Software, Acquisition | featured news

After last years' talk of Facebook wanting to acquire WhatsApp, a new report states that Google is interested in buying the popular messenger service. According to DigitalTrends, which is quoting inside sources, WhatsApp is in the negotiating phase over prices with Google. The report states that the deal started four or five weeks ago and adds that WhatsApp is “playing hardball” and jockeying for a higher acquisition price, which currently is “close to” $1 billion right now.

Microsoft Corp. is reportedly in discussions to help finance a buyout of struggling computer maker Dell Inc. According to the Wall Street Journal, which cited a person familiar with the talks, Microsoft's investment "would likely be in the range of a couple of billion dollars." CNBC reported a range of $1 billion to $3 billion, citing sources close to the matter.

For Leo Apotheker, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO, a July 2011 meeting with Autonomy founder Mike Lynch at a chic seaside resort in France was pivotal to his effort to remake a storied technology giant.

Salesforce.com is expected to buy start-up GoInstant for more than $70 million, as the big provider of online business software beefs up its customer-service offerings.

Microsoft Corp is close to buying business software company Yammer Inc for more than $1 billion, according to a source familiar with the details. Microsoft's interest in Yammer, known for its social networking functions, could allow the software giant to beef up its offerings for corporations.

Can a two-year-old photo sharing app really be worth $1bn? It would buy you some some 2,100 Rolls Royce Phantoms. Or 200 million mosquito nets to fight malaria. Or the whole of the New York Times company (with $50m change to spare). If you are Microsoft, it buys you some 800 AOL patents to fight the next patent war.

CNN announced Tuesday that it is acquiring Zite, a Canadian tablet software developer.

The Justice Department has cleared, with conditions, Google’s $700 million purchase of ITA.

By purchasing the company, Microsoft will have access to chips that, when combined with a digital camera, allow things like cars, toys and computers to perceive the world in three dimensions.

The technology looks promising as it predicts what you wanna write even by not really paying attention to what you're typing lol...so Google scooped up the firm probably to add the technology in Android, let's hope at least they do.