TMCnet News

AP Technology NewsBrief at 7:20 p.m. EST
[November 13, 2012]

AP Technology NewsBrief at 7:20 p.m. EST


(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Microsoft's Windows chief leaves in power struggleSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer isn't going to let anyone get in his way. Not even his presumed heir apparent, who runs the software maker's Windows empire, can stop Ballmer as he pushes the company in a new direction.



Cisco 1Q income up as US businesses buying againNEW YORK (AP) _ Cisco Systems Inc., the world's largest maker of computer networking gear, said Tuesday that U.S. companies are starting to spend again, helping Cisco find more solid footing after some shaky months early this year. Cisco said its earnings rose 18 percent in the latest quarter, propelled by a renewed willingness by large U.S. businesses to invest in big-ticket networking gear, even as the federal government continued to hold back. Orders from large business customers in the U.S. rose 9 percent from a year ago.

RIM to release new BlackBerrys soon after Jan. 30TORONTO (AP) _ Research In Motion Ltd. will release its much-delayed BlackBerry 10 smartphones "not too long" after a launch event on Jan. 30, a senior executive said Tuesday. Chief Operating Officer Kristian Tear said the company is still fine-tuning the new phones.


Microsoft releases IE 10 browser for Windows 7SAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ The latest version of Microsoft's Web browser is now available to the vast audience connecting to the Internet on personal computers running on the Windows 7 operating system. The redesigned browser, Internet Explorer 10, made its debut last month when Microsoft released Windows 8, which makes dramatic changes to an operating system that has been powering PCs for decades.

Zynga CFO David Wehner deflects to FacebookNEW YORK (AP) _ Zynga's finance chief is leaving the troubled online game company to join Facebook. San Francisco-based Zynga Inc. said Tuesday that David Wehner will take a "senior finance position" at the social networking company. His exact title will be vice president of corporate finance and business planning, Facebook said.

Eisner gets back into movies with Universal dealLOS ANGELES (AP) _ Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner is getting back in the movie business. The 70-year-old said Tuesday that the media company he founded, The Tornante Company, will finance films that will be distributed by Comcast Corp.'s Universal Pictures.

Belize police urge software founder to appearBELIZE CITY (AP) _ Police urged software company founder John McAfee on Tuesday to come in for questioning and help solve the killing of his neighbor on the Caribbean island where they lived. But McAfee, the creator of the antivirus program of the same name, told The Associated Press in an email that he was not planning to turn himself in.

At Mao-style conclave, China embraces Twitter ageBEIJING (AP) _ During China's last party congress, the cadres in charge of the world's most populous nation didn't know a hashtag from a hyperlink. But five years on, there's a new message from Beijing: The political transition will be microblogged. Party officials have this fall embraced social media with unprecedented enthusiasm, hoping it can help guide public opinion and stir up excitement about the staid and scripted party meeting taking place this week in Beijing that kicks off a transition to a new, younger set of top leaders.

Berlin startup scene gets nod from GoogleBERLIN (AP) _ Berlin's budding Internet entrepreneurs received the closest thing to an industry endorsement Tuesday, with a (EURO)1 million ($1.3 million) investment from Google Inc. for a new `hub' where startups can work, play and meet investors. While the investment is unlikely to provide a material boost to Berlin's tech sector, it's a sign that a city which has so far been a secret tip for geeks hoping to develop the next big web hit is now on the radar of the industry's biggest players.

Review: Online tools make Sandy fundraising easierNEW YORK (AP) _ Superstorm Sandy convinced me that I should do something new: raise money toward hurricane relief. If it weren't for the ease of nudging my friends and family to contribute by way of social media and online fundraising tools, I'm not sure I would have done it. I do know that I wouldn't have been as successful. I have regularly donated in the past, particularly when people I know are raising money for cancer research, youth programs and other charities in connection with a marathon, a triathlon or some other big event. But I've never raised money myself. I didn't want to feel as if I had to run because I was trying to raise money, or that I had to raise money to guarantee a spot in a sold-out running event. I wanted to keep the two completely separate.

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