Kodak soars as its patents hit £1.8bn August 17, 2011 PHOTOGRAPHIC film-maker Eastman Kodak saw its stock soar by almost a quarter yesterday after its portfolio of digital-imaging patents was valued at up to $3bn (£1.8bn) by MDB Capital Group. In the wake of Google’s $12.5bn patent-led acquisition of Motorola, patents have become hot property. The valuation means Kodak’s patents could be worth five times [...]
Markets cool over Google’s Motorola bid August 16, 2011 MARKETS were yesterday digesting the implications of Google’s shock $12.5bn (£7.6bn) bid for Motorola Mobility. Google slumped 3.4 per cent, continuing the cool reception after the announcement on Monday. However, investors across the sector appeared to be cautiously optimistic, with hopes that the bid will help to mitigate the adverse effects of future patent battles. In [...]
BlackBerry brand survives riots association August 16, 2011 LAST week saw one story dominate the news and although the bulk of the focus was on the rioters, the areas and buildings being looted, the police and the politicians the one brand that was continually being talked about was BlackBerry. It seemed that BlackBerry Messenger was the communication method of choice for the rioters, [...]
HTC sues Apple over patents August 16, 2011 Smartphone maker HTC Corp is suing Apple, seeking to halt US imports and sales of Macintosh computers, iPads, iPods, iPhones and other devices because of alleged patent infringements. HTC said it filed complaints with the US International Trade Commission and the US District Court in Delaware. The latter alleged infringements of three patents obtained in [...]
Google snaps up Motorola arm for £8bn August 15, 2011 GOOGLE yesterday made its biggest-ever acquisition by spending $12.5bn (£7.6bn) on Motorola Mobility. The purchase of the phone and tablet-maker, which will be run as a separate business, marks a surprise move into mobile hardware for Google, which has recently seen its Android software become the most popular smartphone platform. However, analysts say the motivation [...]
The new front in the mobile phone wars August 15, 2011 THE future for companies like Nokia and Motorola, once the great pioneers of the mobile phone industry, has been bleak for some time. The likes of Apple and RIM have eaten away at their share of the high-end smartphone market for several years now, while cheaper Asian manufacturers will soon do the same in the [...]
Google to buy Motorola Mobility for £7.6bn August 15, 2011 Google Inc said it will buy Motorola Mobility Holdings for about $12.5bn (£7.6bn) in cash. The Mobility business includes Motorola’s smartphones and analysts are seeing the move as part of Google’s plans to take on Apple in the lucrative market. The $40 a share offer is at a 63 per cent premium to Motorola Mobility’s [...]
Apple patent war reaches EU August 10, 2011 A German court has temporarily barred Samsung from selling its flagship Galaxy tablet in most of the EU in a significant victory for Apple and its iPad. In a global intellectual property battle, Apple has said the Galaxy line of mobile phones and tablets “slavishly” copied the iPhone and iPad, and it has sued the [...]
Apple is now world’s most valuable firm August 10, 2011 APPLE yesterday closed as the most valuable company in the world for the first time, surpassing oil giant Exxon. The Cupertino-based company slipped 2.8 per cent in a tough market to close at $337bn, with Exxon dropping 4.41 per cent to finish at $331bn. Apple had briefly passed Exxon on Tuesday, ending the oil major’s [...]
ANALYSIS: HOW APPLE SIZES UP TO EXXON August 10, 2011 Apple • Founded with the launch of the Apple 1 in April 1967 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. Officially incorporated 3 January 1977 • 49,400 employees worldwide as of 2010 • Reported net income of $7.31bn for the quarter to 25 June 2011, on revenues of $28.57bn. • Floated on Nasdaq on [...]