By Ayesha Rascoe WASHINGTON | Fri Nov 16, 2012 12:39pm EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration provided struggling battery maker A123 Systems Inc with nearly $1 million on the day it filed for bankruptcy, the company told lawmakers investigating its government grant. The company, which makes lithium ion batteries for electric cars, fi...

By Alexei Oreskovic SAN FRANCISCO | Fri Nov 16, 2012 10:15am EST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc wants more credit for making online cash registers ring. Facebook will begin rolling out on Friday a new tool which will allow online retailers to track purchases by members of the social network who have viewed their ads.The tool is the latest...

A new loan from the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad will allow its subsidiary Racsa to stay afloat despite its finances continuing to deteriorate. This is how things are reflected in its assets, which decreased between 28% and 29% over a period of one year, from October 2011 to October 2012. Racsa (Radiographic Costarricense) will close in the red, although with slightly better figur...

Fri Nov 16, 2012 9:39am EST (Reuters) - The latest "Call of Duty" videogame had sales of more than $500 million in the first 24 hours of its release, a new record, game publisher Activision Blizzard Inc said on Friday. By comparison, Microsoft Corp's sci-fi action-shooter "Halo 4," launched a week earlier, had sales of $220...

NEW YORK | Fri Nov 16, 2012 8:20am EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dell Inc agreed to buy privately held Gale Technologies and said on Friday that it would form a new business unit specializing in delivering technology to enterprise customers. Dell said it would keep the employees of Gale, a Santa Clara, California-based infrastructure automation software compa...

SHANGHAI | Fri Nov 16, 2012 5:29am EST SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Suppliers for what was one of China's largest online iPhone stores have been hauled to court for allegedly evading taxes by smuggling Apple Inc's iPhones and iPads into the country, official media reported on Friday. On Wednesday, 26 suppliers of Lanyou Shuma.com were tried in a Shenzhen court a...

By Bill Rigby and Alexei Oreskovic SEATTLE/SAN FRANCISCO | Fri Nov 16, 2012 2:05am EST SEATTLE/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The sudden departure of powerful Windows boss Steven Sinofsky this week is the first step in a plan by CEO Steve Ballmer to remodel Microsoft Corp as a much more integrated operation in an attempt to take on Apple Inc and Googl...

By Gerry Shih SAN FRANCISCO | Fri Nov 16, 2012 1:15am EST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - There have long been the tools of warfare associated with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: warplanes, mortars, Qassam rockets. Now that list includes Twitter, Facebook, YouTube. This week the worldwide audience got a vivid look at conflict in the social media era...

By Alistair Barr Fri Nov 16, 2012 1:13am EST (Reuters) - Retailers are targeting "post-pie" commerce, the jump in shopping created by the boom in smartphones and tablet computers which Thanksgiving diners grab as they collapse onto the couch after eating turkey and pumpkin pie. While people relax with family and friends or watch football on TV, they are i...

Source: John McAfee Facebook Fri Nov 16, 2012 1:07am EST By Dudley Althaus SAN PEDRO, Belize (Reuters) - To the many people who crossed his path on a tropical island in Belize, it was apparent John McAfee's life had taken some bizarre turns in the last few years. The anti-virus software guru, who started McAfee Associates in 1989, has been in hiding since police said they want...

By Nate Raymond Thu Nov 15, 2012 9:30pm EST (Reuters) - A U.S. judge allowed Samsung Electronics Co Ltd to pursue claims the iPhone5 infringes its patents on Thursday, while also allowing Apple Inc to add claims that the Samsung Galaxy Note, Galaxy S III and the Jelly Bean operating system violate its patents. The ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Grew...

By Dan Levine SAN FRANCISCO | Thu Nov 15, 2012 6:35pm EST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A U.S. judge said he would consider whether to preliminarily approve Facebook's second attempt to settle allegations the social networking company violated privacy rights. Earlier this year, U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg rejected a proposed class action sett...

By Poornima Gupta SAN FRANCISCO | Thu Nov 15, 2012 5:37pm EST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Dell Inc's profit slid 47 percent, hurt by lower PC sales and weaker demand from large corporations, but the No. 3 personal computer maker said it expects revenue to grow as much as 5 percent in the current quarter. Dell shares fell 2.3 percent in after-hours ...

By Euan Rocha WATERLOO, Ontario | Thu Nov 15, 2012 2:43pm EST WATERLOO, Ontario (Reuters) - Research In Motion is pushing for app quality, not quantity, with its make-or-break BlackBerry 10 devices set for launch on January 30, and targeting applications to customers in various regions. RIM's projected 100,000 apps - a record for any new platform...

By Poornima Gupta SAN FRANCISCO | Thu Nov 15, 2012 2:37pm EST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Mapping software company TomTom has made its vast mapping data available to apps developers, providing an alternative to companies that now use maps from Google Inc and Apple Inc. Dutch-based TomTom, best-known for its car navigation systems, launched its loca...

IBARAKI, Japan | Thu Nov 15, 2012 11:48am EST IBARAKI, Japan (Reuters) - Panasonic Corp's panel display business should return to profit in the three months to March 31, as it decouples from Japan's struggling TV industry with stronger sales of LCD panels to makers of tablets and PCs, the head of the division said in an interview on Thursday. "We are now...

By Noel Randewich SANTA CLARA, California | Thu Nov 15, 2012 11:22am EST SANTA CLARA, California (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp's chief executive said his company would look at more opportunities to build its own devices, after the launch of its Surface tablet last month, potentially bringing the software giant into competition with its hardware part...

MADRID | Thu Nov 15, 2012 8:04am EST MADRID (Reuters) - Telefonica is to create a video platform with Microsoft, as part of the Spanish telecoms group's ongoing push into digital services. The new platform will enable services such as timeshifting and multiscreen across Telefonica's video services, and first deployments will be in Brazil, Chile and Spain...

By Sinead Carew and Noel Randewich NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO | Wed Nov 14, 2012 7:49pm EST NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Texas Instruments is eliminating 1,700 jobs, as it winds down its mobile processor business to focus on chips for more profitable markets like cars and home appliances. Texas ...

By Aurindom Mukherjee Wed Nov 14, 2012 7:18pm EST (Reuters) - Data storage equipment maker NetApp Inc's second-quarter adjusted profit beat analysts' expectations on higher service and maintenance revenue, and it forecast a strong current quarter, sending its shares up 12 percent in extended trading. The company, which competes with EMC Corp, Hewlett-Pack...

By Euan Rocha and Janet Guttsman WATERLOO, Ontario | Wed Nov 14, 2012 5:47pm EST WATERLOO, Ontario (Reuters) - A new line of BlackBerry 10 devices will provide Research In Motion with a framework for growth over the next decade, offering long-term value for unhappy shareholders, Chief Executive Thorsten Heins said on Wednesday. In an interview wi...

By Alistair Barr SAN FRANCISCO | Wed Nov 14, 2012 5:21pm EST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Groupon Inc said on Wednesday that it promoted Kal Raman to chief operating officer, giving the executive more power as the world's largest daily deal company tries to turn around its struggling international businesses. Raman joined the company in April and wa...

By Jose Sanchez BELIZE CITY | Wed Nov 14, 2012 4:41pm EST BELIZE CITY (Reuters) - Belize's prime minister on Wednesday urged anti-virus software pioneer John McAfee to help the country's police with a murder inquiry, calling McAfee "bonkers" for recent media statements. "I don't want to be unkind, but he seems to be extremely paranoid - I would g...

ATHENS | Wed Nov 14, 2012 3:16pm EST ATHENS (Reuters) - Hewlett Packard will transport its goods across Europe, the Middle East and Africa through Greece's biggest port, the Greek government said on Wednesday, after a deal with China's Cosco Pacific that Athens hopes will attract investors and bolster cargo business at its commercial docks. The agreement...

BOSTON | Wed Nov 14, 2012 3:10pm EST BOSTON (Reuters) - Adobe Systems Inc shut down a website where customers share information about using its Connect online conferencing service after the software maker discovered it had been compromised in a data breach. The company, whose software is frequently targeted by computer hackers because it is widely used t...

By Matt Smith DUBAI | Wed Nov 14, 2012 12:55pm EST DUBAI (Reuters) - Lenovo Group Ltd, on track to become the world's top PC maker, has bolstered its presence in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and aims to raise regional operating margins by about 50 percent, a top company executive said on Wednesday. The Chinese company's profit growth...

By Alexei Oreskovic SAN FRANCISCO | Wed Nov 14, 2012 12:28pm EST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Shares of Facebook Inc jumped as much as 11.2 percent on Wednesday, even as the biggest block of shares held by insiders became eligible for sale for the first time since the social media company's disappointing debut in May. Facebook shares were up 8.8 per...

PARIS | Wed Nov 14, 2012 11:37am EST PARIS (Reuters) - The French government is discussing how to tax internet companies such as Google and Amazon both at the national and international levels, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday. With government finances severely strained across Europe, France, Britain and Germany are intensifying efforts to clamp down on l...

BERLIN | Wed Nov 14, 2012 10:45am EST BERLIN (Reuters) - A church in Germany has bowed to public pressure and allowed the parents of a soccer-mad nine-year old boy who died from a brain tumor to erect a gravestone with a ball beside it after a Facebook campaign spawned more than 100,000 angry messages. The dispute between the boy's parents and a Catholic...

By Tarmo Virki HELSINKI | Wed Nov 14, 2012 9:08am EST HELSINKI (Reuters) - While mobile phone maker Nokia has hit hard times and looks unlikely to regain its commanding position in the Finnish economy, nine years ago it helped feed a newly hatched technology niche in its homeland. The cellphone giant, which once made more than half the world's sm...

BARCELONA | Wed Nov 14, 2012 8:29am EST BARCELONA (Reuters) - Nokia's chief executive said there would be no change in the relationship with its software partner Microsoft, despite the software giant's entry into tablets and partnerships with rival phone makers. Stephen Elop said Nokia retained a "special" relationship with Microsoft, even though others ...

By Matt Smith DUBAI | Wed Nov 14, 2012 6:38am EST DUBAI (Reuters) - PayPal aims to double its share of Middle East and North African e-commerce within three years after enabling customers in seven of the region's countries to open accounts linked to locally issued bank cards. The online payment pioneer owned by eBay Inc has one million customers ...

BARCELONA | Wed Nov 14, 2012 5:14am EST BARCELONA (Reuters) - Companies will double or triple spending on cybersecurity in the coming years as attacks grow more sophisticated and frequent, creating a billion dollar business opportunity for U.S. carrier AT&T Inc, it said on Wednesday. Attacks on AT&T networks have doubled in the past four months a...

By Joyce Lee SEOUL | Wed Nov 14, 2012 5:09am EST SEOUL (Reuters) - A feud at South Korea's giant Samsung Group over the family fortune has spilled from the courts into an ancestral rite to commemorate the group's deceased founder, a traditional Korean ceremony where family attendance is mandatory. Descendants of Samsung founder Lee Byung-chull, i...

TOKYO | Wed Nov 14, 2012 2:27am EST TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Sony Corp said on Wednesday it will raise 150 billion yen ($1.9 billion) through a sale of convertible bonds, a third of which will be used for investment in Olympus Corp. Sony will issue the five-year bonds convertible into own shares also to finance the acquisition of U.S. firm Gaikai Inc, t...

TOKYO | Tue Nov 13, 2012 6:58pm EST TOKYO (Reuters) - Intel Corp and Qualcomm Inc are in talks to jointly invest 16 billion yen to 24 billion yen ($200 million to $300 million) in struggling Japanese liquid crystal display maker Sharp Corp, Jiji news agency reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources. Other media reports, also based on anonymous source...

SAN FRANCISCO | Tue Nov 13, 2012 6:45pm EST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Activist investor Carl Icahn increased his stake in video game publisher Take-Two Interactive Software Inc to 12.9 percent from 11.69 percent, according to a regulatory filing on Tuesday. This is the fourth time since November 5 that Icahn has scooped up stock in Take-Two, known for it...

By Nadia Damouni and Noel Randewich NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO | Tue Nov 13, 2012 6:23pm EST NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Advanced Micro Devices has hired JPMorgan Chase & Co to explore options, which could include a sale, as the chipmaker struggles to find a role in an industry increasingly focused on mobile and away from traditional PCs, ...

Tue Nov 13, 2012 6:10pm EST (Reuters) - Cisco Systems Inc reported first quarter results that beat estimates but expects flat earnings and slower revenue growth for the current quarter. "We are modeling Europe to get worse before it gets better," Chief Executive John Chambers said on Tuesday, echoing his comments from the company's fourth-quarter earnings call in...

By Gerry Shih SAN FRANCISCO | Tue Nov 13, 2012 5:33pm EST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Zynga Inc announced on Tuesday sweeping changes across its upper ranks, including the departure of chief financial officer, David Wehner, as the troubled game publisher sought to revive its business and quell months of management turmoil. The dominant publisher of...