Deals

Comcast is teaming up with Twitter to launch a new feature that will allow Twitter users to tune into live TV shows via the social network, making the site a go-to spot for television conversations and viewing. Dubbed "See It," the feature unveiled Wednesday allows Twitter users to control their set...

Sprint has been holding its breath while under water for a painfully long time. Several months ago, it surfaced for a gulp of air on news it would be acquired by Softbank. Since then, I've been listening for the buzz about the new Sprint -- but so far, I'm just hearing crickets. This is a mistake. I...

Scribd announced Tuesday that HarperCollins has become the first major publisher to join its monthly e-book subscription service. Scribd launched the e-book service earlier this year with a handful of smaller publishers including RosettaBooks and Sourcebooks. Since then, it has grown more than 60 pe...

After three years of wrangling with Google over its alleged anticompetitive business practices, the EU has suggested there may be some light at the end of the tunnel. "We have reached a key moment in this case," EC Vice President Joaquin Almunia, who is responsible for competition policy, said at a ...

Ford has announced the acquisition of Livio Connect, a 5-year-old Michigan company that wields influence in the car connectivity field out of proportion to its size. That's partly because Livio's technology is used by some major players and partly because Livio's Keys marketplace is a B2B exchange w...

eBay on Thursday announced that it is acquiring payment startup Braintree for $800 million in cash. eBay will combine Braintree, which provides technology for processing payments on the Web and mobile devices, with its PayPal payments division. Braintree expects to process some $12 billion in paymen...

The BlackBerry news of last Friday was bleak, with a billion-dollar loss and the cutting of 40 percent of its workforce. It looked as though BlackBerry was crashing and burning. Even though this was terrible news, I knew it had several different options. It was up to the company to decide which dire...

Twitter reportedly is in talks with TV networks and advertisers in advance of its IPO, which is expected later this year. Twitter executives are meeting with TV industry reps during the AdWeek conference in New York City this week. Twitter wants to strengthen its revenue flow through partnerships le...

Google has acquired Bump -- a move that could fundamentally change the way people and devices interact, suggested Bump cofounder and CEO David Lieb. Bump's mobile file-sharing app allows users to exchange files such as contact information or photos with a tap, or "bump," of their phones or other dev...

Dell shareholders on Thursday approved founder Michael Dell's $25 billion bid to buy back the firm and take it private, ending a seven-month battle with a group of investors led by corporate raider Carl Icahn. This is reportedly the largest leveraged buyout since the Blackstone Group took hotel chai...

Twitter is acquiring mobile advertising exchange MoPub in order to support advertisers' efforts to optimize their ad buys. MoPub helps advertisers and publishers buy, manage and maximize performance of a variety of ads, especially those on mobile platforms. Twitter plans to invest in MoPub's core bu...

Activist investor Carl Icahn has given up his fierce struggle to prevent Michael Dell from buying his namesake company and taking it private. In a letter to shareholders, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday morning, Icahn said Dell would be paying a price approximately 70 per...

The wave of companies rushing to merge is building once again. On Monday it was Verizon and Vodafone. Tuesday was Microsoft and Nokia. Two questions: What will merging do for these companies, and which are next? The reason for companies merging is clear. The wireless world continues to change. Growt...

Microsoft on Tuesday announced that it will pay more than $7 billion to buy all of Nokia's devices and services business and to license Nokia's patents as it seeks to make some headway in the mobile market. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2014 subject to approval by Noki...

Viewers in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas will be able to watch the US Open tennis tournament and the final episodes of the hit serial-killer drama Dexter on Showtime this week thanks to a new agreement between CBS and Time Warner Cable that ends a monthlong blackout. CBS programming, which includ...