By Alexei Oreskovic SAN FRANCISCO | Mon Dec 17, 2012 2:01pm EST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc's mobile ad revenue in the United States will be roughly $4 billion next year, while Facebook Inc's nascent mobile advertising business will more than double, according to a new study by research firm eMarketer. Marketers are boosting spending on ...

By Ethan Bilby BRUSSELS | Mon Dec 17, 2012 1:45pm EST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union may force companies operating critical infrastructure in areas such as banking, energy and stock exchanges to report major online attacks and reveal security breaches, a draft EU report seen by Reuters on Monday said. The European Union's executive Commi...

By Alistair Barr SAN FRANCISCO | Mon Dec 17, 2012 1:37pm EST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The future of retail came to Jamie Nordstrom not in a dream, but though his email inbox from Amazon.com Inc, the online retailer that Nordstrom now targets as his biggest rival. The 40 year-old, great-grandson of Nordstrom Inc founder John W. Nordstrom and pres...

WASHINGTON | Mon Dec 17, 2012 1:31pm EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Intel Corp. won an appeal in a patent fight with Negotiated Data Solutions LLC (N-Data) over Ethernet patents that make it possible for computers to easily talk to one another. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled on Monday that Intel did not infringe the patents because i...

By Liana B. Baker Mon Dec 17, 2012 1:29pm EST (Reuters) - Hulu, the privately held Internet streaming TV service, will generate about $695 million in revenue in 2012 and finish the year with more than 3 million paying subscribers, the company's CEO said on Monday. The company's revenue increased 65 percent from 2011, Chief Executive Jason Kilar said in a ...

By Diane Bartz WASHINGTON | Mon Dec 17, 2012 12:45pm EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators this week could drop their investigation of how Google ranks certain searches, without requiring any major changes in how the online giant does business, according to two people knowledgeable about the investigation. Google had been accused of giving c...

SEATTLE | Fri Dec 14, 2012 8:40pm EST SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp and Google Inc's Motorola Mobility unit have requested a federal judge in Seattle to keep secret from the public various details from their recent trial concerning the value of technology patents and the two companies' attempts at a settlement. Microsoft and Motorola, acquired by Go...

By Alistair Barr SAN FRANCISCO | Fri Dec 14, 2012 7:03pm EST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Friday that it began selling Apple Inc's flagship iPhone 5 smartphone at a big discount in thousands of its stores. Wal-Mart said it is selling the 16 GB Apple iPhone 5 for $127, versus an original price of $189.97. The price is vali...

By Jim Finkle Fri Dec 14, 2012 11:12am EST (Reuters) - U.S. software pioneer John McAfee said that he will not return to Belize where police want to question him about a murder case, but that he is willing to let authorities from the Central American nation interview him in a "neutral country." McAfee, 67, went into hiding after his American neighbor Greg...

By Himank Sharma Fri Dec 14, 2012 11:03am EST (Reuters) - Apple Inc shares fell 3.9 percent on Friday after the iPhone 5 debuted in China to a cool reception and two analysts cut shipment forecasts. Jefferies analyst Peter Misek trimmed his iPhone shipment estimates for the Jan-March quarter, saying that the technology company had started cutting orders t...

By Gerry Shih SAN FRANCISCO | Thu Dec 13, 2012 9:48am EST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - When the Israeli army and Hamas trade virtual blows in cyberspace, or when hacker groups like Anonymous rise from the digital ether, or when WikiLeaks dumps a trove of classified documents, some see a lawless Internet. But Matthew Prince, chief executive at CloudF...

By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS | Thu Dec 13, 2012 8:52am EST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Google agreed on Thursday to help boost online revenues for a group of Belgian newspaper publishers and authors, settling a six-year dispute over copyright which it hopes will be a model for resolving similar clashes around the world. Publishers have been trying to get Go...

Thu Dec 13, 2012 8:09am EST (Reuters) - Google's navigation tool has returned to the iPhone, months after Apple's home-grown mapping service flopped, prompting user complaints, the firing of an executive and a public apology from Apple's CEO. The Google Maps app will be compatible with any iPhone or iPod Touch that runs iOS 5.1 or higher, the company said in a bl...

Thu Dec 13, 2012 7:35am EST (Reuters) - Network equipment maker Ciena Corp's fourth-quarter results missed analysts' estimates as revenue from the packet optical-transport and packet-optical switching businesses fell. Network gear makers have been hit over the past few quarters as telecom service providers, their biggest customers, cut spending and delayed purcha...

HONG KONG | Thu Dec 13, 2012 6:48am EST HONG KONG (Reuters) - Foxconn International Holdings Ltd (FIH), the world's biggest contract maker of cellphones, has replaced its chairman just months after appointing a new CEO at the loss-making company. FIH has seen its shares and financial results languish over the past few years as key clients such as Nokia O...

By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS | Thu Dec 13, 2012 6:34am EST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union regulators ended an antitrust probe into e-book prices on Thursday, accepting an offer by Apple and four publishers to ease pricing restrictions on Amazon and other retailers. The decision hands online retailer Amazon a victory in its attempt to sell e-book...

By Euan Rocha TORONTO | Thu Dec 13, 2012 6:10am EST TORONTO (Reuters) - Research In Motion said a U.S. federal agency, which recently outlined plans to move away from BlackBerry in favor of Apple Inc's iPhone, is now set to begin testing RIM's new BlackBerry 10 platform and devices. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE), will ...

SHANGHAI | Thu Dec 13, 2012 5:18am EST SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc has launched a Kindle store for China, the company said on Thursday, selling Chinese electronic books for the mobile Kindle application, in a move that could soon see the device launched in China. The launch of the store could pave the way for a roll-out of Amazon's Kindle device ...

By Mari Saito TOKYO | Thu Dec 13, 2012 3:05am EST TOKYO (Reuters) - Two years after shifting its focus abroad and millions of dollars in aggressive acquisitions later, Japanese gaming firm DeNA Co Ltd says it's on the verge of turning its first profit in its overseas operations, the company's president told Reuters on Thursday. DeNA's Mobage plat...

By Leila Abboud and Alistair Barr PARIS/PALO ALTO, Calif | Wed Dec 12, 2012 7:33pm EST PARIS/PALO ALTO, Calif (Reuters) - Apple's stock may be sliding as investors fret about growing competition, but store visits and interviews with smartphone and tablet shoppers in 10 cities around the world suggest consumers share little of that negativity. Wit...

By Alexei Oreskovic SAN FRANCISCO | Wed Dec 12, 2012 10:03am EST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc began rolling out a variety of new privacy controls on Wednesday, the company's latest effort to address user concerns about who can see their personal information on the world's largest social network. New tools introduced on Wednesday will ma...

Wed Dec 12, 2012 9:35am EST (Reuters) - Redbox kiosks owner Coinstar Inc (CSTR.O) and Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N) said they will launch a video streaming service later this month to take on video rental giant Netflix Inc (NFLX.O). The companies are set to launch their Redbox Instant video streaming service more than ten months after they first inked a joint...

Wed Dec 12, 2012 8:52am EST (Reuters) - Elon Musk-backed SolarCity Corp, the top U.S. installer of residential solar systems, increased the size of its initial public offering but said it expects a lower pricing, a day after an underwriter said the IPO had been postponed. The company said it now expects to sell 11.5 million shares at $8 each.The offering is likel...

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY | Wed Dec 12, 2012 7:47am EST VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - After weeks of anticipation bordering on media frenzy, Pope Benedict solemnly put his finger to a computer tablet device on Wednesday and tried to send his first tweet - but something went wrong. Images on Vatican television appeared to show the first try didn'...

By Paul Sandle LONDON | Wed Dec 12, 2012 7:16am EST LONDON (Reuters) - Profit growth at Imagination Technologies has been dampened by higher research costs, overshadowing a 90 percent jump in shipments of chips containing its graphics technology used in products like Apple's iPad. Shares in the British company reversed early gains and were tradin...

By Lee Chyen Yee HONG KONG | Wed Dec 12, 2012 2:59am EST HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese mobile phone makers chasing market share with lower prices in the world's biggest smartphone market will see their margins continue to be pressured as they upgrade to quad-core chips to satisfy demand from users for faster speeds and flashier graphics. Most sma...

By Dena Aubin NEW YORK | Wed Dec 12, 2012 1:11am EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - The scandal at Autonomy, a UK software group bought last year by Hewlett-Packard Co, has some accountants wondering about the wisdom of new, global standards in the pipeline that would change how companies account for revenue. "Revenue recognition" is the most common type o...

By Matt Smith and Joseph Menn DUBAI | Tue Dec 11, 2012 7:13pm EST DUBAI (Reuters) - Hopes rose on Tuesday for a compromise agreement that would keep intrusive government regulation of the Internet from being enshrined in a global treaty. As a 12-day conference of the International Telecommunication Union drew near its Friday closing, the chairman...

SEATTLE | Tue Dec 11, 2012 5:22pm EST SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp has stepped up manufacturing of the Surface tablet, its new device designed to counter Apple Inc's iPad, and will introduce it to third-party retailers this week. The moves suggest Microsoft is seeing some demand for its first own-brand computer in the crucial holiday shopping seaso...

RACSA, the subsidiary of the once-telecommunications monopoly ICE, promises ultra-fast Internet communications are coming for their customers next January. Company manager Orlando Cascante blamed delays on RACSA's Swedish partner, Via Europa, for the January target date for offering the service. Not only is service to be faster but it will be much cheaper. RACSA's customers have longed for a...

Tue Dec 11, 2012 11:14am EST (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc Chief Executive Marissa Mayer on Tuesday introduced a new version of Yahoo Mail, making one of company's most popular products faster and cleaner, with a consistent look across all devices. The new version, which Mayer unveiled in a blog post, will be available on all major platforms, including Windows 8, iPhone ...

By Chris Wickham LONDON | Tue Dec 11, 2012 11:13am EST LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists in Switzerland have come up with a material mimicking the way tendons connect to bones, which could speed the development of stretchy, wearable electronic devices. The stretchable electronics industry is in its in...

Tue Dec 11, 2012 10:57am EST (Reuters) - Go Daddy, one of the world's largest web hosting companies, appointed Yahoo Inc's former Chief Product Officer Blake Irving as chief executive. Irving's appointment will be effective January 7, 2013. He succeeds Go Daddy's interim CEO since July, Scott Wagner.(Reporting by Neha Alawadhi in Bangalore; Editing by Joyjeet Da...

Tue Dec 11, 2012 8:55am EST (Reuters) - Digital whiteboard maker SMART Technologies Inc said it would reduce its workforce by nearly 25 percent during the third and fourth quarters. The company had 1,525 employees as of March 31, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities Exchange.SMART Technologies, which cut about 70 jobs in August and 225 jobs last year, a...

Tue Dec 11, 2012 8:49am EST (Reuters) - Cable maker Belden Inc said it bought privately held PPC, which makes connectors used in broadband and wireless services, for $515.7 million to strengthen its position in the broadcast industry. Belden, which makes networking products for the broadcast and consumer electronics industries, has been buying connector companies...

Tue Dec 11, 2012 8:16am EST (Reuters) - Patent licensing company Wi-LAN Inc said on Tuesday it has filed a lawsuit against BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd for infringing on a patent that relates to Bluetooth technology. The company said it filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida against the BlackBerry maker.Wi-LAN, which has ...

By Malathi Nayak SAN FRANCISCO | Tue Dec 11, 2012 8:02am EST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Warner Bros Entertainment Inc and MGM Studios Inc have joined forces to invest an undisclosed amount in the privately-held, social and mobile gaming company, Kabam Inc, the games maker said on Tuesday. San Francisco-based Kabam, which is known for its popular "...

CANBERRA | Tue Dec 11, 2012 1:27am EST CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia's Lynas Corp Ltd said on Tuesday its operating license for its controversial rare earth plant in Malaysia remains issued and valid, responding to recent media reports on processing of radioactive residue. Lynas must export by-product created by operations at the Malaysian plant or risk...

SAN FRANCISCO | Mon Dec 10, 2012 10:36pm EST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Several Google Inc Web products, including the popular Gmail service, appeared to go dark for users on several continents on Monday. Google confirmed that "service disruptions" had affected Gmail and Google Drive, its online storage service. The two products are part of Google's Apps ...

By Gerry Shih SAN FRANCISCO | Mon Dec 10, 2012 7:59pm EST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Twitter on Monday introduced the ability to add color filters to user-uploaded photos, a step that sharpened its budding rivalry with Facebook Inc. Twitter's filters mimic the popular feature that has defined Instagram, the booming photo service acquired by Facebo...