TMCnet News
AP Technology NewsBrief at 2:45 p.m. EDT(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Google's lobbying bill tops $2M for 1st time in 2QSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Google's quarterly lobbying expenses surpassed $2 million for the first time during the spring and early summer. Google surpassed the milestone amid U.S. government scrutiny that hatched a wide-ranging investigation into the Internet search leader's business practices. The company says it spent nearly $2.1 million trying to make its points with lawmakers and regulators during the April-June period. That's a 54 percent increase from $1.34 million at the same time last year. Hackers claim to breach NATO securityLONDON (AP) _ A group of computer hackers on Thursday claimed to have breached NATO security and accessed hoards of restricted material. The group called Anonymous said it would be "irresponsible" to publish most of the material it stole from NATO but that it is sitting on about 1 gigabyte of data. Intel, Qualcomm show changing face of computingSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ The changing face of the computer industry was on display Wednesday as two companies representing the old guard and the new issued strong results for the latest quarter. Intel, a bedrock of the PC business, and Qualcomm, a vanguard in mobile computing, showed how companies at opposite ends of the computing spectrum are adapting to a market that's in intense upheaval. iFraud: Entire Apple stores being faked in ChinaBEIJING (AP) _ It looks almost exactly like a sleek Apple store. Sales assistants in blue T-shirts with the company's logo chat with customers. Signs advertising the iPad 2 hang on the white walls. Outside, the famous logo sits next to the words "Apple Store" _ one of the few clues that the whole thing is a fake. China, long known for producing counterfeit consumer gadgets, software and brand name clothing, has reached a new piracy milestone _ fake Apple stores. NY Times Co. posts 2Q loss weighed by writedownNEW YORK (AP) _ The New York Times Co. said Thursday that it had a net loss in the second quarter, resulting from an accounting adjustment it made for the declining value of some of its smaller newspapers. During the same period, 224,000 people signed up for full access to its flagship newspaper's website, the company said. The company's stock increased nearly 3 percent in midday trading Thursday. AT&T stays strong against threat of Verizon iPhoneNEW YORK (AP) _ AT&T Inc. saw a rebound in the number of new contract subscribers in the second quarter, showing resilience in the face of competition from Verizon's iPhone. The country's largest telecommunications company said Thursday that it added a net 331,000 new subscribers on contract-based plans, up from a record low of 62,000 in the first quarter. Toyota's new pre-crash technology directs steeringSUSONO, Japan (AP) _ Toyota is developing a safety technology that takes control of the steering so the vehicle can veer away when it isn't able to stop before impact. Toyota Motor Corp. showed some of its up and coming safety innovations in a demonstration to reporters Thursday at its facility in this town, west of Tokyo, near Mount Fuji. EBay profit falls on charges, results beat StreetSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ EBay Inc.'s PayPal online payment service and marketplaces business grew swiftly during the second quarter, helping its results beat analyst expectations, although charges from its recent purchase of retail website operator GSI Commerce cut its profit. For the quarter that ended June 30, eBay said Wednesday that it earned $283.4 million, or 22 cents per share, down 31 percent from $412 million, or 31 cents per share, a year earlier. Review: Tuning in to music service SpotifySAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ I've been listening to a lot more music than usual for the past week, including tons of the "guilty pleasure" tunes I hate to admit I adore. I won't get into details, but let's just say that Britney Spears and songs covered by the "Glee" cast were in heavy rotation. All this comes courtesy of the online streaming music service Spotify, which made its U.S. debut last week. It brings free, ad-supported access to more than 15 million songs on computers. Five bucks a month lets you listen without all those ads. Ten bucks lets you listen to music offline and on a smartphone as well. Real estate website Zillow soars in IPO debutNEW YORK (AP) _ Investors set aside housing market doldrums and rushed to grab shares of real estate website Zillow on Wednesday, valuing the company at as much as $1.6 billion. Zillow Inc., which has never made a profit, is yet another beneficiary of strong investor demand for the latest crop of Internet stocks. Many of the recent market debutantes provide social networking, online games or search. Zillow's shares tripled in their trading debut on the Nasdaq stock market. Zillow had set a price of $20 for its stock late Tuesday. The shares rose as high as $60 before settling back to close at to $35.77, valuing the Seattle-based company at about $950 million. (c) 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |