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AP Technology NewsBrief at 10:56 a.m. EST(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Verizon to set up streaming service with RedboxNEW YORK (AP) _ Phone company Verizon Communications Inc. will challenge Netflix and start a video streaming service this year with Redbox and its DVD rental kiosks. Verizon and Coinstar Inc., Redbox's parent company, said Monday that the service will be national and available to non-Verizon customers as well. It adds another dimension to Verizon's quest to become a force in home entertainment, and it looks set to compete to some extent with the cable-TV services it already sells. Verizon-Redbox deal adds to online video choicesA new Internet streaming venture built around Redbox's DVD-rental kiosks adds to a crowded field of online video-viewing services dominated by Netflix. In announcing the new venture Monday, Verizon Communications Inc. and Redbox's parent company, Coinstar Inc., did not say what types of content will be available or how much the service will cost when it starts in the second half of this year. Oracle rejects $272M SAP award, wants new trialNEW YORK (AP) _ Database software maker Oracle Corp. has formally rejected a court-ordered award of $272 million from German rival SAP AG, saying it would rather have another trial over SAP's theft of software and customer-support documents. A jury awarded Oracle $1.3 billion in the case in November 2010, but a federal judge cut that amount last September. Oracle, which is based in Redwood City, Calif., said then that it would seek a new trial. Looking for work? There may be an app for thatSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Looking for a promising career in a lousy economy? A new study suggests you're apt to find it in apps _ the services and tools built to run on smartphones, computer tablets and Facebook's online social network. The demand for applications for everything ranging from games to quantum physics has created 466,000 jobs in the U.S. since 2007, according to an analysis released Tuesday by technology trade group TechNet. Univision, Disney look at English news channelMIAMI (AP) _ Univision and Disney are in talks to create a 24-hour news channel for Latinos in English, two sources close to the negotiations said Monday. Both sources declined to go on the record because they were not authorized to speak. Coinstar's stock soars on strong 4Q for RedboxBELLEVUE, Wash. (AP) _ Coinstar's fourth-quarter earnings soared past analyst estimates as the company's Redbox kiosks for renting DVDs picked up customers who stopped getting their discs through Netflix's rival service. The performance announced Monday was sandwiched amid a couple deals aimed at making Redbox an even bigger player in the home entertainment market. Investors were particularly impressed with the fourth-quarter numbers and outlook for this year, lifting Coinstar's stock by more than 16 percent in extended trading. For Facebook 'Hacker Way' is way of lifeNEW YORK (AP) _ Facebook's billionaire CEO Mark Zuckerberg calls himself a hacker. For most people, that word means something malicious _ shady criminals who listen in on private voicemails, or anonymous villains who cripple websites and break into email accounts. Hackers apparently hit Swedish government siteSTOCKHOLM (AP) _ A group linked to the hacker network Anonymous says it has attacked the Swedish government's website and shut it down by overloading it. CyberForce used Twitter to claim responsibility for Saturday's attack on the website, which all departments of Sweden's government use. Google, Facebook remove content on India's orderNEW DELHI (AP) _ Google India has removed web pages deemed offensive to Indian political and religious leaders to comply with a court case that has raised censorship fears in the world's largest democracy, media reported Monday. The action follows weeks of intense government pressure for 22 Internet giants to remove photographs, videos or text considered "anti-religious" or "anti-social." Bigger US role against companies' cyberthreats?WASHINGTON (AP) _ A developing Senate plan that would bolster the government's ability to regulate the computer security of companies that run critical industries is drawing strong opposition from businesses that say it goes too far and security experts who believe it should have even more teeth. Legislation set to come out in the days ahead is intended to ensure that computer systems running power plants and other essential parts of the country's infrastructure are protected from hackers, terrorists or other criminals. The Department of Homeland Security, with input from businesses, would select which companies to regulate; the agency would have the power to require better computer security, according to officials who described the bill. They spoke on condition of anonymity because lawmakers have not finalized all the details. (c) 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |