TMCnet News
AP Technology NewsBrief at 7:06 p.m. EDT(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Google 2Q results show company thriving under PageSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Google Inc. CEO Larry Page's traditionally frosty relationship with Wall Street turned into a warm embrace Thursday after the Internet search leader released strong financial results for its latest quarter. The results represented Page's first report card since he became CEO at the start of the second quarter in April, ending the decade-long reign of his mentor, Eric Schmidt. Zillow raises IPO expected price rangeNEW YORK (AP) _ Real estate listing and information service Zillow Inc. said Friday it now hopes to raise up to $71.6 million through an initial public offering, up from its original expectation of as much as $55.7 million. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Seattle company said it expects to offer about 3.5 million shares at between $16 and $18 apiece. It's giving underwriters the option to buy up to an additional 519,300 shares to cover any over-allotments. Zillow plans to use the funds for general corporate purposes, including a possible acquisition. SKorean lawyer wages privacy fight against AppleSEOUL, South Korea (AP) _ A South Korean lawyer who is an avid user of the iPhone is waging a privacy battle against Apple Inc. over the device's tracking capabilities. Kim Hyeong-seok said Friday he has gotten at least 16,000 people in South Korea to join him in a class-action lawsuit he plans to file against the company in a Seoul court in early August. Digital music service Spotify launches in USLOS ANGELES (AP) _ Digital music service Spotify arrived in the United States on Thursday, aiming its addictive, free song service at American listeners in the hope that they will then pay for more features, just as nearly 2 million have done in Europe. Spotify gives people access to more than 15 million songs on computers for free as long as they listen to a few 15-second ads. It then tries to persuade them to pay $5 a month for a computer-only version that strips out the ads, or $10 a month for one that can be used on mobile devices including iPhones and Android-powered devices. Belgian newspapers: Google blocking us on searchesBRUSSELS (AP) _ Google blocked several Belgian newspapers from its web search results Friday in what the papers called retaliation over a copyright infringement lawsuit. Google said an order issued in the case required it to exclude the newspapers' websites. Inquiring minds want to know? Google it!WASHINGTON (AP) _ Researcher Betsy Sparrow was watching the 1944 movie "Gaslight" one evening and wondered who the actress was playing the maid. So she reached for her computer and Googled it. That set Sparrow to thinking, before the Internet, how did we answer these questions? June video game retail sales drop 10 percentNEW YORK (AP) _ U.S. retail sales of video game hardware, software and accessories dropped 10 percent in June to $995 million compared with the same month a year ago. The industry's second-straight month of sales decline was due largely to a lackluster slate of new game releases. Market researcher NPD Group said in its monthly report Thursday that sales of video game hardware fell 9 percent to $366.6 million. That includes hand-held game systems and gaming consoles such as the Wii. 1888 Edison recording may be 1st talking doll tryTRENTON, N.J. (AP) _ Scientists using advanced imaging technology have recovered a 123-year-old recording made by Thomas Edison that is believed to be the world's first attempt at a talking doll and may mark the dawn of the American recording industry. In the sound recording, a woman can be heard reciting a verse of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." Historians believe Edison hired the woman to make the recording less than two years before he unsuccessfully put the first talking doll on the market. Behind the increase: Why Netflix is raising pricesNEW YORK (AP) _ Why is Netflix raising its prices? In part, because the company miscalculated how many people still want to receive DVDs by mail each month, a more expensive service to provide compared with its streamed Internet videos. Netflix has been trying to lure subscribers away from its DVDs by offering cheaper plans that include movies and TV episodes delivered over its Internet streaming service. In November, it began offering a streaming-only plan for $8, its cheapest option at the time. Yet Netflix customers aren't flocking to Internet video as quickly as some analysts said the company expected. Netflix price hike angers users, some drop planSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Some Netflix customers called it a slap in the face. Others a betrayal. Many threatened to drop the movie service. On Wednesday, many of them vented on Twitter, Facebook and elsewhere, seething over Netflix Inc.'s decision to raise its prices by up to 60 percent for the millions of subscribers who want to rent DVDs by mail and watch movies online. (c) 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |