and has just moved from London to join our team in San Francisco. He has covered start-ups such as Twitter and Spotify, as well as the online ambitions of more established media companies, such as the BBC iPlayer. He also covers the advertising, marketing and video-game industries. Tim has been writing about technology, business and finance since 2003.
