Betrayed: tech giants bolster defenses in response to US surveillance
Google has spent months and millions of dollars encrypting email, search queries and other information flowing among its data centres worldwide.
India asks IBM to pay $US866 million in outstanding tax
Indian tax authorities have asked IBM’s Indian unit to pay 53.57 billion rupees (A$914.1 million) in outstanding income tax on fiscal 2009 revenue, media reported on Saturday.
Sony suffers TV relapse as Japan peers change channel
Sony Corp CEO Kazuo Hirai’s determination to stick to the consumer electronics that made the company’s fame will be put to the test in the months ahead as domestic rivals step up a shift to more profitable industrial technology.
Glitch-hit Nasdaq Options Market halted through close
Nasdaq OMX Group halted its second largest options market for much of Friday after a spike in volume hampered the exchange’s ability to accept orders and distribute quotes on some symbols, in the latest glitch to hit the market operator.
M2 delays redundancy plans for 100 jobs
M2 Telecommunications had delayed plans to lay off 100 people after agreeing to union demands for further consultation on the redundancies.
Some Wall St brokers raise Twitter IPO targets
Morningstar has joined three other brokerages in setting price targets for Twitter well above its IPO price range, suggesting the stock has room to rise at least 30 per cent.
Interactive | A go-slow on the high-speed NBN rollout
Households are now becoming more interested in joining the NBN just as the government hits pause on its rollout.
Tech giants Google, Samsung, Huawei sued over Nortel patents
The group that owns thousands of former Nortel patents filed a barrage of patent lawsuits on Thursday against cell phone manufacturers including Google, the company it outbid in the Nortel bankruptcy auction.
Sony slashes profit outlook in contract to rival Japanese electronics makers
Sony cut its full-year profit targets after slipping to a quarterly net loss as its recovering TV operation relapsed into the red.
Coalition NBN rollout grinds to a halt
Major construction firms building the national broadband network have told sub-contractors they will have to wait up to five months before receiving more work, as the rollout of fibre optic cabling grinds to a halt.
Oracle shareholders vote down Larry Ellison’s pay
A majority of Oracle Corp shareholders demonstrated their opposition to the compensation of the software giant’s chief executive, Lawrence Ellison, on Thursday, voting against a non-binding resolution on the company’s pay practices.
Google launches new Nexus 5 smartphone
Google has unveiled its new Nexus 5 smartphone as the internet search giant steps up competition with Apple's iPhone, especially in emerging markets.
Lenovo’s Kutcher launches Yoga tablet
Engineers are at a premium, yet Lenovo landed a new product engineer and celebrity pitchman when it inked a partnership with Ashton Kutcher.
Google smartwatch rumours ... more intriguing than most
Everyone, it seems, is building a smartwatch these days. Pebble, Sony and Samsung have already released theirs ... but the rumours about Google’s smartwatch are more intriguing than most
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Internet
University of Melbourne VC pleased as MOOC enrolments reach 300,000
University of Melbourne vice-chancellor Glyn Davis has declared his university’s “experiment” with free online learning to be a success after enrolling 300,000 students into the seven courses it has offered so far.
Some Wall St brokers raise Twitter IPO targets
Morningstar has joined three other brokerages in setting price targets for Twitter well above its IPO price range, suggesting the stock has room to rise at least 30 per cent.
Telecommunications
Glitch-hit Nasdaq Options Market halted through close
Nasdaq OMX Group halted its second largest options market for much of Friday after a spike in volume hampered the exchange’s ability to accept orders and distribute quotes on some symbols, in the latest glitch to hit the market operator.
India asks IBM to pay $US866 million in outstanding tax
Indian tax authorities have asked IBM’s Indian unit to pay 53.57 billion rupees (A$914.1 million) in outstanding income tax on fiscal 2009 revenue, media reported on Saturday.
Consumer electronics
Sony suffers TV relapse as Japan peers change channel
Sony Corp CEO Kazuo Hirai’s determination to stick to the consumer electronics that made the company’s fame will be put to the test in the months ahead as domestic rivals step up a shift to more profitable industrial technology.
Apple’s new iPad Air sheds bulk but packs punch
After gaining a little weight during its last two outings, the iPad appears to have entered a Jenny Craig program. Its most recent iteration, the iPad Air, is a thinner, lighter, smaller and more powerful.
Science
Workplace design: rethinking the workspace when software engineers are the new ‘lab rats’
Measuring the link between workplace design and efficiency isn’t easy, but the lessons of software engineers may hold the key for the survival of universities.
Samsung focuses on Google Glass response
A patent filing shows Samsung Electronics Co is working on a device it calls sports glasses that are likely to be its response to Google's Internet-connected eyewear.
