rumors

Plaxo, Bebo acquisition rumors run amok on the Web

"Who's going to buy Yahoo?" isn't the only big question in mergers and acquisitions this week. Over the past few days, rumors have circulated that social-networking site Bebo and contacts management site Plaxo are either in negotiations or already sold.

Nobody's commenting, obviously.

First, TechCrunch's Michael Arrington wrote on Tuesday that a source told him that a Bebo acquisition was "definitely happening." The company was in the process of negotiating a $1 billion sale, he said, but didn't know who the buyer was. Arrington speculated it could be Google, considering that … Read more

Google buys Plaxo? File it under 'unlikely'

Wired's Epicenter blog reported Thursday that rumors point to contact-management-service-turned-social-network Plaxo as Google's latest shopping purchase. Well, maybe.

The report is extremely thin, and very little detail is given except that the buying price is under $200 million and the buyer is "most likely" Google. Representatives from Plaxo said that the company does not comment on matters related to mergers and acquisitions.

It would make sense: Plaxo has been a loyal and vocal member of Google's OpenSocial initiative, and contact management is one thing that Google Apps really hasn't nailed yet. But Plaxo, like … Read more

Crazy Apple Rumors Site on hold indefinitely

Much like the career of Jennifer fricking Connelly, perhaps the best source of Apple-inspired humor on the Internet is going on hiatus.

John Moltz, the editor of Crazy Apple Rumors Site, announced Tuesday that come Friday, he'll be taking a break from the daily grind of satirizing everything there is to satirize in the Apple universe. Moltz confirmed in an e-mail that after six years of CARS, he realized it was time to pause, reflect, and scour the earth for signs that the Cyber Apocalypse is re-emerging.

CARS, for the uninitiated, is a combination of faux "rumors" … Read more

Rumor: Dell to reveal Android-based handset next month?

Dell has long been rumored to be working on a handset, and the latest speculation is that Google will be part of those plans.

MarketingWeek reported Wednesday that the two companies are teaming up on a handset based on Google's Android mobile platform, and the official announcement will come at next month's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The report cites "senior industry sources," but notes that Google insiders are denying any such announcement is imminent.

Dell isn't talking either. Company spokesman David Frink told CNET News.com that the Marketing Week report is "speculative&… Read more

Underexposed blog: Links of the day

Nikon lens rumors: (24mm tilt-shift, 60mm macro, and 16-85mm VR): DPReview forum -- The 16-85mm VR looks closer to reality. The tilt-shift model would be interesting--that was a longtime Canon advantage. Rumored Nikon D60 details: Digital Photography Review -- Some purported details of the now widely rumored Nikon D60 SLR have bubbled up on the DP Review forum. Nikon releases D80 firmware version 1.10 -- Windows Vista compatibility, USB Media Transfer Protocol now supported, and tweaks to longer-exposure noise reduction. iStockphoto rolls back international price increase -- A 2008 price change increased fees for European buyers because of exchange … Read more

On Wednesday, CBS and Last.fm will announce...something

CBS has alerted media that on Wednesday morning, the company will be announcing "a new unprecedented service" involving social music service Last.fm, which it purchased last year. On hand will be Leslie Moonves, president and CEO of the CBS Corp.; Quincy Smith, president of the CBS Interactive division; as well as Felix Miller and Martin Stixsel, two of Last.fm's three co-founders.

So what is this "new unprecedented service?" PaidContent says it's hearing that CBS plans to use Last.fm's social recommendation engine (its "scrobbling" technology) and apply it to … Read more

Report: European Founders Fund invests in Facebook?

A trio of German entrepreneurs-turned-investors may have invested in Facebook, TechCrunch wrote Tuesday.

The European Founders Fund, consisting of thirtysomething brothers Alexander, Marc and Oliver Samwer, has reportedly put out a "very brief press release" explaining that they have invested in the Palo Alto, Calif.-based social-networking site. An exact amount was not disclosed.

The investment firm was not immediately available for comment.

It's no secret that Facebook has been hunting for new investors ever since it was pegged with a whopping $15 billion valuation following Microsoft's famous purchase of a $240 million stake. Some of … Read more

This week in laptops

Bjork fans sing along: It's oh, so quiet / Shhh, shhh / it's oh, so still / Shhh, shhh...

Few manufacturers want to interrupt the holiday buying season with new product announcements; why make the stuff currently sitting on shelves seem obsolete? Besides, two major shows--CES and Macworld--are just around the corner. So this week was filled with a little news and a lot of speculation.

First up: Apple. Matt Elliott redefined our notion of gadget lust in his write-up about the LED-backlit MacBooks, which are reportedly on the way in time for Macworld. But who wouldn't get a little … Read more

News Corp. reportedly buys something--but it's Beliefnet, not LinkedIn or Digg

There must have been something afoot in the crisp, early-December air that hinted News Corp. mogul Rupert Murdoch was in the market for a new Web acquisition. But, contrary to rumors, it isn't social news site Digg or business networking hub LinkedIn.

Rather, the media conglomerate is rumored to have purchased religion and spirituality site Beliefnet, according to a report from the FishbowlNY blog at Mediabistro. The blog received an "anonymous tip" that prompted a call to Beliefnet, resulting in an odd no-we-won't-deny-it comment that convinced FishbowlNY editor Noah Davis that it was pretty much a … Read more