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Microsoft Pitches Lowball Windows 8 Upgrade Price July 03, 2012 An upgrade to the Pro edition of Microsoft's next operating system, Windows 8, will sell for $40, a significantly lower price than what the company has charged for upgrade packages in the past. The offer applies to purchases made through Windows.com for PCs running Windows XP or a later version.

Twitter Channels Google, Issues Transparency Report July 03, 2012 Today in international tech news: Twitter issues an extensive transparency report; Google sends a letter to Europe; Italy threatens Apple over the company's refusal to give free two-year warranties; and one day after announcing a deal with MasterCard, Deutsche Telekom reveals it is "in talks" with Google about mobile payments.

Feds Spark Boomlet for Risk Assessment Vendors July 03, 2012 The U.S. government's push to utilize cloud-based technology will eventually lead to some blockbuster contracts -- many well over $10 million and others for even more than $100 million. Consider that just one contract in the current batch -- a cloud deal for email services at the U.S. Interior Department -- carries a price tag of $35-million.

Banished Best Buy Founder Plots to Reclaim Throne June 28, 2012 Best Buy founder Richard Schulze is exploring a private takeover of the electronics retail chain, according to a recent report. Schulze is the largest company shareholder with about a 20 percent stake in Best Buy. He has reportedly conducted discussions with Wall Street banks to determine the best strategy for a buyout but has met resistance from the company's board of directors.

Zynga Pulls Out the Glue Gun June 27, 2012 Zynga made a number of announcements at its Unleashed event in San Francisco Tuesday, most of them aimed at the same goal: making its services "stickier" to its players. "Social games have become a crowded marketplace," said Scott Steinberg , digital game consultant and principal in TechSavvyGlobal.com.

Can Microsoft Squeeze $1B-Plus Value From Yammer? June 26, 2012 Microsoft has agreed to pay an eyebrow-raising $1.2 billion in cash for the startup Yammer, presumably in the expectation that it will gain a much needed boost in social media expertise. Yammer will remain a standalone service for its 5-million-plus customer base, and Microsoft will also pair it with complementary offerings from Microsoft SharePoint, Office 365, Microsoft Dynamics and Skype.

RIM May Give Up BlackBerry Phone Biz to Stay Alive June 25, 2012 Research In Motion could be looking to offload its BlackBerry handset business to survive. The company's executives are considering selling the handset-manufacturing business or even a stake in the whole company, according to numerous press reports. The company's options could include divesting the handset division. Another option could be selling a stake to a larger company, such as Microsoft.

Facebook's Zynga Plugs Could Sprout Into New Ad Network June 25, 2012 Facebook recently started running ads on Zynga's website, one of several moves the social network has made recently to expand its advertising reach. Some Zynga users now see Facebook's Sponsored Stories ads, which display certain brands or businesses that those users' Facebook friends have "liked."

Galaxy S III Sales Shoot for the Stars June 25, 2012 Samsung expects its latest smartphone, the Galaxy S III, to sell more than 10 million units by July. The announcement, made by the head of Samsung's mobile division, Shin Jong-kyun, suggests that the Galaxy S III will soon become the company's best-selling phone to date. The previous two models of the Galaxy S sold a combined 50 million units.

Is Everyone Trying to Look Like Salesforce? June 20, 2012 Last week I lamented how the legacy software establishment was focusing on the easy-to-sell parts of cloud computing without really providing the essence of cloud. Since then, I have been inspired by a couple of recent articles that point in a different though not opposite direction.

Once More Unto the Privacy Breach, Dear Facebook Friends? June 20, 2012 Facebook is moving forward with its acquisition of Face.com, reportedly paying between $55 million and $60 million in a mix of cash and stock for the facial recognition technology startup. The Face.com technology could give Facebook users quicker and easier photo-tagging abilities, but it also raises privacy questions. "There are a bunch of concerns here," said independent researcher Ashkan Soltani.

Time Catches Up With Apple's Newsstand June 15, 2012 A major holdout from Apple's online Newsstand announced Thursday it's bringing 20 of its consumer magazine titles to the outlet. Time said monthly and yearly subscriptions, as well as single copies, will be available at the online store launched by Apple last year, along with the latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 5.0.

Yammer May Get Microsoft Into the Social CRM Club June 15, 2012 Microsoft is in discussions to acquire Yammer, a social media and communication platform for businesses, according to a report in Bloomberg, which cited two anonymous sources. Microsoft is prepared to acquire the company for a $1 billion purchase price, the report said, and the deal could be reached as soon as Friday.

AMD Flexes ARM to Enhance Hardware Security June 13, 2012 AMD on Wednesday announced it will develop a platform security processor based on the ARM Cortex-A5 processor. The company has entered a strategic partnership with ARM that will let it use ARM's TrustZone technology. AMD plans to provide development platforms with TrustZone security features on select APUs in 2013 and expand that to more products later.

WWDC: New Friendships Forged, Old Bonds Broken June 13, 2012 Apple executives once again took the stage this week to show off the company's new software and hardware initiatives at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. This was the first time CEO Tim Cook took the helm at a WWDC keynote. He and other company executives presented conference-goers with a first look at Apple's upcoming version of iOS.

$20B GWAC Advances Federal IT Reform Goals June 12, 2012 The U.S. government is determined to find new and better ways of using information technology. As part of that effort, different approaches to IT contracting are in the offing for vendors providing hardware, software, consulting and other services, including social media and mobile device solutions.

Samsung Throws Wet Blanket on Nokia Buyout Rumors June 11, 2012 Today in international tech news: Samsung quells rumors of its plans to acquire Nokia, hacker group Anonymous stages protests across India, three Chinese telecommunications execs land in an Algerian jail, Google try to appease -- not fight -- the European Commission, and Sweden plows ahead with its revolving door of national spokespersons on Twitter.

Citrix Takes Mobile Networking Plunge With Bytemobile Buy June 07, 2012 Citrix is acquiring privately held Bytemobile, a provider of data and video optimization applications for mobile network operators. The deal will give Citrix exposure to a burgeoning market -- mobile infrastructure -- and extend its reach to points around the world. The acquisition builds on a partnership the two companies announced earlier this year.

Mobile Giants Tag-Team 4G in UK June 07, 2012 Today in international tech news: In a move that could speed up the UK's quest for 4G -- and save a floundering company millions -- a pair of mobile giants are teaming up in Britain. Also: A German company that judges people's creditworthiness might start using Facebook as part of its evaluations, and the EU looks to clarify its stance on net neutrality.

CRM in a Faceless World June 06, 2012 Salesforce.com announced it was buying Buddy Media for nearly $700 million on Monday. In any discussion, that's a lot of money, maybe more than Salesforce has yet spent on any acquisition. What's going on? As you might expect, I see economics playing an important role here, and I think there are two issues to consider. They may even boil down to one -- the cost of acquiring a customer.