Business Technology - Boston.com

Dish passes on making new offer for Sprint

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:53:48 GMT

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Dish Network Corp. says a number of factors have made it impracticable for it to submit another offer to buy Sprint Nextel Corp. in time to beat a deadline set by the phone company.

Icahn changes tack, seeks $16B Dell stock buyback

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:20:31 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Activist investor Carl Icahn on Tuesday proposed a $16 billion share buyback in his latest effort to thwart Dell Inc. founder Michael Dell's effort to take the struggling computer maker private.

Google asks FISA court to lift gag order

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:54:46 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Google on Tuesday sharply challenged the federal government's gag order on its Internet surveillance program, citing what it described as a First Amendment right to divulge how many requests it receives from the government for data about its customers in the name of national security.

A year on, Assange stays put in Ecuadorean Embassy

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:27:33 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A year ago, Julian Assange skipped out on a date with Swedish justice. Rather than comply with a British order that he go to the Scandinavian country for questioning about sex crimes allegations, the WikiLeaks founder took refuge in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London.

With Samsung, Jay-Z's business continues to boom

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:05:59 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — He really is more than a businessman.

The top 10 books on Apple's iBookstore

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:41:47 GMT

The iBookstore's Official Book Charts for the week ending June 17, 2013:

NYC to offer free phone-charging stations in parks

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:01:50 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — It's a message busy New Yorkers hate to get: the low-battery message on your cellphone when there's no charger in sight.

RI building electric car charging stations

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:38:02 GMT

BRISTOL, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island is building up to 50 electric vehicle charging stations for motorists around the state and also plans to purchase hybrid or electric-powered vehicles for the state fleet whenever possible, the governor announced Tuesday.

Report: Too many teachers, too little quality

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:16:42 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation's teacher-training programs do not adequately prepare would-be educators for the classroom, even as they produce almost triple the number of graduates needed, according to a survey of more than 1,000 programs released Tuesday.

NSA director says plot against Wall Street foiled

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:05:17 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. foiled a plot to bomb the New York Stock Exchange because of the sweeping surveillance programs at the heart of a debate over national security and personal privacy, officials said Tuesday at a rare open hearing on intelligence — a set-piece for supporters of the spying.

Yahoo discloses number of US govt data requests

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:46:40 GMT

SUNNYVALE, Calif. (AP) — Yahoo is the latest company to disclose how many requests for user data it has received from U.S. government agencies, putting the number between 12,000 and 13,000 in the six months that ended on May 31.

Sprint sues to stop Dish Clearwire buyout

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:38:17 GMT

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Sprint is suing to stop Dish Network's buyout of wireless data network operator Clearwire. The nation's third-largest cellphone carrier said the proposed deal violates the rights of Sprint and other Clearwire shareholders.

News Summary: HP moves Bradley to strategy post

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:40:18 GMT

THE MOVE: Hewlett-Packard Co. named executive Todd Bradley to a new position in charge of the company's strategy. Bradley will work with CEO Meg Whitman to improve HP's business in China and extend relationships with important partners worldwide.

Dreamworks strikes TV show deal in Germany

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:20:38 GMT

Dreamworks Animation, the studio that is home to Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar, is making its way to Germany television under a deal with a children's television operator.

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:15:46 GMT

Hewlett-Packard puts Bradley in strategy role

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:45:50 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Todd Bradley, the head of Hewlett-Packard Co.'s printing and personal computer business, has been appointed to a new position in charge of the company's strategy with a focus on China, the company said Tuesday.

Vt. and Quebec announce electric car corridor

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:40:18 GMT

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Starting this fall, people who drive electric vehicles should be able to travel the 138-mile route between Burlington and Montreal without worrying they'll run short of a charge thanks to a planned electric vehicle charging corridor, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin and Quebec Premier Pauline Marois announced in Montreal.

Kabel Deutschland shares rise on takeover interest

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:46:04 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Shares in Germany's biggest cable operator are up after Kabel Deutschland received a preliminary takeover proposal from U.S. firm Liberty Global.

Intel chief: Lawmakers demanding more info on NSA

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:09:45 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said Tuesday lawmakers are worried about the possibility of further disclosures about the government's sweeping electronic surveillance and the impact that could have on efforts to combat terrorism.

Where to invest in an uncertain market

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:27:33 GMT

The investment landscape can be a scary place.

Google settles suit, clears way for stock split

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:27:10 GMT

Google resolved a lawsuit blocking a long-delayed stock split, clearing the way for a new class of nonvoting shares. The settlement prevents a trial that threatened to cast Google’s cofounders in an unflattering light. The suit by the Brockton Retirement Board and shareholder Philip Skidmore alleged they engineered the split in a way that unfairly benefits them. Google says the split ensures the cofounders have the power to make bold bets like those that helped increase the company’s value by more than $260 billion over nine years. The split calls for a new class of ‘‘C’’ stock with no voting power.

iRobot stock surges after Pentagon awards contract, telepresence robot is launched

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:26:49 GMT

A Pentagon contract awarded to iRobot Corp. for the supply of unspecified “robotic systems and spare parts” to the Army is worth up to $30 million, the Boston Business Journal said. The award follows iRobot’s receiving in May contracts worth $7.2 million to provide unmanned vehicles to Brazil as it prepares for a papal visit, the 2014 World Cup soccer tournament, and the 2016 Olympic Summer Games.

DreamWorks and Netflix in deal for new TV programs

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:26:40 GMT

LOS ANGELES — DreamWorks Animation, trying to lessen its dependence on the volatile movie business by aggressively expanding into TV programming, has decided to forgo cable television in favor of Netflix.

Facebook CEO meets SKorean president

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:25:51 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has met South Korean President Park Geun-hye in Seoul to discuss ways to stimulate entrepreneurship and venture firms in Asia's fourth-largest economy.

Apple details government requests for data

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:25:15 GMT

NEW YORK — Apple says it received between 4,000 and 5,000 requests from U.S. law enforcement for customer data for the six months ended in May.