Things are looking pretty rosy for Canon these days, though there may be some difficulty on the horizon. Today, the camera maker published a rather strong Q3 earnings report, just a few months after posting relatively ho-hum Q2 results. According to the company, operating profit grew by 17.4 percent to
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The news just keeps getting better and better for ARM Holdings. Today, the chip designer reported third quarter net profits of
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Well, it’s finally happened — Microsoft’s acquisition of Skype has just been finalized, a little more than five months after it was first announced. Under the $8.5 billion deal, Skype CEO Tony Bates will be named president of the new Skype Division of Microsoft, and will have to report directly to Steve Ballmer. Many Skype employees, meanwhile, will stay onboard at offices around the globe, including at outposts in Estonia, the Czech Republic, Russia, Sweden, the UK, Luxembourg, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and the US. In a post on the Official Microsoft Blog today, Bates seemed unsurprisingly enthusiastic about the acquisition, describing it as a marriage of two “disruptive, innovative, software-oriented companies.” The exec was less specific about the role his company would play within Redmond’s new architecture, but assured that Skype would be at the forefront of future communications initiatives across a variety of platforms. “Microsoft is committed to the ubiquity of the Skype experience – communication across every device and every platform will remain a primary focus,” Bates wrote. “And we’ve only scratched the surface.” Head past the break for Microsoft’s full PR, as well as the video address from Bates.
Continue reading Microsoft finalizes acquisition of Skype, Tony Bates shares his thoughts (video)
Microsoft finalizes acquisition of Skype, Tony Bates shares his thoughts (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Oct 2011 02:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
We’re not really sure what to make of this, but it looks like Americans may be under siege… from their own cellphones. No, seriously — according to the latest survey from CTIA, there are now more mobile devices in the US than there are human beings. The trade association’s semi-annual statistics show that during the first six months of 2011, the number of wireless subscriptions rose by nine percent over the previous year, to a total of 327.6 million. The combined population of the US, Puerto Rico, Guam and the US Virgin Islands, by comparison, is around 315 million. That translates to a nationwide wireless penetration rate of 103.9 percent, and, not surprisingly, a 111 percent surge in data usage. CTIA says these results highlight “the industry’s need to purchase more spectrum from the federal government,” as well as our collective need to get a life. You can find more crunch-able numbers in the full PR, after the break.
[Image courtesy of Wrong Side of the Art]
Continue reading Mobile devices may outnumber humans in the US, but they can’t take our soul
Mobile devices may outnumber humans in the US, but they can’t take our soul originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Oct 2011 10:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
When Nathan Mhyrvold’s Intellectual Ventures firm isn’t striking licensing deals with technology companies, it’s usually suing them, and you can now add one more big name to that latter group. This time it’s Motorola, which IV says it has been in discussions with for “some time,” but which it has ultimately been unable to come to an agreement with on a license. A total of six patents covering a fairly wide variety of functions are included in the suit, which was filed in a Delaware federal court, although that’s just a small fraction of the more than 35,000 total intellectual property assets owned by the company. For its part, Motorola is remaining mum on the matter, while IV said in a statement that while its “goal continues to be to provide companies with access to our portfolio through licensing and sales,” it will “not tolerate ongoing infringement of our patents to the detriment of our current customers and our business.”
Intellectual Ventures takes aim at Motorola over alleged patent infringement originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The idea of a physical PayPal store may seem somewhat counterintuitive, but that’s exactly what the company is planning to open next month, in Manhattan. As TechCrunch recently revealed, the forthcoming pop-up store is slated to open its doors on November 1st, as part of a campaign designed to promote PayPal’s new slate of in-store technologies. Located at 174 Hudson Street in Tribeca, the outlet will also sport a large QR code on its exterior, which passers-by can scan with their smartphones to find more information on the company’s new mobile payment services. Inside, merchants will be able to better familiarize themselves with PayPal’s commercial offerings, which include location-based promotions, cross-device payment services and real-time inventory checks, among others. The store will be open for about three and a half months, and PayPal’s new features should be making their way to physical retailers in the near future. No word yet on specific partnerships, though the company is expected to announce them soon.
PayPal to open NYC pop-up store next month, showcase new mobile payment services originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 12:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Like Zune’s own Business Development Manager once said, all consumer electronics products have a lifespan, and today the (not so long) lineage of dedicated Zune hardware expires not with a roar, but with a promise to honor its warranties. Tucked away in the inner chambers of the Zune support site lies a page spelling out Microsoft’s final words on the device, “Windows Phone will be the focus of our mobile music and video strategy,” it says, “we will no longer be producing Zune players.” The Zune HD is survived by the Zune music service, which will continue to function with straggling standalone media players, as well as the Windows desktop, Windows Phone and Xbox platforms.
Zune is dead, long live Zune originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 23:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
IT specialists in Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong better start polishing their resumes, because Google is rolling into town. Yesterday, Big G announced plans to build a brand new data center in each of the three Asian locales, as part of an expansion slated to cost at least $200 million. When completed, these complexes will represent the company’s first fully owned and operated data centers in the burgeoning Asia-Pacific region — where, according to Asia policy communications manager Taj Meadows, Google is “seeing large numbers of new users coming online every day”. The facilities in Hong Kong and Taiwan are expected to cost around $100 million each, though the price tag for the Singapore branch remains a mystery. Big G hopes to finish construction in one to two years, though it didn’t say when it would begin — nor, for that matter, whether seawater tunnels would be involved.
Google to build a trio of data centers in Asia, earmarks $200 million for expansion originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 11:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
If you get your jollies from things like procuring motherboards months before compatible chips are released, then boy have we some good news for you! ASUS is releasing three PCI-Express 3.0 enabled motherboards that are capable of handling Intel’s souped-up Ivy Bridge chips when they debut next year. The company isn’t in the business of giving its boards romantic names, so the three Z68-powered arrivals will be called P8Z68-Deluxe/GEN3, P8Z68-V Pro/GEN3 and P8Z68-V/GEN3. The whole lot will get two PCI-Express 3.0 slots, LucidLogix Vertu graphics-switching and USB 3.0. They’ll be available from October — the Deluxe model will peel €230 ($310) from the rear of your pocket, while the V-pro commands a more modest €185 ($250) and the V an even lower €160 ($220). After the break, we’ve got a shot of the German spec list that those nice folks at TechConnect managed to snaffle. Go on, geek out — we won’t tell.
[Thanks, Alexandre]
Continue reading ASUS announces Ivy Bridge PCI-Express motherboards, for early early-adopters
ASUS announces Ivy Bridge PCI-Express motherboards, for early early-adopters originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 09:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Not content with offering up merely modular Android tablets, ASUS has revealed a new seven-inch tablet that’s water and dust resistant — perfect for a spot of bath-time browsing or… desert rallying. The ASUS TOUGH-ETBW11AA has rubberized bezel and strips across the back, contributing to the substantial 22.2mm profile, but that hefty frame can survive drops from the heady height of 76cm. Aside from its tough-guy credentials, there’s a 1280 x 800 screen, five megapixel camera, Tegra 2 dual-core 1GHz processor, WiMAX connection and the staple WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS medley. It comes with 16GB of well-protected storage, but there’s room for more via microSD. For those seeking a slate that’ll survive the bumps and scrapes of the business world — and not look ridiculous – it’ll be available to enterprise customers of Japanese carrier KDDI this November. No news yet on whether it’ll canoe its way across from the Land of the Rising Sun, but we can give you a few more photos of the rough and tumble tablet after the break.
[Image credit: Keitai Watch]
Continue reading ASUS TOUGH 7-inch Honeycomb tablet lands in Japan ready for some corporate abuse
ASUS TOUGH 7-inch Honeycomb tablet lands in Japan ready for some corporate abuse originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 13:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.