US companies snap up Euro chip bargains
Marvell, the US semiconductor company, has bought Xelerated, the Swedish maker of networking infrastructure chips, in a deal understood to be worth around $100m.
Meanwhile, UK-based Picochip was bought by Mindspeed Technologies, a US chip vendor, in a deal valued at up to $76.8m, including a $51.8m in cash and shares and up to $25m earn-out.
Apple poaches new iAd chief from Adobe – report
Tech news from around the web:
Apple has snatched Adobe media executive Todd Teresi to run its mobile-advertising business, Bloomberg reports. iAd has not been one of Apple’s greatest successes since acquiring Quattro Wireless two years ago but mobile advertising, while small, continues to grow apace. Apple has been no friend to Adobe in recent years, with the late Steve Jobs vocally refusing to allow its Flash web plug-in onto any iDevices.
Warning over mobile phone hijacking
Karsten Nohl, the celebrity mobile cryptography expert, has been at it again. Two years ago he caused a stir by showing that the secret code that protects GSM mobile handsets was easy to crack, leaving phone calls open to interception by third parties.
This year, he is due to show that handsets can also be hijacked to make unauthorised calls and send text messages, running up huge bills without their owners’ knowledge. GSM networks, which are vulnerable to this flaw, are used by around 80 per cent of the world’s mobile users.
Tech news from around the web:
Microsoft, a 20-year stalwart of the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, has decided to pull out of the event after the 2012 show in January, the Los Angeles Times reports. The company, whose keynote address has been one of the main highlights of the show, said it felt that it would be better to make announcements on its own time.
Tech news from around the web:
BlackBerry maker Research In Motion has become the centre of bid speculation. The Wall Street Journal reports that Microsoft and Nokia had, in recent months, considered the idea of making a joint bid for RIM, people familiar with the matter told the newspaper. Meanwhile, Reuters says that online retailer Amazon had hired an investment bank in the summer to review a potential merger, but did not make a formal offer.
Tech news from around the web:
Apple has applied for a patent for a self-service kiosk that would read customers’ mobile devices and give them recommendations on accessories and apps, according to Mashable. The kiosk could be installed in Apple Stores and Best Buy outlets, Mashable speculates.
Tech news from around the web:
Facebook’s Android mobile app has overtaken the daily active user count of its iPhone app, TechCrunch reports. The Android app is now registering 58.3m daily active users compared to the iPhone app’s 57.4m.
NFL deals come with digital rights
When the National Football League yesterday struck a trio of eye-popping deals with big TV networks, the focus was rightly on just how valuable live sports have become to broadcasters today.
But buried in the press releases heralding the agreements (which will bring the NFL $24bn over nine years) was some rather revolutionary news: the TV networks also secured the digital rights to the most popular sport on television.
Tech news from around the web:
Facebook is planning a push into mobile advertising by the end of March, according to Bloomberg. One idea being considered is to put Facebook’s Sponsored Stories ads, which feature friends’ interactions with brands, within the mobile news feed.
Tech news from around the web:
Apple has announced that it has hit the 18bn mark in downloads of the 500,000 apps it has on offer at its App Store, PaidContent reports. Last week Google revealed that it had achieved 10bn downloads from its app store.
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