New app rescues people from bad dates

NEW YORK | Tue Jul 10, 2012 5:16pm EDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - Most people have been there, trapped on an awkward date that is going nowhere. But relief could be on the way with a new app that provides an incoming rescue call.The Bad Date Rescue app, which was launched by the dating website eHarmony.com this week, lets users arrange for a call to appear on their iPhone to graciously allow them to bow out if a date isn't going well."There are all sorts of reasons for why people would want to get out of a date," said Arvind Mishra, director of product...

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CEO vows to turn RIM into "lean, mean machine"

1 of 14. Research In Motion Limited (RIM) President and CEO Thorsten Heins speaks during the annual general meeting of shareholders in Waterloo July 10, 2012. Research In Motion Ltd's slate of directors was re-elected at the BlackBerry maker's annual general meeting on Tuesday, Chairwoman Barbara Stymiest said. Credit: Reuters/Mike CasseseBy Alastair SharpWATERLOO, Ontario | Tue Jul 10, 2012 8:10pm EDT WATERLOO, Ontario (Reuters) - Research In...

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Analysis: Tech Inc's invincible aura fades

By Jim FinkleWed Jul 11, 2012 12:48am EDT n">(Reuters) - Hopes are evaporating that leading technology companies will offer a safe harbor this year from the economic storms swirling across Europe, Asia and the United States.Investors should brace for some of the biggest names in U.S. software and hardware -- from Microsoft Corp and IBM to Intel Corp -- to disappoint when Big Tech begins reporting quarterly earnings next week, analysts said.The trio's shares are all in the red for July, in the wake of earnings warnings over the past week from...

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Judge who shelved Apple trial says patent system out of sync

Federal Judge Richard Posner poses in his Chambers in Chicago July 2, 2012. The U.S. judge who tossed out one of the biggest court cases in Apple Inc's smartphone technology battle thinks policymakers should examine whether patents should cover software at all. Picture taken July 2, 2012. Credit: Reuters/John GressBy Dan LevineCHICAGO | Thu Jul 5, 2012 8:42am EDT CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. judge who tossed out one of the biggest court cases in...

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Russia-focused online games developer eyes new markets

By Tova CohenHERZLIYA, Israel | Wed Jul 11, 2012 5:18am EDT HERZLIYA, Israel (Reuters) - Israel-based online games developer Plarium, whose multi-player game Total Domination has attracted 20 million users in just a year, expects revenue to double annually in coming years as it launches new games and enters new markets such as the United States."We are growing very fast," Plarium CEO Avi Shalel told Reuters. "Since the beginning we have doubled revenue every year and we expect this pace to continue."The private company, which has so far focused...

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Oracle continues to add social media muscle with Involver deal

The company logo is shown at the headquarters of Oracle Corporation in Redwood City, California February 2, 2010. Picture taken February 2, 2010. Credit: Reuters/Robert GalbraithBy Gerry ShihSAN FRANCISCO | Tue Jul 10, 2012 7:54pm EDT SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Oracle Corp said Tuesday it had acquired social marketing firm Involver, notching the third deal in as many months in a red-hot area for enterprise software makers.Terms of the deal were...

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European ruling on Google privacy policy set for September

PARIS | Tue Jul 10, 2012 11:30am EDT PARIS (Reuters) - France's data protection watchdog said it will likely wrap up the inquiry of Google's new privacy policy, which it is conducting on behalf of European regulators, in September.France's Commission Nationale de l'Informatique (CNIL) had expected to decide in June whether Google's new approach to privacy that took effect in March conforms with European law, but the process has been slowed as the company provided more information to the regulator."We just received answers to questions we put to...

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Sandvine posts wider-than-expected loss

n">(Reuters) - Canadian network equipment maker Sandvine Corp posted a wider-than-expected quarterly loss as revenue fell 24 percent.Second-quarter net loss was $4.2 million, or 3 cents per share, compared with a net income of $1.7 million, or 1.2 cents per share, a year earlier.Revenue fell to $18.6 million from $24.5 million.Analysts had expected a loss of 2 cents per share on revenue of $18.8 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.Sandvine last month warned of smaller-than-expected revenue for the second quarter due to delays in closing...

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Google to pay $22.5 million to settle privacy charges: source

People visit Google's stand at the National Retail Federation Annual Convention and Expo in New York January 16, 2012. Credit: Reuters/ Kena BetancurView the original article h...

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Canadian Solar CEO: could build 700-MW factory in China

By Braden ReddallSAN FRANCISCO | Tue Jul 10, 2012 8:54pm EDT SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Canadian Solar Inc (CSIQ.O) is expected to decide within months whether to build a factory that could produce 700 megawatts per year of new, more efficient solar cells, the firm's head said on Tuesday, with any facility likely to be in China.Chief Executive Shawn Qu said at a conference in San Francisco that there was a good chance the company, which already carries out most of its production in China, would take the step despite oversupply in the solar equipment...

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After Farmville success, Zynga not ready to plunge into mobile

The corporate logo of Zynga Inc, the social network game development company, is shown at its headquarters in San Francisco, California April 26, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Robert GalbraithBy Gerry ShihSAN FRANCISCO | Tue Jul 10, 2012 8:10pm EDT SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Zynga Inc CEO Mark Pincus said Tuesday he remains wary of investing as heavily in mobile games as he has in proven Web-based titles like FarmVille despite an industrywide push toward...

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Megaupload tycoon offers to go to U.S. to answer piracy charges

Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom talks to members of the media as he leaves the High Court in Auckland February 29, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Simon WattsWELLINGTON | Tue Jul 10, 2012 11:15pm EDT WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Kim Dotcom, the Internet tycoon at the centre of a U.S. investigation into online piracy and fraud, said on Wednesday he was willing to go to the United States to clear his name, offering to forego a pending extradition hearing in New Zealand.Dotcom,...

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Details on 'Angry Birds' for consoles surface

Video game creator Rovio has revealed fresh details on the arrival of its hit franchise Angry Birds to consoles.IGN reports the game, titled Angry Birds Trilogy, will launch as a retail game on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo 3DS this holiday.The trilogy will bundle high-definition versions of Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio.It also supports Microsoft's Kinect motion sensor, the PlayStation Move motion controller and...

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Report: Activision launching Walking Dead game

Video game publishers can't seem to get enough of the zombie thriller The Walking Dead.IGN reports Activision will launch a first-person action game in 2013 based on The Walking Dead TV series on AMC. It will be available for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.The game will be developed by studio Terminal Reality, known most recently for Def Jam Rapstar and Ghostbusters: The Video Game.An official website for The Walking Dead video game from Activision...

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Video: 'Black Ops II' villain back story

Treyarch is shedding a little more light on the villain in its upcoming release Call of Duty: Black Ops II, due Nov. 13 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PCs.This new video, also available on YouTube and the official Call of Duty site, sets up Raul Menendez as "the Messiah of the 99%" to the populace, but has global terrorism on his mind.The teaser video notes the contributions of writer David S. Goyer (co-writer of The Dark Knight Rises) and Trent...

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Ouya to launch new video game console

Update: Ouya's Kickstarter project reached its funding goal in less than eight hours, topping $1 million just after 5:15 p.m. ET. The speed of success recalled that of Double Fine's Kickstarter project from February.A high-tech dream team is backing the new Ouya video game console, which started its fund-raising campaign today on Kickstarter.com.About the size of a Rubik's cube, the Ouya set-top box is smaller than traditional systems, but the controller...

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Launch Pad: Are you ready for some football?

College football is back. Well, in video game form, anyway.We're still roughly a month away from real-world college football to kick off, but video game players will virtually jump onto the gridiron starting Tuesday.Here's a peek at this week's video game releases.Retail games launching July 10NCAA Football 13Publisher: Electronic ArtsPlatform(s): PlayStation 3, Xbox 360Details: The big addition this season is the Heisman Challenge. Players choose...

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Paul McCartney working with 'Halo' studio

The studio that brought video game players Master Chief has recruited a former Beatle.Paul McCartney used his verified Twitter account to confirm he's pairing up with Bungie, the studio behind Xbox hit Halo, on some new tunes."I'm really excited to be working on writing music with @bungie, the studio that made Halo," says McCartney's tweet, which also includes a picture of the ex-Beatle collaborating with Halo composer Martin O'Donnell.Although...

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Trent Reznor writes 'Black Ops II' theme

The next soundtrack project for Trent Reznor, who most recently scored The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Atticus Ross, is not for a film, but for the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops II.Reznor has composed the game's theme song, an "aggressively sounding" piece of guitar, bass and drums-based rock. Well-known video game composer and Video Games Live co-producer Jack Wall (Mass Effect 2) composed the rest of the music for the game.A lifelong...

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U.S. online job demand rises in June

NEW YORK | Fri Jul 6, 2012 12:11am EDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - A monthly gauge of online labor demand in the United States rose in June, led by jobs available in the transportation and warehousing sector, while retail positions regained momentum, the operator of a job search website said on Friday.Monster Worldwide Inc, an online careers and recruiting firm, said its employment index rose 4.1 percent to 153 points from 147 in May. The index was up 4.8 percent from 146 a year ago.The index saw annual growth in 14 of the 20 industries and 19 of the...

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Samsung's Galaxy powers record $5.9 billion profit; euro a worry

1 of 2. A man tries Samsung Electronics' new Galaxy S III smartphone that is on display at a store in Seoul in this June 26, 2012 file photo. Credit: Reuters/Lee Jae-Won/FilesBy Miyoung KimSEOUL | Fri Jul 6, 2012 7:37am EDT SEOUL (Reuters) - Soaring sales of the Galaxy smartphone drove record quarterly profit of $5.9 billion at Samsung Electronics, though the South Korean tech giant is sweating over how Europe's debt crisis is denting demand in...

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Media, tech deals may make comeback at Sun Valley

By Liana B. Baker and Lisa RichwineFri Jul 6, 2012 12:12pm EDT n">(Reuters) - A fresh sense of dealmaking excitement should permeate Idaho's mountain air next week when media and technology moguls descend on remote Sun Valley for their annual conference, which in recent years has been as sleepy as the town for which it is named.The latest moves made by News Corp, Vivendi and Liberty Media signal a shifting landscape of opportunities for snatching up assets as media companies navigate new entertainment platforms, a soft economy, turmoil in Europe,...

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Microsoft stumbles into crucial financial year

Joe Belfiore, corporate vice president of Microsoft, introduces the Windows Phone 8 mobile operating system in San Francisco, California, June 20, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Noah BergerBy Bill RigbySEATTLE | Fri Jul 6, 2012 1:11am EDT SEATTLE (Reuters) - An ugly first week for Microsoft Corp's new financial year, probably its most important to date, has done little to inspire confidence that the software giant can jumpstart a stubbornly stagnant share...

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Berenberg cuts Cognizant, VMware to hold

n">(Reuters) - Sales at global IT companies are likely to come under pressure, hurt by slowing spending and weakening European demand, Berenberg said, downgrading Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp and VMware Inc.Europe is contracting, growth in the United States has slowed and the Japanese recovery seems to have stalled, analysts led by Daud Khan wrote in a note to clients."While we do not expect a blood bath (in the sector) in Q2, the prospects for guidance downgrades for the full year are likely," said the analysts, cutting their rating...

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Judge approves Netflix privacy settlement

By Jonathan StempelFri Jul 6, 2012 10:14am EDT n">(Reuters) - A federal judge has granted preliminary approval to Netflix Inc's $9 million settlement of class-action litigation accusing the video rental company of violating consumer privacy laws.U.S. District Judge Edward Davila in San Jose, California, said the accord reached in February "compares favorably" to recent settlements of other consumer privacy cases, including with Google Inc and Facebook Inc.The judge also certified a nationwide class of current and former Netflix subscribers...

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Get in line: one Apple store per 216 million Chinese

By Melanie LeeSHANGHAI | Wed Jul 4, 2012 6:52am EDT SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) has more retail stores in Pennsylvania than in all of China - where it earns a fifth of its revenue - and a slow pace of expansion may cost the firm more than just sales.Apple's six stores in Greater China are routinely packed, and customers often wait in long lines for iPhone repairs. Scalpers are known to camp out to be first in line for new products, which they then re-sell for a tidy profit.The California company is notoriously fastidious when it comes...

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HTC profit lags forecasts, faces challenges in third quarter

A shop attendant arranges HTC phones in a mobile phone store in Taipei November 24, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Pichi ChuangBy Clare JimTAIPEI | Fri Jul 6, 2012 6:11am EDT TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan smartphone maker HTC Corp (2498.TW) saw profit more than halve in the second quarter after European sales disappointed and phones destined for the U.S. market were held up by customs inspections.The profit fall came on the same day that archrival Samsung Electronics...

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