TMCnet News
AP Technology NewsBrief at 9:50 a.m. EST(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Facebook tests $1 fee for messages to non-friendsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Facebook says it is testing a service that will charge users $1 to guarantee that messages they send to people they are not connected to arrive in users' inboxes, rather than in an often-ignored folder called "other." Launched in 2011, the "other" folder is where Facebook routes messages it deems less relevant. Not quite spam, these include messages from people you most likely don't know, based on Facebook's reading of your social connections. Many users ignore this folder. Nokia, RIM settle old disputes in new patent pactHELSINKI (AP) _ Nokia Corp. and Canadian smartphone rival Research In Motion have agreed on a new patent licensing pact which will end all existing litigation between the two struggling companies, the Finnish firm said Friday. The agreement includes a "one-time payment and on-going payments, all from RIM to Nokia," Nokia said, but did not disclose "confidential" terms. Investors shed shares of Blackberry makerNEW YORK (AP) _ Shares of Blackberry maker Research in Motion slumped more than 16 percent Friday with future revenue coming into question and a declining number of subscribers. RIM's stock jumped initially Thursday when the Canadian company released better-than-expected third-quarter results and a stronger cash position. Instagram reverts to prior policy on adsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Instagram has abandoned wording in its new terms-of-service agreement that sparked outcry from users concerned it meant their photos could appear in advertisements. In a blog post late Thursday, the popular mobile photo-sharing service says it has reverted to language in the advertising section of its terms of service that appeared when it was launched in October 2010. Click, print, shoot: Downloadable guns possibleSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Downloading a gun's design plans to your computer, building it on a three-dimensional printer and firing it minutes later. No background checks, no questions asked. Sound far-fetched It's not. And that is disquieting for gun control advocates. Oracle buying software co. Eloqua for about $811MREDWOOD SHORES, Calif. (AP) _ Business-software maker Oracle is adding to its cloud-computing capabilities with an $810.8 million purchase of software maker Eloqua. Oracle said Thursday that buying Eloqua will bolster its "cloud" technology for helping companies make decisions on their marketing, sales and customer support. Cloud computing refers to the concept of making software available for anyone with an Internet-connected device, rather than installing it on company computers. Spain fines top 3 telecoms companies $159 millionMADRID (AP) _ Spain's National Competition Commission has fined top telecommunications operators Telefonica, Vodafone and Orange a total of (EURO)120 million ($159 million) for abusing their dominant position and charging excessively high prices for texts and multimedia messages. The commission said Thursday that between 2000 and 20009 the three companies exploited the absence of regulation to maintain artificially high wholesale prices for operators without their own networks. It said this led to higher retail prices for short messages and created barriers for companies wishing to enter or expand in the market. Shooting renews argument over video-game violenceWASHINGTON (AP) _ In the days since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., a shell-shocked nation has looked for reasons. The list of culprits cited include easy access to guns, a strained mental-health system and the "culture of violence" _ the entertainment industry's embrace of violence in movies, TV shows and, especially, video games. "The violence in the entertainment culture _ particularly, with the extraordinary realism to video games, movies now, et cetera _ does cause vulnerable young men to be more violent," Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., said. Changes in law aim to protect kids' online dataWASHINGTON (AP) _ Aiming to prevent companies from exploiting online information about children under 13, the Obama administration on Wednesday imposed sweeping changes in regulations designed to protect a young generation with easy access to the Internet. Two years in the making, the amended rules to the decade-old Children's Online Privacy Protection Act go into effect in July. Privacy advocates said the changes were long overdue in an era of cellphones, tablets, social networking services and online stores with cellphone apps aimed at kids for as little as 99 cents. Google to sell part of Motorola for $2.35 billionSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Google is selling Motorola Mobility's TV set-top business for $2.35 billion, lightening the load that the Internet search leader took on earlier this year when it completed the biggest acquisition in its history. The cash-and-stock deal announced late Wednesday will turn over Motorola's set-top division to Arris Group Inc., a relatively small provider of high-speed Internet equipment that is looking to become a bigger player in the delivery of video. Investors applauded the move, driving up Arris' stock by nearly 17 percent. (c) 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |