Software

BNP Paribas has launched an iPad app in the hope that hedge fund managers will want to check out their stock holdings on the move, writes Dan McCrum.

“You can get off an airplane and in one minute see everything that’s happening in your portfolio,” says Sam Hocking, head of prime brokerage sales for the French Bank. Read more

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. Read more

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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. Read more

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Google’s Chrome 15 has replaced Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) as the world’s most popular browser edition, Computer World reports. During the last two weeks of November and the first week of December, according to data from StatCounter, Chrome 15 accounted for 24% of the global browser usage market, compared to IE8′s 22.9%. This is the first time that IE8 had not held the top spot since early 2010 and the first time a non-Microsoft application has led the list. Read more

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PayPal, eBay’s payment service, is looking to take on Groupon and LivingSocial with plans to start offering coupons tailored to users’ buying habits and mobile phone locations, according to Bloomberg. The company will launch its mobile deals in the first quarter of 2012 in partnership with several US retailers. Read more

Jive Software’s successful debut on the Nasdaq on Tuesday reflects investor enthusiasm for social media companies, though it is unclear how eager businesses are to bring a Facebook-style network to the workplace. Read more

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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. Read more

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Amazon is to release an over-the-air software update to its latest tablet computer, the Kindle Fire, The New York Times reports. News of the uprgade comes as complaints about the tablet’s features and usability are on the rise. Among the complaints, the NYT reports, are:

  • There is no external volume control.
  • The off switch is easy to hit by accident.
  • Web pages take a long time to load.
  • There is no privacy on the device.
  • The touch screen is frequently hesitant.

 Read more

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Panasonic is to launch a smartphone in Europe next year, according to Reuters. The move comes six years after the Japanese company abandoned overseas sales of its feature phones. Read more

Tech news from around the web:

US telecoms company Verizon and Redbox, the group behind the $1 DVD-rental kiosks, are in talks to provide a film and TV download and streaming service, according to TechCrunch. The service is scheduled for a May 2012 launch. Read more