Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 series -- featuring an upgraded cloud computing service -- marks a "rebirth" of its operating systems, chief executive Steve Ballmer said. More »Microsoft sees 'rebirth' with new Windows 8 system
(Reuters) - Nasdaq OMX Group Inc has been sued by an investor who claimed the exchange operator was negligent in handling orders for Facebook Inc shares following its initial public offering, causing losses for investors. Phillip Goldberg, a Maryland resident, is seeking class-action status on behalf of all investors who lost money because Nasdaq delayed or otherwise mishandled their buy, sell or cancellation orders for Facebook stock on May 18, the day the social networking giant went public. ... More »Investor sues Nasdaq, alleges Facebook IPO bungled
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Hewlett Packard Co plans to lay off roughly 27,000 employees or about 8 percent of its workforce over the next couple of years to jumpstart growth and save up to $3.5 billion annually, sending its shares 11 percent higher. The company said the layoffs would be made mainly through early retirement and would generate annual savings of $3 billion to $3.5 billion as it exits fiscal year 2014, when the layoffs are expected to the completed. The world's No. ... More »HP to lay off about 27,000, profit slides 31 percent
TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Intel Corp is launching research in Israel into technology that mimics the human brain and develops devices that "learn" about their user. "Machine learning is such a huge opportunity," Justin Rattner, Intel's chief technology officer, told reporters in Tel Aviv. "Despite their name, smartphones are rather dumb devices. My smartphone doesn't know anything more about me than when I got it," he added. "All of these devices will come to know us as individuals, will very much tailor themselves to us. ... More »Intel eyes future with computers that learn
(Reuters) - Top European software company SAP AG plans to buy U.S. software maker Ariba Inc in a deal valuing the company at $4.3 billion in a bid to compete more aggressively against rival Oracle in the fast-growing cloud computing market. SAP and Ariba, a darling of the first dotcom boom that has since reinvented itself as a major networking and online commerce software developer, have agreed to the acquisition at $45 a share, a 20 percent premium over Monday's closing price. ... More »SAP to buy Ariba, boosts cloud bet
In the span of just a few days, Samsung has already received nine million pre-orders for its new smartphone, the Galaxy S3, according to an article in Korea Economic Daily published Friday. Currently about a hundred carriers around the world, including T-Mobile and AT&T in the US and Vodafone in the UK are offering preorders for the phone. Its official release is scheduled for May 29. More »Samsung Galaxy S3: already close to 10 million pre-ordered
(Reuters) - Facebook Inc and lead underwriter Morgan Stanley were sued by shareholders who claimed they hid the social networking company's weakened growth forecasts ahead of its $16 billion initial public offering. The lawsuit came as Facebook and the banks that took it public face questions about the IPO, which culminated in a May 18 stock market debut plagued by technical glitches. Facebook shares fell 18.4 percent from their $38 IPO price in their first three trading days. They were up $1.08, or 3.5 percent, at $32.08 in Wednesday afternoon trading. ... More »Facebook, banks sued over pre-IPO analyst calls
Google won a major victory as jurors sided with the Internet giant in a high-stakes court battle over patents with business software titan Oracle. More »Google cleared in Oracle suit on patents
Trial lawyers smelled blood as furious investors began filing suits over losses on Facebook's disastrous $16 billion IPO, with billions of dollars possibly at stake in coming litigation. More »Lawsuits mount over Facebook IPO debacle
Yahoo! has set out to reclaim the Internet search crown from Google with the release of software that transforms the way users explore the Web using Apple's coveted gadgets. More »Yahoo! moves to reclaim Internet search crown
(Reuters) - Analysts said Hewlett Packard Co's plan to cut jobs was a step in the right direction but the PC maker will have to do more to regain investors' confidence. Shares of the world's No. 1 personal computer maker were up 6 percent at $22.26 in early trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. "While we certainly don't believe HP has resolved all their issues, we do see the company moving in the right direction," RBC Capital Markets LLC analyst Amit Daryanani wrote in a note to clients. ... More »Analysts back Hewlett Packard's layoff plans
High-tech product releases announced the week ending May 23 include a compact Android PC priced at just $49, Sony’s NEX-F3 mirrorless camera, a DSLR camera built for adventurers, a waterproof smartphone with FeliCa, and a 4G mobile hotspot that’s built to travel. More »Top new tech products: $49 Android PC, high-end waterproof smartphone, Sony NEX-F3 camera
(Reuters) - As Facebook Inc officials traveled the country to talk up the company's $16 billion initial public offering, the social networking giant advised analysts for underwriters to reduce revenue and earnings forecasts, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter. The advice came around May 9, the day the company published an amended prospectus that included a cautionary note about how Facebook's users were increasingly using mobile devices, which generate less advertising revenue for the company. ... More »Facebook told analysts to cut forecasts before IPO
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - NetApp Inc on Wednesday forecast revenue below Wall Street's expectations and its chief executive warned of uncertainty in Europe, sending the data storage equipment maker's shares down 18 percent in after-hours trade. The day before, Dell Inc posted disappointing quarterly results that heightened concerns about cautious IT spending, sending tech stocks sharply lower. "The EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) story is one of uncertainty. We could be seeing a rebound or we could be seeing a strong degradation from there," CEO Tom Georgens said in a telephone interview. ... More »Europe weighs on NetApp's outlook, stock slumps
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some Motorola Mobility smartphones infringe on a Microsoft patent and will be barred from importation to the United States, a U.S. trade panel said on Friday. The order by the U.S. International Trade Commission has been sent to President Barack Obama, who has 60 days to consider whether to overturn it for policy reasons. The legal fight at the ITC is one of dozens globally between various smartphone makers. Google's Android system has become the top-selling smartphone operating system, ahead of mobile systems by Apple, Microsoft, Research in Motion and others. ... More »U.S. says will bar some Motorola Mobility phones
Apple has extended its lead as the world's most valuable corporate name with a strong 19 percent increase in its so-called brand value, a survey showed Tuesday. More »Apple still top global brand as value jumps: survey
Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong and other hit video games, won a top Spanish prize Wednesday for "revolutionising" the industry. More »Mario Bros creator Miyamoto wins top Spanish prize
REUTERS - A large real-life test of birth control methods found more U.S. women got pregnant while using short-acting methods such as pills, patches and vaginal rings -- and the failure rate was highest when they were used by women under 21. In a new study published on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, about 7,500 women and teens in the St. Louis area were allowed to pick from a variety of contraception methods at no cost. ... More »Long-term contraception more effective than pills
(Reuters) - Electronic trader Knight Capital Group said it suffered a pre-tax loss of $30 million to $35 million on the botched Nasdaq trading debut of social media giant Facebook and is demanding the exchange compensate that amount. The loss, which Knight said will be recorded in its second-quarter results, was due to numerous problems related to the Facebook initial public offering. ... More »Knight Capital hit by Facebook loss, wants Nasdaq to pay
HONG KONG (Reuters) - With home turf advantage in the world's biggest computer market and a foothold in major emerging economies, China's Lenovo Group is looking to turn market share into profit, heaping more pressure on U.S. rivals Hewlett-Packard Co and Dell Inc. Concern that global tech spending, particularly in the developed world, is weakening faster than expected has battered Dell shares and prompted HP to axe some 27,000 jobs. To counter weakness in consumer spending in major cities in the world's second-largest economy, Lenovo is Casting its net wider. ... More »As rivals falter, Lenovo has emerging market edge