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Apple enjoyed Irish tax holiday from the start

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:11:41 -0400

By Poornima Gupta and Padraic Halpin SAN FRANCISCO/DUBLIN (Reuters) - Apple has operated almost tax-free in Ireland since 1980, welcomed by a government keen to bring jobs to what was then one of Europe's poorest countries, former company executives and Irish officials have said. Chief Executive Tim Cook faced criticism from a Senate subcommittee in Washington on Tuesday over the iPad and iPhone maker's tax practices, which had been shrouded from full view behind secretive tax-exempt Irish-based corporate entities. ...

EU wants big companies to reveal national tax bills

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:44:05 -0400

By John O'Donnell BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Europe's top regulatory official is seeking to force large companies to disclose how much tax they pay in each country where they operate, a measure some politicians say could curb tax avoidance. Michel Barnier, the European commissioner in charge of drafting business regulation, said in a speech in Amsterdam that rules which will force banks to report their profits, taxes and subsidies by country from 2015 should be extended to cover other companies. "We will expand these reporting obligations to large companies and groups," he said on Thursday. ...

GameStop results beat as mobile sales rise

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:38:01 -0400

(Reuters) - Video games retailer GameStop Corp's quarterly profit beat estimates for the fourth consecutive quarter, suggesting that its strategy of expanding its digital and mobile offerings is paying off in a tough video-gaming environment. Sales of video game hardware and software sales have dropped as gamers lean towards lower-priced online offerings on tablets and smartphones. However, GameStop has managed to buck the trend by selling new and used games to console owners and iOS and Android devices in some stores. ...

New Xbox: What’s Better, What’s Missing

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:21:38 -0400

Eight years after the debut of the Xbox 360, Microsoft has announced the Xbox One.

HP raises 2013 outlook as Whitman's plan takes hold

Thu, 23 May 2013 05:38:41 -0400

By Poornima Gupta SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Hewlett-Packard Co raised its 2013 earnings outlook after quarterly results beat low expectations, as CEO Meg Whitman's turnaround plan helped offset shrinking personal computer sales with enterprise computing services. While fiscal second-quarter profit plummeted 32 percent, Wall Street had braced for worse. HP shares gained 14 percent after the company projected full-year earnings per share of $3.50 to $3.60, raising the lower end by 10 cents, and fiscal third-quarter profit that topped analyst estimates. ...

E-commerce software maker ChannelAdvisor soars in debut

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:32:33 -0400

By Alistair Barr and Tanya Agrawal (Reuters) - ChannelAdvisor Corp shares soared as much as 39 percent in their market debut on Thursday as investors bet the e-commerce software company will benefit from the rapid global spread of online buying and selling. The company's shares opened up 25 percent, after its initial public offering of 5.8 million shares was priced at $14 per share, the high end of its pricing range. They touched an intraday high of $19.49, valuing the company at about $400 million. ...

SoftBank would add 'security director' to Sprint board

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:29:10 -0400

(Reuters) - SoftBank Corp would appoint a "security director" to Sprint Nextel Corp's board if its takeover bid succeeds and give the U.S. government right of approval on the appointment in hopes of easing national security concerns raised by the proposed deal. Sprint said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on May 1 that the new director appointed by Tokyo-based SoftBank would oversee public safety concerns related to Sprint's wireless and wireline operations. ...

New Android apps worth downloading: Gravy - local events, CallSnap, Sonic the Hedgehog

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:18:11 -0400

Need help finding things to do? Grab Gravy, today's first app worth downloading, and find local events and all the information you need to plan to attend them. We've also got CallSnap, an app that lets you respond to a call you can't take by snapping and sending a photo. Finally, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega's classic high-speed platformer, has finally come to Android for your old-school gaming approval.

EU pledges 5 billion euros funding for electronics research

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:40:24 -0400

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union is pledging 5 billion euros ($6.5 billion) to boost research on semiconductors and other electronics items used in everything from smartphones to cars, in a bid to boost the sector which is lagging U.S. and Asian rivals. Europe's micro- and nano-electronics industry has grown 5 percent annually since 2000, even in the financial downturn. But the sector's level of investment and returns lag those of other regions. ...

Google to add Galapagos Islands to Street View

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:19:10 -0400

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Few have explored the remote volcanic islands of the Galapagos archipelago, an otherworldly landscape inhabited by the world's largest tortoises and other fantastical creatures that inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

Windows Phone and BlackBerry 10 still don’t offer apps people want

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:55:47 -0400

If you purchase a Windows Phone or BlackBerry 10 smartphone, don’t expect to download the same applications your friends are using on their iPhones and Android devices. A new report from research firm Canalys has found that a majority of the top Android and iOS applications still aren’t available on Windows Phone or BlackBerry 10. When combined, the two operating systems were found to only support 34% of the top 50 free and top 50 paid applications in the App Store and Google Play in the United States. The Windows Phone Store offered 16 of the top 50 free apps from the App Store, and 14 of the top 50 paid apps. The operating system fared slightly better when compared to Google

The New Shazam Is an Advertising Bug for Your House

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:26:03 -0400

Shazam, the song-identifying app whose logo keeps making its way onto TVs for second-screen expansion, has expanded its smart-listening deeper into your life with a new automatic tagging feature that basically turns your iPhone or iPad into a personal little wiretap. (The new feature isn't available for Android yet.) To save users time, Shazam no longer requires users to tag songs, shows, or advertisements to get a fuller experience about said ditty, program, or marketing campaign. ...

Google Glass: Not just for nerds

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:20:16 -0400

Google Glass is a big deal. It marks the beginning of the next paradigm in consumer electronics, where intelligent wearable gadgets will take the place of common accessories rather than compliment them. BGR has argued that Glass itself likely won’t sell terribly well because it is so unnatural, but it will instead evolve over time and serve as a jumping off point for wearable devices from Google and others that might appeal to a wider audience. Not everyone agrees, however, and Google’s Developer Advocate Tim Bray recently shared his thoughts on Google Glass publicly for the first time. The biggest knocks against Glass are its jarring “dorky” look, its awful battery life and its privacy implications. Regarding battery life, Bray agrees

Netflix, what are you?

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:57:34 -0400

Netflix goes back to the basics, explaining what video streaming is, and how it works

Don’t expect Google Fiber to come to your town anytime soon

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:45:32 -0400

Google Fiber has taken the United States, and the world, by storm. Google is looking to shake things up with extremely fast Internet speeds available at reasonable prices, while at the same time pressuring traditional industry players to adapt. But millions of Americans will be forced to settle with the mediocre speeds provided by their current Internet service providers, unfortunately. A recent report from market research firm IHS iSuppli suggests that Google is unlikely to deploy Fiber on a nationwide level. The firm believes the cost of building a national Fiber infrastructure will be too high for Google and the company is expected to remain a minor player in the U.S. broadband market. “While the deployment of Google Fiber to the

Your oldest, most outdated device

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:45:01 -0400

Some of the best technology writers in the world spill the beans on the most outdated gadgets they still own

Video: Microsoft takes a page from Samsung’s Apple-bashing playbook in new ad

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:10:31 -0400

Samsung’s smartphone commercials didn’t really begin to generate any buzz until the company took aim at Apple and started to mock its products and users. Now, it appears Microsoft is going to try to take the same road to riches with Windows 8 and Windows RT. Alongside a new campaign that compares Windows RT tablets like the ASUS VivoTab Smart to the competition, Microsoft has debuted a clever ad that pits Apple’s iPad against Windows RT. As the commercial shows off various features of Microsoft’s tablet OS, Siri on Apple’s iPad continuously complains that it cannot perform all of the functions being demoed on the Windows slate. The full video follows below.

More signs of imminent doom for ‘Facebook phone’: U.K. launch canceled

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:35:45 -0400

BGR exclusively reported last week that HTC’s First, also known as the “Facebook phone,” will soon be discontinued at AT&T. Sales during the phone’s first month of availability totaled less than 15,000 units according to our source, and AT&T has given up hope that things might turn around. According to a new report, AT&T isn’t alone. Mobile News on Thursday reported that the HTC First’s launch has been canceled in the United Kingdom. Facebook, which is footing the bill for HTC’s new handset, reportedly made the decision and all preorders will be canceled. “The HTC First has been pulled and will never go on sale in the UK,” the blog’s unnamed source said. “Sales in the US were poor and Facebook

The Return of the Mac-vs.-PC Ad Wars, Siri-vs.-Surface Edition

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:21:15 -0400

After taking a little break from the classic Mac-vs- PC wars to punch a little lower (at Samsung), Microsoft has decided to return to its old rivalry, hoping to revive slow Surface tablet sales with a little anti-Apple advertising. This latest spot is a robot-future version of the cool Mac-guy-and-dorky-PC-guy campaigns that Apple used to build up its hip-cred in the aughts. But instead of getting actors to do its bidding, Microsoft used dueling tablets, creating a Siri-vs. ...

It’s official: Samsung’s Galaxy S4 is the fastest-selling Android phone ever

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:50:26 -0400

We all expected Samsung to reach its goal of selling 10 million Galaxy S4 smartphones into distribution channels within the phone’s first month of availability. An unnamed Samsung executive confirmed last week that shipments had reached 6 million units in two weeks following the phone’s launch, and now Samsung is on record confirming that global channel sales of the Galaxy S4 have reached 10 million units. “On behalf of Samsung, I would like to thank the millions of customers around the world who have chosen the Samsung GALAXY S4. At Samsung we’ll continue to pursue innovation inspired by and for people,” Samsung’s mobile boss JK Shin said in a statement. Samsung’s Galaxy S III previously held the title of fastest-selling

Aixtron shake-up aims for LED equipment top spot

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:23:53 -0400

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Aixtron's new chief executive laid out a strategy focused on returning to profit and wrestling back leadership of the global market for LED chip-making equipment from U.S. rival Veeco Instruments. The German company swung from a profit in 2011 to a net loss of 103.2 million euros ($132.9 million) last year as orders from customers making light-emitting diode (LED) chips for televisions and lighting equipment dried up. ...

The Art and Science of the Diagram: Communicating the Knowledge of the Heavens, the Earth and the Arcane, Final Part

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:23:00 -0400

The Art and Science of the Diagram: Communicating the Knowledge of the Heavens, the Earth and the Arcane, Final Part

Apple’s iWatch reportedly won’t launch until late next year

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:05:09 -0400

Apple’s had previously been rumored to be reading its “iWatch” smart watch for a late 2013 launch, however a new report suggests the device won’t launch until late 2014. In what reeked of a controlled leak earlier this year, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg all issued exclusive reports on the iWatch within days of each other. Details were scarce at the time, but Apple reportedly had a team of more than 100 people working on the smart watch, which it hoped to debut in late 2013. Now, however, KGI Securities analyst Ming-chi Kuo claims that Apple won’t launch the iWatch until late next year. In a recent note to clients picked up by AppleInsider, the analyst claims

Huawei's Middle East revenue rose 18 percent in 2012: executive

Thu, 23 May 2013 07:43:06 -0400

By Matt Smith DUBAI (Reuters) - China's Huawei Technologies Co's Middle East revenue rose 18 percent to $2.08 billion in 2012 and the roll-out of 4G mobile networks and IT outsourcing will be among its main regional growth drivers, the firm said. The world's second-largest telecom equipment maker also expects Middle East telecom operators to prioritize improving network efficiency, Shi Yaohong, president of Huawei Middle East, told Reuters in an email. "Operators' shift toward software-defined networks, IT outsourcing and adoption of 4G ... ...

Solar plane completes 2nd leg of trip in Texas

Thu, 23 May 2013 07:39:56 -0400

DALLAS (AP) — A solar-powered plane has landed in Texas, completing the second leg of a trip across the United States.

Lenovo says quarterly profit up 90 percent

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:53:31 -0400

BEIJING (AP) — Computer maker Lenovo Group said Thursday its latest quarterly profit rose 90 percent as sales of smartphones and mobile computing technology expanded.

China's Lenovo buys and diversifies to outshine PC rivals

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:10:24 -0400

By Lee Chyen Yee and Umesh Desai HONG KONG (Reuters) - Lenovo Group Ltd's bold acquisitions in its flagship PC business, a foray into mobile gadgets, and a relatively light debt load are setting it apart from PC rivals as industry shipments take their steepest fall in decades. Lenovo, a sliver away from unseating Hewlett-Packard Co as the world's top PC maker by shipments, posted on Thursday an estimate-beating 90 percent rise in quarterly profit, its fastest in seven quarters. ...

Samsung, LG reportedly rush back to LCD TVs after OLED investments fizzle

Wed, 22 May 2013 23:00:13 -0400

OLED television sets are supposed to be the wave of the future, but early OLED adopters LG and Samsung have found that the future can be very expensive. Bloomberg reports that LG and Samsung’s big bets on OLEDs haven’t panned out so far and the two companies “are now pivoting, with plans to boost output of LCD sets to maintain their dominance of the industry.” The issue for both companies has been how to produce OLED TVs at a low enough cost where they become attractive to consumers. Given that LG’s first OLED television released earlier this year costs around $10,000, it’s safe to say that consumers are looking for much lower price points before they buy in. In the

Microsoft confirms indie developers can’t self-publish games on Xbox One

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:50:50 -0400

Independent game developers who are excited about selling new games on the Xbox One got some bad news on Wednesday. Microsoft confirmed to ShackNews that independent developers cannot self-publish their own games on Xbox Live Arcade, and are instead required to partner with Microsoft Game Studios or a third-party publisher. The policy is completely different from those employed by Sony and Nintendo. Sony embraces independent developers and welcomes them to create and self-publish content on the PlayStation Network. Microsoft’s upcoming console matches up with Sony’s PlayStation 4 on paper, however there are still some questions that have been left unanswered, such as the ability to play used games.

Vermont puts foot down on patent troll that targeted charities

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:40:47 -0400

Earlier this year we learned about a patent holding firm that came up with a novel way of making money by threatening to sue small businesses that allegedly infringed upon its scanner technology patents by using scanners in their offices. Yes, you read that correctly: An entity called “Project Paperless LLC” really has been sending out letters to small and medium-sized businesses demanding licensing fees for using office scanners capable of sending PDFs via email. Ars Technica has now provided us with an update to this story and has found that Project Paperless is just one of roughly 40 shell entities owned by a company called MPHJ Technologies that’s been sending threatening letters out to small businesses demanding that they pay

Ireland says will not be U.S. 'whipping boy' on tax

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:48:42 -0400

By Carmel Crimmins and Padraic Halpin DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland's finance minister said the country would not be the "whipping boy" for what he called a flawed U.S. Senate report that said Irish loopholes helped technology giant Apple shrink its tax bill. Ireland has been forced to defend its corporate tax rate after the Senate said on Monday that Apple paid little or no tax on tens of billions of dollars in profits channeled through Irish subsidiaries and that it had negotiated a special corporate tax rate of less than 2 percent. ...

Video: Infinity Ward shows how Call of Duty: Ghost will be its most realistic, immersive game yet

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:30:08 -0400

Infinity Ward, the acclaimed developer behind hit games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and the upcoming Call of Duty: Ghost, is looking to bring strikingly realistic models and environments to the latest installment in the Call of Duty franchise. The new gaming engine that will debut with Call of Duty: Ghost later this year will deliver a variety of graphical improvements such as enhanced visual fidelity, high-resolution textures and more. The company notes that one of its new technologies, known as Sub-D, greatly improves formerly blocky details by exponentially boosting polygon counts in real-time, allowing for incredibly realistic character models that can show fine hairs, bruising, cuts and even the dirt beneath finger nails. Call of Duty:

Dish on national security PR offensive against SoftBank

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:29:26 -0400

By Alina Selyukh and Liana B. Baker WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dish Network Corp is ramping up its Washington-centric campaign to thwart Japanese firm SoftBank Corp's bid for Sprint Nextel Corp, hoping to convince lawmakers and government reviewers that it poses national security risks. On Wednesday, Dish ads appeared in Washington publications the Washington Post, Politico, The Hill, Roll Call and the National Journal as well as online news sites, including Reuters.com. ...

HP's 2Q offers hope even as revenue slump deepens

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:09:20 -0400

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Hewlett-Packard is still scrambling to meet the growing demand for more versatile and less expensive mobile devices as a slump in its personal computer sales deepens, but the company's cost-cutting measures and focus on more profitable areas of technology appear to be easing the pain.