Google closes Motorola deal, names new Motorola CEO

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc completed its $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility, and the Web search leader named a new management team for the cellphone maker. Google said on Tuesday that Motorola Chief Executive Sanjay Jha has stepped and has been succeeded by Dennis Woodside, former president of Google's Americas region. Woodside oversaw planning for the Motorola integration, according to Google. The deal close comes just days after the companies gained approval for the acquisition from the Chinese government. European and U.S. regulators approved the deal in February. ...

Google closes Motorola acquisition

In line with earlier reports, Google on Tuesday finalized its acquisition of Motorola Mobility. The $12.5 billion merger was approved by regulators in China on Monday after having been given the green light by the United States Department of Justice this past February. Chinese regulators did stipulate terms for its approval, however, namely that Google must continue to make Android open-source and freely available. Former Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha has stepped down and Google’s Dennis Woodside will replace him as chief executive. “I’m excited to announce today that our Motorola Mobility deal has closed,” Google CEO Larry Page wrote in a letter published on Google’s blog. “Motorola is a great American tech company that has driven the mobile revolution, with

Zynga launches prepaid debit card with American Express

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Zynga Inc., the social games publisher, has reached a partnership agreement with American Express to issue a prepaid debit card that could be used to redeem virtual credits, the two companies said. The partnership will help increase use of American Express' digital payments platform Serve as the credit card issuer competes with online gateway Paypal, a unit of eBay Inc, which is pushing to process transactions by mobile phones. ...

Apple’s next iPhone to feature 3.95-inch upgraded Retina display, report claims

Apple’s next-generation iPhone will feature an upgraded high-definition Retina display, according to a report published on Tuesday morning. Without stating where its information came from, 9to5Mac on Tuesday reports that Apple is still testing multiple potential designs for the next-generation iPhone, which BGR reported will launch this fall. The site claims that Apple is still testing several new iPhone models enclosed in locked shells, and at least one of these potential new iPhones includes an upgraded 640 x 1,136-pixel Retina display that measures 3.95 inches diagonally. With an aspect ratio of close to 16:9, the new Retina display is said to be the same width as the current model but taller, and Apple is reportedly toying with adding a fifth row

Where are Facebook's friends? Stock down after IPO

Facebook was supposed to soar. Instead, it plunged.

Where are Facebook's friends? Stock down after IPO

Facebook was supposed to soar. Instead, it plunged.

Raspberry Pi team teases camera add-on

The Raspberry Pi $35 Linux computer, which is equipped with a 700MHz processor, 256MB of RAM, an SD card slot, two USB ports, an Ethernet jack and both HDMI and RCA outputs, will soon feature support for a camera add-on. The current prototype features a 14-megapixel camera that can be connected directly to the Rapsberry Pi through its CSI pins. The team warns that it ”may downgrade the super-duperness of the camera to something with fewer than its current 14 megapixels before release,” however, in order to “keep things affordable, and a sensor of that size will end up pricey.” The add-on is slated to be released later this year and end-user pricing was not disclosed. A sample of an image taken

After Yahoo deal, challenges abound for Alibaba

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's Alibaba Group could command a Facebook-rivalling valuation of $100 billion when it comes to list its shares, possibly by 2015 - but its more immediate challenge is to hang on to top spot in the country's $36 billion e-commerce market. Founded and led by Internet entrepreneur Jack Ma, Alibaba faces increasingly tough competition in its e-commerce stronghold from well-funded rivals 360buy, which is backed by Digital Sky Technologies, Dangdang Inc and Amazon.com Inc. ...

Watch: NASA Launches its First Private Mission to the ISS

Just before 4:00 a.m. this morning, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully lifted off from Cape Canaveral, taking the first privately built spacecraft to the International Space Station. The unmanned mission will resupply the ISS and, if successful, could be the first step to replacing America's Space Shuttle program with private vehicles.

Microsoft sees 'rebirth' with new Windows 8 system

Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 series -- featuring an upgraded cloud computing service -- marks a "rebirth" of its operating systems, chief executive Steve Ballmer said Tuesday.

Cartoon studio faces state clout, global stars

Chinese cartoonist Carol Liu Hong built her studio from scratch, doing post-production work for TV commercials and then, once she broke even, realizing her dream of creating cartoons for Chinese kids.

Cartoon studio faces state clout, global stars

Chinese cartoonist Carol Liu Hong built her studio from scratch, doing post-production work for TV commercials and then, once she broke even, realizing her dream of creating cartoons for Chinese kids.

Microsoft sees 'rebirth' with new Windows 8 system

Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 series -- featuring an upgraded cloud computing service -- marks a "rebirth" of its operating systems, chief executive Steve Ballmer said on Tuesday.